Not always Hero wins

The Gates That Waited🍂

The weight of his words stayed with her long after he was gone.

"I don't have time for this, Y/n." Not I trust you. Not I believe you.

Just that. A dismissal. Like she was nothing. Like she had never mattered. A shaky breath left her lips, but no tears came. Not now. Not when she still had a mission. Even if Jungkook hated her, even if he refused to believe in her, she would still protect him.

Because she loved him.

The night air was crisp, the sky painted in deep shades of indigo and violet, with stars flickering like silent watchers in the heavens. She sat by her window, her mind a storm of unanswered questions, doubts, and a burning determination that refused to settle.

She had to know.

The pieces of the puzzle were starting to connect, but they weren't enough-not yet. Naiad's connection to her mother, the ancient secrets she was keeping, and the ominous words the shadow had left behind-it all pointed toward something bigger. Something buried.

And she was going to dig it up.

Her fingers tightened into fists as her gaze shifted towards the forest in the distance-the one wrapped in whispers and fear, the one the government had sealed off, calling it haunted.

Haunted?

She let out a soft scoff. What a joke. If there was something hidden in that forest, she needed to find it.

With that decision set in stone, she stood up, stepping onto the window ledge without a second thought. The wind rushed past her, lifting her hair as she leaned forward-then, with a small smirk, she let herself fall.

For a moment, she was weightless. Then- With a sudden burst, her wings unfurled.

Dark and magnificent, the feathers shimmered under the moonlight as she soared upward, the cool night air kissing her skin as she moved effortlessly through the sky. The world below blurred into a sea of trees, rooftops, and winding roads, but she paid them no attention.

Her focus was set ahead-on the forest that no one dared to enter.

The Forbidden Land.

As she neared, the towering trees came into view, their ancient trunks stretching high into the sky, their twisted branches intertwining like fingers, trying to keep the outside world away. Mist curled around the treetops, giving the entire landscape an eerie, almost otherworldly glow.

But fear was the last thing on her mind. She descended swiftly, landing at the edge of the forest, right before a grand yet ruined castle.

It stood there like a relic of the past, its once-grand walls now covered in cracks, vines, and layers of neglect. The massive entrance gates were rusted and tangled with thick ivy, their golden embellishments now barely visible beneath the decay of time.

She took a slow step forward, her boots crunching against the leaves and dried twigs scattered along the ground. The castle loomed before her, ancient and forgotten, yet there was a presence here-something lingering, waiting.

The gates were locked, chained together with heavy iron links, but the moment Y/n raised a hand and brushed her fingertips against the cold metal- CLANK.