Chapter Text
"Jungkook, are you sure we're going the right way?" Jimin grumbled, wiping the sweat accumulating on his brow.
Jungkook shook his head, trying to concentrate on finding the correct path to follow. They'd been wandering around the Tramdine Fens nearly aimlessly for a few hours now. Everyone was tired, sweaty, and scared of the possibility of monsters ambushing them in the middle of the dense bog.
The Tramdine Fens is one of the dark and damp regions on the continent of Ordalia. Most of the area was a swampland, and few dared to go near it due to pervasive gloom that was said to fall on those who enter. Aside from monsters, locals have reported missing persons, as well as sightings of the undead.
One would think that hearing those things would raise alarm, but that didn't stop the group from trying to traverse it. Luckily they only needed to travel through one of the brighter parts of the region. The only problem was that the summer sun was beating down on them.
"Truth be told, I have no idea where we're going. I'm just following The Mist," Jungkook admitted. He pushed away a few branches blocking their path. One branch covered in a thin film of moss promptly retaliates and jabs him in the shoulder. He winces and tries to rub off some of the moss that stuck to him.
Moments later, the nearby bushes begin to rustle. The sound is accompanied by shrill hissing. It seemed like the noises were getting louder as well, inching closer and closer as the seconds ticked by. Jungkook isn't one to get scared easily, but this was definitely unnerving.
“Guys, stay sharp. I hear something.” Jungkook unsheathes his rapier and stays wary of his surroundings. His ears twitch as he listens closely for the slightest of sounds.
“It’s a little far right now, but it’s moving closer,” Seokjin adds.
Seokjin is the only other person in the group that could hear at the same range he could. The pair were Viera, a race with features similar to those of a rabbit. Their senses are keener than Humes’ and they were using that to their advantage.
At Jungkook’s warning, each of them readies their respective weapons. Monster encounters have been happening more often than they would like to be comfortable with. Maybe it was just this region, or maybe they just had terrible luck. Either way, Jungkook was really starting to get tired of this place.
The source of the rustling were several angry lamias. They’d come out from behind the bushes, hissing at them with murderous glint in their eyes. They charge at the group with their claws, but one of them had snuck up behind Jimin and tried to swipe at him.
Jimin reacts fast enough to dodge the attack and counters it with one of his own. He drives his polearm into its side, sending it crashing into a tree. This disorients the lamia. Some of the other lamias are in a similar state but they continue to weakly growl and attack them.
Yoongi takes the opportunity to deal the final blow. He holds out his rod and shouts “Prominence!”. The lamias are engulfed in a large blast of fire. Flares and sparks pummel them with accuracy, leaving them unable to fight back. After the flames die down the lamias are no longer there, instead they leave behind simple bags made of leather.
Jimin walks over to one of the bags to inspect its contents. The bag is filled with lamia scales. The other bags have different loot like animal hides or magickal stones inside of them.
He fiddles with one of the magickal stones. It’s spherical and glows a dim green light. He squints when he sees something within it. In the center of the stone lies a hazy depiction of their world as mist swirls around it. Jimin recognizes the stone as Mind Ceffyl, a crystal infused with raw knowledge. For a moment, he is awestruck by its sheer beauty.
Hoseok glances at the mind ceffyl and lets out a low whistle. “They left behind some decent loot,” he comments. Jimin nods absent-mindedly and pockets the stone to give to Yoongi later. The seer had been looking for it for quite some time now, so he was hoping that Yoongi would appreciate this.
The rest of the bags’ contents are transferred into a larger bag that they brought with them. The large bag was meant to carry the loot they would find during the trip. When they get back to the airship, all the loot would be put in storage.
To Jimin’s right, Hoseok throws the bag over his shoulder and grunts. The bag of loot has certainly gotten much heavier since they first arrived in the fens.
The sky pirates huff, already exasperated. “I hope going through all this trouble to find the Witch of the Fens will be worth it.”
