Lee Dong-Wook: King Of Bromance

What an actor!!!

We Are Only Seven - Chapter 10 (Final)

Fandom: BTS Characters: OT7 (Devil!Namjoon, Demigod!Seokjin, Wizard!Yoongi, Angel!Hoseok, Werewolf!Taehyung, Gumiho!Jimin, Vampire!Jungkook) For a visual representation check these >>> VMinKook & NamJinSope Warning: Battle, death, injury, murder, suicide, slight swearing, angst, a little cheesy, betrayal etc. Word Count: 2.8k Words

Summary: In a world ruled by humans, the other worldly, non-humans are in hiding. But how long will it last this way?

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10  [Complete]

They had escaped to the wood, made fire to keep themselves warm and hunted down animals to prepare for supper. Hoseok was lying on the ground, his head rested on Yoongi’s lap. Namjoon and Seokjin sat silently with them. The other ‘Bulletproof’ boys were spending time with the escaped prisoners. There were two vampires, a werewolf, three demigods, two elves and a satyr.

Taehyung was found to be alright and not badly hurt. He had recognized the werewolf from when he was a prisoner himself and they started a conversation. Jungkook talked with the vampires to learn about his servants; those who had been caught. He found out that they had been killed during the experiments. Jimin stayed quiet the whole time.

Meanwhile, Yoongi kept muttering a spell in an attempt to heal his unconscious friend of the wound that had been left on his back. But it didn’t seem to be working properly. Namjoon came closer and Yoongi noticed the tears on his cheeks.

Namjoon gently wiped them away with his hand and placed it on Hoseok’s back. Light sparkled through Hoseok’s wound for a moment. Then, it healed completely. Yoongi gasped in shock.

“I almost forgot,” Yoongi said, “You were an angel once.”

Namjoon nodded but remained silent. It was a common knowledge that an angel’s tears can heal any wound. Yoongi being an educated wizard, should have known that.

Seokjin stood up and announced, “I think, this is the time I part. I had caused enough trouble to you all. I know I’ve done something terrible and it’s beyond forgiveness. But if you can, please forget my mistakes and remember only the good parts of our journey together. Do this for the old time’s sake.”

“But you can’t just go away that easily.” Namjoon said boldly.

Seokjin was taken aback. Namjoon never sounded this serious before. Not even at the worst time possible.

Namjoon stood in front of him, arms crossed, and said, “Did you forget the iconic ‘Once you Jim-in, you can’t Jim-out’ line?”

Yoongi let out a small laugh. Seokjin couldn’t believe it. Namjoon was not mad at him. In fact, he was making jokes. He was even okay with him being on the team.

The golden trio had come towards them. Hearing Seokjin wanting to leave, Jungkook whined, "Hyung, you can’t leave us like that.”

“Especially, not after saving us like a hero.” Jimin said, while hanging a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “We are not gonna let you be the main character of the story.”

Yoongi pleaded, “Just let us know the truth. When did you go against us exactly? Don’t say it was since the beginning.”

Seokjin shook his head. Tears were threatening to come out of his eyes at the surprisingly kind reactions from the others. But he told them the truth anyway.

He told them, how he was once a normal boy living with his Goddess mother and mortal father. Until one day, Aphrodite decided to take him away to the Mount Olympus. Being a kid, he always wondered what the reason could be. He was sure of one thing; his mother was indifferent to him. She never showed love or affection towards him.

As he grew up, the longing for his father, who once used to love the boy so much, became stronger. Then, one day, Seokjin decided to escape Mount Olympus with the help of some other Gods. By his own wits, he was able to come down to the earth. He had been searching for his father since then.

“But then, I met Yoongi.” Seokjin said, “When I heard about his plan of bringing down the OHA, I decided to stay with the team in hope of finding my father. But I swear, I didn’t know he was the CEO of this fucked up institution. I don’t know what got into me when I agreed to help him. I believed him to be a good man. I never imagined he could be so cruel.”

“Everyone believes their father is a good man.” Taehyung sighed.

Suddenly, one of the elves came to interrupt them, “Don’t you think it would be wiser to leave the wood and go to a safe place?”

They exchanged some worried looks. Even though the OHA facility was being destroyed, all thanks to Seokjin’s explosion, they couldn’t be sure if their enemies were really gone or not. They couldn’t go back to their abandoned building and risk being attacked.

The elf continued, “I know a place. It’s the safest of places for beings like us. We should go to the ‘ARMY’.”

“ARMY?” The ‘Bulletproof’ boys asked in union.

Aid and Refuge for Mortals by Youths, in short ARMY, was a secret society formed by young people who believed in equality among humans and other intelligent beings. The members of this organization called themselves ARMY too. Being less in number and power, they ran their rescue missions of saving the non-humans from the OHA secretly. And these secret missions were the reason behind the OHA’s failures at the recent times.

The elf knew their hideout very well. He was on his way to seek help from them when he was caught by the wizards almost a year ago. Now, he led his rescuers and the fellow prisoners to the only safe place there was on earth.

There were minutes of confusion among the ARMY seeing a large number of non-humans gathering outside. Soon after Namjoon explained the situation clearly, the ARMY let themselves in.

They were then taken to the leader of the organization. Her name was Linha. Despite her tall figure and intimidating face, she was quite friendly and kind. She welcomed them with overwhelming joy and learned about each of them individually. Her eyes got teary as she learned how they had managed to escape the OHA and exploded their laboratories before coming to them.

“You did the impossible.” Linha exclaimed. It was her usual way of talking. “I can’t believe you did something in such a short time which we had been planning for so long.”

“All thanks to Seokjin.” Namjoon said, “He did almost everything.”

“Yeah,” Seokjin scoffed at himself, still not over the guilt he was feeling for betraying his friends, “after ruining our original plan completely.”

There were so many ARMY and other non-humans inside the pretty huge hideout. The ‘Bulletproof’ boys almost couldn’t believe the fact that so many humans were on their side and they were willing to fight for their freedom. They had spent most of their lives being afraid of the humans that accepting them as their friends was something they found difficult.

They learned that there were more humans out there on earth who believed in the equality too but couldn’t voice out their opinion in fear of the OHA. Some of them were even helping the ARMY with whatever they could offer, ranging from shelter for some beings to providing medical supports.

In order to celebrate the official downfall of the OHA, they arranged a huge feast for themselves along with the new comers. Everyone ate and drank to the fullest. The music was turned on and they danced and sang out their hearts.

Then, Linha made a great announcement, “From now on, we won’t hide anymore. We will declare our victory over the OHA. We will reveal it to the whole world that from today, we all live in unity. Humans, vampires, werewolves, elves, satyrs, centaurs, demigods,” she glanced at Hoseok for a while and added, “angels and many more. We all live in harmony and without fear.”

They all cried out with full of enthusiasm. But suddenly there was a blast. It made their whole ceiling crash. When they looked up, they could make out a figure with huge wings flying down towards them.

“What happened to the others?” Kim Joon-Hwi inquired about his guards and wizards.

“They’re all dead, sir.” The Master of shadow informed.

The Master was the only one to have escaped the OHA facility after the explosion. He, then, went straight to Kim Joon-Hwi, who had already made his escape after getting his most desired thing, an angel’s wings.

“Are you telling me that you have lost the Gumiho?” Kim Joon-Hwi asked, his tone deep and serious. When the Master looked down without replying, Kim Joon-Hwi let out a terrible laugh, “How will I survive after attaching the wings on myself if I failed to kill the Gumiho?”

The real reason for his desperation for the Gumiho was that, a Gumiho was the most powerful being to exist on earth. And if he had to attach the angel wings on himself in order to be as powerful as the Gods, he needed to kill someone powerful first.

“Sir,” The master spoke, “I think we should wait. I promise to find that Gumiho as soon as I can.”

“No!” Kim Joon-Hwi said rather calmly this time, “I have waited long enough.” The Master was about to interrupt but he held his hand up to silence him, “You have done enough all these years. In fact, it’s the result of your research that I am now going to be the most powerful.”

He went closer and rested his hand on the Master’s shoulder. The Master bowed in gratitude for the appreciation. But the next moment, he felt a sharp pain on his back. He fell to the ground with a loud groan when he realized that he had been stabbed.

“You think I didn’t know who killed the last Gumiho on our laboratory?” Kim Joon-Hwi stated to the dying man before him. “I know why you had joined the company in the first place. You wanted power.” Then, he laughed manically and added, “Killing a powerful wizard like you will serve my purpose.”

The Master of Shadow struggled to say his last words, “Yoongi. Was. Right.”

But Kim Joon-Hwi didn’t pay any heed to it. He kneeled down to whisper, “Goodbye to you! From now on, you can rest all you want.”

Kim Joon-Hwi looked deadly with the wings on his back. The veins on his body had popped up within his skin. His eyes were red and they glowed when he shouted or showed any excitement. The wind he created by flapping his wings can overthrow Jimin’s old hut in a second.

“Father?” Seokjin whispered in disbelief.

“Everyone, grab your weapons!” Linha shouted her instructions at others. Then, they all were busy getting hold onto a weapon they could find.

“Fools!” Kim Joon-Hwi screamed, “I am inevitable now. Accept me as your new God if you don’t wish to die.”

Seokjin tried to step forward to speak to him. But Yoongi held him back and said, “Not now! He’s more dangerous than ever before.”

“But…” Seokjin was interrupted by a sudden explosion. An Army had thrown a bomb at the monster. But he soon came out of the smoke, laughing gigantically, proving his statement earlier.

The ARMY knew that it was too late. There was no way they could win against this monster. But they were not going to give up. They would rather die fighting. And with that mindset, they jumped.

No explosion, bullets or arrows could penetrate his skin. On the other hand, the ARMYs and the supernaturals were badly hurt. Some of them were already dead. Seokjin looked around the miseries. His heart clenched inside when he noticed one of his friend taking a flight to fight his monstrous father face to face.

“Namjoon!” Seokjin called to stop him.

“Why don’t you fight someone your equal, instead?” Namjoon yelled at Kim Joon-Hwi, who was pointing at a satyr with a gun on his hand.

He looked back at Namjoon and snarled at him, “Did you just compared me with yourself, you pathetic devil?”

“Why?” Namjoon smirked, “Are you scared?”

Without a delay, Kim Joon-Hwi launched himself on him and they flew away from the sight of the rest.

“No!” Seokjin screamed, “Namjoon, please come back.”

