After that surprise attack, they stayed that night in the outskirts of the forest. But early in the morning, Namjoon decided it would be wise to keep moving, knowing that Eosforos would know if they stayed in one place. Since the incident, Jimin and Taehyung were already awake with their eyes wide open, alert. They no longer felt tired, or dizzy—well, who would after that? They were at the back with Hoseok, the older keeping an eye on the both of them while their three hyungs were on the front just in case another attack happened.

It got Jungkook thinking, if they were looking for Taela, then that meant… Taela wasn’t with Eosforos. Which also meant, they were dealing with another group or something?

Jungkook stared on the ground, stepping on the small twigs and snapping them intentionally. He also had that pleasure of burning the dead leaves on the ground, the smell was oddly satisfying. But it wasn't for Seokjin.

“Stop that, will you? The chemical it is releasing is pretty dangerous.”

Jungkook kicked on the pile of leaves, humming softly. “I’m immune to it.”

Jungkook sighed, looking up, the sun was there, the clouds were pretty, it had that vibrant blue color, it was pretty lively,  but of course the whole group was quite serious about the mission.  Now that he thought about it… Adventures weren’t always all fun and discoveries just like the books he had read back in the castle library… it was more than that. He thought it would be fun, but now, it was also about sacrificing and being brave.  He almost thought that Yoongi was right about everything in the outside world being dangerous.  

His thoughts started wandering in the direction their attackers. He looked up in the front to see Yoongi and it just reminded him of what the woman had said.

“Mino…” He mumbled to himself, but Seokjin heard him, turning his head.

“What is that Jungkook?”

Jungkook shook his head. Should he ask Seokjin about it? If that Mino was dead like Yoongi said, then that meant they must’ve been using a forbidden spell.  

“There’s a spell for raising the dead, right?” He asked quietly, hoping that the two of them were the only ones that heard it.  The older male furrowed his eyebrows in confusion—out of nowhere he was asked about a spell, more importantly, a dark spell for reviving the dead? He didn’t see the problem with telling him, but he was worried about the sudden interest. He eyed him suspiciously, but Jungkook retorted back. “I-I’m just curious...”

“Yes there is Jungkook,” he simply answered.  He fastened the pace of his walk, hoping that they could avoid the topic as much as possible since he didn’t like it. It was throwing him over the edge, it was something he would never agree on even if he was given the chance to revive someone.  

“Really? It’s possible…?” Jungkook tried to catch up with him, with more following questions but Seokjin already knew what he was gonna ask so he inhaled sharply, looking at him straight in the eyes.

“Yes, but you need to be powerful enough to do such activity that only one mage was able to raise the dead using the blood of a serpent and the ash of the corpse.”

“And who is that mage?”

Seokjin was about to answer him when he was suddenly pulled by Namjoon to the side. The older gave him a grimace look before Namjoon could apologize for the sudden intrusion. He cleared his throat. “Earlier, Taehyung and I talked about what had happened—well h-he told me that those guys from Eosforos were looking for Taela. That gives us a clue that Taela isn’t in anyone’s hands. Do you have any idea what this means?”

Seokjin peered over his shoulder, making sure that everyone else was minding their own business before he could reply back to Namjoon. Jungkook had given up and was walking at the same pace as Jimin and the others. “It could be some sort of attack to lure us in. They could be searching in parties, Namjoon. If we are talking about Eosforos, there’s a lot of possibilities. Let’s just focus on finding Taela.”

“Well if we have the same objective, we are most likely to bump into them again.” Namjoon rolled his eyes.

“Then we’re going to make sure we find her first,” Seokjin firmly said.  

He turned around to gesture for Hoseok to come closer. Seokjin cupped his mouth,  telling him to check out everyone’s emotional stability just in case someone needed help. It seemed like something silly to do, but it made a huge difference if they had to confront anything. When the dancer turned around, everyone seemed to be in bright or soft colors, no major problems. However, he couldn’t help but for that particular color to grab his attention.

He didn’t mention anything to Seokjin and instead told him that everyone was either tired or a bit nervous, but it was on their normal levels. He hummed and continued walking down the straight path, occasionally stealing a glimpse from Yoongi’s direction. He could still picture those dark colors around the man. Black mist with the combination of somber red. It was a weird combination and often two colors you wouldn’t like to see together. Fear, anxiousness, and love. However, Hoseok didn’t talk about it with him of course. Yoongi would just either say he was fine, or he would push him away with a snarl.

Seokjin honestly didn’t know what would lead them, he kept on following the path, he had no plans. Namjoon then tapped his shoulder when he started to feel uneasy. It felt like his senses were heightened, he was aware and alerted with every step he took—it took him a few seconds to realise that he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. When he turned around everyone had their eyebrows furrowed, they were cautiously looking around and even the dead leaves on the ground felt like they were going to attack them. It felt like some disease was spreading—like some virus that was slowly eating them out… Fear.

“W-What was that?” Hoseok suddenly stopped, finding something to grab onto as he shook his head from side to side to see if there was anyone near the bushes. He looked further into the path and whatever it was on the end,  he was sure that he wasn’t gonna like it.  

Seokjin was looking over his back to see if he had brought anything useful so they could find the witches the villagers told them about—even if they were warned, they needed the help. Meanwhile, Jimin attempted to see through the thick fog, squinting his eyes.  

