Title: Genesis and Oblivion

Group: BTS - Yoongi centric

Quote: I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demigods and would-be gods; out of all of that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing... just one thing... I believe in her.

Word Count: 8693

                From the ends of the earth to the boundaries of the other realms, they’d searched for her and yet, even now, where the planes of existence simply ended, she was still lost to them.  Standing on the precipice of nothingness with his hands balled into fists, Yoongi stared ahead, mint bangs teasing his brown eyes.  A fool he’d been for not seeing it sooner.  At his back, he could feel the others milling, uncertain in their hesitation.

                They’d followed him out of some strange sense of loyalty, even when he’d tried to leave them behind in his quest.  But unlike her, he hadn’t been able to lose them.  He shouldn’t have lost her either but he’d let her pull away; let her say that she didn’t care anymore.  Even when he knew it was a lie.  “Damn you,” he hissed through clenched teeth, feeling the ache of his helplessness pressing down on him.

                “Yoongi,” Namjoon called, coming close to stand at the edge and look out too.  He leaned over to peer down and whistled when the ground simply disappeared into a never ending pit.  The platinum haired man nodded to himself and then glanced over at his shorter friend.  “What now?  This is as far as we can go, isn’t it?”

                He didn’t want to answer that question because there was one more place to go.  But… it was one of no return.  Probably.  They shouldn’t have even been able to find it but here they were.  He only knew what it should be from conversations he’d had with her in the past, but it wasn’t even supposed to exist.  But she’d gone there and he would not fail her again.  His hands tightened further in his resolve.

                “Almost,” Seokjin murmured as he came abreast with them on the other side of Yoongi.  His calm, flawless visage hid what his voice could not: he was afraid for them all.  “When there is no place left to run in all the realms, there is one more still,” he exhaled with a frown, staring at the emptiness before them that extended into the endless horizon.  Fluffy clouds above gave the scene the appearance of a tunnel save that the ground was nothing but darkness.

                “We’re going, aren’t we?” Jungkook asked as he rested an arm on Yoongi’s shoulder, looking to the shorter man for some sort of guidance.  His black hair seemed naturally messy and his brown eyes were inquisitive but determined.

                “I’m going,” Yoongi stated firmly, removing Jungkook’s arm from his shoulder, feeling the tremor inside almost immediately from the pain of trying to break ties again.

                “You can’t do this by yourself,” Taehyung scoffed with an irritated toss of his head.  Brown hair shifted on his forehead and settled easily back into place.

                “She did,” the shortest man reminded them, his stomach like lead and his heart racing.

                “No,” Seokjin shook his head, reaching over to grab Yoongi’s arm, holding tight.  “You know as well as we do that she came here to die.”

                Annoyed because the words rang true, Yoongi smacked the hand off too and threaded his fingers into his hair, holding tight.  He closed his eyes and exhaled breathily.  “I knew something was wrong and I didn’t even try to stop it,” he berated himself, feeling hands press against his back and shoulders gently.  Their silent reassurance only made him feel worse.  If he’d listened to them, this might not have happened.  He thought she was untouchable and they were just having such a good time…

                “It’s not too late,” Jungkook reminded him, one hand squeezing firmly.

                “She’s strong,” Namjoon agreed with a silent but obvious nod.  His presence was loud even when he wasn’t saying anything.

                “Too strong,” Jimin couldn’t help but add with a bemused laugh.  “Sounds like someone else we know,” he teased, nudging Yoongi from the back.

                “Yoongi’s just stubborn,” Taehyung laughed, his deep voice carrying over their shoulders to fall away eerily, fading with nothing to echo off of.  “Though, if either of you had let us know what was going on, this wouldn’t have-”

                “Taehyung,” Seokjin interrupted before Yoongi could snap at him.  “It doesn’t matter.  What’s done is done,” he explained, daring to give Yoongi a little shake that made the shorter man look up.  “Pearl is there.  That is enough, is it not?”

                No matter what parting words they might have thrown at each other before they’d split up, Yoongi knew he couldn’t leave things the way they were now.  That hadn’t been her, after all.  Had he known Nephilira’s Curse was taking root, he never would have let her out of his sight.  After a long, pregnant pause, he took a small breath and unclenched his fists.  “You know we might not come back from this.”

                “We know,” Namjoon shrugged with a sigh.  “But you’re not losing us,” he added with a cocky grin, brown eyes nearly disappearing in his face.

                “Nope.  Not a chance,” Jungkook agreed, slinging an arm over Yoongi’s shoulder and looking around the half circle of people there.  Yoongi did too and he couldn’t help the reluctant smile that tugged at one corner of his mouth.

                “Bunch of idiots,” he scoffed, roughing his mint hair up with one hand.

                “Look who’s talking,” Jimin clapped once, trying to ease some of the tension.  At least Hoseok laughed, if no one else did.

                “Let’s do this!” Taehyung cheered with his hands in the air, nervous energy pouring from him.

                “Yeah!” all six answered in shaky unison, their voices and resolve strong, even if their bodies didn’t feel it.

                Almost as one, they lurched forward and threw themselves off the edge, screaming with a blend of fear and excitement as they went.  Icy wind rose up to claw at them, snatching hair and clothes in sharp gusts; darkness consumed their sight and the gravity of nothingness pressed in close, suffocating in its proximity.  Lost in oblivion, even their voices faded into the dark, leaving them together and alone at the same time.

                Bodies crashed into water in a breathtaking landing that swallowed them whole.  It tried to flow into gasping mouths and unplugged noses, reaching icy fingers through the flimsy protection of their clothes as they frantically kicked and paddled for the surface.  But the darkness was disorienting and there was nothing to guide their , leaving them drowning as they fought panic, losing more and more every second that went by.

