Jimin

Panting hard, my vision is turning blurry as a large amount of my energy has depleted. My skin burns wherever the panther slashes forcefully with its sharp claws. As assumed, it shows us its trump card when our battle begins. Like tissues and cells, the panther can divide itself into multiple selves.

"We must find its real self, Jimin," calls Wonho from a distance as I struggle hard to get up with one knee propping painfully on the ground. My teeth grit as the wounds bleed due to my slight movement. Although they can heal, the process takes time. Before the gashes seal into a nasty scar, there are still prickly sensations throbbing my nervous systems.

Heaving in and out, I watch as Wonho and the panther fight in their animal forms. Both of them are strong, wise and careful with the attacks they're going to cast towards each other. The air turns dusty and hot due to the vicious fight.

There are so many of them. They look identical and there's merely nothing can help me in distinguishing their difference. "You can't find me, Park Jimin," all the divided panthers tease in unison. Their voices sound equally full of disdain. "And your eagle friend is getting exhausted." Right after its reminder, I can hear Wonho's eagle scream as one of its divided identity gives him a painful slap on the face.

Blood rushes out of my palms as my fists are held tightly. My strong scent eventually attracts nearby fairies here as they emerge from various directions. Tsundere grin plastered on all of their lifeless faces before one of them nearly sets his claws on my loose strands. Until I turn to him with my strong glare, he retreats but stays a few metres away from me. "I'll give you all my essence if you all would do me one favour." I say while walking towards the fairy that nearly pounds on me, dripping my blood onto the side of his mouth. "Find me the scent of the true panther."

With no hesitation at all, the fed fairies scatter away like race cars before darting into the war zone. 

***

Third Person POV

The fed fairies act like zombies as they attack, disregarding the type of animals they are about to hurt. Wonho flaps his wings hard despite one of them is bitten hard by the panther. He has to escape before the fairies touch him.

"Don't touch the eagle," he can hear Jimin's command not far away from the messy war zone. His bones have snapped especially on the joints. But the intense pain is not the reason for him to give up. As the hungry fairies commence attacking the divided panthers, Wonho grabs the opportunity to shrink and flee. The dust dissipates as soon as the eagle leaves and collapses in front of Jimin.

"You've done enough, Wonho-hyung," says the dream elf as he strokes the eagle gently with the back of his hand, where the surface is free from his poisonous Faerie blood. "It's my turn to fight now." Turning back into human form, Wonho tries his best not to pass out when he watches Jimin walking nearer to the dangerous animal. His clothes are torn and soaked with blood, yet the skin underneath is healed.

Jimin heaves in a deep breath which only suffocates his lungs before stepping into the dusty wind. His figure disappears behind the greyish particles. Focus, Jimin. Find the real one. He closes his eyes and opens them again, his eyes the colour of lemon yellow with his eyeballs gone slit like a cat's. He begins to scan the area, where some dead fairies are lying flat on the ground, eyes opened wide with skulls broken nastily.

Soon, his view stops on the only panther with its chest shimmering in chili red. The rhythm matches perfectly with the heartbeat. "Gotcha," whispers Jimin as he approaches the real panther soundlessly. As it is busy ripping the last fairy's throat, Jimin's silent attack stays unnoticed until the tip of a dagger strikes through the animal's skull.

With an animalistic gasp, the panther stops moving as it collapses with eyes glued on its killer. The body turns large as it loses its will to control the divided identities. The light source on its chest waver like dying candles when life slowly drains away from the cooling body. Sighing, Jimin climbs onto the body until he reaches the part he would want to slice through.

The heart is still beating as if it is begging silently for mercy. Jimin closes his eyes before another dagger appears in his free hand. Holding tight on the hilt, he raises his hands high as he prepares to break the skin, flesh, and bones securing the heart in place.

Resultantly, the sharp tips make it through the flesh, but the pain wakes the panther up. It screeches out loud in agony before standing up and swinging its body hard, rendering the dream elf hanging by its throbbing chest. "Damn it!" Jimin curses as one of his daggers slide away from the gash, making him dangle dangerously with his life at risk.

Jimin knows that Ping's father is trapped in there, being drained alive. It is his Faerie power that turns the panther into a powerful weapon. Biting his lower lip, the dream elf imagines another weapon for himself once again. This time, each of his foot is tied with two knives.

As inertia allows, Jimin grabs the chance and swings upwards, one of his feet pricked the animal on the throat as the last dagger detaches from the skin. Blood gushes out of the place his foot touches as he can feel the panther weakens. It howls at the night sky before tumbling onto the ground, sending heavy jerks throughout the jungle.

