Jin couldn't believe that he was admitting it to himself but he was terrified.

First of all, Jin had nearly witnessed Emily die right in front of his eyes. He had no idea what he would do after seeing another person he loved so dear be taken away from him again. Just the mere thought of losing his girlfriend made him feel... depressed.

But Jin knew that even though Emily was one of the strongest people he knew, she too had her own morals. He understood why she had hesitated to attack Belladonna, who was horribly a mere child. It made the water gem bearer wonder what the fate of the other Helian children were.

Taehyung was a perfect example of this. Jin didn't have as much knowledge as Jungkook did about the darkness gem bearer but he knew enough to know that he had been a child when the war had started. Along with his sister Shay, the two had been trained, raised as survivalists— weapons, even.

Jin was a smart man. He knew that there was always an explanation behind the way people behaved. Now that he thought about it, Taehyung's actions were justifiable. However, everyone was too blinded by anger to understand him and ended judging him for it.

And Taehyung, despite being so upfront and blunt, was a man with a good heart. Jin could tell.

Jin snapped back to reality and into the situation at hand. He was glad that they had moved away from Jimin, who was currently battling Belladonna. As much as the water gem bearer wanted to help his friend, he didn't want to tangle with her again. Heh, tangle with the vines. Funny, right?

Jin flinched internally. His attempt to cheer himself up with a joke made him realize how embarrassing it sounded when said out loud— although he didn't think this was a reason for him to stop. Shaking his thoughts away, he glanced ahead and at Massimo, who was just standing a few feet ahead of them with crossed arms.

"Three versus one," Hoseok broke the silence as he whispered at Jin and Emily. The air gem bearer shrugged with an awkward smile on his face. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Wish I could be as enthusiastic as you," Emily used the back of her hand to wipe the blood off her cheeks. Jin wasn't sure if that was hers or not. "From what I've observed so far, Massimo has the ability to change the composition of his body into different materials."

Jin eyed Massimo and noticed that his metallic arms were glinting slightly. A bored expression was on the Helian's face. "We won't be able to get to him if he stays in metal form."

"We'll never know unless we try," Emily strummed the string of her bow before facing Jin with a smile. "Right?"

"Yeah," Jin nodded at Emily before facing Hoseok, who seemed to be in a trance. The air gem bearer had his eyebrows scrunched together and lips straightened into thin line as he stared into empty space. "Hoseok? You okay?"

Hoseok blinked before looking up at Jin with that familiar heart-shaped smile. He tapped the lens of his goggles and winked playfully. "I'm fine, was just thinking about something."

Despite every single fiber in Jin's body telling him that Hoseok was definitely hiding something, he let it slide. Nodding, he turned towards Massimo, who was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. That same bored expression was still on the Helian's face.

"You guys done?," Massimo cupped his metal hands on each side of his mouth. "Didn't really want to interrupt you guys during your discussion. If you're trying to plot a plan on beating me, too bad because you can't!"

"He's not taking us seriously," Emily's eye twitched in anger and she attempted to charge forward. Jin made a gesture and whispered that it wasn't that good of an idea. She huffed.

"Come on, I'm obviously taking you all seriously!," Massimo held his knees and stood up. Jin winced at the squeaking sound of rusting metal that the Helian made as he hoisted himself to his feet. "Macht, my back— If it isn't obvious to you guys, I'm Massimo and I'm... one of the Great Six, I guess."

Jin glanced at Hoseok, who was just shrugged and raised both of his hands, not really knowing how to react. Emily, on the other hand, looked ready to snipe Massimo out of the sky. Her hand was trembling due to the tight grip she had on her bow.

"This is really...," Massimo trailed off and glanced at the trio standing in front of him. His fingers changed to wood and he tapped them on his metal arm in a rhythm. "Three against one? They really tossed the leftovers at me, huh."

"Did he just call us leftovers?," Hoseok squinted his eyes and whispered at Jin, who was doing his best to not fling an ice spear at Massimo. Emily looked like her patience was running dry as well.

"Think about it," Massimo raised a hand and spread fingers. He tapped his index finger and hummed before he continued. "Crowned Princess Shay wants revenge on her brother by getting rid of the guardian."

"What?," Emily exclaimed under her breath, eyes wide as she shook her head with gritted teeth.

Jin, remembering that you had gone inside the tower with Taehyung, Yoongi and Jungkook, prayed for the group's safety. With Shay in there, he could taste all the chaos that was yet to come.

Massimo tapped his middle finger, which was still in its wooden form. "Belladonna is going to kill Jimin to avenge Illusia's death—"

Jin glanced at the side through the corner of his eye. From far away, he could see the silhouette of Belladonna's vines fling across the air. This was accompanied by Jimin's lightning, which crackled as it sparked through the sky and to the ground.

If Jin remembered correctly, Illusia was Bliksem's ruler and Jimin had to get rid of her to get his kingdom back. The water gem bearer was filled with sorrow at the memory of Sam. He wondered if he walking through the path of vengeance would have him end up like Belladonna.

"Medusa is over there playing with— what's his name? Was it Nan June? I don't know," Massimo shrugged and tapped his ring finger after touching the third one. His eyes flicked upwards as he continued to think. "And of course, the old man is with the princes up there."

