The elders were calling for another session.  Didn’t they know what it did to him when he did as they asked?  Disappointment and concern sank in and settled low in Insoo’s belly, swimming in his gut like a lazy crocodile waiting to attack.  Leading the way with a flickering torch held high, he refrained from looking over his shoulder, knowing by heart what he would see: the touched-by-death Yoongi and the equally otherworldly Taekwoon.

                He kept his frustration to himself as he let the chill of the stone walls numb some of his senses.  The mountain was always foreboding but welcoming in a contradictory way.  It brushed them with chilly fingers from the depths of the earth and enshrouded their small party in consuming darkness.  They knew the interior well enough to travel it blindfold if they cared, but he refused to risk Yoongi to some stupid accident and, while he didn’t say as much, Taekwoon agreed with him.

                Alone in the darkness, they heard every whispering step against the polished stone beneath them.  Faint voices from ethereal breezes tickled their ears.  Insoo brushed his bangs out of his face reflexively and squinted through the gloom for the site they sought.  The decline continued but it didn’t take long for the narrow crevice in the earth to open into a towering dome around them.  He felt the openness before he realized they were in it; like usual, it briefly took his breath away.  Behind him, Yoongi took a shallow breath, the intake hitching faintly.

                Of course he didn’t want to be here.  Insoo didn’t want any of them to be here, but he was the newest.  He had no say about where they did or did not go.  He certainly couldn’t convince Yoongi not to do as he was asked – though really the Elders were giving him thinly veiled orders he would be foolish to refuse.  It made Insoo’s blood boil and his hands ball into fists.

                A hand on his shoulder made him flinch.  Turning immediately, he came face to face with the sharp featured Taekwoon.  Ebony hair hung over one eye, leaving the other to stare at him.  Partially open, it still felt as if he could fall into it and drown.  “Light the torches,” the soft-spoken man reminded him, squeezing just a touch.

                “Right,” Insoo nodded immediately, though he didn’t want to.

                “It’ll be alright,” Yoongi mumbled resignedly.  He always sounded so… tired when they came to these places.  He looked it too…  Bleached of almost all color, his hair was as white as his skin, and the loose, pale clothes that covered his thin frame did little to keep him from looking like a strangely corporeal wraith.  Only his eyes promised that he was more than a ghost: earthy brown in color, but still shadowed with the knowledge of what a scarce few others had seen.

                Not for the first time, Insoo wondered if it wouldn’t have been kinder for Yoongi to have simply died instead of being rescued from the grasp of the Haunted.  His mouth quirked to the side in an unconscious frown as he wandered the edges of the cave, lighting set sconces along the way, revealing a hanging chain in the middle of the open space.  Then again, had that happened, he never would have met him, nor somehow managed to become his Duelist.  He was young for his role, but the previous Duelist had been killed by mere humans when they were returning from their latest cleansing mission, ushering Insoo into his current role.

                Coming full circle, he paused with the torch in his hand to watch Taekwoon and Yoongi walk side by side, divided by an almost invisible line on the ground.  As they traced the outline of the seal, the drawn thread began to glow brighter, sending questing fingers within that drew elegant curlicues and strange symbols as they wound their way to the center.  The awakening of the Seal had mesmerized him at first, holding Insoo’s attention so that he was oblivious to all else.  Now, he was focused only on his two companions: the Visionary and his Guardian.  They were perfectly in sync, moving at the exact same speed, posture in absolute harmony, focus unbreakable, and yet they were complete opposites.  Taekwoon was the dark and Yoongi was the light.  One was strength personified and the other frail as a newborn kitten.  And if he was completely honest, outside of here, one was the epitome of lazy while the other was anything but…

                Before they could complete their circuit, Insoo turned to sheathe the torch in an empty holder on the wall, already feeling the chill deepen as other forces stirred with the rising magics.  He wrinkled his nose, rolled his shoulders, and started loosening his arms as he made his way back to the two.  His hide leather vest felt too confining before every Unsealing, but he knew he’d be grateful for it soon enough.  his lips nervously, he watched when Yoongi and Taekwoon turned to face each other where just a sliver of the Seal had yet to be awoken.  His skin crawled with the tingling sensation of power that always accompanied this part.

