You honestly weren't sure of what happened. When you saw Taehyung driving Greta whilst screaming at everyone to jump off, something brewed within you. Suddenly, you considered the possibility of the darkness gem bearer not making it out.

So, you ended up swallowing your fear and jumped back onto Greta's deck. You could still feel the intense rumbling of the explosions and the bullets that showered both of you from above. Despite that, what you clearly saw was the stunned expression on Taehyung's face.

Your knees scraped the ground as you pushed yourself closer to Taehyung. Truthfully, what you were about to do was way out of line, almost completely unnecessary in the current situation as well.

But for some reason, the possibility of Taehyung dying to save the team made you realize something. And to confirm those feelings, you knew that you had to give him a kiss.

This kiss with Taehyung was different and you figured that it was due to it being the second one with him. You felt more comfortable this time, more confident even. It was almost as if time had stopped in this very moment.

When Taehyung snaked his hand in your hair, suddenly it all made sense. You did feel something towards him, something raw and real, something that had been resting within you for so long.

You pulled back from the kiss. After staring at Taehyung's face for a few seconds, you wondered if his glowing purple always sparkled like this. The sound of flying bullets snapped you back to reality.

Everything else was a blur at that point onwards. Taehyung promised that he'd live, you kept that in mind as you jumped off Greta's deck. Then there was an explosion that knocked you off course and now you were clinging onto the handles of a hover-bike with your legs dangling in the air.

It wasn't that difficult to take control of the situation. All you had to do was slam your shield on the Helian soldier's head. Now you were seated on the hover-bike whilst the rest of the riders glared at Taehyung with their pointed guns.

You glanced at the still crashing Greta. Taehyung was desperately spinning at the captain's wheel as smoke rose from under the ship. Truthfully, you wanted to help but knew that you couldn't use your Helian magic that well yet.

When one of the Helian warships hovered above Greta, an idea suddenly popped in your head. Swiping your hand across the hover-bike's control panel, you swallowed hard at the multiple buttons that appeared.

You slowly gripped the twin joysticks of the hover-bike, its rubber warm against your palms. With a deep breath, you pressed the buttons on the levers. The sudden firing of bullets made your body jolt backwards slightly.

The Helian riders turned towards you. Your eyes burned as you glared at all the soldiers. "Hey, assholes! Come at me!"

Whirring of engines filled your ears as the Helian riders gathered. Your eyes widened when you realized how many they were— so many that they extended out of your view. Their piercing purple orbs bored into your skull.

You let out a dry sarcastic laugh as you slowly made yourself comfortable. The hover-bike's seat squeaked against your ass. "Guess I didn't think this through, huh?"

With a strong tug of the levers, your hover-bike spun around. You dashed across the air and flinched when you felt the bullets zip by. God, thank goodness these Helians were all somehow horrible aimers.

You glanced down and gasped at the chaos all over Seoul. Dark smoke rose from the crashed cars littered across the streets. Nearly all the buildings had shattered windows thus leading to a field of glass shards below. Civilians screamed in panic as they ran.

Even from way high up, you could see the seemingly tidal wave of army clash with the team. Pillars of flames erupted from Yoongi, who looked like a tiny ball of fire from high up. Holly was flying around as well whilst leaving a trail of blood.

The rest were gathered in a circle and you noticed that were surrounded by the Helian army. You squinted your eyes and saw archers in the buildings and other hover-bikes hovering above. There was something else— they weren't complete.

Just when you were about to realize who was missing, you felt a sharp pain on your shoulder. Feeling the blood flowing down your arm, you mentally scolded yourself for not creating a forcefield for the sake of extra protection.

You slammed your fist on the control panel with gritted teeth. The hover-bike spun again and faced the riders tailing you from behind. Taehyung's words were embroidered into the curves of your brain— Feel, don't think.

Arms crossed over your chest, a purple forcefield formed in front of you. Wobbling a bit, you gently balanced yourself on the seats and stood up. Your foot pressed something and suddenly the hover-bike was moving backwards.

You were still facing the army and kept the forcefield up. Bullets deflected, some even hitting some unfortunate Helian riders. The wind shot back from behind you, which made your silver hair flutter.

The sudden beeping from the control panel made you turn around. Your eyes widened when you realized that your hover-bike was heading straight towards a Helian warship. The riders were still chasing you as well.

"God," You whispered to yourself and swallowed dryly. "I hope this works."

You gulped loudly and bent your knees. With a low grunt, you jumped high in the air and over the Helian warship.

It was like everything went in slow motion at that moment. You could perfectly see your hover-bike collide with the Helian warship, along with some of the riders that were chasing you. Flames erupted from the collision. The heat was licking the surface of your skin.

You flipped in the air and felt the force of the explosion hit your back. It felt like de ja vu as you crashed into yet another hover-bike, this time landing on a Helian rider's back.

The Helian screamed something in Vredeian and it was too quick for you to decipher. He spun the hover-bike and you desperately latched onto his back. You shut your eyes tight and felt your legs dangle in the air.

Despite of it all, you somehow caught sight of the Helian warship you just dodged. Arches were lined up on the deck, the arrows all pointed towards you. With gritted teeth, you pushed your body forward and curled behind the rider.

The Helian rider's body convulsed as the arrows pierced into his body, the hover-bike going into a full stop. Once it turned quiet, you pushed the body away and tightly gripped the hover-bike's handles.

Now you were surrounded. You could see the Helian riders encircle you with all their guns pointed. Cracking your knuckles, you prepared yourself when you noticed something from up ahead.

A pillar of dust and flames spun upwards from the ground. You could see a few figures standing within it, one of them pointing some sort of weapon to the sky. Then dark clouds formed thunder rumbled— Jimin?

You gulped at how much the sky darkened. Glancing at the Helian riders, you noticed that all of them were looking up as well in confusion. It was silent.

Then Jimin screamed and lighting struck his figure.

You suddenly had a realization of what was happening. Lightning jolted all the Helian hover-bikes like a chain and your eyes widened at the crackling electricity surging towards you. Arms crossed over your chest, you instantly formed a forcefield around yourself.

Eyes shut tightly, you could hear the painful screams of the Helian army from the other side. The forcefield vibrated as electricity crackled all around you. It almost felt like it was going to shatter and you screamed as it almost did.

Thankfully, it ended the moment a crack appeared on your forcefield. You released your magic and collapsed on the seat of the hover-bike whilst taking deep breaths. For a moment, your vision blurred.

After taking a few sharp breaths, you looked around. All was silent, the rest of the hover-bikes had turned into charred debris on the ground. The sky cleared and sunlight poured from within the dark clouds.

"Wow," You leaned back on the hover-bike's seat and exhaled loudly. "I'm going to need one hell of a cold drink after this."

You honestly were impressed by their teamwork. After sitting up and stretching, you revved the engine loudly. You were about to head towards the team when you heard a sudden scream from way up ahead.

It was General Jisoo. She sounded desperate as her little figure ran across the field of corpses. "Everyone, run!"

Your eyes widened when the mantis robot slowly came into view. It sprung out of the ground with its long pointed legs digging into the buildings around it. Even from far away, you could see its piercing purple eyes and clawed mouth. A winged figure was flying just ahead of it.

"Run!"

