Jongin and Lord Do have been travelling for almost two weeks, so when the city comes into view, it is a relief. He’s never ridden a horse before, let alone travelled so far on one. His rear end hurts from riding and it’s getting uncomfortable. It had taken a  few days for him to get used to being on a horse, and travelling, sleeping on the ground each night- he wasn’t provided a comfortable pallet and several blankets like Lord Do was, making do with just one. Sometimes he looked enviously at Lord Do, wishing he would offer to share, but he knew that would be impossible. For one thing, it would be entirely inappropriate, and even if it weren’t he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep that close to the man anyway.

In the distance, beyond the main part of the city, the roof of the palace sparkles, and that sight alone settles him. Being able to see his destination finally, he’s happy that their journey is almost over. He’s unsure about how far they’ve travelled exactly, through forests and across rivers, but Jongin knows there’s a long way to go if he wants to go back home. He already said goodbye to his family, because he didn’t know how long it would be before he returned to them, maybe months, maybe years. It was sad to part from them, and from Ilsung the swordmaster and Sanghyuk, but what else could he do? Lord Do is so determined to fix the problem he has, whatever it may be, so declining his offer was never really an option, even if he hadn't made this decision for his own reasons. So determined was he, he probably would have just returned later with new ideas. As a magician, it’s his duty to protect the people from evil, after all.

He sighs, looking at the back of Lord Do- who seems a little bedraggled but not nearly so rumpled in appearance as Jongin must look- and wonders if he should tell him the truth. It will come out sooner or later- he’s absolutely certain of that- but whether it’s because of some test or because Jongin finally gives in and tells him is to be decided. He looks at Kai briefly, drifting solemnly alongside them. As usual, Jongin has a hard time figuring out what it’s thinking.

“We will reach the palace just after midday,” Lord Do’s assistant announces. Jongin hadn’t met the man until they were about to set off, but he was very nice, if obviously tired out because of Lord Do’s eccentricities. He always seems to act on his own, and never told him what he was planning- Jongin got the impression that Lord Do didn't like him much.

The city is as vibrant and bustling as he imagined; full of street vendors selling foreign and luxurious wares, and people filling almost every space available. But what he wasn’t prepared for was the way the people stopped talking as they passed by. Their heads bow in reverence as they ride through the crowd and Jongin isn’t sure he likes it all that much. Lord Do at least seems used to it, keeping his head raised and facing forward, rather than looking around like a distant villager like Jongin. Another thing that’s jarring is seeing Kai float through people. Not that he usually makes any effort to avoid any oncoming villagers back home, there was just far less people for him to bump into. The faces of the people the ghoul passes through are all hard and he sees some of them shiver, as if they knew something bad just happened. Jongin grips his reins tighter and grits his teeth, hoping that they will get through this place soon.

By the time they all make it through the marketplace, Jongin is sweating and somehow covered in grime- Lord Do seems to repel dirt while Jongin attracts it, and it’s a little annoying how he always maintains such a clean appearance while Jongin always looks like he was just rolling in filth. The ground beneath his horse’s hooves gradually becomes paved as they draw nearer to the palace. Jongin can see the roofs of painted pagodas and well cared for foliage from over the stone wall marking the end of the palace grounds. The plan is that Lord Do will first report to the emperor and then return home to see his father.

A huge archway manned by two guards, wearing brightly coloured decorated armour and wielding some of the most beautiful swords he’s ever seen, is placed in the centre of the wall which spans as far as the eye can see. Jongin has to remind himself to keep his mouth closed and not gawk at all the opulence displayed in the royal gardens. It seems like every time they take a turn the scenery changes theme. Water features like waterfalls and koi ponds, scattered with lily pads, are commonplace among this rich environment, and every so often they come face to face with giant statues of lions and dragons.

All thoughts of empty grassland are swept away when the full sight of the palace comes into view. This time Jongin can’t even think to close his mouth as his eyes sweep over, what might very well be, four stories or more of pointed roof and elaborately carved walls and supports.

“Be careful that you don’t catch bugs.” Lord Do laughs radiantly, bobbing back and forth on his horse beside Jongin, before taking the lead once again. Jongin shuts his mouth with a snap, face burning, then follows after in a procession.

As a group, they veer off to the side and Jongin quickly catches on that they are heading towards the stables. Jongin is whisked away from the horse he was allowed to borrow and is lead through a door. Before he can make heads or tails of where he is, he’s lost. The interior is just as rich and colourful as the exterior, painted ceilings in repeating patterns and panel after panel of paper screens, all with motifs on them. It doesn’t take long for him to notice that Lord Do is going in a different direction and he’s being led by people who are presumably servants- though they are dressed better than he is- somewhere else.