                Yoongi raised his right hand and pressed it against what appeared to be an invisible wall.  Taekwoon mirrored him, holding each other’s gaze as they did so.  “Fight well, Guardian,” Yoongi whispered, the first traces of concern showing as his brows furrowed slightly with the tightening of his eyes.

                “See well, Visionary,” Taekwoon murmured in response, his voice as soft and unchanging as ever, but there was fear and pride hidden in the soft timbre.  Insoo couldn’t hear it at first, the other man kept his feelings too well guarded, but he saw it in the little things outside of these forays, which let him notice it here.

                Moving in tandem, the pair slid their hands down the invisible wall until only their fingertips touched at the bottom of the seal, completing the circle.  Light poured out from the line and that luminescence slithered up Taekwoon’s arm before spreading out across his entire body, forming a latticework of runes and bindings that sank into him and disappeared.  In their wake, power hummed around the Guardian and over his human form, a ghostly carapace of armor appeared, part of him but not.  It still made Insoo shiver to see the addition that would allow him to successfully ward off any Haunted strong enough to manifest in the vicinity of the Seal.

                “Insoo,” Yoongi called as he stood up, catching his attention while Taekwoon stepped away and turned his back to face the rest of the cave and the entrance.

                Oh boy.  Now it was his turn…  “Coming!” he exhaled quickly, hurrying up to the edge of the Seal before he stopped to take a calming breath.  Yoongi watched him expectantly and he cleared his mind so that he could speak the anchoring words calmly.  “Visionary.  I pledge myself to thee, bind myself to thee, and would die willingly for thee.  Within this Seal, I shall protect your vessel until thine return.”

                “I accept thine pledge, Duelist,” Yoongi responded with the slightest of smiles.

                He’d finally said it right without stumbling over any of the parts or fumbling with nervousness!  The Seal pulsed once as if to confirm his words, the line just before him dimming so that he could step through.  Walking through the edge of a Seal always felt like walking through mud.  It was thick and sticky and it always seemed as if it was trying to pull pieces of him away as he moved.  Once he got through, it felt better but it was still more oppressive than he preferred.  “Ready,” he murmured anyway, mostly used to the protocol by now.

                Yoongi’s gaze flickered up above Insoo’s head for a brief moment, reminding him that within the Seal, he apparently took on a different form, but the Visionary never would tell him what it looked like.  Insoo couldn’t see it, since he felt completely normal, but it was what fooled the Seal into not pulling his spirit to the other realm, allowing him to be Yoongi’s protector on this side.  He was the bridge between them all.  One to stand guard outside the Seal – connected but separate, one to go through the Seal – spiritually trading places with a Haunted to see far distances and possible futures, and one to maintain the Seal within – making sure the vessel remained confined and the barriers in-tact.

                Mutely, since none of them liked the next part, Yoongi and Insoo approached the hanging chain resting above the center of the Seal.  It had been secured long ago for this very purpose.  Yoongi was not the first to use it, nor would he be the last, but as he raised his hands to accept the binds, he stared at Insoo.  Nervousness.  Fear.  Shaky excitement.  Uncertainty.  All were present in his gaze, and Insoo wanted nothing more than to chase them all away.  Very carefully, he gripped Yoongi’s slender wrists in his strong hands and conjured a wavering smile.  “It’ll be alright.  We’re here and we’re not going to let anything happen to you,” he promised solemnly, nodding his head towards Taekwoon to include the prowling man outside.

                A tremulous smile curled Yoongi’s lips and he swallowed once.  “I envy you your youth.  Don’t change, Soo,” he added, the smile growing as genuine amusement filtered through.

                “Never,” Insoo winked, letting go of one wrist so he could grab one manacle and set it in place.