But they were nowhere to be seen. All around, the only sounds were of the burning and wailing of the injured. Everyone got busy helping out the wounded. Some of them were even grateful that the monster had spared them some time. Some were mourning for the death of their closed ones.

Hoseok collected the ‘Bulletproof’ boys from the crowd one by one and made sure none of them were hurt. They reached Seokjin last. Taehyung called, “Thank God, you’re here.”

“Where’s Namjoon?” Jimin asked. But Seokjin didn’t answer. Jungkook and Taehyung gasped as they realized Namjoon was the one who had driven away that monster.

Suddenly, Jimin sat on the ground. All of their attentions shot to him. “I think… I see something.” He said. He shut his eyes closed tightly, his brows furrowed.

Yoongi went closer to sit beside him, “Is it a vision?”

Jimin nodded violently and said, “He’s dead. Kim Joon-Hwi’s dead. And…” He stopped for a while. He looked as if he were concentrating on a scene with his eyes closed.

“Who killed him?” Yoongi asked. Everyone paid more attention.

“I can see wings.”

“An angel?” Yoongi asked in disbelief, glancing at Hoseok for a while.

Jimin opened his eyes abruptly and gasped, “Namjoon.” He declared, “Namjoon’s the angel who was supposed to bring the demise of the OHA.”

Namjoon stood at the entrance door, Hoseok’s formal wings hanging on his hands. He looked exhausted, which was rarely visible on his face. Jungkook ran to hug him without a delay.

Namjoon spoke to the others after Jungkook released him, “Kim Joon-Hwi’s dead. We have nothing to fear anymore.”

Everyone cheered and shouted in excitement. Some of them patted Namjoon on his back and thanked him. After minutes of celebrating the good news, everyone went back to their business; fixing the aftermath of the short but terrible battle.

The dawn had broken. Seokjin sat at the edge of the lake and gazed at the rising sun. Namjoon came to sit beside him. Seokjin glanced at him and looked back at the sun again. He said, “You’re the true hero. You’ve saved everyone.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Namjoon said in a low voice.

Seokjin let out a fake laugh and said, “Don’t apologize. You did the right thing. If I had done it earlier, Hoseok still would have his wings. Not to mention how many people could have been saved.”

“Do you want to know what happened exactly?” Namjoon hesitantly asked.

“Surprisingly, yes!” Seokjin turned to face him, “I’m still stupid enough to care to know how my father died.”

Namjoon nodded understandingly and said, “I gave him a chance to save himself, you know, for your sake. But he said, he would rather die than live with the pity of a devil.” Namjoon let out a painful laughter.

A tear escaped Seokjin’s eyes as he spoke, “He would definitely choose his pride over me. And I’m not even surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t have the happily ever after with your family.” Namjoon said.

The other ‘Bulletproof’ boys joined the couple. They sat down quietly and enjoyed the sun rise. At a point, Taehyung asked Seokjin, “Are you going back to your mother now?”

Seokjin didn’t reply. Instead, he asked Hoseok, “Why aren’t you going back to the heaven?”

Hoseok shrugged and said, “There’s nothing to go back to. I’ve already found my true family here on earth.” He rested his head on Yoongi’s shoulder.

Seokjin looked back at Taehyung and smiled. “Exactly.” He whispered, which brought out the best box smile on Taehyung’s face.

“I want to say something.” Jungkook mumbled, “I don’t know if I can ever say this if not today.”

Everyone looked up at him as he slowly rose up to stand. He continued with a heavy voice, “As far as I can remember, I was just a vampire with thirst for blood only. I didn’t have a family or even friends. The only thing I cared about was surviving. I never knew how much I was missing out on life until… Until I met Jimin and Taehyung. They took me in as their own. Then, you guys showed up. I learned what it is to actually live and not just survive. I am eternally grateful to you for that.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I… I love you, guys.”

They looked at him in admiration. They had never heard Jungkook opening up about his feelings to them at any time throughout their times together. Hearing him speaking such words melted their hearts.

Jimin went straight to hug him, “I’m glad I’ve found you that night.” Taehyung joined from behind. Hoseok stood up and said, “Guys, my eyes are sweating. Help!” before going for the hug too. Yoongi tailed him from behind as well. Namjoon gestured Seokjin to join the group hug. Seokjin smiled and did as he was asked to.

Finally, it was Namjoon to join them last. As he did, he slowly spread out his huge black wings to shelter the members on the inside.

Note: Thank you to everyone for sticking with me till the end. Thank you for taking your precious time to read my story. Thank you for all the little feedbacks you had left. It means a lot to me. By the way, it was my first proper series. I finished it in a hurry due to an upcoming exam. And I am a little disappointed coz it didn’t come out as I’ve expected. But I hope to improve my writings in the future.

My Masterlist

Tag List: @bts-ruu​,

The Astronaut, single by Jin

Note: It’s been a long time and here I am, still stuck in ‘The Astronaut’. Gonna share some personal opinion on this and I swear, I’ll shut up.

Rating - 10/10

“A life, a sparkle in your eyes, Heaven coming through, And I love you.”

Where do I even start? I feel like no matter how much I rant, my love for this song can never be expressed in words. The lyrics, the music and the mv, all of these have their own charms. I just absolutely love it.

Let’s start with its lyrics. I love the references of the cosmos used in this song. If Jin was an asteroid drifting all alone, Army was his heaven, a safe place. When Jin is in darkness, Army shines upon him like the Milky way. “You became my universe” is enough to prove how Jin dedicates his life for us and how we have become everything for him. We all know from the previous solo works of Jin that he is someone who constantly doubts himself and it is the love of the Army that brings him back from despair.

Isn’t it amazing how Jin, and all the BTS members in general, show how grateful they are to us? I am also grateful to them for making us feel loved. This song directly touches the heart. It is, in fact, the best kind of love letter one can ever wish for. It is a song that feels too personal. I feel like it was meant for me, as an individual. That’s one of the best achievements of this masterpiece.

The music video is so cute. Jin, representing an alien crashing on earth, who apparently doesn’t have any emotions. The little girl of his neighborhood plays with him often and he unconsciously grows empathy within himself. On the day his spaceship is finally leaving to go back to space, Jin realizes that it is the earth that is his true home and comes back.

Here are a lot of indications. For a start, the little girl represents Armys. If Jin was someone without dreams, the Armys made him want to dream. Just like the little girl helped him with the development of emotions. Again, though unconsciously, when the alien Jin decided to leave for good, he left his helmet with the girl so that she doesn’t hurt herself riding the bike alone without him around. As our Jin was leaving to join the military, he had left his precious song and along with it, a lot of content for the Armys to enjoy in his absence. Even the morse code for ARMY was literally tattooed on his neck in the mv. Just like the alien Jin realizing that the girl was his true home and coming back to her at the end, our Jin also promises us his coming back after serving his time in the military. Hence, I love the music video so much and I keep coming back to it time after time.

I will forever be grateful to Coldplay for accepting Jin’s request and making this song a reality. They are the sweetest souls ever. It shows how a real artist can recognize and appreciate another great artist. I love the bond between Jin and them, especially with Chris. It makes me immensely proud how far Jin has come. While he considered Coldplay as his idol in his youth, he is now collaborating with them side by side. Both of their styles of music are evident in this track. As if two beautiful melodies came together to become a better version of themselves.

I can’t talk about the Astronaut without bringing up the concert in Argentina. Here’s another reason for me to be grateful to Coldplay. They really understood the significance of this song for the Armys as a goodbye gift from Jin and that’s why they decided to have him at their personal concert. I could see the admiration in their eyes when Jin was performing. I also enjoyed the part where Chris opened his arms for Jin to run and embrace him while he sweetly kissed him on the cheek. This interaction was everything. When, both Chris and Jin were singing together to my favorite part and they couldn’t help but laugh in between, we could see Jin’s sparkling eyes so clearly. It shows how overwhelmed he was with emotion. I won’t lie about crying to that part myself.

Finally, the “I love you” part deserves its own paragraph. Would you think that it wasn’t intentional of Jin to finish his last live performance for the Armys by saying that he loves us? I think not. Jin is a genius and an absolute sweetheart for that. The reactions of the Armys at the concert was genuine. They looked so happy and sad at the same time. And I love you too, my Jinnie.

I am fully absorbed in this piece of art. It has become a part of me and I am totally obsessed with it now. I thank you, Jin, for making me feel this way. This work of yours is going to live in my heart rent free for the rest of my life.

A Reaper’s Mistake

'The Avonlea Story Club'

Story no. #01 Genre: Adventure Time Duration: 15 Jan, 2023- 15 Feb, 2023

Warning: Death (obviously), grief, mild horror, slight swearing, small space, some messed up explanation of heaven and hell, deceiving, betrayal, angst, crying, kissing etc. Word Count: 7.7k Words (It turned out longer than I planned)

Summary: Harley comes to know that the death of her twin brother was a mistake by the grim reaper that took his life. So, she makes a deal of travelling to the underworld to correct it in order to bring her dead brother back home. On her journey, she learns little things about life... and death.

Harley returned to her room after a long and exhausting day. She felt cold, both on the inside and the outside. But she didn’t mind. After all, death was supposed to be cold. Now, Harley wasn’t the one who died really. It was her twin brother Ashton. But it didn’t make any difference to her. The thing about losing a twin is that you lose yourself along with them. At least, that was how Harley felt at the moment.

She lay on the bed, thinking. There was no way she could go to sleep without any trouble. How could she, when she knew her other half laid all alone in a mortuary? Harley wanted to cry. But her eyes were as dry as dust. She turned on some music on her phone and wished that her heart stopped clenching for a while.

By the time, the room temperature started to drop. At a point, Harley started to feel very uncomfortable to ignore it. When she checked the AC remote, she was shocked to find that the temperature went down to 19°C. Before she could fix it, another degree dropped before her eyes.

“What the hell!” she thought to herself. “It’s not even that cold outside.”

Harley could detect sudden movements behind her. She turned on her bed carefully and saw a hooded figure in a corner of her room. An involuntary gasp escaped her mouth. She sat on the bed promptly and whisper-called the intruder, “Ashton! Is that you?”

The figure came forward. Through the lamp light, Harley saw its long and oval shaped face. The jaws looked like they were sucked in. A crooked nose hung in the middle. The gray eyes were very large. Whoever this man was, he was not Ashton, Harley knew it for sure.

“Who are you?” Harley asked flatly.

“I am not a ghost nor a mere human. And I am definitely not your brother Ashton.”  The man replied fast and paused for a while before adding, “I am a grim reaper.”