Jin noticed that Massimo was pointing somewhere. The water gem bearer frowned when his eyes landed on the tower, the upper half of the building still concealed by the thick mist. He didn't know who this old man was but a small part of him knew that he was the one man nobody should underestimate.

It seemed like Hoseok thought the same too, since his glowing green eyes were wide and mouth slightly ajar. The air gem bearer looked like he had come into a drastic realization of something.

"Hoseok?," Jin whispered, his thick lips trembling as he spoke.

Hoseok looked up at Jin, the dreadful expression on his face scaring him so much that his throat ran dry. He said one word but that alone was terrifying.

"Jungkook."

Jungkook? What did Hoseok mean by Jungkook? Jin turned towards Emily, who looked just as confused as he was. He wanted to ask the air gem bearer why he looked so scared but paused when Massimo continued to speak.

"So that leaves you guys with me," Massimo shrugged and lowered his hand. He scratched the exposed part of his metal arm, which made a scraping sound against his wooden finger. "But honestly? I don't think that's much of a problem."

Massimo swung his arm behind him. His hand morphed into a long metal spike that stabbed the ground. The Helian's eyes glowed a bright purple was a playful smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Whether there are three or ten of you, it doesn't matter," Massimo's other hand grew long metal talons that, although unnecessary, reminded Jin of Wolverine. "I'll crush you all anyways."

A gust of wind that definitely wasn't from Hoseok blew and suddenly Massimo was gone. Jin summoned ice blades around his fists and looked around warily, teeth gritted because he could see no sign of the Helian at all.

"Where did he go?!," Emily screamed. She had two arrows in between her fingers, the string of her bow stretched to its maximum length. Hoseok was also looking around, a look of terror all over his face.

Jin noticed that a strange shadow was looming from overhead. He looked up and there Massimo, eyes wide and crazy as the the faint light made his metallic arms and hands glint. The water gem bearer glanced at the others and realized that they hadn't seen him at all.

Wrist flicking, Jin made puddles of water appear below Emily and Hoseok's feet before spreading his arms to to his sides. The two of them slid away from the water gem bearer before falling to the ground.

"Jin!," Emily screamed, her tone making Jin look up. It was just in time for him to see that Massimo was aiming at his face with his spiked metal arm. The Helian was much closer now.

Jin made water surround him in a dome before freezing it instantly, creating a large ice shield. He flinched when Massimo's feet stomped on the ice as he landed on top of it, more-so when he could see cracks from his view inside.

Massimo suddenly struck his metal arm downwards, the spike going through the ice shield and barely dodging Jin's face. As the Helian continued to stab the spike inside, Jin used his flexibility to dodge them but couldn't avoid getting wounded at some occasions.

An arrow zipped through the air and struck Massimo's leg, causing the Helian to fall. Jin dissolved the ice into water and gratefully nodded at Emily, who was still holding her bow in the air.

Jin charged towards Massimo and sharpened the ice blade around his wrist. He swung his arm, the ice nearly cracking as it slammed against the Helian's metal spike.

"Ice against metal," Massimo smirked and grabbed Jin's blade with his other hand. The ice shattered in his fingers. "Not such a good idea, eh?"

When Massimo attempted to stab Jin in the abdomen, the water gem bearer felt a pair of arms hook under his elbows. He was suddenly lifted high in the air, the metal spike scraping the sole of his left shoe and into the ground.

"I thought we agreed not to get too close to him?!," Hoseok screamed. Jin craned his neck upwards to look at the air gem bearer, whose goggle was loosely fluttering against the wind.

"We never made that agreement!," Jin bent his legs when Massimo attempted to stab him from below. Thanks to Hoseok, they dodged it.

"We are now!," Hoseok continued to fly across the air with Jin in his arms, the metal spikes stabbing upwards in a rhythm. "Does this dude have a thousand arms or some— Watch out!"

Hoseok leaned backwards as yet another metal spike shot upwards from below. Jin swallowed dryly because he could feel the cold metal against his cheek. The water gem bearer gritted his teeth and grabbed Massimo's arm.

Jin's eyes glowed a bright blue as the metal was coated in water. Then it started to freeze. Massimo eyes widened as his arm slowly froze into ice, forcing him to retract his spikes. Since the water gem bearer still had his grip on the metal, he and Hoseok were pulled to the ground.

Before Massimo could compose himself and attack again, there was a battlecry from nearby. Emily ran into view and pulled out the knife strapped behind her leg. She then bent down and slid across the ground before slashing the blade behind the Helian's knee.

Massimo screamed in pain and was forced to fall to the ground on one knee. Emily rolled on to her feet and jumped in an attempt to stab the Helian with her knife.

However, Emily's wrist was grabbed by Massimo instead. For a moment, they just stared at each other, one with a furious expression and the other with a playful smirk. The protector winced slightly at how tight the metal grip was.

Then Massimo closed his fist, Emily's knife shattering in his hand. With the blade in hand, he grabbed the protector by the neck before attempting to stab her in the abdomen.

A sharp icicle suddenly rose from the ground and stabbed through Massimo's fingers, the blade falling to the ground in a clatter. Hoseok swooped in from above and pulled Emily away from the Helian.