Your mind ran as you processed the whole situation right there. There was a giant robot heading towards the team. Although who you assumed to be Taehyung was forming a forcefield around everyone, it was unsure whether it could whatever attack the machine had in store.

Another forcefield formed over Taehyung's— Shay? The gears of your mind continued to spin. You still weren't much of an expert when it came to your Helian abilities. A part of you wished that Kiana was still here to reassure you.

You looked down when you noticed something glowing on your wrist. Pulling down your sleeve slightly, you recognized the white letter branded on your skin— Guardian.

Right, you nearly forgot. You were chosen by the universe to become the guardian of the seven wonders. It was your job to protect the team with your life, no matter what it takes. And if Kiana was still here, she'd remind you of the same.

Hands balled into fists, you revved the engine once more. You reached out your other hand and pulled out your katana. In the midst of it all, you recalled what King Michael said about your parents.

The moment you thought about your mother Suyin and her previous occupation as a Helian engineer, you came to a realization. You stared at your katana and concentrated.

Your eyes glowed purple as your weapon started to the change. The katana's blade grew longer, wider,  sharper even. Its handle morphed into a snake head, its pattern rough and scaly against your palm.

For a moment, you wondered if you ability to create weapons from scratch was actually a Helian power. You then heard a sudden whirring and looked up to see the mantis robot's mouth wide open.

You looked down and saw Jungkook form a third layer around the forcefield. None of the others had moved to safety as well. With a deep breath, you tightly gripped your katana's handle.

"Alright," You slowly stood up and pushed a lever with your foot. "Let's do this."

The hover-bike flew forward and you nearly fell off due to the sudden movement. Once you regained balance, you hovered over the team and swiftly snatched the shield strapped to your back. With a loud scream, you tossed it in the air.

It all happened quickly after that. After your shield slammed against the robot's head and ruined the laser's arm, you jumped into the air and stabbed the mantis robot's head. Then you were on the ground and there was an explosion from behind.

You stared at the now split in half mantis robot for a few seconds, its leftover metal body crashing into the windows of surrounding buildings. Feeling multiple eyeballs glaring into the back of your head, you turned around and became face to face with the team.

There was an evident shock on nearly everyone's faces that made you laugh lightly. The only ones who didn't look so surprised was a very boxy smiled Taehyung.

You couldn't help but smile back at Taehyung's expression. Somehow, his grin made you feel better. With a small wave you strapped your sword and shield to your back.

"Hey, guys," Everyone continued to stare at you like you grew a second head. "Sorry about being late, was a bit busy up there."

Nobody said anything. You wondered if you really did somehow grow a second head. The first person who moved was Jungkook, who silently scooted towards Taehyung like a crab.

Jungkook then whispered something to Taehyung, whose eyes widened as he hit his shoulder. The angel shrieked. "Ouch! What was that for?"

Wondering what Jungkook said, you blinked when you noticed that Taehyung stepped towards you. He cleared his throat. "Hey, uh, thanks for saving us."

You laughed a bit at how awkward Taehyung was being and crossed your arms over your chest. "It was nothing."

Another silence came. You continued to stare at Taehyung, who had a tight grin as he fiddled with his fingers. Somehow, at that moment, you remember his words in that glass cage back in Hel.

Your thoughts were cut off when purple mist suddenly wrapped around both you and Taehyung. In a flash, the two of you were suddenly slammed together with your nose hitting his chest.

The heat rose to your cheeks as you turned to the side in confusion. Shay stood a few inches away, expression blank and purple mist coated hands raised— Wait, what.

Shay raised an eyebrow as all the stares turned towards her. "What? Do not tell me that anyone was actually willing to endure that?"

Truthfully, you should have been happy at how you indirectly received Shay's blessings to be with her brother. Still, it was extremely difficult to process, especially with all of her attempts to murder you.

Taehyung suddenly grabbed your waist and pulled you closer. The grin on his face was cocky. "I kept my promise, didn't I?"

Huh. Taehyung's bravery amused you. With a smirk, you glanced back at the darkness gem bearer and wrapped your arms around his neck. "You did. And?"

"Macht, I can't watch this," Shay grumbled. You saw her turn away from the corner of your eye.

You spent a few seconds staring at Taehyung's face, this time studying every detail. Only now did you realize that he had strong eyebrows and a chiseled jaw. There was a scar on his mouth too, one barely seen, and it slashed across the corner of his bottom lip. You wondered how it came to be.

Taehyung stared back at you with that ridiculous grin still plastered on his face. You saw the way his eyes flicked to your lips and smirked. Just when you were about to lean in, a booming voice came from above.

"You fools!," King Michael screamed. God, what a cockblocker.

Taehyung didn't even try to hide the way he rolled his eyes. Here we go again— were the words written all over his expression. You blushed a bit when you realized that one of his hands was still gently gripping your waist.

King Michael was sitting on some kind of levitating chair, also surrounded by a bunch of Helian soldiers. You just stared blankly and scoffed. The sight of a floating chair was almost amusing.

"Did you really think that was all I have up my sleeve?!," King Michael screamed with wide eyes. "You were wrong!"

King Michael swiftly raised a hand and swiped it downwards. You turned around out of instinct and squinted your eyes at how the clouds rippled in the sky. Then a Helian warship morphed out of thin air, its shadow casting over the streets of Seoul.

Even from your position way below, you could see the unruly soldiers on the warship's deck. They looked eager to fight, some even falling off by accident. They were rabid too with their snapping sharp teeth and crazy eyes.

"Brother," Shay stepped forward as more warships morphed. "We are gravely outnumbered."

"I know," Taehyung gripped his staff and slammed it to the ground. "To get to Father, we have to get through them first."

With a deep breath, you unsheathed your sword and pointed it forward. "We've talked about this, haven't we?"

"The final battle," Namjoon stepped forward with a grin. He cracked his knuckles loudly. "We fight."

"Until we fall," Jimin stood next to Namjoon with glowing yellow eyes. He was carrying a crackling lightning sword.

"Hey, just in case we don't make it out," Hoseok levitated in the air for a bit and hovered above Jimin. He strapped on his goggles. "I just want to say that I really love you guys."

You smiled at that. Although this adventure caused a lot of mental and emotional pain, it also brought together nine strangers and turned them into a family. Just the thought of it filled you with determination— you all had to live.

"Don't talk like we're already dead," Yoongi grumbled under his breath and you barely heard his voice. He was standing next to Shay with Holly perched on his shoulders.

"Don't say that," Jin surfed across the ground and halted next to Yoongi. Ice blades formed around his wrists. "We have no choice but to live."

Emily strummed the string of her bow, her eyes burning with her fighting spirit. "We got a plan?"

All six of Jungkook's wings flapped loudly. He was flying next to Hoseok. "We do, yeah? Make it out alive."

You nodded to yourself and glanced around, eyes widening when you realized that the team was standing in a row. Everyone had a determined expression. Nobody was going to back down from this.

The Helian warships were halted in the air, the soldiers dropping downwards and crashing to the ground like ants. Despite having what should have been fatal injuries, the army continued to run towards the team on all fours.

"This is madness," Shay turned towards Taehyung in disbelief. "Father has infected the rest of the army with Kern venom."