Despite not technically being alone, he still feels lonely separated from the only person (who talks- Kai is still nearby) that he knows. He is made to wait in a guest room and allowed time to rest while waiting for Lord Do to report to the emperor. Magicians are required to do so as soon as they arrive, a servant explains for him when he asks what’s going on, except usually they don’t bring their assignments back with them. The woman seems nervous to be around him and he almost doesn’t notice at first; already being used to this kind of behaviour from the people he grew up with. But when she refers to him as an assignment, he realises his reputation must precede him. He doesn’t like it, and for the first time, he really wishes Kai would go away forever. If only so he could meet people without them knowing that something about him is off. Sighing, he resigns to wait in silence for Lord Do to finish, rather than endure painfully one sided conversations with people who are clearly nervous just to be standing next to him.

Thankfully, it isn’t long before he is being led back to where they were separated. Lord Do is already there waiting for him, along with his assistant and a few others, and he smiles serenely in greeting. Jongin wants to ask how reporting to the emperor went and what the emperor is like, but doesn’t know if that would be inappropriate, so he stays quiet and follows the troupe.

Lord Do’s father’s house is right on the very edge of the palace grounds, on a distant side of the gardens they passed through earlier that day. It’s kind of like a small village set aside just for magic folk to live and train- like a school that you and your family live at for the rest of your life, as long as you or your children are capable of fulfilling missions. That’s how Lord Do had described it on the way here, anyway, and he made it sound a lot less awesome than it is. Every house here makes his own home look like a hole in the ground, with a few mud patches around the outside. Though these are only one floor- except for the largest building which Jongin concludes must be the main school building, or maybe the library- they could all easily swallow Jongin’s father’s entire plot of land. His head is starting to hurt, just thinking about the amount of money that must have been spent on building these and the palace as well. Jongin probably couldn’t afford more than a floor tile. Maybe two.

Feeling ever worse about his low status and knowing for sure, that no matter what, Lord Do would likely never think of Jongin as anything more than an ‘assignment’, Jongin trudges up a shrub lined pathway towards one of the bigger buildings here. He assumes it must be where Lord Do lives, when not on missions. It’s mostly a shade of dark red, with yellow lanterns hanging from the corners of the roof.

“This is where we part, for now.” Lord Do’s assistant bids them all farewell, followed by everyone else until it is just Lord Do and Jongin stood outside. The commoner keeps his head down, as all words flew out of his head, at the same moment he realised they were finally alone together. After a few moments of eerie quiet, Lord Do speaks softly.

“Come, it’s time for you to meet my father. He will likely be in his study.” He says, already making his way through the sliding door and inside. The interior of the house is cool, bordering on cold, and Jongin shivers in his thin travel clothes.

“I must warn you... my father is quite the eccentric,” Lord Do starts conversationally, “always messing around with some kind of potion or other, trying to improve them. He’s blown himself up a few times too, but he’s gotten better over the years, since he stopped major missions.”

Jongin can’t think of anything to say in reply, so he remains silent, taking in the surroundings Lord Do must have grown up in. He can barely imagine a child living here, it seems like a place where only adults must live, everything too perfectly placed even in the garden in the centre of the square shaped building. After passing through almost the entirety of the house, Lord Do pauses in front of one door and knocks gently on the wooden pane between the paper squares.

“Father? I have returned.” He calls out, listening carefully for any response.

“Kyungsoo?” A deep, wizened voice replies, and the door swiftly slides open. “At last!” An old man who looks remarkably like an older version of Kyungsoo stands before him, the same heart shaped smile on his face as he half bows in greeting.

His eyes reach Jongin and there is a spark of curiosity in his eyes, but only for a second.

After Jongin, his gaze reaches behind him, towards Kai, and his face pales. Jongin jolts, realising that this man can see Kai and his mouth falls open in shock.

“No! This cannot be!” The old man shouts, suddenly bursting into frenzied action as he backs into his study, eyes so wide Jongin fears they might pop out of his head. “No, no!” He falls over something, a table perhaps, sending both him and a selection of complicated items crashing to the floor.

“Father?!” Lord Do cries out in alarm, reaching out to help him- too late. In the meantime, Jongin stands rooted to the spot unable to control anything as Kai swells up; jagged spikes forming all over his back, eyes melting into a shocking blood red, and shrieking horrendously. Jongin covers his ears, trying to block out the unearthly sound, terrified for the first time of the ghoul as it lunges forward, looming over the old magician and opening it’s mouth wide enough to swallow him whole. Lord Do’s father writhes on the ground, shouting and screaming, while Lord Do frantically tries to appease him.

Jongin sinks into a crouch, ducking his head into his knees and whimpering. It’s almost like Kai’s rage is bleeding into him, turbulent and age old- it hurts, expanding inside his head and turning his blood to acid.

