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It’s the day before your 21st birthday and you’re a ball of nerves. You and your friends are going to a festival tomorrow to celebrate the kingdom… and you, but mainly because it was a tradition to always go ever since you were kids. All of the sights and races all together to celebrate the kingdom of Vellathore, the land of beauty and strength. You were excited to go, but weary due to the fact that going this year felt a little strange.
You had always trusted your feelings, but you brushed it off as just being overly excited for the festivities and chickening your way out like you had three years ago when you had a dream that someone had gotten killed, of course you had told your friends, but you didn’t want to ruin their fun on one of the greatest days of the year. They had gone without you and the next day they had come over just to inform you that no one had died. Ever since then you stopped “trusting” your feelings as often. This year would be no different.
One of your friends pulls you out of your head once you realize she’s calling your name.
“Semira! Semmiiirrraaa!”, she yells again, all red in the face with how she was struggling not to yell to the heavens.
You hadn’t realized you’d been so deep in a memory, that you couldn’t hear your name being called.
“I’m sorry what were you saying Katia? I got too deep in thought…” you trail off when you realize Katia, Kat for short, and DeeLayala, Dee for short, are looking at you with concern. Kat and Dee glance at each other and give each other a knowing look.
“We know, we’ve been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes,” says Dee.
“Were you thinking about your dreams again?”, it’s Kat who’s asking and all you can do is give her a small nod. “You don’t have to worry about any of that, out of all of the “dreams” you’ve had about the festival, none of it has ever happened. It’s okay to worry, but they’re just dreams Mira.”
All you can do is give her a small smile and shake your head. Out of all of the dreams that you’ve ever had; the one you had last night felt the most real, like you were actually there. You had told them about it this morning, before going into town to get some last-minute materials for the head pieces you were wearing to the festival.
It started out as a “normal” dream, you were standing in darkness, but you could hear someone talking. You couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, and it sounded like a different language. You start walking in the direction the voices were coming from and as you do so, you see a lantern about fifty meters ahead, you’ve never seen it before in your dreams. You’ve walked so many times towards the voices, and nothing ever came about it, you always ended up waking up from feeling like going in circles, which caused you to be dizzy and throw up. This time it was different, like you were actually getting somewhere. You walk another ten meters or so and the voices become more distinct; it is a different language that you’re hearing and they’re not quiet, they’re yelling, arguing it seems like.
You walk a few more meters and start to see buildings forming from the glow of the lantern. You walk up to the corner of one and glance around it; there are two men standing with their arms crossed looking at each other, whatever they were arguing about had come to a standstill. You can barely see their faces, but their bodies are beautiful; sculpted and toned looking, especially with the leathers that they are wearing, which only enhances their hard muscles. They begin talking, but not in the language you first heard, in English this time.
“He knows we shouldn’t be having the festival,” the taller one states.
“You know when he’s determined, nothing will change his mind, he holds the festival in remembrance of his parents.” It’s the shorter one who’s talking now, and now that you’ve looked at him, he has more muscle than the other man. Bulky, but also just as beautiful.
“I understand that Bin, but he suffers when he does the festival, it won’t bring his parents back. We know the war was hard, we were their, granted we had just joined the brigade, and hadn’t seen combat yet, but we know. It was hard on all of us, we all lost someone during that fight.” The taller one continues, “I understand why he does it, but the Spring Day Wems doesn’t have to be about the stain that was left all of those years ago, it should be about the beauty of Spring, and Winter coming to an end…”
The shorter one cuts him off, Bin was what the taller had called him, “Winter may come to an end and Spring may start, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he is still in pain Chan. You didn’t lose your parents during the war, he did, some of us lost siblings and friends. You haven’t experienced heartache like some of us have.”
Their voices go quiet as Chan looks at Bin.
They’ve started talking quietly, barely able to hear what they’re saying; you try to creep around the corner and stay out of the light, but as you do you accidentally hit a rock. Chan who is facing your direction whips his head up and it looks as if he looks directly into your eyes. You wonder how he’s able to see, if he’s even looking at you to begin with, or just in your general direction. Bin puts his hand on his sword once he realizes that Chan has heard something. Your hand covers your mouth, not knowing why you even bother since this is a dream.

Chan speaks first, “I can see you; you’re not doing a very good job at hiding.”

Your breath hitches in your throat wondering how he’s able to see you and you realize he must be a high-class hybrid or a full blood of some sort.

As you go to speak, your head starts pounding, you crouch to the ground and hold your head in your hands screaming for the pain to go away, which is exactly how you woke up from the dream; screaming and clutching at your head covered in sweat.

You had never had a dream like that before, one so vivid that it almost felt real. Thinking back on it now, it was hard to remember all of the details. You knew something had happened after Chan had spoken to you when you tried to use your voice, but anytime you tried to speak in your dream, you would wake up the same way every time, whether it took you seconds or minutes to come too.

The girls were still looking at you as you remembered the few details that you could. They didn’t even ask you about what the two men were saying that morning when you finally met to walk into town, they were only concerned on if they were attractive or not. Which, from what you could remember of Chan, he was exceptionally handsome, but you had only seen the outline or his jaw and the blaze in his eyes when he stared directly at you.

You start to rub your temples from the strain of trying to remember, but it just causes you a headache, so you forgo anymore thoughts of it and give the girls a reassuring smile, hoping they’ll drop it.

They do. For now…

You all begin talking about what to buy at the market to finish the flower crowns that represent each of you. Dee states that she needs more Dahlias to go with her Orchids. While Kat explains that she wants Peonies to go with her Ranunculus and Delphinium. Yours is pretty much complete aside from needing a few more stems of baby’s breath. You had decided to go simple this year and just use ribbon, Delphinium (your birth flower) and pink marigolds, which were hard to come by this time of year since they were a late summer, early fall blooming flower; but you had made your mind up that you would spend the extra rachas you had to get them since you knew a few people were able to grow them year round. You had no idea why you had chosen the marigolds, especially since it was costly and they weren’t in season, but every time you went to buy other flowers, your heart always ached at not having them.

…

After buying the rest of the flowers, the three of you decided to walk around to see the set up for the festival. The square was outrageously busy, but already so beautiful and lively while people rushed around to set up the flowers, lanterns and fire circles for the following night. Watching everything and seeing how all of the species worked together to set up for Spring Day Wems truly brought happiness to your heart, but also an aching.

Almost 1,500 years after the war of the higher-class species, people still weren’t all that comfortable among each other. You prayed to the heavens that someday everyone would accept the peace…
… and each other…
-----

It was the day of the festival and your birthday, and you thankfully had no dreams the night before; if you had you would have probably skipped this year’s festival.

It’s around noon when Dee and Kat finally make their way over to your place since it’s the closest into town. You had only been to their houses a handful of times, but due to you being human it was scary to go by yourself since the further out of town you went the more “people” were not human. You had no idea how Kat did it, since she was half human - half nature fairy; Dee on the other hand was a full-blooded light fairy so it never bothered her. People who saw Dee and Kat were automatically ensnared by their beauty and you understood why, being in the sunlight, they almost glowed, especially with their bronze skin, beautiful complexion, and dark, deep eyes.

You had no idea how they could be so beautiful and be friends with you, an average, freckled, fair-skinned human. You had asked why they were your friends once comparing their beauty to yours and you had gotten an earful, ever since then you hadn’t brought it up again, but still you were glad that they were your friends and that they had chosen you as theirs.
…

After finishing getting ready, Kat and Dee both look at each other and smile.

“What?” You ask, all you can think is that there is something on you and they find it funny, so you start swiping at your face and your dress.

They both start laughing and Dee finally comes over to you to have you quit messing with yourself.

“We have gift for you,” says Kat, with the warmest smile on her face you have ever seen.

“A gift? But why? You know I don’t really like celebrating my birthday.”

“Oh shush”, says Dee as she goes back over to Kat where Kat reveals a beautiful pouch made of what looks like, leaves and sunlight. It shines and the texture is unlike anything that you’ve ever seen. Kat opens the bag to pull out a delicate silver chain with a charm on it.

“It’s a necklace we found at a stall in the square. We knew we had to get it for you as soon as we saw it.” Kat says as she walks over to you.

She holds it up for you to get a better look at it and on the necklace is a bird of some sort, with a small, beautiful ruby in the middle of it (your birthstone).

All you can do is suck in air and hold back tears at the thought of them thinking of you and the birthday you don’t really enjoy celebrating.

Once you’re sure your tears aren’t going to topple over your bottom lashes you ask the question.

“What kind of bird is this?”

“It’s a Phoenix,” says Dee, “a species that doesn’t exist anymore, they brought peace and rebirth during the time of the war and aided in the downfall of the darkness, but at a great cost to their kind.”

“But why are giving it me?”

“Because silly,” Kat interjects, “you are the peace that brings us together, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have found ourselves and became the people we are today.”

And with that single explanation, the tears spilled over.

Kat and Dee wrap in you a warm embrace and smooth your hair while rubbing soft circles on your back. You never knew how lucky you would get to be when you became their friend.

After a few minutes of soothing you and convincing you to stop crying so your face wasn’t all puffy before the festival, Dee puts the necklace around your neck and clasps it.

It sits precisely where it should, right between your breasts and you can feel your cheeks start to flush as you know it’s going to attract attention all night and Dee and Kat know that too. They give you a cheeky look and all you can do is laugh.

Oddly enough you don’t feel embarrassed about it at all. In fact, the necklace seems to soothe you, and you feel your heartbeat echoing in the bird.

For the first time in years, you feel at ease…

————
A few hours have gone by, and you finally decide to start to head into town before the sun has started setting. You, Dee, and Kat are all walking along hand in hand with each of them on either side of you. You’re making small talk as the walk into town is only about ten minutes from your small home.
You know you’re almost in town when you can hear the buzz of people talking and the music that has already started somewhere in the square.
You begin to feel an uneasiness in the pit of your stomach, but you push it down not wanting it to affect you too much and the girls take notice. You want to have a good time and are so tired of letting your fears of what might happen ruin the chances of you having fun. You want the end of your birthday and the festival to be just as wonderful as the start of it was. You want to spend the greatest day of your life, so far, beside the two people you care about the most and nothing is going to stand in your way.
The girls and you finally make it into the busiest part of the square where children are running around with ribbons in the air and some people have even started to dance already.
The square is even more beautiful compared to yesterday. There are lanterns on every post, along with thousands of flowers dropping down and weaving into canopies spread throughout. There are small fire circles set up throughout the square while the largest one is set right in the middle.
On nights like tonight the cool air is still too chilly to have not have the fires set and with what you had decided to wear tonight you’re thankful.
The girls had convinced you to wear a purple fitted off shoulder corset dress with gold accents and a flowing bottom with a slit going up to your mid-thigh along with a pair of beautiful sandals that had ribbon going up to your knees adjourned with leaves and small flower petals. Your necklace sits beautifully along with golden leaf bands on both of your arms. They had done your hair in a half up half down hairstyle with braids and curls to accentuate your face and keep the flower crown in place.
You were a little overwhelmed with how much skin you were showing but knew that tonight was a night to celebrate so you didn’t care.
Tonight, would be the night that you would be yourself; carefree and surrounded by the two people you loved most in the world.
…
You and your friends walked right up to one of the stalls that was at the edge of the square and were given a piece of parchment and a small quill to write down your fears from the past year and your dreams for the next one. This had always been your favorite part of the festival, being surrounded by others that had fears and dreams that they wanted the elders to help them with.
Once you were done writing yours down you walked up to the closest fire circle to you, said a prayer that things would finally be in your favor, and dropped your parchment into the fire. You sat and watched as the words you had written began to turn into black spots as it burned; the last word you saw before it was gone was “love” and you took that as a sign that things would finally be different.
A few moments later the girls were standing next to you holding theirs, saying a prayer and threw theirs into the fire as well. The breath you had been holding had finally been released when they both squeezed your hands knowing you wanted their dreams and fears to be something that wouldn’t hold them back but make them stronger, more beautiful.

