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Author's Note:

Hey lovelies! Hope you all are doing well!
I am back with this much awaited chapter. Took a long time but university sucks, so bear with me. This one has 8k+ words, quite long, but I loved writing it, so please enjoy.

Just a fact before you start reading, there might be instances where the boys refer to Taehyung in a formal way as they refrain from calling him in a informal way in public, so don't get confused regarding the same.
Now that I have nothing more to say, you may proceed further~

Happy reading!

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The vicious darkness of the night continues to slip away almost as if it wishes to sieze it's existence.
Unfair, he thinks. It is absolutely unfair how the play of fate is suddenly against him. The raging fury within is difficult to keep in control when all he sees is empty spaces instead of the thief who stole the crown.

They have been searching for more than an hour now, leaving them with not more than half hour before it all actually slips away. His dreams, his hopes, his rightful partner, the future queen, he is going to loose it all. He is aware but still as helpless as before.

Jimin is quite behind him. Not uttering a single word as they continue their search. Taehyung isn't sure if he wants him to say something or not but nonetheless, he finds himself coming to a halt. He exhales heavily, his dejection clear in his stance as he looks down at his feet.

"Jimin ah. Are we- are we just wasting our time? We are losing it all, aren't we?" He asks, voice so low, the words almost do not come to life.

"When something we never wished for takes place we are left with two simple choices. Fight it or accept it. You are the ruler of the kingdom of Hell. Taking that fact into consideration, I am sure you are not here to just accept what's thrown your way, are you? Is that right, your highness?" Jimin replies after a moment of silence, his face displaying the encouraging smile which pushes the dejected king to get a hold on himself.

He looks into his soulmate's eyes, silently conveying his gratefulness for his support before turning to walk down further into the darkness they were already headed to. But the king never gets to take a step forward before he is shoved back into the opposite direction by an invisible force.

It happens so abruptly that the surprised king loses his balance, proceeding to fall backwards quite harshly. A panicked Jimin is by his side in an instant bombarding him with series of questions, checking him for injuries when a sudden pain in his head forces his eyes shut.

He groans in pain and supports his head with both his hands, trying to calm down, only to witness a flash of a scene. The crown hidden in some green force in his secret garden. He jerks awake violently, coming back to consciousness, breathing rather heavily as Jimin's worried face comes into his vision.

"Your majesty?? Taehyung ah?? Tae- oh my god, hey- there you are! I was so damn sacred. Are you alright? What happened? You were in pain just now, What is goin-"

"I saw it! I saw the crown Jimin, it's calling out to me. My garden, its there. I am sure it's there, we need to rush-"

"Okay- hey! It's okay, I hear you hmm? I understand we will go there. Let's just calm down a bit first alright?" The royal advisor is quick to switch into his protective soulmate mode. He can feel even as he says those comforting words, just how tence Taehyung is. So he takes it upon himself to calm the overwhelmed demon down and nothing is more calming than a tight hug, especially when he knows Taehyung's favourite hugs are from Jimin himself.

That's how the king finds himself wrapped up in his soulmate's arms, his mind a lot more peaceful than it was just a few minutes ago. He let's himself relax in the other's embrace as Jimin continues speaking in his sweet voice.

"Now that I know you are fine and if you are so sure about what you said earlier, then let's rush there. I will order the guards to inform the others on our way, let's go"

The pair wastes no time to dash in the opposite direction, their aim very clear- the king's garden.

☆☆☆☆☆

"Damnit! Why is this thing so strong, my magic can barely get it under control, think Euthena, you just have to pass sometime more and this crown will become yours forever. Just some more"

The princess of Stozdal focuses all her powers onto the overly charged crown to keep it under control until midnight. She is in the middle of a spell when she feels it. She feels the same energy overflowing in the crown from outside her hiding spot.

It's the real queen, she realizes instantly. The crown has drawn the rightful queen towards her hideout and Euthena is going to be busted. But she won't allow that to happen, the witchcraft she learnt since her childhood comes into play now.

The witch doesn't waste a single moment to cast a spell to open a portal, which swallows her along with the crown, transporting them elsewhere just before the door to the dark room is thrown open making way for a certain blue eyed female.

Viraina can swear she felt the pull towards this very room. She felt the pull from this room which means the crown is there - or was there. The fuming princess grits her teeth when she feels the same aura under another menacing one flowing across the room.

She realizes too quickly. She doesn't need to find the crown. It will call her on it's own. Her only task is to follow the path which will be created. So she steps back out, heightening her senses, determined to do just that.

