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Summary: As Jungkook and Taehyung continue their journey, they stumble upon an ancient structure hidden deep in the forest. They encounter a cryptic new character who offers both aid and riddles, deepening the mystery of their shared fate.
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The Forbidden Forest had a way of making time feel irrelevant. Daylight barely penetrated the thick canopy, leaving the world in a perpetual twilight. Taehyung and Jungkook walked in relative silence, the tension from their earlier confrontation with the shadow beast still lingering between them.
“Do these beasts hunt in packs?” Taehyung asked finally, breaking the quiet.
Jungkook glanced at him. “Sometimes. It depends on how deep into the forest we are.”
Taehyung groaned under his breath. “Wonderful.”
“Afraid?” Jungkook asked, his tone neutral.
“Of you? No,” Taehyung shot back with a smirk.
Jungkook’s lips twitched, but he said nothing, refocusing on the path ahead.
After what felt like hours, the dense forest began to shift. The undergrowth grew thinner, the air heavier, and the trees gnarled even more grotesquely. In the distance, Taehyung spotted a shape—a structure that seemed to rise out of the earth itself.
“What is that?” he asked, nodding toward it.
Jungkook squinted. “A ruin. This forest is full of them.”
As they approached, the structure came into focus. It was an ancient stone altar, weathered and cracked, surrounded by crumbled pillars covered in moss. Strange symbols were carved into the stone—symbols that looked eerily similar to the ones Taehyung had seen glowing on the forest floor.
A faint chill ran down his spine.
“We shouldn’t linger,” Jungkook said, though he stepped closer to inspect the carvings. His fingers traced the lines of the symbols, his brow furrowing.
“Does this mean anything to you?” Taehyung asked, stepping beside him.
Before Jungkook could answer, a voice cut through the silence:
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”
Both men spun around, their hands moving to their weapons. Standing a few feet away was a figure cloaked in green and brown, blending almost seamlessly with the forest.
The stranger pushed back their hood, revealing a striking face framed by wild auburn hair. Their eyes, a piercing green, held an amused glint.
“Who are you?” Jungkook demanded, his sword halfway out of its sheath.
The stranger raised their hands in a gesture of peace. “Easy there. I’m just a wanderer. Name’s Haneul.”
“Wanderer?” Taehyung echoed, skepticism heavy in his tone.
Haneul grinned. “That’s right. I roam the forest, keeping an eye on… interesting people like yourselves.”
“Why would we be interesting to you?” Jungkook asked sharply.
Haneul’s gaze flicked to the altar, then back to them. “Because only fools or the truly desperate come this far into the Forbidden Forest. And you two don’t strike me as fools.”
Taehyung and Jungkook exchanged a glance.
“What do you know about this altar?” Taehyung pressed, gesturing to the ancient structure.
Haneul tilted their head, studying him with an expression that was both curious and cautious. “More than you’d like to hear, I suspect. But the real question is, what do you know?”
Jungkook stepped forward, his voice firm. “Enough to know it’s dangerous. And that your sudden appearance isn’t a coincidence.”
Haneul smirked. “You’re sharp. I like that.”
They stepped closer, their movements light and fluid, as if they were part of the forest itself. “This altar belongs to the ancients. Those symbols? They’re part of a prophecy.”
“Let me guess,” Taehyung said dryly. “Something about destiny and doom?”
Haneul chuckled. “More or less. But it’s not just doom—it’s rebirth. Two forces destined to collide, to reshape the world.” Their gaze lingered on Jungkook and Taehyung, a knowing glint in their eyes.
“Care to elaborate?” Jungkook asked, his voice cold.
“I would,” Haneul said with a shrug. “But where’s the fun in giving you all the answers at once?”
Taehyung rolled his eyes. “Great. Another person who speaks in riddles.”
Haneul grinned. “Riddles keep life interesting.” They turned toward the forest, their cloak billowing behind them. “If you want to survive this place, you’ll need more than just swords and sarcasm. Keep your wits about you—and try not to let the forest swallow you whole.”
Before either Jungkook or Taehyung could respond, Haneul disappeared into the shadows, leaving only the faintest trace of their presence behind.
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As the two men resumed their journey, the encounter weighed heavily on their minds.
“Do you trust them?” Taehyung asked after a while.
“No,” Jungkook said immediately.
“Neither do I,” Taehyung admitted. “But… they seemed to know something. About this prophecy. About us.”
Jungkook didn’t reply. His hand brushed the pouch at his side, where the medallion he’d found earlier rested. The stranger’s words had unsettled him, but he wouldn’t let it show.
“We keep moving,” he said finally, his voice firm. “And we stay alert.”
Taehyung nodded, though unease lingered in his chest. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Haneul had been watching them long before they’d reached the altar.
And something told him their paths would cross again.
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