Even after time had passed they could still hear the rustling following them around. All of them were on edge since the lamias attacked them earlier. There had only been a few of them last time they were attacked, but it might have been a problem if there were more. Unfortunately, there was also a chance that they could be attacked by other monsters, like the undead they heard from the rumors.
The realization made Namjoon's skill crawl and the atmosphere of the fens definitely wasn't helping, so he spoke up in the hopes that a conversation would ease his anxiety.
"Isn't this place known to be haunted? Zombies have been spotted in this area before. We’ve been hearing the groaning for a while now too." Namjoon quickly realized that this may not have been the best topic to lighten the mood.
Hoseok's face fell immediately. The usual smile on his face had been replaced with an expression of fear. Meanwhile, Jimin jogged up to them from his place in the back of the group after hearing the rustling get even closer. He’s a little shaken up, but he responds anyway. "Yeah, remember that before we came here we heard rumors about the undead?"
"B-but those are just rumors. Nothing's been confirmed yet, right?" Hoseok stuttered. The sky pirate may have been on adventures to many places, but he'd never been very comfortable with the idea of reanimated corpses or spooky specters. He'd actually avoided the Tramdine Fens as much as possible. Nothing good ever came up about the place, and while he was up for new experiences, he most certainly did not want to have new ones with ghosts.
Especially Zombies. Zombies be damned. Or should they be blessed?
It didn't matter. The bottom line is that he didn’t want to deal with them at all .
“Nothing’s been confirmed yet, and I definitely don’t want those rumors to be confirmed either,” Seokjin replied.
Hoseok glanced behind him and saw that Seokjin was tightly gripping his bow, turning his knuckles white. He guessed that Seokjin didn't like the undead much either.
“They don’t stay dead and that’s terrifying.” Seokjin shuddered violently. “After you kill them they just disappear into the ground and resurface after a while. You can only get rid of them through an exorcism.”
Yoongi shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the topic. “All you have to do is use a phoenix down when they turn back into a tombstone. They’ll stay dead after that.” He seemed sure of himself, even when he’d never tried either method before.
Hoseok shrieked. “They turn back into tombstones?! People really are desecrating the dead for some sick twisted shit.”
“They used to be people too. At least, before whoever did that used such foul magicks on their corpses.” Seokjin’s expression darkened at the thought. It was truly cruel in his eyes.
“Yeah, the fact that people are messing with the dead through magick doesn't sit right with me. We should properly exorcise them if we ever do come across one,” Yoongi agreed. His lips are pulled into a thin line. There's a dark look on his face now too.
Jin and Hoseok nod grimly. It would probably be best to drop the discussion now, before it gets any heavier. Namjoon regrets bringing up the topic at all. This is the opposite of what he wanted. He actually felt worse than before he decided to bring it up.
The situation became much lighter when Jungkook, who is leading the group, suddenly crashed into what looks like absolutely nothing. He fell on his back upon impact.
“Ow! What the fuck?” Jungkook rubbed his forehead that collided with what he assumes is a barrier, because it can't be nothing .
“Green magick barrier,” Yoongi stated plainly.
The seer walked closer to the barrier and inspected it. He poked at it and ran his hands around the surface, trying to get a feel for how powerful it is.
“It’s a pretty big barrier, but it’s only standard in strength. It’ll take a minute to dispel.” He knocked on the barrier a few times to make sure. The barrier reacted to his knocking by pulsing with green magick upon contact with his hand.
Yoongi’s clicked his tongue in annoyance. “No, wait, I'm wrong. It only looks standard, but this barrier was specifically made to keep out the undead and intruders. I’m gonna need a little help.”
Everyone gulped audibly, except for Jungkook who is still on the ground, rubbing at his forehead. They're going to be breaking down a barrier meant to keep the undead out. Maybe they shouldn't mess with it.