After a few minutes of watching the fire and holding their hands, Dee spoke up first.

“Semira?”

You looked at her and all you could see was the love in her eyes for you.

“We love you and we know you don’t like celebrating your birthday,” she continued, “but I just wanted you to know if it weren’t for you, my dreams wouldn’t come true. Because of you and Kat I have found people who truly accept me, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. So, happy birthday Mira.”

Before you can give a response, she pulls you in for a hug and you can tell she is lightly shaking. You squeeze her to give her reassurance that you aren’t going anywhere, and nothing will ever separate you.

You hear Kat sniffling behind you and slowly Dee lets go of you, so you can both look at her.

Kat glances down and begins talking. “Mira, you have been the greatest friend I have ever had, and I know we’ve been friends for so long, but it feels like you’re not just my friend but my sister.” She glances between the two of you and continues talking. “Both of you are, I had such a hard time opening up when we first became friends, but because you were there and just let me be me and were patient with me, I was able to truly be myself and I will never be able to show how much that has meant to me, but being here with you on your birthday is a day I would never change. Happy Birthday Semira.”

Your eyes become cloudy with the tears you are trying not to let stream down your face. You reach over to Kat who comes over and you just wrap her in an embrace that Dee also joins. You rub her hair and tell her how much you love her and that she is who she was meant to be, and you have never been prouder of her.

You stay wrapped up in each other's embrace for a long while before you finally pull away to look at both of them. Your friends who you never knew you needed, or how much they needed you for that matter, but knew that once they were in your life they wouldn’t be going anywhere as long as the three of you lived.

Once the emotions of the three of you had calmed down, you heard the music picking up and realized the sun was almost set.

The festival was finally about to start, and the moon was starting to reach into the night sky.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once the sun had fully set and the moon was shining brightly the dancing had started full force. You had taken the girls' hands and led them right into the middle of the square where a circle dance had started. You joined the circle holding hands with your friends and began to lose yourself to the music.
Music always had a way of seeping into your skin and making you feel lighter than air; tonight was no different. The way the music was thrumming all around you had you dancing with all of your heart and giving into the way it made you feel like it was another world.

The world had gone colorful, the flowers mixed with the fire’s light, and everyone’s colored garments became a sea of rainbow around you as twirled and completely lost yourself to the music.
Dancing was a thing you had never been good at, but tonight you didn’t care. You let the music envelope you as you pranced around the colors that represented Spring; feeling your body sway and mix with the sounds as though the music was controlling your every muscle.

You had been so immersed in feeling the music that you hadn’t realized you had moved to outside of the circle until it was too late; you had collided with someone. You fell to the ground as your head continued spinning from the impact. Whoever you hit was strong and hadn’t even moved an inch, until they reached their hand down to help you up.

“I am so sorry,” you say as you grab their hand to pull yourself up.

You dust yourself off once your stood up and finally look up at the person you bumped into.

It’s a well-built man wearing fighting leathers who is only a few inches taller than you. Their eyes are beautiful dark chocolate color, and his hair is a black color with a red tint in it, that falls into his face beautifully. He’s a mix of sexy and powerful all in one.
As you’re gazing at him as he finally responds.
“I apologize, I had my back turned and should’ve been watching.”
His voice is soft and has an accent you’ve never heard before. Before you realize, he’s giggling and all you can do is melt at his laugh. It’s hypnotizing. Once you realize why he’s giggling though, you’re mouth snaps shut.
As soon as he started talking your jaw dropped and you hadn’t realized.
“No, I should be the one apologizing, I bumped into because I wasn’t paying attention and the music kind of took me over.”
You begin blushing as you finish your statement, and you look down at your hands as you fidget with a part of your dress.
You glance up and he’s smiling at you. The smile he’s looking at you with melts your heart and all you can do is smile back.
“I really should have been watching though, that’s kind of what I’m here for, ha-ha.” He says as he begins rubbing at the back of his neck, nervously.
“I’m glad the commander wasn’t here,” he continues, “I probably would’ve had to do the whole night watch by myself.”
“Oh, so you’re part of the brigade that’s in town for the festival?” You ask.
He nods his head and then darts his eyes around as if he’s looking for someone.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been very rude, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Seo Chang-Bin, you can call me Chang-Bin though.” He says as he gives a slight bow while introducing himself.
As you think about his name, you can’t help but wonder why it sounds vaguely familiar. Within seconds you clear your head, and you very awkwardly bow back and say, “I’m Guen Semira, but most people just call me Mira.” You begin to ask him a question, but before you can Dee and Kat come running over to you out of breath.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you! What the hell Mira?!” Dee says as she bends over to try and catch her breath. She hasn’t noticed the man you’ve been talking to, but Kat on the other hand has done nothing but gape at him since they both ran up. You’re about to say something when Chang-Bin interrupts.

“Sorry ladies, she, uh, bumped into me and I had my back turned so I wasn’t paying attention, and she fell, we’ve just been having a conversation.” He says as he glances at Kat, who has still not stopped staring. He moves his eyes from Kat to Dee who has finally stood up and is now noticing Chang-Bin. Her eyes slowly scan him, starting from his face down to his boots.

He has black, red tinted ear length hair, that is shaggy but falls perfectly around his face highlighting his dark eyes. He has earrings in both ears one of which looks like a feather on the right and a single drop chain that pierces two different spots on his left. His jaw line is sharp, in contrast to his slightly puffy cheeks and his smile is soft, but his canines are sharp, sharper than most people’s.

His shoulders are broad, but not overly so, and the muscles in his arms make him look even bigger up close. The way his leathers hug his chest to show off all of the curves of his pecs and fit body is incredible; like they were stitched onto him. The sword attached to his hip accents his hands that rest on top of the hilt, seeming to always be ready to strike and combat his opponents.

The way he stands legs semi-spread gives you a clear view of the tight muscles in his thighs, his pants tightly fit, but not enough so to restrict movement. A dagger sits on his thigh and another one around his ankle that you can barely make out but only notice it when he shifts his weight to his other foot.
Every inch of him is solid muscle and you can’t help but wonder how the soft-spoken man can have such an overwhelming body.
He clears his throat, and both of their eyes shoot up to his face as he lets loose a small laugh.
“I’m Seo Chang-Bin, blacksmith of the brigade, but as I was telling Semira, you can just call me Chang-Bin.” He smiles as he introduces himself, giving a small polite bow.
Dee and Kat return the bow and begin to introduce themselves.
“I’m DeeLayala and this is Katia,” Dee begins.
Kat interrupts, “But we go by Dee and Kat.”
Dee shoots her a glance and steps on her foot ever so slightly so she can finish talking.
“We’re Mira’s best friends and we just wanted to make sure she was okay since we couldn’t find her after so many people had joined the dancing circle.”
You look over to the circle and see swarms of people dancing and enjoying themselves. You hadn’t realized so many people had begun dancing and didn’t even notice since you were so caught up in the way the music had pulled you in, almost like a trance.
Chang-Bin sees the look on your face and notices how you have a questioning look.
“When did you turn 21?” He asks and all you can think is that it’s a strange question.
You look back at him with wide eyes and say, “Today.”
He gives you a knowing nod, “After you turn 21 the music turns into something more. It’s hard to explain, but it’s meant to free you for the night so that for the next coming year you can work on your dreams and free yourself of your fears. That’s why we burn our parchments. It’s a gift the heavens gave to us to be reawakened from our previous year.”
You can see the connection almost as if a line is drawn from where you stand to the music that you hear softly in the background.
He turns to Kat and Dee. “I’m assuming you two ladies haven’t turned 21 yet, have you?”
Kat and Dee shake their heads no and Kat responds, “I’m a few months younger than Mira, and Dee is a year younger than us.”
“Ah, well you’ll get to experience the effects next year then,” Chang-Bin states.
“Semira won’t be able to give you much detail since it puts people into a trance-like state for their first time, but it’s almost as if you’re sucked into a different dimension. It becomes other worldly, filled with bright colors and a feeling of peace.”
He continues.
“Most people don’t even realize that they’re dancing until the night is over and they wonder where the time has gone. It’s a magic that most people don’t understand, that’s why the Spring Day Wems Festival is the only festival we have at night, besides the Hallow’s Festival. But that’s a story for another time.”

He begins looking around again as if he’s looking for someone when you hear a loud crash from behind you.

Within seconds Chang-Bin has drawn his sword prepared for a fight as you spin around to see what’s happened.

One of the smaller fire circles on the outside of the square has been knocked over, but it looks as if there was no one near it, as most of the people are in the middle dancing and hadn’t even noticed it.

The fire still blazing as the embers are scattered a few feet around where it fell. Your muscles tense and suddenly you’re pulled into what feels like a dream.

You’re standing in an open clearing of trees with only the moon giving you enough light to be able to see around you. You suddenly hear a rush of wings and can’t tell which direction it’s coming from. You’re frozen in fear as the sound of heavy, hard steps comes near you. You turn around just in time to see a man you’ve never met before on the edge of the clearing. You go to speak, and your words fall short, your mouth is moving but no sound comes out.
He tilts his head as looks at you and begins moving very slowly around the edge of the trees. You slowly turn with him as your instincts tell you not to leave your back to him.
He’s testing you, analyzing your every move.
You step around a little more not realizing a branch has fallen where you’ve gone to place your foot. You trip and before you know it, you’re in the man's arms as he’s caught you from falling onto the hard ground.
You look up at him and notice his eyes, they’re beautiful. Dark and mysterious, but full of life and compassion. As he goes to speak to you, your head begins ringing. You clench your hands to your head to get the aching to stop and begin screaming at the amount of pain you’re in.
You realize he’s shaking you, but what gets your attention the most is the voice that you hear, and it doesn’t sound like his, he’s trying to tell you something but the words coming out don’t match what you’re hearing.
Suddenly you’re being pulled at what feels like every point of your body, you’re screaming has intensified at the pain of being pulled in every direction.

You pass out from the amount of pain that you’re feeling, only to realize that you don’t actually pass out; you come to when you realize that Chang-Bin is holding you and your head is pounding.

You glance up at him and see the shock in his eyes as he holds you on the ground.

“Are you alright?” He asks.

You shake your head which only increases your headache, you reach your hand up to try and alleviate some of the pain only to be met with a sticky wet substance on your temple. You pull your hand down to look and see blood.

“What happened?” You ask as all you can remember is looking into the fire and then everything going dark.

“One of the fire circles got knocked over somehow and when you turned around to look, you collapsed and hit your head.” Chang-Bin explains.

“We didn’t know what to do,” Kat interjects.

Dee and Kat have the most worrisome expression on their faces, and you can’t help but feel a little bit of guilt for causing your friends to worry about you.

