??? Years Later

Taehyung stared at your sleeping figure and gently closed the bedroom door. With pursed lips, he slowly tiptoed across the palace hallway. He took every step carefully and even held his breath a bit.

When Taehyung passed by their room, he froze. For a moment, he contested whether he should check on them or not but then the possibility of waking them up dawned on him. Instead, he continued to tiptoe away.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow when he heard the gem chuckle loudly in his head. "What's so funny?"

"If only you could see yourself, Taehyung," The gem continued to chuckle. "You look like an idiot."

Taehyung fought the urge to roll his eyes. "You know that I cannot risk waking them."

"Then teleport," The gem deadpanned. "If you keep going like this, it will take hours."

Taehyung halted in his tracks and nearly slapped himself. He could not believe that he had completely forgotten that he had the ability to teleport.

"Not a word," Taehyung hissed before the gem could comment. He snapped his fingers and was covered in a thick layer of purple mist.

When Taehyung opened his eyes, he was standing in the palace kitchen. He glanced around the area and smiled after confirming that he was alone. The clock above the fridge ticked— four in the morning.

Taehyung twirled a finger. A batter stained apron flew from a rack and fell on his shoulders. He walked towards the fridge and swung it open. The cold air fanned his cheeks and made him shiver.

As Taehyung grabbed the cake, he heard the gem grumble with a scoff. "That is one hideous thing."

"Do not be judge-mental," Taehyung snapped and carefully placed the cake on the counter. He clasped his hands together. "It does not even have any frosting yet."

Taehyung stared at the cake. It was still in its raw bread form, its round figure slightly slanted at one side. The king poked it slightly with a knife. It was soggy.

"My opinion stands," The gem chuckled. "Also, it is called chiffon. Bread is an entirely different base than—"

"Shut up, smartass."

Taehyung rolled his eyes when the gem continued to laugh. He raised his hand and a knife came flying behind him. It landed right into his palm. The king spun it and slowly started to cut the brea— chiffon's uneven corners.

"Careful there," The gem commented sarcastically. "You would not like an even more hideous cake."

Taehyung scoffed and continued to slice off the cake's sides. "If you are so confident, why don't you do this yourself?"

"Well," The gem paused menacingly. "If that is what you wish."

When Taehyung realized what he just did, it was too late. The gem had already pulled him into the depths of his consciousness. Now he was back on his mind's throne with both of his hands on his face.

"Even after all these years," The gem cracked a large smirk and spun the knife dangerously in his hand. "You are still so easy to trick."

"Just shut up and finish the cake," Taehyung leaned on the throne and sighed. "You better make sure that it's perfect."

"Of course," The gem replied confidently.

Taehyung was worried sick. As much as he did not want to ruin the cake, having the gem sabotage it was even worse. He watched anxiously as the gem sliced the cake's uneven edges with absolutely no hesitation.

Eyes widened, Taehyung stood up. He was about to scream at the gem to stop when he noticed how perfectly rounded the chiffon was. For a moment, the king was speechless.

"So," The gem set down the knife and rubbed his hands together with a smirk. "Would you like me to frost it as well?"

"How are you even this good?"

"Among all your ancestors, none of them knew how to bake a good cake. Had to do it myself."

Taehyung rolled his eyes and was about to give a sarcastic reply when he heard the door open. His fight instinct took over and he instantly raised his fists— causing the gem to do the same.

"Calm down, would you?," The gem scoffed. "It's just your wife."

Taehyung calmed down when he realized that it really was you leaning on the kitchen doorway. You wore your long white nightgown and had your wavy silver hair tied lazily over your shoulders.

Even after all these years, you were still as beautiful as the first time Taehyung saw you. He found it amazing, how it almost seemed like you didn't age at all, at how you were still radiating like Earth's golden sun.

"Morning, babe," The gem greeted with a playful wink. Taehyung palmed his face.

You didn't react much to the gem's words, instead you laughed and shook your head. "Can I have my husband back?"

"Not even a kiss for me?," The gem pouted and put on a sorrowful expression. "Come on, I even fixed the chiffon for you."

Taehyung sighed. He knew that the gem somehow felt the same towards you due to being in the same body as him but the king couldn't help but feel a little jealous. After all, you were his wife.

You laughed again and walked towards the still pouting gem. Taehyung watched anxiously as you grabbed his hands and leaned forward.

