Kyungsoo had fallen asleep, head resting on Jongin’s chest, breathing lightly over Jongin’s shirt. The sun had sunk under the horizon and cast the apartment in a warm orange glow. Time to leave. Jongin gently shifted Kyungsoo over, leaving him curled up on the couch, and slipped away.

A cloud of heat hovered outside the door. It had been there for a while now. Jongin guessed that Chanyeol didn’t want to intrude on them after returning from his ‘walk’.

Jongin didn’t like teleporting out of Soo’s apartment. It was too jarring, ripping him out of his comfort zone. Still barefoot from before, Jongin’s steps were soft and silent. He eased open the front door just as quietly and peeked out to see Chanyeol pacing back and forth. Fire flickered across Chanyeol’s fingertips as he gestured, agitated, in the same way people bit their lip or scratched their nose. Jongin watched, mildly fascinated by his magic. Fire was volatile and impulsive, not good qualities for a teleporter, but there was something so alive about the way Chanyeol used it.

“Is Soo awake?” The sudden question jerked Jongin out of his reverie and he raised his gaze to meet the fire mage’s warm eyes. Jongin shook his head and eased the rest of the way outside. Waving the tiny flames away, Chanyeol made a shooing motion. “Go wake him up.”

“I was just about to leave.”

“Trust me.” There was something sad in Chanyeol’s voice. “At least say goodbye.”

Was this what happened with Kris? Did Chanyeol not say goodbye before they parted? Jongin felt cold all over. He blamed it on the wintry night.

“I don’t – Soo is peaceful, when he sleeps.” Jongin’s magic curled, tempted to pull him away so he didn’t have to explain himself. “I don’t want to disturb that. Did you get to the hospice?”

“I did.” The subject was dropped peacefully. It was a personal affair after all. “Zhang Yixing’s name is registered as a worker, but he only works week days.”

“So he’s not there?”

“No.” Chanyeol sighed and even though the air was not so cold yet, his breath misted and caught the light of streetlamps.

“Baekhyun was just doing his job.” Jongin blurted. The cloud of condensation was disappearing and with it, the light. “He didn’t mean all that… trying to kill you.”

“I know.” Said Chanyeol. He snapped his fingers and a single flame returned, balancing on his thumb. “Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?”

“Kris.” The flame dulled a deeper red.

“I haven’t even found him.”

“You’ve given me hope that he’s alive – that’s enough for now.”

The silence between them was uncertain. They didn’t know each other, their only link being Kyungsoo, being mages of SM. What else could they talk about? Their past jobs? Their kill count? How did you manage to survive the memories, the fear of their futures after death in the Spirit Realm?

“When are you leaving?” Chanyeol’s question caught Jongin off-guard. “You know that you’ll have to.”

“I have another five days.” Until the time limit to his current job ended. Jongin would never lay a hand on Kyungsoo. “I’ll give myself one or two more.”

“You want to say goodbye to someone else?”

Jongin nodded, Baekhyun’s bright eyes glowing in his memory. Was Baekhyun waiting back in their own apartment or was he already out, hunting around for Chanyeol? “Hey, if I do find Kris, how am I supposed to get him to believe me?”

Chanyeol wiggled his thumb and the flame fell off, melting into nothing before it could touch the pavement. “He’ll ask you: Where?”

“What’s the answer?”

“My place, it’s too dangerous at yours.”

Jongin noted the pinkening tips of Chanyeol’s ears and decided not to think too much about the context of their secret code. “I’ll remember it.”

Chanyeol held out his hand and Jongin took it, more prepared for the almost scalding touch of their handshake.

“Can you tell him I’m sorry? And – and I love him?”

Jongin nodded, releasing Chanyeol and tugging on his magic in preparation to teleport. He hesitated.

 

Kyungsoo stirred when Jongin slid back onto the couch, returning the kiss pressed to his lips eagerly. Jongin smiled against it and knocked their foreheads together.

“I have to go now.”

The weight of Kyungsoo’s magic surrounded him for a moment, unwilling, before it dropped away in defeat. “Come back to me soon.”

