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"Evie, what is this?" He asked with panic rising within him. A smirk slowly unravelled on the girl's face as she looked at him with her dark red eyes.

"Like you said, a ritual, to sacrifice you."

-

Taehyung's eyes widened in disbelief as he stumbled back, bumping against the invisible wall that surrounded him in the process.

His chest heaved up and down as he looked at Evie while she looked back at him. "Evie, this isn't you. Why are you acting so strange?" He asked in bewilderment.

A chuckle escaped Evie's lips as she shook her head. "How do you know that this isn't the true me? You never even tried to know me. Every day, I would try to get close to you, I would try to get to know you better but you always pushed me away. It was as if I never existed for you."

"Evie, what are talking about? I always gave you my attention, I have always taken you as a good and reliable friend and-"

"Just a friend?" Evie asked as she cut in between his sentence. Her voice wavered when she said those words but her expression remained stoic and indecipherable.  

On hearing the girl's question, Taehyung was completely confused and had no idea of what response he should give and so he remained silent, choosing to just carefully watch her each and every step. 

"I am tired of hearing those same lies again and again, I am tired of living." Evie expressed as she hung her head low. Silence fell and to the Prince's surprise, he saw a single lone tear fall from her eyes. But before it could roll down her cheeks, she quickly wiped it away and looked back at him.

She slowly started circling him, staring at him in a way a predator looks at its prey. "All I want from you is your magic, your power and trust me when  I say that I don't care if you die in the process."

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Evie and then at her glowing red eyes. It was then when a thought struck him, leaving him in shock. 

"Is she possessed?" He thought to himself as very subtly he started activating his magic. "No wonder she has been acting so strange. I need to get out of here and protect myself...but how I do so without letting any harm reach Evie?"

His blue eyes started shining brighter by each passing second while a glow began surrounding him but just as it did, it disappeared. This left Taehyung in confusion and he tried activating his powers again, but once more, just when his magic would get activated it would disappear.

Evie noticed this and just chuckled. "Prince, have you ever heard of the Fire Of Vengeance?"

Hearing her question, Taehyung looked at her and then at the black sand which surrounded him. His heart beat fastened as realization hit him that this black sand which surrounded him was no normal sand but rather a powerful and deadly curse.

"The reason why your magic is not working is because the curse which I have bounded on you has been sucking your magic ever since it was casted. You have very little time left, Prince Taehyung..."

Saying that, Evie stood in front of the Prince and waved her hand in the air. An eerie silence fell all over the Forbidden Forest while a spark ignited the black sand.

Amidst this, Evie took off a locket which she wore around her neck. This locket had a small pendant attached to it. Evie opened the pendants flap and inside it lay a small watch which showed the time.

Suspending this watch in the air, Evie showed it to Taehyung. "You see this? There are just a few more minutes left for midnight. And once midnight comes about, you will no longer be alive. Say your last goodbyes Prince because soon all your glory will be turned into nothing but ash and smoke."

"Evie, don't..." Taehyung whispered as he looked into the girls eyes, trying to search for the kind, friendly, gentle and brave soul that once lay in her.

But all he could see was hatred and pain filled in her eyes.

Pointing her hand at Taehyung, Evie's eyes started glowing bright red as she then spoke loud and clear, with her voice echoing in the deathly silence that surrounded them.

"As time passes by and as the clock strikes midnight, may this curse work its magic and leave the one I wish with an ending oh so tragic."

Immediately the circle which enclosed Taehyung burst into flames and as the seconds hand ticked while the minutes hand was about to strike 12, Taehyung closed his eyes and called out to the last person he could think of.

"Aera, my Guardian, I need you."

///

The dark clouds of night passed by them as they flew, on and on, further away in their search for the Prince. All through their journey on Falkor's back, Aera narrated the incident that took place between Evie and her.

She told them about Evie's weird behaviour and explained the reason behind it too.

"She is possessed by some dark entity." She said.

The other three listened carefully, taking in each word Aera told them. They found it hard to believe that Evie had a dark spirit inside her, controlling her each and every move.

"I never knew that she felt so lonely. She just wants someone to care for her, someone to call her very own." Jungkook muttered thoughtfully to himself. "Evie has always been a really strong person but sometimes, we tend to forget that even the strongest of all have their breaking point."

Jimin listened to what Jungkook said and deep within him, he suddenly wished to be that 'someone'. He wished to protect that green eyed girl whom he had met a long time back in the Forbidden Forest.

He wished to heal and pick up the broken pieces of her heart with his love because he knew...he knew how it felt to be lonely. He knew how it felt to grow up without love.

Being abandoned by his own parents, seeing his loved one die in front of him, losing five years of his life due to being hit by a curse; he knew all too well what loneliness could feel like.

