The Land of the Gems

Part 7

          "Lets get to Treasure, the faster we get to the castle, the faster we can save him." You hum out, relaxing in Hoseok's hold. The male runs his hands through your hair, still attempting to comfort your distressed form.
          "Look, I know you're hurting..." Alex's grip on the reigns tighten as he stares in front of him, the road dimly lit. "But we won't let anything happen to Jin. We'll save him." You smile sadly and pat Alex's shoulder to show you appreciate his words. Jungkook reaches forward and ruffles your hair.
          "Alex is right. Nothing will happen."
          "Thank you guys." You stand up and dust yourself off, allowing Jungkook to help you into the back of the carriage. You wince at the sight of Grace with black veins and Taehyung tending to her wounds. You rush over, devastated that you were too focused on yourself instead of them, how selfish.
           "What happened?" Taehyung looks at you with eyes full of worry before turning back to Grace. Her bunny sniffs the top of her head as her eyes flutter closed.
          "I think it's the wounds. They triggered something." He was out of breath. You push him down and out of the way before handing him some cloths from your satchel.
          "Tend to your own wounds, I'll focus on Grace." The male hesitates, but eventually gives in, allowing you to take over helping Grace. You grab more cloths, placing them on her legs and wiping away at the tar like substance oozing from the scrapes. Her eyes shoot open and she screams out in pain. Taehyung attempts to come to her side, but Jimin stops him, making him focus on cleaning his own wounds.
          "It hurts..." Grace mumbles, her voice hoarse. You brush back her hair and grab her hand.
          "Shh baby, I know it does. Squeeze my hand when it hurts okay?" You place a cloth in her mouth. "Bite down on this." She nods as you continue to disinfect her wounds with the limited supplies you carried in your satchel. Your hand brushes against the conch shell, the edges of it pricking your finger. You pull your hand away quickly, feeling that same wave of awe as your blood drips down your pointer finger. Use it. You unconsciously smear your blood over her wounds. Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook watch in awe as Grace's wounds seal themselves, her veins receding and returning to their normal color.
          "You're a pure blood..."
          "A what?" You look at Jimin, your features scrunched up in confusion. What the hell was a pure blood?
          "You don't know what a pure blood is?" Taehyung mumbles, brushing Grace's hair to the side, the girl exhausted and asleep. He had her tucked away on his lap, protecting her from the outside world as she slept.
          "No." Jungkook chuckles, leaning back on his hands.
          "For a magician with a forbidden book you sure aren't well informed." You shoot him a look before turning back to Jimin.
          "What are they?" Jimin sits down before scratching his chin.
          "Gee how do I say this? Pure bloods come from a long line of magicians. Well more specifically the blood lines of the three great magicians. Wong Yukhei, Xiao Dejun, and Li Yong Qin. They were known for their magic and said to be chosen by the gods to be the rulers of our world. The bloodline supposedly ended after the untimely death of Wong Yukhei and the disappearance of Xiao Dejun and Li Yong Qin."
          "Li Yong Qin was my great grandfather. He didn't disappear." The others stare at you in shock, the carriage suddenly coming to a halt as Alex and Hoseok jump up to look through the front of the carriage and at you.
          "What!? Are you serious!?" You blink in confusion before noding at Hoseok.
          "Yes, he went by the name Ten to hide from the people that killed Wong Yukhei." Jimin and Jungkook stare at you with wide eyes.
          "Hold up, you're telling us... Wong Yukhei was murdered?!" You tilt your head before letting out a sigh. Looks like all of you had learned very different stories.
          "Yes. My great grandfather disappeared for a while, but no one knows where he went. When he returned he had heard of Wong Yukhei's death and Xiao Dejun advised him to change his name and go into hiding. They lived like that for a while. I knew both of them. They trained me in magic for a short amount of time before I was given to Jin and his father. Xiao Dejun never married and had no children, but my great Grandfather had five kids. None of them were blessed with magic... I was the only one."