“I will.” Jongin pulled them to their feet. “I’ll tie stuff up with Baekhyun then I’ll leave, okay?”

Kyungsoo reached down to play with Jongin’s fingers, tracing them out one by one. “Okay.”

 

>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><< 

 

“No it is not okay ing hell –” Luhan pressed a hand to his still-burning ribs, eyes watering with tears. “Oh spirits why would you do that?”

“Sorry – I didn’t mean to.” Sehun’s hands fluttered frantically. The kid had forgotten about Luhan’s injuries and, after some snappy commentary from both ends, jabbed an elbow into Luhan’s side. Luhan squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. He lifted the hand he was using to support himself on the car door to give Sehun the finger. Tao batted the gesture away.

“Lu Han.”

“I’m in pain.”

“It’ll be warmer when we’re in the motel.” Tao nudged them both gently away from the car, letting Luhan lean on him. Tao didn’t comment on the string of curses that followed every step Luhan took but he did stay between Luhan and Sehun. The wind pulled at their clothes until they were safely in the motel’s reception area. 

Shanghai was a busy city, not just for the normal human populace but for mages as well. The nights were as awake as the days, full of signs and bustling people. The magically charged atmosphere of the motel wasn’t a surprise.

There were two men in front of them but Luhan didn’t pay much attention until he picked up on what the receptionist was saying.

“I’m sorry, there is only a single room available now.”

. It was too dangerous to go out again. Amber’s magic had tailed them for most of their journey and it was only getting stronger.

“There’s only two of us – we can room together.” A chill followed one of the men’s words. Ice magic. The man turned his head and recognition slapped Luhan over the face. From the way Tao tensed, Luhan knew Tao saw him too.

“Minseok?”

The ice mage spun the rest of the way, eyes sharp and wary. They settled blankly on Luhan for a moment before they thawed in surprise. “Lu Han?”

This was impossible. The first thought that filtered through Luhan’s mind was horror. Had SM sent Minseok and Joonmyun after them too? He’d never be able to fight the brothers, it was a cruel move even for someone like the master. Then Joonmyun was tugging down his scarf, tilting to reveal the mess under his ear and the scarred remains of his contract. Utter relief flooded Luhan’s body as they jumped closer to greet each other, grinning so hard he felt his lips crack.

“You’re alive.” That was a feat. The brothers had joined SM about a year before Luhan and Tao had left with Kris. They must have done so many jobs by now. Not all of them required violence, Luhan knew that, but the stress of working for the master would be enough to drive anyone crazy.

“That’s what we should be saying.” Minseok enveloped him in a hug, squeezing.

“Ow ow wait my ribs.”

“Sorry.” Minseok pulled back in concern, similar to the look Tao always gave but about a hundred times more motherly. The brothers would have left SM with them if they didn’t care so much about the trainees.

Joonmyun swamped Tao, head barely brushing past Tao’s shoulders, and of course the first thing he asked was: “Have you eaten dinner?”

“I’m fine Joon.”

“Who’s your friend? He looks skinnier than you.”

“Joon please –” Tao laughed, dragging Sehun out from behind him. “This is Sehun.”

“So have you eaten dinner?”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “I haven’t neglected them you know? Of course we’ve eaten.”

“How long are you guys staying?”

“Just the night, we’re taking a ferry tomorrow morning.” Luhan hesitated, casting a look at the receptionist.

She only shook her head, “my apologies, only one single room left.”

“They can room with us – unless you want to look for another motel?” Minseok pinched Luhan’s ear playfully, snatching his hand back before Luhan could bite his fingers off.

“We’ll stay.” Luhan smiled at the happy pulse of Tao’s magic.

 

The motel room was filled to the max with five of them, but it was packed in a comfortable way. They settled in neatly, Sehun and Tao perched on the bed, Luhan and Minseok taking the chairs and Joonmyun fiddling with the kettle. There were tea packets provided in the drawers and Luhan huffed a laugh when he realized the water had been brought to boil without Joonmyun turning on the switch.

