You awoke. The forest above you soothed you. It seemed no matter where you were in the world, or the type of trees in the forest, the canopy always looked the same to you. The small cracks of sky between the branches stabbing through the rays of the sun shining down on you.

"You're awake," the Piper said.

He cut off a piece of bread, tossing it to you. Crumbles hit the forest floor and your stomach rumbled, missing the nourishment they could've provided.

You ate the bread. The first real food you'd had in days. The Piper didn't seem to eat much either, you wondered if he needed to. The Piper was once human at least, sure that counted for something?

"You're going to need your strength," the Piper said, taking another bite of bread. "You must complete the other two trials. And we will reach Abraxas tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" you asked, your stomach rumbling, this time not from the hunger.

"Yes," he said.

"Why must I complete the trials then? If the plan is to defeat Abraxas, why don't I just skip them?"

"He needs to think you are weak. If he believes you are strong, he will prepare."

"But, I am weak. That's the whole point of this."

"Most of the people I led over the years were strong. Stronger than most of the people in that village."

You couldn't help as your eyes rolled back. It sounded like something a coach told an athlete before a tournament. He was just trying to make you feel better.

"Listen, I know I have almost no chance. Abraxas is a God? A demon? I don't know. But, even if I try to defeat him. I have nothing."

The Piper remained silent. He handed you the last of the bread and looked ahead at the path. He waited for you finish the bread before handing you the flute.

It transformed into a golden colored bow and a single arrow. You noticed a target painted on a nearby apple tree.

"It's charmed to never miss," the Piper said. "To pass, you have to miss. To fail, it has to hit the target."

"So, it doesn't really matter, does it?" you asked. "I already passed the first one."

The Piper shrugged. You noticed on the edge of his form it seemed to crumble, as if he were carelessly outlined.

You notched the arrow and pulled the string back. It was harder than it looked. You used to sit and watch the archers after school. Although, you mostly watched Taehyung, how his muscles tensed as he pulled back the string and how quickly they released.

He wasn't supposed to take his shirt off during archery practice, as the strings had been known to snap back and break ribs. You tried to not to focus too much on his tanned chest and stomach, but often felt your gaze wandering and you'd turn to hide your reddened cheeks.

You think he secretly liked your reaction though. Even after he was continually chastised, he continued, giving some lame excuse about his shirt being too restricting.

You cheeks reddened and you released the string. You closed your eyes and heard the Piper's shocked reaction.

When you opened your eyes, you say the arrow lodged through an apple hanging from one of the lower branches.

The Piper walked to the tree and carefully picked the apple and retrieved the arrow. He tossed you the apple, a hole perfectly from one side to the other--straight through the core.

You handed the bow back. As soon as it touched the Piper's flesh the two pieces shifted back into the flute. For the first time since the night you met the Piper, he brought it to his lips and played.

You no longer felt the pull to follow him, nor the tether between you. Yet, you still followed behind the Piper, even if you weren't tied to him anymore, you'd come too far to run away from your fate. You looked down at the apple you still held and took a bite, feeling the doubt in your stomach subside slightly.

"So, what's the other trial?" you asked, casually. You didn't feel awkward around the Piper anymore. After seeing Namjoon's form, you felt almost as if the Piper was your friend.

The Piper stopped playing and placed the flute back into his pocket. He took a moment, as if he didn't know either. However, the silence felt heavy. The Piper never didn't turn back to face you.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said.

xXx

The next morning came. The Piper's crumbling outline more prominent. His fingertips beginning to leave a trail as he walked. The crumbs looked like golden dust, small flecks shining among the dirt and mud.

There were mountains in the distance. A large intruding gray force erupting upwards from the empty green meadow. It looked exactly like the kind of place that would house some sort of vengeful god. Beautiful, but deceiving.

"We're almost there," the Piper said. "Be prepared. Abraxas will test you in ways you didn't think possible."

xXx

The Piper led you into a cave. It seemed nearly as tall as the mountain it was carved into, big enough to hide something like Abraxas.

"What about the third trial?" you whispered, as you two dove deeper into the cave.

"You'll find out soon."

You walked in the cave for what felt like hours, until you reached a central room. It seemed to be perfectly centered in the middle of the mountain, the ceiling disappearing out of your vision.

"Hello," a voice said, reverberating off the walls.

You couldn't help but roll you eyes. Abraxas wouldn't even reveal himself. He seemed cowardly, praying on the weak. You didn't quite understand the reason, but you had a feeling you would soon.

"Thank you, Piper, for bringing her to me. I am anxious to test her final weakness. The third trial," the voice said, a chuckle echoing off the stone walls of the hollowed mountain.

The Piper looked at you. His eyes were trying to tell you something, they looked terrified. They rolled back in his head momentarily and a crack began to erupt on his cheek from his eyes and down onto his cheek. It was heartbreaking to see such a beautiful face shatter like porcelain.

"Piper?" you asked.

His face changed before your eyes. The new form was all sharp angles, high cheekbones, a razor jawline, red hair that fell down onto his forehead.

"This is my favorite form of the Piper," the voice spoke, now from the Piper's body. "He's the strongest vessel. Your third trial is to fight him."

"No," you said. "I have to fail. So, I refuse."

The Piper was your friend. You refused to hurt him, even if Abraxas was possessing his body. You would find some other way to defeat him.

The Piper's form chuckled. "That's not how this works, girlie."

A/N: I'm not super happy with this chapter and I may come back and edit it after I finish the book. Only two chapters left! Any predictions for the last two chapters?

Oh, and I know it may be a little early for some of you, but Happy Valentine's Day!

Follow the sound of the flute~

-FarFromSuga