☆☆☆☆☆

"It's time. We need to go"

"Do you think they found the crown? Hyung, we will find the real queen right? You know we can't lose this war by any chance"

"It's not a war, Namjoon ah. It is just how it's supposed to be. What has to happen will happen, no matter what, destiny will make sure of it. We just have to play our pre-decided parts without fail"

"But Jin hyung, I am jus-"

"Let's go Namjoon. We still have to play our parts"

"Yes hyung. Please lead the way"

And so the two demons move to the call of fate itself, to fulfill their duties and to witness the historic moment where it all comes together. Where all of it makes sense.

☆☆☆☆☆

His safe place, if he ever was to be asked to describe in a few words, would be a place where he feels at peace, where his soul is calm and where he is free from all the stress he keeps carrying around on his shoulders.

But the reality is telling the king a totally different tale. To everyone else, everything will appear to be normal, nothing out of place but he can surely feel it. Taehyung can discern the suffocating, uninviting aura covering his entire garden, devoiding it of it's usual serenity.
He can also feel the underlying, weaker aura of the crown which is being dominated by the menacing one. Though it is clear that both are going to get out of control soon enough.

He snaps through his thoughts when the others make their presence known, still maintaining a distance, waiting for his orders. The king turns around, his eyes landing on his close ones. The handful demons he can trust blindly, but unfortunately the one whose guidance he seeks the most right now is missing.

He needs to find his Jin and Namjoon hyung, he decides. He is lost, he realizes. They can provide him with some clarity, he thinks. Incapable of giving any orders at the moment, the king considers his want to consult the wisest demons of Hell and so he steps forward, carefully eyeing Jimin, Jungkook, Hoseok and Yoongi, who silently await his words.

But before he can say anything, he hears Jungkook gasp out loud,

"Your majesty! You are glowing!"

When he looks down, he indeed is glowing with the sudden flow of energy through his body. It came in like a warm blanket over his freezing winter body, so soft, so comfortable that Taehyung almost didn't notice the addition. It's a dreamy cerulean, this new energy. He is awestruck with the discovery, still trying to take it all in when Jimin steps forward.

"It's- it's so majestic, your highness. Almost as if you are surrounded in a harmless midnight blue fire. Isn't it the same energy-"

"-As the crown. Yes it is. I saw the same spark of energy flow through the crown at that time"

"It means the crown is calling out to you right? It's calling out to you so we can claim it back. We are awaiting your orders your majesty. No one will take a single step without your orders" The Royal advisor states in a determined voice.

Taehyung hesitates for a moment before voicing out his thoughts, loud and clear.
"I-I don't know. It's all messed up. They are here- the thief I mean. I can feel the auras which means they are hiding somewhere here. I really don't know how we should approach this, whoever it is, they are powerful enough to be able to keep the crown hidden for so long. I need to talk to Jin hyung first, I should go find him"

"We will come with you-"

"No! You all stay here, keep a watch, just don't let them escape, we atleast have a location right now and we shouldn't lose it. Hobi hyung can you please ensure that the thief does not escape?"

"Yes, your majesty. Go on, find Jin hyung, he must be on his way here. I will create a power binding layer which will prevent the theif to escape, so don't worry about that. We won't let the crown slip away now"

"Yes, please do that. Yoongi hyung, I want you to take charge here, if things go out of control, I want you to not hesitate even for a second. You are the only one who can fight this unknown aura, if it starts being used violently. Kill the traitor, take the crown. It's not my request, it's the King's order"

"Yes, your highness. I am ready for any bloodshed that might ensue, we will make sure nothing goes wrong while you are gone"

