The Land of the Gems

Part 3

          "I think.. I think I just spoke with a god..." Jimin hands you some water from a barrel near the front of the carriage as Jin rubs circles on your back.
          "A god? But they don't communicate with humans anymore."
          "We don't even know if the gods are even real or if they're just myths." Alex mumbles, sitting in front of you, applying a wet cloth to your forehead. You grab the cloth and thank him before turning to Jin with wide eyes.
          "He told me there's a new Gem Keeper." Jungkook shoots up from leaning on the side of the carriage and stands before you. Alex and Jimin exchange a look of surprise as Jin stops his movements.
          "A Gem Keeper? If that's true that would explain this feeling us rebels are having. And it would explain why there are more and more soldiers roaming villages." Jungkook mutters, trailing a hand down his face in exhaustion before looking at you. You nod your head slowly, sliding the wet cloth across your flushed cheeks. You hold out your hands and stare at them in disbelief.
          "He said they're in the village of Wiedergeburt."
          "Wiedergeburt... that's the sister village of Tod." Jimin speaks up, crossing his legs so he can get a better view of you and the others.
          "What if it's a trap? Someone else's magic. They could know we have Jungkook." Jin reasons with you, his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. You bite your lip before looking away from the male, feeling guilty for what you were about to say. Jin and you told each other everything, but lately you've been holding back... so has he.
          "I don't think that's the case... I've been having these dreams for a while..." Jin lets out a small gasp of surprise before it's replaced by anger.
          "Why didn't you tell me (y/n)!? Do we not tell each other things now? Is that it?"
          "Don't even start that crap! You've been distant lately and I didn't want to bother you." You tear up slightly, turning away from the male before letting out a sigh. "Listen, just trust me. I have this... feeling."
          "We do it." You all stare with wide eyes as Jungkook gives his firm answer. "You said you were excited to be a rebel right?" He looks over at Jimin. The male hides behind Alex shyly before nodding his head.
          "Well yeah bu-"
          "So then that's what it means to be a rebel. Take risks. Do what needs to be done in order to free our people." He looks back at you before smirking. "That's what we do." Jin gives the male a look of frustration but stops from screaming his protests when you place your hand on his knee. You once again give him that look he cannot deny. He's definitely going to regret not being able to say no to you one day.
          "Fine."
          "Thank you Jin." Jin lets out a sigh before patting the top of your head, a small smile creeping up onto his face. He looks back at the others before motioning them to gather in a circle.
          "Here's the plan. Jungkook, (y/n), and I will go to Wiedergeburt. Jimin and Alex you stay in Tod with the circus. We'll meet up after we have the Gem Keeper." Jimin nods before Alex smiles proudly.
          "Don't you worry! I'll train extra hard to hide you guys!" You smile fondly before nodding and shifting slightly so you could hear Jin more clearly. You zone out lightly thinking about how you'd be able to find the Gem Keeper in a village full of just regular people. Would the god you spoke to, RM, guide you to them? Did you pray to him, was that how you did this? You let out a grunt of frustration before Jungkook pulls you aside as the others joke around and poke fun at Jimin's height.
          "Are you alright?" You nod solemnly, still deep in your thoughts before Jungkook smiles and lifts up a piece of cloth, revealing the conch shell he found in the lake. You stare at it in wonder, its existence slightly alluring to you. You reach your hand out to it, gently running your fingers across it. You flinch and jump back as it pricks the tip of your index finger. Both of you, in a trance, watch as the blood drips down your finger before a sudden jolt breaks your train of thoughts. You quickly wipe your finger on your pants before Jungkook slides the conch shell into your satchel.
          "We're here."
          "Okay, I'll hide you all now. Head out to the woods. Then I'll get rid of your cover." Alex mumbles, holding his hands out as that same see through film surrounds the three of you. You stay close as Jimin opens up the carriage before jumping out and heading towards the woods. As soon as Alex could no longer see you, the light hiding your forms slowly disappears. Jin kneels down next to a small squirrel. It's nose twitches in curiosity before it freezes. Jin stares at it intently before Jungkook tugs on your sleeve.
          "What is he doing?" He mumbles under his breath. You giggle lightly before holding a finger up to your lips. He just gives you weird look before Jin stands back up, the squirrel circling his feet. Jungkook stares at the now friendly animal before giving the male a blank look. What the fuck?
