Love, such a strange thing it is. It can lift one to heaven in an instant, making them feel ecstasy at just the thought of their soulmate. Yet, it is the same thing that can bring one down to hell, causing so much suffering.

Still, that is what love is, because in the eyes of Love, struggles, stumbles, and pain are just as significant as happiness, joy, and laughter. It is what can turn sorrow to merriment, and joy to sorrow. Because with their loved ones, even struggles are an adventure worth looking forward to, and in their absence, even happiness is worth rejecting.

Just like how Jin felt at the moment, looking at Loeva checking her pendant. The pendant was glowing ever so slightly in pink, illuminating her face to the shade of her eyes. She noticed him staring at her and smiled, scooting over to make space for The General of the Light Palace to sit.

"What are you worried so much about, Princess?" The younger princess sighed, dropping the pendant inside her shirt, her pink eyes deep in thought.

"My brothers."

Jin stiffened, "What about them?"

Loeva turned her face to look at the Urgen, "Both of them... There's something just not right with them."

"I agree if what you're saying is-" Jin looked around; he clearly didn't want anyone listening to what he was going to talk about, "-about the Dark Prince."

"Except that he isn't Dark; he is not bad, Jin."

"We'll see about that..."

Loeva furrowed her eyebrows, "You still don't trust him after all this time?"

Jin's purple orbs fixed on the princess's face, lips curving into a gentle smile, "I know he is your brother, Loeva. And I really want to believe the way you do."

"Then what's stopping you?"

Jin remained silent; he didn't want Loeva to get involved in this. Knowing the Princess, she clearly won't be quiet about it, and that is more than enough to get her in danger.

"Tell me whatever you know, Seokjin."

Jin shook his head in denial, "Not your thing to worry about-"

"I'm the Princess of the Light Palace. I have every right to know what's happening with my kingdom and my people."

"Loeva, try to understand. The more you know, the more danger you will be in." Jin said, with a voice as gentle as it could be to make her understand.

Loeva scoffed, "As if there isn't enough danger."

Maybe Jin knew that she had a point, and that's why he stayed quiet. But Loeva was nowhere near to let go. "Tell me, General. I need to know."

Jin gave Loeva a stern look, "No."

"I don't want to do this," she muttered under her breath, "It is an order, General. Tell me everything you know about my brothers."

Jin's look hardened, his face clearly disapproving. It is certainly the times like these he wished that he was not bound to the duty of a general, rather a lover.

"The Dark Prince is in contact with the Dark King." Jin sighed; he closed his eyes to calm himself, "Now that we're getting closer and closer to the target... Namjoon and I noticed that he is feeling quite distant. Not that he was close with us all the while, but we aren't fools, y'know."

Loeva nodded, listening intently to him, "Do you think he knows? That you're suspecting him?"

Jin bit his lip anxiously, "Much more strange, Loe."

Loeva tilted her head, not quite understanding the General's words.

"Recently, it seems like he is not even trying to hide. Will you believe me if I said that he straight out agreed to Namjoon that he is indeed the Dark Prince?"

Loeva's eyes widened, the gears in her mind spinning, "What is he trying to do, Jin?" Her voice came out worried.

"I thought all he wanted to do was to earn our trust in the beginning..." Jin paused, purple eyes deep in thought, "But it's so hard to figure him out. We gave him what he wanted, and he did his part way too well that even you are supporting him."

Loeva kept her hand on Jin's shoulder, the General relaxed at her touch. For a moment, it scared him, the power she held over him. "If he is really doing harm to us, then why would he let you or anyone know about him and his contact with the Dark Palace?"

The Urgen shook his head, purple fringes moving along. "Maybe, he is trying to warn us, Loe."

Loeva denied, "He won't. For all I could figure, he's up to something big." Her pink eyes looked into Jin's, "We need to have our talk." She began to walk away, but Jin stopped her by holding her wrist.

He shook his head, "Nope, you are not getting involved in this anymore."

Loeva scrunched her eyebrows, "I've told you, Jin. I'm the Princess-"

Jin closed her mouth with his hand, purple eyes filled with concern, "I know you're the Princess. But as a General, I have every right to do anything to protect you."

Loeva pulled his hand down and pecked the General on his cheek, smirking when he left him speechless. Jin averted his eyes away quickly, flustered by the unexpected sudden contact.

"I'll be fine, General. I won't get myself into any kind of trouble."

Jin rolled his eyes, cheeks still dusted in the color of Loeva's eyes. He did a dramatic bow which was unnecessary at the time, "Thank you, your Highness."

"You're such a goof!" Loeva giggled at him. Oh God, she had no idea what to do with the grown-up child in front of her.