“Kai,” he whimpers pitifully, “please stop,”

The ghoul freezes, the shrieking ceasing, and slowly turns to face Jongin. At the sight of him, pathetic and crying, Kai seems to take pity on him. He slowly deflates, eyes dimming and spikes receding until he’s his usual size. Jongin smiles up at him gratefully, and Kai looks away.

“Father! Father, what’s wrong?” Lord Do grasps the front of his father’s robe, desperate for answers. Breathing like he’s just run for miles, Lord Do’s father points shakily up at Kai.

“My past come to haunt me,” he wheezes, “but what… I don’t understand,” he sits up, looking more closely at Jongin who is still crouched on the floor. “Why did this ten-thousand-year old beast hark your words?” The way he says beast, like it’s the vilest thing ever to have crawled from the abyss, offends Jongin. Never mind that it may well be true that Kai is an evil creature, he is still the only friend Jongin had as a child.

“Kai is my friend.” He whispers, feeling like he’s five years old all over again, explaining to his parents about who he was talking to out in the garden.

“Kai?” Lord Do interjects, “Who is Kai?” He asks, shaken but ready to protect his father- his hand rests lightly on a knife at his hip and his eyes dart around the room, unseeing.

“Kai is a demon, an incredibly old master of chaos. And my biggest regret,” Lord Do’s father explains, sitting up and staring warily at the black miasma swirling around it.

“Kai is my friend,” Jongin insists, glaring at the old man. He shakes his head, sighing sadly.

“It is my fault that the foul creature is attached to you, my child. My own mistake.”

“Father, I don’t understand. How could it be your fault?”

“I was supposed to capture it and trap it in a doll, but it must have realised, and it tore the head off- but by then I already had it’s essence and I had to find something to bind it too before it escaped again…” He trails off and looks at Jongin, and apology shimmering in his eyes, “I’m so terribly sorry.”

Jongin can see the wheels turning in Lord Do’s head. His face shifts from confused to understanding to hurt.

“You knew.” He sneers, “You knew exactly why I was getting strong readings.” He stands, rage b over as he stares him down. Jongin shrinks into himself pitifully. “How dare you lie to me?”

“Kyungsoo, do not be so churlish,” the old man reprimands, “What would you have him say? Would you have believed the truth?”

“Maybe,” Lord Do reins himself in but continues to look over the commoner coldly, betrayal lurking just beyond his eyes. Jongin’s heart shrivels up inside him, understanding that Lord Do most likely hates him now. The best course of action would probably to leave, return home and hope that Lord Do never visits his village ever again.

“We have more pressing issues to attend to,” Lord Do helps his father to his feet when he holds out a hand, “how strong were the readings?”

“Very strong.” Lord Do spits, refusing to look at Jongin.

“Then we must prepare. The concealment spell I cast so long ago must be wearing off. If you can sense the aura radiating from the demon, then soon so shall other demons. They will flock to him like moths to a flame. It is our duty to prevent this, you know that.”

“What do you propose?” Lord Do’s mouth twists, as if he knows he won’t like the answer. Jongin feels sick. More demons coming after him and Kai? What would they want from them? He is nothing special- just a swordsmith from a small town- he couldn’t do anything.

“Jongin, was it?” Lord Do’s father asks kindly, still looking pale and shaken. Jongin nods from his crouched position on the floor. “We must train you. If you are completely unprepared, as you are now, ghouls will overpower you in an instant.”

“T-train?” Jongin stutters. In arcane arts? Jongin can’t do that, he’s just a commoner! “I- I think- there must be a m-mistake-!”

“There’s no mistake. Anyone off the street could learn to some degree, but you will likely have an aptitude for it, as you are linked to the demon. Kai. You will experience a sharing of power.”

“I don’t understand.” Jongin shakes his head. They seem to be offering to teach him magic for free but that can’t be right, can it? People don’t just get to learn this kind of thing without giving something in return. Jongin doesn’t have much of value to give anyway.

“I can see you are having trouble accepting this proposal. Come, let us sit in the sitting room, and discuss this more thoroughly.” Jongin nods dumbly, looking at Kai for help though he knows none will come from him. The demon’s eyes glint dangerously at him.

Jongin gulps and trails after the two magicians, noting Lord Do’s tensed shoulders. Is this real? Maybe he’s dreaming. They lead him into a room near the front of the house, the paper doors partly open so they can see the gardens outside. It’s bright and airy and obviously the best choice of room for entertaining guests.

Following the others’ example, Jongin kneels delicately on one of the many satin cushions strewn over the floor. Jongin stays silent, waiting for one of them to say something, fists clenched on his lap. Eventually, when it seems as though neither of them will, he speaks quietly.

“I-I can’t pay for this.”

