"Evie, I'm gonna need you to calm down," Jin tells me. "Stress isn't good for you or the baby. Namjoon and I will take care of this. Why don't you go lay down?"

"Hell no!" I shout angrily. "There's no way I could rest after hearing that!"

I narrow my eyes, blinded by so much rage that I can barely even see straight. This emotion is such an all-consuming one, hungry and gluttonous. If I let it, this feeling will consume me entirely.

"Explain yourself!" I demand of Namjoon, focusing my rage entirely into the one distraught fairy beside me. "What happened?"

Namjoon nearly bursts into tears, but I can see the moment that he turns that sorrow inwards. He breaks, becoming nearly catatonic before our eyes. The look in his eyes changes, all the panic bleeding out so that painful acceptance is all that remains.

"It's all my fault, " Namjoon utters quietly, his voice is but a whisper of regret. "I fucked it all up... I couldn't handle it. Got overwhelmed..."

By now Namjoon's face is dripping with silently shed tears.

"I misjudged the situation and ended up getting knocked out!" He screams. His voice breaks, unable to handle the weight of his sudden anger. "He was gone when I woke up and it's all my fault!"

The fires of self-floating flare to life behind his eyes for a brief moment before he begins to tear at his hair in anguish.

Jin rushes into a flurry of activity, doing his best to comfort his distraught brother.

"Joonie, no... It's not your fault." He utters soothingly, rubbing his back.

I watch Namjoon utter unintelligible words again and again for only a moment before making my mind.

Storming to the door I yank my jacket from its peg. Though spring is nearly upon us it is still incredibly cold outside. I shove my feet into my shoes, growling in frustration when I am unable to get the stupid flats on as quickly as I desire to.

"Evie, just what do you think you're doing?" Jin panics. "Don't go getting ideas, leave this to us. I promise I'll get Jimin back safely."

But if the way he is tensing his jaw is any indication I know that he is lying. He's just as afraid as I am, fisting Namjoon's shirt in an effort to keep his calm facade.

"Chim will never forgive me if something happens to you, " he pleads, knowing that my mind is already set.

"And I would never forgive you if you stop me, " I reply defiantly. "I will not stand idly by while Jimin is in danger."

Despite my earlier resolve, I shiver now against the forest's frigid air. It would seem that I've been walking in circles for hours and I am painfully reminded of the circumstances that led to my fateful encounter with Jimin in the first place.

My initial rage has ebbed away by now, and I am instead a whirlwind of confusion and sorrow. This can't be the end. I didn't even get to tell Jimin that he was right all along.

This whole situation feels unreal, how did I arrive at this particular fate? My entire world has been turned upside down, and I no longer know how to survive without Jimin. The world that he has dragged me into is alien and frightening. Nothing like the stories that Gran used to tell me when I was a little girl.

This isn't a fairy tale, it's a nightmare.

I stumble over an upturned tree root, catching myself upon the trunk and skinning my hand in the process. I wince but push forward. This pain is nothing compared to what Jimin could be feeling right now.

This pain is nothing compared to the way Namjoon must be feeling right now.

I know just how heartbreaking being unable to save someone so dear to you is, and yet I was cruel to him. I had no right, and yet I was so scared. I still am. I already lost Gran, I can't lose Jimin too.

It's been too long since I allowed anyone to matter, but he does. He matters. More than I can put into words.

Once more I stumble, and this time I am not as quick to catch myself. I land on my rear, wincing in pain upon impact. Tears begin to flow as I truly take in the helplessness of my situation.

I'll never see Jimin again.

I'll never get to see his radiant smile again or feel his fingers tease their way through my unruly hair. I'll never again get to witness his musical laughter or experience his lover's touch. I don't know what to do with myself.

But suddenly I hear the sound of hushed voices.

It's a chant, I realize as I listen more closely. The same kind of chanting I'd heard the night Jimin and I met.

That night Jimin had been in such a hurry to get away from it. I know what it is now. After all this time, how could I not?

I stand, ready to face my fate and accept it gracefully. If I follow the chant, it'll lead me right to Jimin. I know it from the bottom of my soul. And should I fail in rescuing him, then at least we can die together.

Following the sound becomes easy, fears and uncertainty melting away with every step. There isn't much in my life worth dying for, but Jimin is. I can no longer imagine a world without him by my side.

I continue along my chosen path, even as the ominous chanting grows louder and everything becomes bathed in menacing flame.

And suddenly, it is as if the world has entirely shifted with one step.

I find myself within a grand ruin, fires flickering in an eerie shade of blue the color of frost. A group of twisted beings stand circled around a bloody and bruised Jimin, and I gasp when I realize that he is still breathing.

Though his eyes are swollen shut, the rise and fall of his chest continues. My heart breaks at the sight of his mangled body.

Disregarding my own safety, and the part of my heart that is suddenly very afraid, I charge forward immediately. Rushing to Jimin's side, I allow myself to throw my arms around him. I glare at his captors.

"Let him go!" I demand angrily.

"Evie, " Jimin cries suddenly, recognizing both my voice and my touch. "Why did you come?"