          "Wow. I thought pure bloods were a myth." Hoseok stares at you with wonder, he now understood why he was so drawn to you, why all of them were so drawn to you. In the history books, pure bloods were known for their charm. Wong Yukhei had many descendants, all of which were murdered or disappeared from society. But from the people that did come across a pure blood, it was said that they were strangely alluring, almost alluring to the point it became dangerous. That's why they wanted them dead. Well... the Pirate King and his followers did anyway.
          "This just upped our odds against the Pirate King." Jungkook laughs out, patting your head before turning to Hoseok and Alex. "Are we at Treasure?" Hoseok nods, pointing at the bright lights of the extravagant city before you.
          "The one and only city of Treasure, home to the Pirate King and his magician Suga." You stare in wonder, your heart beat beginning to pick up. This was really happening. Just a few days ago you and Jin were practicing in a clearing protected by magic, now you're in front of the largest city in the world. Your hands clench by your side as you stare at the palace. Jin was taken by those monsters and you were going to get him back.
          "Let's ditch them carriage, Suga knows it now." Jimin mutters, helping Taehyung out of it. Alex carries Grace on his back as Hoseok begins to lead you to the city.. You hold Moon in your arms, scratching behind his ear. Jungkook lifts his mask up before standing next to you, his hand holding onto the strap of your satchel. It was truly beautiful, despite the robotic people wandering the streets. They all seemed to keep to themselves, afraid of what the soldiers would do if they stepped out of line or said something against the Pirate King. For such a bright and beautiful city, it lacked personality.
          "There's an inn right here. I'll rent two rooms for you guys. Then I'll head to the palace and search for any sign of Jin." You smile at Hoseok before nodding.
          "Thank you." He smiles at you, leading six of you into a small inn. The young girl at the front desk offers you all a bright smile before running and hugging Hoseok.
          "Hoseok! You're back! Who are they?" The girl shared some features with the male beside her, but her eyes were slightly different. They were more vibrant than any eyes you've seen before. She seemed like she was your age, maybe slightly younger.
          "Mal, these are my traveling companions. Guys this is Mal. She's my little sister." Jungkook blushes as Mal waves over at them all. Alex snickers, hitting the male lightly in a teasing manner. You just role your eyes before bowing at the female.
          "It's a pleasure to meet you Mal. I'm (y/n). That's Alex, Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung and Grace." You point to each of them one by one before lifting the bunny up. "And this is Moon." She laughs and scratches Moon's ears before fixing her hijab nervously. She wasn't used to meeting so many new people. Not many dared to visit the city of Treasure unless they wanted to live there. The inn was used mostly for soldiers of other kingdoms to stay while they visited the Pirate King and they weren't very sociable.
          "How many rooms will you be needing?" She opens up a draw before shifting through the keys for the rooms.
          "Two will do Mal. They'll be sharing and I'll be paying." She nods before handing you a key and Alex one as well.
          "If you need anything just let me know!" You smile at her brightly before turning to Hoseok.
          "Let us know if you find him." Hoseok nods before bowing and saying his goodbyes before hugging his sister and heading out. You watch him leave before turning to the others. Mal smiles sheepishly as Jungkook talks to her. You laugh before looking at Alex. "Can you, Jimin and Jungkook share a room. I'll take the other one with Taehyung and Grace."
          "Yeah, we can do that." Alex grabs Jungkook's ear, dragging him off as Mal and Jimin laugh at the poor male's pain. "Come on Kookie, keep it in your pants." You laugh at Alex's statement before nodding at Mal once again. She waves happily before you, Taehyung and Grace travel to your own room. It surely gave off a homey feeling, most likely since Hoseok and his family seem to own the inn. Makes sense that it'd have a nice vibe. The siblings seem kind, so their parents must be as well. You throw your satchel on top of a desk before turning to Grace and Taehyung.
          "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor with some sheets."
          "You don't have to do that. You can share with Grace, I'll take the floor." Taehyung mumbles as he places Grace on the bed with Moon. She instantly cuddles into the pillows and falls asleep, her body still exhausted from the attack.
          "No, you stay on the bed. You're the injured one. I'm fine." He lets out a sigh before grabbing a pillow and some sheets, arranging them on the ground before sitting on the bed.
          "Thank you, for everything." You blink at the male before shaking your head and sitting on the bed next to him.