The gem put on a teasing smirk, which immediately faded when you planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Now it was Taehyung who had a big smile on.

"There's your kiss," You chuckled and put your hands on his shoulders. "I'd like to have Taehyung now."

"Fine," The gem grumbled in defeat. "You can have him."

Taehyung closed his eyes. He felt himself jolt for a split second then he was back in his body. He could still hear the gem whining and grumbling about the supposed kiss he received from you.

"I figured you'd be here," You whispered and glanced at the chiffon on the counter. "How's the cake?"

"Hm, it's alright," Taehyung hummed and kept his gaze on your face. "The preparations?"

"Woke up to do some final touches," You smiled and slipped away from Taehyung and took out a bowl of icing from the fridge. "I can help you with the cake?"

"Please do," Taehyung's reply made you laugh. He grabbed a metal spatula and handed it to you. "I admittedly suck at baking."

"About time," The gem commented. Taehyung decided to ignore it.

It was silent as you frosted the cake slowly and flattened the icing with the metal spatula's head. Taehyung watched you fondly and observed your graceful movements. Years as queen definitely made you more... elegant.

"You're staring," Your words made Taehyung blink in realization.

"Sorry," Taehyung smiled. He noticed that the cake was frosted halfway. "You think they'd like it?"

"You mean this cake?," You spun the chiffon around and frosted its bare side. "I am sure. After all, we used ingredients all the way from Vlam."

"Not the cake," Taehyung leaned on the counter and crossed his arms.

You stopped frosting the cake for a moment and let out a loud sigh. Facing Taehyung, you put on a warm smile. "You know that they love you no matter what, right?"

"Of course," Taehyung smiled at the memory of them saying I love you with their little voices. "I just... want everything to be perfect for them. I want them to be happy."

You gently placed the metal spatula on the counter. Taehyung noticed that you somehow finished frosting the cake in a span of a few minutes. He smiled as you went behind him and wrapped your arms around his waist.

"Taehyung," You leaned your face on Taehyung's broad back. "Don't you see the way they look at you? Their smiles? You are their hero."

Taehyung thought about their faces and the expression they had whenever he'd come home from his royal duties. He smiled and held both of your hands.

"Why don't we finish the cake before they wake up?," You pulled away from Taehyung and glanced at the cake. "I'll add the candles. You should write on it with that neat handwriting of yours."

Taehyung laughed as you handed him an empty frosting bag and metal spatula. "My handwriting is not that neat."

"Please," You shook your head. "Just do it."

Taehyung shrugged and filled the frosting bag with a different colored icing. He moved slowly as he drizzled the message atop the cake. Then you placed berries and candles around it.

At one point, Shay had woken up and entered the kitchen for a glass of water. She ended up assisting you and Taehyung in decorating the room.

Both Shay and Taehyung waved their hands in the air. Purple mist fluttered and hung the large banner on the ceiling. You passed small confetti pops to the siblings.

"Brother, it is almost time," Shay informed and walked across the room with a giant box in her hands.

"Taehyung, get the gifts!," You called whilst lighting both of the cake's candles.

"On it!," Taehyung replied and snapped his fingers. He quickly teleported into the bedroom and glanced around. "Macht, where did I put them again?"

"Under the bed," The gem whispered.

"Right," Taehyung scoffed a bit when the gem chuckled. He waved his hand and purple mist fluttered.

Taehyung swiped his hand upwards and the bed floated a few feet. He swiftly snatched the two presents underneath the bed and gently placed it back in place. The king snapped his fingers once more and teleported back into the kitchen.

When Taehyung reappeared, he was confused by the silence. He saw Shay peaking behind the kitchen door.

"Taehyung, get over here!," You whispered from behind.

Taehyung turned around and saw you kneeling down behind the kitchen counter— suddenly, he understood what was happening. He literally dove towards you and nearly dropped one of the gifts in the process.

"Shay, the lights!," You called out again and gripped one of the confetti pops.

Shay basically slapped the light switch and the kitchen was instantly filled with darkness. She knelt next to Taehyung and gripped the other confetti pop.

Taehyung held his breath when he heard footsteps just outside. Then his eyes widened when he realized— "The cake!"

In one swift motion, Taehyung dropped the presents and stood up to grab the cake. In that split of a second, he saw the kitchen door swing open. Both you and Shay pulled him to the ground.

Two little voices spoke, both filled with a mixture of confusion and curiousity.

"Why is it so dark?"