Taehyung nods at him, making brief eye contact with all four of the demons, before sprinting out of the balcony, eager to find an answer to his worries.

~~~

He does find the source of his unknown answers just a few halls away from the garden.

"Hyung-"

"There you are, my king"

"What- what should I do? We found the location of the crown but I don't understand what to do now"

"It's okay to not know the solution to all your problems every single time, your majesty. Everything that happens tonight, is meant to happen. We don't want to spoil anything now, do we?"

"Spoil it? Hyung the crown is in grave danger, it's in the wrong hands! We have to get it back, how can we not do anyth-"

"Whose crown is it?"

"-ing, so we must prote- I'm sorry what?"

"I asked, whose crown is it, Taehyung"

"It's the queen's crown, Sir"

"You dont even own the crown and still are striving so hard to get it back. Just imagine, the amount of rage the actual owner must be experiencing right now. Plus, we really don't know the exact dangers of how the crown will handle the mismatch of energies if you were to step in"

"But no one has showed up till now, how can you be so sure? And what exactly do you mean by mismatch of energies?"

"Well I can very much feel an unfamiliar aura flowing through you, which means the crown has called out to the queen already and by mismatch of energies what I mean is that we don't know if the crown can handle anymore unwelcomed energies when it's already fighting against one"

"I- yeah, that does make sense. But Sir, we are barely left with any time and it-"

"Trust your destiny, your highness. It will work out just fine"

"I do trust the process Sir. I am just a bit clueless as to what should be our next step now"

The conversation is interrupted by a panting guard, who scurries towards them, urgently spilling out a message which shuts the worried king up in an instant.
"Your highness, the queen has appeared. She is currently in a violent confrontation with the thief, who is still unwilling to give up the cro-"

The guard doesn't get to complete his sentence for the king is already dissapearing down the hallway, adamant to reach the garden in the shortest time possible all the while repeating the same words in his head,

'Hang in there my queen. We will win this fight, I will make sure of it'

☆☆☆☆☆

Meanwhile-

As soon as Taehyung sprints out of the balcony, Yoongi takes the situation under his control while Hoseok gets to work, building a binding barrier with his magic which will be powerful enough to hold all sorts of energy within it.

Jimin and Yoongi then decide to try and make the thief talk to them, so they can atleast identify them from whatever information they are able to collect. Yoongi thinks they have had enough, he is deeply irritated with the current situation and so he steps forward. Arms locked tightly behind his back. A strong confident stance, exuding his King Min Yoongi aura, his deep voice spreading through the dark night as he thunders.

"Whoever you are, who has dared to defy the rules of Hell and the royal system itself, I, Min Yoongi, on behalf of his majesty, order you to show yourself. If you give yourself and the stolen crown up right now without causing any further inconvenience, we might as well go a little easy on you later. If you still want to continue your brainless tactics, then you better be beware of the consequences, you lowly traitor"

Euthena hears it. She hears it all, grits her teeth, tightens her hold on the zestful crown and tries to come up with an escape plan as fast as she can. She has already failed to teleport due to Hoseok's barrier so she has no choice but to use her own powers to hide herself. Only till midnight. This is only till midnight, she tells herself repeatedly.

A smart one, Jimin thinks just as Yoongi turns towards him, clearly not pleased with the silence that he received.

"I think their strategy is just to waste time now. Midnight is what they are waiting for, that's the main goal" The frustrated demon says, as he eyes the vast garden wearily.

"I know hyung. But His majesty clearly told us to not let the theif escape, what more can we even do?" Jimin replies with a heavy sigh, equally frustrated of their inability to catch the traitor.

"Hmm. Though as far as I remember, his highness told us to take charge if things go out of control and not to hesitate even for a moment. With that information in mind, can't we get the things to go out of control? If you know what I'm saying, Jimin ssi" Says the now smirking demon, eyeing the advisor with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

Jimin gets him. Of course he does. When he swore in as the Royal advisor of Hell, he swore loyalty. But that was what he spoke out loud, whereas in his mind and heart, he also swore to keep the most important demon of Hell as safe as possible. From their very childhood Jimin has made sure to be Taehyung's protective shadow and he plans on continuing to do so.

This current uncalled for situation will not become the only time he doesn't get to fulfill his duty. So he agrees. Gives a determined nod to Yoongi before calling Jungkook towards them.

"Kook, will you come here please, Yoongi hyung and I have planned something"
He gives the youngest a moment to make his way towards them before giving life to the plan by converting it into words loud enough for Hoseok to hear as well.

"So here is the plan. We are going to create a situation which will be enough to push the things to get out of control. We will, on purpose, instigate the thief to leave their hideout and come out in the open. It will not only help us to set eyes on the target but also make it easier to direct our attacks towards the guilty"