          "I haven't done anything." He lets out a laugh and grabs your hands in his.
          "You've sacrificed so much. You must have had a nice home before leaving to find Grace. And because of us... Jin is..."
          "Jin is strong. He won't let anyone hurt him without a fight." Taehyung looks up at your face, smiling sadly at the tears that streamed down your face. If you repeated those words in your mind they were certain to be true right? Jin couldn't be hurt. There was no way. He was your everything. He practically raised you despite the small age gap between the two of you. Even just being a few years older, he was always there to take care of you and make sure you didn't get hurt. Taehyung grabs the back of your head and pulls you into his side, allowing you to cry on his shoulder.
          "Jin is strong. You're right. He'll be okay." After you had finished crying, you had slowly fallen asleep. Taehyung leans back, allowing you to rest on his chest while you sleep, the sheets and pillow on the ground forgotten in your moment of sadness. You suddenly feel yourself beginning to float, wondering what was happening. Weren't you asleep with Grace and Taehyung? The image of the two other people in the bed fades from your mind as you find yourself alone.
          "What?"
          "Good to see you again." You jump as you hear RM's voice. He smiles at you, standing in a field of flowers, you look around, just now noticing the flowers brushing against your skin. We're you in a dress?
          "RM, it's good to see you as well. Is everything alright? Do you see Jin?" Your tone was hopeful, but he look on the god's face tells you he didn't really know anything.
          "Unfortunately another god is blocking my view in the palace. I don't know who it is but they don't want me to see what's going on. I'm sorry." You shake your head, a sad smile adoring your face.
          "No it's fine." RM lets out a sigh before approaching you. He lays a hand on your shoulder, your worries and fear slowly disappearing from his touch. He pulls his hand away and smiles at you.
          "That is the most I can do for you."
          "Thank you." You bow at him before standing straight again. "But you summoned me for a reason. What is it that you need?" He chuckles, crossing his arms. A smirk rests on his features as he watches your attentive form
          "You sure are clever. The conch shell in you bag. Keep it with you."
          "What? Why?" RM shows you and image of the shell, it seems to be radiating with energy.
          "When the gem is returned to the Gem Keeper, our magic will be restored. To summon us the chosen one must blow the conch shell." Your eyes widen, but before you can ask any more questions you feel yourself falling. You shoot up from the bed, looking around and noting that Taehyung and Grace were still asleep. You slide out of the bed before heading to your satchel. You pull out the conch shell and stare down at it. You weren't the one who found it. So that must mean that... Jungkook, you had to talk with Jungkook. Now. You make your way out of the room, pocketing the key before heading down the hall and to Jungkook's room. You stop noticing the door is open. Peeking in, you only see Jimin and Alex fast asleep. Where was he? You jump as said male touches your shoulder.
          "Couldn't sleep either?" You shake your head and pull him away from the door and down the hall to the open balcony. He watches your form with curiosity, tilting his head in confusion as you show him the conch shell. Why were you wandering around with that in your hands? Were you okay?
          "RM told me the conch shell will summon the gods once the gem is returned." Jungkook's mouth hangs open before a smile appears on his face.
          "What? You mean they'll help us?" You nod your head, a frown adorning your features.
          "I think so, but he also said another god was helping the Pirate King..."
          "What? There's no way. That can't be possible." You let out a sigh, shaking your head in distress.
          "They must be a traitor, the reason why the Pirate King was able to get the gem in the first place." Jungkook runs his hand along the conch shell, smiling at the mesmerizing glow it had in the moonlight. It truly was beautiful and now he knows why he was so drawn to it.
          "So all we need to do is blow it once we get Grace to the gem?"
          "No. The chosen one need to do it." You hold the shell up to him, a bright smile taking over your face as you do so. "And I think it's you."
          "Me?" You nod as he takes the shell from your hands. He looks at you with a stern frown.
          "Lets not tell anyone. We'll keep it a secret."
          "What?"
          "I think it's best. If we tell the others and one of us gets taken... again... then..." You stare at him with wide eyes. Could you really keep something like this a secret?
          "Jungkook... I...."