Harley sighed. The man who claimed to be a grim reaper was taken aback. It was definitely not the reaction he had been expecting. The man cleared his throat to speak but was interrupted by Harley.

“So that’s it?”  she asked quietly, “This is how I die?  Because of  a heartbreak?”

“Umm…” The man considered her unusual behavior for a moment. She had believed him. But she wasn’t a bit scared. She was rather accepting her death more easily than most of the people he had encountered.

“Actually, you’re not dead.” The grim reaper said. Harley nodded her head slowly. But didn’t say anything further. He took a deep breath before saying the following.

“We’re short on time. So, listen carefully. Ashton wasn’t the one to die. It was supposed to be someone else. However, due to some misunderstanding on my part, this grave mistake occurred and it has to be fixed to avoid further complications. We need to retreat his soul from the underworld. Now, I could have done the job myself but it is mandatory for a grim reaper to accompany a human, be it living or dead, to cross the river by boat down there. Yes! Living humans had gone to the underworld before. You may ask why. But I’m not in a situation to explain anything unnecessary. I hope you don’t have any questions.”

Harley could take in huge amounts of information at once. Still, this was too much to comprehend even to her. She could never imagine in her wildest dream that her dead brother could be brought back to life.

She said as politely as she could given the situation, “But I do have a question. To be honest, a lot of them.”

The grim reaper was satisfied with her reaction this time. He held up his hand and said, “Even if you do, you’ll be answered on the way. Now, pack your bag with necessary stuff because we’re gonna have a wild night in the underworld.”

“I haven’t even agreed to go with you, have I?” Harley said, irritation clear in her tone.

The grim reaper put on a smile and asked, “Do you want your brother back or not?”

“But…” Harley tried to argue but was immediately interrupted.

“Yes or no?”

Harley groaned in annoyance. But she considered the matter. She had nothing to lose but gain from this expedition. So, there was nothing much to think about, not even the dangers it may involve. She replied quietly, “Yes!”

“Follow me, then!”  The reaper leapt out of the window.

Harley took as little time as she could to pack her bag like she had been told. She got out through the door noiselessly, not that her parents could still be awake. The reaper was waiting in the backyard. As Harley went closer, she could feel how her surroundings were changing abruptly into a very cold one.

“Good!” he said after examining Harley. “Let’s get moving!” 

For a while, all Harley could make out was his light gray eyes before he turned and started to run. She followed him as fast as her little feet allowed her to. They kept going like that for some time without saying anything to each other. Harley’s mind was spiraling with thousands of questions. But she decided to ask the very basics.

“You didn’t say how much time we really have.” She yelled at the tall figure ahead of her.

“Let’s say before they arrange Ashton’s funeral ‘cause no soul can be retreated once their earthly goodbye is done.” The reaper replied.

“That,” Harley said, “would be tomorrow.”

The reaper slowed his pace and turned to face her, “I hope you understand now why you should hurry a little more.”

Harley felt out of breath. But she wasn’t willing to take any insults for her height. She continued to run and asked again, “Where are we going anyway?”

“To the underworld, of course!” the reaper laughed.

“I meant, where on earth?” Harley said through gritted teeth.

“Oh!” The reaper said, no sarcasm in his deep voice, “Mrs. Laferty’s backyard.”

“No way! That’s the underworld?”

“There’s a doorway to the underworld. Yes!”

Harley stopped abruptly. It took a few moments before the grim reaper realized that Harley wasn’t following him anymore. He turned and ran back towards her, giving her a look which asked why she had done that.

“At least,” Harley breathed out the words, “give me a good reason to trust you.”

“Should I summon up dead people to make you believe me?” the reaper asked impatiently.

“Nope!” Harley replied flatly, “I believe that you’re a grim reaper. But I don’t exactly trust you about bringing back my brother. Who knows, what you’re tricking me into.”

“Seriously? You think a grim reaper has anything to gain from a mere human?”

“That wasn’t very convincing.” Harley turned back to walk.

“Wait!” the reaper held her by her wrist and said, “Alright! I’m going to tell you the real reason why I’m so desperate to make it right. But you have to promise me that no matter what, you’re not gonna back away from this. No matter what!”

Harley sensed the seriousness in his voice and nodded her head in affirmation. The reaper sighed, “I’m gonna lose my job even if I mess up for once. I saw what happened to the others when they did it. I don’t want the same fate. If I can correct the mistake before the higher officials are aware of it, I may have a chance of keeping my job as a grim reaper.”

He paused and looked at Harley, “Since I need you as much as you need me to bring back your brother, will you help me do this?”

“Alright! I think,” Harley took her warm hand away from his cold one and said, “I can do this without bothering you with more questions.”

Once they reached Mrs. Laferty’s backyard, the reaper produced a scythe out of nowhere and marked a large X on the ground. After a few minutes of complete silence, the ground beneath their feet started to shake. Then the X mark glowed scarlet before that part went down, creating a stair to the underworld.

“I think you forgot to ask the most crucial question on the way.” The reaper said to Harley. She looked at him with genuine curiosity. He smiled brightly and added, “My name is Joaquinn with double N.”

Joaquinn walked ahead of Harley down the stairs. Once they reached the floor made of wood, fire on the huge torches that hung by the wall lit up. Harley looked back the way she had come only to find that the stairs had disappeared completely. Fear had slowly started to build inside her. She almost reached to grab Joaquinn by his hand but stopped herself immediately.

Ahead of them was the huge river that Joaquinn had mentioned earlier. There was a small boat and the boatman was staring at them with a piercing look. Joaquinn turned to Harley and whispered, “You stay here.”  Then, he walked toward the boatman.

Harley wondered what it was that Joaquinn had been explaining so earnestly to the weird looking boatman. She couldn’t make out the words. But she could definitely tell by the tone of it that it was something she didn’t want to find out. After a while, Joaquinn took out an envelope from his pocket and showed the piece of paper it contained to the man. The man glanced at Harley for a split second before giving a stiff nod to the reaper.

Joaquinn turned back and came towards Harley with a pleasant smile on his face. “It’s all done,” he said and took Harley’s hand to guide her to the boat. Harley wasn’t feeling very good about the idea now. She wanted to ask Joaquinn if he was sure that their plan was going to work. But she couldn’t do that since she had promised him earlier not to bother with more questions.

“C’mon, now!” Joaquinn called, “Hop in!” Swallowing the lump that had grown on her throat, Harley climbed on the boat.

The boat ride was a quiet and long one. Harley had fixed her stare on the boatman, who had been rowing away without looking at them for once. Minutes later, they reached the end. Instead of wood on this side, the floor was made of concrete. They got down and Joaquinn nodded a thanks to the boatman. Harley doubted if he had even noticed that. The boatman headed back.

Harley couldn’t help but ask, “How are we going to go back?” 

“You don’t have to worry about that part.” Joaquinn said casually. “It’s easier to get out than getting in.”

“Now what?” Harley asked once again since Joaquinn kept standing there for quite some time.

“Shh!” Joaquinn whispered, “I think they sensed our arrival.”

“Who?” Harley was alarmed by Joaquinn’s change in voice.

“The guards.” As soon as Joaquinn whispered out the words, barking of dogs from all directions started to deafen Harley’s ears. “This way!” Joaquinn yelled as he took Harley’s hand and ran towards a corridor.

Harley glanced back for a split second while running along with Joaquinn. She could swear that she had never seen such a sight in her lifetime. At least twenty or more animals were coming at them. But they looked nothing like ordinary dogs. Their heads were huge with eyes looking like they could fall out any moment. Their tongues were dark purple and saliva secreted from them looked like blood.

Harley didn’t look long enough to find more hideous structures on their bodies. She tightened her grip on Joaquinn’s hand and ran faster. The corridor was getting narrower as they ran forward. At some point, it was hard even for one person to move let alone two. The dogs, being huge in size than a human or a reaper couldn’t reach them before the animals got stuck. It meant only one thing. Both the reaper and Harley were stuck as well.

There was this extremely narrow corridor which could crush your bones if you tried to pass through it on one side and the dangerous looking dogs a little further on the other. Joaquinn swore by the realization while Harley started to feel suffocated.

The barking of those animals sounded worst inside the corridor. Harley clapped her hands on her ears tightly. Joaquinn looked down at her with concern. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Please make it stop!” she yelled.

Joaquinn noticed that Harley was in between him and the underworld dogs. So, he moved Harley a bit further to make space for him to pass by her. He then placed himself between Harley and the dogs, his back facing the latter. He pulled Harley closer and said, “You need to calm down.”

Harley buried her face on Joaquinn’s chest, her hands still covering her ears. She felt dizzy. All the chaos around her, the small space, her seasonal asthma and the fact that she hadn’t anything to eat the whole day were good reasons for her to faint. And that she did in a matter of a minute.

Harley woke up in the dark in complete silence. She sat up promptly and pondered over the possibilities of her being in the underworld. “Had I been dreaming?” she thought to herself.

“Hey! Welcome back!” Joaquinn’s cheerful voice proved her wrong and she sighed in relief. That meant, the hope of getting her brother back was still possible. The next moment, she thought about the terrible event she had encountered before she passed out.

“Where are we?” she asked, panic raising with each word.

“Ah! Don’t worry about those nasty animals. They’re gone. We are now safely locked up inside a cell.” Joaquinn said those words as if being locked up in the underworld prison was no big deal.

Harley asked, “What happened exactly when I was out?”

“Well! After you fainted, the guards came to inquire about the sudden outbursts of the hellhounds. Since they found us with no real explanation of trespassing in the underworld, they decided to put us in a cell before informing their master. That’s all.”

Harley secretly appreciated the quality of Joaquinn explaining critical situations easily. By the time, her eyes adjusted to the dark and she could make out his figure sitting in front of her. She sighed and asked, “So, how do we break out of here?”

“I’m still thinking about that.” Joaquinn said casually and pointed to Harley’s backpack, “You better eat something while I plan our escape.”

Harley thought she ought to eat something in order to have some strength for the future troubles she was about to meet. She prepared herself mentally to face more obstacles too. After the greetings from the hellhounds, she thought she could handle just about anything.

Offering Joaquinn the packet of butter cookies that she had brought, which he gladly refused, Harley started to relax as she chewed on her favorite snack. She felt a little more comfortable to ask Joaquinn some more questions which were not necessarily important at the moment but were bothering her mind a lot.

“Why do you think my brother is in the underworld?” She asked quietly, “I mean, isn’t it hell?”

