It happens like clockwork.

One minute I stood still, my eyes burning and temple throbbing from the hard blow against the back of my head. Taehyung's hard grip around my forearm was destined to leave bruises, his fingertips digging so deep I couldn't help but wince. Staring out into the room I let my eyes graze familiar faces; Jungeun's vicious snarl, Chanyeol's dazed expression in his unconscious state, and finally Yves' frown. The way her eyebrows furrowed with worry, the way her chocolate browns stared back at mine in mute shock. Then I felt like I was falling.

I knew this feeling all too well. Like the previous times Yves and I used the mirrored portal, the world around me ripples like a penny drop in water forming mosaic crystals. For the briefest of moments my body feels weightless, my feet no longer touching ground. And then, in a matter of seconds, the sound of a faint whoosh accompanying my heavy fall to the floor has yet another wince tearing from my mouth. Some part of me wanted to just stay there. To lie on the floor and cradle my aching bones, my brain too slow to recognise what had just happened. It was like the world was running at a hundred miles per second but my mind only at two. The moment my eyes tear open and I realise I'm no longer looking out into the portal room, but rather up at a familiar tents patchy fabric, I snap out of it.

The sound of Yves calling out my name, the last words that left Taehyung's lips before he pushed me through the portal.

No... no no no!

Forcing myself onto my feet (with struggle, might I add. My back felt worse than it did during my sparring session with Jungeun) I scan my surroundings. The tent looked exactly as I remembered it. Soft streams of light filtering inside through the tattered roof, dark oak tables lined in silver, the maroon carpet rolled out beneath my feet. But unlike the last time, there was no mistaking the obvious change in ambiance. No mistaking the sounds of war waging outside, the neighing of horses and shouting of men. And of course, no mistaking the bodies at my feet.

I wasn't sure how I didn't notice it before. How I didn't notice the bodies of Taehyung's men sprawled sporadically across the floor, dead. I felt sick to my stomach, my body physically revolted.

Before I can even so much as breath, however, I'm stopped.

"Did you hear that?"

"Who goes there?!"

 

The sound of the tents flap snapping open has me spinning on the spot, my hands instinctively raising to the air and my eyes blowing wide with alert. Three men quickly scurry inside with their swords raised towards me, their armour clad bodies huge in comparison to my frame. It took everything within me to ignore the splotches of red that tinted them, to ignore the grime on their faces and the mud fresh against their boots. They must have heard my graceful entrance. The man in the middle steps forward and snarls. I cry out almost immediately.

"No no no, wait wait!" My words fall on deaf ears. With a raise of his sword he presses its edge against my neck, so close I could practically feel it when I swallowed. It shuts me up instantly. All I can do is stare back into his eyes, half hidden by the helmet that shielded his face.

"Identify ye'self!"

I perk up. I recognised that voice.

His voice was firm. Some part of me was surprised I could hear him over the loud commotion, but I knew better than to question it. The guards behind him scan the room over before returning to their posts, distrust clear in their eyes. I stammer.

"I-I-"

A particularly loud 'BANG!' not too far away from the tent has me flinching back, my gut twisting. The sound of the tent flap opening once more has us both looking away from each other. A young man pokes his head inside, his helmet crooked and his face washed pale.

"Captain, another wave is breaking through the defences! We can not hold them back much longer!"

The man-- the captain snarls a second time. Even with his back me he holds his stance, his sword not once dropping from my neck. Even if I wanted to take advantage of the distraction and make a move, something kept me rooted in place. I could only picture the look he shoots the young mans way, face twisted and all. "Den find a way!"

"Aye, sir!" In an instant the young man leaves, tent flap closing swiftly behind him. Not even a second later the captain turns back to face me. His eyes harden impossibly further as he speaks, this time his voice dropping an octave in warning.

"I 'ill give ye one more chance, girl. Ye wear the shade of royalty but it is clear ye are not. Who are yeh!"

This time I don't hesitate.

"Y-Y/N!"

He freezes.

Darting my eyes back and forth between his I try desperately to place his voice to his face. And then he moves. Pulling away with a grunt he heaves his heavy sword back into its place on his hip. His guards are quick to follow, shielding him from a safe distance. All I can do is watch mutely as he lifts his helmet from his head, and it's then recognition pangs through me.

"Yer a long way from the castle, chosen one. Why are ye here?"

There was no mistaking him now.

 

"You think that waiting for them to attack is the best option? I think it is foolish!" I vividly remembered the way Jungkook leaned over the war-room table, his face twisted over in aggravation. A few seats away was a tall, large man whose beard grazed the table-top as he hissed back with equal venom. "Well good thin' nobodeh ask fer yer opinion den!"

