Alright, so before we begin this chapter, I would like to share a few thoughts of mine with you all.

Did you see the BTS Festa 2022? If yes, then what is your opinion on it?

If you ask me then, after seeing that video, all my thoughts and emotions were messed up. A part of me was glad that the members of BTS were having solo debuts and that we would be getting solo albums. But on the other hand, a major part of me was really sad at the thought that from now on we wont be seeing much of the boys together.

Being an OT7, I support all the members equally and love seeing them together. So when I came to know that from now, from chapter 2 of BTS, there will be more focus on solo activities, I felt a bit unhappy and down. I am a person who does not cry easily but after seeing the festa video I burst into tears not because of them taking a break for a while but rather at the fact that they were really scared of disappointing us.

I have given this a lot of thought and am finally saying this; they spent nine years encouraging people and making them feel better through their music. They gave us hope and told us to love ourselves and to keep going forward. Now, after all this time, they too have the right to take a brake and relax themselves; to explore and experience things out of BTS. Hopefully, after taking a break from group activities and resting, they would be back strong as ever.

ARMY's lets support the boys in their decisions so that they know that no matter what, they would always have us with them.

"BTS and ARMY doesn't have an ending, because our story will never end"

~ Kim Seok-jin

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

"So, were you able to meet her?"

"Yes, I was." The fairy replied as the wizard gave a smile.

"What did she say?" 

"She asked me why out of all the people she was chosen to be the guardian. I did not exactly tell the proper reason as you have forbidden me from doing so, I just told her that her existence was important and that she should not doubt her magic and its capabilities." 

The old wizard gave a content nod as he turned to his left to look at the young man who was fast asleep. "You did a good job, I am proud of you." He said as the little fairy smiled in response.

Looking at the boy who was lying asleep on a bed, the fairy gave a sigh and then looked back at the wizard. "Till when are we going to hide him from Aera? Doesn't she deserve to know the truth? She worries a lot because of him and by hiding him from her are we not being heartless?"

The old man furrowed his eyebrows as he got up from the chair he was sitting at, his crescent moon pin shining in contrast to the dim lit room.

"Everything has a right time for it and its better for Aera to uncover the numerous secrets one at a time."

"What about you? Till when are you going to hide from her?"

A smile made its way on the wizards face as it shone with years of wisdom. "Right now its best that my identity stays hidden from her."

The fairy sighed in defeat as she gave a small nod, "As you say." She said as she was about to look away when a sudden thought stuck her.

"Oh, I forgot to tell that tomorrow morning Aera and Prince Taehyung will be coming to the village as the Prince would like to show her around."

The wizard raised an eyebrow in response as he gave a satisfied smile, "That's great!" He exclaimed to the fairy's surprise as she slightly tilted her head.

"But, you too live in the same village and this means that they may also pay a visit to your house." The fairy explained her point to which the wizard just gave a chuckle and then looked out of the window.

"Don't worry about me, Ginger. I will take of that."

///

Aera yawned as she stretched her arms and got out of bed.

Blowing away the strands of hair that came on her face, she quickly got up and headed towards the bathroom.

It was seven of the morning, just two hours left for nine to strike as Aera washed her face, making sure to not let any signs of sleepiness be visible on it as she then changed her clothes and headed down to the dining hall.

"Good morning!" She greeted the cook with a smile as she passed by the kitchen.

Her heart thumped with excitement as she finally reached the door inside which the dining room was.

The huge wooden door was pushed open by her as she looked inside to see the various types of foods and fruits kept on the dining table.

Her eyes then fell on the Prince who was sitting right in front, a slice of apple held in his hand.

"Good morning Aera, you are early today!" He exclaimed as Aera entered the dining room with a smile on her face. 

Sitting two seats away from the Prince she nodded, "Well, I was just too excited to sleep properly so when I saw that it was seven a.m. I got up." She said as she brought her hand forward to pick up a bread toast.

Taehyung got up from his chair as he looked at Aera, "Quickly tuck in because we have a long day ahead!"

Breakfast was quick as now, with a basket in hand which contained numerous different types of flowers, Aera picked a Lily and kept it in her collection as she smiled with delight, the fragrance of flowers entering her nostrils everytime she took a breath.