Massimo groaned in pain at his bleeding fingers and heard the swishing of water from behind him. He turned around to see Jin surfing on a wave of water, an axe made out of pure ice in his hands. The water gem bearer swung downwards in an attempt to decapitate the Helian but the weapon merely shattered against his metal neck.

Jin slid on the ground until he was standing next to Emily and Hoseok. All three of them were panting heavily but Massimo didn't look tired at all. "We'll tire out if this keeps up."

Emily nodded and ran a hand through her long brown hair. She released a loud sigh of frustration. "You're right. We won't be able to get to Massimo if he stays in his metal form."

Jin licked his lips and thought for a bit. His eyes lit up in realization. "He had wooden fingers a while back. Maybe we can force him to switch to his wooden form?"

"Good call," Emily nodded once more, a small smile spreading across her face. However, this was soon replaced with a frown. "But how?"

"I have an idea."

Both of them turned towards Hoseok, who had been silent the entire time. The air gem bearer stroked his chin and seemed to be in deep thought. Jin could almost see the mathematical formulas running up and down his eyes like a computer screen.

"You guys familiar with air pressure?"

-

Dust scattered into the air as Jimin's shoes scraped across the ground. The lightning bolt glowed in his hand as electricity crackled in the air around him. He took deep breaths and licked the blood dotting the corner of his lips. The ground was cracked, some patches of it burnt to a charcoal black.

Belladonna was also panting across him. She had a hand pressed on the floor, the other clutching the collar of her dress as she inhaled deeply. Scattered around the young girl's feet were torn and charred vines, along with some Venus Flytrap carcasses.

"Impressive," Belladonna smirked and wiped the blood flowing down the cut on her cheek. "There aren't much people who can keep up with me."

"Please," Jimin's lips curled to form a small smile. Electricity cracked around his body. "This is nothing."

Belladonna laughed, which sounded like that of an innocent child's. This thought made a shiver run down Jimin's spine because the Helian was anything but innocent. "I like your style."

In seconds, Belladonna was in the air. Vines coiled around her little legs and served as her feet. She cackled loudly as the plants formed what seemed like a monster made purely out of green stems and leaves. Jimin gritted his teeth as his eyes glowed a powerful yellow.

Then a voice came. "Chim!"

Jimin blinked as he recognized the voice, his eyes turning back to their regular chocolate brown color. A wide smile spread across the thunder's face. The familiar silhouette was standing nearby. "Joonie!"

"Oh come on!," Belladonna whined as she carefully lowered herself to the floor. She crossed her arms as the vines scattered around her. "I was just getting started."

Jimin ignored Belladonna's complaints and ran towards Namjoon. For a moment, he found it strange that the earth gem bearer was just standing still, not at all reacting to the wartorn battlefield before him. Smiling, he thought none of it.

"Thank goodness you're okay!," Jimin exclaimed and stood in front of Namjoon, who was weirdly avoiding any sort of eye contact with him. "Where's Medusa? Are you—"

After looking around, Jimin paused. He was baffled at the sight of Medusa standing behind Namjoon with a smug expression on her face. In that moment, a billion questions entered the thunder gem bearer's head— Why was Medusa unharmed? Why was Namjoon acting so strange? Why was there a strong sense of dread filling his gut?

"J-Joonie," Jimin stuttered. He felt his lips tremble as he spoke. Namjoon hadn't moved an inch. "Hey... what's wrong?"

There was a moment of silence, a very painful one for Jimin at least. He saw something walk by through the corner of his eye. Belladonna was standing behind Namjoon now too, that pout still on her face. However, she soon smiled after Medusa whispered something in her ear.

"Oh, Jimin," Namjoon spoke, finally. For some reason, Jimin didn't feel at ease even after hearing his voice. Something was off. "I'm fine."

Jimin looked down when he heard something snap. He stared wide eyed at Namjoon's fingers, which were trembling and making sickening cracks as it wriggled. The skin of his hand was purple, nails long and sharp.

Huh?

"In fact," Namjoon smiled and showed Jimin rows of pointed teeth. He raised a hand as rock stuck to his fist to form a glove of stone. "I've never felt better."

Jimin just stood there like a dumbass and failed to process what was happening. Due to that, he was unable to dodge the punch that slammed right into his cheek. The force threw the thunder gem bearer backwards. He crashed into some brittle vines before rolling on the ground.

Groaning in pain, Jimin held his swollen cheek. His eyes teared up when he realized that Namjoon had punched him. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw the earth gem bearer walking towards him.

Jimin now got a good look at Namjoon's face. Replacing the caramel skin he adored was a sickly purple tint that took up his arms. Inky blank coated his nails and fingers, along with dark veins that crawled up from his neck to his cheeks. His eyes weren't brown, they were reptilian yellow with a hue of dark purple.

"N-Namjoon?," Jimin's legs felt like jelly so he remained on the ground, shaking as Namjoon stared at him with a malicious grin. "W-What happened to you?"

Namjoon didn't reply. Instead, he tilted his head slowly. The earth gem bearer's grin grew bigger, almost as if the skin of his cheeks would tear at any given moment.

"Consider it as an improvement," Medusa spoke from behind Namjoon, that stupid smug look still present. Belladonna was sitting on the ground next to her and was stroking some vines. "Done by yours truly!"