"I do not know, sis... Yeontan, maybe you know?"

Yeontan yapped, which made the two voices giggle. Taehyung froze and prayed that the dog wouldn't come running to him at this moment.

"Mama and Dada are still asleep?"

"Weird, mommy usually wakes us up. Maybe they are tired."

One of the voices hummed in response. Taehyung felt his heart thump in his chest when he heard one of them hop in place. Then there was a slapping sound and the kitchen was illuminated.

All three of them sprung to their feet. Taehyung raised the cake and flinched slightly when both confetti pops went off in unison. Shay coughed loudly since it shot backwards and at her face. Some of it landed on his hair.

Despite that, all three screamed in unison. "Aqua and Ari! Happy Birthday!"

Both children gasped and bounced on their feet. Yeontan continued to yap happily on the ground in between them. Taehyung let out a sigh of relief and placed the cake back on the counter.

"It's our birthday!," Ari cheered and continued to bounce.

Taehyung watched as his usual calm son danced excitedly, his silver hair bouncing on his little head. He wore dark pajamas printed with a crescent moon pattern upon his request— strange, the king thought, especially because he could not see the moon here in Hel.

Although, Taehyung knew that Ari did see the moon for the first time when they visited their uncle Jungkook. He just wondered why his son felt so drawn to it.

"Is that chocolate cake?!," Aqua pushed through Ari and tiptoed in front of the counter. Her eyes sparkled. "Dada, can I have some?"

Taehyung smiled and ruffled Aqua's long dark hair. "Only after you and your brother make a birthday wish."

Aqua's mouth formed a large circle. She nearly slipped when she ran towards Ari and tugged at his arm. "Agaeri, we have to make a wish! I want some cake!"

"Okay, okay!," Agaeri— Ari screamed in protest. "Stop pulling me!"

Aqua giggled and let go of Ari's arm. She bent down and picked up Yeontan, who licked the little girl's face with all three of its heads. "Tannie, that tickles."

Despite being Ari's twin, Aqua's personality was the exact opposite. She was livelier, louder and did things for the heck of it. Taehyung once caught her clung onto the ballroom chandelier and to this day, nobody had any idea how she got up there.

Still, Taehyung loved Aqua's energy. It was refreshing to come home to after a stressful day. Even her glow in the dark star pajamas were as bright as her.

"Alright, kids, time to blow your candles!"

You smiled and placed a chair in front of the counter. With a grunt, you picked up Ari and placed him on the seat. Taehyung did the same to Aqua. Yeontan sniffed at the cake.

"Ah, they're all grown up now," You cooed next to Taehyung, who snaked an arm around your waist.

"Are they not just seven years old?," Shay asked with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. "They have many years ahead of them."

Taehyung watched as both children closed their eyes. Yeontan leaned forward and nearly licked the cake but he pulled it back before the dog could leave its saliva on it.

"Done!," Aqua yelled suddenly. She nudged Ari with her elbow. "Hurry up so we can eat cake!"

Ari was silent for a bit until he finally opened his eyes. "Okay, let's eat."

Taehyung stared at the knife on the table and realized that both children were looking it as well. Before either of them could take it, he snatched it and sliced the cake himself.

You passed the plates and Taehyung slid the slices on them. Aqua and Ari hummed as they ate.

"This is so yummy!," Aqua gaped and smiled widely, her white teeth stained with chocolate frosting. "Mama, did you bake this?"

"Your father and I decorated it," You smiled and glanced over Taehyung's shoulder. "But the one who baked the actual cake..."

Everyone glanced at Shay, who was just staring at the chocolate cake silently. Aqua gasped loudly. "Auntie Shay made this?!"

"I knew that Auntie Shay was a good cook!," Ari spoke triumphantly. Crumbs of cake were dotted across his cheeks and chin.

"It's nothing," Shay spoke with a small smile. "The least I can do."

"But this is so good!," Aqua cheered. "The best cake I've ever eaten. It's, uh, nineteen out of ten!"

Ari hummed in agreement and continued to eat his slice. Taehyung watched as Shay silently slid over some tissue. His son got the message and wiped his face.

Shay turned away slightly. Taehyung could see the pink tint of her cheeks. "Thanks, kiddos."

"So," You sliced some more cake and passed Taehyung a plate. "What did you guys wish for?"

Ari opened his mouth to answer but was cut off when Aqua's scream overpowered his voice. "It's a secret!"

