“Okay, guys, I’m tired, not crippled, alright?” Seokjin huffed.

After the witches told them what they wanted to know, they left in a hurry, with no desire to stay in that cabin any longer than necessary. But Seokjin was weak and his legs were wobbly, and he definitely looked dizzy, so Jimin didn’t hesitate to carry him until they were outside and they lost sight of the cabin. Seokjin then demanded to be put down—he could walk on his own, thank you very much. However, his face didn’t look so good, so both Jungkook and Namjoon were at his sides, the former with a hand on his shoulder and the latter with his arm around his waist. It was suffocating.

“Then why don’t we just stop for a couple of minutes and think about what we’re going to do next?” Hoseok said.

They all agreed. They found a spot where there weren’t any bushes or too many trees, and they sat down. They stayed in silence a few seconds, trying to assimilate everything that had happened and being wary of their surroundings. Those woods gave them a really bad feeling. Even Taehyung, who preferred nature over cities and towns, lamented and wondered why Taela couldn’t have just escaped to a city or something of the like.

“So,” Yoongi huffed, “the human world.”

“Were they really telling the truth…?” Jimin asked, doubt clear in his voice.

“They’d better, I didn’t suffer that hell to be told a goddamn lie in return,” Seokjin immediately said.

Namjoon looked at him with curiosity. “What exactly did they make you see?”

The older immediately averted his eyes, looking at the floor. “You know… Just... Scary things…”

“Oh god, did you see ghosts? Zombies?” Hoseok said with a faint voice.

“Guys, can we please focus? Taela is in the goddam human world!” Yoongi groaned.

“I didn’t know you could go to the human world,” Taehyung wondered aloud. “I always thought the mages separated our dimensions permanently… Since when there is a portal to go there?”

“Well, my father told me his great-grandfather was the one who started to spread that statement, but he told me that our realms weren’t completely separated… Never told me how you could go to the other side, though,” Jungkook said.

“Well, we already know how. The twins said north, right?” Seokjin added.

“But doesn’t that mean we have to go across the entire forest? Won’t that be dangerous?” Jimin asked while looking at the map that Hoseok had pulled out of his backpack.

“Okay, are you guys idiots?!” Yoongi exclaimed.

“What, Yoongi?” Namjoon sighed.

“You don’t get it?” When all the response he got was six pairs of eyes looking at him in confusion, he could only groan. “Am I the only one that associates human with off-limits? We can’t go there. We have to tell Mrs. Choi and let others take care of this.”

“No,” Namjoon immediately replied.

“No? ”

“Others are gonna be a bunch of soldiers that even if they go undercover and try to be subtle, they’re gonna scare Taela off and we don’t know how she could react. So, no.”

“Did you forget the old teachings and rules of the first king?” the knight said through gritted teeth.

“Of course not.”

“Seems like you did.”

“‘Those who cross the line shall take charge of the punishment delivered by Nature, and take control of their own situations; for your fault shall not involve our people’,” Namjoon recited as he looked Yoongi in the eyes. “I did not forget.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Hoseok asked, confused.

“Knight teachings,” the grape haired boy simply said. “In the old days there were rules for all the people of Clastoria respecting the matter of humans, but since people nowadays believe that there is no way to go to the human world, those rules are taught to the knights only.”

“And precisely because of those we’re gonna stand down and let others handle this,” the blonde stated.

“No, precisely because of those we’re gonna take care of this! We’re gonna take control of our own situation, for our fault shall not involve our people!”

“For ’s sake, don’t you remember what the stranger told you at the hostel? She is not alone!”

“Well, if her company is hostile, then we’ll ask for help.”

“You know if they realize we crossed the boundaries without any kind of permission there will be a punishment.”

“Better that than send others and cause a bigger ruckus!” Namjoon exclaimed with exasperation. “Besides, Jungkook is a prince, for goodness sake, he won’t have any punishment. And we all know that’s the only thing you’re worried about,” he spat.

“Listen, you piece of shi—”

“HEY!” Seokjin yelled. Both boys jumped in surprise. “Why don’t we vote like the civilised men we’re supposed to be?” All of them stared at him, silent for a few seconds, until he sighed. “Okay, who wants to go back to the Academy and let others take care of this?”

Yoongi raised his hand the first. Then Hoseok and Seokjin followed.

“Guys?!” Namjoon exclaimed, unbelieving. He felt betrayed as he saw Yoongi’s smirk.

“What? I’m thinking about me,” Hoseok said, “and I don’t see myself being able to handle this. Besides, I don’t want any kind of punishment.”

“Same,” Seokjin added. “If I think about this in an analytical way, I don’t see our group capable to carry out this task. The risk isn’t worth it.” Namjoon could only groan at that. “But that’s just my personal opinion. I will follow the group’s decision in the end. So, who wants to go to the human world and look for Taela ourselves?”

Namjoon, Jimin and Taehyung raised their hands.

“Really, Jimin?” Yoongi asked. “After all your fussing and worrying about this being dangerous? Are you ing serious?”

“I am worried about that,” Jimin responded, frowning. “But I’m more worried about Taela. She could be really lonely and scared right now. And I don’t think a bunch of soldiers are going to help in this situation. Honestly, if we encounter danger I prefer to call for backup and receive a punishment later than to risk her safety.”