Jimin felt his eye twitch. He stared at Medusa, whose snake eyes looked back at him. It almost seemed like those purple orbs were mocking him. He faced Namjoon, who was waiting silently— for a move or a command? The thunder gem bearer wasn't sure but he didn't like the situation he was in at all.

This whole thing was familiar. Jimin remembered his battle with Illusia back in Bliksem, when she had transformed into Namjoon to set him off. He didn't think there would be a repeat of that. He didn't think it would turn out to be real too.

"Namjoon," Medusa spoke again with a commanding tone in her voice. Namjoon glanced over his shoulder to face her. He looked like an obedient puppet. "You know what to do."

Nodding, Namjoon turned back towards that Jimin, that same malicious smile still on his face. He brought out his claws and licked his lips. His pointed teeth glistened, each one sharp and menacing.

"Kill him."

Namjoon charged forward with a crazed expression, his poison tinted nails aimed right at Jimin. Now back to his senses, the thunder gem bearer used his speed to dodge. He slid across the ground and watched as his friend tumbled to the ground.

Fingers digging into the soil, Namjoon's body continued to make sickening cracks. Jimin watched in horror as the earth gem bearer's bones shifted continuously. He couldn't imagine the pain he was going through.

"Namjoon, please!," Jimin's voice cracked as he screamed. He could feel his tears threatening to fall at any moment. "Snap out of it! I don't want to fight you!"

Instead of a coherent reply, Namjoon released an animalistic scream and ran towards Jimin in all fours. Not knowing what else to do, he once again dodged the attack by running around the field.

Jimin yelled loudly when his face slammed against a rock wall. He slumped to the ground, confused because he was sure that there wasn't a tall barrier here before. Realizing that this was unfortunately Namjoon's doing, he looked around in search for the Aardeian king.

But Namjoon was gone. Jimin swallowed dryly and glanced at Medusa and Belladonna, the duo looking like an audience in a movie house. A billion scenarios formed in his head. Was he in the ground below him? Did he turn invisible? Did he run away?

Jimin froze when he felt something drip on his shoulder. Turning around slowly, he saw what seemed like purple liquid on his jacket, smoke rising from it as the cloth sizzled. With his heart thumping against his chest, the thunder gem bearer looked up.

On the wall of rock Jimin had crashed into was Namjoon, who was upside down. He was just situated there, hands and feet clung onto the stone like a spider as he looked down at him. Saliva dripped down from his mouth and onto the orange head's shoulder as he growled.

Jimin was horrified and it took him a while to actually move. He kicked the wall and pushed himself away before Namjoon could pounce on top of him. However, due to not using super speed, his ankle had been grabbed. The grip was tight and cold.

Namjoon smirked and swung Jimin towards the stone wall, some of the rock cracking and falling to the floor as he slammed against it. The thunder gem bearer yelped at the pain that jolted up his spine.

Jimin's eyes snapped open when he felt a tight grip around his neck. Namjoon was in front of him now, smirking as he choked him. The thunder gem bearer clawed at his own neck as he was raised him higher, trying desperately to free himself.

"Joo—," Jimin wheezed and reached out to Namjoon's face. His hands trembled as he ran his fingers down the other's cheeks. "Joonie— please—"

It seemed like a miracle. Jimin thought he was hallucinating when the evil smirk on Namjoon's face faded. For a moment, he saw the earth gem bearer's eyes fill with horror. Then he was taking deep and heavy breaths on the ground.

"Jimin?"

Looking up, Jimin became face to face to Namjoon but this time, he knew it was him. His eyes were no longer reptilian yellow, instead they were back to their original brown color. Even though every other part of him was still coated in the sickening purple color, he was glad to finally see something from the real him.

Jimin bit his lip and choked a cry as he tackled Namjoon in a hug. "Namjoon... you're back."

Namjoon immediately pulled away from the hug. Jimin was about to protest then he noticed that there was still a faint purple hue in his brown eyes. His smile faded. Was he really back? "Chim, you have to run."

Jimin was dumbfounded. Run? Again? He just stared at Namjoon, who was taking deep breaths and had a death grip on his shoulders. "What?"

"Run," Namjoon repeated, his voice hoarser. His eyes were a mix of yellow and purple now. "Please, I— I'm trying to fight it but I can't. I— I don't know how long I can hold on but—"

"No," Jimin's reply made Namjoon pause. The thunder gem bearer held both of the other's hands tightly, not at all bothered by the long claws that could scratch him. "I've been running all my life and I'm tired of it. I am going to save you."

A silence. Jimin watched with a speck of hope as Namjoon closed his eyes and smiled. From the corner of his eye, the two Helian magicals still stood there watching. Medusa's mischievous smirk stayed.

Then Namjoon laughed. It wasn't the hearty one he'd hear over dinner or during Single Men Club meetings. Instead, it was a dark one, a laugh that was dripping with evil.

Namjoon's grip on Jimin's wrists tightened, his nails nearly tearing through his veins. He opened his reptilian eyes. "That's too bad."

Jimin screamed as Namjoon threw him across the field. He landed on his hip as pain shot through his side. Groaning, he looked up just in time to see the earth gem bearer pounce at him.

Namjoon landed on top of Jimin and nearly scratched him. The thunder gem bearer pushed him back by holding his chest and winced at the claws slashing in the air just in front of his face. He was snapping his pointed teeth together too, as if he wanted to tear his neck right off.