“Sehun, this is Joonmyun and that’s Minseok.” Luhan tilted his head to each person as he mentioned them, “they used to be in SM – actually, when did you break the contract?”

“Twelve hours ago.”

Luhan almost dropped the cup of tea offered to him. “What?”

Minseok accepted his own cup from his brother and nodded. “It was recent. We had outside help, of course, and we arrived in Shanghai at around six? We’re taking a ferry too.”

“What about you three?” Joonmyun found a spot between Sehun and Tao on the bed. “Where are you going?”

“We’re heading back to Seoul, for a friend.” Luhan shrugged at their worried looks. “Yeah, yeah, risky I know, but we need to get Sehun back home too. What’s happening with SM lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“Has the master been killing more people than he used to? Any massacres?” Luhan had to ask, ignoring the way Sehun hugged his knees to his chest. He was doubtful that the brothers would know about Sehun’s case if it was an issue of importance to the master, so he wasn’t surprised when they replied that no, nothing very unusual had happened.

“Except…” Minseok and Joonmyun exchanged a glance. “The mages who helped us out were Do Kyungsoo and Park Chanyeol.”

“No idea who they are.”

“Really?” Minseok frowned. “I though you guys knew Wu Kris?”

“What does he have to do with everything?”

“Chanyeol’s his boyfriend.”

Luhan had heard of Kris’s fire mage lover. “Wait. If he’s in Seoul then where’s Kris?”

“Kris is… in SM.” Minseok answered carefully. “He’s been caught, but Chanyeol is, of course, trying to get him out.”

Luhan paused, sipped at his cup of tea and waited for its warmth to spread. Nothing soothed the horror.

“Is Kris still alive?” Tao was clutching his cup so hard, Luhan feared it would break.

“Yes.”

“How are they going to get him out?”

Joonmyun squeezed Tao’s arm reassuringly. “They’re looking for another blood mage in Seoul. You know how difficult it is to escape the master’s magic, and the master probably won’t be taking any chances with Kris. They need the blood mage to track Kris down first, then they’ll see if they can cancel out the master’s magic.”

A funny tingle crept over Luhan’s skin. What a small world. He knew only one other blood mage in Korea and China combined. “This blood mage, his name wouldn’t, by any chance, be Zhang Yixing?”

 

>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><< 

 

Baekhyun was home. A crash announced his presence as Jongin teleported into their apartment. The lights stayed steady but the plate Baek had been carrying was shattered across the floor.

“ing – Jongin.”

“Sorry.”

Baekhyun ditched a shard at him and he yelped. “You’re so cleaning this up.”

“Of course.” Jongin winked, about to laugh, until he remembered that Baek was still supposed to be pissed. Baekhyun had every right to act out, but as Jongin cleaned up Baekhyun didn’t say a word, perching himself on the kitchen counter and pulling his feet up to avoid the jagged pieces on the floor. That’s how they got past their arguments. They just… didn’t deal with any of them.

“Have you had dinner?” Baekhyun kicked him lightly in the side as he walked past with a pan full of shards.

“Nope.”

“Is pizza good?”

Jongin flipped him a thumbs up as he emptied the pan into the trash. When they had ongoing jobs, all forms of eating or sleeping schedules were thrown out the window. Their clock reported it was nearing midnight. At least pizza was a 24/7 sort of thing. As Baekhyun went to order, Jongin pulled on a jacket and zipped it up to his throat, a belated attempt to cover up any lasting marks Kyungsoo had left behind.

 

They flopped onto the couch, resting their feet in each other’s laps. It was a different sort of comfort from Kyungsoo’s but it was comfort nonetheless.

“Is that your phone?” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at the buzz coming from Jongin’s pocket. He plucked it free before Jongin could protest and scanned the screen. “It’s Jongdae.”

Jongin snatched the phone back and took the call. “Hello?”

“Are you free to come to SM?” No ‘hello’ or ‘how are you. Jongdae was as blunt as always.

Jongin glanced up at Baekhyun briefly, heart stinging when he realized Baekhyun wasn’t even looking at him. “How long will I have to be there?”