Yoongi is unfazed by their concern and mutters a cure spell for Jungkook. The bump that was forming on the viera’s head lessened significantly as a result. He gently kicked Jungkook’s leg to get his attention. “Kook, help me out with this.”
Jungkook frowned. “Gee, thanks for the concern.”
“You’ll be fine,” He replied flatly. He immediately felt guilty about his cold response, so he extends a hand out for Jungkook to take. The younger pouts but takes it anyway, and once he’s back on his feet he feels Yoongi pat his head comfortingly.
“Sorry, that was kind of insensitive of me to say. I’ll treat you to a few extra magick lessons later.” Yoongi had been putting off their lessons because of how busy he was with creating new spells. The fact that they were going to resume the lessons brightened Jungkook’s mood a little bit.
With his newfound enthusiasm Jungkook exclaims, “Okay, let’s get started. I’ve got magick to learn!”
The rest of the clan members sit under the shade of one of the less mossy trees. Namjoon is sitting with his back against the trunk of the tree, his long legs crossed over each other. The moment of repose gives him the opportunity to think, but a question that’s been on his mind bothers him.
‘Is a group like ours actually considered a clan?’
They’d only managed to get a clan title recently, so he was still trying to get used to the idea. That was assuming they were officially a clan as of now. It still felt a little surreal to him. Most clans had many members. Sometimes the numbers grew and grew until the clan would have branches for different functions. There were only six of them right now, but they were hoping to recruit more people eventually.
Clans also tended to go on quests and adventures for gil or other rewards, and while they’d gone on many in the few months that they've known each other, hardly any of them had any pay. Most of their adventures were for themselves. They liked exploring without the constraints of a quest.
The term ‘clan’ is too broad. You can do so much within a clan. That's why some of them are feared and others are praised. Then again, the freedom was also what made it such an appealing concept.
He turned to Seokjin, who had been silent for most of the trip. He’d only spoken to Hoseok about the undead, and he seemed quite uncomfortable as he did so. The assassin was sitting on a dry patch of grass, fiddling with the arrows in his quiver.
“Jin, are we considered a clan?” He asked.
Seokjin hummed to himself, taking a second to gather his thoughts. “I think we are. We do quests for other people just like any other clan. We’ve also named our clan BTS, and there’s no minimal number of members required.” Seokjin chuckled before continuing. “There are even clans with as little as four members, so I’m pretty sure we are.”
Namjoon’s eyes widen in surprise. “How did you know exactly what was bothering me?” He genuinely wondered how good the elder was at reading people. Had he been that obvious?
The elder smiled warmly and reaffirmed him by patting his shoulder lightly. “We’ve already made quite a name for ourselves. Don’t worry about it too much, Joonie.”
Seokjin leaned closer to Namjoon's ear, “By the way, you mumble to yourself when you think too much,” he whispered.
Namjoon laughed in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. He’s always pleasantly surprised that Seokjin is such a good conversationalist. They’d only known each other for a few months, but they get along so well.
When Namjoon over thinks about something, Seokjin is there to provide input and lessen his worries. He did this for the other members as well, always putting the others before himself. Likewise, Namjoon does his best to help Seokjin.
Namjoon wanted to thank him properly someday. He wanted to thank all of the members. They all decided to go on this uncertain journey with him and he couldn't be happier about it.
His momentary state of reverie is lost when Hoseok whoops at the sight of the barrier being broken.
“Onward! The sooner we get out of here the better!” He emphasized his point by swinging his saber wildly at the vines blocking their path. Once the path is clear, he dashes through it with ease.
Jimin let out a laugh and rushed after the sky pirate with a spring in his step. “We better catch up before we lose him.”
They watch the two run down the path jumping and howling with laughter. A trail of severed vines lie in their wake.
Seokjin chuckled at the sight. “I guess Hoseok is in a better mood now. That’s good.”
“Yup!” Jungkook agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “Jimin is right though. We should catch up or we’ll lose them both.”