                No.  Not like this, Yoongi thought, reaching for something, anything to help.  Hope faded until a tiny ray of light pierced the darkness.  There!  Frantic for air, he swam for it, praying it was above water and not something drawing him further down.

                Shadows moved with him as he swam and he realized, as he broke the surface, spitting water and gasping for air, that his friends had followed too.  “Rift Boys!  Report!” he sputtered, treading water with some effort, the weight of his clothes trying to drag him down with amorphous fingers.

                “I’m here!” Namjoon answered first, his voice breathless but steady.

                “Us too!” Hoseok and Jimin cried out, slightly out of synch but well.

                “I’m good!” Jungkook promised, splashing loudly nearby as he tried to get closer to the group.  The vague light above had not disappeared and it gave them just enough illumination to see by.

                “Seokjin!  Taehyung?!” Yoongi yelled, twisting from side to side as he searched for the other two heads in the water.  Namjoon was easy to see.  So was Jimin with his golden brown hair, but the rest were just as dark as the water.  And two were missing still.

                “Jin!”  “Tae!” the group alternated shouting, pawing at the water to try and peer down, but the depths were dark and nearly impossible to see through.

                “Taehyung!” Yoongi tried again, kicking in place to spin around.  “Seokj-” he nearly choked when something grabbed his leg underwater and yanked.  “Yah!” he yelped, kicking out reflexively.  He missed whatever it was but was grateful in a moment when Taehyung’s head broke the surface, recognizable by the bangs that almost completely covered his eyes.  “Tae!” he rasped, paddling close and jerking in surprise when he saw another head come up too.  “Jin!” he cheered, reaching out to grab both of them.  Even if Seokjin was sputtering weakly, he was breathing!

                “I saw him flailing,” Taehyung swallowed loudly, trying to catch him breath.  “Had to go get him,” he panted, holding onto Seokjin with a death grip as Yoongi came to give a hand.  They were soon surrounded by the others, their teeth chattering in a strange, discordant harmony.

                “Now what do we do?” Jungkook shivered, head swiveling as he looked around for some sort of surface to stand on.

                Yoongi squinted up at the light glow and smiled, the expression odd in their circumstance.  “I think we should follow that,” he nodded, helping to draw their attention to the mote of light hanging in the air above them.  It was no bigger than a pearl and it glimmered with iridescent illumination, but it was a most welcome sight in the total darkness that otherwise surrounded them.

                “It’s Pearl, isn’t it?” Namjoon pointed out, his breath fogging in front of him.

                “At least a part of her,” Yoongi nodded resolutely, carefully making his way in its direction.  He didn’t want to kick anyone but he wanted to get the hell out of here.  That sentiment only grew when they all heard something else swish through the water in the distance.

                Everyone stopped to listen better, holding their breath while water lapped against something.  “It knows we’re here,” Seokjin whispered with a tremor in his voice.

                “That thing?” one of the others answered, his voice hard to discern with the subdued sound.

                “Nephilira’s Curse,” he answered instead with a certainty that left none of them inclined to question.

                “Just keep moving,” Taehyung urged from the back where he was helping to make sure Seokjin was able to stay afloat, the edges of panic beginning to limn his voice.

                Yoongi held his tongue and simply concentrated on reaching land, wherever it was.  They’d heard it but none of them were a match for anything in the water.  Unless it was a goldfish or something.  But he highly doubted that…  He nearly cursed when his hand smacked into something hard unexpectedly.  Granted, he couldn’t stay mad when he realized it was land that was the same color of the water they were treading.  “Land!” he hissed back, kicking harshly to push himself onto the edge.  “Come on!” he gestured, seeing little more than shadows in the water as his friends drew near.

                “Coming!” Namjoon announced, planting his hand on the ground but staying in the water as he pushed Hoseok towards it first.  “Get up there!” he urged, smacking him on the to encourage him while Yoongi helped pull him out.

                “You too, Jimin,” the short man urged, taking the ice cold hand in his as he pulled, hauling the deceptively heavy form up with some effort.

                “I’ve got you, Kookie,” Hoseok waved while leaning over to help the youngest up as he came into view.

                “Namjoon, get up here!” Jimin urged as Yoongi rushed over to help Taehyung and Seokjin, noticing a strange swell in the distance.  It was noticeable only because of the way the light flickered on the moving surface.

                “Move it!” Yoongi shouted, waving his hands frantically as Seokjin reached out first, grabbing on with icy hands and clinging for dear life as he was yanked up, water sluicing off him in wavy rivulets.

                “Tae!” Jungkook screamed, diving for the edge to help Hoseok grab the other man who was still in the water.

                “Yah!” he cried out, fear in his eyes and his grip too tight as they held on.  “Something’s got my foot!” he shrieked, kicking back frantically as more people came to help.

                “No!” Yoongi yelled, hearing echoes around him as they jumped around Hoseok and Jungkook, grabbing to whatever they could to help.  “Get ready to pull!” he commanded, feeling them set their feet against the slippery surface.

                “Don’t let me go!” Taehyung begged, his voice unnaturally high and shrill.

                “Now!” Yoongi shouted, growling through his clenched teeth as he pulled with the rest of them.  Taehyung screamed in the middle, the rope in their tug of war contest, but neither Hoseok nor Jungkook let go, their grips nigh on unbreakable.  It was their footing that threatened to slip instead.

                “Guys!” Hoseok yelped, tension dropping when his foot caught a slick spot and he stumbled, nearly taking Seokjin and Jimin with him.