"How are we planning to do it then hyung?"

"We just have to cover Hobi hyung as he is focusing all his energy to maintain the barrier. Yoongi hyung will take care of the rest"

The four take their positions in an instance, Yoongi in the front, ready to put this weird stupidity to an end. He cracks his bones and begins to summon his inner demon.
Once he starts feeling the familiar energy simmer through his soul, he opens his eyes slowly, almost sure of the colour change that must have occured in his eyes, letting a smirk decorate his face when he hears a gasp from behind him.
He doesn't turn to inspect who was it, maybe Jungkook or maybe Jimin, he doesn't blame them to be surprised though. Not many have seen him use his aura in a fight before. But unexpected situations call for drastic measures.

Yoongi loosens his body up as much as possible and chanelises his energy onto his hands. He waits till he starts feeling the sparks, his aura burning within him, to be used, to be let free.
The king of Augosuga, spares a small glance over his shoulder, silently asking the other three to be alert as he starts riding on the euphoria of his natural gift. He lets himself feel the various forms of mystical energies possessed by his aura, diverting it all to the vast expanse of the garden in the form of surprise attacks in every direction.

He makes sure that his power blows reach every part of the seemingly lifeless garden, continuing the attacks while increasing the intensity everytime around. Soon enough the garden starts reflecting a glorious violet, a proud representation of Yoongi's majestic aura.

The continuous attacks, however, start draining him quickly but he never has to wait for long. Just when he gets a chance to think that their plan might be failing, he receives a rather aggressive reply. One which sends him stumbling backwards, which is followed by a worried Jungkook rushing to his side as he struggles to maintain his balance.

"Hyung! Are you alright??" The younger asks as he supports Yoongi to regain his balance.

"I am fine Kook-ah, just didn't expect the blow. But we might have found an important lead due to that, right Hoba?" The elder one replies, backing off to spare a glance in the magician's direction, who looks weirdly agitated.

"We did find something hyung. But it's not something we were expecting. This aura I'm reading, this-this sudden energy which was thrown towards you, it's not a positive one. It's unmistakably a negative energy hyung"

"What do you mean Hoba? Auras aren't negative. They are supposed to be a positive energy"

"Exactly my point. This isn't someone's aura which was used as a power to hit you. It was an evil spell casted against you. A witch's spell"

The realization dawns upon the small group as everything around them seems to go silent. The eerily quite atmosphere is broken by Jimin, a few minutes later.

"So what do we do now? We are certain that we are dealing with a witch, who may or may not be ready to cast the most nasty spells on us just to keep the crown to themselves. We can't estimate their real capacity but we also can't risk waiting for his majesty to come back. What do you say we should do, Yoongi hyung?"

Only, Yoongi doesn't reply. His mind gears keep working as he makes eye contact with Hoseok, who easily looks against the plan Yoongi has made, even before he has voiced it.
The older sighs. He weighs the options in their hands, only to settle on one again.

"Hoba-"

"No hyung. We are not fighting with a witch. We never know what kind of spells he or she might use and to what extent they might end up hurting you. Judging by the aggressive reply they just sent, it's an experienced one. We can't jump in to fight blindly"

"But we barely have anytime Hoba! I need to lure that witch out so we can attack. There is no way we are just sitting idle through thi-"

"Wait a minute, I sense something"

Jimin perks up at Hoseok's sentence, interrupting the conversation to gather more information,

"Something as in? Is Taehyung back?"

"No! It's-it's not Tae, I sense a different energy, I am not sure"

"Oh for Satan's sake! Don't tell me that witch has some allies who are now coming to help her escape" Yoongi groans, as he eyes the entrance to the balcony almost distastefully.

"In that case we should call more guards here and prepare for a full on battle" Jimin says hurriedly, slowly letting his battle mode to surface.

"No, no. It's not something we should be fighting against. I sense a positive aura, we shouldn't fight it. Rather we should support it, let it approach"

"Uh, can you please be a bit more clear Hobi hyung? I am not getting anything at all"

Jungkook stays quiet throughout their conversation. His brain wracking to put the unsaid things together, piece by piece, before finally realizing what they have been overlooking all this while. Upon realization, he hurries to relay the information to his hyungs.

"Hyung! I know what's that energy Hobi hyung is sensing. We don't need to the witch fight at all! At least not now. It will be taken care of"

"What do you mean, Kook?"

"What I mean is that, we have been unknowingly ignoring a presence since the very beginning of all this. We all were so focused on protecting the crown and trying to get it back that we ignored the main purpose of it all. We ignored the sole reason for whom we are trying to save the crown!" The youngest exclaims, trying his best to make the elders understand the situation. But when none of them seem to be catching on, he continues,

"The sole reason we all are here tonight?? The chosen queen! She must have been summoned by the crown and thus is coming to get what's rightfully hers!"