“You do not have to. I will cover the costs of your training and living- it’s the least I could do after what I condemned your life to be.” A lump rises in Jongin’s throat as he meets the eyes of the old magician.

“Father?!” Lord Do snaps, unable to believe his ears.

“Kyungsoo, do not act as though we cannot afford it. Besides, I have been running away from this for far too long. Almost twenty years.” He shakes his head wearily. “You will be given a room in my house, and I will feed and clothe you until you are able to do so yourself. Which will be when you graduate from the magician’s training regime, in three years’ time.”

Jongin’s mouth hangs open, and Lord Do looks similarly stunned.

“Unfortunately, because of the spell I used to tie you together, there is no way to detach the demon without destroying the host. Which would mean killing you, and that defeats the point of separating you, doesn’t it? Furthermore, I am unable to cast another concealment charm until the remains of the last one are completely gone. Therefore, you must learn to protect yourself, and perhaps when the time comes, you will be able to protect others.”

Jongin waits another few moments for his words to sink in- the magnitude of what’s being offered to him is overwhelming- before he drops quickly into a low bow, his forehead touching the floor.

He can’t even speak.

Does he really deserve all this? It would be foolish to refuse, for his own safety, and he finds that he doesn’t even want to refuse anyway. For one thing it means a chance to stay close to Lord Do, even if he hates him now, and it could be everything his father always wanted for him and more. He will need to tell his parents, and surely they will be sad to hear of his absence, but he hopes they will also be proud of him. Ilsung has Sanghyuk to be his apprentice now, so he really isn’t needed back there anymore.

“If you accept, I will take you to become registered as a trainee this afternoon, and arrange a room to be furnished for you.”

“Thank you!” Jongin just about manages to choke out, “I won’t let you down, I swear it!”

“I’m sure you won’t. Do you accept, then?”

“Yes!” Jongin cries, still facing the floor. He vows now that he will work hard- he will have to: most trainees start before they are even twelve years of age, and Jongin is already at a severe disadvantage to them. He has a lot to catch up on.

“Good.” He can hear the smile in his voice, “sit up, now.” Jongin does so slowly, aware that he probably looks ugly right now. The young Lord Do is blank faced and that unnerves him slightly.

The older magician continues to ask him questions about his past, and about Kai. It’s a little uncomfortable talking about Kai like he’s not there, especially when he knows that the old man can see him perfectly well, but it’s not like Kai shows any inclination to talk himself. Part way through the young Lord Do excuses himself, explaining that there are people he should see before it gets too late. He didn’t look at Jongin once as he spoke, and Jongin takes it personally. His fists clench until his knuckles turn white.

“He is just shocked. Give him a few days to sort through his feelings, and I’m sure things will return to the way they were before in due time.”

Jongin opens and closes his mouth, shocked that he understood so quickly why he was upset. Is he really that easy to read? Lord Do’s father smiles warmly at him.

“Come, let us register you,” he stands, and Jongin hurries to follow after him.

Jongin sits in the middle of his new bed chamber- almost larger than his old house- and tries to comprehend the changes the last few days have brought him. Kai is here to stay, and so is he. It’s difficult to come to terms with.

Lord Do’s father has started working on something that will allow others beside himself and Jongin to see the demon, without giving him the opportunity to touch them. It’s slow going but Jongin looks forward to the day Lord Do makes eye contact with the demon rather than looking around warily. He hasn’t spoken more than a few words at a time to Jongin since it was agreed that he would stay here, and though Jongin can already see his resolve faltering a little, it still hurts that he’s so adamant about holding a grudge against what he did.

He sighs. After several good night’s sleep on the most comfortable bed he has ever slept in, Jongin feels like he could be royalty. But today is the day that he officially starts his training, with the other younger magicians. Every morning they are to do exercises: running, jumping obstacles and after that martial arts- he has been fitted for a few sets of clothes specifically for this task. They are light, airy and don’t get caught on things when he’s moving around. As he’s dressing himself, the anxiety begins to set in; he hasn’t done much in the way of running and he doesn’t know how long he will be able to manage. It will be embarrassing enough joining a group of children, but being totally outperformed by all of them will be even worse. He shares his worries with Kai, but the demon makes no indication of having heard him. What did he expect?

One of the servants, Youngho, is waiting for him outside and he bobs his head to him in greeting. He is one of the servants assigned to take care of him, but Jongin thinks of him as more of a companion as he has given him tours and helped him dress in his new clothes properly. Unfortunately, he is very keen on keeping his job, which means he won’t talk to him familiarly.

“Lord Kim,” He says stiffly, before swiftly turning and leading him outside. “This morning you have the regular athletics training and taekwondo, followed by basic literacy lessons back at the main house, from Lord Do,” He says stiffly, standing ramrod straight. Jongin nods, knowing he means Kyungsoo’s father. Here, Lord Do is mostly called by his given name, even by the servants. Jongin wishes he had the confidence to call him that as well, but it would be strange to suddenly switch.