                “Hold on!” Jungkook growled, bracing himself as solidly as possible, legs shaking with Namjoon holding him around the waist and Yoongi pulling on his arms.

                “Jin, wait!” Hoseok and Jimin cried out, desperately trying to recover as Taehyung keened in pain.

                Yoongi wanted to look, to see what Seokjin was doing, but there was no time.  Jungkook was slipping and Taehyung looked about to be torn in half and there was nothing he could do!  “Let him go, dammit!” he snarled, feeling just as surprised as everyone else when light exploded in the area, swamping them with its warmth and casting the water into brilliant luminescence.  Sparkles jumped from the surface and whatever was hidden beneath bolted at the appearance of the light, letting Taehyung go so fast the group holding him fell back as one with him landing on top.

                “Yah!  Is it gone?  Is it gone?!” Taehyung scrambled to check for himself, breathless and frightened as he pulled his pant leg up.  The rest of the group crowded around him and they all winced when they saw a dark red welt around his ankle, almost as if a rope had been tied there.

                “What was that?” Hoseok gasped, chest rising and falling quickly.

                “I don’t know,” Yoongi murmured as he turned to look at Seokjin.  “But what did you do?” he asked, his dark eyes settling on the pearl-like gem in the taller man’s grasp, nestled daintily between his fingertips.

                “I just grabbed it,” he explained softly, his eyes not focusing on anything as he seemed lost in thought.  His left hand came up to gently touch the left side of his chest and he abruptly shook his head with a sharp inhalation.  “How’s Taehyung?”

                “He’s alright,” Namjoon called out, the first to get to his feet.  “Up you go guys,” he urged, giving a hand up here and there.  Taehyung was among the last to stand but none of them could fault him for it.  They were all shaky from that encounter and he was the only one that had been caught.

                “Here,” Seokjin urged, trying to hand the pearl to Yoongi.  “It’s from her.”

                “Eh?” the shorter man blinked as he brushed himself off nervously.  He was hesitant to take it, but Seokjin tended to know things, even when the rest of them didn’t.  And… it felt like her.  Even without touching it, he could sense Pearl in the mote.  As soon as he picked it up, he knew Seokjin was right and he closed his hand around it, banishing the light as he closed his eyes.

                A chorus of “Hey!” made him jump and he opened his hand reflexively.  “Sorry,” he apologized, lifting his hand to let the pearl float back above them.  “I think it’ll help us more here,” he nodded, feeling slightly different since the wave of warmth went over them.

                Jungkook shakily moved closer, his sights set on Seokjin instead of the pearl.  “You said Nephilira’s Curse knew we were here.  What does that mean?” he asked with confusion and worry writ on his face.

                Seokjin sighed and seemed to shrink in on himself when the others crowded close to hear his answer.  He glanced up at the pearl though, and took strength from its illumination.  “You know the place we are in now,” he began, his hand still resting on his chest.  Slow, uncertain nods around the circle answered him and he continued, “We are in the beginning and the end of all places.  Genesis and Oblivion.  It connects all realms and separates all realms at the same time,” he explained, brow furrowed as he searched for the words.

                “Neverealm?” Namjoon blinked in confusion, shaking his head.  “It’s a myth though.”

                “Not quite,” Yoongi shook his head with a gesture towards the realm in which they stood.

                “It’s generally thought to be impossible to find,” Seokjin amended with a significant look at the pearl above them.  “Unless you’ve got a way in.”

                “Pearl,” Jungkook whispered, one hand rising as if to touch the mote, but he stopped before he could, closing his hand loosely and holding it against his chest, his gaze thoughtful.

                “Yes,” Seokjin confirmed in a soft voice.

                “But why was she able to find it?” Jimin wondered aloud, leaning on Hoseok for support.

                “Because this is where Nephilira’s Curse was born,” he sighed with his lips pursed as if he’d tasted something foul.

                “It came home,” Taehyung grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

                “And it took her with it,” Hoseok added with his lip curled in irritation, scratching at damp, black hair quickly.

                “Not for long,” Yoongi promised as he waved at the pearl and turned to face the rest of the group, new determination set in his face.  “The Curse knows we’re here.  And as we’ve seen,” he gestured at Taehyung apologetically, “it will try to stop us.”

                “I’d like to see it try,” Namjoon snorted with his head up.  “Again,” he made a face as Taehyung glared at him but didn’t say anything.

                Yoongi smacked him in the shoulder anyway, earning a chagrined smirk in response.  “Alright Rift Boys.  We’ve been to every plane and encountered every foe imaginable, including angels, demons, and gods, but we’ve gotta be on our game here.  This is a whole new playing field,” he reminded them, sticking his hand out so they could join in.

                As one, they all reached in and piled their palms on top of his.  The silent count went through and they raised their arms up.  “For Pearl!”

                “Onward!” Yoongi pointed ahead, willing the pearl to lead the way.  To his surprise – and relief – it did.  With the remnants of moisture clinging to their clothes, the Rift Boys sprinted on, aware of nothing but darkness around them.  Not even shadows moved in the distance: the pearl seemed to keep them at bay if nothing else.

                They didn’t know how long they ran for.  It could have been seconds and it could have been days.  But eventually, the horizon changed.  They weren’t sure what was different about it until they got closer.  Only then did they see figures moving towards them.  Stranger still, they looked almost exactly like them.  No… they were them!  In baffled confusion, the seven boys approached the most massive mirror they’d ever seen, touching fingertips with their other selves as they did so.

                “What they hell is this?” Taehyung grumbled, beating on the pane with his fist to no effect.  It didn’t even make a sound much less crack the surface.