And so, the group traveled deeper into the fen.
Hoseok eventually slowed down after realizing that he left the group behind. He’s not that worried about it. They always catch up to him eventually.
Now that he’s walking slower, he takes some time to appreciate the scenery. It was still bright out, so the sun shone over the trees, casting shadows of various shapes all around him. The dew on the branches glistened in the mid-afternoon light. Flowers grew on shrubs and bushes that could be found littering the path. The rustling had also disappeared, so the faint sounds of birds chirping could be heard in the distance.
Maybe the Tramdine Fens wasn’t as bad as he thought. As long as you ignored the fear of monsters or zombies, there was beauty to be appreciated. He was beginning to warm up to this place.
That is, until something behind him started groaning and poked at his back.
With a high pitched scream, he whipped out his saber and quickly turned around to face whatever made that sound. His sword arm was shaking, but he’s positive he could still put up a decent fight.
The groaning and poking turned out to be the mischief of Jimin, who was now giggling.
“Dear Gods, don’t sneak up on me like that!” He whined. “I could’ve stabbed you!”
Jimin just grinned at him, trying to suppress his laughter. “Sorry sorry, I thought it would be funny.”
“It definitely wasn’t.”
“Not to you, anyway,” Jimin quipped. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t do it again.”
Another voice calls out to them from behind. It’s Namjoon’s.
“Quit messing around guys! We could end up attracting mon—”
Namjoon is interrupted by a loud cry. It was shrill and unnatural.
The group turned their heads in the direction of the sound. The source of the cry is a Deathscythe, a ghost that harvests souls of the living. Their faces paled at the sight. That Deathscythe is not alone, there are many more following it.
“T-that’s a ghost…” Hoseok sputtered. He almost loses the grip on his saber but he managed to pull himself together. He isn't sure if he could stomach an encounter with the undead just yet.
They soon realize that they are surrounded by other monsters as well. Zombies slowly trudge toward them from all sides. Oddly enough there is also a pack of Dreamhares, multi-colored rabbits that are able to cast magick, yipping loudly at the other monsters.
In all honesty, it was a funny sight to see. It was a pack of very small magical rabbits squeaking menacingly (not really) at the undead. The undead weren't even paying much attention to them.
But something even stranger is occurring ahead of them. There was a male viera standing among the dreamhares. He seemed to be about their age, and had very sharp features. His naturally silver hair had been dyed a dark brown and his clothes were those of an Elementalist’s. They looked light in weight and bore earthly tones. The fabric had been cut in certain areas to make it more breathable. It did get quite warm around here. They would know. They’d been sweating since they’d arrived.
The viera raised his rapier at Namjoon. “Who are you?,” he yelled.
Namjoon glanced around to see who the man was pointing at. The rapier is pointed in their general direction so he's not sure if he should answer. He points at himself. “Me?” He asked.
“Yes you!” The viera shouted as he stabbed a ghost. The ghost turned into a tombstone seconds later. Apparently Yoongi was right about how the tombstones worked. He hoped that Yoongi was also correct about the phoenix down part too.
Namjoon swallowed audibly. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He took in a deep breath to still his nerves. “We are BTS and we seek The Witch of the Fens! We’re here to learn about her magick!”
The elementalist nodded in acknowledgement. “Ah, I see! Well you're in the wrong place!”
He was multi-tasking with the help of the dreamhares. He casts a spell under his breath and a gust of wind slices through air, which turned another ghost into a tombstone.
Meanwhile, the dreamhares swarm a zombie and pound it with their tiny feet. Namjoon wondered why the dreamhares were attacking fellow monsters and not this particular viera.
“Here’s a deal,” the viera ducked under the arm of a ghost that tried to claw at his face. “I’ll tell you more about her after–” He’s cut off by another ghost that slices his shoulder.