This morning’s class will be held in the courtyard, as it’s the biggest space available, and sometimes the emperor himself likes to watch the goings on of the young magicians. Jongin hopes he doesn’t decide to watch today because that would be even more humiliating. As it is, Jongin is going to struggle, he doesn’t want the leader of the country to see his inadequacy.

When they arrive, most of the students are already there, stretching and beginning to warm up, chattering energetically. There’s a well balanced mix of girls and boys, all with their hair tied at the back of their heads- marking them all as children of the nobility. They’re also all at least a head shorter than he is, so he really stands out- some of them stare at him, and whisper as he approaches but thankfully most of them don’t seem to notice. He stands near the back of the gaggle of younger boys- there must be around a hundred of them! - so he’s not obstructing anyone’s view of the instructor who’s standing on a podium in front. Jongin looks around to ask what happens next, but he quickly finds that Youngho has abandoned him. He bites his lip and wills himself not to panic. Panicking will do him no good now, he just needs to do a good job and listen well to the instructor. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?

A loud whistle blows, silencing all the trainees. They instantly stand up straight and Jongin copies them diligently.

“Attention! Good morning! ” The instructor calls out, raising one arm towards the cloudy sky. The trainees greet him back in unison. “Twenty laps to start with!” He shouts, then blows the whistle again. Jongin resists the urge to let his mouth hang open in shock. Twenty laps? Just to start with?

Like clockwork, everyone turns to their right and begins jogging, keeping close to the outer wall. No one speaks a word as they run and the only sounds are of their feet slapping on the stone tiles with the whistle blowing to keep them in rhythm. Jongin is already tired by the third lap and when they get halfway through, his throat is burning; it’s like he’s melting on the inside. How the others aren’t even sweating is beyond him; he’s struggling not to get sweat in his eyes. He’s lagging behind everyone else as well, trailing after the younger trainees pitifully. How can this only be the beginning? He wheezes, hoping that after this they can at least take a break. He wonders how long it’s going to take him to catch up with the others at this rate- he isn’t used to running. Working at a forge and farming has giving him strength but not in running for a long time- he could probably lift more than a lot of the trainees here, but there’s not much use for that apparently. Demons are often fast, so he needs to be faster too.

As he finishes the last lap, long after everyone else is finished, Jongin is ready to dissolve into a puddle. He’s so tired and sweaty and his lungs are burning, but that was just the warm up. They’re given a short break to drink some water and recover a little- Jongin feels like he needs more time than they’re given but he can’t do anything about it. He glares at Kai, jealous that he floats effortlessly while he is left to run like this.

Next on the agenda, for the morning, is an agility course which apparently is also normal. The instructor has set up two lines of poles, that stick up from the ground, followed by a vaulting horse. The congregation of youths automatically splits up, into two large groups, and begin tackling the task in front of them with ease. They dart in and out of the poles and jump gracefully over the wooden boxes. Jongin feels like he might be sick, this time not just from the shock of this much exercise; there’s no way he’ll be able to jump that! What if everyone laughs at him when he inevitably falls flat on his face?

Each person in front of him takes their turn and no one gives any sign of having difficulties. When Jongin’s turn comes around, he clenches his teeth and does his best to copy the almost delicate movements of the younger trainees. He knows he’s doing it wrong, he can hear his footfalls louder than anyone else’s, and he feels like he’s going so much slower too- how can they still move so quickly after all that running? Suddenly the vaulting horse looms above him, ominous and almost level with Jongin’s eyes. Kai drifts past him, almost mocking in his stance.

A whistle blows, making Jongin’s head swivel towards the source.

“Move on!” He points to Jongin, then the back of the line. The new trainee nods, unsure but follows orders, glad that he doesn’t have to jump it. As a group, they each go through the routine a few more times, then the instructor disperses them with a wave. They fall into pairs or small groups and start chatting. A few of them practice some martial arts moves- which is what Jongin is pretty sure that they will be doing next. Jongin isn’t quite sure how they manage to move like that after all that running. His thighs are leaden lumps and his whole body is quivering from the adrenaline.  

“You should have spoken to me before we started.” The instructor reprimands him, “These kids started practicing about six months ago and all of them have gradually been pushed harder, until they could manage this level of intensity. I was going to suggest that you started with half the amount of laps. But seeing how you handled it, tomorrow you can just stick to fifteen. Don’t try the vault until I have taught you how. I’ll see if I can find time to give you some extra training to help you catch up.” The man speaks so brusquely and seriously, but Jongin can tell he’s not being deliberately mean. He nods with each statement, feeling like jelly.