                “Namjoon.  Check the other side,” Yoongi ordered as he started moving along the right side, looking to see if they might be able to go around it.

                “On it!” he announced, jogging off and bypassing the others with energetic pats as he did so.  The others continued to inspect their selves, looking to see if they could find a way through or manage to break it somehow.  Jungkook kicked it but only hurt his foot instead, wincing as he hobbled away.

                To his frustration, the mirror surface merely extended past the edge of the land and continued going over the water they had reason to be wary of.  A sloshing sound nearby made him retreat immediately with a disgusted growl.  “No good!” he called, shaking his head as he jogged back.  “Joonie?” he called out, making a face when he saw a similar expression on the other man’s visage.

                “Freakin water again,” he scowled coming back to join the rest of them huddled close within the relative safety of the mote of light above.

                A small gasp made them all turn to see Hoseok staring into the mirror, one hand hovering partially closed in front of his mouth.  The white shirt he wore was nearly dry and it hung from him loosely in the reflection.  Everything was as before except this time, there was a raised pillar with a small box on top of it.

                “Hoseok?” Seokjin asked gently as he placed a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder.

                “I thought it was just a dream,” he whispered, staring at the box like it was some kind of ghost.

                Seokjin looked over his shoulder to catch the rest of the group in his gaze when he murmured, “In every dream there is a kernel of truth.”  His right hand moved to touch the left side of his chest again and his expression turned pensive.

                “That’s all great and everything but how do we get past this?” Jimin asked, lingering close to beat his fist against the surface.  He wasn’t trying to break it but he was frustrated.

                “I guess we’ll just have to break… it,” Yoongi trailed off as they all noticed Hoseok raising his hand in front of the mirror like he was opening a cabinet.  A pane of glass shimmered, the otherwise translucent surface swinging out like a door.  It looked as if it was going to bump into Hoseok but it kept going and the man disappeared instead.  They gasped in tandem and rushed forward to see Hoseok reappear on the other side of the mirror when the ‘door’ closed.  Now he was looking at them on the other side of the pillar.

                “Hoseok!” they shouted as one, beating on the glass frantically.

                “What are you doing?!  Get out of there!” Taehyung demanded fearfully, but Hoseok only shook his head and gave them a sad smile.  He took a small breath and reached out to open the box on the pillar.

                “No!” Jimin yelled, throwing himself harder at the mirror.  “Don’t do it!” he cried, sounding as if he knew what was going to happen.  The look Hoseok gave him, apologetic and sad, almost guaranteed it.  “No!” he frantically cried again as Hoseok picked up a pill from the container.  He closed his eyes and put it in his mouth, swallowing before he could change his mind.  “Hoseok!” Jimin howled, tears on his face as he leaned hard against the surface.

                “What…?” Yoongi murmured, watching in horrified fascination as his stomach dropped.  “No!” he joined in when Hoseok’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he simply fell to the ground, unmoving.  “Hoseok!  Goddammit, no!” he scowled, pounding on the mirror futilely.  It cracked when they all joined in and they stopped, fear warring with uncertainty.  But then, with an accompanying flash from the pearl, the mirror shattered into millions of tiny grains, raining to the ground like sand.

                Speechless, they could only stare in numb astonishment at the remains of the mirror.  The way before them was now clear, but not a one of them could move.  Only Jimin’s tears emerged from the silence, quiet and bitter.  With pain etched in every line of his face, Seokjin moved to squat beside the kneeling man.  “Tell us,” he urged, his lips quickly.

                Jimin sniffed and stared at his hands, pawing through the mirror dust.  He swallowed once and tried to speak with a voice that failed him at first.  “What the hell just happened, Jimin?!” Namjoon yelled, clearly freaked out by what they’d just seen.

                “I don’t know!” he choked back, balling his hands into fists without looking up.  “He said it was just a dream.”  The words were bitter and broken.  “It wasn’t supposed to be real,” he sobbed once, covering his face with his hands.  Wordlessly, Seokjin hugged him close and looked up at Yoongi.  The stricken look on his face, they both shared.  When they looked around at the others, several of the boys were similarly lost in thought.

                “We need to move,” Jungkook urged softly, looking around the darkness as if searching for something.  “If his dream came true, then we definitely need to move,” he swallowed, face pale in the dim light.

                “You’re right,” Yoongi agreed, quaking inside with what might come to pass.  “Come on, Jimin.  We can’t stay here,” he murmured, placing a hand lightly on his back as Seokjin looked away.

                “No.  You can’t,” he agreed with a slight nod, his voice still subdued but the timbre had changed.

                Yoongi didn’t miss the way he said it.  “Jimin,” he started to speak even as the younger man got to his feet.

                “Go!” Jimin snapped instead, pushing Yoongi and Seokjin forward so that they passed the threshold of the broken mirror.  Power thrummed for the briefest of moments and a subtle shift happened in the air.

                “What?” the others asked in worried confusion as they felt it too: an ominous foreboding pressing down on them.

                “I said go!” Jimin yelled at them over his shoulder before he turned his attention back to the rear.  A low roar echoed in the distance and all their eyes widened in horror as a wall of water rose up from the direction they’d come.

                “Oh, !” Yoongi gasped, backpedaling by reflex.  He wasn’t the only one either.  But he did stop and try to go back to get Jimin.  It was only because Seokjin caught his wrist and stopped him that he didn’t.  “Jin!” he snapped, looking at the taller man, ready to fight him, but the heated words died on his tongue when he saw the look in his eyes: resigned acceptance.

                “We all have a part to play,” he whispered in a voice only loud enough for Yoongi to hear him.