"Kook. We absolutely do not have time for your theories right now. We need to get that crown from that traitor, please understand the seriousness of the situation, will you?"

"Hyung, I do understand. All I am saying is, if we understand the seriousness of the situation, so does she"

As if to prove the prince's point, a sudden burst of a fresh energy takes place in the garden. It comes in like a breathe of fresh air, like a beautiful dawn after a threatening night, like coming of spring after a stormy winter, like a strong assurance in difficult times. Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook, relish in it, enjoying the surprising change while Yoongi furrows his eyebrows together, instantly recognising the owner of the enrgy which is now dancing all around them.

He doesn't really need to look to understand it's the girl he practically raised. He knows. Knows it's the princess of his kingdom, knows it's the only one who can deal with his anger, the one he calls his sister. It is undoubtedly Viri's aura flooding the garden but Yoongi finds himself to be confused as to why will she appear here in the first place.

He barely registers, the knowing gasps as the others slowly recognize the soul who enters the garden as if she has been there numerous times. When Yoongi does look up, he can't help but feel his breathe hitch as he takes in the fuming girl's appearance.

Fuming. That's the correct word to describe the feeling radiating off Viri's demeanour. She does nothing to hide it, doesn't falter in her strong stride as she continues to walk into the garden, eyes wildly searching for something. Yoongi stops his own train of thoughts before he can guess what that thing is, as he starts going after the princess.

"Min Viraina! What are you doi-" He is interrupted by Hoseok almost immediately.

"Hyung! Do not stop her. Don't interrupt what's decided by the fate. Your interruption might stand as dangerous for the future of our Hell"

"What do you mean Jung Hoseok? She has nothing to do with all this. Why shouldn't I stop-"

"I feel it hyung. I feel the same energy I felt from the crown. The aura of the crown and that of your sister is frighteningly similar"

And Yoongi promptly forgets how to speak.

☆☆☆☆☆

Viri has long tuned out her surroundings when she finally enters the very site she fled from a few nights ago. Her only focus is to find the traitor and follow the strange pull which has been leading her way all this while.

She barely registers the other's presence in the same vicinity as she starts searching for the missing crown. Someone calls out to her, she doesn't pay attention. Her glowing eyes scan the garden until she feels the pull again. This time quite firmly, almost as if shoving her towards a particular direction.

The princess smirks, finally having the exact location of the thief, as she slowly closes her eyes, letting her entire being light up with the overflowing energy of her aura. The next few things happen in a blur but the result comes out to be loud and clear.

Before, the garden was surprisingly undisturbed, almost as if it doesn't wants to be bothered. Now, it's partially burnt, after getting involved in the blunt and indestructible attacks initiated by a certain blue eyed demon. Before, this certain demon was tensed as she desperately tried to find the missing crown. Now, she stands proud, a smirk adorning her face as she stares at the traitor.

Before, the traitor was hidden efficiently, away from all of their sights. Now, she stands helplessly, the blunt attacks from earlier burning away her entire hiding spot.
Before, the four demons were puzzled, confusion evident on all their faces. Now, their jaws hang open as they stare at the new situation, minds blank as if they have never been used. They witness a confident demon staring at the traitor without a hint of anxiety. They also witness an exposed female, a royal traitor, who is also a witch, clutching onto the crown, both fear and anxiety displayed on her face.

They also observe the crown, glowing in the familiar majestic cerulean color, trying to breakthrough the clutches of the thief undoubtedly attempting to get closer to the other intimidating demon, almost like a new born trying to reach it's mother's embrace.

The traitor, who now everyone recognises as princess Euthena, whispers some spell onto the crown to keep it in it's place and quit trying to break free. This angers all the demons witnessing the scene, except for one.

Viri let's out a loud chuckle which turns into full on laughter as she struggles to say something while laughing endlessly. A few minutes pass and Euthena is pissed enough to ask in a venomous tone,

"What's so funny huh?? You-how do you have that much powers to burn my spell down?" She spits, anger seeping through the dirty green sparks dancing around her. Its only after a few minutes that Viri decides to answer.

"I don't really know who you are, from where did you get such an audacity to steal something so important to Hell as well as to his majesty. I am not interested in knowing anyway. You will get your punishment eventually when all this is over so no point in delaying anything. Hand over the crown and surrender" She speaks in an authoritative tone, her voice booming throughout the otherwise empty balcony.

"What are you? A guard? As far as I know, you must be a princess so why not act like one? Or are you also behind this crown, the power it will bring, the place it will assure in the King's heart, just like I am? Whatever it is. I will not give up anything. You have already spoilt my plan by disclosing my identity in front of the king's close ones.