“It is, indeed!” Joaquinn replied, “Why do you ask?”

“Because I can’t think of anything my brother did that was evil enough to land him in hell. Wait a minute! Or is it because of the other person who was supposed to be dead instead?”

“Nope!” Joaquinn shook his head and continued, “even if it was a mistake that your brother died in the place of umm… someone else, he still would end up where he deserved to be. Don’t give me that look before I explain the whole matter. It’s not because he's evil that he ended up in hell. It’s rather because of the lack of a heaven.”

“Lack of what?” Harley couldn’t mask the surprise in her voice.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Joaquinn chuckled, “There is no heaven to begin with. Humans made that place up for the comfort of mind. Every human ends up in hell after they die, which is this underworld.”

“Now that you’ve said that,” Harley said thoughtfully, “I don’t think that there is anyone saint enough to enjoy eternal peace or something. So, I guess, it’s quite logical.”

“Not a saint exactly but there are people who are really good compared to others. And they definitely don’t deserve to be put in the same place. It’s not the flaws in humans but rather the flaws in the whole concept of heaven itself. Do you think eternal peace is even possible? I mean, what is peace without a little chaos, huh?”

“You’re smarter than you look.” Harley thought. Of course, she didn’t say the words out loud.

Joaquinn continued, unaware of Harley’s admiration, “Now, here is how the hell works. To put it in easier language, people who did worse get the worst place whereas the best people get the best, all here in the same underworld. Easy as pie.”

“Isn’t it crazy to think that once we get out of here, me and my brother, we’re going to be the only people who know exactly about the afterlife?” Harley said dreamily.

“Hell, no!” Joaquinn replied with a laugh, “I’m not taking any risks. I’m gonna make Ashton forget about this all. A grim reaper’s kiss can make you forget certain parts of your life, you know.”

“Ew!” The thought of Joaquinn kissing her twin makes her want to puke. Then, she remembered that she was also someone who knows his secrets as well and gulped down the lump on her throat.

“So,” Harley asked, “Do you know where my brother is?” 

“Well, if it isn’t my dear friend.” Joaquinn had turned his head towards the cell door and called the person who had just arrived, much to Harley’s surprise.

“I think I know you, don’t I?” the person brought the torch he was carrying closer to the cell and recognized Joaquinn.

“How can you not?” Joaquinn whined, “I am the grim reaper who brought you here. It had been only a month and you already forgot all about me? I thought you said that you were glad I wasn’t as scary as you thought.”

“Of course, Joaquinn!” he smiled, “I am glad that it was you rather than some other mean reaper. What are you doing here?”

“I’m in trouble, my friend.” Joaquinn stood up and walked to him, “I see you’re in uniform. That means, they’ve already posted you as one of the guards, haven't they?”

“Sure, they did.” the boy said with a doubt.

Joaquinn yelped in joy, “Speaking of perfect timing, huh! C’mon, now, what are you waiting for? Get me out of here.”

“Wait a minute!” The boy took a step back, “What are you talking about? If the master knows about this, he’ll lock me up instead.”

“Oh no, silly! He wouldn’t. Because I’m going to take you out of here with me.” Joaquinn said reassuringly.

“Out of here?”

“Yep!”

“Is that even possible?” The boy asked dreamily. “But I thought you can’t go out into the world if your funeral is already done.”

“Who said that your funeral’s done?” Joaquinn continued, “Remember? You don’t have a family, Alex!”

“My name’s Alec.”  the boy corrected.

“Of course, it is. Now, listen to me carefully. I have a spare soul to put in the underworld. Instead, I can free one from here. Okay! I see, you don’t believe me. Wait a second.” Joaquinn took out the envelope from his pocket and showed the paper to the boy.

“Who is…” Alec tried to ask but Joaquinn instantly said, “We gotta hurry if you want to get out. Now, tell me if you agree on the deal we just made.”

“I don’t know.” The boy simply shrugged his shoulders.

“C’mon, Alan.” Joaquinn tried to persuade him further, “All you need to do is get me out of here and you’re granted a second chance of living your life.”

“But what’s the point if I’m gonna die someday.” The boy argued, “I don’t even have a family to go back to.”

“I know,” Joaquinn thought for a moment before saying, “But what about… her?”

“Her?” the boy’s eyes widened, “You know about her?”

“Yes!” Joaquinn nodded, “I do.”

The boy thought for a moment quietly. Then, his face beamed with hope. “Alright, Joaquinn! I believe you. I’m going to bring the key.” Saying this, the boy had already gone away with his torch and darkness fell into the cell once again.

Joaquinn let out a heavy sigh, “Ah! It’s so bothersome to deal with humans.”

Harley had been listening to their conversation quietly but attentively. She came forward and cleared her throat before asking, “Is it true that his funeral’s not done and that you’re going to help him out?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.” Joaquinn replied, “I don’t stay long enough for people’s funerals. Once I bring them to the underworld, my work is done.”

“So, you just lied to him?” Harley doubted the reaper’s words.

“Do I have any choice?” Joaquinn turned to her and said, “We don’t have an eternity to get your brother out of here. And answering to your hanging question, I don’t even know where he is right now.”

Harley remained quiet. She knew there was nothing she could say to argue with him. After all, she would choose to help her own brother over some stranger named Alec. But her heart panged with sudden guilt.

“Who is her?” She asked quietly.

“What? Who?” Joaquinn asked unknowingly.

“The one you told Alec about.”

“Oh! I don’t know that either. Just made a lucky guess.” Joaquinn shrugged his shoulders.

Harley’s hand clenched into a fist at his apathy, “He could be gay, you know.”

“Once again, lucky guess.”

The boy came back with the key and a huge grin on his face. He unlocked the door without a word and they got out immediately.

“Thank you so much, my friend.” Joaquinn pulled him into a hug and said, “You need to wait here while I finish my job. Then, I’ll be back to get you.”

“You’re really coming back for me, aren’t you?” The boy asked, still a faint smile lingering on his face.

Harley spoke before Joaquin could say anything. “Alec, you’re an amazing person. The world out there doesn’t deserve you. I hope you always remember that.”

“Who are you?” the boy asked in confusion.

“She’s another reaper. Anyway, we gotta go, now. Don’t worry! We’ll come back for you. Bye.” Joaquinn said quickly and pulled Harley by her hand to drag her out of that place through the dark corridor.

It was hard for Harley to keep up with Joaquinn when they ran together. Because, Joaquinn with his huge legs ran as if he was jumping on the moon's surface. Harley, on the other hand, had to take more steps faster to remain by his side. Since it hadn’t been the best day for her, she didn’t feel energetic enough to run anyway. So, after a while, she tripped and fell, hard, on the ground.

Joaquinn kneeled down beside her and asked anxiously, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fucking not!” Harley muttered angrily under her breath.

“Hey!” Joaquinn yelled, “Don’t take out the anger with me. We should hurry if you want to save Ashton. Now, is it my fault that you’re too weak to handle anything?”

“Technically, everything that has been happening is your fault.” Harley snapped back.

“Okay! Fine!” Joaquinn threw his hands up in defeat, “Let’s not run anymore. But at least get up so that we can walk out of the dark.”

Harley did as she was asked to and they both walked quietly for a while. She felt uneasy this way. She felt like she didn’t really have the right to remain angry at this stranger, who had been helping her, even if it was something he needed to do as well.

So, she tried to cool down and asked, “Would you mind me asking about that paper you showed Alec and the boatman? What does it contain?”

“Well, umm… it was sent to me with the name of umm… the person I was supposed to take the soul of.” Joaquinn said rather awkwardly.

“Who is this person?” Harley asked instantly, feeling a little bad for not wanting to know about them earlier.

“I don’t think you should know that.” Joaquinn sounded reluctant to tell her, “You would probably make a huge deal out of it.”

“Why?” Harley asked more curiously, “Are they someone I know?”

Joaquinn scoffed, “Judging by how you reacted earlier for only deceiving a stranger, I don’t think it matters.”

Harley rolled her eyes in annoyance, “Fine! Don’t tell me.”

They walked a few more minutes when they could finally see the light ahead of them. “Can you see it?” Joaquinn asked, pointing at its way and Harley nodded, “Let’s get out of here, then.” Joaquinn started to sprint toward it, leaving Harley no choice but to run after him.

They came out into an opening. It was a large field full of what appeared to be people at first glance. But they were rather different entities; souls of dead humans, guards, demons, monsters etc.

Harley's eyes grew larger at the sight, "Are we caught again?"

"Not yet!" Joaquinn replied shortly and grabbed her hand. A sudden shiver went through Harley’s whole body at his cold touch.

"He's a little too touchy." Harley thought to herself even though it was something she didn't think worthy to be thought of at this time.

"Let's walk out of here casually." Joaquinn dragged her forward. He kept talking while looking straight ahead, "It's the center of the underworld. Did you see the doors around?"

Harley nodded her head. The place was circle shaped and the walls had lots of doors to it. They had gotten out of one of those doors as well.

"Each of them leads to a different place. Now the question is, which one are we supposed to be using?" Joaquinn said.

Harley asked him instead, "Where do you usually bring the souls?"

"To the receptionist." Joaquinn nodded at a woman in front of them, "They are taken to the master and he decides where to put them in."

"I bet the receptionist knows where they are kept." Harley said.

Joaquinn nodded again, "She might."

"We should take a chance." Harley said boldly. Joaquinn looked confused. So, she replied, "Let's ask for help."

Asking for help turned out to be a bad idea.

Harley was reluctant to speak with the receptionist. But the receptionist made both of them answer her questions at once. Bombarding them with questions and receiving different answers almost every time from the two of them, made her suspicious. So, she decided to play it cool with them, but dialed for the master’s number secretly.

“You may wait for a few minutes. I need to make a call to ask the ones who keep the records to let you know where Mr. Ashton Campbell is kept currently.” The woman said with a professional smile on her face.

Joaquinn and Harley glanced at each other and swallowed together. Before Joaquinn could mouth the word ‘run’, someone yelled from behind.

“Holy Molly! Look who I ran into. Joaquinn, my bro.”

“Matilda!” The woman called her, while Joaquinn looked at her in disbelief. “Do you know this man well?”

“Bet I do, Kim.” Matilda walked towards them. “He’s one of the guards.” The receptionist named Kim left out a sigh. She was a good friend of Matilda and trusted her. So, she gave them the location to Ashton’s room, which was a map since the underworld was as big as the earth itself. And they all left the place quietly.