                For a long moment, filled with unsettled murmurs and the growing roar of the water, they stared at each other, but then Yoongi growled under his breath and decisively turned away from Jimin.  “Let’s go!” he snapped, feeling like he was betraying the younger man all the while.

                “But Jimin…” Jungkook trailed off, keeping pace all the same though he continued to look back.

                “He’s made his choice,” Yoongi stated flatly, cringing when the roar threatened to overpower them before he heard Jimin howl in defiance.  Unable to ignore that, they all stopped and looked back, staring in open mouthed awe as the wave stopped in front of the short man, his figure small in comparison to the looming wall before him.  Even from this distance, they could see him shaking from the effort needed to hold the force in check.

                “Jimin!” Taehyung yelled, taking a hesitant step towards him anyway.

                “Go!” Jimin cried tiredly, shoulders slumping under the pressure.  “Just get out of here!” he urged, his voice nearly fading in the oppressive threat of the power pressing down.

                The top of the wave began to fall in slow motion and though Jimin fought it, Yoongi knew it was a losing battle.  Without another word, he shoved Seokjin to get him moving, gave Namjoon another hard nudge, and then started sprinting as fast as he could.  With some hesitation, he felt the others fall into step and they raced to get as much distance between them and Jimin and the wave as they could.  None of them could ignore the flash from the pearl above or the sound of the rushing water as it came crashing down, tumbling over the surface they ran on like a stampede.

                “!” Taehyung shouted from the rear where he paced himself with Jungkook.  “We can’t outrun it!” he called harshly, slowing down with an uncertain look over his shoulder.

                “Tae!” Jungkook called out, pausing in the middle between him and the others.

                “What are you doing?!” Namjoon snapped, looking back with wide eyes and fear.

                “There’s no time!  Just trust me and get over here!” Taehyung growled, waving at the others to come back.

                “…” Yoongi cringed, exhaling loudly.  “You better be right,” he grumbled, drawing close as he took the hand Taehyung extended to him.  Jungkook grabbed the other free hand and then they added Seokjin and Namjoon to the circle, holding fast.

                “Just don’t let go,” Taehyung his lips nervously, his hands trembling.

                “Same to you,” Jungkook nodded, swallowing hard.

                They all saw the foaming wave careening towards them and the urge to flee was nearly overwhelming.  Before it could take hold, the water was upon them, crashing into their bodies with the force of a freight train.  Despite that, not one of them lost their footing as the wave tried its best to rip them apart with sheer, voluminous power.

                Yoongi would have screamed but he needed the air and he didn’t want to give the water a chance to get in.  Blinded by the tumultuous waters, he couldn’t see anything yet, but he could feel Taehyung holding tight on one side with Seokjin on the other.  He felt a shift in the power and the water around them.  Bright light flashed once and the liquid stilled, granting them a reprieve they hadn’t expected.  In the blink of an eye, the water parted, revealing a corridor for them to walk down in the direction they needed to go.

                As the water moved, they took in great breaths of air and looked around in uncertainty.  Taehyung let go of Yoongi’s hand and looked towards the wall of water surrounding them at the back.  “You should go,” he swallowed nervously, shaking his hands out as he chewed on his bottom lip.

                “Dammit!  Not again,” Namjoon scowled, looking to Yoongi to make sure they were really going to leave him behind.

                “You sure?” Yoongi asked as he glanced at Seokjin, already knowing what the other man was going to say.

                “Just move, dammit!” Taehyung snapped, flinching when a shadowy figure stepped out of the water wall.  “Now!” he roared, throwing himself at the vaguely humanoid thing.  Long, shadowy limbs similar to arms rose up to fight with Taehyung, leaving the pair dancing in awkward combat.

                Again, Yoongi bit his tongue on what he wanted to say and just set his gaze forward.  He felt Seokjin nearby and then Namjoon, but he only slowed when he didn’t really sense Jungkook nearby.  “Kookie?” he blinked, looking over his shoulder in confusion.  “Jungkook!” he yelled when he saw two more shadow creatures separating them with the young man regarding them nervously.

                “It’s okay, Yoongi.  I got this!” he promised, though his voice shook and his face clearly said otherwise.  Just as he finished speaking, they moved on him with one pinning the young man to the water wall with a hand on his throat.  At the back, nearly lost in shadows, Taehyung continued to fight with the other creature, though it was obvious he was tiring.

                With a determined cry, Jungkook ripped the hand away and threw himself at the one, driving it back and leaving him open to attack by the other one.  Yoongi bit his knuckle so hard he tasted blood.  Every urge in him demanded to go back and help but then they saw shadows flickering in the water.  Black limbs started to emerge and they knew they were outnumbered and out of time.  Jungkook still fought on, but he was losing badly.  It was only a matter of time.  And then the water wall closed on them, engulfing Taehyung and Jungkook in the liquid embrace.

                Yoongi gave a choked cry and turned to run, dragging Namjoon and Seokjin with him.  He could hear the latter crying softly while Namjoon muttered curses and kept a running monologue of words spilling from his mouth.  The pearl moved with them, granting a measure of protection in the light, but they could feel forces marshalling against them.  There was no escape and no other direction except forward through the water tunnel and Yoongi feared what would happen next.  In his dream, no one else was with him…

                He pulled up short when he heard Namjoon stop, dreading the words he was going to speak.  “Well.  I guess it’s my turn,” he sighed with a cocky smirk that didn’t match his tone.  He raised his hand up to the pearl and grasped it between his fingers.  “It attracts them, you know?” he laughed once, almost bitter in its sound.