Nobody said anything for a while. You swallowed at all the horrible memories that flooded back at the mention of Kern venom. Namjoon looked the most disoriented.

Jimin snaked up a hand to Namjoon's back and gently rubbed circles. The earth gem bearer smiled.

"General Jisoo," Taehyung spoke suddenly, his stern tone catching you by surprise.

"Crowned Prince?," Despite General Jisoo's firm stance and burning eyes, she replied with a soft tone.

"Assist the police force in keeping the civilians safe," Taehyung glanced at General Jisoo through the corner of his eye. His gaze burning gaze was almost as fiery as Yoongi's. "You two help as well."

General Jisoo crossed an arm over her chest and bowed formally. Chuu and Yves glanced at the Helian general and hesitantly copied her stance. The trio turned around when Taehyung suddenly spoke.

"Yves."

Yves instantly froze in place and turned around slowly. Chuu looked just as stunned next to her. Taehyung was still facing ahead but glancing over his shoulder and at the three girls.

"Ring up Olivia again," Taehyung's glare wasn't as piercing as it was a few moments ago. "Tell her this. Whenever they are ready, go for it."

"Yes, Crowned Pri—"

"Taehyung," Taehyung smiled softly. "Please call me Taehyung."

A moment of silence passed before Yves nodded with a small smile. "Yes, Taehyung."

With that, the trio sprinted out of view. Yves pulled out a circular phone from her pocket and pressed it to her ear. You turned towards Taehyung with a raised eyebrow and noticed that Shay was staring at him questionably as well.

"I will explain later," Taehyung shrugged nonchalantly. "First, we fight. Is everyone ready?"

"Tae, we're the seven wonders," Jungkook put on a big bunny grin, his blue eyes crinkling. "We've always been ready, yeah?"

You swallowed hard when you realized that the army was extremely close. Their growls were getting louder by the second. They weren't as rabid as you thought up close, since some of the soldiers still had enough senses to wield their weapon of choice.

"Let's do this," Taehyung whispered before he pointed his staff high in the air and screamed. "For the universe!"

The moment Taehyung screamed, everyone charged forward. You ran with all your might and flinched in shock when you heard something zip passed everyone in a literal yellow flash.

Jimin left a charred trail behind as he sprinted forward in an unimaginable speed. A bright yellow line pierced into the Helian army. In a split second, soldiers were cut down, some corpses even convulsing due to the electricity surging in their bodies.

"Chim, wait up!," Namjoon screamed and quickened his pace, his speed catching you by surprise.

Namjoon skid into a stop, his sole scraping against the ground. He stretched out his purple arm and grew out his claws. With one swift swipe, the earth gem bearer slashed a Helian soldier's neck.

As hot blood spluttered on Namjoon's face, his eyes widened in realization. He stared at his blood drenched claws in both shock and horror— especially because he had used his purple arm out of instinct.

"Namjoon!"

Namjoon looked up just in time to see Hoseok tackle a Kern-infected Helian soldier who had pounced at him.

"This is not the time—," Hoseok paused with a grunt when he slammed the Helian soldier against the wall, knocking him out.

Hoseok then kicked the wall and jumped into the air. He did some fancy finger gestures as wind spiraled around his arms. The air gem bearer tossed blades of wind that cut through the Helians' skin.

"Don't be distracted or you'll die!," Hoseok screamed, his eyes bright green.

"R-Right," Namjoon balled his other hand into a fist and punched a soldier square in the face. "Sorry!"

Some teeth flew out of the poor Helian's mouth as he crumpled to the ground. You winced a bit at the continuous crunching that came from Namjoon's punches.

Emily was standing on top of a wrecked car. In one swift movement, she released three arrows that went through the heads of different soldiers. "Jin, duck!"

Jin was slicing Helian soldiers with his ice blades. Hearing Emily's call, he ducked instantly. Arrows zipped across the air and above his head, grazing through his blonde hair before stabbing some infected Helians in the chest.

Springing upright, Jin grinned and screamed out. "Thanks, Em!"

Emily nodded. Jin spun his trident once and surged a wave of water towards a group of infected soldiers. Once they were doused, the water gem bearer started to freeze them.

Movements now limited, the Helians screeched from within their ice cages. Jin swung at them with his trident and shattered their frozen bodies.

"Damn, Jin!," Yoongi screamed from above, Holly doing the same next to him. He was hovering in the air with his jet boots. "That's brutal!"

"Shut up and fight!," Jin hissed before kicking a Helian in the gut.

"Guys! Big problem!"

"What is it?!," Emily screamed and looked up at a panicking Hoseok. She swiftly typed on her wristband and shot an arrow behind her, which exploded upon contact with a soldier.

Hoseok shot out powerful tornadoes from his arms. Craters formed on the ground as nearby Helians disintegrated instantly. "It's bad, Em! General Jisoo said that some civilians are being kept hostage!"

Hostage? You couldn't even think of why the rabid Helian army would even consider taking random civilians for hostage. With the way they were acting, you thought that they'd just kill people whenever they had the chance.

"Where are they?!," You screamed in fury and stabbed an infected Helian in the head, nearly belching when some of his blood entered your mouth.

"Over there!," Hoseok pointed at what looked like a low rise apartment located just a few blocks ago.

"I cannot believe Father has gone this low," Shay gritted her teeth and bashed an infected Helian's head in with the tip of her staff. "Keeping innocent people hostage... He truly has lost his mind."

Taehyung didn't say anything, instead he continued to fight. His purple mist fluttered as he tossed around the infected Helians and slammed them against each other.

You noticed the stark difference between the siblings' combat styles. Taehyung was a skilled fighter but you noted that he preferred defensive tactics more. Shay was in charge of close combat and was much more brutal when it came to it.

"We must save the hostages," Taehyung finally spoke and raised a hand. A flat purple sphere formed in the air and squashed incoming Helians. Oh. "I shall go."

"No," Emily suddenly spoke up. "I'll go."

"Emily—," Jin showed off his flexibility once again when he ducked after being pounced at by a Helian. You swore his body bent in half. "It's too dangerous!"

"So?," Emily shot another arrow without looking. A nearby infected Helian crumpled to the ground with an arrow in his head. "Better me than any of you."

"Nonsense," Taehyung spoke calmly but his tone alone was enough to intimidate. "There is no such thing. We do not trade lives for one another."

A silence fell between everyone, which was strange since the fight continued. You thought Taehyung's words were ironic, especially because he himself had the habit of throwing his life away for them. Shay eyed her brother.

"At least let me come with you," Jin wasn't really begging but you could see the slight desperation in his eyes.

"You need to stay with the others in case they need healing," Emily typed out something on her wristband. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

In one swift movement, Emily shot out an arrow, which had a thick cable attached to its bottom. The protector tightly gripped her bow as the grappling arrow stuck onto a street lamppost.

"Besides," Emily pressed something on her bow and grinned. "This will be a piece of cake."

The wire tugged and pulled the wire of Emily's bow. You watched in awe as the protector swung across the air and barely missed the heads of infected Helians before crashing through the apartment building's window.

Jin had his jaw hung open. "Damn, that's hot."

You raised your sword when a group of infected charged towards you and the rest, thankfully Jin snapped out of it before then. Eyes wide in shock, you stared as one of the Helians gnawed on the blade, not at all caring at how the skin of his mouth was cut and bleeding.

