“One love, one heart, one destiny.”

-Bob Marley

Chanyeol was astounded. The scene in front of him seemed almost unreal, like something his mother would tell him as a bedtime story. Men and women in knee length robes, similar to the man’s, with black satin on the outside and purple on the inside. The bottoms were edged with gold. They all held unique wands and were lifting things across a large room. Different colors lit up walls. A piano flew by Chanyeol’s head, and he jumped back. A large dining table was being lifted to the center of the room by five wizards.

A candle flew above their heads, and Chanyeol looked up. The ceiling was extremely high. Deep purples, blues and a light pink were moving across the ceiling. There were little twinkling dots, and Chanyeol assumed they were stars. A few shot across the ceiling. Night time was being emulated on it, giving it depth and making it seem as though the heavens were right there.

The man chuckled at Chanyeol’s awe and patted him on the shoulder. He led Chanyeol through the room to another glass door that was much smaller than the one they came in. As they made their way to it, Chanyeol gawked at the large throne beside the door. It was made with what looked like pure gold. A purple gem was fixed on the top. The seat cushions were made of black silk that shimmered under the bright candles that were stationed next to the chair. Chanyeol didn't have long to look, though, because he was ushered to the door.

“Chanyeol, I want you to try opening this door,” the man said.

Chanyeol frowned and looked at the man, clearly confused. He wasn't magical.

“Do not doubt yourself, Chanyeol. You are capable of many great things.”

“How do you know?”

The man opened his mouth, then paused. “Intuition.

Chanyeol frowned, skeptical. This whole ordeal seemed suspicious. The man somehow read Chanyeol’s thoughts, apparently knew what Chanyeol was able to do, and where were they going? This could lead to a trap, possibly his own death! He stopped thinking, knowing the man was probably listening and stared at the man, blank faced. Then the thought came to him, what is this guy’s name?

“Seras Xen.”

Chanyeol mentally smacked himself. He really needed to stop thinking.

Seras laughed, smiling widely. As Chanyeol watched the man smile, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. The eye crinkle and the shape of Seras’s smile gave Chanyeol uncomfortable dejavu. He shook his head and rid himself of such an absurd thought. It was impossible that he could have met Seras. He would've definitely remembered the magic part, too.

“Come along, Chanyeol. We must make haste. The Wizarding Council will be unhappy if we’re late. They become unpleasant if someone is late.” Seras stopped smiling and pressed his hand to the glass. The door glowed under his hand and then disappeared. He ushered Chanyeol through and followed him inside. The door reappeared and they continued forward.

They were in another hallway. A purple carpet stretched all the way down. More floating candles were along the walls, lighting themselves with a purple flame as they went. The odd lighting created dark shadows around Seras, Chanyeol noticed. Wrinkles on the man’s face seemed more prominent. Smile lines were deeper and his cheeks seemed more sunken in. His resting face seemed gloomy and his skin was much paler. When Seras turned to Chanyeol as they neared another door, Chanyeol jumped back, surprised by the man’s solemn face.

“Say nothing, think nothing. I will do the talking. They must not know you are friends with Prince Baekhyun.”

The mention of Baekhyun caught Chanyeol’s attention. “How do you know him? Where is he? Is he okay?”

Seras shushed him. “He's on his way, I presume. Don't worry. He should come soon.” Seras glanced at the door and stood up straight. “We must go.” He straightened his cloak and opened the door.

The room was dark when Chanyeol stepped in. Suddenly a light from an unknown source lit up and he stood in a circular room. Seras stood new to him, hands clasped behind his back. He stood with his chin up, examining large, U-shaped desk that wrapped around the room. No one sat at it, but quills were scratching on parchment.

Seras muttered something under his breath and rolled his eyes. He reached into the front of his robes and pulled out his wand. For a moment, Chanyeol caught a glimpse of the inside of the robes. Initially, he thought they would be purple, like the other wizards, but instead he saw galaxies. Chanyeol blinked and the robes were closed. He turned his attention to what Seras was doing with his wand. The tip was glowing, pulsing.

Suddenly, a large gust blew through the room. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around himself, shivering in his thin clothes. On the other hand, Seras wasn’t affected and only the bottom of his robes rustled. When the wind stopped, Chanyeol looked up. The quills were immobile and five people now sat at the desk. They all wore dark robes like Seras, but were significantly older. There were two men and three women. They looked down at Seras, then at Chanyeol.

“Who is this boy?” the woman in the center asked. She leaned closer, inspecting the newcomer. It took all Chanyeol had to keep his mind clear and expression blank.

“He is a newcomer, seeking magic.”

“Name?”

“Park Chanyeol.”

“And does he have any family connections?”

Seras shook his head. “He does not. I ask that you teach him magic. Whether or not it's combat, rune, or healing, it doesn’t matter.”

The woman nodded and leaned back in her chair. She took out her wand and waved it in the air. A shimmering barrier appeared between them and Chanyeol and Seras.

Chanyeol turned to Seras, clearly upset. He was trusting this guy without any reason, and now he is apparently supposed to learn magic. No longer could he deny that magic was fiction after seeing the various wizards, but how was he supposed to? Not only was he not magical by any means, but he didn't even know what he was getting himself into. At least Seras could have told him beforehand.

“Chanyeol, don't fret. Anyone can learn magic. Your life is not at risk…” Seras trailed off, and Chanyeol swore he could hear a quiet “yet.” A pained look crossed Seras’s face, but disappeared just as quick. “As long as the Wizard Council approves.”