“Good. I don’t expect you to be able to keep up with the taekwondo on your first day, but try and do as much as you can. Find a sparring partner- maybe Baekhyun, he’s only a two years younger than you and more than capable of handling newbies.

“Baekhyun!” He shouts, making Jongin flinch. A slightly shorter boy looks their way, his face falling as he pieces together what is about to be asked of him. He trudges over, away from his group towards them.

“Baekhyun, this is Jongin. He’s new; work with him for today.” He says, before marching leisurely to the front of the crowd once more. Jongin immediately bows his head.

“I’m sorry. Please be patient with me.”

Baekhyun doesn’t reply. Jongin gulps and hopes he hasn’t made another enemy. Another whistle blow grabs their attention and all the trainees arrange themselves into pairs for practice.

“Just- Try to copy me, okay?” Baekhyun hisses, just before they begin. Jongin nods. Voice bellowing, the instructor- Jongin realises he still hasn’t learned his name yet- calls out the name of a stance. Trying his best, he mimics the movements that Baekhyun makes. The boy rolls his eyes and makes a noise of disgust. He figures he’s doing it wrong, but there’s no time to fix it as the instructor is already calling out something else. The routine repeats three times before changing.

“Sajo jireugi!” He calls out. Instantly the whole group moves in unison, punching an invisible foe in front of them, before rotating a quarter and repeating the action in their new direction. They continue until they have done this in all four directions, Jongin sweating profusely as he tries his best to keep up. It’s tough going; Jongin’s body is not used to being pushed so hard, not in the positions nor after such exertion either.

Jongin mimics, to the best of his ability, all of Baekhyun’s kicks, blocks and punches; wishing he could just collapse on the floor and pass out. He doesn’t want anyone to think of him as weak however, so he pushes himself, hoping that he doesn’t have to move for the rest of the day after this is over.

It seems to last forever, though Jongin knows it’s only nearing midday when they finally finish. Jongin sinks to the ground and exhales slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow. Around him people are stretching and relaxing. A few of Baekhyun’s friends gather around him, chatting lightly. Jongin looks at the ground, still stung by the younger boy’s obvious disdain for him.

“Yeah, I think he went easy on us today,” A girl says, “Not that I’m complaining!”

“It’s because we have a new guy,” Baekhyun’s voice cuts through the air, making Jongin flinch. He hasn’t done anything to this guy, why is he treating him like this?

“Oh, is that the village peasant? Let me see!” The girl asks, sounding excited. Jongin hides his face, feeling like a freak on show. Looking discreetly around, he notices that almost everyone is watching them.

“You don’t need to stare at him like he’s some spectacle, he’s nothing special.” Baekhyun sneers. “He’s useless. He probably can’t even read.” He laughs. Jongin’s eyes sting, because it’s true- he can’t read.

“Baekhyun, don’t be so mean. It’s not his fault that he’s poor.” The girl chastises him.

“Well, whatever. I don’t see why he’s even here; he’s terrible. I’m going to wash myself.” He sniffs, stalking away to the bathhouse in the magicians’ village with the rest of the trainees. Jongin wipes the tears away from his eyes and starts to get up. He didn’t exactly expect to make friends instantly but he didn’t think he would be immediately hated. Slowly, he rises to his feet, muscles straining and shaking under his weight. Maybe he’ll just make his way down to the bathhouse and hope that by the time he gets there, everyone else will already be done.

“Hey,” a pair of small hands help him upright. Jongin looks up in shock. It’s the girl Baekhyun was just talking to. “My name is Yoona. Don’t listen to Baekhyun, he’s just a stubborn pig-headed brat. His parents expect a lot from him and I think he gets upset that others aren’t held to the same standards. Anyway, just ignore him, okay?”

“Uh.” Jongin’s mouth hangs open dumbly.

“Well, I think you did pretty well, for your first time, anyway. If you like, we can go over some things together later on?” She leads him gently in the direction all the other trainees have gone, taking her time.

“T-thank you.” Jongin chokes out. At least someone is being nice to him, “But you don’t have to.”

“It wouldn’t be a bother!” Yoona reassures him, nudging his arm. She’s a lot shorter than he is; even shorter than Lord Do- Kyungsoo. He decided that it’s okay to call him that, in his head at least.

“Then. Maybe-” Jongin wheezes.

“Not today. I know you will need time to recover. It’s hard to start this kind of thing midway through the year. Don’t worry, you will get better quickly.” She laughs and Jongin wonders if perhaps he’s found a friend. As they walk, she tells him about what he’s missed, from joining the training late, going through a lot of the names of stances and blocks for him. She even does a few demonstrations. They have to separate when they reach the bathhouse, going into different sections to get clean. Yoona bids him farewell until tomorrow morning. Luckily, the men’s washroom is mostly empty so he cleans himself in silence and dries off, sore already. He dreads to think how stiff he will be, come morning, when he has to do this all over again. Within a week, he’s probably going to be totally drained and unable to move.  