"Stop it," Jimin felt a single tear stream down the corner of his eye. Namjoon growled loudly. "Stop it!"

"Ki-Kill me."

Eyes widening at the familiar voice, Jimin looked up at Namjoon, who was still under the state of Medusa's venom but tears were now streaming down his reptilian eyes. They landed on the thunder gem bearer's cheeks, each cold drop seemingly shattering him.

"No..."

"Can't... control," Namjoon's voice was garbled and it almost sounded like two people were speaking at once. His neck made a crack as he tilted his head. "Kill... kill me."

"I— No!," Jimin cried and let his tears fall free. He desperately gripped the collar of Namjoon's jacket. "Namjoon, I can't!"

"Please," Namjoon whispered and finally stopped slashing his claws. Jimin sniffled and yelped when a pair of strong hands wrapped around his neck again. His next words came in a distorted tone. "Before I kill you!"

Jimin was literally running out of breath. He felt his chest burning as he continued to cry. Tugging at Namjoon's jacket, he thought of all the times they spent together. His sobs grew louder as he struggled to breath.

Namjoon was still crying, although there was a big grin on his face. His eyes— it seemed like they were begging him to do it. Just kill me. Jimin slowly reached out to cup the earth bearer's face with both of his hands. Despite the lack of oxygen, he was able to stutter something out.

"I'm sorry."

A loud scream erupted from Namjoon's throat as Jimin started electrocuting him. He cried as electricity surged through both of their bodies and continued to whisper the same I'm sorry over and over again under his breath.

Jimin sobbed loudly as Namjoon twitched, his bones still making those sickening cracks. He then let go of the earth gem bearer, his limp body falling to the ground as the electricity around them faded.

Wobbling, Jimin tried to stand but ended up falling on his knees instead. He desperately ran his hands across Namjoon's jacket and was horrified because he couldn't tell if he was breathing or not.

"I'm sorry," Jimin pressed his forehead on Namjoon's chest and punched the ground repeatedly. Fresh hot tears were streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you."

A few minutes were spent of Jimin crying into Namjoon's chest. Truthfully, he had many regrets in life but none of them could compare to what he was feeling. There were so many unsaid things in between them. He wished that he had actually told him how he really felt towards him.

Jimin remembered the conversation he had with Kaeva way back in Greta when he had borrowed Jungkook's phone. He told the dancer everything— about Namjoon, the almost kiss and the way he felt at that moment.

Knowing that he could have lead Kaeva on if he didn't explain it to her, Jimin didn't have the heart to leave her in the dust like that. He still remembered the exact words he had said— So much has happened during this war and my journey. I felt like a lot of things have changed, especially the way I feel.

Surprisingly, Kaeva was understanding, supportive even. Jimin remembered how she just laughed it off and told him that he had to tell Namjoon someday because keeping those feelings hidden would eventually destroy them both.

Thus, Jimin had many regrets in life. One of them, he realized long ago, was how he never told Namjoon that he always longed to kiss him back that night.

"J-Joonie," Jimin cupped Namjoon's face, hoping that he could at least get a small reaction from him. He choked on his tears, especially because there was no response. "Not you too. Don't leave me. I—"

Jimin's throat closed as he braced himself. Now he was accepting it all, his idiocy, his feelings— everything. He stared down at Namjoon and couldn't help but smile a bit at his round cheeks.

"I love you," Jimin whispered as he leaned down and pressed his forehead on Namjoon's. His tears dripped on the earth gem bearer's face. "Namjoon, I— I love you. P-Please."

Although Jimin hated to admit it, he didn't expect to get any reply. The thunder gem bearer could practically feel his heart shatter into pieces. Now full on sobbing, he cradled Namjoon's body and cried into his shoulder.

"Aw, is the show over already?"

Hearing Belladonna's voice, Jimin slowly looked up and saw the two Helian women just watching them from afar. The young girl looked bored as she curled a vine around her arm. Medusa looked amused by the whole thing, her hands clasped together as if she was ready to start clapping.

"You liar," Belladonna glanced up at Medusa with an evident pout on her face. "You said you'd get them both!"

Medusa laughed and shook her head at Belladonna. That damn smug expression was still on her face. Jimin felt his eye twitch. "Relax, Bell. Look at the bright side... at least one of them is dead."

Jimin could see his vision darken as Medusa and Belladonna released loud laughter. He glanced down at Namjoon and brushed some strands of his purple hair away from his face before slowly setting him on the ground.

Electricity crackled in the air as Jimin turned towards the two Helian women. His hands balled into fists as lightning bolts formed in both of his palms. Fueled by vengeance, he dashed at the two with the intent to kill.

-

Taehyung wished that he was in some kind of illusion. He wished that he really wasn't sitting on the ground of the communication tower's top floor with his hand clutching his bleeding abdomen. He wished Jungkook wasn't being possessed by Animo and that he was jus pulling a sick prank on him.

But Taehyung knew that even though Jungkook loved being such a trickster, he wouldn't go this far. Besides, he could never turn his eyes as purple as they were now. The Hemelian would never put on such an evil look. All the clues were there— this was not his friend.