He hissed at the pain. It didn’t look very deep, but it still looked like it hurt. The viera grumbled as he removed one of the many potions strapped to his belt. He downed it quickly and got into a fighting stance once again.
“After we get rid of all of these assholes!” The viera finally finished. He then summoned a tongue of flame to burn the ghost that cut him.
The group is unsure of how to proceed. He said ‘we’. Should they step in and help? They wanted to, but the situation was difficult to gauge.
The viera rolled his eyes. “Don’t just stand there! Gather any of phoenix downs you have and help me exorcise these fuckers.” He swiftly dodged an attempted blow to his side. “Oh, and if any of you know white magick, that would be great. Ghosts are weak to anything holy.”
They scrambled to comply with his wishes because they figure that getting on the bad side of either the monsters or this particular viera would be a terrible idea. However, Jungkook’s attention is otherwise occupied. The youngest was staring at the elementalist as he continued to cut down more of the undead. His eyes were alight with fascination.
Jimin shook his head and elbowed Jungkook in the side. “Quit gawking at the eye candy. You can talk to him after we take care of this.” Jungkook’s cheeked flush at the comment. “Yeah, I know.” He pulled out his own rapier and got ready to charge at the horde of ghosts.
Seokjin and Yoongi had already gotten started on the monsters. Arrows flew in different directions. Some are shot straight through the stomachs of zombies and others have been embedded into their skulls. Yoongi is behind him, muttering a spell under his breath. Lightning stuck a few of the ghosts. That dealt the final blow, and before they could re-animate, he placed phoenix downs on their graves, effectively exorcising them.
Behind him, Namjoon and Hoseok have teamed up and are cutting down zombies and ghosts left and right. Namjoon dealt devastating blows with a combination of magick and swordplay. Meanwhile, Hoseok was running circles around the monsters as he slashed at them with ease. The sky pirate was also careful to place phoenix downs on graves as he dashed about.
Jimin hastily cast white magick on his fellow clan mates and the monsters. He looked out of breath, but he managed. Jungkook didn’t want to be left out, so he casted some spells of his own to support Jimin’s efforts. He summoned chunks of ice to strike his foes while he cast healing spells in quick succession.
His concentration faltered when the viera stepped in front of him to block an attack from an incoming zombie. It seemed that he was struggling to regaining his balance, so Jungkook took the opportunity to stab the zombie in the side. It stumbled and fell onto its side. The viera flashed him a box grin. “Thanks for the save!”
Jungkook smiled sheepishly in return. This stranger is much more handsome up close. “N-no problem.” He hoped he didn’t stutter.
He probably stuttered a little bit.
Afterwards, the elementalist resumed attacking the ghosts. Any graves left un-exorcised are taken care of with practiced precision. Jungkook noticed that the viera’s belt is also stocked with phoenix downs. Perhaps this was a regular occurrence for him, since he’s so prepared to deal with the situation.
The battle eventually comes to a close and everyone is out of breath. There were more monsters than any of them had anticipated. A few of them were injured, but it’s nothing some white magick can’t fix.
Yoongi and Jungkook tended to the others’ wounds because Jimin is utterly spent. The dancer had done nothing but cast white magick for the whole fight. That must’ve taken a lot out of him.
The elementalist reached for his belt in search of a potion to heal his own wounds. He frowned when he found out he’s run out. Yoongi was nearly done treating the last of their group’s wounds, so Jungkook walked over to him to cast a cure spell. Two white balls of light appeared above the elementalist, they slowly fell towards him. Relief washes over the viera when they make contact with his body.
“Saving me again are you? Thank you!” The viera gave him a gentle smile and a thumbs up.
Jungkook waved him off. “And again, it’s no problem. You saved us out there too. We couldn’t have taken care of all those monsters without you.”
“That reminds me,” Namjoon walked over to them and held out his hand to the elementalist. “I’m Namjoon, the leader of our clan. Nice to meet you.”