But I will take care of that by casting a forgetting spell on them, for now I would like to give you the first and the last chance to run. Run away from this place, the palace and the entire kingdom. Do not open your mouth anywhere and I might keep you as my personal maid after I become the queen. Get lost"

Silence. An eerie silence spreads over the six demons, as none of them utters a word after Euthena finishes. Yoongi takes a step back almost timidly, very well knowing what's about to come. His sister doesn't react well to indecent humiliation coming from anyone. Today it came from a traitor. He knows it's better to step back and so he does just that, dragging the other three with him wordlessly.

After what seems like a long moment, Viri speaks up. Or rather it seemed like she was going to speak, instead the silent princess walks towards her left, bending down to look for something on the ground, ignoring the others completely. She let's out a satisfied hum when she does find what she needed and gets up in a flash.

Before anyone sees it coming, the silent girl is taking a short run up and hurling a medium sized stone towards an unsuspecting Euthena, who in turn shrieks in a mix of pain and horror. The stone hits her on the head, making her bleed almost immediately but not enough to send her tumbling down or even faint for that matter. A shame indeed.

Viri watches the witch groan in pain, before shaking the dirt off her hands and stepping closer to the pained demon.
"When I was a child, my hyung used to say that there is an ugly monster in the woods who is ready to eat demons who enter the woods alone and told me that I should never go in there, especially not without his presence. I used to worry that someone else would get hurt due to that monster, so I started a tradition of my own. It was of throwing stones towards the slightest of noises I heard, from the bushes everytime we used to cross those woods. I did that imagining the monster getting hit every single time until I got old enough to realise that there was no such monster, just my hyung trying to protect me.
Today I'm seeing another dirty monster, so I thought that I should continue my childhood tradition. Tell me then, did the monster learn some manners now?" She asks the other, ignoring the cries of pain. Behind her, Yoongi breaks into a fit of laughter, while the other three stand amused.

Euthena, however, is not impressed in the slightest. She is raging as she starts summoning an unnatural cloud of smoke in the garden. Her voice resonating when she speaks,
"You bitch! I gave you one chance and you lost it. Now I will show you, who I really am. I will make sure Hell's queen will be Euthena. Only Euthena!"

"That will only happen when we let you win and that is never going to happen, traitor" Hoseok shouts as he steps up, sensing the smoke getting denser and uses his own magic to fight it off to let the surroundings be clear again.

"We will see about that" The witch mutters as she sends waves of her spells straight at Viraina, who stands unaffected.

Viri has her fists balled up as she creates a protective bubble around her body, using her deepest powers to keep the evil magic at bay. Her shoulders tense up as she grits her teeth, quickly realizing that only defense won't work long enough. She has to attack at some point and that's what she does.

She summons her powers to take shape of her fatal sword, her most significant and favourite weapon of choice, jerking forward from her position to attack Euthena aggressively. The deflection that happens when the two powers collide is so fierce that it sends Jimin and Jungkook flying back, atleast a few good feet away from where they stood originally. Yoongi and Hoseok hold strong, both making eye contact before shouting over their shoulders, exactly in sync,

"Tell the guards to call the king right away! The battle has started and it's exclalating fast. Get Taehyung. NOW!"

And the younger ones are calling for the guards in an instant.

☆☆☆☆☆

The fight is exhausting for sure. Viraina has always admired her rivals if they do end up putting a tough competition in front of her, even if they end up losing anyways. The witch in front of her has been directing spells after spells towards Viri even if she gets hit by severe blows in return.

She doesn't know how long it has been but it does seem longer than the real time, she hasn't been able to use her sword at all because of the witch shutting herself in a safety spell. She also knows that if midnight strikes, all this will be over, the battle will be lost, the crown will lose its powers which means she has to act quick.

Viri focuses her attention on the other's fighting style instead. She notices how the traitor barely moves, her spells doing all the work for her, how some of Viri's relatively stronger, more concentrated blows do manage to shake her up and how she always needs a bit time to stabilize herself before spilling out another spell. And just like that Viri has found a weakness.

The princess settles on her plan while taking a quick look at her surroundings. They both have somehow ended at the very edge of the balcony, the same green fog covering the rest of the area blocking her view of the anything else. She doesn't have time for much inspection before she is hit with a particular hard spell, demanding her entire attention back to the battle.

As she sends her own blows back she sees as Euthena literally flies to settle over the balustrade, not caring about a potential fall even in the slightest. The tension is now quite thick between the two as they stop attacking for a few moments, trying to stare each other down. One is fighting to stop the other from completing a horrendous act while the other is fighting to complete that very act as soon as possible.