          "She said she'll take us to Wiedergeburt."
          "She said what now?" Both you and Jin laugh at Jungkook's concerned expression before you scratch behind the squirrel's ear.
          "That's my magic. I can communicate with animals." Jungkook lets out an 'ah' in acknowledgement before eyeing the squirrel and sighing in defeat. This was so weird. He was about to follow the guidance of a squirrel.
          "Don't think about it too hard." Jin smirks at the male before nodding at the squirrel. She twitches her tail before hopping around and further into the forest. The walk was mainly quiet, aside from Jungkook's questions about how Jin communicates with animals. Jin gave him the basics. He communicates telepathically and he doesn't actually say words, it's more of a feeling and images. Jungkook was really intrigued and it only seemed to boost the older male's ego. Maybe this Jungkook kid wasn't too bad is mainly what Jin was thinking. Your conversation died down as the squirrel signaled that the end of the woods was just beyond the brush and that Wiedergeburt was right there. Jin thanks her before she scurries back into the forest, disappearing from your sight. You all get onto the trail and wander into the village. It was far larger than the one you came from. Most people didn't bat an eye at your appearance, already use to strangers finding their way into their village. This village is a hot spot for traders after all.
          "Okay, now we need to figure out how to find them." You nod before looking around, noticing how there seemed to be a heavy crowd around the stands of goods.
          "Jungkook, wear this." You hand the male a face mask from a stand before paying the man running it. Jungkook slides the mask over his nose and lips before nodding at the soldiers near the fruit stands. Jin grabs your sleeve and pulls you closer instinctively as you all pass the armed men. You begin to feel this slight tug, almost like someone was trying to lead you somewhere. You smile before grabbing Jungkook's hand, pulling him along with you. Jin still held on to your sleeve as you all weaved through the crowd effortlessly. It was like you were walking on air. Your head was fuzzy and you almost forgot you were surrounded by hundreds of people. Eventually your pace slows down as you stop before a small shop. You let go of both the males before entering the front door. The walls were lined with trinkets of all sizes. They all seemed to be hand-made and each one was beautifully unique. The shop's atmosphere felt homey and welcoming, the aura was overall extremely friendly. The woman at the counter greets the three of you kindly before carrying on her work of tinkering with a clock.
          "Woah, this place is so cool." Jin mutters, picking up a small ring with a jade embedded into it. You smile as you look at a few pieces of jewelry before a young man comes from the back and eyes you all. He ignores your presence before making his way over to the woman and whispering something to her. She almost drops the clock she is working on before standing up and heading out the way the young man came from.
          "Can I help you?" He asks, placing the older woman's tools on the table so they wouldn't get knocked over and lost. Jungkook fixes the mask on his face before shaking his head no.
          "We're just looking." He mutters before pulling you over to him. "Why are we in this shop?" You blink at him and Jin before smiling sheepishly. What were you doing in this shop? All you remember is that warm fuzzy feeling before it faded. The male behind the counter eyes you suspiciously, before cleaning some of the shelves.
          "Are they here?" This catches the attention of the male behind you.
          "I think so. This may be where the Gem Keeper is." The young man behind the counter freezes up, clutching the cleaning cloth tightly between his fingers. This doesn't go unnoticed by Jungkook. As Jin places the ring back onto the shelf, the young man finally speaks up.
          "I'm sorry but we're closing soon. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He throws the cloth into a small trash bin before smiling at you all with a sickly sweet expression. You can see the danger and alarm radiating in his eyes as he watches all your movements.
          "Why? It's the middle of the day." Jungkook presses, stepping closer to the male. You cross your arms as the male looks beyond the three of you and at the door. He lets out a sigh before switching his expression and pointing at the door.
          "Get out. Something came up and as you saw earlier my mother had to go upstairs. I'm not allowed to run the shop by myself." Jin eyes the male curiously as you step forward and gently push Jungkook aside. You smile before placing your hands on the counter.
           "I don't think we started off on the right foot. Lets start again, okay? My name is (y/n)." You point to Jungkook then to Jin. "This is Jungkook and that's Jin. We don't mean you or your family any harm." The young man lets out a grunt before grabbing one of the tools his mother was using, he holds it out and steps towards you.
          "I know exactly what you want and I'm telling you right now... get the fuck out of my shop before I make you." You hold your hands up defensively before the woman from earlier comes back down the stairs. She lets out a small scream before running up to the male and lightly pulling on his arm.
