MILKY WAY TIME: 4 YEARS AND 11 MONTHS SINCE NAMJOON AND SEHUN WENT MISSING

SEHUN AND NAMJOON'S TIME: 47 HOURS SINCE HE WENT MISSING

Being the brother of Park Jimin means Jihyun has an intense fear of heights. The best part: it's gotten worse over the years. And right now, shit is going crazy. How the hell did they go from solid ground near pyramids to flying rocks in a sky? He didn't sign up to play skipping stones or hop scotch. He just wanted to serve his brother and do his part in protecting the solar system. Now, he's here.

Rosalind shifts her gaze to meet his, the two staying in the back together. Despite her wound re-opening, she's looking much better thanks to Stevie and Jeon Jung-motherfucking-kook. Jihyun still isn't over that. The best friend of his brother is here, only inches away, and he brought a robot Jimin made. A robot. A flying little robot. Jihyun is an engineer, sure, but he's never met anyone who can do the things Jimin can.

The skipping stones are large enough to hold several people, but Jihyun doesn't trust it. "So, does anyone want to explain what we do?" Jihyun asks.

"We jump," Akira says. He motions to the shaking ground and glowing pyramids behind them. "Unless you'd rather go say hi to the glowing dildos."

Jungkook jumps without warning. Sehun reaches out for him on instinct, but Namjoon keeps him grounded. Executive Jeon taps his foot against the hard substance and snorts.

"Not bad. I don't feel like I'm gonna fall to death. Let's get moving, yeah? Stevie, report," Jungkook says.

"Not sure, sir. I cannot identify how these boulders are flying. It appears to be some kind of game of hopscotch. It's like someone is toying with us."

"Ah, great. The aliens are having fun watching us suffer. Let's get moving, I don't want to be anywhere near those pyramids anymore."

Sehun goes up next, and Jungkook helps him. Jungkook guides him to jump to the next one, Namjoon hopping on in Sehun's place. Jihyun lets Rosalind go first much to her protest, but she eventually does as she's told. As soon as Namjoon is with Sehun, Jihyun crosses the gap.

Jihyun can't shake the feeling of being watched, but he doesn't bring it up with the others. The last thing they need is more panic. Plus, he has no proof of it. He brushes it off and instead pats Jungkook's shoulder as he passes by.

"Go, I'll hold the rear. Stevie, keep scanning and let us know if there are any traps here," Jungkook says.

Stevie agrees, staying close to Sehun and Namjoon as he scans the rocks over and over again. Jihyun stomps on his nerves and jumps to the next stone at the same time Sehun jumps ahead. The boulder Sehun's on trembles, but it doesn't fall.

"Keep it up, we're doing good," Akira says from his spot next to Jungkook. "You sure you don't want me to hold the rear?"

"I'm sure. Let's keep moving before we waste more time."

The crew continues jumping between rocks. No one brings up Namjoon disappearing into a pyramid and coming out with a glowing stylus. Like Jungkook said, they need to move before they waste more time.

The glow from the stylus has calmed down, but Namjoon seems to be treating it like a fragile artifact. "Why do you keep cradling that thing like it's your child?" Jihyun asks.

Namjoon waves him off, jumping to the next rock. "I have a gut feeling we'll need it. It feels like a part of me. Something I need. That probably doesn't make any sense, but I don't know how else to describe it, Uncle Ji."

Jihyun tries not to show the terror he feels from those words, but it's impossible. How does Namjoon have a feeling about an object in an alien world? Something drew him inside that pyramid; something brought him there to grab that thing. Is it a trap? It's just a stylus, how harmful can it be? Then again, pyramids are supposed to be structures, not dangerous weapons. Now, they're glowing.

Jungkook stops. "You hear that?"

Almost right after the sentence leaves his mouth, a 'shriek!' sounds off and causes the rocks to shake. Rosalind wobbles, Jihyun steadying her. Jihyun, Namjoon, and Rosalind are on one rock. Akira is with Sehun on the next, Jungkook behind them on the rear while Stevie floats around.

Before Jihyun can process what's happening, a creature flies up from under them, screaming at them and flapping its large wings. Jihyun swings his pistol forward, planting his feet and preparing to shoot if anything goes awry.

"Scanning," Stevie says, pointing his beams out at the creature. It snarls, fury filling its eyes. "Stay quiet, I don't think it likes us very much. We're intruding on its property."

Despite wanting to yell at Stevie about that being obvious, Jihyun glues his mouth shut and reminds himself that the last thing anyone needs is him messing up. He's done that enough. All it takes is one more slip up and they're dead.

"I don't like this," Rosalind murmurs. "Why is it watching us? Normally when creatures watch like this, it's because they're toying with us. Jihyun, if it were up to me, I'd say shoot it."