                “You better not,” Yoongi grumbled, his lips as the other was secured, leaving him bound while Insoo stepped back.  “Here goes nothing,” he sighed, all mirth disappearing as a frown of concentration settled in place instead.  Yoongi bowed his head and closed his eyes, shutting the outside world out and disappearing within.

                Insoo balled his hands into fists as he watched, feeling the nervous pit in his stomach open up when he noticed Yoongi stop breathing, literally frozen in place.  “He’s searching,” he called out so Taekwoon would know what was happening.

                “Shimmers,” the Guardian called back, causing Insoo to look over.

                As predicted, coinciding with the moment that Yoongi’s body froze as his spirit slipped into the other realm, shimmers of encroaching Haunts began to appear.  Normally benign, this close to an active Seal, such entities were able to manifest, threatening the humans and the integrity of the barrier.  Even as Insoo watched, he noticed a Haunt slipping through one such ripple.  Immediately, Taekwoon pounced, ghostly armor shadowing his every move so that it ripped through the entity, shredding it enough to send the creature dissipating back to its realm.  The first one was always the easiest though.

                “Focus!” Taekwoon snapped, reminding Insoo of his job.  Embarrassed by the nudge, he turned around to stare at Yoongi, waiting for the moment of change.  Both Yoongi and Taekwoon had been doing this for much longer than him, though they looked his age in appearance.  But frequenting the other realm and sharing the power and the burden had lengthened their lives, allowing them to age without much change.  He felt like a baby in comparison, though neither would tell him just how old they were either.  Not that it mattered.

                Behind him, Insoo listened to Taekwoon shuffle around, grunting as he fought Haunts who continued to make increased appearances.  The sound was eerie as always, since the invading entities were silent, but oh so real to them.  Nor could he divert his attention from his charge.  The change could happen slowly or it could be almost instant, and any lapse on his part could be dangerous or deadly.

                He flinched when he saw Yoongi’s body twitch, wondering if he’d found a suitable spirit to trade with.  But nothing happened immediately.  Sometimes, the search took a while.  Time marched by and Insoo tried not to count it as he remained riveted on Yoongi, despite the sounds of Taekwoon’s combat behind him.  There seemed to be quite a few Haunts coming through this time.  But that wasn’t Insoo’s concern.  Within the Seal was.

                He was only fortunate that he was paying such close attention.  In an instant the change was upon Yoongi.  Insoo blinked once and when he saw again, Yoongi’s physical form had been replaced by the superimposed image of a Haunt.  Insoo’s perception changed as the Seal pulsed, making the bindings disappear to his eyes, leaving only the larger, taller, emaciated, humanoid form in its place.  Hollows for eyes stared at him as the creature lunged forward with claw-like talons stretched out.

                Insoo blocked reflexively, something else stopping the first strike, even as his arm should have been the limb halting it.  Incoherent rage poured from the Haunt’s gaping mouth, permanently open in a rictus of savagery.  Again it struck, whipcord arms slicing through the air with inhuman speed.  Insoo backpedaled to keep it from getting too close and jerked in surprise when it stopped abruptly, held in place by something.

                The binds!

                It swiped at Insoo a couple more times, futile in its efforts, and then turned its attention to the ground.  Animalistic in its response, the Haunt fell to all fours and savagely tore at the floor, attempting to shred the Seal itself.

                “NO!” Insoo gasped, lunging forward to bodily tackle the Haunt, rolling on the ground before pushing back up and into a fighting stance.

                His opponent followed, charging again until it came up short once more.  Insoo attacked before it could focus on the Seal, dueling the entity to keep its attention on him instead of breaking free.  Setting his jaw, Insoo buckled down and drove the being back incessantly.

                Strike, strike, kick!  Duck, dodge, block!  Grab the arm and strike upwards with an open palm.  Absorb the blow, push the creature away, follow with a jumping kick.  Ignore the claw swipe down his arm.  Shake off the slash that would have gutted him save for his armor.  Fight and fight some more!