And so he wished to be the one for her, for Evie. But as for now, there was mission that lay in front of them, a mission to find and save both Taehyung and Evie.

"Guys, look!" Shouted Aera as she pointed towards a clearing deep within the Forbidden Forest. "There seems to be a fire lit around someone. Falkor, fly low and land somewhere near that clearing, go boy!"

A strong wind hit their faces as Falkor suddenly took a sharp turn towards the clearing in the forest. The magnificent dragon landed noiselessly near a tree and when he did, Aera immediately jumped off his back and cautiously walked towards the burning fire.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as her eyes travelled around, studying her surroundings and trying to make sense of what was happening.

It was then when she noticed blue wisps of air coming out from the ring of fire. Those wisps ran in circles around something or someone which the fire enclosed and then they would rise in the air and come together to form a blue sphere.

Area's eyes fell back on the ring of fire as she slowly walked towards it and tried to see what it encircled. Just then, she caught sight of two blue eyes looking back at her from the other side of the fire. 

"Aera?" A fatigued and tired voice called out and on hearing this voice, she immediately recognised it to be the Prince's.

"Taehyung, what is this?" Aera asked as panic rose in her. Her mind began running through the worst scenarios she could imagine but her chain of thoughts broke when the Prince spoke to her.

"She is seeing you Aera, your each and every move. Go away from here, this fire that you see is a curse and if you step too close to it, it may start sucking out your magic too."

It was then when a question dawned on her, "Where is Evie?" 

She did not have to think more about it because right then she heard Jimin's panicked laced voice shout, "AERA, LOOK OUT!" And when she turned around, she noticed a spell coming straight at her.

Aera moved out of the way right in time. Jungkook, Jimin and Ginger came running towards her as the four quickly stood together, facing each others backs and forming a tight circle. In this manner, they could see all four sides of the forest.

"I swear I saw Evie standing there just a second ago!" Jungkook exclaimed as he pointed towards a tree a few metres away from them.

Right then, another spell flew towards them and though Jimin, Ginger and Aera successfully dodged it, Jungkook reacted a bit too late and hence got hit.

The boy immediately froze on the spot as this was the effect of the Statify spell after all.

"Evie!" Aera shouted. "If you want to fight then do it bravely. Stop hiding like a coward and face us!"

A laugh came from behind Aera and the three immediately turned to where the sound came from. Out from the bushes and trees emerged a girl and looked at the three standing in front of her in delight.

"I was waiting for you my friends!" She said as she gave them an enigmatic smile. Her eyes then shifted to the frozen Jungkook and she clicked her tongue in disappointment. "For a second I hoped that my spell might have hit you Aera. But don't worry, I know a much more dangerous spell that I can use on you."

On hearing this, Jimin pulled Aera towards him and drew a protective hand over her. "No one harms my friend. If you want to fight then fight with me."

"With you?" Evie asked in amusement as Aera pinched the boy and harshly whispered, "You idiot! This isn't the time to play hero and princess. How will you fight her? You don't even know how to use magic. You won't stand a chance."

"Aera, trust me! I think I have discovered a way to bring back the true Evie." Jimin said.

"How?" Aera asked to which Jimin pointed towards the locket Evie wore around her neck.

"You see that locket? I have been noticing for a long time that whenever Evie tries to use her powers, she first always holds that locket. Maybe, that locket is the source for the evil powers she possesses and if that's the case, then maybe that locket is also a way through which the evil entity is controlling her."

Aera looked at Evie and then at the locket around her neck. Taking a deep breath she slowly nodded her head and backed away as Jimin ran towards Evie shouting "I am all open! Come and get me." 

"You insolent brat!" 

Aera saw Evie run after Jimin and all she could do was sigh and focus on her task. Walking towards the blazing fire, Aera gently called out, "Taehyung, can you hear me?"

A very soft yes came as a reply to which Aera smiled in relief. "I am going to save you. Just stay calm and don't do anything. The more you struggle the more magic this fire will take away from you."

Looking around, Aera spotted Ginger and called the fairy towards her. 

"Ginger, do you know any way through which a curse can be put to an end."

"Yes unnie, I do. You are the Guardian of the Prince, the Forbidden Door and the Sapphire Of Eternal Power. When any of these is in danger, your powers are what can save them from being harmed or destroyed. Try summoning your powers unnie."

Aera shook her head in dismay. Events of the day when Jimin had been in danger and when he was almost killed by Seth came rushing to her mind. She remembered how uselessly she kept trying to activate the magic within her but to no avail.

"No Ginger, I tried doing that before, but it did not work."