“But, sir, why me? Why have I been into this? What about my family? When their only son is missing, they're going to be looking everywhere. Knowing magic exists is fantastic and all, but I'm just a peasant. And also, what about Baekhyun? You mentioned him earlier. Where is he? Is he ok?” Chanyeol threw his hands up when Seras shushed him.

“We can't talk about it now, not with the Wizarding Council right there. Once Baekhyun arrives, then we can have our conversation.” Seras said.

“Baekhyun is coming?” Chanyeol asked, heart soaring. Seras didn't answer and shook his head, mouthing “Later.”

“Chanyeol,” a woman’s voice said. Chanyeol looked forward to where those in the Wizarding council sat. The middle woman was talking again. “The Wizarding Council has decided to allow you to learn magic.”

“I'll teach him,” Seras said, cutting off the woman.

“Seras,” the woman sighed, “do not interrupt. But since you mentioned it, yes, you may teach this boy. That is our final verdict.” With that, the Council wizards disappeared and the quills resumed their scratching.

Chanyeol released the breath he was holding and saw Seras relax. The man smiled and led Chanyeol out the door and back through the hallway. Witches and wizards were still levitating objects around the room when they got back. From across the room, Chanyeol noticed the burly men who had kidnapped him. He fell a step behind Seras and tried to hide himself behind the robe even though he was taller than the elder. Seras noticed this and chuckled. He put a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder and kept him walking in step.

“Don't worry, Chanyeol. They will not hurt you.”

As they approached, the men bowed to Seras, then to Chanyeol. Their faces were much more relaxed than when Chanyeol had seen them in the market. They definitely were much less intimidating as they looked at Seras. One of the men was looking at Seras, a solemn look coming over both of their faces. Seras nodded and told the men to walk in front of them.

“What's going on?” Chanyeol asked as they made their way back to the room Chanyeol had woken up in. Seras gave Chanyeol a strange look and sighed, but didn't say anything. They walked in silence the rest of the way.

It gave Chanyeol a chance to focus on the tapestries and artwork in the hallway, now that he wasn't freaking out internally as much. One tapestry had a glowing baby boy in the center with the dark side looking at him from the bottom of the tapestry and the light side looking at him from the top. A few meters from that was a painting of some old wizard. Chanyeol didn't have time to read the name plaque. Seras informed him it was the Grand Wizard who had powers like no other. It was said he even had the power to bring people back to life, warp time and space, and time travel. Seras told all of this to Chanyeol with distaste laced in his tone. He even voiced his dislike for the Grand Wizard, but didn't give a reason. What was so bad about a wizard who can do more, Chanyeol asked himself. Someone with such power should be worshipped, followed. Chanyeol wasn't sure how the whole magic thing worked, though, and concluded he was too ignorant to come to any conclusions.

When the group reached the door that led to the staircase Chanyeol had ascended from, the guards stopped, waiting for their next instructions. Seras motioned them to Chanyeol. They went to Chanyeol’s side and began to lead him away from the door. Seras didn't say anything as they did, and Chanyeol didn't fight. With the guards around, he was too terrified to ask. In minutes, they could knock him out. Chanyeol looked behind him and saw the door reappearing. He turned back and kept his head down.

“Do not be afraid, young wizard,” one of the men said. Chanyeol looked up into the eyes of the slightly less muscular one. He was the one that had put Chanyeol to sleep in the cart. The man had a kind look in his eyes and he smiled. “I am Deran.” He gestured to the other man who nodded. “He is Jinlan. We are guards and are deeply sorry for the trouble we caused.” Deran and Jinlan bowed as they walked.

Chanyeol was speechless. The men he was afraid of not only apologized, but bowed to him. Was he supposed to tell them it was alright, or scold them for the way they did it? He didn't know, so he kept his mouth shut and nodded. The guards were satisfied with that and kept their heads held high.

A few minutes later, they were outside in a walkway between two parts of the building. Chanyeol peered over the edge. There was a sharp drop off and the height made him queasy. He stepped back to the center and stuck to looking at the mountains in the distance as far as the eye could see. The skies were a dusty pink as the sun descended in the sky. Oranges and yellows were cast against the mountains, coloring the snow warm. Then the thought struck him. How long was he knocked out after he was put to sleep by Deran? It would take at least a few weeks to get into the mountains from the kingdom since it was in a deep valley.

He was about to ask when they reached the next door. Deran opened it and Jinlan led the way in. The interior was much like the other areas Chanyeol had seen, but this time, it was one large library. Books lined all of the walls and bookshelves sat in the middle, all neatly organized. Witches and wizards of all ages shuffled between the rows, calling books from high up with their wands. Rolling ladders were attached to each. Chanyeol craned his neck to look farther up. As far as he could see, there were infinitely many levels. He didn't get time to admire, though, because the guards moved him through the large library to the other side and through another door.

Author's note:

Usually I don't do author's notes because I want this to feel more like a novel than a fan fiction, but I have a few things I must tell you all. First off, I'm so sorry for the late update. I wanted to get it out two weeks after chapter eight at the latest, but then school etc. came up and you know how that is. Second, I'm not liking my writing right now, so it has been hard for me to write because I'm always trying to put more, but sometimes it seems to not work. I reuse and resuse and I'm trying so hard to break away from the words I use so frequently.

Lastly, I do really want to be more interactive with you guys, but again, I wan this story to feel much more like a novel than a fan fiction.

I do have more of an idea of what chapater eleven will look like, though, so I do hope to get it out before I go to Hawaii and then camp, meaning I'll be away for a month.

If I don't, I'm extremely sorry! I still have a lot of hope for this story, so I'm not abandoning it, as I have with stories in the past.

Love you all,

Wenji.