As the carriage ascended the treacherous mountain paths, jagged cliffs loomed overhead, and the air grew thin and cold. The distant echoes of howling winds and the occasional rumble of falling rocks added to the mounting tension. Despite the dangerous terrains, Mingyu and Roseanne pressed on, their determination unwavering.

Upon reaching the forest's edge, the transition from the rugged mountain terrain to the eerie gloom of the woods was abrupt. The forest swallowed the sunset, enveloping them in an unsettling darkness ahead. Twisted trees with gnarled branches cast long, menacing shadows, and the air grew heavy with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

As they were carefully tracing the uneven path at the border of Crimsonheart Forest, Roseanne was greeted by Whisper, who flew and perched on her shoulder.

"Rosie, you're finally back.", the soft yet nearby voice startled her. "Stay calm. It's just me, Whisper.", the magical pigeon said quietly to her.

She turned to Mingyu on her right. It seemed that he had not heard anything like she did. He was focused on the path ahead.

"Whisper, are you talking to me?", Roseanne whispered nervously to the bird on her shoulder.

"Hm...I know you could understand me.", the bird replied, her voice being laden with incomprehensible pain.

"What do you mean, Whisper?", Roseanne was confused.

Whisper flew in front of her, chirping urgently to the two humans except that Roseanne could understand what it was chittering while Mingyu was confused with its sudden appearance in front of them.

"Tell your friend that he can go back and that you can manage from here with my guide. Tell him not to follow you anymore as it's dangerous for a mere human like him to be in this forest. Tell him now, Rosie."

It was confusing even for her, but she chose to do as the bird said.

She turned to Mingyu, gratitude illuminating her features. "Thank you, Mingyu. I can manage from here."

He looked at her in disbelief, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, looking at Mingyu apologetically, "You don't know my exact destination, so...it's best to leave it to me and this messenger bird belongs to Cal. I'm sorry I can't bring you along, but Cal is secretive about his home. I hope you understand."

Mingyu's gaze lingered, torn between a desire to stay and a realization that this journey belonged solely to Roseanne and her enigmatic companion.

"Take care, Rosie. If you need anything, don't hesitate to shout. I will come right away to help you.", he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of longing.

With a nod and a soft smile, Roseanne bid goodbye to him as he moved back with his horse. He watched her as she left with the carriage and two horses guided by the flying bird in front of her.

As she got further into the woods with Whisper, she dared herself to speak to it.

"Whisper?", she called the pigeon.

It turned around to see her.

"What is going on? Why am I...able to understand you?", she asked.

Before Whisper could answer her question, a tribe of monkeys appeared to greet her arrival, and some of them went to look for Jungkook in the carriage at the back.

"He's here!"

"He's back!"

"He's not moving!"

Roseanne's eyes widened as she could understand them all.

"Why is he not moving?"

"What happened to his wings?"

"What have you done to him, Rosie?"

She covered her ears, but she could still hear them.

"Guys, please don't question her anything. She doesn't know anything.", Whisper told the monkeys.

"Oh, yeah, and you do, witchy bird?", one of the monkeys responded.

Whisper sighed, "You can blame me. I told you already."

Roseanne slowly removed her hands, looking curiously at Whisper.

"Whisper, what are you talking about?", she asked, almost begging as she had not yet gotten any answer from the messenger bird. "Can you tell me what is happening?"

With a regretful voice, Whisper replied, "Have Caladrius ever told you about his origin?"

She shook her head.

"Let's go...while I tell you about it.", Whisper said, turning around to fly as it was not strong enough to see Roseanne's face to the story that would be revealed.

With curiosity filling her mind, she told her horses to move, following Whisper's lead to the tree castle.

"It happened a hundred and eighteenth years ago in a magical kingdom called Heavenville. Caladrius no- Jeon Jungkook..."

Whisper told Roseanne the unfortunate incident involving the Prince of Heavenville, a kingdom that no longer existed due to the vanishing of the royal family that ruled the kingdom. She was also revealed to the origin of Caladrius' name, which was taken from the legendary bird that had the ability to absorb sickness from those it laid eyes on. Jungkook chose to use that name after his curse took place, and it forced him to accept his new life in the forest a century ago.

"Since he left the forest, I have to stay here taking care of it on his behalf, but as you can see, as you got deeper, this forest doesn't look the same anymore."

Hearing that, Roseanne observed her surroundings. At that moment, she realized that they had reached the tree castle. However, the sturdy and cosy home of the forest's guardian did not look the same anymore.

The tree castle, once a magnificent structure nestled among the branches, now stood haunted by an ominous transformation. Its charming allure twisted into a foreboding sight, with thorns snaking around its sturdy trunk, ensnaring the once welcoming entrance. The stairs, once a graceful ascent to adventure, now lay in disarray—broken and splintered, a hazardous path leading to peril rather than wonder. Above, the once-sturdy roof that provided a canopy of security, now hung precariously, pieces of wood splintering and crashing down in a chaotic symphony. The beautiful abode now bore an aura of desolation, a stark contrast to its former enchanting presence.

"My god, Whisper, what happened here?!", Roseanne jumped down from the horse, walking closer to the tree castle to inspect it.

"It's the price he had to pay.", Whisper told her. "At first, I didn't know it would be like this, but...that's what a Caladrius would do. They take in our sickness and should fly away to cure us, but he...he stayed with us, and once he left...it all turned back to us.", Whisper explained.

Quietly, Roseanne began to cry, witnessing the ominous scene around her.

"Could this be because he helped my kingdom?", she asked, slightly feeling guilty for taking what was precious in the enchanted forest.