Taehyung looked back at how this could have possibly happened. When he realized that Animo had possessed Jungkook's body during him activating the tower, he mentally scolded himself. He should have never let the angel out of his sight, especially with the knowledge of the old man's powers.

Now here Taehyung was, staring at the purple eyed Jungkook in horror. Hand gripping his blood soaked shirt, he could taste the metallic liquid in his mouth. "Animo, you better leave Jungkook's body or—"

"Or what?," Jungkook spoke with that playful yet mischievous grin on his face. Taehyung was disturbed by how familiar this smile was. "You'll kill me? And your little angel friend too?"

Taehyung snarled loudly. He should have left Jungkook with you and Yoongi instead. Now there was no way for him to fight Animo unless he could somehow force him out of the angel's body— but how?

"What's the use of fighting me anyways," Taehyung cracked a smirk after an idea popped up in his head. He wobbled to his feet and nearly lost balance as he stood up. "I've already activated the tower. You've lost."

Jungkook— Animo, Macht how Taehyung hated that thought — just stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Then the angel released a loud laughter that the darkness gem bearer has never heard in his life. His wings flapped behind him, as if in a frenzy.

"Oh, Crowned Prince," Jungkook wheezed a bit and clutched his stomach due to all the laughter. He then tilted his head, that sickening grin still on his face, blonde fringe swaying as he did so. "Do you really think that's the reason why we're here?"

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. He wiped the blood dotting the corners of his lips with his hand. "Why else would you lot be here?"

Jungkook laughed again and shook his head. The angel seemingly wobbled slightly as he folded all six of his wings. Taehyung squinted his eyes at this. "You're a very smart boy, Taehyung. Sometimes, however... even the most obvious of things go right over your head."

Taehyung glanced down and spotted his snake head staff, which was lying next to his feet on the ground. He wriggled his fingers, purple mist surrounding wrist as the staff started to move.

"Your father doesn't give a damn about this tower or whether you activate it or not," Jungkook plucked one of his white feathers and examined it. He smirked before crushing it in his hand. "What really mattered was getting you and your so called team to split up."

Taehyung's eyes widened in both shock and disbelief. "What?"

"Think about it," Jungkook tapped his own head with his own finger, the mini wings in his blonde hair flapping slightly. "If we really were after the tower, we would have arrived here and destroy the control panel long before any of you did. Shay can teleport, can't see? It would have been easier for us to stay here and wait."

"But you didn't," Taehyung spoke after much thinking. Realizing that everything now made sense, he gritted his teeth in anger. The staff was slowly moving towards him. "Because you wanted us to come first."

"Brava!," Jungkook clapped loudly with a big bunny smile spread across his face. Taehyung winced at the sight. "You still got it, little prince. The wonders are strong together, even King Michael would admit that. So why not pull the team apart, hm? After all... we do have the knowledge of everyone's weaknesses."

Taehyung put on a frown that made him look disappointed but on the inside, he was smiling. He could tell that Animo had absolutely no clue of his intentions— what he told Hel wasn't the team's weak points, it was how to unlock their true power instead. Despite how awful the situation was, the darkness gem bearer was comforted by the fact that one part of his plan was still working out.

Still, Taehyung wished that he had somehow figured this out, especially because he spent some time in Hel. But even he had limitations. The prince couldn't figure everything out on his own even if he wanted to.

Taehyung was hit by a sudden wave of dizziness and nearly fainted on the spot. Looking down at his wounded abdomen, he knew he had to figure out a way to close the wound. Hel did have one healing spell, a forbidden one in fact, but he needed his staff to cast it.

"You should at least listen to everything I have to say before losing consciousness, Crowned Prince," Jungkook chuckled and paced around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. Taehyung's eyes never left the angel's figure. "As I was saying, it was all a ruse to lure you and the wonders here... and that included Bogum's call."

"Bogum?," Taehyung couldn't help but gasp a little at the mention of his general friend's name. Remembering how Bogum relayed information about the tower to him, his eyes flashed purple in rage. Still, he kept his composure. "What did you do to him?"

Jungkook raised a hand and did a short wave, as if his previous words weren't at all important. "Eh, it was nothing. Just used his body to call you then... I got rid of him. Don't worry, he himself said that he had no regrets."

Taehyung was horrified as Jungkook continued to give him that malicious grin. He internally thanked Bogum for all his help and prayed to Macht that his soul could find peace. "You're a monster."

"It had to be done," Jungkook just shrugged and stared at the feather he had crushed. His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh, give me a moment."

Taehyung sucked in breath to try and keep in his anger. Jungkook, on the other hand, casually walked towards Animo's real body before squatting next to it. He then pulled out a thin rectangular object from his— wait.

Jungkook turned towards a stunned Taehyung with a big bunny smile. He teasingly waved the envelope in his hand and tilted his head innocently. "Looks familiar?"

Taehyung couldn't believe what he was looking at. The letter he had written by hand for Shay was taken out of Animo's pocket. It was being waved just a few feet away from him, mocking him, testing him. No, this wasn't supposed to be here, it was supposed to be with his sister!

"You don't see Hel's Crowned Prince slip a letter under a door everyday," Jungkook examined the letter and flipped to show Taehyung his own handwriting etched on its paperback. He felt his hands tremble at the sight. "So I said— why not take a look at it myself?"