Slight breathe can be heard as it struggles to live. But the panther has lost its entire energy to defend. "It's gonna hurt," reminds Jimin kindly to the animal before digging into the flesh and slicing the outer skin away from the body.

The panther roars angrily while its paws swiping the place Jimin stands, yet the elf has already avoided the attack swiftly like a ninja. More blood flows out the large gash and thereby forms a large red pool on the evergreen grass. "A life for a life," mutters Jimin as he strides into the fleshy entrance and the inner part of the panther's body.

The heart is losing heat and it beats slower than a snail. A captive man's shadow is visible from the outside. As careful as he can, Jimin cuts the thin outer layer of the heart before an unconscious man reveals from the gap. His arms are tied on both sides while veins sucking the inside of his body to ensure the heart beating.

Jimin has thought through before about the risk of saving Ping's father - he might die after being detached from the heart as after time has gone by, he has become one of the tissues growing inside the panther's body. "You can't die," demands the dream elf as he cuts all the restraints that secure the older male Faerie. "As you have to reverse the curse you've cast on me."

The man's body tilts and falls towards the gap before Jimin manages to shoulder him out. By the time the older Faerie leaves the heart, it stops shimmering. The red light dies and the panther stops whining. 

______

As time goes by, the sky is no longer the colour of Prussian blue but ultramarine as the sun is peeping out of the summit. Dawn is breaking and the struggles that occurred inside the pupa have stopped.

Queen Ren sits on his bed prepared by the Herbs Fairies while waiting for the metamorphosis to end. Ruby red, pink, white and periwinkle rose petals are sprinkled all over his bed, in which their fragrance eventually attracts butterflies of various colours come resting by the mosquito netting that covers the bed elegantly.

The royalty reaches out his hand as he lets on butterfly stops and rests on his index finger. As time passes, his fingers bleed while the butterfly turns dry like a dead leaf. In this killing competition, that teensy little butterfly is not even the Faerie Queen's adversary. It falls to the ground and thereby mixes with the brownish and yellowish dry tree leaves fallen and scattered all over the earth. "It's about time," murmurs Queen Ren as he leaves his bed, one of his feet steps ruthlessly on the dead butterfly as he walks towards the white silky ball.

Yes, the surface of the pupa has turned solid, hiding the process taken place inside. All he can merely see from the outside is the silhouette of Ping's transformation into a new living thing. A new, elegant yet perilous creature.

"Nice place, my Queen." Beomgyu's voice leads the Queen out of his reverie. The young Dust Fairy's different coloured eyes shimmer in the dim as he takes small paces towards the royalty. The protruded veins on his face are glowing like hot lava but they are the colour of fluorescent pink. "I wonder what my beloved mistress would become after breaking through that beautiful eggshell." His appearance alarms the Queen as the royalty begins to take small steps back. At the sight of Queen Ren's timidity, Beomgyu can't help but smirk upon his powerful seventh sense that leads him to this hidden place.

He takes a measuring look at the silvery-white pupa while rummaging his brain for ideas to save his mistress. He knows if he breaks open the white cocoon, Ping might turn handicap or even die as the metamorphosis has already begun for quite a long time. Closing his eyes, he pictures Ping's sweetest smile in his head - the moment when he brought the efret into the guess room of his mushroom house, the moment when she thanked him and appreciated his care.

Can you hear me, Mistress Ping?

No response. Hence, Beomgyu tries again.

Can you hear me, Mistress Ping?

He can hear the sound of broken television channels sizzling throughout his eardrums when their minds connect, even though it's only a small part. The sound is too loud that Beomgyu has to rub his temples with a deep groan as he endures the throbbing sensation on both eardrums.

I know you can hear me now.

No answers, but the Dust Fairy proceeds as he disregards the Queen's words boldly. "No fairy can fight against the metamorphosis process. You are kindly warned to withdraw your inner mind connections that will affect her transformation largely, my child."

"Who said I'm asking her to fight?" he steals the thunder by asking back before performing his last inner talk.

Feel the power, my beautiful mistress. No matter what you are, you will always be my beautiful efret mistress, Ping.

ɪ'ᴍ sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ sᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴘᴏssɪʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀ sᴏᴏɴ. ɪs ᴘɪɴɢ's ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴘɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴛᴀᴍᴏʀᴘʜᴏsɪs ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss? ᴀɴᴅ ᴊɪᴍɪɴ's ʜᴀɪʀ ᴄᴏʟᴏᴜʀ 😍😍

ᴏᴋᴀʏ, ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ sᴇʟғ. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴏᴘᴘɪɴɢ ɪɴ. ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀs 💕💕