Whisper could not give an answer to the question. In the silence, Roseanne turned around to see the bird and went on to ask it, "Whisper..how- how did you know so much about this? About Cal's origin? How?"

Looking down remorsefully, the white pigeon answered her, "I'm a cursed bird, Rosie. I was the witch."

✨️✨️✨️

After the monkeys helped Roseanne to carry Jungkook back into his chamber in the damaging tree castle, she thanked them before they left her alone with him to grieve as his skin was turning pale.

She wiped the dried blood on his neck. Apparently, the stab wound had healed, but his body was starting to react the way a dead body was as she could feel his muscles began to stiffen. Her determination diminished as she was witnessing his prone figure on the wooden bed.

"Jungkook, you can't leave me alone..I don't have anyone else here...", she cried on his chest.

As she was sobbing, her mind recalled the conversation she had with Whisper a while ago under the tree castle.

✨️✨️✨️

Flashback...

"I am greatly sorry for everything I caused, Rosie.", Whisper said after revealing about itself to Roseanne.

"Does he know this?", she asked, sitting on the broken staircase while looking at Jungkook's body on the carriage that was surrounded by the monkeys that were mourning for him.

The bird shook its head.

"I brought him here...to find out how to cure him...", she said in between tears. "But now I think there's no way..."

Whisper landed beside her, peering at her face, "Do you love him, Rosie?"

She looked at the bird, "Does it matter now? Look at them, mourning for him.."

"If I tell you there's a way to bring him back to life, would you trust me?", Whisper asked.

"There's a way?", Roseanne replied.

"Caladrius used to tell me about his dreams and nightmares. One day, he said he had the sweetest dream that he knew would never be a reality, but I think he just didn't know it yet at that time."

Roseanne grew curious, "What? What did he dream about?"

"He dreamt about being human again. That dream suggested a way for him to be who he was before I cursed him.", Whisper revealed.

"He can be human again?", she asked.

"He can be human again if he finds his true love.", Whisper told her.

She wiped her tears, standing up as she looked at Jungkook.

"But he's-"

"In his dream, he said that he was sleeping and there was a beautiful princess looking at him. She watched him sleeping on the bed, and somehow, she felt a connection with him. She confessed her feelings towards him, and that woke him up. Because of her, his wings detached, and he felt like human again.", Whisper broke the story to her.

She looked at Jungkook quietly, thinking how she could confess to him when he was already...

✨️✨️✨️

"Doesn't he look like he's sleeping?", Whisper's question crossed Roseanne's mind.

With delicate care, she gently clasped Jungkook's hands together, a silent plea echoing in her touch. She brushed aside a lock of his hair, her fingers trembling with unspoken sorrow.

"Jungkook.", she whispered softly, her voice carrying a blend of grief and remorse. "I should have spoken my heart sooner. I should have told you that I felt the same for you when I had the chance. But fear held my tongue, and now, here you lie, and I fear it may be too late." Gathering her courage, she continued, her voice quivering slightly, "I never dared to dream that someone like you could capture my heart. Your kindness, your bravery, your smile—they brought light to my short time with you, and now, in this moment of darkness, I pray for a miracle. I pray that you will breathe again, Jungkook."

The growing silence slowly became unbearable for her. She knew that deep inside, no matter how she tried to trust Whisper's words, she could not rely on it very much. Deep in her heart, she knew that Jungkook was dying, unlike his dream that the bird told her about.

"Our time may have been cut short but...I love you. I will love you forever, Jungkook.", she declared before pressing a soft kiss on his warm lips.

Her kiss lingered on his lips until she sensed that he reciprocated the kiss. Her eyes sprang open, realizing that he was breathing again as he kissed her back. Slowly, his eyes opened after the moment they shared in the dim light of the night, accompanied only by the moonlight of the warm night sky.

"Rosie.", his voice, though faint, held a spark of life.

With an astounding swiftness, he embraced Roseanne tightly, his wings unfurling around her in a protective cocoon.

"I don't know how to explain it but...I heard you..and I love you too.", his voice trembled as he confessed his feelings for her. "I will love you forever, Roseanne."

Overwhelmed with joy, tears cascaded down Roseanne's cheeks, yet this time, they were tears of elation. Her heart swelled with happiness as she clung to Jungkook, feeling the beat of his heart pulsating against her own. Relief was an understatement at this moment for her, she was thankful for the miracle.

But amidst this newfound joy, a strange sensation rippled through Jungkook. A prickling feeling engulfed his back, where his magnificent wings were now detaching from his skin, leaving behind a peculiar warmth.

"Rosie," his voice cracked with concern, "what's happening to me?"

With a pang of realization, Roseanne gently peeled away from Jungkook's embrace, her eyes widening as she observed the startling transformation. The wings that once defined his immortal existence were losing their lustre, shedding ethereal feathers that drifted and disappeared into the ether.

"Whisper was right.", she murmured, a mix of awe and sorrow in her voice. "Jungkook, you're... you're turning back."

Jungkook frowned in confusion, his heart heavy with the weight of impending change, "Turning back?"

As the remnants of his once-glorious wings faded, he felt a sense of humanity engulfing him. A surge of emotions flooded his being, mingling confusion, fear, and a profound sense of loss.

In that chamber within the broken tree castle, Jungkook grappled with the realization that his immortal existence was fading, leaving behind a human form that he had long forgotten. And as he slowly came to terms with this profound transformation, Roseanne held him close, offering solace and unwavering love as they navigated this unforeseen journey together.

✨️✨️✨️

Yes, Sleeping Beauty is my reference. 😬