"So are we just supposed to wait here?" Jimin asked Taehyung. He knew his friend might not know much about what was happening, but Taehyung surely knew more than he did. After all, he couldn't understand the incubi; Taehyung could.

"I guess so. Whatever this 'Chaerin' is planning, it involves these two keeping us on the ship." Taehyung shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, not really having much information."She doesn't seem so bad, from what I can tell."

That made Jimin cock his head to the side."What makes you say that?" They had no idea what Chaerin was like. How could Taehyung have any opinion about her?

"She sent these two here to keep us on the ship." This made sense to Taehyung."If she was as bad as the emperor, wouldn't she tell them to kill us or take us as prisoners? Instead, we're being kept here. It's safe for us here." Thinking about it a little further, Taehyung hummed softly to himself before speaking again."Something is definitely up though. Even they don't know her plans. They don't know why they were sent to keep us here. They seem pretty confused."

Jimin glanced over at the two incubi, who were chatting quietly."At least they are friendly. Now I feel bad about hitting one of them." Having been scared earlier, Jimin had decided to 'hit first, ask later.' Now that didn't feel necessary. Those two incubi had simply chatted with Taehyung and explained what they knew. No enemy would do that. This put Jimin at ease. Still, he wished he could understand.

"Hey, you."

Taehyung looked toward the incubi when one of them spoke up."What?"

Junhong stepped over to Taehyung, having a question that was filling his mind."Who is mated to who?" He'd been wondering about this quite a bit. Something didn't add up in his mind, but he couldn't figure out what was odd.

Hearing that question, Taehyung knew it couldn't really hurt to answer."I'm mated to Hoseok and Namjoon. My friend here is with Seokjin."

"You're in a threeway bond with Hoseok and Namjoon?" When Taehyung nodded, Junhong's suspicions grew."Who is Yoongi mated to then? Namjoon said they were mates."

"Yoongi is mated to Jungkook." Taehyung could see that his answer shocked the incubus but also seem to make something click in his brain.

Jihoon placed a hand onto Junhong's shoulder."Namjoon must have lied to make sure he wouldn't be separated from the little one. He was trying to protect him."

Junhong turned his gaze to Jihoon, eyes a bit wide with a realization."Yoongi is mated to Jungkook. Jungkook and I are related. This must be why I've been feeling so protective of him. I felt close to him, and I didn't know why. I thought I wanted to mate him, but that wasn't it. This is it."

That made much sense to Jihoon."You smelled the connection. Since it's rare for Szarvounians to be related, you couldn't recognize the connection, but now we know."

"Wait, you're related to Jungkook?" That was certainly interesting to know."How are you related?"

"We were fathered by the same incubus and birthed by different succubi." Junhong stated with a smile, feeling a sort of happiness to finally have some understanding."What do you call this connection in your world? Our world has no word for it."

"Technically, you'd be called half-brothers. Call Jungkook your brother." This also brought a smile to Taehyung's lips. Not only had they met friendly incubi, but they also just learned that Jungkook had a brother. Looking at Jimin, he knew he should relay the information."Jiminie, he's Jungkook's brother."

"Wait, what?" That was a shock for Jimin."Jungkook has a brother? He's never told us before."

"He probably doesn't know. We should tell him when he co--" Taehyung's words were cut off by the sound of a very loud siren.

Jihoon became tense, as did Junhong."The emperor's siren." It was such a loud, repeating call."That siren is only used for very important announcements. All incubi must report to the dome to hear Emperor Minseok's announcement."

"We can't go though." Junhong grabbed Jihoon's hand."Lady Chaerin ordered us to stay here. Whatever the announcement is, we'll have to hear it from someone else later."

---

With a smirk on her lips, Chaerin seated herself on the throne as she awaited all the incubi to arrive. She knew it would be a shock for them to see her in the throne, not Minseok. The otherworldly now-free creatures stood behind the raised platform that suspended the throne. Freed incubi who had been imprisoned previously stood with them. The time to announce Minseok's death and the coming of a new way of life was now. It wouldn't go smoothly, for sure.

Chaerin looked at the ones who stood upon the platform with her, her mate and Namjoon's team."With all incubi coming here, it will be safe for you to take your little one to your ship," she told them with a small nod."I sent Junhong and Jihoon to find your ship earlier. They were ordered to make sure anyone else on your ship remained there."

"Junhong?" Jungkook recognized that name. He didn't know Junhong well, but he'd seen him a couple times during training years ago. For some reason, his name was saved in Jungkook's memory.

Knowing this wasn't going to go over well but taking their lack of time to his advantage, Hoseok spoke up."Jungkook, I'm sending you back to Earth with Yoongi, Jimin, and Taehyung. Seokjin and I will stay here to fight."

"What?" Seokjin was taken aback by this."Jungkook is in no condition to fly the ship. He can barely think straight. He's coming down from the fueler boost. You know that."

"I know, which is why I need you to take him to the ship then come back to help us fight." Hoseok knew no one liked this, but he wasn't changing his mind."Take Yoongi and Jungkook to the ship. Give Earth's coordinates to Jihoon and Junhong. They can fly the ship. If Lady Chaerin trusted them to not hurt Jimin and Taehyung, we can trust them to get everyone home safely."

Hearing the loud mass of footsteps in the halls of the dome coming their way, Seokjin knew they didn't have time to argue."What do I tell them?"

Hoseok lowered his gaze."Tell them...that we'll return to them when this conflict is resolved."

"And what about Namjoon?" Seokjin dreaded telling Taehyung about Namjoon's passing.

"Tell Yoongi to keep it a secret until they are home, safe and rested." Hoseok forced himself to hold back tears and anger."I don't want Taehyung to try to stay here. He should be home with friends and family to help him through the grief." He swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking again."When you get back, you and I will use fuelers during the start of the war. We'll take a ship out to orbit if we have to, so we can stay unbothered until we're ready to fight."

Despite not liking this, Seokjin would obey."Fine. Let's go, Jungkook."

"Wait." Hoseok couldn't look at Seokjin as he said this."Tell Taehyung I love him and...I'm sorry."

"I will." Pulling Jungkook along, Seokjin jumped down from the suspended platform and headed out of the large room through a side door, avoiding the crowd of incubi coming for the announcement."Let's retrieve Yoongi then head to the ship." He didn't notice that Chaerin's mate followed behind them.