He wonders what Kyungsoo is doing right now. Helping his father with his alchemical work? Or maybe practising something else magical.

Jongin meanders back to the house, wanting to share his thoughts with Kai as he normally might but he figures that it might be a bad idea to talk to an invisible creature in a village filled with powerful magicians. Even if most of them probably know who he is and why he is here, not everyone will. His stomach rumbles.

When he enters the Do house a little while later, he can smell food being cooked and it’s making his mouth water. The food that he has been served here so far has been amazing, all of it a culinary delight and it’s got to be one of Jongin’s favourite things about staying here. He’s so grateful to Lord Do for giving him this opportunity.

Lord Do and Kyungsoo are already there when he arrives, so he bows in apology, muscles screaming, then slowly lowers himself to the floor. Lord Do laughs,

“I see they’ve been working you hard this morning!”

“Yes, it was tough.” Jongin agrees, allowing himself to melt into the satin cushions that line the floor around the table. The food looks sumptuous and Jongin can’t wait to begin. Lord Do seems to sense his anticipation, taking his chopsticks and announcing,

“Let’s eat!” Jongin grins and shovels as much as he can into his mouth at once, eyes closing at the warm flavours. He would like to befriend the cook, but that would be unseemly, according to Youngho.

“Now now, Jongin, take your time. It’s not going anywhere.” Lord Do gently reprimands.

He side-glances at Kyungsoo, and sees that he’s biting his lip to hide a smile. If Kyungsoo finds his embarrassment funny, then he would continue without a second thought. This sentiment shocks him. He grips his chopsticks tightly and hopes he isn’t already in too deep. He swallows, then smiles as brightly as he can.

“I can’t help it.” He claims, pouting like a toddler. It never works on his own parents, not anymore, but it’s worth a try, right? Lord Do shakes his head ruefully, but the person he wants to attract the attention of is staring at his own plate. Kyungsoo doesn’t say much during the meal, but Lord Do asks him all about what he did that morning. Jongin ends up telling him everything, even about the other student who didn’t seem to like him. By the end of his, tale both men seem impressed with him and even congratulate him on pushing himself so hard. Well, Lord Do does- Kyungsoo stays silent throughout the meal, to Jongin’s chagrin.

Jongin is allowed a short break before having his second literacy lesson. His first one took place yesterday and went about as well as could be hoped for, considering that he had never picked up a brush before then. He’s only learning the ordinary alphabets to start with, and once he’s got that down, they will move onto memorising the characters used in magic. There’s a lot of them, many similar, and all confusing. Jongin is excited to be taught, yet at the same time scared in case he gets them wrong. That could prove catastrophic.

As he sits down at the small desk, opposite Lord Do, he takes hold of his brush and holds it, poised it above the paper. Lord Do places a small ceramic bottle on the desk- it’s an ash white shade, with a darker etching of reeds decorating the side. Jongin looks at it, then at his teacher.

“It’s for the muscle soreness.” Lord Do explains, “rub it into your skin where it aches, and it should help alleviate the pain.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Jongin breathes, picking up the bottle and cradling it in his hands. It smells sweet.

“Oh, don’t thank me. It’s from Kyungsoo.”

“Really?” Jongin’s heart clenches. So he doesn’t hate him, after all.

“Yes, he’s showing an interest in alchemical work lately. Anyway, let’s begin with going over what you learned yesterday.” Jongin nods, and puts the bottle safely to the side.

Overall he enjoys his lessons, and the training in the mornings, even if they leave him exhausted and aching. Yoona and her friend Yuri are always able to cheer him up afterwards, though, so he doesn’t mind too much. As Jongin clears away his things, once the lesson is over, Lord Do speaks.

“Jongin, I have something to show you.” His gravelly voice is cautious, as if Jongin might say no.

“What is it?” He asks eagerly. Everything here is so exciting.

“Follow me, it’s in my study. Kyungsoo should already be there.” Jongin purses his lips but obeys. What could they need Kyungsoo for? Not that Jongin isn’t excited to see him, he is of course; they haven’t seen each other as much as Jongin had hoped, since that first day. Jongin thinks he’s probably just busy doing high level magician things but he can’t help thinking that he’s avoiding him a little too. Just a bit.

Sighing softly, Jongin looks forward to whatever it is that Lord Do has to show him. A spell? A potion? A book, maybe? He glances at Kai, wondering if he has any idea what’s going on, but Kai isn’t looking. Lord Do generally ignores the ghoul and Kai usually ignores him back. Always floating as far away from the human as he can possibly manage, given the tiny radius of tether the magical chain provides.