                Gasping for breath, Insoo staggered when a savage claw slammed his ‘other’ arm into his Haunt self’s head when he tried to block, scraping across bone as the talons ripped through skin.  “Come on, Yoongi,” he coughed, willing himself to stand upright as he felt blood trickle down the side of his actual scalp, the wounds gained equal on both aspects.  The damn Haunt seemed tireless, powered by its connection to the other realm.  And Insoo was only human; gifted with slightly more power due to his connection with Yoongi, but still just human.

                Insoo backed up strategically, getting just out of reach of the creature so that it would follow, only it didn’t.  It turned its attention back to the Seal, the lines below scratched and weakening despite his best efforts.  If it succeeded in breaking the Seal, the Haunt would be free to leave with Yoongi’s body, leaving the Visionary trapped in the other realm.

                “Dammit!” Insoo growled, tiredly throwing himself back at it.  The Haunt was waiting for him and it rose to swipe up under his guard.  One hand caught the arm as it rose, stalling the attack enough for Insoo to pivot inside the reach of those claws.  The force of the attack was still strong enough to lift him off his feet as the forearm rammed into his back, sending him forward helplessly.  With a pained cry, he hit the ground, automatically trying to scramble to his feet.

                Iron talons grabbed his ankles and Insoo’s nails scraped against the stone floor as he was hauled back.  The Haunt howled victoriously as one clawed hand attacked the back of his armor, pinpoint nails piercing his defenses and stabbing into his back.

                “Gyah!”

                “Soo!”

                Insoo waited for the final flow to end his inadequate existence, but it never came.  The Haunt froze with one hand on him and the other raised to strike.  Statuesque it remained until the Seal pulsed, renewing the symbols and ultimately banishing the Haunt as Yoongi’s spirit returned.  Icy tendrils of pain remained behind even as Insoo was freed.  His perception switched as the change happened again, and he saw Yoongi once more, standing in the middle of the circle, still bound, and completely unmoved from where he had been.

                Dark brown eyes fluttered open in an even paler than usual face.  “Success,” Yoongi gasped before his knees gave out and he was held up only by the bindings around his wrist.  Immediately, a wave of power washed outwards, extinguishing the Seal and banishing the remaining shimmers, taking Taekwoon and Insoo’s otherworldly guises with it.

                “Thank the gods,” Insoo exhaled, letting his exhausted head fall against the cold floor so he could look at the Visionary from the ground.

                “Yoongi!” Taekwoon called as he rushed over on leather booted feet.

                In the flickering torchlight, Insoo could see fresh scars from his combat decorating his arms.  There were probably others beneath the clothes he wore, but dark welts the color of dried blood made crisscross lattices over his toned skin.  Insoo knew he had similar marks on his person too, and he was grateful they didn’t bleed as normal wounds, but they were strangely draining all the same.

                Oh so carefully, Taekwoon hefted Yoongi up enough to cradle him against his body so he could use his other hand to undo the manacles around the Visionary’s wrists.  Limp enough to be unconscious, Yoongi lolled backwards in Taekwoon’s arms until the Guardian lowered them to the ground so he could brace the smaller man better, cupping one cheek tenderly as he looked into the wan face.

                “I’m alright,” Yoongi whispered with his eyes closed, still making no effort to move on his own.  “Soo?” he questioned in a slightly louder voice.

                “Alive…” the other man groaned, forcing himself to crawl over to where they were.

                “Was it an Elder?” Taekwoon asked when Insoo got close enough that he could reach a reassuring hand out to touch him.

                “Mm,” Yoongi groaned in confirmation with the slightest of nods.  “Didn’t want to trade with him but he sure did,” he coughed, wincing when his attempt to move hurt too much.

                “Good job, Soo,” Taekwoon praised with a tiny smile of satisfaction on his lips.

                At the rare praise, Insoo smiled and hissed through his teeth while he pushed himself into a kneeling position.  “They’re one of the stronger ones, aren’t they?” he asked for clarification.

                “You got it,” Yoongi sniffed with a swallow.  “I was kind of worried,” he admitted, finally cracking open one eye to peer at Insoo through the slit.  “You haven’t had to face one yet.”