Taehyung stood next to Aera in the huge field of flowers as this scene seemed to remind him of a vivid memory lingering in the back of his mind.

Fields and fields of golden roses was what surrounded him as he slowly walked through them, a smile making its way on his face as the fragrance of these flowers entered his nose....

And lastly, in the middle of the fields, sat a girl who had her back facing him. He could not see her but he could make out that this girl was playing with the flowers she was surrounded with....

A smile made its way on his face as he finally caught hold of what this scene reminded him of.

It reminded him of his Dream Girl. 

The girl he would always see in his dreams. This scene of Aera surrounded by flowers reminded him of her.

"Taehyung, look! A golden rose!"

Aera's excited voice caused Taehyung to come out of his thoughts as he looked at the beautiful rose held in Aera's hand.

"Wow! Aera, these roses are very rare to find." Taehyung exclaimed in awe as he sat down on his knees next to Aera and looked at the rose in admiration.

By now, Aera's attention had shifted from the golden rose to the Prince as she looked at him with a certain glint in her eyes.

Some would call it a look of admiration, others might label it as a look of awe.

But some may even call it the eyes which held the feelings of a new born love.

The Prince sensed someone's eyes on him as he turned to his side, his eyes falling on Aera as he soon forgot about the world surrounding him. The bright blue sky, the fields of beautiful flowers, the one golden rose, everything vanished as he found himself falling deeper and deeper in those brown eyes.

The two would have continued looking at each other was it not for a bird who seemed to have been particularly interested by the shining golden rose Aera held in hand that it swooped down and snatched it from her.

The alarmed Aera immediately looked away and got up in shock as she saw the bird fly away, with the unique golden rose.

"Aww," Aera mumbled as she sighed with disappointment. 

Taehyung got up and shook his head, bewildered by the sudden interruption as he then noticed Aera's sad pout and the bird flying away.

An idea struck him as with a raise of his hand and with a determined concentration in his mind, his blue eyes glistered with a gentle glow.

"What are you doing?" Asked Aera in confusion as she saw the Prince's eyes glowing, which meant that he was doing magic.

"Just wait and see." He replied and soon enough a gasp of surprise left Aera's lips as she saw the bird which had earlier snatched the golden rose from her, retrace its steps and fly back to her.

The bird then swooped down and sat on Aera's shoulder as the golden rose landed in her hand.

Looking at Taehyung with a surprised expression, she smiled in happiness and awe as a question was what followed next, "How did you do that?"

The Prince simply shrugged his shoulders as with a smile he replied, "Magic!"

After handing the rose and sitting on Aera's shoulder for a few seconds, the bird flew away as Aera gave an amused chuckle to the Prince, "Right, a very explanatory answer." She said as she gave an emphasis on the word very.

"I know right. Anyways, are you happy now?" Taehyung asked to which Aera nodded in response and then, holding the golden rose in hand, walked towards the place from where she had first found it.

Placing it back at its proper position she got up and dusted her clothes as Taehyung, on seeing this action furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Why did you do that? I thought you wanted to keep it." He asked as Aera looked at him with her brown eyes.

"I feel like the rose belongs here. It seems too precious and unique to me for it to be taken away from this place." She replied as taking her basket she once again looked at the Prince.

"Now where?" She asked to which Taehyung gave a smile.

"The fields are just the beginning of the village, there are a lot more places and people left to meet!"

Standing infront of a shop, Aera looked up at the board which had Uncle James Bun Shop written in bold letters.

"We are here." Taehyung spoke with a smile as he took a deep breath, letting in the delicious smell of baked buns which surrounded the shop. Looking at his side, he gave a smile to Aera, "Let's go."

A tinkling sound was heard as the door opened and in came the Prince and Aera.

"Good morning! Good morning! Welcome to Uncle James Shop! Oh and let me introduce myself. I, am James, the owner of this shop." A man said with a delighted voice as he showed Aera and Taehyung to their seats.

"Good morning Prince, long time no see. How have you been?"