“Uh… I can see something right over there. It looks like a small house. Maybe we can ask the people there where exactly are we…?” Jimin said, pointing his finger weakly over the fog.  

Hoseok had to go upfront to call forth the wind, letting his wind clear up the fog before they could see an old, small, nipa hut. It looked like it was abandoned but they would never know. Everyone’s stomach turned as they heard the creaking noise of a small sign that said ‘Ol’ pottery’. It was an old shop of vases. The front was literally decorated with cracked pots, visible even from a few feet away.

Namjoon sighed. “This is it. The two witches.” He said, bending down as he examined some of the pebbles that were near approximately ten feet away from the small house—they were scattered all around. The rest of the group widened their eyes at Namjoon’s affirmation.

The house looked old, with dried woods and the sign looked like it was about to fall. It wasn’t in a good shape, like how some dwarves would like their house. Messy, careless. It had that pungent smell of rotting dead bodies of animals. Taehyung was feeling sick.

Namjoon was about to step forward when he felt an arm against his stomach, stopping him from going any further. Seokjin appeared to be more alarmed than ever, like he could sense something, like there was something eerie from that place. It was a witches’ house of course, but it had that different vibe to it. Inviting , was the aura of the two witches, even Hoseok could tell from the colors emitting from the house. They were waiting for their arrival—they knew. That very thought sent shivers down their spine; they underestimated those witches.

“Everyone should stay behind me,” said the president. With trembling fingers and a heart trying to break free from its ribcage, he walked forward, not stopping until the door was in front of him.

Yoongi had his hand tucked inside his pocket just in case they needed a weapon: he could shape shift the scrap of metal he had brought. They were all focused on the knob, waiting for the oldest to open it. Like a present in Christmas, they were like excited kids, yet a nervous, eerie feeling of what was to come invaded them.  

“One… Two—” Seokjin was about to reach for the broken door knob but it creaked open. Merlin, he thought his heart was gonna jump. He slowly pushed the door open, and as he did, dust enveloped the area. It was like the dust was locked inside the abandoned house for years, it hadn’t been cleaned—and that fetid smell. The smell had their noses scrunched up in disgust.  

“Well, so much for being in the middle of a forbidden forest,” Taehyung commented, looking around to observe how everything looked authentic. It was mesmerizing in an pleasing way. It was aesthetic.  The sun shining through the window was the only source of light.  

“Welcome,” a child’s voice said. It was soft, it was firm, yet devious. The voice was alluring, but it still had a warning tone.

“Wandering could kill, you know? Curiosity had always been the twin of death.” Another voice said. Jimin made a panicked quiver, looking around to search for the source of voice.

To Taehyung’s surprise, he witnessed two young girls on an altar on the very back of the small room. They were sitting down on the very edge, hollowed eye sockets… They had no eyes. One girl had bright yellow hair, resembling the sun of its golden hue. She had dark orange skin, and she looked too young to be the wicked witch she was described for. The other girl had silver hair, with skin looking rough like a rock and the color of greystone. They were like porcelain dolls—threatening to crack and break.

“Us twins were given the name of Lux and Nox, for we are the witches of the day and night. Our curse frightens the people of the South. Only a few minds had passed the test. No matter how powerful mages are, it never measured the emotional stability—could it be that the prince of Clastoria is willing to sacrifice himself to save the next heir…?” Nox spoke, voice soft. She noticed the face of the young man in the far back of their group.  

Yoongi reached out to Jungkook’s side as if was a great offence for the witches to even mention the prince’s name. “He is not going to sacrifice.” He firmly said, knowing that the test was somewhat dangerous. They didn’t know what would the witches give as a test, but he knew it was dangerous for the young man. Jungkook didn’t object this time at Yoongi’s defensiveness—he was scared, and he didn’t feel ready for this kind of thing just yet. To let someone control his mind when he couldn’t even himself?

Namjoon stepped forward in an attempt to cover the rest of the group, which caught the attention of the two witches. “Ah, if it isn’t the sons of the Great Knights. Great warriors they are, but one a fallen soldier and the other a shameful survivor.” Lux said, clapping her hands as if the fact was amusing. “Ah, but the Mins are a family of great knights, such an honor to be by the prince’s side—it has always been a prize for a devious deed.” The witch of the day chuckled—she couldn’t see, but she knew . “Oh what great friendship you had…” She said, voice down in a teasing way.  

Yoongi gritted his teeth. “Shut the up!” He snapped at the witches, causing the both of them to laugh obnoxiously, high pitched voices rang through his ear.

“Did you think that he would forgive you for what you’ve done? It was gruesome—indeed. Yes yes, we know all of your dirty little secrets.” Yoongi’s eyes widened upon the sudden mention, taking his metal piece out, now shaped like a knife, and throwing it over Lux, the blade darting through mid air. The witch raised her finger, the metal slowly melting into small pieces. “Mere mage. You dare match your powers against a powerful witch… Let’s see…”

Lux and Nox jumped off of the altar, hands intertwined as if they were little girls walking around the park. They both looked up at them. Jimin gave a wary look over others, clenching his fists like he wanted to stop all this nonsense and get straight to the point. But he didn’t see Seokjin stopping them anyway, and he didn’t want to cause a ruckus.

Nox was the first one to speak. “Ah, the black sheep of the Park family.” She didn’t say anything further, continuing on walking and Jimin just stared at her with a complete distasteful look.  

“You have beautiful eyes my prince… Just like your father—” Lux spoke up