                “He did well,” Taekwoon promised, brushing the backs of his fingers against Yoongi’s cheek.  “You would have been proud of his Dueling today.”

                “Maybe,” the Visionary laughed before prying open both eyes and finally swiping a slow hand over his face.  “We should get back,” he groaned.  “The Elders will want to know.”

                “What did you find?” Insoo couldn’t help but ask, reaching out to touch Yoongi’s shoulder gently, almost afraid that he would bruise the other man.

                The Visionary grimaced and Taekwoon looked at him with an unreadable expression.  “The same as always,” he rolled his eyes, throwing an arm around Taekwoon’s shoulders so the other man could help him get to his feet.  “Some kind of trouble or other,” he added in disgust.

                “Ah,” Insoo hummed, biting his lip as he chewed on that.  They were usually told information on a need to know basis, as determined by the Elders.  Taekwoon accepted it better than him, but it still didn’t seem right.

                “Ready?” Taekwoon asked as he bent over to pick Yoongi up into his arms, but the Visionary shook his head.

                “Both of you,” he commanded with a tired smirk.

                Taekwoon quirked one brow while a hint of amusement danced in his dark eyes.  Insoo just shrugged and did as he was bade – if a bit slower than usual, sliding under Yoongi’s other arm so the shorter, smaller man was braced between them.  “Good?” he asked, looping one arm around Yoongi’s back so that it brushed against Taekwoon’s as well.

                Yoongi nodded and took a small breath.  “Now we go.”

                “Torch,” Taekwoon reminded them as they headed for the entrance.

                “I know,” Insoo scoffed, reaching for the burning stick with his relatively free hand.  Taekwoon laughed quietly under his breath and they started their way back out the cave, winding along the narrow path that showed no signs of the shimmers or Haunts they had most recently faced off against.  “When do you think they’ll have us doing this again?” Insoo couldn’t help but ask as they all tiredly made their way.

                “Ugh…  Don’t ask that yet,” Yoongi groaned with a pained look on his face.  “You’re just inviting trouble if you do,” he chided with a perturbed laugh.

                “Sorry,” Insoo apologized as he ducked his head.

                “We’ll know soon enough,” Taekwoon reasoned evenly.

                “Not you too,” Yoongi mumbled with a sidelong glance at the usually quieter man.

                “He’s not wrong,” Insoo backed with a growing smile.

                “Oh, shut up,” the Visionary rolled his eyes, letting himself become deadweight in their arms so that both grunted in surprise as they struggled to support the unexpected shift in weight.  It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of topics, but annoying Yoongi with their bicker and banter helped to lighten the oppressive mood after every Unsealing.

                It was better than the alternative.  And really, it would be all too soon before they were doing this again.  Until then, it was best simply to enjoy each other’s company and make light of things when they could.

                “Sun light!” Insoo beamed as they shuffled into the sinfully bright light of day.

                “Ugh…  Turn it off,” Yoongi complained with a pinched face and a pout.

                “Or what?  You’ll tan?” Insoo teased with a playful jab.  “You can’t even burn.”

                “I hate you.”

                “Yeah, yeah,” he dismissed with a laugh.  “You wouldn’t know what to do without me,” Insoo winked, glancing at Taekwoon who smiled slightly at the comment.

                “Get another Duelist,” Yoongi replied without hesitation.

                “Ouch,” Insoo winced, to which Taekwoon chuckled, catching both their attention.  “I think Woonie is laughing at us.”

                “Eh.”  Yoongi shrugged as he looked at Insoo, but then flinched when Taekwoon poked him in the side with his free hand.

                “Poke.”

                Yoongi squinted at the other man in amused confusion and then laughed with a snort as he shook his head.  “Gods you’re weird sometimes.”

                “You’re one to talk,” Insoo teased with a grin.

                “Dammit, Soo!  Nobody asked you!”

                Despite the harshness of the words, they were all laughing or smiling as they continued on their way.

(a/n: Thank you for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it!)