It wasn’t until they entered a door which led them to another corridor (“Jeez, the hell is full of corridors!” Harley thought) they started to talk.

“Thank you for saving my ass just now.” Joaquinn looked at Matilda and let out a huge smile. Harley thought he looked better with a smile.

“It’s nothing.” Matilda replied, “You better explain what’s going on. Who is this living human that you brought here? Don’t tell me you fell for those tricks like me as well.”

Joaquinn laughed at this and said, “She’s a friend. She’s helping me to break out the wrong person I sent here today.”

“No way!” Matilda’s eyes widened, “You kidding me?”

“Absolutely not!” Joaquinn gave a quick explanation of what the real deal was. Matilda nodded her head. “Won’t you introduce me to her?” Matilda elbowed Joaquinn.

“Yeah, sure.” Joaquinn said, “This is Harley as I told you. And Harley, she is one of the reapers, I mean, was a reaper.”

“Why isn’t she anymore, may I ask?” Harley asked, confused at her being suddenly involved with them.

“That’s because,” Matilda replied, herself, “I did the worst thing a grim reaper could do. I fell in love with a human. It is called ‘love at first sight’ I believe. And I refused to take the soul of that person. Now, there you go. That’s the dumbest shit I did. But you know what? I’m not ashamed. Not even a little bit.” Matilda started to laugh at her own speech even though Harley couldn’t see what was so funny about it.

She could only imagine how tragic it must be; given the job of killing a loved one. Even if you knew it was their time to die, you could never bring yourself to do that. Or at least, Harley could never do that.

“The master gave me the job of a guard instead, you know. Just so he could make me regret my poor choice. Because I got to see the love of my life going through the worst punishments of hell regularly. But like I said, I don’t regret nothing.”

“That’s my girl!” Joaquinn pulled her into a hug. Harley wished that she could be hugged like that sometimes too.

“Freeze!” Some guards came behind them with different weapons.

“Shit! We gotta run!” Matilda screamed the order and in the blink of an eye, they started running as if their life depended on it. Actually, it pretty much did.

“Why are we running?” Harley asked, “I thought we got the permission.”

“The permission of only a receptionist. Not the master.” Matilda said sarcastically.

Matilda ran ahead of them, reading the map in between so that they didn’t have to lose time on finding their desired person. But at a point, they ran into a dead end.

“What happened?” Joaquinn asked, “Why are we stopping here?”

“Shit! I should have turned left.” Matilda lifted her head from the map.

Suddenly an arrow was shooted towards her and she was pinned to the wall by her arm, “Fuck! It hurts.” she screamed in pain, making Harley flinch.

“This is it!” Joaquinn sat down with a thud, “Guess I have to serve the master along with you, Matilda.” he muttered.

The guards came running towards them, seizing them by their arms and tying their hands behind them. Neither Harley nor Joaquinn made any complaints at all. But Matilda struggled hard against them only to increase her pain and to give up in the end.

“I’m sorry, friends. I couldn’t come to much help, after all.” Matilda said with a sigh.

“Let’s just leave our fates to the master.” Joaquinn replied.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s going to have a blast.” Matilda scoffed.

They were dragged along with the guards and were forced to follow them. Nobody said anything to the other. Harley understood that begging the guards to let them go would be fruitless. They looked like they were loyal to their master.

The guards took them in front of a cell. Harley observed that this one looked more exclusive than the one they were kept in earlier. It was rather big and cleaner too. The guards checked them thoroughly. They took away Harley’s backpack too. Joaquinn started to get really mad when they took out the contents of his pants pockets.

Joaquinn snapped at the guards and almost started an argument. Meanwhile, Harley noticed that the envelope that made her curious earlier layed on the ground. She took it and opened it to see what’s written there.

Name of the Human: Harley Campbell

Date of birth: 19 January, 2003

Date of death: 15 February, 2023

Time of death: 02: 34 a.m.

Assigned Grim Reaper: Joaquinn

Harley didn’t know what to feel at that time. She could never imagine that it was her instead of her brother who should have died. But the more she thought of it, the more it made sense.

They both had sneaked out of their house to get to one of their friend’s parties. She didn’t want to go. But Ashton insisted upon her coming along with him. That was when the accident took place. That was how the mistake was made. They shared the same surname. They both were born on the same day. They both were present in the car during the accident.

Harley closed her eyes for a few seconds and opened them again. She took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. Then, with a poker face on, she kept the paper inside the envelope and handed it to Joaquinn.

Joaquinn’s eyes grew larger and he looked at Harley suspiciously, trying to read her face. But Harley didn’t budge. She went inside the cell willingly and sat down at a corner.

They sat there in complete silence after the guards left. Joaquinn sat down beside Harley and Matilda fell asleep at another corner across from her. Then, Harley decided to speak.

"So, it was supposed to be me." It was not a question, rather a statement to let Joaquinn know that she had found out.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Joaquinn asked and Harley nodded slowly. Joaquinn muttered something to himself and buried his head in between his knees.

"You could have just told me. You didn’t need to hide it." Harley said quietly.

Joaquinn looked up and turned to face her, "I did it because I had to. I needed your help to make things right. But as far as I know humanity, no one would want to die willingly."

Harley let out a painful laughter, "Then, you only know a fraction of it."

Joaquinn didn't reply. Harley settled down easily and made her space to lie down on the ground. She whispered softly but loud enough for Joaquinn to hear, "If we get to Ashton anyhow, please do me a favor and keep it a secret from him as well."

“You really thought you could work right under my nose without me finding out, huh?” The master scoffed at the three captives. They had been brought before him. He was now the god of their fates. And everybody knew, except Harley, that the master liked to play with them.

“Let me first get done with my old acquaintance.” The master moved towards Matilda and spoke, “Dear Matilda, we met again. I thought we wouldn’t until you finish your 300 years sentence.”

“Here we are!” Matilda shrugged her shoulders.

A frown appeared on the master’s forehead. He looked displeased when he said, “There’s nothing interesting about you. Nothing that excites me at all. I’ll go for the usual punishment. Add 300 years more to your 167 years that’s left.”

Matilda blinked her eyes quickly for a while. Harley wondered if she had been expecting some worst kind of punishment. The master ordered the guards to take Matilda away. But she said, “Please, master, let me talk to the girl. For once.”

When the master nodded she came straight to her and said with a smile, “Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be just fine. But since you’re the only living person I can say this to, I will. Remember that it’s coming from an ex grim reaper’s mouth.”

Matilda took a deep breath before saying, “Life’s too short to waste over stupid mistakes. Please, don’t leave any regrets. So that when it’s your time to die, you can die a happy human.”

Harley could say nothing in return. She glanced at Joaquinn. But he had been keeping his eyes down to the floor. Matilda pulled Harley into a warm embrace. Harley could swear that she had never been hugged like this her entire life. Then, Matilda was taken away.

The master walked around the room, thinking. Harley thought he was probably thinking of how to punish them.

“Alright!” the master announced, “I think I know what to do with you two.” He smirked at Harley, “You’re here to save your brother, right?”

Harley nodded her head rather innocently. She looked a little too desperate. Joaquinn bit his lower lip in frustration. For some reason, he was really mad at himself.

“I will grant you that wish then.” The master said and Joaquinn’s head shot up.

He asked in disbelief, “You’re gonna let us go?”

The master shook his head as he laughed, “Not that easily! But hear me out. I thought for a moment how I had never granted anything to anybody before. So, it might be a good thing to experiment on. But again, there is a condition.”

The master walked to Joaquinn and said to him only, “I will let this slip for only once. If you can make it right this time, you’re free to go. But if you mess up again, just once again, you’re going to have the same fate as your friend, Matilda.”

The master walked back to his seat and asked, “So, tell me, Joaquinn, do you accept it?”

Joaquinn glanced at Harley. But this time, her head was bent downward. Joaquinn swallowed hard and replied, “Yes!”

The master said nothing in return. But Harley noticed a satisfied face when she looked at him for the last time.

The moment Harley had been waiting for had never been closer. Two guards accompanied them to the cell where Ashton had been kept. They opened the cell door and giving a stiff nod went away. Harley stepped inside first followed by Joaquinn.

Ashton was sitting by his bed. He first thought that some guards had visited him. But when he saw his twin sister’s face, which was so much similar to his own, he couldn’t help but cry out.

“Harley!” He stood up and hugged her right away. “Oh, Harley! I’ve been so alone and I missed you so much.” Then, he looked at her face and his smile drowned, “Are you dead too?”

“No, I’m not!” Harley tried to show a smile, “I’m here to bring you back home.”

Ashton looked puzzled at her comment, “But I thought I died.” He looked at Joaquinn and said, “And you were the grim reaper who brought me here.”

Harley nodded and said, “Yes, I know. But there had been some mistakes. He shouldn’t have taken your soul. It should have been someone else. Anyway, we’ve sorted it out. Now, let’s get you out of here before the master comes up with some cruel ideas.”

Ashton nodded even though he wasn’t very sure about the whole matter. They got out of the cell and walked through the corridor. Joaquinn walked ahead of them, map in his hand. Harley thought that he had been exceptionally quiet. Probably giving them some privacy so that they could talk for the last time.

So, they talked. Harley told Ashton everything she couldn’t have. She told him how much she loved him but was never able to express it. She told him how he was the only person Harley cared about. She told him how much she hated her parents for discriminating between them and loving Ashton a little less than they did Harley.

By the time they had reached the river, both the siblings had become too emotional. Harley knew that it was their last meeting. But she couldn’t really say goodbye to her brother in fear that he might refuse to cooperate.

“Let’s get on the boat.” Ashton exclaimed, “I can’t wait to start anew.”

“Wait!” Joaquinn stepped forward, “Ashton! Don’t you want to know who this other person is? The one who’s to die instead of you?”

Harley glared at Joaquinn, shaking her head to remind him of the favor she had asked earlier. Ashton was too confused to understand it. He simply asked, “Who?”

Joaquinn swallowed before saying, “It’s Harley.”

Harley closed her eyes in disbelief. She thought she could trust this reaper only for once. But no!

It took a few minutes before Ashton realized what the reaper had informed. He gasped, “Oh my God! Harley!”

“No, Ashton!” Harley said, cupping her brother’s face in her hands, “It’s okay! Don’t feel too sad. I already know about it and I’ve accepted it too. Please, brother, it’s fine.”

But Ashton had been shaking his head in denial, “There’s no way I’m going back without you. No way! I can’t do this. I can’t take your life.”