"Well, quite a few things have been going on but overall I am good." Taehyung replied with a smile as he looked at Aera, bringing uncle James attention towards her.

"Ah! A new guest!" He chimed as he quickly went inside and then came out, holding a tray filled with freshly baked buns. 

Placing the tray on the table, he handed a bun to Aera as with a smile he said, "I see that you are a friend of Prince Taehyung, and a friend of the Prince is a friend of mine. Tuck in child."

Aera looked at the warm bun she held in hand as she hesitantly brought it forward and took a bite.

"Yum! This.Is.Delicious!" Aera exclaimed as she helped herself with more buns.

Taehyung too enjoyed the delicious taste of the soft buns as he exclaimed in delight, "Uncle James, you never fail to bake mouth watering buns! They are great!"

Uncle James, who now stood infront of the counter gave a smile as he wiped his wet hands with a small towel. "Prince, it is because of you that this shop of mine still exists. Had you not helped me when I was in debt, I would have lost all of my hard earned money and this shop which has been here since my grandfather's time."

Taehyung smiled in response as he shyly replied with a "No problem."

Aera looked at the Prince as she could not help but think of how cute he could be sometimes, especially whenever he would become shy at someone's compliment.

"It was nice meeting you uncle James but we should be going now, there are a lot of places I would like to show my friend." Taehyung said as he got up from the chair and looked at Aera.

Aera quickly stuffed a third bun into her mouth as she got up and gave a bow to James. "Thank you for the buns. They were great!" She said as James shook his head.

"Its my pleasure to serve people with good food that makes them happy. So I should be the one thanking you instead. Thank you for visiting, come again soon!" 

After bidding a goodbye and Aera stuffing one last bun in her mouth, the two walked out of the shop as they now stood in the middle of a busy road.

Taehyung seemed to be deep in thought as Aera on the other hand curiously kept looking here and there, being amazed at how people in the magical realm used magic in their day to day activities.

"Hey Taehyung, is that Jungkook standing over there with a fruit basket on his head?" Aera asked as she squinted her eyes.

(Le Me: Gets flashbacks of writing the chapter A Cry Of War for my book Parallel Universe in which Jungkook had a fruit basket on his head as a protecting shield while Y/n wore a mixing bowl 😆)

Taehyung immediately looked at the place Aera was pointing at as he gave a gasp, "This idiot!" 

Quickly heading towards the place where a confused Jungkook stood, Taehyung waved his hand infront of his friends face as to his surprise, Jungkook did not response and instead continued standing like a statue.

"Umm...what's wrong with him?" Aera asked as she realized that Jungkook was neither breathing nor blinking his eyes. "Jungkook!" She called out to him but once again got no response.

With a worried look she turned towards the Prince who to her surprise had a smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked in utter confusing as the Prince just shook his head.

"Looks like Jungkook once again lost a bet to the village kids."  He said as he looked at Aera. "They have stafied him. A spell which causes a person to become a statue for some time, but don't worry as the spell will wear out soon."

And just then the spell wore out as Jungkook immediately gained consciousness and blinked his eyes. "Those teeny weeny kids! How dare they!" He shouted as he was about to run after some kids who stood at a distance when the Prince kept a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down my friend. It was just a bet that you have...surprisingly lost."  Taehyung said in an effort to calm his friend down but the word lost just fired Jungkook's anger more as he was about to make a dash but stopped on hearing the next words said by the Prince, "I was just wondering that would you like to come with me and Aera? I am giving Aera a tour of the village and no one knows this place better than you."

Stopping at his tracks, Jungkook first looked at Taehyung and then at Aera as he furrowed his eyebrows. He stayed silent for a bit after which he snapped his fingers. 

"Have you been to Wizard Alf's house?" He asked as Taehyung smacked his forehead.

"How could I forget!?" Taehyung exclaimed, surprised at himself. 

Looking at Aera, he gave an excited look with a smile on his face, "Aera, you have to meet Wizard Alf! He is the most powerful and also the oldest wizard alive in kingdom Azmaar. People say that when he was a young man, his magic was undefeatable. He had also taught me quite some magic spells when I was a kid."

Aera gave a smile and nodded her head, "Sure, why not."