“I’m sorry, I guess I turned around too quickly and didn’t realize and fainted.” You explain.

Dee and Kat shake their heads in agreement, but as you look up at Chang-Bin, who is still holding you, you sense that he thinks something else might have happened but doesn’t mention anything.

“Are you okay to stand?” Chang-Bin finally asks.

You place your hand to your head and notice that it’s not pounding as hard as it was when you first came to and shake your head yes.

He slowly stands up with you wrapped in his arms still to make sure you’re balanced before letting go.

As he lets go of you, you can’t help but feel a little sad, his warmth leaving you to the cooler chill the night has brought in.

Your hand is still on your head and the blood has stopped flowing, but it’s tender to the touch and you know you have will have an awful looking bruise in the morning based on how swollen it is.

He backs up a few paces and asks one of the soldiers for something that you can’t quite make out. You hadn’t even noticed they were there before now.

The soldier nods his head and goes off to do whatever was asked of him.

“I asked him to go get you a cloth so we can check your head and make sure where you landed isn’t too serious.” Chang-Bin explains.

You nod your head and stop abruptly when it causes your head to start pounding again.

“Thank you, you really don’t have to do that, I know how busy you and the other soldiers are when it comes to nights like this.”
You say as you glance over at Kat and Dee who are still standing next to each other with their worried expressions.

“I don’t mind, plus, since I was here, I want to make sure you’re alright before I head off on patrol.” He replies.

“Well, thank you, again.” Is all you manage to say.

Kat and Dee finally come over to stand next to you and ask if anything else hurts.

“No, I’m fine, my head just hurts, and my shoulder feels a little tender.” You explain.

The girls move you into the glow of one of the lanterns to examine your head and shoulder as the soldier comes back with a wet cloth and some kind of medicinal balm.

Your shoulder has a large red gash that looks like it will scar if it isn’t healed soon, you hadn’t realized it was bleeding due to your head pounding. The blood has gone down to your fingertips and is beginning to drip onto the ground. The blood is starting to make you feel queasy and your head starts spinning.
You’ve never been a fan of the sight of blood and right now is no exception even for your own. You begin to get dizzy and feel your vision blur and your hands feel like they’re being pricked by pins and needles. The last thing you remember is Chang-Bin, Dee, and Kat screaming your name before you’re enveloped in darkness.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

You wake up in a place you have never seen or been to before. Your head is pounding, and you suddenly remember passing out after seeing all the blood dripping down your arm. You sit up to look at your shoulder and see a faint pink line. Someone must have either used magic or a very potent balm on you to help the healing process. You’re grateful but concerned since you have no idea where you are or who brought you here. You look around the room and only see the bed you’re laying in along with a small table and chair sitting next to the fireplace that only has dimly lit embers in it.
You get up to walk to the door when you suddenly hear voices.
Very carefully you open the bedroom door and peer around into the the next room. It ‘s a small living room with a roaring fireplace, that looks like it’s been recently stoked. There is a small couch, along with a table in the center of the room. Books and paintings line the walls, along with a few items that you have no idea what they are or even could be.
You look around the living room trying to see if you can figure out whose house you’re in, but the more you look the more you notice that there are no personal items anywhere throughout the living room. You notice a hallway when you go to the edge of the living room somewhat hidden by a stuffed worgup. As you go down the hallway, there are more paintings lining the walls and at the end of the hallway is a door that appears to lead outside.
You stop at a canvas that catches your eye. It’s a charcoal drawing of what looks to be like some sort of bird rising out of dust, bodies all around them. It makes you gasp at the detail that is put into it, almost as if you can see what was happening right in front of you. You fidget with your necklace as your heart starts to beat faster unintentionally.
You get pulled out of the drawing when you hear voices again coming from outside. As you walk down the hallway towards the door there is a kitchen towards the right that looks as though it hasn’t been used in decades. All you can think to yourself is that whoever lives here obviously doesn’t actually live here full time.
Once you get to the door you very gently and as quietly as possible, open it. It gives a slight squeak as you do, but a second later it’s quiet again. You pause before walking out into the night air, which seems to have gotten somewhat cooler than before when you were at the festival. The wind blows and kicks up the skirt of your dress, making you realize just how much colder it is compared to being at the festival surrounded by fire rings.
Due to the cold and the wind, you debate on going back inside, but you push the thought aside to go back inside and “wait” for the person who brought you to wherever you are. You walk along the side of the houses outside wall to the corner where you peek around and see two people illuminated by the faint glow of the lantern directly above their heads.
They have their arms crossed and it sounds like they are talking in a different language, arguing almost. You can’t tell due to not being familiar with the dialect.
You can somewhat make out their faces, but how the light is shadowing parts of their bodies is what draws you in first. The taller one is sculpted; long legs with muscular arms and a chest that most men would probably kill to have. The shorter one, you realize is Changbin, if not from his large arms, but from how he holds himself; like he’s trying to be the bigger person, but his height is causing some difficulty.
They begin talking in English, the taller one starting first.
“He knows we shouldn’t have had the festival to begin with.”
“You know when he’s determined, nothing will change his mind, he holds the festival in remembrance of his parents.” Changbin replies“I understand that Bin, but he suffers when he does the festival, it won’t bring his parents back, We all know the war was hard, especially the seven of us, we were there. Granted the two of us had just joined the brigade, but we know. It was hard on all of us, we all lost someone during that fight.” The taller one continues, “I understand why he does it, but the Spring Day Wems doesn’t have to be held in remembrance of the stain that was left all of those years ago, it should be about the start of Spring, and Winter coming to an end…”
Changbin cuts him off, “Winter may end and Spring may start, but it still doesn’t change the fact he is still in pain Chan. You didn’t lose your parents during the war, he did. Some of us lost siblings, family members, friends… lovers… You haven’t experienced heartache like some of us have.”
Chan just looks at Changbin as he continues.
“I get why you don’t want him holding the festival every year, it’s an open opportunity to be struck when so many people are defenseless due to the magic, but he won’t change it… It’s become something the people rely on too much, and he enjoys seeing them happy and not looking at each other with fear, even if it’s for a short amount of time.”
Chan shakes his head and quietly replies. The conversation taking a turn. As you try to creep around the corner of the house out of the light to go down the street away from Chan and Changbin, you don’t see the rock lying on the ground, until its too late. You accidentally hit it causing it to skip a few steps in front of you. Without thinking you turn back to the men to see if they’ve noticed.
One of them has.
Chan is looking directly at you, as if he’s looking directly into your eyes, but that doesn’t make sense since your shrouded by the darkness. You have no idea if he’s actually looking at you or just so happened to look up right in your general direction. Changbin puts his hand on his sword once he realizes that Chan has heard, or even seen, something and turns around.
Your hand covers your mouth, not knowing why since no one should be able to hear you anyway with the wind blowing.
Chan speaks up, “I can see you; you’re not doing a very good job at trying to run away.”
Your breath hitches in your throat; he really is able to see you, and that’s when it hits you. He must be some high-class hybrid or a full blood of some kind.
You move to back up just to test how good his vision really is, when he narrows his eyes at you as soon as you’ve backed up a step.
All you can think to yourself is what a great scenario this turned out to be.
You say, “fuck it” and begin talking while walking towards Changbin and Chan.
“I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, and I couldn’t stay in some random person’s home, especially since I have no idea how I got there or where my friends are.
You’re finally on the edge of the lantern’s glow when Changbin says something first.
“It’s my house, I used to live here when I was younger, I only use it when I’m in town for brigade duties. As for how you got here; I carried you. Dee and Kat came with me to make sure you were okay, but I had a fairy who is good with healing medicine heal your arm. Kat told me you wouldn’t mind the scar, but Dee wanted us to be better safe than sorry.”
You glance at your shoulder, the scar just a faint line, but also looking more faded compared to when you saw it minutes ago.
“Thank you, but Kat is right, I don’t mind scars, I have… a few…” Is all you’re able to reply with.
Changbin walks towards you and you glance up at him as he stands right in front of you as he says, “Why don’t we go back inside and have an actual talk, you’re shivering since it’s gotten colder tonight with the wind blowing.”
You hadn’t realized, but you had started to shake with the wind blowing and the temperature dropping. You nod your head to Changbin and he motions for you to go back towards the corner of the building towards the house.
As you begin walking you can hear the small, quiet argument between Changbin and Chan, but can’t make out what they’re saying again, due to them going back to speaking a different language.
…
Once inside, Changbin grabs you a throw blanket from a chest next to the fireplace and motions for you to sit on the couch. You sit down and pull your legs up to your chest and grab the blanket to wrap around yourself, noting how warm it is from being kept in the trunk next to the fire. It’s a nice touch that you hadn’t ever really thought about it.
You begin to look around at all of the little details that accentuate the living room, taking note of the few pictures and items that look to be from a long time ago. As you scan across the mantle of the fireplace, you notice movement to the right of where you are currently looking. Chan has propped himself in front of the hallway entrance, you glance between Chan and Changbin, who is sitting in a large chair across from you.
Chan clears his throat before you have a chance to say anything. Your head turns towards him while your gaze is still on Changbin. He gives you a small smile and you finally look at Chan. You suck in a large breath of air.
When you had glanced at Chan moments ago, you hadn’t actually taken a good look at him, until now. You are starstruck at how beautiful he is. His hair falls into eyes and its black as night, like it’s trying to suck all the light out of the room. He has piercings like Changbin, but instead of a feather and a chain, he has what looks like a wolf charm on his left side and a small hoop of some kind on the right side.
His eyes are almost as black as his hair, a small difference from his pupils that you have only noticed due the roaring fire he is standing beside. His pupils have been dilating and then going back to normal as he watches you, which makes your heart rate increase and you have no idea why…
His eyes narrow on you as your breathing slightly increases, but you continue scanning him. His nose is slightly too big for his face, but it suits him. He has deep pink plump lips and the only thought that comes to your mind is how soft they must be. Your mind reels as he suddenly sucks a breath in and you can see his teeth, his canines looking longer and sharper than most peoples. They draw you in and you have so many questions.
He begins fidgeting with his sword and you take your eyes off his mouth and notice his upper body. He has incredibly wide shoulders and a chest that looks like it was sculpted out of stone, even through his leathers. His biceps and forearms are huge, not like Changbin’s, but they’re muscular none the less, with daggers lining all the way around each bicep. The veins that form on his forearms that lead down to his hands stirs something in you that you had no idea you would feel.
You continue trailing down his body and land on his waist and hips; he has a large sword attached on his right hip, along with another set of daggers lining his left side. You can’t quite make it out but it looks as if there some kind of potion attached to his left hip behind his daggers. When he sees you notice it, he turns ever so slightly so it’s no longer in view, which only raises more questions.
You push the questions aside for now as you finish scanning his body. His pants are tight, and you can see every curve of his thighs and calves, which are covered with mid-calf rising boots. While looking at him at all you can wonder is how he’s able to fight with such tight-fitting clothing. Just looking at what he’s wearing seems like it would make it uncomfortable at the very least and difficult as hell at most.
You clear your throat after finally running your eyes over the full length of his body, which seems like it took an eternity to do, but in reality, was less than a minute. Changbin gives a slight accidental laugh, and gets a nasty look from Chan.
Changbin’s face becomes one of cold hard stone as he looks at Chan, adding even more questions to the one’s you already have piled up.
Before you can get a word out Chan speaks first.
“Since we haven’t actually been introduced yet,” he begins while side eyeing Changbin, “I’m Bang Chan, but everyone calls me Chan, I am Changbin’s commander.”
Your eyes widen and you glance at Changbin for clarification, he nods, and that is even more shocking to you. How could someone who looks so young be in a commanding position?
Without even realizing, you’ve started speaking, a rush of questions coming out all at once.
“What do you mean you’re his commander? How old are you? How were you able to see me outside?”
Before you can ask anymore questions, you cut yourself off by slapping your hand over your mouth. Your eyes have gone wide at how forward you just were and the only thing that goes through your head is “what the hell has gotten into you tonight”.
Changbin’s eyes mirror yours and Chan just looks directly at you as if you hadn’t just spoken a word, not even phased by the bombardment of questions.
A few seconds pass and he lets out a small guttural laugh before replying.
“I mean… I am in charge of the brigade that was here for the festival, I am 27, and I was able to see you outside because I have good vision,” and it seems like everything he just said seems to hold a higher meaning, but you can’t figure out what they might be.
Your mind is reeling and as if Chan can see the wheels turning in your head, he begins talking.
“I understand that I look young, but let’s just say I had an early start when it came to being in the brigade. My parents started to teach me how to fight when I was younger, so I would know how to protect myself. That’s actually how I met Changbin.” He laughs after but continues as Changbin glares at him.
“I had just started to learn how to fight and my parents told me I needed to practice with kids my age, so, lo and behold, I ended up going to a defense camp for kids. The first test they put you through is to throw you into a ring with someone that they think matches your skill level. Little did they know that I had only been fighting for a few weeks when they decided to throw me into the ring with this fucker over here. Needless to say, he beat my ass, and I was ranked pretty low out of the kids in our camp.”
“Changbin actually came up to me after all of the others had finished and apologized and even offered to help me get my defenses up and learn a few different skills. We’ve been friends ever since; as for me being his commander, let’s just say he’s had his ass kicked by me a few times here and there, but being the commander isn’t just about being a good fighter. It takes trusting, seeing, and hearing things around you, needless to say I got pretty good at two of those and worked hard on the first one. Which is the reason I was able to see you outside, my vision is far stronger than most peoples.”
The information he just plowed through you makes your head spin and the only question you can think of is for Changbin.
You turn your head towards him, “Wait, you said you were the blacksmith for the brigade. A blacksmith doesn’t need a commander.”
Changbin glances at Chan, who just shrugs his shoulders, letting Changbin decide for himself how much information he wants to give you.
A few heartbeats later and Changbin is explaining, “I am the blacksmith of the brigade, but for the whole brigade. I’m only a high-ranking member of the brigade for the festival that Chan leads.”
“Okay..? But you’re also from here?” You ask as you motion your hands up and around referring to the house.
“Yes, I was born here, actually in that room you were in,” as he points to the door in the corner behind you and continues talking. “I come from a family that has strong bonds to this place and so when they died it was left to me since I have no siblings.” He shrugs as he finishes his sentence.
“I don’t come to this house often since there are so many memories, but I can’t bare to give it up either…”
He pauses for a second and then glances back at you with his eyes slightly glazed over.
“The blanket your using was actually my mother’s favorite. She would curl up in this chair with it; a fire going in the fireplace and a book in her hands while she would listen to my father and I play and tell stories. She loved reading, almost as much as she loved us.”
You can’t help but hold on a little tighter to the blanket wrapped around you and absentmindedly clutch it to your chest, you can smell light floral notes on it still, as if his mother had only used it a few days ago.
You’re about to ask more questions, when Chan finally speaks up again. You had actually forgotten he was there for a moment.
“Changbin…” Changbin glances up at him eyes still glazed over and showing an emotion, you can only compare to sorrow, that you yourself know all too well.
Chan says something in a different language and Changbin immediately snaps out of it.
Changbin apologizes and gets up to his feet. He walks past Chan and into the hallway where you can hear the door open and close.
…
You end up falling asleep on the couch sometime after Changbin left while you and Chan had a few small conversations. Nothing too detailed; how you met Kat and Dee, the festival, and the other races. You both shared the same beliefs when it came to wanting everyone to get along, but Chan knew that it would take a miracle for that to happen.
Once you had woken up, Chan had explained to you that Changbin had come back shortly after you fell asleep and went to go lay down in his own room; which come to find out was down the hallway but instead of going left down the hallway to go outside, you hadn’t noticed the hallway also went to the right that led to a different part of the house.
It was barely sunrise as you started to explain to Chan that you needed to get home, to your surprise he offered to walk with you. You told him that wasn’t necessary, but he insisted anyway. Instead of arguing with him you shrugged your shoulders and got up from the couch to very gently fold up the blanket and put it back where Changbin had fetched it from.
If Chan noticed how cautious you were with it, he didn’t say.
…On the walk to your home, Chan had started up a conversation, and the first thing he said caught you by surprise.
“Do you pass out easily?”
You looked at him questioningly, wondering where the random question came from.
He notices your expression. “I only ask because Changbin was telling me you passed out twice at the festival.”
“Oh, umm… I mean… Not normally, I wasn’t feeling great before I passed out the first time, I don’t really remember what made me faint actually. As for the second time, I’m not really sure why I passed out after seeing my blood. Maybe it was just from hitting my head and feeling nauseous from my head pounding so hard.” You say, leaving out the details of being in a forest you had never been to with someone you didn’t even know.
You hadn’t thought about it until now, realizing that you actually hadn’t passed out. You could still hear the others, but not enough to make out their conversation, as if it was noise in the background of where you were at in the forest. You could feel the warmth of the fire circles around you, but couldn’t get warm while you were standing in the opening of the forest. It was as if you had been pulled into a different time or place, you couldn’t make any sense of it.
You look up at Chan while you both continue walking and he’s staring at you intensely, as if he knows you’re not saying everything, but seems as though he won’t say anything as he continues with a different question.
“You mentioned you didn’t mind the scar, that Kat even said you wouldn’t mind it. Why?”
“I may not have grown up in a fighting ring at a defense camp for kids, but I did have my moments of having to defend myself or others.” His eyebrows raise and his eyes go wide with shock. You laugh at his expression and continue explaining. “I’m not the type of human who can just sit by and watch while others are being picked on for being different. I got into a few tussles with others when I was younger, that’s actually how I met Kat.
She was being picked on for being half nature fairy, half human. I went right up to the kid who was picking on her and punched them. He obviously didn’t like that; little did I know that he was a full blood nature fairy and was already good with his magic. He wrapped thorn covered vines around me until I was a bleeding mess and someone finally stopped him. Due to the number of thorns that were in my body, I wasn’t able to immediately go to a healer, each one had to be removed first and magic can only do so much in a certain time frame.
So, I have scars all around my torso, arms, legs, and back, they’re barely visible now, but I notice them on occasion.” You shrug as you finish talking. “I would receive a thousand scars if it meant protecting those who can’t protect themselves, especially if it’s people I care for deeply.”
Chan just stared at you and wondered how such a small, and beautiful human at that, could have the heart of a warrior. It seemed like now he was the one that awestruck. He ran his eyes up and down the length of you body finally noticing all of the small scars that were scattered on the visible parts of your body, and immediately a fire ignited within him. He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden, he was promising himself that no one would ever hurt you again.
He shakes his head to clear the thought, locks eyes with you and asks another question, “How did your parents feel about that?”
Your breath falters at the question, not knowing where to start, you start at the beginning. “My parents passed away when I was an infant, some sort of fire accident, my aunt never told me much. Just that they were home asleep in their room, and I was in my crib in my own room, down the hall. The fire started somewhere in the house and and it engulfed my parents' room within minutes.
I was found the next morning with soot stains all over me, fast asleep still. The house had burned around me, and the only thing left was me in my crib. People told me I was lucky and that I had some sort of Anekwa on me, but my aunt took me to a fairy who excelled in that type of magic and couldn’t detect any sort of protection spell or charm.
And that’s all I know. My aunt died a few years ago and took those secrets with her to protect me.” You’ve moved your eyes to the ground, fidgeting with your necklace. You don’t enjoy talking about it, but just like with Changbin, you feel comfortable around Chan and feel like you can talk to him about anything; even this.
He grabs your hand, and you look up at him, a little taken aback at his forwardness.
“I am so sorry for your loss Semira.”
You feel tears burn behind your eyes and it takes everything in you not to break down right then and there. The genuine tone in his voice makes you clutch his hand a little tighter and look down to your connected hands.