“But it’s your life that I’ve been living right now.” Harley argued, “It was meant to be me from the start. Please, Ashton, don’t act like this.”

Ashton hugged Harley once again and Harley sunk into his embrace. Tears started to stream down her face. Ashton, on the other hand, was crying too. Seeing them in such misery, Joaquinn realized he had to step in.

He spoke, his voice shaking from the emotion that had been building inside him unknowingly, “I’m sorry to say this but I don’t think I can do this either. I can’t take your soul, Harley. I just can’t.”

Harley let go of Ashton. She looked furious. She yelled at Joaquinn, “It’s all your fault. You have to fix it now. You have to take my brother back to the world. I’m not taking any ‘sorry’ from you.”

Ashton tried to calm her down. He had never seen Harley in such a vulnerable state before. He pulled Harley back and they sat down on the concrete floor together. Ashton patted her softly on the back. When Harley finally stopped crying, he spoke.

“It’s okay! I’ve already faced death and I’ve accepted it too. Just think about mother and father. They had already gone through my death. How do you expect them to behave if they found out it was you and not me?”

“I don’t give a fuck about them.” Harley snapped.

Ashton chuckled and said each word as if he meant them, “Don’t be so stubborn, Harley. I know you love them, no matter what you say. Okay! If you don’t want to think of them, think of yourself. You have so many regrets. I know you do. But I don’t really have much. I have enjoyed my life the way I wanted to. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t the favorite child. But you had been fulfilling their dreams all this time that you never stopped to think what you wanted for yourself. I know, being a favorite child has its disadvantages. Now, what I want is that you go back and live the life you wanted. Not the one you were meant to. We’ll meet again. Then, I hope you would tell me what a happy and free life you had led.”

Harley suddenly remembered Matilda’s words, “Please, don’t leave any regrets.”

Harley looked at her brother and tears filled her eyes. She buried her head into his neck and sobbed quietly, while Ashton softly stroked her hair.

The boat ride back without Ashton was quiet at first. Harley could feel that her body was screaming for a nap. She was exhausted by everything that had happened in the past few hours. Harley felt as if she had lived through days.

The thought of leaving behind her twin made her eyes watery once again. She didn’t mind them anymore. Never in her life had she cried so hard. She felt that from now on, it would be a little easier for her to cry whenever she needed to. So, she sobbed in her hands freely.

Joaquinn sat closer and unconsciously wrapped his hands around her shoulders. Harley let herself lean onto his chest and cried silently. Then, she suddenly remembered the deal Joaquinn had made earlier with the master. She remembered how his face glowed with glory as if he had been expecting Joaquinn to fail.

“Joaquinn!” She called and looked up to his face, “But the master is going to hold you captive. You’re going to lose the job. You need…”

Joaquinn hushed her up and pulled her into a hug. He whispered to her softly, “It’s okay, Harley. I’ve learned to take responsibility for my actions. Everything was my fault, after all.”

Harley sniffed but remained silent. Joaquinn ran his hands through her hair and said, “I think, I ought to apologize to you. I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t save your brother. I’m sorry, Harley, for everything.”

Harley nodded and said quietly, “Can we please stay like this until we reach the other side?” Joaquinn hummed and pulled her a little closer, letting her relax into his arms.

When they finally reached the spot, Joaquinn gently pulled her away. He held her by the shoulders to support while she got off the boat. The stairs had appeared once again. They climbed the stairs side by side and came into the opening of Mrs. Laferty’s backyard. The dawn was about to break. There was not a soul in sight.

Harley turned to Joaquinn to say her final goodbye. But he shook his head as if he knew what she was about to say. He said, “It’s not a goodbye. I hope we’ll meet again.”

He cupped her face into his cold hands and said, “It’s time for you to go back to being normal again. Don’t worry! I’ll let you remember the part where your brother and… someone you knew advised you to live your life with no regrets.”

Harley nodded her head in agreement. Joaquinn leaned forward to kiss her warm lips gently. Closing her eyes, Harley felt the moment with all her might till it lasted.

Author’s Note: This is the first ever story of the first month for my story club. Since I’m not a pro at this, please consider stupid mistakes. And also, I appreciate your honest feedbacks. The door to constructive criticism is always open to the readers.

Please check out my partner’s work of the month as well and support her > @littlemissblogger​

Death Before Water And Life After It

'The Avonlea Story Club'

Story no. #02 Inspired by prompt: “There was a legend about the well in the garden.” Time Duration: 1 May, 2023 - 31 May, 2023

Word Count: 2.6K Words Warning: horror elements, mention of illness, injuries, deaths etc.

Summary: Spending the summer vacation with an ill grandma in a remote village turns mysterious...

I attempted to write down a rare experience I got to have while I visited my late grandma’s village. The story I am about to tell is no ordinary tale. It is, in many ways, unbelievable too. So, I would rather let my readers decide upon believing it.

It was the summer of 2017. My grandma was diagnosed with a deadly disease and the doctors feared that she wouldn’t make it till the next year.  I had a long vacation of two months from school. I didn’t have any plans either. At that moment, my only desire was to visit my grandma for the last time on her deathbed, even though it was said that she couldn’t recognize anyone.

It was the very first time I sat foot in that remote village. I had expected a lot from it since it was located far away from the city. But in reality, nothing about the village appealed to me. It was just an ordinary village with ordinary people.

My grandma didn’t come to greet me. When I went to meet her, she didn’t even bother to look at me. I could tell by looking in her eyes that she was in pain. But as always, my sweet grandma didn’t want to burden anyone with it. I spent three days in the house without getting out for once. Within these three days, I had constantly sat beside grandma and talked to her in hope that she might recognize her youngest granddaughter at some point. But that didn’t happen.

Finally, it was the fourth day when I got bored of playing offline games on my phone. Since the network connection wasn’t the best at that place, I decided to take a look at my surrounding areas. Like I had mentioned before, the village had nothing interesting to enjoy. There was no place for sightseeing.

After some minutes of aimlessly walking around I came to a stop near what looked like a ruin of an old garden. I spent a minute or two looking at its broken gate. Then I finally went in. Once again, I was disappointed after finding nothing but a bunch of wild plants growing all around the place.

There was an old well at the far corner. I felt like I should go and check it before I left the place for good. As I walked towards it I felt uncomfortable and strange. I remembered I was all alone in an abandoned garden with no house that could be seen or people that could be heard.

Yet I couldn’t turn back without a close view of the well. It was as abandoned as the garden itself. Vines and roots grew all around it. The huge stones had cracks. When I peeked inside I was shocked to see water that hadn’t dried out yet. I could see my reflection perfectly in the black water inside.

I was about to go away when I heard someone behind me. There was a little boy sitting on the ground, his back leaning against the well. 

How come I didn't notice him in the first place?

He wasn’t wearing much clothes than necessary, I guessed it was because of the hot weather. He was dirty from his head to toe. I went closer to check on him. I found out that he was humming a tune while scratching his ankles.

“Hey!” I called him, “What are you doing here, all alone?”

He quitted humming at my intrusion and glanced at me for a moment. Then he looked down on his ankles and started to scratch them again. I felt an urge to stop him from doing that. His feet looked swollen and red.

Instead I asked, “Where are your parents?”

“They died… long ago,” he answered in a low voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that!” I went closer to sit in front of him, “Do you live nearby?” There were no houses in sight that could suggest his home. But I still looked around for any sign of life.

In reply, the boy looked at the well behind him for a moment. Then, he looked at me and asked, “Are you a foreigner?”

“No. I came from the city.” I replied.

“So, you are a foreigner!” he stated. This time with a thrill in his eyes. So, I nodded my head in defeat. Maybe he considered everyone apart from the villagers a foreigner.

“You shouldn’t do that.” I said, indicating his merciless scratching.

“It’s okay!” he smiled at me, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

I studied his face for a while. Even though it was dirty, I could tell that the boy was really beautiful. He had big doe eyes with long eyelashes. His small mouth looked really cute when he smiled. Also, he had the kind of smile that makes others do the same at its sight.

So, I automatically smiled back at him.

“C’mon!” I stood up, “I’m going now. You shouldn’t be here all alone. This place is giving me the creeps.”

“You’re going away already?” the boy asked. The smile on his face was gone. His big eyes were filling up with tears all of a sudden.

“Aww, don’t cry.” I said, giving him my hand, “I'm not leaving you. I’ll take you to your home.”

“I can’t go.” he shook his head.

“Why?” I asked, rather astonished at the bold reply coming from an otherwise soft spoken little boy.

The boy retreated to his previous position. He continued humming the tune and scratched his ankles as well. I tried convincing him to come with me for some time. He started to completely ignore me.

I checked my watch. It was past lunch time. I knew grandfather was probably really angry by now because he doesn’t like delaying meal times. So, I told the boy to go home early and not to come to the place again. I had to leave him alone by the well.

I had almost forgotten all about it. But another meeting reminded me of my encounter with the little boy by the well.

I laid awake in my bed. The little boy sat at the furthest corner from me. I stared at him for some time, watching him scratch his ankles and humming the familiar tune.

When our eyes met, he let himself smile. "You're awake!" He stated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I came because you didn't come to see me again." He replied.

"Did you wait for me?" I asked.

The boy nodded.

"Where?"

"Why? By the well in the garden!"

"Didn't I tell you not to go there alone?"

The boy laughed at me, "But I live there, silly."

I didn't understand him. Suddenly I remembered I was sleeping and I hadn't really woken up.

How could I tell that I was dreaming?

"Oh no! You're gonna wake up now, aren't you?" The boy pouted his lips.

"How do you…" I couldn't finish my question. I was already awake. And as I checked, the boy was gone too.

I couldn't make myself go back to sleep again. It was already dawn. So, I walked around the house. I heard my grandma calling me from within her room as I walked past it. My eyes grew larger.

She remembered me!

"Oh, granny. My lovely, granny." I sprinted inside her room and hugged her.

"When did you come, my love?" She asked, a sweet smile on her lips.

"Almost a week ago."

We talked for some time. Grandma said that she felt a lot better and was so happy to see me. She wondered why mother didn't come. I said she was very busy with her work. I lied because I didn't want to worry her about mother's health. And I knew she wasn't the type to get hurt when someone couldn't manage their time. It is a cruel world, after all.

At some point, grandma was reminiscing about the old times. Long ago when she was young and not yet married. She used to live here, in this village, at that time. She talked as if her memory of her childhood was just a few days back. I felt like she had forgotten me at some stage and mistook me for her best friend of childhood instead as she talked.