The wild Helian was pushed back after you kneed him in the groin. However, another one had pounced from behind and was now clinging to your back. You winced at the stink breath that wafted next to your cheeks.

"Disgusting," You whispered angrily as more of the soldiers started to cling to your limbs. Purple mist formed around your body. "Get off me!"

The purple mist exploded as you released it, knocking off the soldiers clung to you and creating a ripple pf force in the area. Shay and Taehyung, who were nearby, simple formed forcefields around themselves.

Jimin had been passing by when the ripple hit. Knocked off his feet, the thunder gem bearer crashed through the glass window of a store. He groaned when his body slammed into a metal shelf.

"Ouch," Jimin slid on his ass and winced when the cd cases on the shelf fell on him. He picked one up. "Promise? Hey! This is my solo album!"

With a big grin, Jimin sat comfortably and flipped through his album. Then the thunder gem bearer saw his cover photo and frowned. He wondered why he didn't see this before— he looked so unhappy.

Loud growls made Jimin snap his eyes upwards. Infected Helians were crawling into the store through the shattered. They were all snapping their teeth as they pushed each other to get through.

Jimin swallowed a bit when he had a flashback of Namjoon's state under the venom's influence. Then he drifted his thoughts and saw an image of his boyfriend's dimpled smile in his head. He smiled.

"You guys look eager," Jimin held his knees and stood up. Somehow, this situation was familiar to him. "I know that you all want a piece of me but isn't this a bit much?"

Jimin raised an eyebrow when the infected Helians finally came through. They pounced at him with sharp claws out but he simply sped passed them to dodge.

As the Helians crashed into the same shelf, Jimin leaned on the wall and dangled his album in between his fingers. "You guys got to be faster than that if you want to catch me."

As if replying, the Helians screeched loudly and ran forward on all fours. Jimin slid across the floor and sprinted through the store. He heard the crashing of shelves behind him.

Jimin turned a corner and headed towards the door. He skid into a stop when he realized that the exit was blocked by a wall of infected Helians. The thunder gem bearer turned around and saw another group of soldiers behind him.

Realizing that he was surrounded, Jimin shrugged. "Huh. This isn't good."

Jimin scanned the area. Infected Helians were crawling on the walls, their nails scraping against the concrete. Others were on the ground and were baring their pointed teeth at him.

Glancing down, Jimin stared at his album and the obviously fake printed smile on his face. He turned around and spotted a socket on the wall hidden behind one of the shelves.

A very real smirk grew on Jimin's face. Time to play. "Hey, buttheads! Don't forget to stream Promise on iTunes!"

The Helians growled in what almost sounded like a protest. They all pounced at Jimin, who swiftly took out his album's CD and snapped it in half. Tossing the container behind him, he stabbed into the socket.

Outside, Namjoon paused when he noticed the dark clouds that suddenly gathered from above. Thunder rumbled loudly. An infected Helian screeched as he punched and shattered its rib cage.

Namjoon squinted his eyes. Through the hole on the store's window, he could see Jimin's electrifying figure. The thunder gem bearer was surrounded by infected Helians as well.

"What the?!," Yoongi landed on the ground and summoned flames from the ground. "Is he nuts? That building will collapse on top of him!"

Despite how horrible the situation sounded, Namjoon cracked a dimpled smile. He knew that Jimin was crazy dangerous but seeing it in the flesh somehow made his spine tingle.

"No need to worry," Namjoon stepped back and drew out his claws once again. "He'll be fine."

Namjoon broke into a sprint, the ground beneath his feet cracking as he did so. He slashed his claws at any Helian who come near him or tackled them out of his way.

Lightning started to crackle in the clouds above and Namjoon counted the seconds he had left. Raising an arm, dust and pebbles rose from the ground as he ran. The earth gem bearer flicked his wrists. Chunks of concrete broke off from the streets and flew towards Jimin.

"Chim!," Namjoon screamed and bared his pointed teeth.

Jimin blinked in confusion upon hearing his own name, the rock dome forming slowly behind him. He turned around just in time to see Namjoon pouncing at him with glowing brown eyes.

When the store collapsed over the couple, Jungkook's eyes widened. He tossed a light bomb to the ground. It exploded into white rays that pierced through the infected Helians' bodies.

"Jimin and Namjoon were in there?!," Jungkook screeched and shot out laser beams of light from his palms. "We have to get to them!"

"Don't worry about them!," Yoongi stared up at Jungkook with a gummy smile. "They'll be fine, Namjoon said so himself."

Jungkook looked hesitant. He stared at Yoongi for a while, his expression dripping with worry. After a while, the angel put on a smile and nodded at the fire gem bearer.

Before Jungkook could speak, however, there was a sudden loud whirring from above. From your view below, you could barely see the large metal flaps opening up from other the Helian warship.

Slowly, a gun stuck out and shook the entire ship as it halted. Its tip started to glow brightly as it aimed at you and the team. In a split second, a red laser beam pierced across the air.

The laser beam pierced into the ground and moved forward in a straight line. You instantly jumped out of the way as everyone else did. Turning behind you, the laser split the car Emily had been standing on in half, along with infected Helians.

Strangely enough, even with the presence of the laser, none of the Helians ran. They just stood there and let the laser disintegrate them. At the same time, they continued to attack the rest.

Yoongi was burning all of them to a crisp. He was simply sitting on a lamp post and was torching the Helians clawing at him from below. Holly was perched on his shoulders.

Way too easy— You could hear Yoongi say those words, even though all he did was smirk mischievously.

"With all that time Father spent on the army," Shay smirked as she landed on the ground with a gentle tap of her feet. "He still failed to improve their aiming."

Taehyung chuckled and casually sat on top of a bus that was laying on its side. "Sis, isn't it about time you used Eagle Eye?"

"Eagle Eye?," Shay raised an eyebrow. Another laser beam shot out and you flinched. It simply passed over the princess' head. "Sorry brother, I did not want to embarrass the protector. But seeing as she is no longer here..."

You were about to protest at the mention of Emily but paused when Shay stepped forward. The aura around her suddenly changed, purple energy surrounding her like a veil. Another laser beam shot out. It hit the wall next to Taehyung.

"Leave this to me," Shay smirked and raised her staff. Your eyes widened when the weapon started to morph in her hands.

Shay's staff had become a large bow that spanned even passed the princess' height. In its core was a glowing purple orb. Its string was made of pure energy, the arrow resting in the middle of it sharp and menacing.

Now you understand what Shay meant. Emily definitely would not like to see this.

Your eyes widened when the ground beneath Shay's feet started to shift. Pebbles started to crawl up the princess' ankle and formed some kind of rock boot.

"Everyone, relax!"

When you turned to follow the voice just as everyone else did, you spotted Namjoon. He was covered in dust and had slight blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. Jimin was standing next to him but aside from the disheveled hair, he didn't look as injured.

"Namjoon, what are you doing?," Taehyung looked concerned with his eyes but still kept his tone as a calm one.

"It's leverage," Namjoon showed off a dimpled smile. There was blood dripping down his forehead as well.

"Leverage?," Jimin asked with a tilted head.

