✔Our Fantasy • Stray Kids X Reader✔

19 🌑

I blinked a couple of times. Did he just say ghosts? "I don't, but I didn't believe in fairy tales like vampires and werewolves before either, so honestly anything could be possible at this point." Were those shadows on the ground ghosts? Was that the reason this sort of blockade was here? I guess they weren't very friendly than. Jeongin chuckled slightly.

"As you can probably guess, they do. This pile wasn't here before, but it was established ever since they started taking more and more souls, a war even breaking out. Since they have to travel just above the ground in shadows and can't actually go through things, like many believe, this was built in order to stop them from getting any further. They'd have a huge part of the forest, so they'd better be content with it."

I gazed at the ground again. "Take people's souls? What would they need them for?" Jeongin's face turned serious again, his laughter disappearing. "Reviving their bodies." The sudden cold tone brought me a bit off guard. So that's why he acted so quick. If I would have gotten to the ground I wouldn't have survived would I? "Does anyone who touches the ground die? Even you guys? I'd expect bodies here though, with what you said."

Jeongin's face turned grim. He got up, walking towards the ground. My eyes widened, scared if it wouldn't have been for the fact that I had already seen enough crazy things out here these past few weeks. "What are you-" I wanted to ask, but he couldn't continue, as if some forcefield kept him from it. "I tried, a hundred times even, but for our kind it's impossible. Humans who do cross are pulled underground, suffocating them, which is when their souls are taken, just as they try to rise."

"Did that happen to someone you cared about?" I asked bluntly, not seeming to realize the gravity of the question until I already blurted it out. "Ah, sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked right?" Jeongin shook his head, sitting back next to me. "It was my mom. She was a human like you. My dad... he was doing awful things to her. She wanted to run away too because of that. I was still pretty young, so I unknowingly followed her when it happened right in front of my eyes... That's how I know it all."

I had to say, I was honestly shocked by how open he was about it. He'd barely ever see me. "Why are you telling me all this?" I asked with a mixed feeling. Jeongin looked at me with a little smile. "I just didn't want you to make the wrong decision like she did." I muttered a thank you to him. If it weren't for him I might have been dead by now.

Though I was seriously thankful, yet another option had just been ruled out for me. I couldn't escape to the outside and there was no way I could go through here. At least not alive. Living outside in these parts of the woods would never work either, they'd just as quickly take me back or whatever. It'd just be yet another game of where I'd end up, without any hope of me choosing or maybe even being treated slightly nicely.

I sighed, hugging my knees. Should I go back to Seungmin? Or was that even an option right now, since Jeongin was the one with me? My mind wandered back to Felix and Jisung, wondering what would be going on with those two right now. They at least made it seem like I had a choice, but in the end it was clear that they wouldn't want me anywhere near the other person, though to be frank that was probably more because of the hatred they had for each other than it rather being about me.

My stomach rumbled again. Because of all that had been going on I barely forgot why and how I ended up here, solely because my stupid ass was hungry. Jeongin stood up, holding out his hand. "You barely ate didn't you? Come on, I'll make you something when we get back." I hummed, taking his hand, holding onto it to get over those branches safely and even after. He didn't seem like he wanted to let go.

"Jeongin?" I mumbled. Most of my anger and despair had disappeared by now, just replacing it with a tired feeling washing over me. "Yeah?" he hummed back. "Why aren't you asking me why I went out? Or why aren't you mad at me for it?" I had honestly expected the worst, but he just seemed so calm. "I told you right? Because I can see my mom in you, her hopelessness and pain. I'm just glad you made the right decision."

It didn't take long before we got back. "Y/N!" I could hear Chan and Jisung shout in unison. Everyone seemed to have gathered, Changbin solely giving me an icy stare. Jeongin let go of my hand, slightly pushing me in their direction. "I brought her back," he answered coldly, his warmth having completely disappeared. "How did you convince her?" Changbin asked monotone, shifting his gaze to Jeongin.

"I just told her a few things to make her believe it would be best to be here rather than run off. We wouldn't have been able to get her back if she decided to go through with it, so I told her whatever was necessary." Changbin grinned, but I couldn't believe my ears. My head jerked back to him, my mind filled with betrayal. "Was even any of it true, or was everything just a lie to get me back here?" Jeongin walked right past me, not even, paying attention to me anymore.

"It was, sorry."