You’ve never really talked about it with anyone aside from Dee and Kat and even then, they didn’t know everything. Like how your aunt isn’t really your aunt and that she was hired to protect you after your parens died, she was your own personal Echo Lifols. You had tried to ask her on a handful of occasions as to why, but all she would ever say was that you were special.
You?
Special?
You didn’t believe it, after all how could a normal human girl be special in a world full of magical creatures.
You were about to say something when Chan very gently uses his other hand to grasp your chin and raise your head to look into your eyes as he begins talking.
“If you ever need to talk. About anything. Or anyone. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’ll make sure you have a way of contacting me every few hours, if not at least every day. I understand you have and Kat and Dee, but sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone who has a different opinion than most.”
He holds your eyes as he finishes talking and you swear you can see something else in them, an animal of some sort, but not one that wants to hurt you, but protect you and make sure you’re loved like no other.
His gaze is intense, and you realize you’re still holding his hand when he starts absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over the top of your hand, a comforting gesture, but one that feels like it should hold more meaning. Without trying to seem rude you very gently pull your hand out of his and simply nod while saying thank you.
His eyes shift and you notice they’ve gone back to normal, which increases your curiosity and without thinking you ask, “You’re not human, are you?”
His eyes darken ever so slightly as he tilts his head. “What makes you ask that?”
Shit, you think to yourself, now I’ve gone and brought something up that probably shouldn’t have been asked, but it’s not like you can take it back now so you begin explaining.
“I mean you were able to see me last night where it was pitch black, and I know because I couldn’t even see my hand a few inches in front my face. I also noticed they kept dilating and going back to normal last night when we were talking. I honestly wouldn’t have noticed it, but the fire made it easier to see. And just now they were your eyes, but also not… I’m not sure if that last part actually makes sense or not…”
He cuts you off, “It makes sense. But honestly, I’m surprised you noticed, even with human eyes, even some low-class species can’t tell the distinction when it comes to that type of thing.”
“I like to be aware of my surroundings and the people around me.” Is all you say back.
He nods in understanding and responds, “One day I’ll tell you, but not today. Wouldn’t want to scare you away…” and with that he smirks.
….