          "Taehyung! What are you doing?" She shouts but he just shrugs her off and gestures with the sharp tool towards the three of you.
          "They're here for Grace! I heard them!" The woman freezes before staring at the three of you with wide eyes. She looks at you with absolute fear in her eyes and your heart melts. You knew that look. That was the look your mother had when you discovered your magic. It was the look she gave you right before she sent you to live with your mentor and Jin. Grace must be the Gem Keeper. That's why they're so terrified.
           "Listen, we don't want any trouble. We swear!"
           "Bullshit!" Taehyung yells at Jungkook. You all just stand there before a small voice breaks the tension in the room.
           "Mommy, I think my fever is gone." A young girl walks into the shop. She had a small and frail figure. Her hair was blonde and extremely bunched up and curly, almost to the point it looked like if she brushed it out then it'd be to her waist. She held a small rabbit in her hands, whose nose twitched lightly as she scratched its ears. She was so young...
           "Grace, come here love." The young girl makes her way over to her mother's embrace before Jin steps forward, a small smile on his face. Taehyung points the sharp tool at him threateningly. Jin ignores him and kneels so he'd be at the girls height. You and Jungkook watch in awe as the rabbit jumps out of the girls hands and over to Jin.
           "His name is Moon. How cute." Grace stares at him with wide eyes as Taehyung lowers his weapon, completely caught off guard.
           "How did you know that mister?"
           "Can you keep a secret?" Grace smiles before nodding he head eagerly. Jin stands and picks up the rabbit before holding him out to Taehyung. "I'm a magician. I can talk with animals, and I'm here to help." Taehyung takes the rabbit back before handing it over to Grace.
           "And how exactly can you help? Listen, we don't need people like you interfering. They'll kill Grace if they find her." Jin speaks up again, but you no longer hear the words as your vision becomes blurry. You stumble forward, knocking some things off the shelves before Jungkook and Jin rush to your sides.
           "(Y/n)!" Their voices fade out until you hear nothing and the world becomes black. You body stands, brushing off the two males before looking at Taehyung.
           "My name is RM. The god of weather and storm." Your voice is no longer your own. "I sent these people here to protect Grace. The soldiers have found her. They will be coming here soon. She needs to leave."
           "But... but how can I trust you?" Your body moves towards Taehyung, almost floating before it reaches out and touches his forehead. Visions of the forests and the world before the gem was stolen glide across his mind. He sees the death of the previous Gem Keeper and how the world faded black. Then... then he sees why Grace is so ill. A Gem Keeper without their gem shall perish, as it is written by the gods.
           "Follow them. I have entrusted them with this mission. Please do not only do this for the world, but for your sister." The voice fades back out until it sounds like you again. You collapse into the arms of Taehyung as he looks back at a shaken Jin and Jungkook. The expression on their faces reveals just how shocked they were as much as he was. He looks back at his mother and Grace before letting out a sigh.
           "Fine. But she goes no where without me. If she really will die without the gem... then we need to get it back." You smile lightly as he helps you stand. Jin wraps an arm around your waist to steady you. You talk and calm the mother as Taehyung takes Jungkook and Jin upstairs. It doesn't take long for Taehyung to pack a satchel for him and Grace before meeting back down stairs. Grace hugs her mother before taking Taehyung's hand and smiling up at Jin, who now holds the small rabbit in his arms. She deemed him the bunny whisperer. Taehyung leads you all down the back trails and to the woods, where a familiar squirrel awaits your presence. You are once again led through the forest and back to the village of Tod. You freeze as you see fire burning brightly. People were screaming as soldiers raided the village. Slowly, you make your way around and to the carriages, before hiding behind them, taking in the absolute destruction that the soldiers have caused.
           "Oh yeah, it'd be better if you applied more pressure. I get off on th-" A familiar voice chokes out, causing the five of you to look in that direction.
           "Is that Alex? Where's Jimin?" Taehyung covers Grace's eyes as the soldier lifts Alex higher by his neck. The kind soldier from before cuffs Alex once the other one throws him to the ground. You flinch before seeing a battered Jimin tied up and next to the other circus folk.
           "Hiding a magician is against the law." The older soldier grumbles before smirking down at Jimin and the others. "For that, I'll let you all burn in your tents." No! No!