All That Glitters is Not Gold (BTS X Reader)

Chapter 5

After almost 15 minutes of walking, we came to a fork in the path. The right fork led into the village. It went around the north end of the woods and looped back towards the village. The left fork led towards the Daybreak Mountains and the Dark Wizard. I hesitated when we came to the fork and Jimin stopped next to me. He silently reached over and took my hand.

"It will be alright," Jimin said gently. "I promise I will be here to protect you. You have nothing to fear as long as you are with me."

The thought of a fairy being able to protect me made me want to laugh out loud, but I restrained myself. I had hurt his feelings once before and I didn't want to do that again. The sweet fairy was only trying to help me.

At the foot of the Daybreak Mountains, there was a crude wooden sign warning trespassers of the horrors that lie within the mountains. The cheerful name was a direct contrast to what actually existed in the mountains. It was rumored that a fierce creature ruled the mountains. I didn't know how I felt about the rumors. It was more soothing to believe they were just that: rumors. I turned my head to the left to check on the quiet fairy at my side. He had not said anything since we took the path towards the mountains. Although his eyes showed his nervousness, his face was stoic, revealing nothing at all.

I touched his shoulder. "You okay? You sure you want to go through with this? You can always turn back now," I said gently.

Jimin shook his head immediately. "No. It's fine. I promised I would go with you. I'm keeping that promise," he said, the conviction strong in his voice.

I sighed. "I don't want to put you in any danger. I'm sure you've heard about the monster that lives in the mountains, if it actually exists that is," I replied.

Jimin's face visibly paled. "The monster does exist. I've seen it flying over Fairy Grove. It can't land in our grove, but it does exist," he explained.

My eyebrows raised in confusion. This was information I had never heard before about the monster that lived in the Daybreak Mountains. It would make our task of getting through that much more difficult. "Flying?" I asked.

Jimin nodded. "The monster that lives in the mountains is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's a..." A loud roar coming from the direction of the mountains cut off Jimin's words.

My footsteps halted at the noise. The sheer volume of the noise chilled me to my very bones. Jimin stood at my side, trembling hands the only sign of his fear. We hesitantly moved along the path that led into the valley at the base of the mountain. We would have to cross the valley to get to the other side of the mountain. At the pace we were going, it would be roughly a half-day's walk to make it to the other side. The sun had risen as were coming out of the night woods, so hopefully we would make it through the mountains before nightfall. It's not someplace I would like to be at night.

I led the way into the valley and stopped to take in the sight. The valley dipped down further into the earth, the impressive peaks of the mountain towering over on either side. There was a river coursing swiftly on the right side of us. We would need to cross the river to continue along the path. I noticed a small bridge off in the distance and that's where we headed.

As were walking, I was carefully studying the scenery. The valley was surprisingly bare of trees or any kinds of vegetation. The ones that did exist were blackened to a crisp, almost as though they had been burned. Another roar came echoing through the valley, but as the sound faded away, I could tell it wasn't in anger, but in pain and unrestrained sorrow.

"Do you notice that Jimin?" I asked, as the sound faded away.

Jimin looked at me in confusion. "Notice what?" he asked.

"That roar. It sounds like whatever made it is hurting," I said.

Jimin stopped and turned me to face him. "Don't think about doing anything silly Y/N," he said. "That thing is a monster."

"What is the monster?" I asked, continuing the question from earlier when the roar had startled us.

Jimin didn't need to answer my question. As we approached the entrance to a cave, an immense form moved out of the cave and into the bright sunlight. Its black and red scales glittered in the early morning light. Its wings were enormous, completely dwarfing its body. The tendrils of smoke coming from its nostrils were the final indication of what the monster was. It was a dragon.

The dragon noticed Jimin and me and moved towards us slowly, similar to a cheetah stalking its prey before it makes the final kill. I noticed a large wound on his right front leg and that one of his beautiful iridescent wings was torn almost completely in half.

The dragon reared back and let loose a roar that shook the mountains, causing the hair to stand up on the back of my neck. It went to take a step towards us, but I shouted out, my voice echoing through the mountains.

"Wait! I can help you!" I yelled. "Let me help you."

The dragon looked surprised for a moment before disappearing in a cloud of red and black smoke. As the smoke cleared, an incredibly handsome man stood in his place. He had on a bright red shirt and black pants. His right arm had a large wound, extending from his wrist almost to his elbow. His iridescent wings had shrunk down, but the tear remained. The damaged wing hung limply down his back.

The man stepped hesitantly towards us. "How can you help me?" he called, his voice gruff and untrusting.

"I can treat the wound on your arm," I said softly. "And I can take a look at your wing."

The man took another step towards me. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Y/N. We're heading to see the Dark Wizard. My brother was hit with the Curse of Tainted Blood and I'm going to see the Dark Wizard for a cure," I said to him, trying to keep my voice gently.

"Who is he?" the man asked, gesturing towards Jimin.

"My name is Jimin. I'm a fairy," Jimin said, the haughtiness clear in his voice.

"Hah... you don't look like much of a fairy to me," he said. "Where's your wings?"

Jimin looked down sadly at the question. "I was cursed by the Night Witch. She took away my wings and powers. I'm going to see the Dark Wizard to get them back."

The man looked at both of us suspiciously. "Can you tell me your name?" I asked carefully.

"I'm Hoseok. I'm the monster that guards the Daybreak Mountains."