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His silver eyes roamed over the cave walls. Adjusting his specs, he scanned through the book he was holding in his hands.

Where?...

He knew about this. He had definitely come across this place, but the strange thing was, he could barely bring himself to remember it.

Very strange it was... A Sebran forgetting something?

No, Namjoon was not ready to give up that easily. He kept asking the Gallery Book given to him by the Queen, which had information on every book in the Palace's library. And to say that the Palace library had every single book available is enough to convey the Book's ability.

He looked up from the book, hearing someone clearing their throat. He removed his specs and put the book aside, expecting the person to start talking. Except, they didn't.

"What's it, Hoseok?"

The Laal sighed, red eyes roaming everywhere but on the Sebran ahead. "You seem busy. I'll come back later." Hoseok swiftly turned to leave, but Namjoon's voice made him stop.

"I'm never busy when it comes to you," the Sebran said, silver eyes very interested in the bluish glow of the cave walls.

"You wouldn't have said that a month ago," Namjoon's heart twinged at the pain in the Laal's voice. "To see that you despised me and that now you're acting like nothing ever happened, I can't take it."

Namjoon scooted, patting the place near him. Hoseok folded his arms and stood still, his jaw tightened, fists closed so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"I never hated you, Hobi-"

"I'm not ready to hear your lies, Joon. You never know how it feels."

"Tell me, Hoseok." The Laal looked up, red eyes shooting daggers at the Sebran, "Did you hate me?" Namjoon stood up, standing right in front of the Laal.

"Not more than I did myself." Hoseok sucked in a deep breath, he had way too many things to talk about, he had too many things to knock some sense into this stupid Sebran, yet look at him. Too weak again.

"I know my sorries won't compensate for the pain I've caused you. But it kills me every time to know that I've caused you such pain."

"Why?" Hoseok asked, his voice softer than before, "Why did you act like that, Joon?"

Namjoon stared down, barely having the courage to look at the man in front of him, the same one who was ready to accept him when no one was at such a young age.

"I wanted to push you away." The mere whisper from the Sebran reached Hoseok, his heart clenching even more than it did before. "I didn't want to be closer to you, Hoseok."

Hoseok's jaw clenched, "I understand," his red eyes hiding his deepest emotions. "And I think it's better that I stay away."

The Laal averted his eyes. He couldn't take in the pained expression on Namjoon's face. Hell, he must've felt pleasant now. How long did Namjoon hurt him-No, killed him slowly with his words? Now that he realized his words did the same, he couldn't see it. He could barely see the Sebran in pain.

Namjoon sucked in a deep breath, "I respect whatever's your choice."

The Laal observed the Sebran's face, stricken with remorse and guilt, "Why did you push me away, Namjoon?"

"You know it already, Hoseok."

The Laal's eyes glistened. There were millions of words in his mind yet he could bring out none. "I do."

Silence lingered between the duo. Yet, it wasn't as heavy as it would usually be. Rather, they felt like a huge boulder being lifted off their shoulders, like their doubts of years had been cleared and questions of decades had been answered.

For the first time in so long, the duo felt calm by themselves. Hoseok's lips broke into a smile, "Don't be such a dumbass anymore."

Namjoon, though his Sebran senses tingling by hearing the word dumb, accepted his statement. "I won't."

He held out his hand, which the Laal shook in a firm grip. The Sebran tried not to flinch at the strength of the Laal. Oh man, all these years his harsh words might've caused a fluffy little ball of sunshine to work hard on his sword skills, because Hoseok had one hell of a grip.

Yet, the witty Brain of the Palace failed to notice the sly smirk on the Laal's face, clearly depicting that he was enjoying this.

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Ji Ah's eyes roamed over a piece of parchment. From what she understood, this map is the only source for them to reach their destination, Culcheth. Yet, stuck inside this cave, which is under God-knows-how-deep from the land, things are going trickier than necessary. She had just discussed this matter with Hoseok who excused himself and went, but the elder princess just couldn't sit still.

Her brown eyes roamed over the Map of the Murelands, the one that Taehyung and Jungkook somehow managed to collect, which eventually leads to their very own hometown. She brushed away the small strand of hair that was distracting her. Ever since her strands started turning pink, she just couldn't ignore them as she was always used to when they were dark.

Oh god, how will she face Jimin when all of her hair turns pink? The times she called him a cotton candy head, Karma is a-

She pushed her hair back again; what can she do with a map? Her thoughts were interrupted by a, well, a man who usually is on her thoughts.

"What made you so serious, Princess?"

Ji Ah rolled her eyes, "Clearly I've told you not to call me that, Yoongi."

The mint-haired man smiled; Ji Ah had a thought that he knew she didn't like it, and yet he says it. "What're you looking at?" He asked, ignoring whatever the Princess said before.