Knock Knock Knock!

The three stood infront of the small cottage door as Aera observed how the area surrounding the old cottage gave a powerful tingling sensation to her. 

It reminded her of the way she would feel whenever she would do magic.

The wooden door opened with a creak as the Prince and Jungkook peered inside.

"Hello?" They called out as their voice echoed against the walls of the empty cottage.

"Looks like wizard Alf is not home." Taehyung sadly mumbled as Aera walked past him and Jungkook, inside the old cottage.

A tinkling sound was heard as to her surprise, the before closed curtains opened themselves, allowing sunlight to enter the dark house.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed as a teapot and a teacup came flying towards her. Stopping just a few paces away from her, tea was poured into the cup as the cup then flew into Aera's hands.

Taehyung and Jungkook who had heard Aera's surprised gasp, came inside as the Prince smiled.

"This place truly is magical, isn't it!" He said as he looked at Aera and then at the tea cup. "Drink it, its really good. I have had that a few times and it is lovely."

Aera nodded, quite still flabbergasted by how things moved on their own in this house. She took a sip of the tea and walked forward, behind Taehyung who too was looking around with a warm smile.

"I wonder where Wizard Alf is." Jungkook spoke as he stood beside Aera. "I have heard that once he defeated an army of fifty ghouls all on his own!"

"Impressive." Aera exclaimed as Jungkook nodded with a smile. 

"Jungkook! Aera!" Aera heard someone call as she looked ahead to see the Prince excitedly waving his hand towards their direction. "Look what I have found!"

"Coming." Jungkook replied as he and Aera started walking towards Taehyung.

While on the way, Aera noticed a light coming from a table nearby. Something was kept on it which on being hit by sunlight, sparkled brightly.

It caught her attention as Aera quickly walked towards it and after removing a few pile of papers, caught a glimpse of a small gemstone. 

Gently holding the stone, she pulled it out as now a locket was held in her hand.

It was a beautiful locket, with a shining gold covering. In the middle of the gold circle was a white gemstone. 

The more she stared at it the more feeling of familiarity it gave.

It soon caused a far memory to flicker in Aera's mind as her eyes widened and the locket dropped from her hand.

"Jimin, look what I found!"

Twelve year old Aera excitedly called out as in her hands were two small white gemstones. 

"Wow, these are beautiful buttercups! Where did you find them?" Asked the young boy as he kneeled beside Aera and admired the shining gemstones which looked exactly the same.

"I was digging the soil and somehow found them here. Hey Jimin, why don't we make friendship lockets using these stones?" 

The boy got up with a smile, "Sure! The gems look exactly the same and you found them together. These gemstones are just like the two of us, always together, don't you agree?"

"They are, they truly are."

"No...it cant be." Aera whispered as she quickly took out a locket that she wore around her neck.

Picking up the locket that lay on the ground, she compared their gemstones as her breath grew uneven.

They looked exactly the same...

///

Deep within the woods, far away, where the dark woods began was where the huge castle of the Dark Lord lay.

It's a fearsome place guarded by ghouls and other cursed creatures.

Darkness loomed everywhere, not a speck of light visible.

The place was covered with blood and blood curling screams combined with merciless laughs could be heard as inside his castle stood a fuming Damien.

"Albrutus, I want each and every information gathered upon him and his day to day activities." 

"As you say my lord." Albrutus responded as he gave a bow and walked out.

Damien, turned around to where an old dusty box was kept. Walking towards it, he opened its lid and took out an old photo, its paper frail and yellow-ish due to being abandoned for a long time.

The picture contained two youthful boys. The two smiled at each other as the picture conveyed that they were close and knew each other well.

Damien's heart, no matter how evil and dark it may have turned into, still held some emotions as he closed his eyes to prevent them from watering and forming tears.

"My friend, words cannot describe the hatred I have held for you ever since you left me to die. I swore that I would work hard and not stop causing chaos till I brought you down to my feet, begging for mercy." 

Tightly holding the paper, Damien crumpled it and thentore it into shreds, the only picture left which captured the once strong friendship two boys had, now gone.

"I guess its time we see each other again, Edward."