                Yoongi and Seokjin both closed their eyes, wincing at the truth.  They’d suspected but both had hoped it wasn’t true.  “How long?” Seokjin asked first.

                “A couple minutes,” Namjoon shrugged, giving them a tremulous smile, his bravado fading quickly.

                “More than enough time,” the taller man promised, moving close to clasp hands.

                Yoongi took a short breath and stepped up, wanting to say everything but nothing came to his tongue.  “This isn’t goodbye,” he simply mumbled, meeting Namjoon’s brown eyes.

                “Course not,” the platinum haired man smiled, nose crinkling at the comment.  “But you gotta get moving.  They’ll be here soon.”  Mutely, Yoongi hugged the other man, holding tight and grateful when Namjoon embraced him back.  “Now finish this thing, wherever it leads,” he whispered before he pushed Yoongi away and turned around with the pearl held high.

                “Joonie…” Yoongi murmured, swallowing hard as Seokjin came up to retrieve him, pulling him along by the wrist.

                “Come and get me!” Namjoon shouted in challenge, the light moving with him as he walked back down the path.  “I’m right here!” he added, spinning around as shadows began to move, afraid of the light for the time being but gathering strength and courage.

                Screaming his frustration, Yoongi turned his back on Namjoon and took the lead.  Seokjin followed without a word, losing sight of the light at their backs, but Yoongi didn’t even question it when a new one replaced it.  Some sort of cocoon unfurled on Seokjin’s chest and it glowed enough to let them see where they were going.  Water blurred by in their haste and the ground remained unchanged.  Again, they didn’t know if they ran for seconds or days.  Yoongi only knew they had to keep going until Seokjin caught his wrist and pulled him to an abrupt stop.

                “Yah!” he gasped, surprised by the pause.  He didn’t need to ask Seokjin why they stopped since he noticed the way the ground simply disappeared before him.  “Holy ,” he blinked, feeling vertigo threaten at the mere thought of falling down that.  Seokjin’s hand trembled on his wrist and Yoongi smiled bitterly.  “This is it, isn’t it?”

                “Yeah,” the other man nodded quietly, shuffling close to stand beside Yoongi.  “It’s up to you after this,” he forced a smile, placing a comforting hand on the shorter man’s shoulder.

                “Why?” Yoongi croaked, frustrated that he was the only one left and burdened by the weight of those they’d lost.  What if he couldn’t do it?  What if he failed without them?

                “Because it’s Pearl,” Seokjin promised, squeezing hard.  “You’ll be fine,” he smiled once, the expression genuine.

                Yoongi gasped when he turned in place and simply fell back over the edge.  “Jin!” he cried out, looking down, but he had to look away just as fast when he was almost blinded by the light that streamed up.  When he could see again, Seokjin had transformed into a massive, ethereal butterfly.  It hovered in front of him with huge, faceted eyes and great fluttering wings, all of which glowed iridescent like the pearl from earlier.  “How appropriate,” Yoongi laugh-cried once as he wiped at his face, determined not to look back or down.

                Taking a leap of faith, he jumped out to the back of the butterfly and landed softly, cushioned by strange fur and a warm body.  He even smelled good.  But he didn’t have much time to marvel before they were flying up and away.  The water walls fell away and nothingness prevailed on all sides.  Darkness pressed in but the light from Seokjin kept it from being suffocating.  The very absence of everything was almost comforting in a way, pairing with the ache and uncertainty Yoongi carried with him as they moved to the unknown.

                He only had a glimmer of what was to come and he did not know that he’d be strong enough to face it.  Under his hands, Seokjin seemed to grow warmer as if to comfort him and Yoongi took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.  He closed his eyes for a moment and things changed.  Seokjin dropped from the air.  Yoongi held on tight and looked on again.  A platform appeared beneath them, coming up too fast.  Seokjin flapped his wings hard, jarring Yoongi in the air as he screamed.  Just as their momentum stopped, the butterfly disintegrated under him and he fell to the ground.

                Landing hurt, but it was nothing compared to watching tiny motes of light fade into the air, leaving him completely alone once more.  Only… he wasn’t.  Taking a trembling breath, he pushed himself into a kneeling position and looked over to the raised platform several yards away.  Even without seeing the black hair that transitioned to white, he knew it was Pearl.  She was still wearing the black leggings under jean shorts with a snug white tank top under the dark blue crop top.  Such mundane clothes for such a special being.

                “Alright, Pearl.  We followed your dreams,” he whispered, getting hesitantly to his feet, knowing his was yet to come.  She was the only one who could have given them the clues they’d need to get to her once they’d gotten this far: a nemon.  At least that was what she and all her kind called themselves.  Descendants of the union of a Nephilim and a demon.  It was her that gave them purpose as rift runners.  Her that granted them powers enough to keep the balance between realms.  Without her, they were little more than boys playing hero in their backyard.

                And she’d left them to figure this out without the strength she could grant them.  Which meant Yoongi was practically powerless here.  “Where are you?” he whispered, steeling himself for the next part.  It was unknown to him but as long as he played his role, he should be alright.  He hoped…

                With a terrible, screeching cry, a force of fury and hatred emerged from the other side of Pearl.  It rose out of the shadows and flared uneven wings as it howled: a demon and angel wing balanced the dark form.  Nephilira’s Curse: the embodiment of the enmity traditionally seen between the two races.  And it was finally free.

                Yoongi screamed back at it, his voice pale and shaky in comparison, and he felt his resolve weaken.  How was he supposed to handle this thing?