The viera took the other’s hand and gives it a firm shake. “I’m Taehyung, likewise.”
The others have been patched up so they exchanged introductions with Taehyung as well. Jungkook nearly tripped over himself in the process. He didn’t do too well with new people. He took a long time to warm up to the clan as well. Taehyung seemed nice enough though. The elementalist also seemed to get along really well with Jimin. They kept complimenting each other's outfits and magickal abilities.
Taehyung gasped. “Oh yeah! I was supposed to tell you guys more about the Witch of the Fens. A deal’s a deal. We should probably head over to my hut in the north. It’s safer to talk there.”
With Taehyung leading the way, they ventured deeper into the fen.
Taehyung’s hut is a quaint and simple place. A large array of different plants, which seems to function as a garden, fence in a large hut. They also spot dreamhares playing in the grassy plain in front of the hut, chasing each other’s tails and gleefully yipping.
“Come on then, don't be shy. They don't bite…unless provoked.” Taehyung nudged a few of the dreamhares away from the front door and heads inside. They don’t even react. The dreamhares just scurry off in different directions to play.
The group is amazed and intimidated. Did all the dreamhares in the fen like this guy? Regardless, they ignored their initial concern and follow Taehyung.
Namjoon accidentally stepped on the tail of one of the dreamhares, so it squeaked. The dreamhare seemed irritated but not enough to attack him. He apologized profusely, and he swore that he heard the dreamhare huff in annoyance.
When they stepped inside, the first thing they noticed was the decor. It’s just one very large room with areas for different purposes. In one area, trinkets dangled from ropes attached to the ceiling. Most of the trinkets are jars filled with plants, stones or animal remains. Shelves line the wall to their left, and there are even more containers labeled things like: ‘Recall Grass’, ‘Hedychium Flowers’, ‘Holy Stones’, and ‘Zombie Powder’. The wall farthest from them had an area with two small beds separated by a nightstand. Left of the beds is a closed off area that looks like a bathroom.
The hut has a surprisingly pleasant aroma. In fact, it smelled like someone is cooking. They also notice that there was an old female viera cooking at the kitchen area to their right.
Taehyung gestured to the sofas that surround a small table. “You guys should take a seat. I’ll go greet my grandma.” And so he skipped over to her.
“Hi Grandma, I’m home!” Taehyung gave the older viera back hug and nuzzled her shoulder. His long ears are twitching with obvious delight.
“Oh ho, welcome back Taehyungie.” She turned around to face him, a gentle smile graced her lips.
The elder viera exuded a calming aura. She wore a robe, but the material seemed light since it swayed easily as she moved. In her hand was a large staff with intricate designs. It was decorated with strange-looking flowers and runes. Atop her head was a worn green beret with holes cut into the top to accommodate her ears.
She placed a lid on top of the pot before speaking. “Now then, who are these young men you’ve brought home? Are they the ones that broke my barrier?”
Yoongi laughed nervously and Jungkook opted to hide behind Seokjin.
Taehyung’s grandmother chuckled at their responses. “Oh don’t worry about it. It was bound to break any day now.” The clan mates breathed out collective sighs of relief.
The elementalist then explained the situation to his grandmother who doesn’t respond much, but she nods in acknowledgement as he spoke. She chuckled once Taehyung had finished. “I find it admirable that they came all the way here just to learn about magick, but I don’t think our neighbor would speak to you about it.”
Namjoon raised an eyebrow at this. “What do you mean?”
Taehyung smirked. “Do you guys got a ton of gil on you at the moment?” They all shook their heads. The viera nodded knowingly. “I figured, but even if you guys did have a lot on you it probably still wouldn’t be enough to do business with her.”
The clan members’ faces all turn sullen at the news, Yoongi and Namjoon especially. They were the ones that wanted to come here in the first place. The others seemed to be mildly disappointed, but mostly just exhausted considering all they had to go through to get here. They got this far only to find out that their journey had been for nothing.