At one point, I asked her about the old garden. I asked if it was in use at her times. She looked at me with dreadful eyes, "don't speak of it. Don't you know, it's a forbidden place to walk in?"

"Why is it forbidden, Grandma?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, dear!" She suddenly started to laugh, "I keep forgetting that it's you." and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Grandma," I called, "Please, tell me about the garden. I wanna know."

"It was a long time ago. Even before I was born. There was a legend about the well in the garden." grandma spoke dreamily.

"What legend?"

"At the time when the first gypsies came to settle down in the land, it was a barren one. No river. No rain. Nothing. Nobody knows why the river gypsies chose to live in such a land after years of floating in water. But they struggled against this land. It wasn't habitable for life at all. They decided they'll excavate a well. After months of labor they did it too. But it was only a matter of days  before the water dried out after the well was built."

"Why?" I asked as grandma stopped to take a breath.

Grandma nodded, "it was a cursed place. Everyone in the village had dreams about the well afterwards. An unknown entity would visit them in their dreams and ask them to negotiate with it. The negotiation was a human life in exchange for water.

"People were scared. They forbade everyone to go near the well. They decided to leave the place for good. Some of them even ran away from home in fear. But the nightmares didn't stop. The entity was hungry for human life. Finally, it got what it wanted.

"A little boy of a lonely mother wandered off to the well one day. When he returned home at sunset, both of his legs were found being chained. The mother walked along the long chains only to find that it led inside the very well her people had built. The more they pulled the chains, the more it grew in length, coming out of the dried well. No blacksmith could damage the chain, not even a little scratch could be made on it.

"The villagers started to see a different version of their same old nightmare. The entity now asked them the life of that little boy only. Then, started the gossip.

"The boy was an illegitimate child. His mother was not a very welcomed person in the community. They lived almost a separated life. Maybe the entity chose wisely. Maybe they should abide by its rule. Maybe the boy could be sacrificed for the sake of all.

"But the mother was a mad woman. She wouldn’t give up on her only gem. She would rather her son lived with the chains around his legs forever. The child cried. He cried all day and night. He said that his legs itched. And as he scratched them again and again, the skin had peeled off and left him wounded.

"'Mama, it hurts.' The boy pleaded with his mother to get rid of his shackles. But nothing could be done for his aid. The villagers, at one point, stopped even trying. The herbal remedy his mother gave him was useless.

"'Let me go, then.' The boy pleaded again. His mother denied.

"Finally, the boy decided for himself. When his mother would be asleep, he would go to the well again. He would ask the well what it wanted from him. And so he did. Nobody heard of the little boy anymore. Someone said that the boy had jumped off to the well himself. But nobody knew because there wasn't a body to be found.

"Since that day, there hasn't been any scarcity of water from the well. The well never dried off after. A beautiful garden grew around the land. No-one had any more nightmares. The gypsies finally overcame another adversary that was the most challenging in their community life. They lived happily ever after."

Grandma finished her story and looked at me with a smile.

"But Grandma," I spoke, "this isn't the type of story that ends with 'happily ever after'."

"Why not?" grandma asked, "the villagers, in fact, did live happily."

"What about the boy? And his mother?"

"Now," grandma stated, "they weren't the hero of my story, were they?"

"You've got a point," I said, "But don't you think that the boy could be the most tragic hero if it was said from his perspective?"

"He could be." Grandma thought for a moment, "Why don't you rewrite it in your own words then? Maybe you can do him some justice."

Before I left grandma for breakfast, I asked her one last question, "since everything is resolved, why did you say that it was a forbidden garden in the beginning?"

"Because, darling!" She looked at me as if it was so obvious, "the little boy can still be seen roaming around it."

I went to the garden that day. It was obvious what grandma told me was just a legend. And a legend can be a lie. Or at least partially. Maybe there was an incident of a boy's drowning. Maybe the nightmares originated from the collective superstitious belief of the gypsies. Or maybe, just maybe, there was an entity involved.

Whatever happened a long time ago, I could never know them for sure. I could only assume the story from my perspective and my beliefs in particular superstitions. But I didn't feel like I could rest till I saw that little boy again and demanded some kind of explanation. It might sound a little crazy to the readers but my mind couldn't make out any reasonable explanation of the boy's peculiar behavior at the moment.

I waited from morning till noon. But he didn't come. I didn’t know that some terrible news awaited me at home other than the fear that grandfather might be mad at me for missing another lunch.

Grandma was no more. My sweet, lovely grandma. The grandma who had talked with me just this dawn. I was told that the servant found her dead when he went to serve her breakfast. I almost didn’t believe it. But I accepted at last as we all do eventually.

I stayed till the funeral was over. Then I immediately packed everything to leave the place. I didn’t think I could stay at the house without feeling my grandma's presence.

But before I left, I had to solve something within myself. I had to see the boy again. I went to the garden for the last time. And as expected he was already waiting for me.

"Why didn't you tell me everything beforehand?" I questioned him, "Didn't you want me to know?"

"You know because I showed you." The same old smile on his face.

"But why me, of all people?"

He walked towards me and placed his cold hands on mine. It was the only time he had really touched me. He said hopefully, "You'll let them know, won't you? They'll finally know."

"Know what?" I asked, a little confused.

"The truth!"

I didn't understand him wholly that day. After years it somehow dawned on me. The little boy wanted the world to know. Not just the legend of the well in the garden. But the little life it took that made it possible.

Author's note: The story is inspired by a folktale my grandma had long ago told me that originated from her hometown. It was about how a pond was excavated and a child's life was offered for it to contain water. There are many versions of this story. The story is really memorable to me and honestly, I still get chills whenever I think about it. I made some changes to the plot to match the given prompt. I don't know if I could do it any justice. But I'm glad I made an effort to preserve one of the less known folktales of my country.

P.S. The country is Bangladesh…

Most people got annoyed with me as I freaked out seeing a spider in my class today. The spider was small, I admit, but it was jumping like crazy in a lightning speed. And trust me when I say, it scared me to death.

I'm not joking when I say I'm scared of spiders. Spiders are my worst nightmares.

I was scared of it since I was a child. My mother also used to get annoyed at me. Whenever I complained about a spider in our bathroom, she would force me to go in, instead of removing it. I feared it so much, that I had scary nightmares of it for a long time. I even cried myself to sleep some nights. I would pray to God to remove all kinds of spiders around me.

I got older. But my fear didn't go. Recently I went to stay with one of my aunts from my father's side of the family. There were huge spiders on their walls of the room I was staying in. And guess what? I stayed up most of the night and watched them move along the walls. Since I was very tired, eventually I fell asleep. But the moment I woke up next day, I searched for the location of those little creatures immediately.

An information to you, who get annoyed by any people freaking out at a thing which you may find pretty silly: People don't freak out to get attention.

I swear, I was embarrassed to death when I came to my sense after those brief moments of panic. I could hear my heart beating upto my throat. As an overthinker, I would probably relive those moments the whole day and probably the whole week. It's not like I can make all the choices for my brain.

We Are Only Seven - Chapter 1

Fandom: BTS Characters: OT7 (Devil!Namjoon, Demigod!Seokjin, Wizard!Yoongi, Angel!Hoseok, Werewolf!Taehyung, Gumiho!Jimin, Vampire!Jungkook) For a visual representation check these >>> VMinKook & NamJinSope Warning: Nothing so far... Word Count: 2k Words

Summary: In a world ruled by humans, the other worldly, non-humans are in hiding. But how long will it last this way?

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 [Complete]

The year 1021:

“When will it take place?” Namjoon asked his friend who came to visit him on his cell.

“Tomorrow, during the sunset.” His angel friend replied.

Namjoon slowly nodded. He couldn’t see her face properly due to the lack of light inside the cell. After all, there were no windows. It’s just the fire outside which casted a little light through the door.

“There is still time.” The angel came near him, “You only have to make an official apology. They will let it slide this time.”

“Did the Guardian angel ordered you to say that?” Namjoon asked rather boldly.

The angel cleared her throat, “Yes, she did. But I would have asked you to do the same.”

Namjoon let out a chuckle, “Really? You, of all people?”

“Namjoon,” she came to sit beside him and held his hands, which felt surprisingly cold against her warm skin, “Please, do this for my sake. I can’t bear to lose you.”

Namjoon caressed the back of her hands, “Don’t worry, it will be less hard for you all. They are going to erase all of me from your memories. You will not even remember who I was.”

“Do you think I want that?”

“It wouldn’t matter anyway.”

“But you will remember everything, won’t you? How will you live without us, without all of this?”

Namjoon kept silent. He tried to swallow down the growing lump in his throat. There was nothing he could do about the punishment. It was inevitable, unless he decided to step away from what he strongly believed. It was something impossible for him to do. He was a man, slave of his conscience.

The angel stood up and walked slowly towards the door. She stopped there and glanced back. At that moment, Namjoon desperately wanted to confess his love to her. He thought, “she wouldn’t remember me anyway.”

“Do you have anything left to tell me?” she asked.

Namjoon said, “I love you.”

The angel gave a painful laughter and nodded her head, “I know. I always did.”

Present day:

The sound of the heavy rain seemed to have muted the surrounding. A man in a rather large cloak was walking along the side of the street. The hood was covering most of his face. He kept glancing back every now and then as if he was afraid someone might follow him.

He bumped into someone as he took a turn. “Sorry!” he mumbled.

“Have you gone blind?” the person said, his voice irritated, “Look, what you have done?”

It was only that some parts of his shirt got wet with the rain as his umbrella fell down. It would have been no big deal to an ordinary man. But he was no ordinary man. He was Kim Seokjin, son of the most beautiful being to ever exist, the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

“Sorry,” the man in the cloak said once again and hurried towards his destination. But Seokjin grabbed him by his hand.

“Where do you think you are going, young man? I’m not finished with you yet.”

“Sir,” the cloak man called, “Don’t block my path. I can’t deal with you now. I have an urgent work at hand.”

“What if I do block your path?”

“You might regret it.”

“Make me!” Seokjin scoffed.

Then the cloak man did something unexpected. He took out a small bottle filled with some purple liquid from under his cloak and threw its content at Seokjin’s face.

“What the…” before he could finish his sentence the cloak man jerked away from him and started to walk.

“Hey!” he called as his vision started to get blurry, “What did you do to me?” He was completely in the dark by the time he finished his question.