When Jungkook started tearing the envelope open, Taehyung immediately attempted to run towards him. His teeth were gritted in anger. "Don't you dare—"

"Not so fast," A familiar blade made of pure light appeared in Jungkook's hand once again. The tip of it was hovering over the Hemelian's stomach. "One more step and this blade will go right through him."

Taehyung grunted loudly and stepped back into his position in frustration. His blood was dripping down from his hand to the floor. The staff was almost at his reach, almost.

"Just as I thought," Jungkook laughed to himself as the light blade faded away. Taehyung watched painfully as the angel tore the envelope and pulled out the folded letter. "Let's see what our dear prince wrote for his little sister, shall we?"

Taehyung could feel his insides burning in pure rage as Jungkook unfolded the letter. Now he understood why Shay was still so mad at him— she never saw the carefully detailed explanation he wrote down. She never found out his real motives and what he really felt.

If Animo wasn't in Jungkook's body, Taehyung would have punched him out of the sky. But he held himself back, not wanting to do anything he'd regret to the angel.

"Dear Shay," Jungkook suddenly started reading the letter aloud, which only fueled Taehyung's anger even more. The Hemelian coughed before he continued. "Our backs have long been heavy from carrying the weight of what was left of our childhoods."

Taehyung could feel his anger reach its peak as he breathed through his gritted teeth. It was obvious that the Helian was provoking him on purpose. Despite that, he kept repeating one thing to himself— This was Jungkook's body. Hurt Animo and you'll hurt him too. Don't give in.

"Please do know that I hope," Jungkook's purple eyes glistened as he continued to read the letter. Taehyung stared hard at him as he finally regained his staff. He silently hid it behind his back. "One day I can come to you without having to leave anymore."

Taehyung eyed Animo's body, which was laying on the ground a few feet behind Jungkook. The staff's tip started to glow a bit. His wound stung in pain.

"How poetic and sweet," Jungkook pouted and tilted his head a bit before releasing an evil cackle. Taehyung wondered why he didn't read it all out loud, not that he wanted him to. "Too bad Shay is never going to see it."

Before Taehyung could register Jungkook's words, the letter was torn in half. The darkness gem bearer watched with wide eyes as pieces of the paper seemingly fell to the floor in slow motion. His insides continued to burn. He felt like something inside him had exploded.

The next few minutes seemed to become a blur to Taehyung as his gem flickered black. He remembered shooting a laser beam from his staff and creating a large hole in the wall. He remembered jumping high in the air and screaming.

Taehyung only snapped back to his senses when Jungkook squeaked softly from ahead. "T-Tae?"

Blinking, Taehyung tried to comprehend what had happened during that short moment of darkness. He looked around and saw rubbles of rock scattered around. Bright light poured into the room due to the large hole in the wall on his right.

"Tae," Jungkook repeated, his tone making Taehyung turn to meet the his blue eyes. Blood was dripping down the corner of the angel's mouth. "I-It hurts. W-Why does it hurt?"

Taehyung felt like he had fallen into a pool of dread. Through the corner of his eye, he could see dark must fluttering in the air as it surrounded an insect crawling on the ground. Despite every single fiber telling him to not look down, he did.

The snake head staff Taehyung held had morphed into a sword. Its blade went right through Jungkook's abdomen, the blood dripping down to the Helian's hands. A few seconds of utter horror and disbelief passed.

"Jungkook," Taehyung pulled out the sword from Jungkook's body, his eyes wide and glassy. The angel leaned forward, the blood staining his clothes. "Oh my Macht, Jungkook, I— I didn't—"

Jungkook wheezed loudly, his throat gurgling as he choked on his own blood. Taehyung was horrified as the angel slumped on top of him. The Hemelian's eyes were unfocused as they flicked from one direction to the other.

"No, no, no, no," Taehyung shook his head and cupped Jungkook's face in his hands. The mixture of their blood stained his palms. "Jungkook, don't you dare. Stay with me. Plea—"

Taehyung paused when he felt a tear flow down his face. He stared at Jungkook's weak body as a wave of sorrow washed over him, something he hadn't felt in so long. Sobbing, he let all the tears flow as he hugged the angel close to him.

"Y-You're my best friend, Kook," Taehyung choked in between his tears and dug his face into Jungkook's shoulder. The angel continued to take deep and desperate breaths. "I've only got you left. P-Please don't leave me. Please..."

Jungkook didn't respond. Instead, he continued to clutch the sleeve of Taehyung's jacket. The Helian prince could hear his friend's breathing in his ear and this only made him cry harder. No longer feeling his wound sting, his heart was in more pain.

"I'm so sorry," Taehyung sniffled and curled his fingers in Jungkook's blonde hair as he cradled him. "For being a piece of shit to you, for rejecting you when you reach out to me... for everything."

Taehyung wanted to punch himself in the gut, especially after he realized how mean he had been acting towards Jungkook, who had no other intention but to befriend him. Now he was full of regret— and he wasn't sure if his message could still reach the angel. He's already lost everything, he didn't want to lose his best friend too.

"Jungkook, plea—"

"I-It's okay."

Taehyung sucked in a breath when Jungkook whispered softly into his ear. The Hemelian prince slowly stroked his cheek with a trembling hand, leaving a trail of blood on his face. Hel's prince felt his lips tremble. He wanted to breakdown right then and there.