Namjoon glances at her. "We should wait, don't you think? Maybe it'll let us pass. No need to draw more attention to ourselves. What if more come because of the gunshot?"

"He's got a point, Rosa," Jihyun says. "But I'll take the shot if it moves to hurt us. You have my word."

However, he doesn't get the chance. Instead of the creature moving, the ground beneath them does. It shakes so hard Jihyun is thrown to the surface, his comm breaking because of the force of it. He yells out a curse.

"Jihyun! Are you okay?" Rosa asks.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. What was that?"

"The pyramids," Stevie says, running a scan. "They're becoming more active. Something must be triggering it, but what?"

"Make your hypothesis later. We need to get away from this creature and into the next biome, now," Jungkook says, and the crew obeys his command.

Jihyun keeps his weapon trained on the flying creature that flaps its wings and screeches here and there. It looks like a bat that flew through a grinder. Part of its gray face is ripped off and hanging off its body. The wad of flesh is attached by a few strings, presumably muscles and tendons. It has three eyes in a triangle-like shape on its head. A tail longer than a cat's is near the end of its body and sways back and forth in the wind. More creatures come and observe the scene.

Jihyun glances between them, then takes a risk: he jumps to the next rock. It trembles but doesn't fall, and the creatures don't come after him. In the distance, through the fog, he can see land. Solid ground that won't lead to a bottomless abyss.

Without thinking, Jihyun goes rapid-fire. He hops between the boulders and doesn't slow down. This is no time for caution, and if the creatures are going to go after someone, he hopes it's him instead of Rosalind or Namjoon. He'd never forgive himself if his brother's son got hurt under his care.

Jihyun hears the flapping of wings behind him. The bat-like monsters follow him and yell. What sounds like liquid splashes on the ground behind him. He halts and whips around. The bats are spitting balls of moisture at him. When an orb lands on his sleeve, he screams and falls to the ground, dropping his pistol.

It's acid.

He rips off his sleeve and notices the burn mark scorched on his arm. Bubbles form around where the liquid hit, and he gasps for air. As soon as he's down, the animals don't bother shooting him more. He hyperventilates and faintly hears the rest of the crew calling for him, but his mind is fuzzy. Dizziness and blackness fills his gaze, but he doesn't stop. His brother's face flashes in his mind. Jimin hasn't seen Jihyun in eighteen years. Jimin lost Jihyun once. Jihyun would make damn sure he wouldn't lose him again.

His hand gripped his pistol, and with energy flooding his veins, he got to his feet and wobbled. Five bats are in front of him, observing his every move.

"Watch this, motherfuckers," he whispers before pulling the trigger.

The first bat falls thanks to the clean shot through its head. The other four scream, but Jihyun gives them no time to recover from the shock. He downs another before jumping to the next rock, going in a zig-zag pattern to throw off their aim as they return fire. He goes as fast as he can, only stopping to take shots at the three bats following him. Due to the chaos of the situation, he doesn't hit any others, but his focus is on making it to the other side.

The fog is clearing. The rumble of the pyramids is an echo in the wind. The surface is close; it looks like discolored grass, but the fog is too thick to tell. Coughs force their way out of his throat, and the dizziness fades to give way to rage. Red fills his vision, and he uses it to push through. Ten stones left.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four-

'Wham!'

Another ball of acid hits him, this time in the back. He goes flying to the nearest rock face-first. The pistol flees his grasp and falls into the void below him. He pants and whips around with his fists raised. The three bats close in with their mouths open like a hyena's. Jihyun can see the acid forming on their long, snake-like tongues.

But they don't get the chance to finish him off.

A flying orb rushes into view, and lasers shoot out from the small body. Stevie arrives, making quick work of the remaining three bats. As soon as the animals are gone, Jihyun slumps to the ground.

"Fucking took you long enough," Jihyun says, and Stevie makes a sound that resembles a chuckle.

"You're faster than you look, sir. Can you walk?"

"I think so. My adrenaline is spiking, I can make it to the next biome."

"Very well. It appears those were the only creatures in the area. I will alert the others that it is safe to continue."

"Keep an eye on Rosa and Joon for me, okay?" Jihyun asks, and Stevie's face turns into a smile.

"Ah, yes. The girl you get a boner for and the boy you feel the need to protect. I will see to it that they're safe."

"Wait, no-"

Stevie leaves before Jihyun can protest. Jihyun gazes at the robot Jimin made, and he finds himself laughing. A robot just cracked a joke. Maybe it wasn't a joke, but Jihyun chooses to take it as one.

The adrenaline masks the pain in his arm and back, but he knows he'll feel it as soon as the action dials down. He makes his way to the next biome and sits as soon as he makes the final jump.