"Leverage!," Hoseok cheered and landed on the ground. Wind exploded behind him and knocked out the infected Helians.

You noticed that the opponents were starting to decrease, especially because some of the team members were no longer fighting against Helians. Glancing at the apartment building, you prayed for Emily's safety.

"It's to prevent Shay from being knocked backwards by the force of the arrow!"

Shay stared at her foot brace for a while before turning back to the Helian warship above. "Didn't need it. Thanks anyway."

You turned towards Taehyung, who for some reason had a smile of satisfaction plastered on his face.

Shay took a deep breath. She pulled back the arrow and her bow glowed even more. A sudden pressure exploded around her and nearly knocked you out of balance. The ground beneath her feet shattered but the foot brace remained.

The purple mist continued to dance around Shay. You noticed that it was starting to take shape. Spread out behind the princess were large feathered wings. Her eyes were different too, now they were an intimidating and piercing yellow.

Purple energy swirled over the arrows tip. You saw Jin create an ice field in from of him and Yoongi. Namjoon created a rock dome for himself and Jimin. Taehyung and Jungkook didn't have forcefields but they weren't as fazed by the powerful energy.

With a deep breath, Shay spoke. "Eagle Eye."

Shay finally released the arrow and a powerful bright purple beam shot into the air. You squinted your eyes at the sudden brightness that enveloped the streets of Seoul.

The arrow pierced through the Helian warship, which exploded upon contact. No debris fell to the ground, instead there was a ripple of energy that made even the other warships explode. It almost looked like a beautiful display of fireworks in the sky.

Shay appeared when the dust cleared. She was seated in the middle of a large and deep crater with her staff laying next to her. The princess looked exhausted, her hair disheveled and lips dry.

"Macht," Shay paused and took deep breaths. "That spell never fails to tire me out."

Taehyung smiled at that. "You did great, Shay."

Shay turned towards Taehyung, eyes widened in what seemed to be disbelief. The siblings stared at each other for a moment before the princess smiled back. She looked satisfied as well.

"Alright, people! Move in a straight line!"

Your eyes widened when you heard the familiar voice. Emily had walked out of the building with a row of nervous civilians tailed behind her. You eyed one of them and spotted a mother carrying an infant child.

"Head to the policeman over there!," Emily pointed to a policeman standing far away from the battlefield. "All of you will be fine!"

The civilians shuffled ahead in slight panic. Emily paused when the mother you eyed grabbed her hand. "Thank you so much for saving us!"

Emily stared for a while before she put on a smile. "You're welcome."

The mother bowed deeply and sprinted towards the policeman. Emily followed her with a gaze. You could tell how your best friend felt at the moment— she was surreal.

"Emily!," Jin sprinted towards Emily and tackled her in a big hug. "Thank goodness you're okay."

Emily laughed and tap Jin's back. "Hey, not too tight. I can't breathe."

"Sorry," Jin replied sheepishly and pulled away from the hug. He glanced at his blood-soaked hand. "You're bleeding."

Emily glanced at her shoulder. A large gash ran down her arm and fresh blood was dripping down to her hand. "I'm fine."

"Stay still," Jin's eyes glowed blue as he hovered a hand over a wound. Emily flinched as water coated it.

"Em."

You walked towards the two slowly and placed strapped sword to your back. Jin was still healing Emily, who continued to wince as her wound tingled.

"Going in there on your own was way too dangerous," You crossed your arms and stood next to Emily.

"I know," Emily smiled through the pain.

You sighed and shook your head. A light laugh left your lips. "Next time, I'm going with you."

Emily laughed as a reply. She winced again when Jin raised his hands to reveal the wound gone. Almost instantly, Jimin screamed. "Joonie needs to be treated too!"

Namjoon awkwardly rubbed his nape. "Chim, there is no need for that."

"Nonsense!," Jimin planted his hands behind Namjoon and pushed. His feet became a blur as the earth gem bearer slid forward. "You're wounded! You need to be healed too!"

Jin's laugh sounded squeaky. He made a gesture at Namjoon to come closer. "Get over here."

With a dimpled grin, Namjoon stepped forward. Jimin stayed next to him and watched closely with big eyes and closed fists. You weren't sure if the thunder gem bearer was worried or excited.

You heard someone release a huff of breath loudly. Yoongi walked in with Holly curled in his arms. He had a few scratches on his cheeks and some blood coating his grey hair. Other than that, he didn't look gravely injured.

"Man, that was tiring," Yoongi smirked and showed off his gums. Holly hummed. "Can we get some ice cream after this? Really craving some right now."

"Yoongi, we just fought a horde of alien beasts," Hoseok's feet tapped on the ground as he landed next to Yoongi. "And you're thinking about ice cream?"

Yoongi shrugged and rolled his eyes. "What? I like ice cream."

"So do I!," Jungkook's eyes sparkled as he landed next to Hoseok. He was missing some feathers. "I would absolutely love screaming berry ice cream."

"Screaming wha—"

You then saw Taehyung lean over to the crater. After a while, he pulled Shay out and now they were both standing in front of the giant hole in the ground.

Taehyung stared at Shay as she tapped the dust off her clothes. She then looked up and raised an eyebrow upon seeing the darkness gem bearer's expression.

"Brother," Shay scrunched her eyebrows. "Why do you gaze upon me that way?"

Taehyung remained silent for a moment. Then he gently tapped Shay's shoulder. "Shay... I never had the chance to tell you this."

Shay glanced at Taehyung questionably with obvious confusion written all over her face. "Tae—"

"But I am proud of you," Taehyung had on a sincere boxy smile. "And I am quite positive that Mother feels the same."

Shay's eyes widened as Taehyung continued to smile at her. Then the princess' eyes turned glassy as she grinned back sincerely.

The atmosphere was lovely. Jin had finished healing Namjoon and everyone had thankfully made it out alive. You sighed and mentally thanked all the gods out there for giving your friends the best outcome of this adventure.

You paused when you spotted Hoseok. His eyes were widened as cold sweat dripped down his face. With a loud scream, his body jolted forward.

"Taehyung! Shay!"

Upon hearing their names, the Bristene siblings turned towards Hoseok then both their eyes widened. That was when you saw it— a powerful laser beam was headed right towards Taehyung and Shay.

You gritted your teeth and jumped forward. Ignoring Emily's screams of your name, you slid behind the Bristene siblings and pushed them with all your strength.

Both of them landed in the crater, the rock beneath them shattering slightly. Taehyung stared at you in horror and you could basically read his eyes— Why did you that?!

Because I am the guardian— was what you wanted to say. You couldn't reply, however, because the laser beam had pierced right through your abdomen.

-

Jungkook trembled. He was having difficulty processing what he had just seen. It all happened too quickly. For a moment, everything was fine. He and Yoongi were arguing about the variety of ice cream flavors Earth had.

Then suddenly Hoseok screamed the siblings' names in terror. Jungkook turned around and barely caught sight of you pushing both Taehyung and Shay into the crater.

In almost a split second, a laser beam shot out. Jungkook followed his instincts and instantly tackled Yoongi to the ground whilst Hoseok jumped into safety. The laser beam barely missed one of his wings.

And when Jungkook looked up, he realized the fatality of the situation. The laser beam had pierced right through your body and now there was a gaping red hole in your abdomen.