The conversation died shortly after that, seeming to be awkward now due to you thinking you overstepped. You’ve walked all the way across town and down the road that leads to your house. As you finally get over the hill where your home lies at the bottom of, the sun has fully crested the horizon and it’s finally beginning to warm up outside.
As you walk up to your home, all you can do is miss your aunt, although she wasn’t really your aunt, you loved her as one, how could you not, she loved and cared for you as if you were her own. She helped you and took care of you when you had nightmares that caused you to scream and you would wake up crying, your throat raw.
She had asked you about them, but you could never remember all of the details, except for one.
A black dragon coming down from the sky with its talons out, wings spread, eyes full of destruction and fire roaring from its mouth directly at you. You had always woken up before the fire ever hit and you had thankfully not had the dream since you turned 18.
Your aunt had told you that it could be an omen or it could be nothing but a fear you had created for yourself subconsciously after almost being burned alive as an infant.
You never had a chance to ask her about it again once she got sick. They had called it Robex, a curse that slowly drained one’s life force away. Apparently, this curse was powerful, because a few days later she was gone.
…
Chan had walked you inside your house and glanced around at the cute little place that you had called home for the last 21 years of your life. There were small little trinkets and pictures that you had drawn when inspiration hit you. Your aunt had loved them so much that she said they had to be displayed for guests to see.
Chan noticed one on the corner table next to the fireplace. It was one you had actually drawn recently, a black wolf with white eyes and a red muzzle in a battlefield surrounded by other wolves and so many bodies, dead and dying.
It was one of your darker drawings and you had been tempted to throw it away, but every time you tried you couldn’t, so you had put it on display like you knew your aunt would have.
He looks shocked at first, whether from the gruesome scene or the “talent” your aunt always said that you had.
He looks up and asks, “Did you draw this? It’s really good. I actually have a friend who is an artist, I’d love to show him and see what he thinks. Do you mind?”
You’re shocked at his reaction and aren’t able to form words, so you just nod ever so slightly.
…
Once he’s made sure you’re okay after everything you talked about and last night, he says goodbye and begins walking back into town.
You’re left alone for the first time since waking up at Changbin’s house and you’re not sure how to feel about it… You feel as though something is missing, and you aren’t sure what, but it’s not long before you’re feeling exhausted and just want to take a nap.
You change into your nightgown, crawl up into your bed, and tuck yourself tight into the covers.
Sleep takes you quickly and it’s not long before you’re pulled into a dream.
White eyes staring back at you…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As sleep pulls you under, you’re met face to face with a pair of white eyes staring back at you. They seem familiar but you have no idea why.
They remind you of the wolf’s eyes from the drawing you had done a few weeks ago.
You can see the eyes begin to come closer to you and out of the shadows, which makes you realize that it actually is a wolf.
You’re frozen to where you’re standing, not sure how to interact with the situation at hand.
The wolf begins circling you as though it is trying to figure out its next move. As the wolf continues walking around, you slowly turn with it not wanting to have your back to it.
You aren’t fearful of it, just… cautious. You don’t know what it wants, and you aren’t sure how to go about the predicament you’ve just stumbled upon.
As if sensing your caution, the wolf stops circling you and very slowly walks up to you. As it comes up to you it stops a few feet from you and begins to bow.
As it crouches down the wolf turns its neck, and you realize instead of bowing, it’s submitting to you, making itself known that it won’t hurt you and that you have control over the situation.
And control is something that you have barely had throughout your life; in this moment though, you take it…
You walk the few remaining feet between you and the wolf and very slowly crouch down to be eye level with it. You notice a similarity to someone in its eyes, but you can’t quite figure out who it is.
You move your hand to run your fingers through its fur and are met with the softest, warmest coat you’ve ever felt on an animal. You melt at the touch of the fur and think to yourself that if you could cuddle with a giant ass wolf everyday, you would and the thought makes you giggle.
The wolf glances up at you with questioning eyes and as you go to speak and tell it the ridiculous thought you just had, your head ignites.

The flame that consumes you is overbearing, you’ve never felt anything like it before.

You’re clutching at your head and completely fall to your knees; your vision has blurred, but you can hear someone talking to you; you can’t make out what they’re saying though over hearing your own heartbeat so loud in your ears.

You’re shaking so hard and your head feels like it’s going to explode. The amount of pain that you feel becomes unbearable and you start screaming….

~~~POV change(different language, but translated)~~~
Bang Chan searches his mind to find the person he’s trying to reach out to.
‘Changbin.’
He immediately responds back.
‘Yes Bang Chan?’
‘I’m going back to Semira’s house, I grabbed your Mother’s Anekwa after you left. I told her I would give her something to be able to contact me if she needed to.’
‘Okay, just make sure she knows how to use it properly. It’s an old type of magic that most people don’t understand and can barely use these days.’
Bang Chan rolls his eyes; he knew this already, Lady Seo taught him everything he needed to know about how to use the Anekwa bracelet. She told him if he ever felt the need to give it to someone, never hesitate to do it. The same went for Changbin, obviously, but most of the people they knew would never need it since they knew some type of magic.
Semira didn’t and for some reason Bang Chan felt like she needed it, especially in this moment.
‘I’ve got it Changbin, your mother taught me everything that I need to know about it, remember? We spent a whole summer making sure that I could connect with and summon it when it was needed.’
‘Yeah, I remember…. That was the summer you got really sick…’
Bang Chan pauses walking down the street as Changbin reminds him. Bang Chan doesn't talk about it too often, it hurts too much. The summer he got sick was the worst summer of his life, but spending time with Lady Seo made up for it and he was thankful to have her.
He clears his head from the memory and continues walking to Semira’s house.
‘Yeah, I umm… I’m just going to give her a few beginner lessons. Mainly, just how to put a message into it and I’ll just summon it and send it back whenever she needs it.’
Bang Chan feels Changbin hesitate before he finally responds back.
‘Bang Chan, that’s a lot of magic to keep up with constantly. You’re going to drain yourself.’
‘I’ll be okay, it’ll only be until we teach her how to use it fully. Who knows she may be a natural like you know who.’

Bang Chan laughs and can hear a small laugh coming from the other side of the mind link.
‘Yeah, needless to say none of us lived that down when my Mother found out he was able to do it so easily.’
‘If need be we can always have him teach her. He’s patient enough.’ Laughing through the link.
‘That’s true… Have you made it to Semira’s house yet?’
‘Not yet, just coming over the hill now to her house.’
Bang Chan walks the down the hill to Semira’s house and notices the door is cracked and the frame is shattered.
He runs into the house without hesitation. The house is ransacked and things are thrown everywhere. Bang Chan scours the rooms to look for Semira. The bed is unmade and he lets his senses take over trying to get a feel for what happened.
He immediately mind links Changbin in a panic.
‘Changbin! She’s gone!’ Bang Chan yells through the link.
‘Woah, slow down, what do you mean she’s gone?’
‘Exactly what I just said. She’s gone!’
Bang Chan opens the link between the two of them fully and has Changbin see what he’s seeing. The house destroyed and Semira nowhere to be found.
He closes the link slightly, only letting Changbin hear his thoughts; and they are running wild. Nothing makes sense. Why would someone take her? What would someone want with her? WHO would want to take her?
Bang Chan’s looking everywhere around the house for any kind of sign and finds a piece of her clothing that she was wearing when he left her. He can sense there’s enough of her residual energy to be able to track her.
He mind links Changbin once he’s out of the door sprinting in the direction of where he can sense Semira is.
‘Changbin, she’s east of the night forest. Meet me there, drop everything that you are doing. That is an order. Mind-link me when you’re at the outer edge.’
‘Yes sir, I’ll be there right after you.’
Bang Chan’s legs move fast, letting out a part of him that he hates releasing. But the fear of Semira being in danger completely overtakes the fear of the beast that he can’t control.
He runs for what seems like forever, but in reality what should have taken half a day, has taken him a few hours.
Her energy gets stronger as he makes it to the edge of the night forest.
Chan senses a different energy and snarls as someone comes up behind him, turning around quickly to see Changbin behind him yielding with his arms up.
“I told you to mind-link me when you were on the outer edge.” Bang Chan says, growling at him with irritation.
“I was about to until I saw you ahead of me.” Changbin says reluctantly.
“You know when I’m in any type of state like this that I will hurt anyone no questions asked.”
“I know, why do you think I’m still a few paces away from you?”
“This is no joking matter Changbin, Semira has been kidnapped. Stay focused.” Bang Chan demands, using his commanding tone.
Changbin nods and Bang Chan can see his eyes and his whole body locking into the training they both have; their minds taking over with the “mission” they’re on.
They enter the forest and Semira’s energy grows immensely the deeper they travel.
Bang Chan sees a clearing ahead and what looks to be a small stone layout, a small compound, he realizes.
He heightens his vision and sees a small patrolling unit wearing all black and their faces covered.
He turns his mind off, keeping the mind-link open to communicate with Changbin and then he gets to work.
The first set of patrollers are easily taken out being the furthest from the compound.
A snap of their necks as they drop to the ground with a thud.
Changbin is by Bang Chan’s side as he comes up to the stone wall, a portion broken and crumbling. An easy access point, but also more guarded.
And so the bloodshed begins.
Bang Chan draws his sword and a dagger from his back and pushes into the past the crumbing stone wall. A handful of men running towards him, their swords and spears aimed to kill.
He doesn't feel anything as he takes down each man in front of him.
A slice of Bang Chan’s sword down one of their chests, blood spewing across his face.
A dagger to the skull, the sound of the bone being stabbed.
A swipe of the blade to another’s throat, a guttural groan from the man as he drops.
A dance with death as he kills each and every man that attempts to stop him from getting to Semira.
Bang Chan turns to see Changbin taking down two at once. While Chan’s distracted another comes up behind him, spear aimed for his back, but he’s quicker than they are. He spins out of their oncoming attack, the spear grazing his side as he swings his sword up to strike the man down.
The move is sloppy, but it works and in an instant the man’s head is rolling on the ground at Bang Chan’s feet.
He huffs at the pain shooting through his side but grinds his teeth as he makes it to the main door of the small building. Changbin is by his side in an instant and gives him a nod to continue.
Bang Chan breaks the door down, not even caring how much pain shoots through his side at the impact.
There are a dozen men waiting for them on the other side; swords raised.
Bang Chan grins, the adrenaline and challenge a welcome distraction from the pain coursing through him.
The men rush towards him and Changbin.
Bang Chan bends out of way as one of them swings, aiming for his neck. He uses his dagger to swipe at their ankles, cutting the tendons and ligaments like butter.
Another man is already on him as he quickly stands upright, knocking the dagger out of his hand and stealing a punch to his ribs.
Bang Chan gets the air knocked out of him as more fire ignites in his side. He stumbles back slightly as a dagger is thrown directly into the man’s forehead. A small stream of blood oozing out before the man falls to the ground.
Quickly getting his headspace back, two more men are on top of him. They don’t have typical swords, but instead are using single edged blades. A weapon with a huge disadvantage.

Bang Chan grabs two daggers from his back, holding them flush to his arm and starts swiping, flicking his wrists at the right moment and slicing both of their necks wide open. More blood sprays onto his body as they clutch at their necks and choke on their blood.
Bang Chan turns to see Changbin taking down the last man with a swipe of his sword to his stomach, the top half separating from the lower, before they both collapse to the ground.
A grunt comes from behind them and Bang Chan turns to see the man with the sliced heels crawling towards the door where they just entered.
”Not so fast there. We’re not done yet and I have some questions for you.” Bang Chan says moving towards the man, sliding one of his daggers back into place on his back.
He pulls the man up by his hair as he struggles. He wraps his hands around Bang Chan’s and starts to curse at him.
”You honestly did this to yourself when you and your… friends took Semira. Why did you take her? What is she to you?” Bang Chan asks, holding him tighter, taking his dagger and slicing it into the man’s side just enough to cut through but not enough to kill him. Yet.
“I don’t know, we were just told to bring her here and wait for who wanted her.” The man spits out.

”Mmmm… I’m going to need more information than that.” Bang Chan swipes at the man’s hand and he releases his grip, screaming out once again.

”I don’t know anything more! We were only told she was needed for a ritual due to her abilities!” He screams out.

Bang Chan turns towards Changbin, raising an eyebrow.

’Abilities? Did you sense any abilities from her? Because I damn sure didn’t.’

’No.’ Changbin mind-links back and says flatly.

”Semira doesn’t have abilities or magic.” Bang Chan growls at the man as he stabs the dagger into his side, twisting it for good measure. “I need answers, and right now I’m not getting any.”

The man slumps and his breathing becomes ragged.

”Damn, I punctured a lung. Well, anything else before you die?”

The man looks into Bang Chan’s eyes and he can see fire burning hate and the smallest portion of fear behind them. “You’re going to die when they get to her and the world will be as it once was.” The man threatens.

With that, Bang Chan’s heard enough and he snaps his neck, throwing him to the ground and dusting his hands off.

He turns to see Changbin wide eyed at what he just heard.

”Don’t. There’s no way in hell that that will ever happen again and it damn sure won’t happen if these pricks get to her. She’s human, they need someone with a specific ability and she shows no signs of having anything of the sort.” Bang Chan says as he begins walking towards a hallway that leads to a set of stairs.

”We don’t know that, she could be shielding herself and we would never know.” Changbin replies.

”She can’t shield herself while she’s sleeping or passed out. And I didn’t feel anything when we were at your house. Did you?” Changbin shakes his head no. “Then let’s get her and get the hell out of here, before whoever wants her arrives.”

Bang Chan and Changbin walk down the stairs, which seem to go forever, and the further they go down they begin to hear screaming.

Acting on instinct they rush down the stairs and come to an intersection. The screaming coming from the right side.

Bang Chan runs down the hallway, Changbin hot on his heels as they make it to what looks like a makeshift cell. Semira on the floor curled into a ball, with her hands on her head, screaming her lungs out.