Viri doesn't hesitate when she herself lands on the balustrade, now standing parallel to her enemy. She gathers all her strength and suspends thick ropes of burning blue flames towards the witch, wrapping them around her to haul her up into the air. The princess feels herself straining but holds on for a little longer, grasping the writhing demon in her hold, feeling how the flames melt into the enemy's body inflicting vast amount of pain with no intention of stopping.

Euthena screams and decides she wants her opponent to scream too. Viri is least suspecting it, when she feels a huge mass pressing onto her, trying to bury her under the earth. The problem is, she doesn't see anything. It's just some spell, she realizes, which is weighing down on her, like a giant has decided to trample her beneath his humongous foot.

She tries to keep up. She really does. But it's too difficult, the pressure is too high, she has been going at it for a long time to be in a position to use more of her strength, she needs to have some immediate relief before it gets too late. Before she can do something, the princess of Augosuga is harshly hurled up from her place in the air, hanging there due to a mere spell. The tremendous pressure on top of her now surrounds her, squeezing her from all sides until she has no space to even continue breathing.

She has all too many things to focus on suddenly, sweat accumulating on her forehead as she tries to fight her way out of the trap, only she ends up doing it a little too abruptly.

Viri has gotten into a lot of fights in her past, she has had tougher situations, almost dying in some, but always making her way out of everything. She does the same in her current situation, but the lack of air reaching her brain had somewhat slowed her thinking ability. Now, as she is free from the spell cast on her, she is also free from the hold which kept her hanging in the air all this while. With that gone, she starts to plummet straight to the ground.

The falling princess barely registers passing the balcony by an inch as she continues her rapid discend, barely registers someone shouting for her, a voice of panic she supposes but she definitely registers when she stops. Stops falling even before she hit the ground.

Something has happened, though she doesn't know what yet. All she knows is when she does open her eyes, Viri finds herself hanging mid air once again, just a few feet above the ground. But what kept her from falling to severe injuries if not death is not her brother as she expected. It's something else or more like someone else because she does see herself wrapped in familiar thick ropes of burning flames, the aura however being different.

Yoongi's aura is not this warm. It doesn't burn her but it also doesn't provide her with silent comfort like the one holding her up. Yoongi's aura is welcoming but it doesn't wrap around her with such devotion. Yoongi's aura whenever used for her, provided her with relief, this one provides her safety.

So as Viri is pulled up, she concludes that this is not her brother's energy, because Yoongi's aura isn't like the majestic red flame protecting her.

☆☆☆☆☆

Taehyung did expect to witness a whole chaos as he dashes into the garden. He also expects a serious fight to be occuring as informed by the guard previously. What he certainly didn't expect was to see two almost equally angered demons attacking each other without a single care in the world.

The fight in itself, he notices, is one of pure anger and desperation. He also spots the crown in the arms of the one exuding a irking green energy. It's unsettling, almost evil if you ask him and so his eyes automatically travel to the other one. She is much more agitated, he observes but she is also more controlled in her movements.

The King's eyes dance between the two, trying to be sure of the traitor among the duo. None of their faces is visible due to the distance. Although he knows already but doesn't want to risk anything at this point. He doesn't get anytime to think anyway. Just as Taehyung starts to rack his brain he hears a loud blast, forcing him to again set his eyes on the pair only to wince in horror.

He sees the calmer one attacking the other abruptly but losing her own hold on herself in the process, as she starts falling down straight to the ground. The horrified screams from his companions push him to run forward in an attempt to get closer. As he sees the female fall further past the balcony, he decides there is no time to take position. So the king does what he has to do.

Even before his feet come to a stop, the energy within is escaping his extended hands hastily. He watches as the familiar scarlet flames shape themselves into sturdy ropes in order to get a hold of the falling demon. He feels the exact moment when he succeeds in clutching the female in his hold as he let's out a sigh of relief.

Taehyung hears the sounds of relief coming from behind him as well when he gets to work in pulling the other up as the weird fog surrounding the garden clears up almost completely. As he continues pulling up, Viri snaps out of her daze.

She is still being pulled up to safety which is a good thing. But the fact that the crown is still in the traitor's hands and that traitor is now in the process of entering a portal which will take her and the crown to Satan knows where, is not a good thing. It's bad. It's terrible. And Viri has to stop the witch and she does just that.

Angry blue flames reappear as they cut through the air to wrap around the escaping witch, locking her on the spot as she is left half in the portal and half out of it. With the unfamiliar yet comforting energy holding her up, Viri leaps up to get near the witch, bringing all her strength to pull her out of the portal in order to somehow get a hold of the crown.