Jongin hasn’t entered the study since his arrival and he’s hesitant to do so now, but whatever Lord Do has to show him is in there and he wants to see it. Once inside, Lord Do makes a beeline for a large chest, within which are too many tiny compartments to count. Jongin studiously ignores Kyungsoo, who is wearing a mask over his face, to shield himself from whatever dangerous liquid he is working with.

“Voila!” Lord Do flourishes a tiny metal ring. It has no markings and is of a dull unpolished steel. Jongin wonders what’s so special about it.

“This is something I’ve been working on, almost nonstop since you arrived. I’m almost positive it should work now. But I need to test it out and for that we need a test subject.”

“Me?”

“No, my boy; Kyungsoo. I have charmed it to allow the wearer to see Kai- without breaching the barrier that blocks the ghoul from becoming corporeal.”

“Oh!” Jongin exclaims, bouncing on his toes. He didn’t understand the last part of the sentence but he knows that it means Kyungsoo will be able to meet the demon when he wears it. Even Kai seems mildly interested now.

In anticipatory silence, they wait for Kyungsoo to finish what he’s doing. Jongin watches in awe as mauve smoke rises from the small vial when Kyungsoo adds a sprinkling of some white powder into the concoction. It comes with the smell of rotten fruit and isn’t entirely pleasant, but Kyungsoo seems pleased with the results. The young man’s hair is a little mussed when he removes his mask, after setting down the little bottle inside a cabinet. Jongin can just about read the word ‘dark’ on it, but he doesn’t know the other words. He’s sure he will learn eventually.

“Ah, finally. Kyungsoo, try this on, would you?” Kyungsoo jumps, looking around as if he didn’t realise there were other people in the room. He seems to get tunnel vision when occupied with his work- he noticed it back at his hometown too, when he would mutter quietly to himself, shaking his magic detecting pendant.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo narrows his eyes suspiciously, coming closer to inspect the object, “I know better than to blindly trust you after all these years. Remember when you gave me a potion that turned my skin blue?” He picks it up with his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the light and rolling it between his fingers.

“Yes, I, uh... that was an interesting few weeks. But this is different, I promise.”

“So it won’t weld itself to my skin?” His eyes are sparkling with amusement when he catches Jongin’s eye, and the younger man struggles not to turn pink.

“No, no. It shouldn’t do.” Lord Do dismisses his doubts with a wave of his wrinkled hand.

“Alright then.” Kyungsoo holds out his hand and allows his father to push the ring onto his index finger. The magician blinks as nothing seems to happen. It doesn’t change colour, or vibrate, or heat up. One eyebrow raised, he questions his father’s motives. Jongin bites his lip to conceal his excitement. Giving him the chance to see the demon makes his heart race and it feels like he’s about to share an intimate part of himself, but he hopes Kyungsoo isn’t too scared by him. Lord Do inclines his head to where Kai drifts above the floor behind him, a black miasma of ill intentions, and Kyungsoo turns around in confusion.

“Ahh!” He shrieks, almost falling over backwards as the demon opens his mouth widely in a parody of a smile, revealing a cavity filled with sharp teeth.

“It works.” Lord Do rumbles, clearly pleased.

“Meet Kai!” Jongin introduces them. Kai raises a hand and waves his spidery fingers at him. Kyungsoo shivers.

“This is the demon?” He squawks, face draining of all colour, “this is the creature that is tethered to you?”

“Yes.” Jongin asserts. Watching Kai carefully, ready in case he takes his scare tactics too far.

“And you have always had this...this creature following after you?” The magician’s voice trembles a little.

“I have. I had no other friends when I was younger. I only had Kai.”

“Is its name really ‘Kai’? Most demons have names that humans can’t pronounce.”

“He tried to tell me when I was little... but the only part of the name I could reproduce was Kai and that kinda stuck.” He informs them bashfully. Kai seethes.

“I see.” Kyungsoo doesn’t take his wide eyes off the demon.

“Do you understand now, Kyungsoo?” Lord Do asks, shadows seeping into his eyes. Jongin looks between them, feeling like he’s missed out on something.

“I understand, father.” He bows slightly. “and I agree.” Kyungsoo looks at the demon one last time before he leaves, the ring, as if considering whether he should keep it on or not. He keeps wearing it. After the door slides shut behind him, the room seems deafeningly silent.

“What was that about?” Jongin asks.

“You need to be protected.” Lord Do murmurs, for once looking directly at Kai, his eyes tight.

i got myself locked out of my tumblr so i was kinda forced to do more writing instead of scrolling lmao so im earlier than i thought i would be with this. i dont think ill be able to log back in, maybe some day i will make a new account...who knows

also yes this is now going to be in four parts because it just got out of hand, but im sure u guys dont mind at all tho  ;)

i love this moment ok

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