"Try once more." Ginger said with an encouraging smile. "Prince Taehyung is in danger, Guardian Aera. The Prince needs you oh Guardian, unleash your powers and protect him..."

With determination and her nerves calmed, Aera looked at the blazing fire infront of her. She then looked at the frozen Jungkook, thought about Jimin and then of Ginger. Her mind then wandered back to the Prince, his warm smile, his bright eyes and the moments they had spent together.

"I, the Guardian of this realm and the other, summon you my magic. Enlighten me, let your power run through me and give me the capacity to protect what I have been assigned to protect."

And slowly but surely, a sudden burst of energy ran through her. An energy so powerful that it made Aera feel like a new person all together. Her eyes turned golden while a fire raged within them. 

"AERA!" She suddenly heard a voice call out to her from behind. Aera lifted her lips to form a smile and turned around.

Golden wisps of air surrounded her, as Aera took one step and then another, walking closer to Evie. "Where is Jimin?" Aera asked to which Evie shrugged and glared back at the girl with an equal ferocity in her eyes.

"Probably somewhere. He ran away like a chicken, leaving you and the others behind." Evie replied as she walked past Aera and toward the fire which by now had almost completely sucked out the Prince's powers.

A huge luminous blue ball now floated above it and as you may have guessed, it contained the magic of the Prince. A magic so powerful yet so deadly that if it were to go in the wrong hands, only destruction would take place and nothing else.

And Aera knew this all too well, and so, before Evie could even have a chance to set her hands on the magic filled sphere, Aera threw a burst of energy on the girl. Raising her hand and on her command, a golden thread started tightening itself around Evie, tying her hands and legs.

"No one, and I repeat, no one harms the Prince." Her golden eyes glowed as Aera then shifted her attention to the blazing fire.

"Fire bright, fire of this night, calm yourself and your light." Her words echoed in the forest as Aera noticed the curse slowly waver. "Let go the Prince, your ruler and future King, I command you as your Guadian to-"

But before Aera could complete the spell and reverse the curse, Evie jumped on her from behind. Her eyes flashed murderously as she looked at Aera with a crazed smile. "I'll kill anyone who stands on the path of the Dark Lord and tries to defeat him. I'll kill you Aera and not only you but your beloved Prince, Jimin and anyone who you ever cared for."

Evie raised her hand and started forming a green spell. She aimed it at Aera and was about to hit her with it when someone called from behind.

"Evie, look whose back!" For a moment, Evie got distracted and taking this to her advantage, Aera pushed Evie aside and snatched her locket from her.

"Jimin, would you kindly do the honors?" Aera shouted and threw the locket to her friend who gladly accepted it.

Jimin then threw the locket on the ground below him and stamped on it. The locket broke into three pieces and a dark red smoke rose from it.

This smoke slowly started taking the form of a spirit. The spirit set its eyes on Jimin but Aera was ready. Throwing a spell on it she shouted, "SKOTADI KATASTREFO!"

A loud explosion took place and a bright light blinded everyone for a few seconds.

Soon, the dust and smoke that had risen in the air due to the  clash that took place between the spirit and Aera's spell started clearing off.

Aera coughed as she looked around. Her eyes then fell on the place where the fire had been burning and to her surprise the fire along with the curse had broken.

Turns out that when the evil entity inside Evie had been destroyed, all the spells which Evie had casted using its magic were destroyed too.

So Jungkook was no longer under the Statify spell and the curse that Evie had bounded on Taehyung broke away.

Aera quickly got up and ran towards Taehyung who weakly lay on the ground, unable to move. 

"Taehyung!" She exclaimed as she knelt beside him and helped him sit up. The Prince coughed as he placed himself in Aera's arms and looked up.

"My powers..." He whispered as Aera looked towards the place Taehyung had his eyes on. She saw that the luminous sphere which contained his powers was starting to drift away.

"No, no. Ginger!" Aera called out to which the fairy immediately flew towards her. "Where is the Prince's magic going? Shouldn't it be coming back to him?"

Ginger shook her head in denial as she, Aera and Taehyung saw the magical blue sphere float some distance and then disappear into thin air.

"The Prince's magic has gone and been stored safely inside the Sapphire of Eternal Power which right now may be hidden anywhere in this realm. The only way the Prince can get his powers back is by finding that stone and opening it. Only then will the Prince be able to once again restore his magic."

Area's eyes widened as she heard what Ginger said. Looking at the Prince a gasp escaped her lips when she noticed that his once blue eyes had now turned dark brown. 

"Taehyung, I am sorry." She whispered as guilt started filling inside her. 

The Prince held Aera's hand and with a sigh, closed his eyes, letting sleep and tiredness take over him. And soon he was out, unconscious in Aera's arms.