“Don’t look so sad, boys.” The old viera placed a bowl of stew in front of each of them. “Neither of us are the famed Witch of the Fens, but we are certainly exceptional at what we do.”
She pointed to a large battle hammer collecting dust next to one of the windows. “I’m quite the experienced green mage, but my bones aren’t what they used to be, so I don’t wield a hammer anymore.” Then she gestured to Taehyung with her staff. “He’s the most talented elementalist I’ve ever met. I think he’s nearly mastered all of the elemental magick spells.”
Taehyung’s cheeks turned pink at the praise. “Aw grandma, you’re embarrassing me. I’m not that great.”
Every single one of them knew that was most definitely not the case. They just watched him take care of at least a fourth of the monsters on his own, without the help of his dreamhares.
“But it’s true, Taehyungie!” She teasingly pinched his cheek. “The dreamhares around here have even taken a liking to him. He’s not even a beastmaster or an animist. They just listen to him and help him out whenever he asks.”
Every single one of their gazes landed on Taehyung, and he hides his face in his hands. “Now I’m really embarrassed,” he whined.
“Don’t be! This is so cool to hear about!” Jimin beamed as he bounced in his seat. “Now you definitely have to tell us more about what it’s like to live here.”
Seokjin nodded furiously. “Yes absolutely, I’ve never met another viera like you before. I’d love to hear more about you and your grandmother.”
A light-hearted conversation quickly turned into a heated discussion about what exactly elemental magick is like and about the nature of the undead. Jungkook was taking down notes, and the others seemed content with listening and providing input every once in awhile. Taehyung’s grandmother joins the conversation later as well.
She definitely knew a lot more than she let on. She’d lived in the fens a lot longer than Taehyung had, so she told them of its secrets and how to safely trek through it next time they visit. The simplest way to get through was by following the traces of mist that the green magick leaves behind from the barriers. The barriers ward off the undead, which was why they were attacked once it was broken.
The clan talked about how they’d only recently come to this continent and are eager to see more of it. Taehyung mentioned that he’d never even been to the other continent. Eventually the discussion steered off topic and they tell Taehyung about their adventures. However, the sun has set and there’s a new problem to be deal with.
Taehyung glanced at one of the windows and saw that evening has arrived. “The undead are more active at night. You should probably stay here until the sun rises again.”
Namjoon politely tried to refuse since he felt like they’d already been much too kind to the clan.
Taehyung’s grandmother hushed him. “Nonsense, you protected my grandson earlier. Besides, Taehyung could probably use some company around his age.” Taehyung wanted to protest, but he knew she was right. He got pretty lonely out here since he only lived with his grandma. That did not mean that he didn’t appreciate her, but he sometimes wished he had friends to talk to.
“Thank you ma’am, we appreciate it.” Hoseok gave her one of his brightest smiles. The fact that it’s in the shape of a heart made her smile as well.
“Well then, I’ll be going out to put a small barrier around the hut.” She began making her way to the front door, so Jungkook ran to her and offered help which she gladly accepted.
The others are left to clean up the mess they left inside the hut. Taehyung moved some of the now empty bowls to the sink in the kitchen. He couldn’t stop thinking about life outside of the fens. The clan members couldn’t have made it sound more exciting. The idea of exploring so many places sounded like something he wanted to do. He didn’t want to stay here forever, but he couldn’t leave his grandmother behind.
Taehyung wanted to come with the clan if he could, maybe even join them. Then again, he wasn’t sure if his presence would be anything they wanted to deal with. Sometimes he felt like he was a handful to his grandmother. How much more of a handful would he be to them? He tried to perish the thought, which led him to busy himself with thoroughly cleaning the bowls until they were spotless.
Once his grandmother returned with Jungkook, she ushered them into different sofas and mats to sleep in. She and Taehyung were going to sleep in their respective beds, but that didn’t go so well for the male viera. He stayed awake for a bit longer, since the thought of leaving kept him awake. He sighed to himself when he realized that he spent too much time thinking and opted to star gaze at one of the windows instead.