~~~POV change~~~
Your head is on fire as you continue screaming through the pain. You can feel the wolf nudging you to get your attention and then nothing but darkness.

The fire in your head no longer consuming you.
A soft touch startles you, waking you up. Looking around realizing you are no longer home.

Changbin and Bang Chan crouching down in front of you with confusion, fear, and anger showing in their eyes.

Panic sets in at their stares.

”What… Where… Where are we? Why did you bring me here? What’s going on?” You begin asking frantically, your voice raw and barely above a whisper. You’re breathing increasing as your eyes dart between the two of them covered in blood.

“Hey, it’s okay, You’re safe.

“I don’t understand.” You whimper, your voice raspy and aching as you reach up to rub at your neck absentmindedly. “What am I doing here?”

Bang Chan looks to Changbin and he just nods.

”Semira… you… someone took you and brought you here… We aren’t exactly sure why, just that some very bad people want you for some kind of ritual.”

“Me? What? I’m nobody! I don’t understand…” you say sobbing, your breath quickening, your throat tightening. Fear overwhelming you.

“We don’t either, please calm down. We’re going to keep you safe.” Changbin says quietly, trying to calm you down.
“You barely know me! I’m no one, I’m just some human who has no one!” Your vision blurs as tears pour out. Your head falling into your hands.
Your crying is harsh, causing your breathing to become jagged, your head tightening as the oxygen doesn’t fully fill your lungs. Your heart is pounding out of your chest.
“I can’t breathe.”
“Semira… calm down, it’s okay, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Bang Chan says, moving his hand to comfort you.

You flinch at his movement and he stops. His hand in midair.

The last time someone told you they wouldn’t let anything happen to you they had died… They had died so painfully… The thoughts flooding your head as you had watched your Aunt suffer from the curse she had… Not being able to do anything to help her.

The fear of being alone and the guilt you carried becomes too much. Your vision spots as you hyperventilate. A second later; darkness.
~~~POV change~~~
Changbin watches helplessly as Semira flinches at Bang Chan’s hand. His hand pausing just above her arm.

He can feel the pain and fear emanating off of her, it feels overwhelming.
Her breathing becoming labored as she cries.

Cries so hard it makes Changbin's heart ache.
As if in slow motion she begins to collapse and without hesitation Changbin grabs on to her, pulling her into his chest so she doesn’t hit her head on the hard floor.

Her breathing already calming but the tears still streaming down her face.
Changbin picks her up gently, making sure not to jostle her around too much. Walking down the hallway and up the steps out of the blood stained compound.

The walk through the woods is quiet, Changbin and Bang Chan only listening to Semira’s soft breathing.

They don’t talk the whole trek and it takes them twice as long to exit the night forest compared to entering it, going slowly to listen and scan for anyone who they might come upon.

As soon as they exit the forest, Bang Chan gives Changbin clear instructions to take Semira back to his house so he can get Kat and Dee.

The walk back to Changbin’s house is slow. People staring as he holds Semira slumped to his chest, but never once acknowledging them.

By the time they make it to Changbin’s front door the sun is setting.

Changbin lays Semira down on the couch and gets his mother’s blanket out of the chest, the scent enveloping him, a memory triggering and his feelings shifting.
Years ago Changbin had done this same thing for her. His mother falling asleep on the couch listening to him and his father playfully bantering over a mission he had done for Bang Chan. The thought makes him smile, but also breaks his heart.
A few days later… They were both gone…
Changbin shakes his head at the memory, pushing the thought out and walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water and a healing aid for Semira before she wakes up.
He knows her throat is sore as hell from the way she was screaming and how she was talking afterwards. He’s been there, screaming for days on end.
—
Chan finally arrives at the house with Kat and Dee, the two women frantic, eyes wide, as they rush into the living room to see Semira still sleeping.
”Is she okay?” Kat says crying softly.

“How is she?” Dee says at the same time, her breath hitching.
“She’s fine right now, she’s been sleeping this whole time.” Changbin explains.
”What exactly happened?” Kat says narrowing her eyes at Bang Chan and Changbin. “The little information you gave us wasn't enough.” Her finger lazily pointing at Bang Chan as she crosses her arms.
”I told you, she passed out after we tried to explain something to her.” Bang Chan responds sternly, his nostrils flaring.
”No,” Dee says, shaking her head. “That’s not going to work, we need to know everything, because I swear to the gods that if you did something to her and you want us here to be mediators, that’s not going to happen.”
Bang Chan and Changbin glance at each other, seeing the girls' serious expressions. Their bond is so strong, they can feel how all three of them connect. Woven into one string, an invisible one that strengthens as they get closer. The love they have for each other clearly something far beyond words and actions.
In that moment, they realize just how similar they are.

Always wanting to make sure the others are taken care of.
Always wanting to protect each other.
Always making sure they were loved.
They nod and begin explaining what happened.
—
Once they’ve finished explaining, the girls' mouths are slack in shock.
Dee slowly leaned onto Kat as they had finally sat down onto the floor in front of Semira while Changbin and Bang Chan explained what happened.
Their faces a mixture of pain and fear, as the realization of what could have happened sinks in.
They sit there, their tears silently streaming down their faces as they wait for you to wake up.
~~~POV Change~~~
You wake up too warm, only to realize you’ve been covered with a blanket and you can feel there are arms resting on your legs and stomach.
Your heart begins to beat slightly faster not wanting to open your eyes and see where you are.
”Hey, you’re okay.” You hear a voice whisper close to your head. “It’s just Kat and Dee.”
You slowly open your eyes and see the girls clinging to you like their lives depend on it. You look up, already knowing who was speaking to you.
”Bang Chan…. How… did I get here? How long have I been asleep?” You glance around, realizing your back at Changbin’s, wrapped in his mother’s blanket, yet again.
”Changbin brought you, I went and got Kat and Dee. You’ve been asleep for about half a day.” He says, answering your questions. He’s sitting in a chair at the corner of the couch, his elbows on his knees leaning forward, watching you and the girls.
You get slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being asleep for so long and him watching you. You do a once over internally of your body. Your head has a slight pounding to it, your throat sore as hell, your bladder full, and you’re warm from all of the body heat, but at this moment it doesn’t matter.
Because you’re here, your best friends are here.
You’re safe… All thanks to Bang Chan and Changbin.
You have no idea how you’ll be able to repay them, no matter how insignificant your life may seem.
”Did… How long have they been here?” You say going to run your fingers through Kat’s hair, brushing a few strands out of her face. She moves slightly and you pause so you don’t wake her up.
”We got here about an hour after you and Changbin did.”
”They’ve been here this whole time?” You say glancing at him and continuing to run your hand through Kat’s hair, the feeling comforting. You hadn’t done this since you were children, never having time to spend with them like you used to.
He nods. “They haven’t left, except to use the bathroom. Even then one of them was always with you. They wouldn’t leave you alone even if Changbin or I were here.”
You look back down to Kat and Dee and you can see their tear streaked cheeks, the salt sticking to their skin in rows down their faces.
Your heart breaks for your best friends.

Your sisters.
Your platonic soulmates.
”I… I don’t deserve them…” Tears forming in your eyes at the pain you’ve caused them, intentional or not.
”You do, don’t ever think otherwise. If you didn’t then they wouldn’t still be here.” Bang Chan says quietly but sternly.
Your tears fall at his statement and you know he’s right.
”What do I do? What if someone keeps coming for me?” You ask, not really wanting an answer, but needing a solution.
“We’ll talk about that when Changbin gets back and the girls wake up.” Bang Chan responds quietly. “Do you need anything before then?”
”I… I need to pee… I feel like my bladder is about to explode.”
Bang Chan nods his head, helping you situate the girls without waking them up and walks you to the bathroom.
”Changbin didn’t know when you’d wake up or if you’d need anything, so he made a bath for you and grabbed a few sets of clothes for you to wear… You know, if you wanted to change out of what you’re wearing.” He says shyly rubbing the back of his neck looking away.

You glance down and realize you’re still wearing the nightgown you had put on before you had gotten into bed, suddenly feeling very self conscious. The gown covered in dirt and blood.

“The bath is spelled, like most things in the house, courtesy of Lady Seo.” He says with a small smile filled with hurt.
”Oh… umm.. okay… I’ll… uh…” You stutter. “Thank you.” You say politely.
”Sure, I’ll umm.. be in the kitchen whenever you’re done.” He gives a slight bow at the neck and leaves, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
You undress, throwing the gown down and stepping into the basin filled with hot water. The steam enveloping you as you relax into the tub.

You sink down, dipping your head below the water and laying there.

Your lungs burn as you lay under the water, not coming up for air until you can no longer stand the fire in your lungs.
”What the hell is going on, and why is someone after me all of a sudden?” You quietly ask yourself.
You sit in the tub for quite some time, your mind reeling trying to come up with an explanation and coming up short.
You huff out and grab the sponge on the side of the tub along with a bar of soap and begin scrubbing violently at your skin, making sure to remove all of the dirt and blood stains. You scrub so hard your skin turns red and raw, trying to get rid of the filth that seems to be lurking underneath the surface.
You wash your hair and rinse it laying against the back of the tub, the water still as warm as when you first got in.
Sitting there for a few more minutes you finally decide to get out. Grabbing the towel and wrapping it around you. You turn to drain the tub only to find it empty and clean.
Your eyes wide, as if the tub hadn’t just been full a few seconds ago.
”Magic is… crazy.”
You pick a pair of lightly fitting pants and a feminine tunic, throwing them on and opening the door to head to the kitchen.
Once there, you see Bang Chan leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed, seeming to be deep in thought, a cup of water and a small plate of fruits next to him.
He still hasn’t noticed you as you walk up to stand in front of him. You gently touch his arm, feeling the muscles against your skin.
His eyes snap up to your eyes, a light blue color, almost white. You jolt slightly at his stare.
”Bang Chan?”
After taking a moment to focus, his eyes return to normal, shifting back to his beautiful dark brown eyes.