“Even if it’s a punishment for life? Even if it’s lethal?” Yoongi said with a growl. Jimin could only widen his eyes in fear and lower his head, not knowing what to say. Yoongi sighed. There was still one person who hadn’t voted. “Jungkook?” He called, raising his eyebrow.

The younger could feel how all the group was suddenly looking at him. “I… I don’t know.” He looked at the ground, frowning.

As a prince, he had a high respect for the law and rules—he had grown up with them. But on the other hand, he didn’t want to imagine what Taela would have to go through if they didn’t go to her and avoided the whole scandal. She was the heiress to the throne. What would people think of her? Even if Namjoon had the idea that royalty was untouchable, he knew that wasn’t true. There would be consequences for her. If he was in her place, he wouldn’t like that one bit. However, if they went and the government discovered them, he could lose his friends forever. Way for a situation to give him a headache.

“It’s okay, Jungkook,” Seokjin said. “We’re gonna be resting here for a while, so you don’t have to answer straight away. You have time to decide. Whatever you choose, it’ll be okay. Alright?” the older said in a gentle tone.

The prince nodded, and that settled it.

It was already night time according to their watches—they couldn’t precisely tell because of how dark it was, because it was always dark in that forest. However, they did notice that it was getting chilly. When Yoongi saw some of them starting to shiver, he got up from the floor. Sure, Jungkook was producing a small flame, but that wasn’t enough to keep them warm. Besides, using his power for a long time was going to drain him sooner or later.

“I’ll go look for some wood.”

“Don’t go alone,” Namjoon immediately said.

The knight huffed. “Why not?”

Jungkook shifted. “Um, I’ll go with you—”

“No. You stay here.” Yoongi immediately replied.

“Why?”

“It’s safer. I don’t want you being ambushed again. You won’t get kidnapped here.”

“Come on, you can’t go alone either, hyung—!”

“I said no!”

“Don’t worry, Jungkook,” Jimin intervened, placing a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “I can go.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Yoongi groaned. “Just… Let’s get going already. It’s getting cold.”

Jimin sighed as he got up, seeing Jungkook mouthing him a ‘thank you’. He gave him a tiny smile, and then he started to walk next to Yoongi, getting away from Jungkook’s small light.

Both of them stayed silent, the only noise that could be heard being their footsteps. Literally. Jimin couldn’t hear sounds of any kind of animal, nor could he hear any breeze or living being rustling the leaves of the surroundings. Nothing that indicated life. It was eerie silent. He looked around from time to time, trying to see something, anything.

He jumped, heart on his throat, when he heard a crack. But it was just Yoongi picking a branch. The older scoffed.

“Why did you come if you’re scared less? You should’ve stayed with the others,” he shook his head.

“I couldn’t let you go alone,” the pink haired boy pouted.

“I would’ve been fine. I’m a knight. I’m trained for things like these.”

“Still…” Jimin insisted as he crouched to pick another branch. It actually made Yoongi chuckle. “What?”

“Nothing. I just… I don’t get you.”

The younger huffed. “Well, I don’t get you either.”

“What do you mean?”

“All that ‘I associate human with off-limits’ thing… I know you listen to human music.”

Yoongi choked on his own saliva. “Y-you… What—”

“Back in the Academy,” Jimin clarified. “In our room. You sneaked around at night when you thought I was asleep and put headphones on. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still not deaf. You listen to your music loud enough for me to hear.”

The only light that Jimin had was a little glowing orb that Seokjin advised them to get before they parted from the Academy. The light it offered was dim and just enough to see partially, but he could swear Yoongi was blushing.

“I… I don’t—”

“Hey, it’s okay. I like human music. I just wondered why then you say human things are ‘bad’.”

“Never said they were bad…” Yoongi muttered.

“Huh.” Before the blond could add anything else, Jimin kept talking. “Look, I’m not gonna tell anyone, it’s your thing to tell. But I think you should be honest with them. Especially with Jungkook.”

Yoongi sighed. “Will I ever be able to keep something from you?” he muttered in a low voice. He was probably saying that to himself more than actually asking Jimin, but the pink haired boy heard him anyway.

He smiled sadly at the knight.

“Hey, hyung…”

Jungkook squirmed, trying to sit closer to Namjoon. The grape haired boy was leaning against the bark of a tree, next to Seokjin. The president was already sleeping, and not even the chilly air was an impediment for that. He looked tired. Placid face, mouth slightly agape, and head resting on Namjoon’s shoulder. It was kind of an endearing scene, and Jungkook had a dejà vu of the morning they parted, where the roles were reversed. It was quite fascinating to see that both of them looked at the other sleep with the same expression on their face.

“Hm?” Namjoon blinked and raised his gaze, looking at the younger.

“I… Uh… I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“You’re… The son of a knight?”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“But I never saw you in the castle.”

“Well, I never became a knight, did I?” the older said with a half smile.

“Ah… I guess not. Why not?”

Namjoon frowned, as if he was remembering something nasty. “I didn’t like the system, I guess. I mean, we are trained to be knights since we have memory. They don’t let the children be children. And the training and processes… I backed out when I realized what they asked us to do to show our loyalty. It was too much for me. Hell, it was too much for the rest as well. But some