"Taehyung," Jungkook's voice was small, almost as if his throat would shatter in any moment. Despite his pain, he released a small laugh. "It's always been... okay."

A silence came as Jungkook's hand slipped down from Taehyung's face and to the ground. The darkness gem bearer's tears continued to fall, his grip on his best friend's figure tightening. He then released a shrill scream— one that was filled with pain, anger, sorrow and regret.

Taehyung wished it was him instead. He wished that he was the one who had been body snatched by Animo and eventually stabbed. He wished that he had experienced all the pain. Not Jungkook. The angel didn't deserve any of it... but he himself did.

Suddenly, Taehyung felt his chest constrict and he couldn't breathe. It felt like his whole body was on fire. His teeth chattered as he took deep breaths. Looking down at the darkness gem, he noticed that the purple color was replaced by pitch black.

Taehyung inhaled deeply as he finally regained the ability to breathe. He stared at his hands, eyes widening when he realized that Jungkook had disappeared. Now he was all alone in a void of pure darkness.

"Jungkook," Taehyung's breath hitched as he stood up. No longer feeling his stomach sting, he looked down and saw that his wound had disappeared. "Jungkook, where—"

"You'd never what you had until you lose it... Isn't that right, Taehyung?"

Pausing, Taehyung tried to process the fact that he heard his own voice come from behind him. With a parched throat, the darkness gem bearer turned around. He became face to face with himself, a mirror reflection of how he currently looked— same clothes, hair, the leather eyepatch. The only difference was that the other him had pure inky black eyes.

Taehyung heaved a loud sigh because he knew exactly what he was looking at. Glancing at his gem, it was the same black color that the other him had as eyes.

"Isn't this what you originally planned anyways?," The darkness gem, disguised as another Taehyung, tilted his head and smiled to revealed pointed fangs. "You being the last one on top?"

Taehyung hated how true that was. He sniffled, his eyes swollen and dry. "This is far from what I wanted."

"Then what is it that you truly want?," The other Taehyung walked towards him, each step echoing in the dark plain. "Retribution? Worth? Power?"

Not wanting to answer that question, Taehyung silently stared at the other him, who raised his hand before snapping his fingers. A patch of light appeared on the plain and shined down on Jungkook's bloody body.

Taehyung wanted to run towards the angel and cradle him but his feet were rooted to the ground. Instead, he squeaked out. "Jung—"

"Poor little Jungkook, a mere victim of your schemes," The other Taehyung spoke, his accent much thicker and richer than the prince's. He chuckled deeply. "You do know why you failed to protect him, yes?"

Taehyung closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. The other him was staring at him expectantly, expression smug. "...Because I was weak."

"Precisely," The other Taehyung clapped enthusiastically, the site of his excited yet evil self making the prince frown. "Your weakness brought this onto your so called best friend. If it keeps up, you'll end up losing the team and your precious guardian."

Taehyung gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. Despite having the knowledge of how deceitful the gem was, he knew that everything he heard was true. This was all his fault. He had been weak... and that weakness gave grave consequences.

"And you know what you need to overcome this weakness, Taehyung?," The other Taehyung stepped closer, his dark eyes menacing. He grinned with his sharp teeth and spoke slowly. "Power."

For the first time in a while, Taehyung decided to play dumb. The gem's presence before him was intimidating. "Power?"

"That's right," The other Taehyung nodded with that same malicious smile still on his face. "Imagine it. If you fully accept the strength I can give you, not only will you overpower your father... you will be the most powerful man in the universe. Taehyung Bristene, ruler of all. Just the way it was supposed to be."

As much as Taehyung hated how the gem was manipulating him, he loved how that sounded— Taehyung Bristene, ruler of all. For so long he had been weak, so much so that he was forced to run from his father instead of facing him head on. As a result, his relationship with Shay had been completely destroyed.

Taehyung was tired of watching from the sidelines as all he cared for suffered, just because he wasn't strong enough to protect them. He was tired of losing everyone. He was tired of the pain. He was tired of it all.

Despite knowing the that there definitely was a horrible catch to his, Taehyung knew that the gem was right. If he wanted to protect you, Shay and the team— he needed strength. He needed power, even if it was from something as dark and corrupted as Hel's gem.

Taehyung glanced at the gem disguised as him, who had extended his hand out and was awaiting a response. The other him's hand had long dark claws as nails and skin dotted a purplish hue.

Heart filled with anger and grief, Taehyung reached out to grab the hand. With this power, never again will he feel the pain of loss and suffering.

"I accept."

-

A/N — I will only raise one important question, are Namjoon and Jungkook really dead? This is a YA story. Like I said in one of my wall posts, always have hope.

Anyways, hard-hitting plus Jimin FINALLY confessing his love to Namjoon!!!! Yeah so Minjoon is officially another win for the gays this 20gayteen!

So yeah,, not really much to say after dropping 9k very unedited words of angst lol i hoped y'all enjoyed it??? (I can hear ppl threatening to end me already ha hah)

please anticipate the next update and keep your hopes up!!! it will feature tae in his full power as the darkness gem bearer!!!!

anyways see y'all in chap 84!!!!!