 

The mans hair was just as unkempt as the last time I saw him. Before I can dwell on it, however, I'm drawn from my thoughts when his words finally register. Shaking my head I release the breath of air I didn't realise I'd been holding.

"Taehyung-- him and his army got inside! He pushed me through!" My boot nudges against something on the floor and it's then I remember the bodies. Choking back a gag I look up at the man with wide eyes. "I need to get back. Please, open the gate!"

He shakes his head, an almost sympathetic grimace crossing his lips.

"Aye I am sorry, girl, but issa one way path. Connected bot restricted. It is against teh laws set forth by teh gods to open it without its key..." And then he trails off. As if realising his mistake he starts over. There's no mistaking the growl that tints his voice, making his accent all that much harder to understand. Nonetheless, I listen. "Fer'giv me fer askin', but how is it lookin' in there? Teh North has committed great crimes this day, however invertin' teh gate is most perplexin'. I am not sure how they did it. By teh time we realised wha had happened it was too late. Aye, we did all we could." And then he shakes his head. He bows his head the slightest of degrees, apologetic. "My failure to prevent this is my fault alone."

I wasn't sure when I started my pacing, when I lifted a hand to run through my hair, the other scratching at my hip like a nervous tick I tried so desperately to get rid of when I was fourteen. It was all planned. The ambush on the camp, Jimin sabotaging the sphere. It was all making sense.

I shake my head. I didn't know how to respond. What was I suppose to say? What was I suppose to do? Do I tell him about the sphere? What if it caused them to panic? Surely you're not supposed to get soldiers hopes up in the middle of battle. I mean it plays some type of psychological effect or something, right? Then again god knows what was happening on the other side of this portal right now. What happened to Chanyeol? Is Jungeun okay?

Is Yves safe?

The very thought of the short haired girl had my nerves increasing tenfold, my heart clenching painfully in my chest. I can't stop the memories of my nightmare from barraging through my mind, the image of her body falling limp against the floor of the throne room, of her warm eyes growing dark. All those days ago I promised her mom I would protect her, and yet.. I failed. I was hopeless. Useless. Taehyung was right. I was no protector.

But I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I didn't try.

With a newfound sense of confidence I meet the captains eyes, pleading.

"It's not your fault. But if we want to make this right I need your help. How do I get back?"

If he noticed I avoided his question he doesn't say anything. Maybe it was just my imagination but I could've sworn a look of recognition crossed his eyes. It was almost like he knew the answer without me needing to say anything. Pursing his lips he puts his helmet back on, firmly patting it down. The sounds outside seemed to be growing impossibly closer. If what the young man said was true, we could be attacked any minute now. The first wave of northern soldiers were either killed in this very tent or now stalking the halls of the castle in their menacing, maniacal glory. I didn't want to be here when the next wave raced in. I was running on wasted time.

The large man hums. "Aye, unless ye know how teh North did it I am afraid der is no otter way. Ye must wait for teh gate to be opened on teh other side but if teh situation is as dire as I suspect it be, that plan may need to wait."

I could tell he was growing impatient. By now the noise outside had turned suffocating, no longer able to ignore. All I could hear was a cacophony of swords unsheathing, metal clinging against metal, something akin to battle cries. The captains guards instantly move towards the flap, standing on either side with their shield drawn up tight against their bodies. We were running out of time and I could feel it. I could feel the tension in the room, so thick it could be cut with a knife. I could hear not only my own heartbeat racing rapidly in my chest, but also theirs. We all knew. They were coming.

Then, just like that, the captain shifts. "Unless..."

His voice cuts me from my thoughts and I'm zeroing in on him immediately. Tilting my head I gesture for him to continue. "Unless?"

Maybe I should've thought of it sooner. Hell, maybe it should have been my first thought. He speaks with conviction and doesn't waste a single breath.

"Teh ol' man. Teh overseer."

Of course... how could I forget? The captain continues after a beat. "Teh man is holed up in his temple but it is too dangerous to go alone. I must protect teh camp."

I shake my head. "Well I can't just stay here, I need to at least try!"

He levels me with an almost sympathetic look, his lips pulling into a grim line. "Ye-" But before he can finish his sentence he's cut off.

The sound of yet another loud 'BANG!' pierces through the air accompanied with a shrill hissing, a type of sound that had us rushing to clasp our hands over our ears. We were out of time. From over the captains shoulder I watch as a figure clad in familiar Northern tunic storms his way inside the tent, just barely stopped by the captain's guards and their shields. I don't miss the way the captain hesitates, the way he darts his eyes back and forth between me and the tent opening-- and then he caves.

"Ye must go quick. Now! Follow teh path and be careful, yer grace. We will hold 'em off!"

He didn't need to tell me twice. It was all the confirmation I needed.