Everyone was silent, the hot dread filling the air. Jungkook saw the blood trickle down the corner of your lip before you fell into the crater.

Shay was the first one who reacted. She jumped forward and caught your body before you could crash into the rock head first. Taehyung sat there, frozen. Jungkook swore that he was trembling as well.

"Cloud!," Yoongi screeched suddenly from next to Jungkook. His eyes were filled with rage. Blue flames burned all over his body.

"Guardian, what have you done?!," Shay's eyes were wide in horror, hands drenched with your blood. "Brother, we must—"

When Shay turned towards Taehyung, she paused. Jungkook watched as the princess' expression slowly shifted into one of pure terror. The angel couldn't imagine how furious the darkness gem bearer was.

"Jin!," Emily hissed. Tears were flowing down her face. "Heal Sky!"

For a moment, Jin stood frozen. Then he turned towards Emily and nodded. "R-Right!"

Jin was obviously shaken, in fact everyone did. Jungkook understood, really, especially because of how sudden the attack was. The angel himself was still trembling slightly.

Before Jin could jump into the crater, another laser beam was blasted near his feet. The water gem bearer immediately dodged and so did Emily. Jungkook was glad that nobody else was hurt.

"This is truly bothersome."

Jungkook was suddenly filled with anger when he heard that familiar voice. King Michael was no longer sitting on that ridiculous floating chair, instead he stood on the deck of a new Helian warship. More of them were spawning from thin air behind him.

The tension thickened. It was almost as if the Helian warships were multiplying with the rate they were spawning. The sun was blocked and shadows spilled into the streets. Jungkook's blue eyes glowed.

"I wanted to stand down and watch all of you perish," King Michael was tightly gripping the laser gun's handles. "But it seems that I would have to act myself."

"Father," Shay hissed through gritted teeth.

"Damn," Hoseok scratched his cheek. "That's one crazy dude."

"You—," Yoongi's flames burned brighter. Holly roared loudly but it sounded more like a cry. "I'm going to kill with my bare ha—"

Jungkook spotted movement from within the crater. With a loud sigh, the Hemelian prince silently placed a hand over Yoongi's chest. He could feel the hot flames against his skin.

Yoongi flicked his burning orange eyes at Jungkook. Red scales dotted his cheeks. "Why are you stopping me?"

Jungkook huffed. Yoongi's glare was literally piercing into his skull. "Yoongi, I know how you feel, yeah? But... I don't think you would want to get in his way."

Yoongi was about to reply when the loud slamming of feet against the ground caught his attention. Jungkook stared at Taehyung, who had jumped out of the crater and was standing at the edge.

Jungkook scanned Taehyung's figure. His fists were clenched angrily, the veins of his hands popping. Dark energy surrounded him, a purple aura that instilled even the angel with slight fear.

"T-The energy around Taehyung," Jimin shivered behind Namjoon's tall figure.

"I know, Chim," Namjoon gulped loudly. He was sweating a lot but still had on a straight expression.

Then Taehyung turned around and Jungkook swore that his knees trembled. Nothing was different about his eyes, they were the same pitch black orbs, but there was something terrifying about his gaze. His expression was blank yet the angel could tell that he was beyond furious.

Jungkook now understood why Shay looked so terrified.

"Jimin," Taehyung's deep voice rumbled. He glanced at Jimin, who yelped slightly under his gaze. "Take Sky and get to a safe place. The rest should follow you."

Jimin nodded a bit hesitantly and sped through the area. In a split-second, he was kneeling next to your unconscious body. A trail of dust dissipated in the air.

"Brother," Shay's voice shook a bit but she still kept a fierce expression on. "Do you mean for us to let you face Father alone?"

Taehyung didn't answer. Instead, the dark energy around him surged even more. Jungkook couldn't help but flinch, especially when the energy's force made his blonde hair flutter.

"Tae, I know how pissed you are," Jungkook stepped forward with a dry throat, his hand still raised in front of Yoongi. "But we all know that sparring King Michael on your own is a foolish decision."

Taehyung glanced at Jungkook again, his gaze still piercing. "I know."

Purple mist suddenly spun around Taehyung and formed a tornado. Jungkook crossed his arms over his face and felt himself slide backwards slightly due to the force. Even Hoseok was having difficulty in the air.

Then the mist faded and Jungkook's eyes widened. Two large featherless black wings had sprouted behind Taehyung, ones larger than what he had back in Hel. His nails grew to long talons. Small yet sharp horns rested within the nest of his dark hair.

Jungkook stared at the ground. Purple energy was seeping into the cracks of the ground, turning it dark and charred. But Taehyung's eyes— they weren't pitch black. Instead, they glowed a bright purple.

"Which is why I won't hold back."

"Brother!"

Everyone turned towards Shay. Her eyes were burning in fury, shirt and arms still coated in your blood. The princess' dark hair was disheveled, some strands stuck to her cheeks.

"I understand you, really I do," Shay's hands were balled into tight fists. Her eyes glowed a powerful purple. "But do not let that anger cloud your judgement!"

Taehyung stared at Shay with wide eyes. Seeing at it was the first time he actually expressed an emotion besides anger, Jungkook became alert.

"I may not know their names but I am quite sure that they all want to slay Father as much as you do!," Shay pointed at a very offended looking Jimin. "But the only way to defeat him is not by storming at him on your own!"

Shay paused. She lowered her hand and shut her eyes tight. Jungkook couldn't read her mind but he could tell that she was carefully thinking of her next words.

"We have been apart for so long. We both tried to get to him ourselves and how did that turn out?," Shay spoke softly, her eyes glistening with tears. "Doing this on your own will not change a thing. We must work together."

Namjoon didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he stepped forward and stood at the edge of the crater across Taehyung with glowing brown eyes and a protruded chin.

"Shay's right," Namjoon spoke firmly. "Charging on your own is suicide. Let us help."

Namjoon glanced at Jungkook, who have him a stern nod of agreement. The angel turned towards Taehyung. "Tae, I will fight by your side. I don't care how dangerous it is."

Taehyung glanced around the team, his expression suddenly blank. Jungkook considered the possibility of the Helian prince being controlled by his gem and swallowed dryly.

"Shay, Kook," Taehyung called suddenly, his tone filling Jungkook with relief. "Come with me. For the rest, protect Sky and the civilians. Father will attack again."

Everyone nodded at Taehyung's words. Jungkook wanted to gush at how proud he was of his best friend when another laser beam suddenly shot into the ground.

Jimin, who was carrying your bloody figure bridal style, barely dodged it. There was a charred patch of rock next to him.

"Go!," Taehyung screamed with bared pointed teeth. "Now!"

Taehyung turned around. He spread his wings before bending his knees and jumping into the air. In the sky, he looked like a bright purple beam flying towards the group of Helian warships.

Jungkook caught sight of Jimin speeding across the street before he tailed behind Taehyung. Shay formed a thin purple sphere underneath her feet and flew upwards as well.

Now that Jungkook was in the air, he had a closer of the chaos above. All the Helian warships had at least three laser guns on them, some pointing at the trio and others at the ground. Was that fatal shot at you a mere warning?

"Brother, what is our plan?!," Shay screamed, her dark hair fluttering wildly in the wind.