"Where to go next, we're literally clueless." She pushed back the strand again, now infusing the thought of cutting them right there. "There is no other way, Yoongi."

There, again. That freaking hair!

But was she startled when the Verde in front pushed them behind her ears?

No.

Were her cheeks tinted to the shade of her newly changed strands?

Definitely not.

Was she robbed of speech at the same time wanted to curse the man in front of her for playing with her heart like this?

No way.

Oh well, we know it.

"There's always a way, Princess. And we'll find out." Ji Ah averted her eyes away, distracting herself with the map in her hands, even a bit worried that Yoongi might hear the way her heart's beating in its cage.

"I think we should move on from here, the more time we waste, the stronger he gets." The Verde nodded at her words.

"But," he kept his hands on her shoulders to turn her towards him, "Did you even eat anything, Ji Ah?"

Ji Ah blinked and shook her head in denial. She was way too observed in all the other things that she forgot totally about her hunger.

Yoongi gave her a stern look, "Are you planning on killing yourself? Do you even know how weak you look right now?"

He wasn't wrong; it's been a while since Ji Ah looked after herself. And if Yoongi could say, she had lost all interest after what happened to Jackson.

"You're still blaming yourself for it, aren't you?"

Ji Ah's doe eyes glistened; she instantly knew what he was bringing up and she wasn't ready to have this talk now. If she were to be honest, she would never be ready.

"I am a part in this, Yoongi. You know it." The Princess wiped her tears though there was no use in it; they kept flowing one by one and the wounds hidden in the deepest chambers of her heart were unveiled.

"You do understand that he knew it and took the risk right?" Yoongi tilted his head, his mint fringes moving to the side to reveal his emerald orbs, staring at her with concern.

"He wouldn't have if he didn't help me." She sucked in a deep breath.

"He's all that kid had, Neveah's parents under the Dark King's custody, and his men, they always threatened him with the kid. Would you like to live such a life that's so messed up? And on top of it all the things he was forced to do so that he could save his family, don't you think he has always chosen death over everything?" Yoongi's words were harsh indeed, yet whatever he was saying... "He had enough, Ji Ah. He won't be able to live anymore with the guilt. He chose this; he chose death over life."

"Coward..." Ji Ah muttered under her breath, "If you are so right, why didn't he do it earlier? Why didn't he try to choose it before?"

Though the Princess understood that the Verde's words were way too real, she couldn't bring herself to accept the fact of it. "You know the answer, Princess."

"Neveah," Ji Ah said, of course she knew, Jack was bearing all the pain and living only for her.

"Jack understood that she'll be safe with the people in Light Palace." Ji Ah nodded.

Ji Ah bit the inside of her cheek, "Didn't he have any other choice?

Did he want to leave that bad, Yoongi?"

"What else do you think he could've done, Ji Ah?"

"Lived," she sighed, "He could've chosen to live."

"He's done with this life, Princess. He'll definitely enjoy his next one, I assure you that."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because when he's born again," he took Ji Ah's hands, "he'll be in a world where there is no Dark King, no Dark Palace, nothing. Just a peaceful Arcturus."

Tears flowed down her eyes, yes, "Do you think we can do this, Yoongi? Can we bring back light into this planet?"

The Verde smiled, "Definitely. We'll build a world where life is much easier than death. A world where all Sebrans play wisely with Death to cheat it until they are as old as they wish to."

Ji Ah smiled, and Yoongi could see it. It was a genuine one that she had cracked in so long. She nodded to herself; "let's kick some Dark arses then."

The Verde chuckled, "As your wish, Princess." He bowed gracefully which caused Ji Ah to cackle.

"You're picking up a lot from Jin."

Yoongi's gummy teeth revealed; he ruffled the princess's hair which caused them to fall all over her face.

"Thank you, Yoongi." The Princess took the Verde off guard when she wrapped her arms around him, his earthy smell intoxicating her brain but... She liked it. And she was indeed very grateful to hear the way Yoongi's heart was beating, as fast as hers.

Yoongi held her, thanking gods that Ji Ah couldn't see the way her pink strands matched with the color of his cheeks. "Anytime, Princess." He kissed the top of her head, smiling as they enjoyed the serene silence of the cave.

____________________________________________________________________

"So?"

The Sebran would be lying if he said he wasn't startled by the voice that came from behind, especially when he wasn't ready to confront something which he did was so stupid. He didn't turn to look at you, which you expected and was what you needed at the moment too.

"Not planning on going further, eh?" You asked, where did you get the courage? You weren't sure. But all you know was that you cannot see him this way.

Luminous stayed quiet, his brain failing to make words for him. It did hurt his Sebran pride to feel utterly stupid at the moment.

