★ We cheat the cards ★

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- Watching -

Taehyung's POV

It had to be about two hours before dawn when I had entered the enormous room. It was divided into sections, elemental magic dripping off the walls in each section. The training room was all too familiar to my friends and I, but it hasn't been touched in months.

Surely they won't mind if I use it again.

I took a deep, shaky breath, dropping the blanket to the ground. I had summoned the portal to the training room for Jungkook's and I's shared dorm room. Meaning, I took my lovely black and white blanket from there as I teleported.

It helps me stay calm, okay?

The lights flickered on, lighting up every corner of the room. It was massive, larger than any stadium I had seen before. I had it to myself for at least another two hours or so. "I need to master each element," I whispered to myself, knowing there was no one here to listen to my inner babbles.

I can recall the look in Soros' face. There's something coming. I don't know when it's coming, or if it even is at all, but there's something lurking. He didn't say anything, but the glint in his eyes was enough to speak the words in his mind. It's strong. It'll be the strongest thing we've faced before.

My thoughts swirled around in my head like waves, crashing, and swimming indefinitely. There was a whisper like the wind was trying to let me know a secret. It was random, and it startled me, but the wind flew around me. It had to be air, the element, but I hadn't called it?

God.. of... Under...world...

I gulped, shaking off the eerie feeling that crawled across my skin. Maybe we shouldn't do some heavy thinking this early in the morning. I tossed aside the items in my pocket, taking my place in the center of the training room. I steadied myself, concentrating on my power.

"If I keep asking for my friends' magic powers aloud, my enemies will hear and have an upper hand," I whisper again, once more speaking my thoughts. That just means that I need to stop speaking out loud, but rather in my head than anything. So, I shut my eyes, calling forth ice.

It comes, and I watch as it begins to spiral around me. It fills me with coldness, making me shiver as the icy feeling travels up my spine. I embrace it though. It feels like home. It feels safe. We need to work together on this, ice. Ice is strong, as Glacius has told me, and it can cut through anything, practically.

Ice is underestimated.

Let me prove what I can do then. I stand, pressing my palm outwards, facing the wall that lies ahead of me by about a hundred feet. I told you, this room is massive! "Can you make things come to life?" I whisper to myself, shutting my eyes as a picture of a leopard forms in my mind.

When a roar fills the training room, I feel a shudder run down my arms, making the hairs on my body rise. I open my eyes, widening them when they land on the leopard that was in my mind. Instead of it resting still, like an ice sculpture, it moves, tilting its head and snarling.

Like a dog with their owner, I have the authority over it. It's claimed as mine, despite there not being a visible chain or tag that displays that ownership. I release a breathless laugh, stalking towards it, watching as it opens its giant, compacted ice mouth and lowering itself to the ground floor.

"What can you do?" It seems to understand because ice seeps from his eyes, mouth, and paws. Dangerous spikes of ice form from the ground and the temperature drops to below zero. I know well enough based off of the icy mist, that can easily be mistaken for fog.

Then, like a sudden revelation, I'm made aware that the ultimate ability of mine is to make everything hit absolute zero. But I can't tell how reliable that'll be and if even I could move during that attack. It's nice to know, but I don't believe I'll be using it anytime soon.

I smile, staring at the training room around us. It's frozen solid. Spikes shoot out from the ground and they stick out of the leopard's paws. It amazes me. I nod, letting my palm slide across the top of his head. I guide it away with a gentle kiss and then the ice thaws.

Next up, I summon water. It forms a snake-like creature. I notice that as I continue summoning each element, it turns into some new creature. When I summon spirit, a wolf forms, and I genuinely wonder why. My question isn't answered though, which only lets my mind run again.

It's amazing. I can control them all with a move of my fingers or a simple snap. It amazes me. I have an army of mythical and powerful creatures on my side. I also have a circle of elements that are all at my command. I can feel this burning sensation run down my spine, and I have to turn to make sure fire hasn't been summoned.

It hasn't.

I can't even question it because suddenly, all of the elements are called forth and they're surrounding me. A violent, eerie feeling creeps up my spine and that's all it really takes for me to get moving. I train, hard. I train until I'm lying breathless against the cold floors.

I won't let myself fall into that state of mind, I remind myself. I won't let my doubt overpower my hope. I won't let my fear overpower my love. The elements strengthen themselves and I smile, my friends coming into my mind. I cannot fall, not while I have people supporting me.

I protect them.

The two hours pass by too quickly. I'm forced to return back to the dorm, slip into bed, and sleep for another hour. At the call of the alarm, I wake up, get ready, and meet the others for breakfast. "So, Tae," Jimin calls from the end of the table, pausing to take a quick drink from his glass, "What's going to happen to you now that you've been touched by all our magic elements?"