The fog is gone, replaced by clear air that smells better than New York City ever did. Jihyun can almost taste the freshness. The sky is so clear he can see all the stars above him. It looks like a dream. Little stubs of orange grass poke Jihyun's legs. There are no creatures in the vicinity. No trees, no bushes, no bugs, no animals. Just Jihyun and the vast clearing with orange grass.

While the lack of danger is relieving, the lack of any structures terrifies him just as much if not more. What clues can they find here? Their entire mission feels like a pointless journey toward nothing. The pyramids were the most interesting thing they've seen so far, and they've been here over a week. They found the perfect place to sleep, but at what cost? Jihyun, Sehun, and Rosa will need time to recover, and that's without factoring in the stylus Namjoon received.

Two minutes later, the entire crew is reunited with Jihyun. Rosalind, who has tears in her eyes, lightly punches his shoulder before embracing him and rocking him back and forth.

"You're such a fucking idiot. Why would you do that, huh?" she asks in between sniffles.

"Someone had to do something. I'm the least important here, so I thought it should be me."

She pulls back and raises her hand as if to slap him. "You asshole! No one here is more important than the other. We're in this together. Our ranks mean nothing out here. But you? You mean something, Jihyun. You're real."

"So are you, which is why I couldn't let you get hurt," Jihyun says. He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "We're safe, that's what matters."

"And the grass is edible," Stevie says. "It's safe to touch and consume. If you would like to rest, this could be the best spot for a long time."

"Thank you, Stevie," Jungkook says as he walks by Jihyun and nudges him as he goes. "You did good. I'll put in a good word with your brother, maybe you'll earn a promotion."

"Hell, I think we've all earned one," Akira says, plopping on the grass. "I think we need a break."

Namjoon and Sehun sit next to each other, and Namjoon motions to Stevie. "Stevie, can you patch Uncle Ji and Rosa up?"

Jihyun agrees, and Rosalind helps Stevie work his medical magic on Jihyun's arm and back. He winces from the new pressure, but after a moment, pain is replaced with numbness.

"You shouldn't feel a thing for a few hours, and the wounds are disinfected. Let's try to avoid injuries, I only have so many medical supplies," Stevie says before inspecting Rosa's open wound and fixing that as well.

The group falls quiet. There isn't much to say after all that action. Jihyun doesn't have the energy to speak, so he lays down on his side to avoid putting pressure on his back. Rosalind lays in front of him, her eyes meeting his.

"Don't scare me like that again. When we make it out of here, you're taking me to watch a snowfall on Earth."

Jihyun smiles until it reaches his eyes. "When."

"What?"

"You said when."

She snickers but slowly returns the smile. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Jihyun takes the risk and comes closer, placing his hand on her shoulder. She meets his stare, and the two don't exchange words for another few moments. Then, she presses herself against his chest.

"You could've just asked," she mumbles, but her voice is muffled by his shirt. It's adorable, and Jihyun's heart bounces like he did on the rocks not too long ago.

Quietness overtakes the crew for at least thirty minutes. Jihyun isn't able to fall asleep, but he focuses on the feeling of the woman in his arms. Her eyes are shut, and her limbs are wrapped around his so tightly he's scared she's cutting off circulation. However, part of him wonders if it's worth it. He hates being here, in what he believes to be the Ring, but at least he gained something out of it.

Himself.

"Namjoon, no," Sehun's voice whispers. Jihyun is close enough to overhear the conversation between the lovers, but they're speaking quietly enough that they won't disturb the leaders, Akira and Jungkook, who are asleep across from them.

"It called to me for a reason. I have to see if there's something I can do with it."

Jihyun peeks up and sees Namjoon fiddling with the stylus he retrieved from the pyramid. It has a clear tip, but as Namjoon messes around with it, it begins to glow a soft gold.

"Draw one of your runes," Sehun suggests, and Namjoon agrees.

He does, but nothing happens. He tries again, but this time he traces a different shape in the air. Namjoon does it again and again, and after the sixth try, the tip bursts into an array of light. The once dim area is now filled with brightness, which causes Jungkook and Akira to snap awake.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jungkook asks, rushing over to the pair.

Namjoon backs away and points the stylus in the direction they need to go. Rosalind groans and wakes up, glancing at the commotion. Jihyun keeps his eyes on the object in Namjoon's hands. Jungkook, who was full of anger, shuts up. Everyone does.

Jihyun stands and helps Rosa up, his eyes bulging and his jaw falling open. The stylus isn't only a stylus. It reveals a path, a glowing gold one leading to a new biome in the distance, maybe a few hours away if they're fast enough. The next biome looks like a wasteland, but there's a mountain, too. A mountain with a single structure.

A golden castle.