"And you have some explanations to do?"

He turned, his starlit eyes trying to avoid your dark ones in every possible way.

"Yes..." He took a deep breath, "I shouldn't have startled you like that."

You stared him down, hands folded in front, nodding him to go further.

He lowered his head, silver fringes falling over his eyes, clearly not able to look at you, "And I still suggest you not trust me."

"It depends on me. I can take it or leave it, right?" He shrugged, failing to notice your smile.

"Tell me truly, Luminous. What's in your heart?" You searched his face, his pale skin, spotless, his pointed nose, sculpted jawline, gods have been partial while creating him.

"Even if it means putting you in danger?" He asked, his voice quiet that even a light breeze would've deafened you from hearing it.

"You'll never do that." You smiled, tilting your head, observing him. At that time, he was nothing more than a kid in your eyes, so lost in the thought of responsibilities, he is unsure of every step he is about to take. That was how you felt about him, and you wanted nothing but to hold his hands and guide him of the maze inside his head.

And you did; you held his wrist gently, making his head raise up. His starlit silver eyes, they held a million things inside, hid thousands of emotions, "What are you scared about, Luminous?"

He sucked in a deep breath, calming his heart and controlling his thoughts, "I once had a person." He paused, looking at you if he can proceed further and you nodded, squeezing his hands gently. "She was everything to me."

You didn't avert your eyes from him, your gentle gaze urging him to go on. "What happened?"

"She's gone." He said, lips widening with a sardonic smile, and still, his eyes played hide and seek with you, hiding all the mixed emotions he had inside. But one thing was for sure; whoever that was, he loved her so much, so much that, the man you see in front was made by her.

"Was it the Dark King?" You asked, for which, surprisingly he chuckled.

"Yeah, he is one of the many reasons that I've figured out. One of the main reasons." You tilted your head, being quite confused at his word plays. "The point is, I could barely live through the loss. And I can't afford to go through it again."

"You think the Dark King would kill me?" You smiled, ironically, that statement didn't scare you, not at all. "You won't let that happen, Luminous."

He chuckled, his lips curving upward as he crouched a little to meet your eyes, "You can count on that."

You blinked, "Did you just mean that I can trust you? Are you giving me permission to trust you?" You said, emphasizing the word.

"Yes, Miss dumbhead." He laughed, "God, you are so stupid."

You hit him on his arm, causing him to let out a yelp, "And you, You are just behaving like a kid. So childish." It didn't even take seconds you were taking him seriously and he made you annoyed already.

His boxy smile came out, and you are astonished even up to this moment how he and Taehyung looks so alike, except that he isn't Taehyung. His is... different, the difference you cannot point to now.

Your lips defied your brain's orders and curled up by his contagious smile; you reached his head and ruffled his hair. Kid.

Were you surprised when he took you off guard by wrapping his arms around you?

No.

Did you feel your heart rate increasing at an insanely fast pace that it felt like it's gonna explode?

No.

Did his intoxicating smell made your mind hazy?

Hell Nah.

Were the above statements a lie?

Of course yeah.

You rested your head on his chest, getting quite comfortable with the proximity.

"Don't regret it later, Luane." He said, his deep voice sending shivers down your spine.

Thinking about it, that made you remember the moment you first ever met him, "Your smile isn't going to last long, human

. I'll make sure of that," you mimicked his first words to him, rolling your eyes at how he scared the wits out of you.

He laughed, snuggling his head deeper into your neck, "You're going to be the death of me, Luane."

"I'll make sure of that," you mimicked him again, making him groan in embarrassment.

"Stop," he whined, his brows furrowed, yet his lips holding an undeniable smile. For the first time in ever, he forgot everything about him. And he just wanted to do that, forget every duty of him and be with you. He pressed his forehead on yours closing his eyes as he tried to remember every single moment of this.

"Will you let me love you, Luane?"

You froze, opening your eyes ever so slightly to look at his face, his eyes remained closed, expression even pained, or scared. It's hard to figure him out. You took your hands to his cheek, caressing his soft skin gently, "Will you not if I say no?"

Your lips held a playful smirk; he opened his eyes, unable to control the smile taking over his lips, "No." He pressed his lip on yours ever so slightly, and you were afraid that he was teasing you. "I'd love you to your home planet and back, even if you don't want me to."

You rolled your eyes, "Okay, I'd like that," you said, trying to keep your tone serious, yet failing miserably.

You reached up to kiss him, and gladly, he didn't tease you now. Instead, the kiss deepened, his lips gently moving over yours, making the air around you warm, your head feeling fuzzy as you held on him tighter, afraid that you might fall.

Fall even harder and deeper for the man in front.

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