"Aqua, we can't keep secrets from mommy and daddy," Ari said with scrunched eyebrows.

Aqua giggled and leaned in to whisper into Ari's ear. You and Taehyung glanced at each other questionably, especially when both children started to laugh mischievously.

"Oh!," Ari's serious expression shifted immediately into that of a smile. "It's a secret, then."

Taehyung was dying to pry into that secret they kept amongst themselves but he also didn't want to invade his children's privacy. He paused when the gem scoffed in his head.

"Those little rascals and their secrets," The gem chuckled. "Tell me again, which one of them am I going to mess with in the future?"

Taehyung decided to ignore the gem and knelt down to pick up the presents on the ground— one wrapped in blue, the other pink. He slowly plopped them on the counter. Both children were too distracted by their cake to notice.

Everyone jumped when something slammed loudly on the ground. Taehyung turned around and saw Shay standing next to a giant object that was wrapped in thick layers of blue and pink plastic. On top of it was a giant purple ribbon.

"What?," Shay raised an eyebrow and leaned on the thing. "This is my present."

"Presents!," Aqua squealed with a mouthful of cake.

"Aqua, chew your food first," You reminded with a laugh.

Aqua nodded and chewed vigorously. Ari passed her a tissue. She snatched it and cleaned her face. "Can we open them?!"

"Of course," Taehyung turned towards Shay. "Sis, why don't we give them yours first?"

Shay, who was in the midst of trying to lift her own present, perked up at Taehyung's words. "Ah, yes, of course."

Everyone watched curiously as Shay pushed the gift forward with all her strength. When she nodded firmly, both children ran towards the present. Aqua rapidly tore through the wrappings whilst Ari carefully peeled each later.

"Aqua, you might hurt yourself," Taehyung almost thought those were your words but was stunned when he realized it was actually Ari.

"I'll be fine!," Aqua continued to tear through the wrappings. She was sitting on top of the present.

"Your brother is right, Aqua," Taehyung held Aqua by the waist and hoisted her up. "You might fall into—"

"Another box?," Your words made both Aqua and Taehyung pause.

"A what?"

"It's another box!," Ari cheered and took out said box, which was still wrapped in that same blue and pink paper.

Taehyung turned towards Shay in confusion but she kept a straight face. Somehow, seeing this made both Aqua and Ari even more excited.

"And inside is," Aqua's feet tapped the ground when Taehyung released her. She tore the wrapping in an instant. "Another box!"

"And another?"

"And another!"

"Another and another!"

Soon, the kitchen floor was filled with many empty boxes. At this point, you were stifling in your laughter. Taehyung turned to Shay, who was biting her lips hard.

"Aren't their reactions the best, brother?," Shay withheld a smile. Taehyung was even more confused.

"Now there are two!," Aqua cheered and raised two nearly wrapped presents. "Ari, this one is yours!"

Ari took the blue present and lifted its top part open. His eyes widened when he saw what was inside. "Auntie Shay, what's this?"

When Ari pulled out his gift, both you and Taehyung gasped. It was an ancient scroll with old Vredeian text encrypted on each side.

"That's a scroll forged Lucina Bristene, an old ancestor of ours," Shay gave Ari a playful wink. "You'll understand it when you're older."

"Will this help me be a good fighter like mommy?!"

"Since when did you want to be a fighter like me?," You asked with a fond smile.

"Since, uh," Ari paused to collect his thoughts. "The day I was born!"

Macht, he had such cute children. Taehyung couldn't help but coo a bit at his twins' innocence. It made him wish that he and Shay had grown up like this.

"Guess I'm going to have someone to train," You said casually. Ari gaped at your words. "In the future, when you're strong enough to carry a sword."

Ari was filled with obvious excitement. He unrolled the scroll and read through it. Taehyung wondered if he could decipher the ancient text.

"It's a book!," Aqua squealed and clutched it close to her chest. There was also ancient text encrypted on it. "Of magic spells! Thank you, Auntie Shay!"

"Shay," You asked before Taehyung could. "Where did you get these?"

"The vault of ancient relics," Taehyung answered instead and gave Shay a firm nod. "Since when did you have access to that place, sis?"

Shay crossed her arms and shot Taehyung a cocky grin. "I have my ways, brother."

Taehyung wondered why those words felt so ominous to him. He didn't question it, however, especially after seeing the pure satisfied smiles on both Ari and Aqua's faces.