Before Taehyung could reply, multiple laser beams suddenly shot at them. Jungkook curled his wings around himself and spun. He could feel the lasers graze slightly against his wings.

Shay teleported next to Taehyung, who was flying higher above. "I see. We must destroy all of the laser guns first."

"Precisely," Taehyung's wings flapped. His nails scraped together eagerly as he smirked. "Destroy as many ships as we can. Then we get to Father."

With wide and crazy eyes, Taehyung dove towards a Helian warship. He extended his claws and slashed his hands in a crossed motion. Deep purple gashes ran down the warship's body as it exploded.

Damn. Jungkook knew that Taehyung owned the most powerful gem in all of Vrede but he didn't actually think he had this much power as the bearer.

Jungkook felt a gaze on him and turned to find a very confused Shay. "Do not worry. Tae is a bit high on his gem but he will be fine."

"High?," Shay raised an eyebrow. "Well, we are pretty high up."

Jungkook's mind buffered. He only came to his senses when he saw laser beams flying towards them. The angel spun again and winced when a beam pierced through his thigh.

Whipping his head around, Jungkook angrily glared at the Helian warship. His eyes glowed as he cupped his hands together. A ball of steaming white light formed in his hands.

"Hey!," Jungkook flew dangerously close to the warship's deck as the guns quickly charged. "Over here!"

Jungkook tossed the light bomb forward and flew away. One Helian soldier stared as it bounced on the ground and hit a gunman's shoe.

Then it exploded. Bright light filled the sky for a moment as the Helian warship collapsed. Jungkook created a forcefield to protect himself from the rippling force.

Below, Shay teleported and landed on a warship's deck. She rolled to her feet and gripped her staff as the Helians sprinted towards her. After taking a quick glance at the surrounding warships, the princess groaned.

"Neuken," Shay whispered and held her staff horizontally. Both tips of her weapon glowed. "Father is nowhere to be seen."

Shay raised her hands and twirled the staff. Soon purple laser beams shot out from both of the weapon's edges. As she continued to spin the staff, the laser pierced through the Helians and sliced the laser guns.

With a high jump, Shay spun the staff vertically and slashed it downwards. The laser cut the Helian warship as it exploded instantly. Teleporting away, the princess glanced around.

"Macht," Jungkook winced at the throbbing pain of his leg. He bit his lips hard as he slowly started to heal it.

Jungkook's eyes widened when he saw a nearing brightness in the corner of his eye. Turning around, the angel froze when he saw multiple laser beams shooting towards him.

"Well neuken."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jungkook braced himself for the worst. Then the Hemelian prince felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and suddenly he was located far away from the warship.

"Stop getting distracted," Shay whispered from behind Jungkook.

For a moment, Jungkook stared at Shay. Then a bunny grin grew on his face. "Thank you, Shay."

Instead of replying, Shay turned away and released a low hmp. Then she blinked. "Have you seen my brother?"

Jungkook was about to reply no when the Helian warship that had attacked him suddenly exploded. The angel turned around and saw a winged purple mist coated creature pierce through numerous ships.

"Well," Jungkook had on a crooked grin. Shay's eyes were wide in shock. "Guess we found him, yeah?"

Taehyung was laughing maniacally. He was slashing and punching through the Helian warships' metal bodies. Hover-bikes started leaving the ships and flew towards the darkness gem bearer in a hurry.

With a raised eyebrow, Taehyung let out a loud chortle. His wings folded behind him. "You all are such insects! So puny and annoying!"

Taehyung raised a hand. A purple orb formed around his palm. Then the Helian riders' bodies started to tremble as purple mist swirled over their chests. Almost in an instant, they exploded.

Jungkook flinched at the monstrous deed he had just witnessed. Taehyung, on the other hand, was splattered all over with hot red blood. Despite that, the Helian prince just laughed loudly.

Purple energy exploded around Taehyung, the color seemingly veining into the actual sky. His hands started to turn purple as well.

"We should probably... stop him, yeah?," Jungkook slowly glanced at Shay, who had already teleported out of his view.

"Brother!," Shay appeared in a swirl of purple mist behind Taehyung.

Taehyung had a sudden halt of laughter and turned towards Shay, still wide-eyed but expression somehow blank as a slate. Jungkook realized that he had been frozen out of fear for a few seconds and flew forward.

"Do not let the gem consume you!," Shay screeched with glowing purple eyes. "It will feed on your soul!"

Jungkook's wings flapped as he hovered comfortably next to Taehyung, who was now giving him a strange look. Was it confusion? Was he trying to be intimidating?

For some reason, Jungkook felt relaxed. Maybe it was because he knew that Taehyung was now the gem's official bearer. Maybe it was because he knew in his heart that the Helian prince would never hurt him.

Jungkook was about to speak when Taehyung suddenly spoke first. "Jungkook, right?"

A silence passed as Jungkook froze a bit in shock. Taehyung scraped his nails together and produced that discomforting clacking noise. He just stared at both him and Shay with dilated pupils.

"It is strange," Taehyung tilted his head and put on a small smile. "I had full control of him that day. The prince looked at you for one second and suddenly he was in charge."

Jungkook was speechless. He didn't actually consider the possibility of the gem taking over Taehyung again. Before he could form words, Shay lunged forward angrily.

"You bastard of a gem!," Shay pointed her staff forward, its tip glowing a bright purple. "Give me back my brother!"

"Relax, princess," Taehyung chuckled and raised both of his arms in a shrugging motion. "Besides, I was just having a little fun."

Jungkook noticed that Shay's initial anger was suddenly replaced with sorrow. In fact, her shoulders drooped at the mention of her royal status. The angel squinted his eyes.

"Fun?," Jungkook crossed his arms over his chest. "You murdered hundreds of Helians."

"Opponents who tried to kill both of you," Taehyung pointed out with that smug expression still on his face.

Jungkook hated how he was right. He glanced at Shay, who was still frozen. "The destruction you caused affected the city and its citizens below."

"Their fault for being in the way," Taehyung shrugged. If this wasn't the body of his best friend, Jungkook would have punched him in the face by now. "Listen, I mean no harm. I'm here to help you guys out."

"Help us?," Shay was suddenly next to Jungkook, who jumped a bit in shock. "Since when was taking over my brother's body and risking the lives of innocents considered to be help?"

Taehyung squinted his eyes. Jungkook was starting to grow impatient. He didn't want to deal with this smug gem controlling his best friend, especially in the middle of an intergalactic war.

"Wait," Taehyung raised a finger and put on a smirk of amusement. "Do you actually think that I just randomly used the prince's body?"

Jungkook scrunched his eyebrows. "Well, yeah? How else wou—"

"Hah! Humorous," Taehyung clapped his hands loudly. Jungkook had the sudden urge to kick him. "This time, I actually have his permission."

"Permission?," It was Jungkook's turn to laugh sarcastically. "We are not idiots. Tae won't just hand his body over to you like a rag."

"You really are a persistent one, huh?," Taehyung put on a smirk. His pointed teeth grazed his lips. "If you really don't believe me, why don't you ask him yourse—"

Before Taehyung (or his gem) could finish talking, a sudden large purple sphere flew across the air and slammed onto his back. Both Jungkook and Shay screamed as the darkness gem bearer let out a loud yelp of pain.