“Don’t worry, sir!” the cloak man yelled back at him, “It’ll only last for a day.”

The year 1021:

Namjoon appeared before the anticipated crowd. His punishment was finally going to be announced and executed. He felt relieved. After days of being tormented and forced to step back from the decision he had made, it felt like a peaceful moment to be finally discharged, even if that meant he was to be banished to the earth.

All the heavenly figures looked at him, some with curiosity in their eyes, some with hatred and despise, while some with grief, even some with pride and admiration. It occurred to him then, why the devil was the first to be casted away from the heaven. There were more fallen angels after him that nobody knew of or simply didn’t care about.

Namjoon stood straight in front of the Guardian angel. His posture showed that he wasn’t afraid. He was ready to accept the punishment for declining the Gods’ order. The only thing that bothered him was losing his wings. The wings, which he was born with. The pain was equivalent to someone losing their arms or legs, perhaps even more

“Kim Namjoon,” The Guardian called, “You were one of the best angels we had. How did it come to this?”

Namjoon remained silent. He kept pondering over the word, ‘were’.

“We will ask you once again.” The Guardian further said, “Do you accept your mistake and apologize to the whole angel community and the Gods and the Goddesses above?”

“I do apologize to the whole community for not being able to be a better leader. For if I was, I’m sure they would have followed me to the path I chose for myself. But alas! Not a single angel accepted my proposal.”

Hearing this, the crowd broke into a loud protest. The Guardian angel gestured them to remain quiet. Then, she added, with a loud and clear voice, “If it is so, we are afraid you will be banished from the heaven and send to the earth down below."

“I accept my punishment gladly.” Namjoon said, his voice sharp.

The Guardian sighed. There was a hint of pain visible on her face. “Do you have any last wish to make?” she finally asked.

“I wish to keep my wings. This is the only request I make to the majesty. And if your majesty refuses, I would make no protest neither any more requests.”

Another shout broke out from the crowd. Someone yelled, “Wings are the sign of angels. How can you wish to keep it, you devil?”

“Silence.” The guardian rose from her seat. The crowd grew silent once again.

She turned to Namjoon and declared, “Kim Namjoon, I officially give you the permission to keep your wings. But there is a condition. Once on earth, your wings will bear the color pitch black as a mark of disgrace.”

Namjoon bowed his head with his white wings opened wide. He had accepted the condition.

Present day:

The man in the cloak proceeded to his basement. He had found everything he needed, every answer to his questions. What was left to be done was building up his courage to finally do the task.

“Well, well,” someone spoke up from behind him, “if it isn’t the wizard in disguise.”

Before the man could move, he was pulled back by a rope. He sat down on a chair with a thump and the intruder immediately tied him up in a flash. He recognized the stranger at once. It was no other than Kim Seokjin.

“Who are you?” he asked, “How did you find me?”

“Wait!” Seokjin held up a hand in front of him, “I think it’s my turn to ask you questions.”

“You’re underestimating my power, whoever you are.” The man said it like a threat.

Seokjin started to laugh, “You sound a lot more confident than in the state you are in.”

When he was about to say something more Seokjin held up his hand once again and said, “First, hear me out. This is not just an ordinary rope. It’s called the rope of Hestia. I believe you’ve heard about it.”

The man nodded and said as a matter of fact, “I see.” he seemed to think for a while. Then, he added, “Since you’ve recovered from my spell sooner than any ordinary man and carrying one of the most important items of a Goddess, you are definitely no mortal. Now tell me what you are? A God? Perhaps a Demigod?”

“You’re quick, I see.” Seokjin said, impressed.

The man scoffed at this remark, “How did you get hold of that rope?”

Seokjin thought for a moment, “Let’s say, Hestia was really impressed by me.”

“Let’s say, you actually stole it.”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter now. Since you’re unable to tell any lie, I ask you to reveal your true identity at once.”

The man sighed and answered, “My name’s Min Yoongi. I am 24 years of age. I am a wizard by profession…”

“Wait, what?” Seokjin interrupted him, “You’re a year younger than me? No way, you look like a father of two already.” He started to laugh again.

Yoongi was getting really annoyed by his jokes, “Can we please get to the point? What do you want from me?”

“The truth.” Seokjin replied flatly, “I know you’re up to something. Tell me what it is.”

Yoongi replied, “I’m trying to summon up an angel.”

Both of them gasped at once; Seokjin, for the shocking revelation and Yoongi, to have found out that the rope of Hestia actually worked on him.

Present day:

Namjoon sat by the corner in a bench. It was his usual place. He loved it here because it was peaceful and somewhat relaxing. The children could be seen playing at a distance, their chattering could be heard.

Someone came to sit beside him, “If you don’t mind, may I sit in here?”

Namjoon nodded his head in affirmation. The lady tried to make a small conversation. But since Namjoon didn’t sound very enthusiastic in his replies, she didn’t continue any further.

Namjoon had no other option but to follow this rule he had made for his safety in this dangerous world. If anyone found out about his true identity, he would get caught. Then, Gods knew what would be his final fate.

A Frisbee was thrown at his direction. A kid was gesturing him to throw it back to them. Namjoon stood up and walked towards it to pick it up.

Suddenly, his head started to spin. First, it seemed like his surroundings were vibrating. As he looked towards the ground, he felt it to be shaking rather violently.

Namjoon panicked. “What’s happening to me?” he thought.

He started to lose his sight as everything started to get blurry. The lady asking him if he was okay sounded very distant to him. Then, something exploded in his head.

“Ugh,” he growled in pain. The back of his shirt was torn. The large black wings, which was by then invisible to the mortal eyes, appeared in his back.

The children started to cry and scream in fear. The lady started to take a few steps back, “What is this thing?” she yelled, “Oh my God! Someone call the emergency.”

Then, his knees gave up and he fell to the ground. But what was expected to be a grassland, turned out to be a hard floor beneath him. His head started to feel normal again and the visions slowly came back to him. He knew by his surrounding that he was at a very different place now. He could hear a conversation before him distinctively.

“Does it look like an angel to you?” someone asked.

“Well, I don’t know.” Another replied in annoyance, “You are the one who’s supposed to have seen angels in real life.”

“And I did.” The first one said, “But trust me, never in my life had I seen an angel with black wings, fully dressed in black from his head to toe.”

My Masterlist

My YoonKook 😭

You think I follow you around because I like you? I'm not worried at all about you. What is there to worry about for you? I'm the one who should be worried. But do you know why I come to see you? Jungkook mumbled on about things which were all incomprehensible. It's because I like your music. When I listen to your music, I get all teared up. Me, I get all teary. I feel like dying about a dozen times a day. But when I listen to your music, I want to live. YOONGI 12 MAY YEAR 22 HYYH; THE NOTES

The End of the F***ing World (Season 1)- Review

We want to be in control of our lives. That's why we love shows like "The End of the Fucking World", where teenagers can finally leave their toxic households and go on the run.

Honestly, at first I found the plot stupid. The first episode, too, seemed pretty boring. The only reason I continued to watch was "Alex Lawther". I love him. Like, REALLY, love him. And the more it advanced, the more I liked it.

The best thing about the series is probably the cinematography and the music. They'll make you vibe and chill with it. You'll get some funny feelings too.

"The girl who felt too much and the boy who felt nothing."...The romance was cute. It builded slowly by the time. I appreciate that. It is almost like a modern day Romeo-Juliet. And honestly it couldn't have been better.

Sometimes it's hard to see through other people's eyes. Sometimes we misunderstand our parents. Sometimes we are misunderstood by them. Misunderstanding is a great flaw of life. It's like when life can't find any drama, it makes one.

Overall, the whole series was neat. But I wish they didn't make the second season. Because, though shocking, the ending was one of the best. I'm still gonna watch the second season though. Again, because I love Alex. <3

And also, I think, Alyssa looks super cute...

My Mysterious Neighbour

Fandom: The Tale of the Nine Tailed

Characters: Lee Rang, reader, some bullies.

TW: Bullies (nothing too violent)

I couldn’t believe that my friend left for home without me just because I was in a detention. I waited for her when she was there. Now I had to walk home all alone through this seemingly vacant road.

I was in a really bad mood as I walked home thinking how terrible the day had been. As if the day could have been worse, I heard footsteps behind me. “y/n”, I stopped to turn back when I heard someone calling me, “where is your little girlfriend who’s always stuck to you with a glue?”

It was Henry, the biggest bully in our school. I noticed that his three sidekicks were also behind him chuckling like idiots in his not-really-funny joke. Then I saw something which sent a chill down my spine. Henry had a pocket knife in his hand.

“What are they gonna do to me?” I thought to myself as they approached me taking some slow steps. I knew Henry was not right in his head. Juniors from school feared him. But fortunately I never had to encounter him and his group. But I guess, my unfortunate day had arrived.

I knew there was nothing I could do since they were more in numbers. But I still needed to try. So I turned back and ran as fast as I could. I was never a good runner. In fact, I always came last in school races. They eventually caught up with me and one of them grabbed me by the hair. Tears came through my eyes as a sudden pain shot through my head.

“Stop!” I shouted at Henry and struggled to get free. They were all giggling like some crazy people. I doubt if any of them had any sanity left in them.

Then I saw a car came and parked beside us. They let go of my hair and I ran toward the car. I was relieved to see Lee Rang stepping out of it.

Lee Rang was my neighbour. We had crossed path once in a while but never really talked. I found him uniquely attractive and wanted to get acquainted.  But he always seemed like he had some urgent works and also there was always a girl with him.

He was surprisingly alone today and it seemed like he wasn’t busy either. “Need a hand?” I wondered whom he asked that question. “Of course not the bullies!” I thought to myself. Then he gave me reassuring smile and my temporary fear melt right away.

“Why don’t you come one at a time at her?”

“Who the fuck are you?” Henry shouted back at him.

Rang gave a sly smile and said, “Trust me, you don’t wanna find out.”

This made Henry mad somehow and he came at him with his knife. Rang grabbed his hand and twisted it, making the knife fall on the ground. Henry screamed in pain. The others didn’t dare to move.

“I’ll let you off today, little ones.” Rang told them, “Only don’t let me catch you again.”

Then he came back and lead me inside his car. We got in. He looked at me and asked in a rather gentler voice than before, “Are they angry tears on your face?”

“Yes!” I burst out, “I hate it came this way. If only I could punch him in his face!”

I didn’t expect Rang to laugh at this. He gave me twisted smile and asked, “then why don’t we go back and make your wish come true?”