"Do you think it is safe to give Aqua access to spells at this age?," You asked in legitimate worry and gripped Taehyung's arm tightly.

Taehyung smiled and rubbed your arm in comfort. "Sky, I am quite sure that Aqua is responsible enough to handle—"

"Fire spell!"

A large fire erupted suddenly on the kitchen counter and nearly scorched both the cake and the presents. Ari let out a loud yelp. Aqua giggled as her eyes glowed a powerful purple.

"Aqua, no!," Taehyung screeched in a panic. "Put out the fire!"

"Oh, okay," Aqua calmly flipped through the books pages and with scrunched eyebrows. "Aha! Wind spell!"

When Aqua pushed her hand forward, a strong gust of wind blew and put out the fire instantly. Taehyung caught the leftover cake before it could fall flat on the ground.

"Aqua!," Ari screamed. "You could have burned Mommy, Daddy and Auntie Shay!"

Hearing those words, Aqua froze and stared at Ari with wide eyes. Her lips started to tremble. Oh no. Taehyung recognized that expression of her's. Both you and Shay braced for it.

"I could have?," Tears welled up in Aqua's eyes. She dropped the book and wailed on the ground. "I'm so sorry!"

Ari went into a sudden panic at the sight of his crying sister. "Wait— I didn't mean—"

You and Taehyung quickly glanced at each other and nodded. He picked Aqua up from the ground and carried her in his arms. Shay quietly took the book of spells.

"I should... probably lock some of the spells," Shay whispered and pocketed the book.

"Please do," You replied and carried a now teary Ari.

Taehyung hummed a bit and cradled the still crying Aqua. "Hey, there's no need to cry."

"But I could have hurt people," Aqua sniffled and used her little fists to wipe her tears. "I don't want to hurt people!"

"You didn't, did you?," Taehyung smiled when Aqua paused to think about his question. "Think about it, you were able to cast a moderate level spell without hurting anyone."

"At your age, your father couldn't even teleport," You snickered. Taehyung eyed your playful grin. "That makes you a pretty talented magical."

"Really?," Aqua sniffled loudly again.

"Really," Taehyung wiped Aqua's tears with his thumb. "In fact, when you are older, I will teach you all of my spells."

Aqua smiled brightly at that. Taehyung returned the expression and soon, both of them were giggling. Again, he could see it, the brightness that cheered him up every day.

"You know what can make everyone feel better?," You gazed at the twin presents on the charred counters. Taehyung glanced at it as well.

"More presents!," Ari and Aqua cheered in unison.

Both children immediately had smiles on their faces. Taehyung watched as they snatched their respective presents and opened them up. Their eyes sparkled the moment they laid their eyes on it.

"It's a moon!," Ari pulled out the necklace with a wide boxy grin.

"Mine's a star!," Aqua squealed, her voice nasal due to the fresh tears. "Ari, we're matching!"

"Those are magically bonded necklaces," You explained as you set aside the leftover cake. "It glows when you two are together and safe."

"What happens when it stops glowing?," Ari asked curiously and instantly put on the glowing moon pendant.

"It means you are too far away from your sister," Taehyung knelt down next to Ari and held his shoulder. "Or something bad happened to her."

"Like what?," Aqua tilted her head and held the star pendant in between her fingers.

You and Taehyung glanced at each other. He knew that explaining it to the children meant two things— they'd either not understand it or be extremely frightened if they did.

"Brother," Shay spoke up from behind. She held her phone in her hands. "Why don't we take a family picture?"

"Good idea, Shay," You nodded. Taehyung mouthed a grateful Thank you. "Aqua, Ari, come on."

Both kids shuffled into place. Aqua wanted Taehyung to carry her so he did just that. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. You placed Ari on the counter and hugged him from behind.

Shay twirled her fingers. Her phone levitated and beeped as the timer started.

Taehyung noticed how Shay was standing out of the shot and called to her. "Shay, come on."

"Auntie Shay, join us!," Aqua cheered.

Shay stared for a bit before she put on a smile. She walked over to Taehyung and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Thank you, brother."

"Everyone smile!," Ari beamed.

Taehyung smiled. He could relive this moment in his life forever The camera beeped three times before the flash went off and fully captured the Bristene family in one happy picture.

-

Touch of Wonder
(sequel to The Seven Wonders)
COMING SOON

-

(will give out more details and explanations soon ;) yes, I changed my mind about this... i'm making an official sequel!)