                Calmly, it regarded him with one red eye and one blue eye, denoting angels and demons respectively.  The same eyes that Pearl had.  With a toothy maw more akin to a demon, it howled again and raised angel-like hands.  Following the gesture, a great wall of flames erupted around Pearl and the creature, blocking Yoongi from them and hitting him with a wave of heat.

                Surprised, he stumbled back closer to the edge and stopped when he felt his footing turn treacherous.  “…” he swallowed, moving away as quickly as he could while trying to find some sort of cover.  Other than the ring of flame, there wasn’t much of anything.  While still trying to think of something, Nephilira’s Curse streaked through the flames and took a swipe at him as it passed.  He threw himself to the side, feeling sharp nails drag across his shoulders.  His landing took him near the flames and he flinched away from the heat that burned too hot.

                “I can’t get through that,” he fretted, chewing his bottom lip.  Another screech warned him the creature was coming back and he scrambled to his feet, searching for it.  At least the flames made it easy to see.  Nephilira’s Curse swooped down and Yoongi gathered his courage.  He waited for the perfect moment, tension in every part of his body, before he jumped up and kicked it in the face.

                It wasn’t a good hit and the forward momentum from the creature sent him tumbling backwards anyway.  But while he hadn’t actually expected it to work, it was very clear that Nephilira’s Curse hadn’t expected it at all.  The creature careened awkwardly into the ground after flapping twice, confused and disoriented.  Yoongi was just as surprised, if for entirely different reasons.  Maybe it was still gaining power…?  He didn’t have time for thinking when it started to get to its feet and snarled at him.

                “Uh oh,” Yoongi froze, still on the ground.  He saw death in the creature’s eyes and shrank away to no effect.  “Get up, Yoongi,” he told himself without blinking.  “Get up,” he hissed again when his body didn’t respond at first.  Then Nephilira’s Curse dropped to all fours and started prowling after him like a predator on the hunt.  Every fight or flight response kicked in at that instant and he was on his feet, ready to run.  But running wouldn’t get him anywhere.  They were on a pillar in the middle of Neverealm.  There was nowhere to go.  Which left all of one option.

                “Dammit Pearl,” he trembled, blinking at the creature that prowled inexorably forward.  “Why me?” he exhaled, eyeing the flames with a preemptive wince.  In his periphery, he saw the creature getting ready to jump.  Adrenaline spiked and Yoongi’s muscles bunched, ready to react.  Nephilira’s Curse pounced.  Yoongi jumped away with a taunting cry, “ you!” as he put all his faith in Pearl.

                The defiant shout turned into a shriek as he jumped into the fire.  Burning tongues of flame at him from all sides, swiping at his face hidden behind his arms.  Scorching heat threatened to ruin his throat when he tried to breathe and he coughed instead, running out of air but saving himself the pain.  It was over almost as fast as it began, with tiny flames burning in his clothes and the smell of burnt hair – his singed, green strands continued to smoke – swirled around him.  It would have been nauseating if he hadn’t been so relieved at still being alive and mostly unharmed.

                “Pearl!” he gasped, swallowing hard as he lurched towards her body.  Focused on her, he wasn’t ready for the surprise attack that came through the fire.  Nephilira’s Curse jumped through the living wall, all fangs and angry nails.  Wings opened once it was through, granting control, and it flapped in Yoongi’s direction.  “No!” Yoongi choked, contorting his body to try and escape.

                Nails ripped into his back, scoring flesh through his clothes as he felt a tug on his person.  Fabric ripped when he was pulled away, a scream coming unbidden from his mouth.  The back of Yoongi’s jacket and shirt came free in bloody shreds, letting him fall to the ground when the monster passed.

                “,” he coughed when the ground dug into torn flesh.  “Move, move, move!” he winced, rolling onto his stomach to push up, stumbling back towards Pearl again.  He had to reach her.  She hadn’t led them astray yet.  All he had to do was get to her and everything would be alright.  After everything they’d been through together, he wouldn’t doubt her now.

                Another flying pass and awkward contortion made him lose the rest of his shirt and jacket and more strips of flesh.  “Goddammit!” he cursed under his breath, crawling towards her now.  With a pained lurch, he touched her arm, feeling his skin crawl when Nephilira’s Curse howled in victory.  In the same instant, Yoongi stood up enough to grab one of Pearl’s hands, gripping tight as he turned to face his death.

                He gasped, unable to breathe when a hand impaled his chest, driving him back and over Pearl’s body.  Teeth bit into his shoulder and neck, like a set of tiny daggers grating against bone, and Yoongi howled.  He wanted to push it away; he wished he was dead already; he tried to pull his hand back but it was held fast, the grip around it unyielding and yet familiar.  “Pearl…” he rasped, eyelashes blinking rapidly and his body twitching from the creature savaging him.

                “Nephilira’s Curse!” Pearl challenged, her voice rife with power as she sat up.  One blue eye and one red eye met the creature’s gaze and everything froze.

                Yoongi’s pain became bearable, the excruciating feeling distanced from him in that moment in time.  The flames around them floated, suspended in air, and stillness descended except for Pearl and her nemesis.  Before the creature could flee, she slipped around behind it, still holding onto Yoongi’s wrist so that she pulled him up in the process, his body revolting against the movement. 

                “Take my hand!” she pleaded, reaching around the creature, seeking his assistance.  Nephilira’s Curse tried to lurch away, letting go of Yoongi with its teeth as it slammed into Pearl.  Its arm was still stuck in Yoongi though, and couldn’t get away.  “Yoongi!” Pearl cried out and his heart fell that he couldn’t get his body to respond.  He was failing too quickly.  But then the creature tried to jerk its arm free, sending Yoongi after it with an agonized cry.  His free arm swung around limply without his control and Pearl grabbed it, completing the circle.