”I’m sorry, I was talking to Changbin, I didn’t realize how deep I had gone.” He says softly, shaking his head to clear it.
You cock your head to the side. “Talking to Changbin?” You ask confused, your brows furrowing.
“Umm.. Yes… It’s an ability that we have,” he explains. “We are able to mind-link whenever we aren’t able to physically talk to one another.”
”Mind… Link?”
”It’s a thing that only people who are bonded can do,” he says.
”Bonded? I don’t know what that is.” You say, still not understanding.
“We have a special… connection, that can only happen when a ceremony is performed.” He says slowly, testing your reaction.
”What kind of ceremony?”
”We go through a trial… to determine compatibility. If two people are compatible after the trial is over, a mark appears.” He removes his shirt and turns his back towards you, revealing eight clusters of flowers trailing down from his shoulder to his lower back.

Your hand hovering as Bang Chan looks over his shoulder and nods. You lightly graze the flowers and slowly trace your hands across his back over the large and sporadic scars. Some slashes and some stab wounds based on the length and size of them.

“Did the mark hurt?” You ask, dropping your hand down to your side.

“No, just feels weird.” He says, shaking his head and pulling his shirt back over his head.

You nod your head. “Why are there eight?” You ask inquisitively.

“One for each of us. My friends and I. We’re all bonded.” He says slowly.

“Wait, so you did seven different trials?” Your eyes widen at the shock of having to do a ceremony over and over.

“No, I only did it three times, once we found each other most of us did it together…. To make it easier. It takes a toll on your body and mind the more you do it.” He explains softly.

Bang Chan’s eyes glaze over for a second. Concern spreading through your body as he focuses a second later.

“Changbin will be here in a few minutes.” He says turning towards you, eyes intense.
“Oh… okay…. I should probably go wake the girls up.”

“Yeah, we have a lot to talk about.”
You shake your head in agreement, not ready for the conversation ahead.
—
Changbin arrives shortly after you’ve woken the girls up. Their eyes still a little glazed over with sleep as the three of you sit on the couch all piled on top of each other.

The room fills with silence, no one knowing where to start, until Kat speaks up first….
“I think you should leave…” she says quietly but her voice full of determination.
Your eyes immediately look into hers, and you can see tears forming. “I’m not leaving! Why would you say that?!” Your voice louder than you intended, causing Dee to curl further into you.
“I don’t think you’re safe here… especially since you live by yourself now…” Her voice a little louder but the tears still forming, not yet slipping from her eyes.
“Just because something happened to me once doesn’t mean it will happen again.” You say trying to persuade her.
“Mira… You were kidnapped…. While you were sleeping… Bang Chan and Changbin already told us why… If they came for you once… They’ll come for you again. And what happens when there’s no one there to get you…. You are so lucky that Bang Chan was already on his way to your house anyway.” Dee says still latched on to you, her voice soft and quiet as you turn your head to see large tears falling from her eyes.

You hadn’t realized she had started crying, wrapping your arms around her and squeezing her tighter, trying to give her comfort.

You shake your head, “I can’t leave the two of you. My heart wouldn’t be able to take it… to take being apart from you. Not knowing how long I would have to be gone.”
Being without them makes your heart race, an ache that you don’t want to feel but know all too well after your aunt passed away. You had locked yourself in your house, stuffed away under the covers. Screaming and crying your eyes out for days.
It had taken the door being kicked in, for someone to finally get to you and check on you.
The girls not leaving your side for a week after that.
“We know… you don’t think it wouldn’t hurt us also….? You’re our best friend… the reason we came together, but… we talked about it while you were sleeping…” Kat speaks up again, this time tears running down her cheeks.

”You mean you made the decision for me, before even asking if I was okay with it…? That’s not how things work Kat… This is my life and I understand that you are intertwined within it, but you can’t make those decisions for me. I am my own person and you know that I have to be the one in control of my own life…” Anger pouring out of you. “I love you both, but there is no way in hell that I am leaving. I can protect myself, I’ll do extra shit to make sure I’m so safe, but I’m not leaving.” You finish, shaking your head.
”And how do you plan on doing that?” Bang Chan asks, crossing his arms. “Because clearly you don’t know what these people are capable of, or the lengths that they will go to get to you. Including hurting those closest to you if they find them.”
And the realization sinks in… He’s right… There’s no way you’d be able to forgive yourself if anything ever happened to the girls and you hate that this is what it comes down to.
Leaving and protecting them or staying and risking them being hurt?
”I..” Your head reels at all the thoughts breaking through. “If that… If that’s what keeps them safe.” And at this point you don’t even care that you’re not thinking of yourself. The girls' lives and their well being will always come before yours.
”No… you are the one that needs to be safe, we can protect ourselves more than you can. And I hate saying that, but you are too important to us to risk your life for us.” Dee interjects.
“Dee’s right, you need to be thinking of your safety, not ours.” Kat adds.
“I know… but leaving you…” You can’t even finishing saying it, the tears filling your eyes too quickly as pool over.
”We know… trust us… we know.” Kat says as she moves closer to hold you and Dee, wrapping her arms around the both of you. “We don’t want you to leave, but we want you safe, no matter how far apart we are.”
”So, it’s decided? You’ll come with us? So we can protect you?” Changbin asks quietly.
You nod your head in acknowledgement, scared of what’s to come next.
Scared that something is changing, dramatically, and you have no idea how you’re going to handle it.
—
You're standing in front of your childhood home.
The door hanging off the hinges, the frame shattered.One of the windows shattered.
You walk through the front door and see the destruction that was made.
Books thrown onto the floor.Paintings and drawings thrown everywhere.Glass everywhere, furniture destroyed.
The house is a mess, the people that took you destroyed everything as if they were looking for something, of which you have no idea what it is they could be searching for.
You walk into your aunt’s room to see even more damage done than in the front room. You walk over the mess and go to the nightstand, the picture of the two of you still there, but the frame shattered.

You remove the picture and take it with you to your room.
Your room isn’t as bad, a few things thrown, but everything is still the same from before you laid down. You grab your only bag and start putting in a few articles of clothing into it, along with some of your art supplies and the picture of you and your aunt.
Once you’ve finished packing your bag, you go to the corner of your room and gently pull up the carpet, a hidden compartment lay underneath that your aunt had specially made.

Opening the compartment you take out what lies inside.A beautiful white longbow with gold accents, a gift you had received from your aunt on your 18th birthday.

You hesitate to bring it, but something in the back of your mind is telling you you’re going to need it, so you gently place it on the bed along with your bracer and your quiver and arrows.
—
After finishing getting everything packed, you sit at your desk and grab a piece of parchment, a quill and ink and begin writing.

—
It doesn’t take you long to finish writing the letters as tears drip onto the pages.
Your heart aching at the realization that you won’t be with them for much longer.
You fold up the pages and stamp them with wax to seal them.
—
You walk outside and all four of them are standing there waiting for you.Dee and Kat huddled next to each other.Bang Chan and Changbin standing off to the side with three horses.
The men both glancing at you only to realize what you have with you.
You have your bag in your hand and your bow with your quivers attached to your back.
The girls also taking notice.
It’s been a while since you had taken it out. The feel of it on your back comforting and feeling somewhat foreign.
You walk up to them and set your bag down. Bang Chan immediately walking over to grab it to strap it to the horse, making sure it’s secure.
You speak up first, “I wish this didn’t have to happen.”
“Us too.” They both say.
You wrap them into a hug so tight it feels as though the three of you become one for just a second.
Kat and Dee are the first to pull away, holding you within arms length. Both gazing at you as if they’re trying to memorize your features.
You do the same, memorizing how their eyes shine and how their smiles falter just the slightest as the reality of what’s happening makes it all the more real.
”I have something for the both of you. I wrote you letters, because if I say it out loud I won’t be able to leave and this will be so much worse.” you say handing them their sealed letters. “Please don’t read them until I leave, I won’t be able to stop crying if you read them now.”
They glance down and slowly grab the letters from you, both of them bringing their letter to their chest and holding it as if it’s the last thing they’ll ever receive from you.
”I know, this might make it harder, but I had to give you something before I left.” You say fidgeting with the necklace that still hangs around your neck. “I love you, both of you, so much.”
You pull them in for one last hug as Changbin says that it’s time to leave.
—
You pull yourself onto the horse glad that you didn’t pick one of the dresses that Changbin had laid out for you and thankful you had put on a pair of boots.
Bang Chan and Changbin kick at the horses and they begin trotting down the road; you do the same slowly making your way towards them. Pulling at the reigns slightly to have the horse pause to look back at the girls.Back at the friends that mean the most to you.Back at the house that you grew up in.Back at the past that now seems so far away.And now heading into the future that you aren’t sure you want to see yet.
—
By the time the sun has set, your legs are cramping and your back is aching.
The ride so far has been long, but thankfully not too hard; it’s been a while since you’ve been riding and getting back into the saddle for a long ass trip was not the best way to get back into it.
But thankfully Bang Chan and Changbin stop, telling you that it’s another half day's ride before they get to where you’re all going, of which you still have no idea.
You slide off the horse and the guys begin to set up camp, you walk around trying to get some feeling back into your body. Your legs almost like jello and your spine stiff once you start to get feeling back into them.

Changbin sets up the pallets while Bang Chan unpacks the bags from the saddles off of the horses.
”How the hell can you guys see?’’
”What do you mean? Oh… Nevermind.” Bang Chan gives a small laugh. “I forgot you don’t have eyesight like we do, give me just a second.”Without a second thought, “Iam.”
You hear and ’feel’ a crackle and then suddenly a small bright orb begins floating around.”It’s a spell, it produces light, obviously.”
”The crackle? Was that the magic?” You ask curiously.
”That depends, did you hear or feel it?” Changbin interjects.
”Both? I mean I think I heard it, but I think I felt it more.”

They both glance at each other, looking to be caught off guard at your words.
”What? Is that a bad thing? I don’t know too much when it comes to magic, the girls rarely use it.”

“It’s not a bad thing, not at all. We just weren’t expecting your answer. It’s rare for people to ‘feel’ magic, especially when they don’t use it or haven’t been around it enough. It’s mainly just the slightest tinge in the air for most people.” Changbin explains.
”Plus, magic affects everyone differently. Some people smell it, some people hear it, and some people feel it.” Bang Chan adds.
”Oh.”
And with that you’re left to ponder as the guys finish setting up camp.
—
Bang Chan cooks dinner, just a fast, throw it all in, noodle dish; which is fucking amazing. The taste is incredible and if he cooks like this, just throwing things together, you wonder what it would be like to have a full fledged meal cooked by him.
“Wow, that was really good, I wasn’t expecting you to be able to cook.” You say nonchalantly.
”I don’t cook anywhere as good as one of our friends, he makes dinner for us all of the time and HE really knows how to cook. I’ve just taken a few pointers.” He says shrugging.
—
By the time dinner is done and everything is put away back into the packs, fatigue hits you like a ton of bricks.