I moved almost instinctively. Like Yves, Jungeun, Olivia and I had done all those days ago when we snuck out to the overseers temple, my feet carry me towards the far corner of the tent. The last thing I see before I squeeze myself through a familiar rip in the green fabric is the captains blade swinging through the air. And then I was gone.

I knew I was headed but I didn't know how to get there. One thing was for sure, though.

I hoped the overseer wasn't expecting any visitors.

 

I suppose I never fully understood the analogy of walking on eggshells until now. Sneaking around the tent unseen had my heart racing rapidly in my chest, my palms clammy, my senses tuning to the world around me. It was almost like I could hear everything: blades hitting blades, sparks flying sporadically like fried circuits. It felt like I was the fight and flight in the fight, flight, freeze response. Every nerve in my body was trying desperately to keep me safe, whatever primitive bone I have in my body keeping me alive like a prey fleeing from its predator. I supposed I'd learnt my lesson when Jungeun tried protecting me in the dungeons. My clumsiness was my downfall. I knew what would happen if I made a mistake, I knew that the punishments I faced before would be nothing compared to the inevitable now-- death. The second I squeezed out the ripped cloth my feet carried me towards the familiar path Yves lead us down; a trail of pebbles and dirt hidden behind tree and shrubbery. When I created enough distance from the camp I knew that the hard part was done.

But there was no telling what laid ahead of me.

Maybe that's why I felt so stressed when I finally reached the bottom of those seemingly endless stairs. Maybe I should have hesitated before taking the first step. From the outside the temple looked untouched, not a single soul in sight. But I knew that looks could be deceptive. Nonetheless, despite my brain urging for me to reconsider, I pushed it to the back of my mind. Step after step I could practically feel the adrenaline coursing throughout me. In any other situation I would have struggled my way up these stairs, given up halfway into a fit of coughs and asthmatic-like-huffing. Now... now it was almost as if an invisible force was guiding me. Until I'm stopped just before I reach the door.

Cold. A type of uninviting frost that had my teeth clanging together, my whole body freezing like a deer in headlights.

"Y/N.."

That voice. That same, gut wrenching, paranoia inducing voice. The voice I heard the night of the car crash, the voice that lead me straight to Jennie, the voice in my dreams and my worst nightmares. A voice I hadn't heard in a while but I just somehow knew was looming, waiting for its next move. I just hated to admit that I'd hoped it wouldn't be now. As much as I wanted to play dumb, I knew what it meant.

That same, gut wrenching, paranoia inducing voice that only presented itself in times of danger. It was warning me.

So maybe I should've stopped myself. Maybe I should've snapped out of it, forced myself to turn around and run away back where I came from. But instead I follow it. Much slower this time I quietly slip past the temple doors, unable to stop the way my eyes dart erratically around the room, paranoid. The further I inched inside the room the stronger the feeling of frost became across my skin. Sticking to the shadows I glided along the pillars that kept the roof standing, my baby hairs standing up on the back of my neck when the feeling of dread became increasingly more suffocating. I knew I was being risky, but I was here for a reason. I had to see the overseer, I had to get back to the castle. Just as I take a hesitant step forward I'm retracting it almost immediately when the sound of faint chattering breaks through the air. My curiosity got the better of me.

Moving from pillar to pillar until the voices sounded a mere earshot away, I feel the way my ears perk up when a familiar voice reverberates through the air.

"I knew you were coming."

There's no mistaking it.

The overseer.

For a moment I thought he was talking to me. I almost jumped in surprise and outed myself until he moved before I could say anything. He stands from his throne in the rooms centre and looks down at a figure I couldn't quite see from where I stood. His footsteps feel slow as he leans his staff against his throne with a tiny 'cling!', its blue-ish light no longer casting a glow over his shadowed body. I wasn't sure when I held my breath, when I started tugging at the fabric of Yves' old shirt with fidgeting hands. By the pace he was moving I almost snapped and yelled-- because why is he wasting time? How can I just sit and wait for him when I knew what was happening outside those doors? But, before I can say anything, I'm instantly silenced. It almost felt like my tongue was scathed, my words out of me like a punch to the gut. When he takes a step into the light and I'm able to fully see his face-- whatever rationality I felt seconds ago is stripped from my system completely.

Somehow he looked even worse than the last time I saw him.

When I first met him my expectations were torn. He was younger than I expected him to be, tidy and handsome. But now... His former stubble was shaped into a greyed, small beard. His cheeks were sunken, his eyes a little duller. I couldn't tell if he looked older or if he looked starved. It was almost hard to believe it had only been a matter of days. He seemed to have aged a lifetime.

"Although I admit I did not expect you so soon."

Who is he talking to?