Viri knows the witch can't throw the crown into the portal as it might end up right into the hands of the real queen due to it's profuse magic, so she has a chance to hold the evil demon still for sometime and snatch the crown away at the right moment. The princess is so concentrated on keeping the traitor from moving that she fails to notice the king right at the edge of the balcony, trying his best to support her in mid air to keep her from falling. Her back is turned towards him as he catches on the situation, rushing to think of a plan himself.

As all of them ponder over the crisis, Jimin's panicked voice booms in their ears,

"Just five minutes till midnight! We need to hurry up your majesty!!"
And maybe it's the pressure or all the pent up desperation to save his destiny, Taehyung's brain presents a plan, which he executes right away.

Yoongi and Hoseok are signalled to attack the portal and close it using their powers, Taehyung has his one hand grasping onto Viri while his other is pointed straight at Euthena, to provide a smooth path for his powers to attack the witch, taking her by suprise. Viri is expected to understand the plan as it takes place, which she does almost immediately, scrambling to attack directly at Euthena's arms.

Just some constant pressure and the witch's hands are jerking away in a lame attempt to escape the pain, the crown slipping out of her hold dropping down, closely followed by Viri.

Several things happen in the last five minutes before midnight.

The portal is shut close, thanks to the combined powers of Yoongi and Hoseok. Euthena is thrown onto the balcony by Taehyung like a fly as Hoseok bounds her in her place, leaving her with no way to escape. The crown which had dropped down is caught by Viraina who in turn is caught by someone. She is yet to figure out who though.

What exactly happened was that when the crown was finally free from the grasps of the witch, Viri had dived behind it. Meanwhile, Taehyung had squeezed all the air out of the witch, his angry flames lighting her up, before shoving her onto the balcony, leaving her to Hoseok. Only, he somehow lost his hold on Viri in the process and realized that he was left with no time to even think before taking any action.

So even if the unknown female would have somehow ended up saving herself without any help, Taehyung still found himself leaping off the balcony, throwing his entire body off the edge, his left hand getting a tough grip of the balustrade while the right one grasps the female's hand at the correct moment. He checks his grip twice, just to be sure, even if knows the others are already scurrying to help them.

Once sure, he looks down at the girl, hanging below him, her face bent towards the crown in her other hand as if checking if it's safe or not. A small smile makes its way on the king's face but he soon gains his composure to be decent enough to check on the distracted demon.

"Are you alright?" He asks, voice soft and smooth so as to not startle the girl in anyway.

Viri hears it. Upon being supremely satisfied in knowing that she isn't falling to her death after finally breaking the crown free from the traitor's grasp, she had even forgot to check on the demon who saved her. But she is distracted as soon as her eyes land on the crown, observing it's settling beauty and it's raw energy. She is interrupted by a voice close enough to belong to the demon holding onto her, soft enough to ease her nerves and deep enough to drown her in an ocean of nothingness.

So when she finally decides to acknowledge her savior, she moves her head to look up at him.

Her eyes lands onto the ethereal King of Hell. His eyes land onto an ethereal being, an indestructible warrior, the savior of Hell's future, the chosen one, onto the real queen of Hell.

The world stops for just the both of them, as Viri keeps staring up at him admiringly, as Taehyung keeps holding onto her tirelessly. As the king finally finds the chosen one, as the chosen one stays clueless.
The king breathes a sigh of relief and Viri fails to understand the relief of the king, the sated crown in her hands and of destiny itself.

The pair doesn't utter a single word neither to each other nor the others even when they are no longer hanging off the balcony, pulled to safety by their companions. They don't utter a word when they are bombarded with worried questions or hit with equally worried glances, eventually quietening down on the lack of response from them both.
No one really says anything when the traitor is dragged away to be thrown into the dungeons until further orders or when the anxious loud cries of the masses who have accumulated outside the palace to know about their queen, reaches their ears.

Taehyung is still quiet when he softly approaches the silent princess, his steps careful, his aura radiating comfort before he settles to stand right beside her, silently prompting her to look up at him.
Although when Viri finally looks up, her eyes lack everything.

All of them decide to speak up together at once, when their newly found queen passes out unceremoniously right in front of their eyes, the king being quick enough to wrap his arms around her limp body.

And just like that, Taehyung, who had been so sure of the future with a single look at the chosen one, feels himself drown into endless pools of doubt helplessly.
He can only hold on tighter for now and silently wish for the queen's well being.
The queen. Not his. Yet.

~~~

I saw you and knew you are the one.
But is that enough?