                Power solidified between them and Nephilira’s Curse howled.  A pillar of light rose up between Pearl and Yoongi, engulfing the creature, while a seal unfolded beneath it, spreading out with intricate lines below.

                Yoongi felt Pearl pull him towards her, into the pillar of light.  They met in the middle and she hugged him close, whispering in his ear, “I’ve got you.”

                All he could wonder was why he wasn’t dead yet and where the hell the creature had gone.  But then his punctured chest was itching and then it burned.  He couldn’t check but it felt like he was being branded, though he was too tired to worry about it.  After being bitten and impaled, branding was a pale pain in comparison.

                But Pearl just held onto him, keeping them pressed together as she raised a hand over her head.  The pillar around them pulsed once, twice, and four more times before it was quiet.  It burned brightly with power humming all around but no more energy rocked the air.  He thought that was the end of it until he blinked and saw the fires die down, revealing something else.

                “Jin?” he whispered in disbelief.  Trembling hands rose to hug Pearl as he finally smiled, seeing the same expression on Seokjin’s face.

                Pearl laughed softly in the back of and pulled away to look Yoongi in the face.  The inherent power in her gaze was often unnerving but this time, there was nothing but gratitude and love.  “You did it,” she whispered, white teeth peeking through her smiling lips.

                “We did it,” he responded, the expression turning into a cocky smirk that didn’t quite last; he was too glad for him and everyone else to be alive to hold that mask for long.

                The pillar of light finally fell from around them, leaving them alone in the center of the platform.  But it invited the others to come close, and they rushed the pair as soon as they were in the clear with Jungkook’s voice rising over the fray excitedly.  “I don’t know what happened or why I’m here but you did it, Yoongi!  And Pearl’s back!”

                Warm bodies swamped them on all sides as six other men circled close to hug them tight.  Too many voices tried to speak at once, asking question after question or just repeating how impossible this all was but being too happy to care.  At last, the rest of the group eased back enough to let Yoongi and Pearl breathe again and she smiled at him apologetically.

                “Sorry about this,” she murmured, tracing her fingers over the bite mark scars before trailing down to his chest where he’d been impaled.  A seal-like tattoo was all that remained.

                “What happened?” Yoongi asked, grabbing her hand in his as he held it against his bare chest.

                She knew he wasn’t just asking about today either.  With a glance that encompassed the rest of the group, Pearl explained, “With every balance we restore, the imbalance has to go somewhere.”  She pointed at herself.  “Usually it goes to the nemon in the area since we are creatures of balance ourselves,” she smiled, shrugging.

                “Yes, but why did you leave us?” Jungkook asked, leaning on Namjoon as they listened attentively.

                “Because you are all very good at what you do and I was not strong enough to neutralize the imbalance alone,” she sighed, bowing her head in shame.  “The negative energies began to grow too great within me, giving Nephilira’s Curse a chance to take root.  After that…” she trailed off with a wince, obviously embarrassed.  “It was just a matter of time.  Unfortunately, the only place to rebind Nephilira’s Curse is Neverealm, the place where it was birthed and bound the first time.”

                “So you tried to drive Yoongi and us away so that we’d follow you to help you bind it again?” Seokjin offered curiously, a gentle smile on his lips.

                “More or less,” she nodded with a chagrined expression.  “Now, we’re both seals,” she explained to Yoongi, tapping on his chest with one finger.  He chuckled once, not entirely sure how he felt about that development.

                “Did you know that we were all going to die?” Hoseok asked, standing shoulder to shoulder with Jimin now that they were restored.

                “Not for good!” she pointed out immediately.  “That’s why I sent a part of me to make sure I could catch you before your soul was gone.  So long as everything went like I warned you in the dreams,” several faces frowned thoughtfully, “everything would work out.”

                “And if it hadn’t?” Taehyung asked with one raised brow.

                “Hey, hey, hey!” Namjoon interrupted with a flutter of his hands.  “Isn’t it enough that we’re all alive and the balance has been restored again?  You gotta be glad for the little things,” he reminded the other man, slinging an arm around his shoulders and hugging him close with a smarmy grin.

                Yoongi smirked at the pair and then looked back at Pearl with a knowing expression.  “You’re lucky we believe in you, woman,” he teased, pressing his forehead to hers.

                “No less than I believed in you,” she promised, meeting his gaze evenly with their noses nearly touching.

                 “Oh just kiss already!” Jimin urged impishly, obviously debating if he should push them together or leave them alone.

                So Yoongi did, catching her lips sweetly while Namjoon mock-screamed and flailed like an enthusiastic, teenaged girl.  Hoseok and Jimin shook each other excitedly while Taehyung made puking faces and Jungkook grinned and bounced in place, sharing the more subdued energy with Seokjin who just seemed content.  “You boys are a mess,” Pearl giggled when she and Yoongi stepped apart, still holding hands.

                “But they’re a good mess,” Yoongi laughed, turning to raise his fist in the air.  “Rift Boys!  Time to get back to work!” he cheered, grinning harder when a chorus of agreeing cries answered him.

                “Let’s get out of here!” Pearl beamed, pointing ahead as she started to run, pulling Yoongi along with her.

                “Yeah!” the others cheered, running right on her heels.  And when she jumped off the edge, neither her nor Yoongi fell: they flew without wings.  One by one, the rest of the Rift Boys took to the sky too.  Once they were all airborne, Pearl opened a rift for them to fly through, drawing her nail through the fabric of the realm to create a portal, and the boys followed her without question.

                After everything they’d already been through, she wouldn’t lead them astray after all.