Time passed slowly as he watched the stars glimmer in the sky. The dreamhares lay asleep underneath the night sky, huddled up to each other for warmth. A smile crept onto his face at the sight. He took a few more minutes to watch the scene of serenity play out before he crawls back under the sheets of his bed. A few hours of sleep is better than none at all.
Taehyung woke up much earlier than he anticipated. The sun hasn’t even risen yet. He figured that he’d only gotten about two hours of sleep, which isn’t so bad, all things considered. There were days when he wouldn’t sleep at all because of thoughts that kept him awake. Maybe not talking to anyone about his thoughts was having a negative effect on him. He should probably confide in his grandmother more often.
He got up before the rest of them, so went out to get ingredients from the garden to have for breakfast. When he returned, he saw that they’re all chatting leisurely with each other. Seokjin was helping his grandmother in the kitchen and Jimin set the table. He put the food on one of the nearby counters before he sat down on the floor near the table.
Taehyung let himself smile a little. He’d definitely be sad once they all leave. They’d already made a connection with him in the little time they’d known each other. Granted, they weren’t very close, but he’d gotten to know them a little and he figured that was enough. They were all very charming people, without a doubt.
Once they finish up their breakfast, the clan mates pack up their belongings so they could leave. They were still leisurely chatted with each other, seemingly taking their time.
There may not be another chance to voice his thoughts. He would have to do it now.
“It would be nice if I could come with you,” he blurted out. He now slightly regretted his decision,. Perhaps he was jumping the gun. They were also leaving, so maybe the embarrassment wouldn’t matter in a few minutes. He may never see them again.
The others looked at each other, then grins appeared on their faces. Taehyung was very much confused and out of the loop. “What’s with the smiling?” Even his grandmother was smiling.
Hoseok, who was sitting next to him, placed a hand on his shoulder. “We would absolutely love for you to come with us.”
“But I can’t leave my grandmother behind,” he tried, but his grandmother slapped his back.
“I’ll be having none of that, Taehyungie. I can tell you really want to go. So go on, they all seem like good people. You’ll learn a thing or two.” She ruffled his hair a little bit. “Just be sure to come visit every now and then, and to write to me if you can.”
Taehyung could feel tears of joy trying to surface, but he wasn’t going to cry. This was going to be the start of something utterly fantastic.
“Thank you, grandma.” He tried to smile, but the tears still threatened to spill at any moment. “Thank you guys, too.”
Yoongi waved it off, but the corners of his lips are quirked up in a grin. “No need to get mushy about it. Just pack up your things and we can leave.”
The elementalist nodded and rushed to get his things in order. A few moments later, he had a leather bag strapped to his back and said his goodbyes to his grandmother. “The dreamhares will definitely help you if you ask them to. I’ll make sure of it. See you soon, grandma.” She gave him one last hug and sent him on his way. “See you soon, Taehyungie.”
“Are you ready to go?” Seokjin asked.
Taehyung gazed back at the hut behind him. He had a lot of memories here, but he was ready to make more. “Absolutely, just let me say goodbye to the dreamhares.”
The dreamhares did not like the fact that he was leaving.
They started crowding around him, making tiny squeaks of protest.
One of them even decided to come with him, so it hopped onto his bag. Its little paws gripped onto his bag tightly so it wouldn’t fall.
Taehyung chuckled as he removed the dreamhare from his bag. He cradled it in his arms and fluffed its soft tail. “Is there room for one more?”
Yoongi nodded firmly, already overtaken by its cuteness. “Hell yes.” The seer pet the dreamhare’s head lovingly. The dreamhare yipped at the affection.
BTS walked into the Tramdine Fens with six clan members, and today they walked out with seven. (Eight, if you counted their new little friend.)