"Tae!," Jungkook caught Taehyung's body as he jolted and fell forward, his back still smoking.

"Macht," Taehyung was wincing in pain. Despite that, he looked up at Jungkook with a sheepish grin. "Hey, Kook."

At that moment, a billion thoughts crossed Jungkook's mind— Did Taehyung really hand over his body to the gem willingly? Was he an idiot? Why he was smiling at him like that? Most importantly—

"Father!," Shay screeched loudly, her eyes burning in rage.

Jungkook turned around. Just like Shay said, there King Michael stood. He wasn't sitting on that ridiculous chair anymore, instead he was levitating in the air with that dark energy surrounding him as well.

"You dare turn your backs and converse in the middle of a battle?," King Michael raised his purple mist coated hand with a smirk. "Not to mention that all the Helian warships except the one I was actually on were attacked. Incompetence at its best."

Nobody said anything. Despite the silence, Jungkook could feel the anger radiating from the siblings in the form of, you guessed it, purple energy veining into the sky. The Hemelian prince almost felt like the tension was enough to smush him.

"You two have always been so... distracted," King Michael hissed loudly with clenched teeth. "The things I have to do to make you listen."

Jungkook turned towards Taehyung, who now had a wry expression on his face. The angel tried to imagine a daily life with King Michael and winced. He couldn't even imagine what the Helian prince and his sister went through.

"Oh? What's this?"

King Michael questioned, a cloud of purple mist suddenly taking his place. Jungkook nearly yelped and swallowed hard when Hel's king suddenly appeared in front of him.

The silence was deafening. King Michael grabbed Taehyung's wrist and pulled it. He flipped his hand and stared at the darkness gem. A few tense of moments of father and son staring at each other passed.

King Michael slapped Taehyung's hand out of his grip and flew backwards until there was a significant amount of distance between them. Jungkook felt himself sweat. The tension was nearly unbearable.

"Handing control over to your gem?," King Michael scanned Taehyung's body up and down with a scoff. "Running away and leaving someone else to clean up after you again? Typical."

"Shut up."

Jungkook blinked and turned towards the voice. The purple energy around Shay was much stronger and crackled like electricity. Her arms shook as her tight fists trembled.

"What did you just say to me?," King Michael asked slowly, his tone making Jungkook shiver.

"I said shut up," Shay hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes burning. "Taehyung never ran away. Stop claiming that he did."

Jungkook glanced down at Taehyung. The Helian prince smiled gratefully at Shay, who replied with a firm nod.

"You call Taehyung a traitor but between the both of you, only one fights for Hel, for his own blood," Shay's grip on her staff tightened until her knuckles turned white. "And the other? Throwing the world into chaos for a chance to be called a god for it!"

Jungkook stared at Shay, whose whole body trembled in anger. Taehyung didn't say anything, instead he looked deep in thought. The angel wondered what he was thinking.

"If treachery is the concern then Taehyung was right to leave," Shay's voice came in a whisper that Jungkook barely heard. "He was right to leave you. It is about time I do the same."

"Silence!"

King Michael's fists were trembling. His eyes were filled with rage, the purple energy around him pulsing and burning. The aura being emitted from Hel's king suddenly made Jungkook shiver.

"In chaos, there is rebirth," King Michael's eyes were wide and crazy. Jungkook winced. "And I will purge this world of everything that ever took from me—my Wife, my kingdom's status and as of now, my own children."

Both Taehyung and Shay flinched slightly at that last bit and Jungkook wondered if it was out of spite or something more.

"In its end comes my beginning as the ruler of that new era," King Michael was taking deep breaths. Jungkook swore that he was exhaling smoke. "I'm sorry that none of you understand that, no matter how hard I tried to groom you into it."

"Stop talking nonsense," Taehyung hissed suddenly, his body jolting against Jungkook's. "All you have ever taught us was fear."

"Do not interrupt me!"

King Michael screamed loudly, his voice somehow echoing. Taehyung actually shut his eyes for a bit but kept standing. Jungkook stared at the slight fear written all over his friend's face. Shay was staring at her brother with wide eyes.

"It is truly a shame...," King Michael paused a bit. Jungkook was disgusted by his drastic change of tone. "Call me heretic. Paint me as the villain if you wish. I will accomplish all this... with or without you!"

King Michael suddenly charged forward, the purple mist behind him morphing to a pair of wings similar to Taehyung's. Jungkook gritted his teeth and felt hot light surge over his palms.

Taehyung himself was preparing. He growled and raised a hand, his snake-head staff flying until it met his palm. Shay appeared next to him in a cloud of purple mist.

"Jungkook," Taehyung glared at King Michael with dark eyes. "Do not hold back."

Jungkook nodded and started to form a light bomb in his hands. Before any of them could attack, however, a white beam shot from the side. King Michael blasted out of view and crashed into a building below.

Uh, what.

"Impressive shot," Shay huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "None of us saw that coming."

"That... wasn't me," Jungkook spoke with a deep breath.

"What?," Taehyung raised an eyebrow at Jungkook. "Was that not your light beam?"

Jungkook shook his head. Taehyung and Shay glanced at each other in confusion. The Hemelian prince considered it to be you but his thoughts were cut off by an oddly familiar voice.

"Oh, dear."

With his heart thumping against his ribcage, Jungkook turned around. Floating a few feet away from the trio was Queen Miranda. Her wings flapped behind her, blonde hair fluttering in the wind.

"It has been years since our last meeting," Queen Miranda shook her head disapprovingly. "And yet he still babbles so much."

Jungkook felt the Bristene siblings' stares shift to his face. Despite all the confusion and shock, his mind only conjured one word. "Mother?"

Queen Miranda's expression lit up as she faced Jungkook's direction. "My son!"

Jungkook yelped when Queen Miranda flew and tackled him. The two spun in the air for a bit and the prince couldn't help but giggle when he felt his mother's warm embrace.

"My baby, I have missed you so," Queen Miranda rubbed her cheek against Jungkook's. Then she pulled back and cupped his face. "You are so thin! Have you not been eating properly?"

Jungkook smiled and gently lowered Queen Miranda's hands. "Mother, what are you doing here?"

Queen Miranda tilted her head and glanced behind Jungkook— at Taehyung, he presumed. "Were you not informed of your friend's plan?"

Jungkook blinked. He turned towards Taehyung, who gave him a smirk. "Tae... what did you do?"

Taehyung was smug, almost as much as he was when his gem was in control. He put on a cocky grin. "Operation Apocalypse, Kook."

Before Jungkook could question it, Shay spoke slowly. "Brother... who else did you call?"

Taehyung's smirk grew bigger.

"Everyone."

-

A/N - 11K WORDS!!!!! omg

There's the surprise!! Everyone is coming back!!!!! I'm so excited for the next chap seriously!!!!!!

Anyways this was the final battle pt2!!!! I hope everyone loved the action huhu and king michael's getting beaten finally lol this bitch rlly thinks he did smn lmaooooooooooo

so like please anticipate the ending!!!! as for my final questions, who had the best char development in t7w?? I personally think they all do!

PS!!! credits to hotricebowl for the last few bits of dialogue between the bristenes!!!!!

Me rn cos of the sem bye