The lines formed patterns that Jungkook did not recognize, only to disappear a few moments after fixing on his skin. It was in the middle of this that he heard a voice.

Here.

For a moment, Jungkook froze. He couldn't say that he had dreamed it or hadn't heard it. He was alone, and although the voice had been a whisper, he had heard it as if it were by his side. He looked in all directions, searching, but found no one.

I'm here.

This time, Jungkook raised the hand in which he held the stone and used it as a flashlight. To his surprise, the stone emitted a glow and the young man felt an invisible force tug at his arm. His heart was beating a thousand times an hour. Was it normal for this to happen? That someone else was here with you?

In the distance, he could see shadows, but could not tell what they were. Once he was closer, he realized that they were plants, small bushes and in its centre a tree, as big as the one in the room. Here there was no pond in front of the tree, but the tree was inside a lake.

Despite being dark, Jungkook knew that this place was not the same one he had come from, no matter how similar it might be. The feeling was totally different; the atmosphere was heavy and unpleasant. The plants seemed to be dead, if not about to die, and the tree ... The tree was a degraded version of the original, the roots were thin, twisted and looked rotten. The trunk was thinner too and there wasn't a single leaf on its branches, as if all the nutrients had been sucked out of it and only the outer bark remained. The trees in the winter looked much better than this.

Help us, please.

Jungkook looked in all directions again, but couldn't find anyone.

"Who you are?"

Does not matter. They are suffering; he is dying.

"Dying? Who is dying?" Jungkook didn't understand what was happening. In fact, he didn't understand why he was witnessing this, but he wanted to help. He didn't know who was dying, but he didn't want to witness it either.

They need help, the gems are dying.

A chill ran through her body and her heart seemed to have stopped beating. Before him appeared a woman, he was not even aware of having seen her appear. Between one blink and the next, she was in front of him. There was nothing about her that was out of the ordinary, she was like anyone else, but Jungkook had a feeling that inside she was not. In the last hour after choosing his gem, everything had been full of surprises and discoveries of things that were only reserved for literature and cinema, so it was not unreasonable to think this woman belonged to that category.

Jungkook could not see her in its entirety, a dark cloak (like everything in this place) covered her entire body and gave the impression that she was floating. The only part uncovered was her face: round face, white skin, and dark hair. It was impossible to accurately detail the rest, but that was not the point now. The gems were dying, and that was bad news. Panic took over his body and his mind seemed to have no filter when he spoke.

"I want to help you. Tell me what I have to do and I will do it. Well, it's not that I can do much now, but I know of someone who can. Her name is Hana, and she knows a lot about this. If you talk to her, she can surely help you. Now this-"

"Hana. We haven't talked to her in a while. The tree is too weak right now to make contact. May I ask you a favour?"

The young man just nodded. This was becoming more and more surreal, but Jungkook wanted to know more, wanted to help be useful. If this woman couldn't contact Hana, then he would be the messenger. And that's what he said to the woman in front of him. For the first time, he saw her smile, even if it was a small smile, but it was full of hope.

"My name is Haneul and I am a fairy of the forest." The woman leaned forward in greeting, to which Jungkook responded in kind. "Tell Hana this: Lee is interfering with the connection process through District 45. We will fight from here. The guides must bring the life essence. When the time comes, we will begin the purification."

"I'll tell her as soon as I get out of here. I promise you."

Right after saying these words, Jungkook felt himself being pulled upward, the darkness rapidly disappearing and only the glow of his gem was left shining in his hand. Near the surface, Jungkook heard the woman's voice again.

I know you'll do it. We trust you.

Although his exit from the pond had been at incredible speed, the landing was quite delicate, his feet (and not his face) touching the ground.

"Jungkook!" The aforementioned turned to find Hana facing him. "My God, are you okay?" This time it was the voice of ... his mother?

The two women kept asking him how he was if something hurt if he noticed something strange. Her mother kept touching her face, probably looking for a wound, and Hana was too serious, too tense. And Jungkook understood nothing. He was fine, and he felt fine. He had done what he had to do and everything had gone well. In fact, he had returned with more than just a gem. But then they told him he had been in the pond for about half an hour, that it was usual to spend five or ten minutes, and then he understood their concern.

After assuring them he was completely fine, he explained what had happened in that time in great detail, from the connection with the gem to his meeting with the fairy of the forest.

Jungkook might be 12 years old and know nothing about life, but one thing he knew and was very good at was to observe. Observe gestures, looks, body expressions, movements. All this he absorbed like a sponge and kept it until it was put on paper. Like this, he just absorbed it to understand the problem, and although his mother and Hana were still silent, it was not a pleasant silence. When he was inside the pond, he knew it was a big problem, too big for his little hands. But he really believed there was a solution, the fairy had told him. So why so much silence? Was it too late?

"I knew you were special, Jungkook. But I never thought it would go to this extreme." The young man looked at her blankly. He had done nothing out of the ordinary, he was like everyone else. "You are not like the others, believe me."

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Jungkook's eyes widened.

"It shows on your face, son, you are like an open book." His mother said affectionately.

"Of course not." Said the boy, crossing his arms and wrinkling his nose.

"Lovely." The two women said at the same time and then laughed at their timing.

The knot that had formed in his stomach began to gradually unravel as he heard them laugh. 

Without being fully aware of it, he had eased the tension that the news had caused.

After calming down, the women agreed that they should meet later when Hana finishes her shift.

 Jungkook had to leave his gem to be polished and shaped into whatever shape he wanted, besides adapting it to the additional support, be it a ring, a pendant, etc.

After returning to the store entrance and saying goodbye, Jungkook and his mother got into the car to go home. Jungkook wasn't sure if his mother was going to explain his aunt's story to him or even include it in her conversation with Hana. He decided that this was not the time to worry about it. Some things happened for a reason, and sometimes it was better to accept them and follow the course of them. It's not like I've had too many life-changing or testing experiences, but Jungkook was one of those who thought things had their way, even if it seemed unfair. Maybe he was naïve to think away, maybe he should be more realistic and go for what he wanted without waiting for something to happen.

But Jungkook liked his calm, so the less he fought for things that were going to appear, the better. When the time came to hold on to them, then he would not let go, he would not let them go.

Once they got home, Jungkook helped his mother make lunch. Actually, there was plenty of time left, since they had gone to the store early, but her mother wanted to talk about her Aunt Hye's situation. Although Jungkook assured her they could talk at another time, his mother only replied that "I always keep my word, Jungkook", while moving the knife with which he was cutting vegetables from one side to another. His mother was an understanding person, but sometimes she wanted things to be done in a certain way (and who didn't?) and that brought out the most stubborn part of her personality.

This story belongs to @nometoloko on AO3. I'm just her translator. Sorry, ik, this is a short chap. In the next one, you'll get to know his aunt's story.