As soon as your head hits the pallet, you’re out but not before a dream takes hold.
You’re walking down a dark hallway. A light shining at the end of the long corridor.

You make your way towards it to find the door cracked open.
You gently open it to see a man standing there, a towel wrapped around his lower half. You should feel guilty for seeing him like this, but you don’t. Your mind taking over and your feet shuffling you into the room.
He slowly turns around and his eyes widen as you enter the room.
He starts talking, but you can’t hear what he’s saying, his voice sounding muffled.
You walk up to him and place your hands on his chest with no hesitation, still able to feel the moisture on his body from the shower he just took. His hair is still damp and falling around his face.

His eyes look deep into yours and you can feel the pull of him in your bones. His eyes flickering purple for a fraction of a second.
You glance down to his full lips, the bottom one more full than the top.

In an instant your lips are on his, taken over by a feeling deep in your stomach that you need his touch, any touch.
He hesitates for a moment and then wraps his hands around your waist, gently, pulling you closer to him.
His kiss is soft, but not enough to satiate your need for him.
He pulls away slightly and looks at you, slightly out of breath.
”Semira…”
And in an instant you’re pulled out of your dream. You wake up with a jerk, your lips still tingling from the kiss.
You look around
and see that Bang Chan is sleeping, while Changbin is on the other side of the fire crouching down in front of it, his eyes on you.
”Are you alright?”
”Umm… Yes… Weird dream…” Is all you’re able to get out.
”Do you need anything, we have a tonic for sleep problems, Bang Chan normally needs one since he has a hard time falling asleep.”

“No, I’m good… I just… I need some water.”
“There’s a hide next to you that has water in it.” Changbin says, pointing at the water a foot or so away.
”Thanks.” You say getting up to get it, taking a large drink of it before going to lay back down.
”Get some more rest, we’re leaving at first light.”
You nod your head and tuck yourself under the blanket. Sleep pulls you under fast.This time, no dreams come to you.
—
You wake as you hear rustling around the camp, and slowly open your eyes to see Changbin and Bang Chan loading the packs onto the horses.
You lazily roll into a sitting position. “Why didn’t either of you wake me up?”
”Because… We know yesterday was hard for you, so we figured we would pack what was left and let you sleep a bit longer. The ride for today is a little harder, so we figured you’d want the rest.” Bang Chan says placing the last pack into the saddle bag.
”The only thing that’s left is your pallet.” Changbin adds, pointing a finger down at it.
”Okay, I… umm… I have to pee and then, I guess, we can go…?”
”Sure, obviously there’s not too many places to choose from, but there’s a large rock about 10 paces that way that you can use for privacy.” Bang Chan says, pointing his head in the direction of the rock.
”Thanks,” you say shyly as you get up.
—
They weren’t lying when they said the ride was harder, but when they said ‘a little’, you were expecting a little. Not a whole ass trek up the side of a cliff and back down, which you had never done on horseback.
The tension and anxiety you felt was overwhelming, scared of being thrown off the horse at the slightest wrong pull of the reigns.
Thankfully when you were back to level ground the ride was much easier and it didn’t take long after that to reach where you were headed.
—
A castle started forming in the distance and all you could think to yourself was that there was no way you were going there. That there was no way they were taking you to the Prince’s home.
And sure enough you arrive in front of a huge stone wall.
Bang Chan says something, clearly in a different language and within an instant the wall is gone, the air crackling and a tingle shooting through your spine.More magic.
The ride up to the castle is short and quiet as you listen to the animals and the breeze blowing.
“Semira… This is the heart of Vellathore.” Bang Chan says, with a grin spreading across his face.
As you’re about to say something an overly attractive young man comes out.
”Chan-hyung!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kat, my beautiful best friend.
I hate that this is what has to happen. I hate that this is what things have come to. That this is goodbye.
No, not goodbye, just a time apart, for now. I can’t let this define us. I can’t let the moments of us together go to waste. I’m sorry for risking your safety. And Dee’s.
I know the two of you will take care of each other, but just know that not a day will go by that I will not think of you or miss your laugh, or the way you make fun of me for some stupid thing that I say or do.Please take care of Dee, help her to shine brighter, not like the sun, but like a starlight.
I will miss you so much and being apart from you seems like the worst thing in the world, but you not being in this world.
That is something that I could not live with. Not be able to accept.A world without you seems dark, and cold.

You gave me life, a reason to live in a world that seemed against me. And I will be forever grateful. You have brought me back from so much pain and hurt that your life is truly a blessing to me.
If I had never met you, where would I be?
Would I still be here?
Would my life even matter at all?
I know you would tell me something different, which is why I am so glad that you won’t be reading this until after I have left.
I don’t need you criticizing me for my thoughts. For thoughts of wanting to be by your side no matter how difficult the next part of life will be.
For feelings of being alone, even though I never really will be.I know you will always be by my side, I know I will be able to feel you, no matter the distance between us.
I love you.

-Semira

—————————————————————————————————————
Dee, my singing beauty.This is not how I wanted us to say goodbye. A goodbye that should not be happening.Why do I keep thinking this is goodbye?It can’t be.I won’t let it be.I won’t let this obstacle be one that defines our friendship.
I pray to the gods that you and Kat will take care of each other and just know that I will always be there.
I may not be there physically, but I hope you feel me in the sunlight that shines on you, always covering you and giving you that beautiful glow that you have.
I hope you and Kat take care of each other, not that you wouldn’t, but at least lessen the bickering since I’m not there to mediate anymore.
Become closer, I want to see how much you’ve grown together when I see you again.Be there for Kat please.
I know she will take this harder.
Be what I can’t be for her, while I’m gone. I know that’s a lot to ask, but just know that I have so much faith in you and your abilities.Make sure that she knows how amazing she is and how much I love her.But please know that I love you just as much.Be the starlight that guides her in the darkness, just like you are mine.
If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have found my passion for art.I wouldn’t be able to express myself in a way that makes me feel seen, the way that you see me.If I hadn't heard your singing I wouldn’t have become the ‘artist’ I am today, and I am so grateful.
Thank you for being my inspiration. And for loving me unconditionally.
I love you.
-Semira

—————————————————————————————————————
~~~POV Change~~~Kat sat in the dimly lit room, the candle’s flame flickering as if it, too, could feel the ache that had settled deep inside her chest.The parchment in her hands was soft from how many times she had unfolded and refolded it, but the ink was still sharp—too sharp, cutting into her like a blade with every word she read.Her fingers traced over Semira’s handwriting, lingering on the first line.Kat, my beautiful best friend.She could hear Semira’s voice in her head, that familiar teasing warmth laced with something heavier, something final.Kat blinked rapidly, forcing the burning in her eyes to fade. No tears. Not yet.She kept reading, her grip on the letter tightening as Semira’s words wrapped around her like a whisper of something she could never have back.No, not goodbye, just a time apart, for now.Kat swallowed hard.That was such a Semira thing to say—always trying to soften the edges of something unbearable.But they both knew the truth.It was goodbye, at least for now.And even though Kat understood why, even though she knew Semira had to go to stay safe, it didn’t make this hurt any less.Her breath hitched when she reached the part about missing her.A ghost of a smile tugged at Kat’s lips, but it was fleeting, gone as quickly as it came.Memories flashed in her mind—nights spent laughing until their stomachs hurt, teasing each other mercilessly, moments of reckless joy that made life feel unbreakable.And now, just like that, Semira was gone.Her eyes caught the next lines, and suddenly, it was harder to breathe.A world without you seems dark, and cold.Kat’s jaw clenched, her heart pounding against her ribs.Semira had always been good at hiding things, at deflecting, at making everything seem lighter than it was.But this?This was raw.This was the part she never let slip—the fear, the doubt, the way she had once questioned whether she even belonged in this world.And Kat had been the one to remind her that she did.Her fingers trembled as she reached the end, the final words pressing against her like a weight she wasn’t sure she could carry.I love you.She exhaled sharply, pressing the letter to her chest as if that could somehow bring Semira closer, as if that could make the ache disappear.It didn’t.“Damn you, Mira,” Kat whispered, voice breaking.“Damn you for making me feel this.”She should be angry.She should be storming around, throwing things, yelling at the walls, vowing to bring Semira back no matter what.But she wasn’t.Because she knew.Semira needed to leave to stay safe.And no amount of anger or pain would change that fact.Dee sniffled quietly beside her, but Kat didn’t move, didn’t speak.She just sat there, holding the letter, holding onto the last piece of Semira she had left.Because no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much she wanted to scream, she knew one thing for certain.Semira would always be with her.No matter the distance.No matter how much time passed.And one day, somehow, she would find her again.

~~~POV Change~~~
Dee can feel the sting behind her eyelids as she reads, her love for Semira slithering through her emotions and threatening to spill. She knows this goodbye is for Semira’s own good, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Every word causes a stabbing pain in her chest. It’s like she could hear every syllable in Semira’s beautiful voice. Dee’s not as strong as Kat is. Dee looks over at Kat and sees that she’s holding herself together, at least on the outside…but Dee’s tears begin to slip past her lids.
When Dee turns back towards the letter to hide her flooding emotions from Kat, a tear drips onto the page, causing the ink to bleed on one specific word. Starlight.

Dee keeps trying to read the rest of the letter through her blurry vision, sniffling reflexively as more tears fall down her cheeks.
Seeing Semira’s feelings written on paper hits Dee hard. Semira, Kat, and Dee have always made it clear to each other how much they love each other, but seeing it said as a goodbye is excruciating. All Dee can do is try her hardest to do what Semira asks. She’ll be there for Kat. She’ll try to fill the hole that gets created in Semira’s absence.

She’ll think of Semira every time she sings. She’ll remember Semira’s smile every time she sees delphinium. She’ll imagine that Semira is there with them when she and Kat laugh at something ridiculous. She’ll try to mimic Semira’s patience when she bickers with Kat.

Semira is gone. She’s gone and Dee doesn’t know if or when she’ll come back.
Dee watches as the paper in her hands begins to vibrate, and it takes her a moment to realize her trembling hands are the cause.
Dee can see the way Kat presses her letter to her chest at the corner of her eyes, but Dee can’t take her eyes fully off the letter. If she does, it’ll feel like she’s accepting the fact that Semira isn’t there anymore.
Dee questions whether or not she’ll be able to stay strong for Semira. For Kat. Semira hasn’t been gone long, and Dee already feels like a part of her is missing.
Semira called Dee her starlight, but that makes sense because she’s a light fairy. Semira is Dee’s starlight, even without the glow. Semira didn’t need magic to be a shining light in Dee’s life. Dee isn’t looking forward to how dim her world will be when Semira’s gone.
Dee’s natural glow began to falter. She leaned her head on Kat’s shoulder as she let the letter rest in her lap, and she soaked up all the energy she could from Kat’s presence. She closed her eyes as Kat wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her warm palm against Dee’s back.
“As long as she’s safe.” Kat whispered, leaning her head to rest on the top of Dee’s.
“As long as she’s safe.” Dee repeated, trying to hide the tremble in her voice.