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The only sound that followed was the dripping water from the cave's ceiling. Her vision obscured by the engulfing darkness, Aera strained her eyes to see better. The silhouetted figure stood amidst the impenetrable blackness of the cave, still as a store mannequin.
She began to panic. She clearly remembered that the voice had called out Yoongi's name just some seconds ago. Why would a creepy silhouette know his name? What if this was the same creature that chased her in the woods, only it had taken another shape, and was now there to terrorize them again?
Unwittingly, Aera took a step backwards. Next thing she knew, Yoongi had glided to the side and was now standing right in front of her. Now the only thing she could do was peek over his shoulder as the unmoving figure just stood there, observing them wordlessly.
"Stay calm." Yoongi whispered, heaving a long, controlled exhale.
It was easier said than done. Aera was terrified, flashbacks from that dreadful chase running through her mind. Hearing Jimin's voice say those words to her, his eyes filled with nothing but hatred... Seemed like it was true what Yoongi said about Abaddon playing with people's minds, targeting their weaknesses, because the experience had managed to devastate her.
It had been some very tense seconds before the silhouette started taking steps towards them. Aera's breath hitched. The small stones littering the floor were clacking searingly, the sharp sound penetrating her ears.
The unreasonable impulse to shut her eyes shot through her, like a child watching a scary movie, trusting that the danger would go away if she wasn't able to see it. However, her eyes remained wide open, fixating on every fluid movement the swaying figure made.
Yoongi wrapped one arm around her while taking on some sort of a combat stance, his legs spread apart and upper body slightly lowered like a black panther about to pounce and attack. A low growl reverberated through his chest.
"It really is you!" the voice exclaimed happily all of a sudden. It was full of excitement and astonishment, resonating throughout the cave.
As the figure approached, Aera easily determined it was that of a male, probably around the same height as Yoongi. Its movement were smooth and fluid, but still resembled those of a normal person, in contrast to the swaying, floating motion the creature from the woods moved in.
From the shadows emerged a young man. Just as Aera had noticed, he was slightly shorter than Yoongi. He had the same thick crow black hair, cascading down his forehead like an inky avalanche. His milky complexion, along with his thin frame and sunken cheekbones, gave his exterior some sort of a ghostly, haunting vibe.
Yet, his eyes were truly the one thing that stood out the most about him. They were the most stunning pools of turquoise Aera had ever seen, glowing even in the gloom of the cave. She gaped a little bit too openly at him, struggling to recognize him. She could swear she had never seen him in her whole life.