I don't think anything, honestly. "I'm not quite sure," I say, which isn't a full lie, "I just know that I possess each of your elements now." Namjoon's eyes widen in shock but his smile doesn't fall. "All of them? It doesn't hurt you at all? That's a lot of power to hold within you."

I smile back, glad that he's not jealous or seething with envy. "Not at all, actually. Other than my ice, water, and darkness, the other elements lie dormant until I summon them to my side. I won't do that until it's a really crucial situation. I will, however, ask for you and your god to lend me your power." My friends smile, eyes lighting up.

"So, what does that mean for us? Are you somehow using our magic power when you summon the element?" I didn't think of that, but I don't believe I am. I shake my head, furrowing my eyebrows for a few seconds while I shove another piece of waffle in my mouth. "I don't think so. I'd like to think of myself as more of a beacon than anything."

"A beacon? What's your reasoning?" Hoseok asks, sounding older and wiser than normal. I turn to him, smiling softly. "I'm like a source, I suppose. When your magic runs dry, I'm here to supply you with more." Yoongi smiles too, letting out a deep short chuckle.

"Kim's right, y'know. Without his help yesterday, we might have not gotten out of there alive," He says, turning to Jungkook. "Don't get me wrong. Jungkook did a lot, a whole lot with that whole Phoenix thing, but Taehyung got us back on our feet after being knocked down."

I smile wider, turning to Jungkook who looks proud of himself. I squeeze his hand in my own, feeling him squeeze back. Our breakfast continues with a smooth flow of chatter. We return to the surface, as in ground level with cars and buildings, a little later than usual.

It's silent today.

The city is awake, most definitely. There are sounds of construction and car horns that alarm citizens on the sidewalks. There are sounds of chatter from the buildings and streets. There's music downtown. Maybe there's some sort of festival?

But when it comes to the sightings of evil, there's nothing. It's odd, and there's a weird feeling that bubbles up within me. My magic seems to notice it too because darkness swirls around me for a good portion of the day. My friends are completely unfazed by the feeling, but I'm not.

It feels like I'm being watched.

I know, deep down in my gut, that Ozagi lingers in the city. He's blending in with the crowd, disguising himself, but I know he's here. I stray behind my friends, taking a good, long look into the overly packed city.

I know you're out there, Ozagi.

There's a chuckle in the wind that breezes by me. I stir, jogging back down the sidewalk to meet up with my friends. The last thing I wanted was to be left alone, abandoned. The thought sends shivers down my spine. The thought of being abandoned by the people I call my family.

It scares me more than losing control does.

I don't want to return to the way I was. I don't ever want to feel like I once did, alone. Jungkook nudges me, looking into my dark eyes that are clouded with worry. "Still freaking out over that nightmare?" He whispers, holding my hand in his. I nod, looking at him. "It was more than just a nightmare. It was a warning."

Jungkook nods, clicking his tongue. Our friends don't notice the sound over their chattering. "I know. I believe you. Remember Soros' words. You'll be fine, Taehyung." The uneasy feeling shakes me, making my hands twitch constantly. So, I open my mouth to speak about it. I can't keep it from my friends.

"I feel like I'm being watched." It's loud enough to silence the bickering from my friends, and instantly my mouth clamps shut. Oops. Namjoon flashes a smile of sympathy, putting a firm hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I shrug. Was I?

"I hope so. I just have this unsettling feeling." Jin nods, wiggling his fingers and sending some of his magic towards me. The motherly aura of earth swirls around me and eventually flows through my veins. I can feel myself relax entirely as the sounds of birds chirping, bees buzzing, and the smell of flowers fills me.

It's calming, most definitely.

Jungkook chuckles, spreading warmth through our connected palms. "We'll get through this, but take it one step at a time first." He's right. We need to keep our guards up, but there's no point in worrying over what-ifs or maybes. It's just a feeling. It doesn't mean it's true.

We return to our headquarters, checking the map for updates on locations. There's nothing on the map until we finally see something faint in the sea of people. It flashes a light red color, but it's in the middle of the city. My eyes narrow. The map indicates where exactly this person is.

And it's where we just were. Near downtown where the music was playing. "Weird. Why is it just one? It's faint too." Jimin's the one to speak up. I can't take my eyes off of it. It flashes slowly, but it still flashes. Then, with a blink, it's gone and we're left clueless.

Except me. I know who it is. I know who was there.

"We were being watched," I said, pressing the button on the map that returns it to being a table. My friends look at me with wondering eyes. I inhale, meeting their gazes with my own. My eyes are serious and a little cold, but that's only to overpower the fear in my heart.

"It's Ozagi. He's watching us."

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Is Taehyung right? Is Ozagi watching the seven?

Something is coming. Taehyung's right about that, something's on the move, but what?

How strong is it?

I purple you 💜

~Pisanthrophobia.