“An hour? It depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“Just come over, would you?”

“Fine.” Jongin dropped the phone and dug his toes into Baekhyun’s hip. “Dae’s calling me over to SM. He said it can take up to an hour.”

“Don’t cry when you come back and all the pizza’s gone.”

“Noooooooo.” He whined and wriggled until Baekhyun kicked him off the couch. “Ow.”

“The faster you leave, the faster you’ll come back.” Baekhyun grinned. “Off with you.”

Jongin gave a mock salute and drew on his magic, squinting as his home warped to shadows and shapes. A few blinks and he was standing in SM. Jongdae sat at the front desk as usual, but instead of his usual languid laziness he was ramrod straight and stiff. Bandages peeked out from under his sleeves and a peeling scab streaked down his left cheek.

“What happened to you?” Jongin reached the desk.

“A fight.”

“With who?”

“Park Chanyeol. Guy was helping the brothers run yesterday and I got sent out after them. Not that you’d know anything about it.” He winked and Jongin grimaced. “Got something for you, by the way.”

“Another job?” The master never piled more than one job at a time.

“Nah. You just need to help someone get somewhere.” Jongdae beckoned and Jongin leaned forward to hear his whisper. “Look. This thing’s off the books. Do not tell anyone I let you see him, got it?”

“What –”

Jongdae cut him off, pushing him away lightly and smiling over his shoulder instead. When he spoke it was no longer directed towards Jongin. “Good evening. You’re right on time.”

Jongin turned around to meet a face he’d only ever seen in reports and Kyungsoo’s pictures. Wu Kris was as every bit as intimidating in real life as portrayed, all dark eyes and dark hair and dark looks. At the moment his brow was smooth, but it looked like a frown normally knitted itself into his expression. A frown would fit a face like his. 

Despite the handsomeness, Kris also looked like . His eyebags rivalled Kyungsoo’s and bruises splotched his jaw. The way he held himself had the same stiffness Jongdae did – in pain and trying not to show it. Jongin gulped. It couldn’t possibly be this easy to find him.

“Kris, meet Jongin. He’s a teleporter, he will accompany you to your room.” Jongdae cleared his throat and his magic crackled over Jongin’s skin in warning. “Jongin. This is Wu Kris. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”

Jongin leaned back over the desk, whispering fast and low. “Dae, what the hell.”

Jongdae shrugged, “I thought you needed to find him.”

“Are you – did the master ask you to do this?”

“Nope. Look, he’ll never know. If anyone’s gotta look out for themselves, it’s you.”

Jongin stared at him helplessly. “But –”

“Are you going to take this chance or not?” Lightning sparked, little bright flickers in Jongdae’s hair. Strands of it prickled upright. Jongin swallowed.

“Thank you.”

Jongdae’s lip quirked in a small smile and he raised his voice so Kris could him. “Eighth floor, room twelve. Kris, you’re not to leave the room unless summoned or otherwise – master’s orders.”

Kris nodded once, a slight tilt to his head to acknowledge Jongdae’s words, and waited patiently for Jongin to approach him. The air lay deadly still. Definitely a wind mage, one of the rarer, calmer types that set Jongin’s nerves on edge.

 

Jongdae seemed to lose interest as soon as they walked off but his magic nipped at Jongin’s heels, worried. The prickly bits of energy only faded when the elevator doors closed them off from the foyer. Kris stood as stiff, cold and silent as steel, not even twitching whilst Jongin buzzed with anticipation. There was one camera in here, not one with audio, so Jongin could…

“I think I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Kris’s gaze flicked sideways, eyes narrowing in consideration. “Where?” His voice sounded as abused as his face, rough and scratchy.

“My place, it’s too dangerous at yours.” Spirits, Jongin hoped he remembered that right. From the way the air contracted and made his ears pop, he guessed he did. But even as his magic gave him away, Kris’s expression smoothed back into impassiveness, lips pressed into a thin line. Jongin opened his mouth, intending to prod a little more, before the elevator doors opened and he snapped his mouth shut.

 

The eight floor was meant for trainees, the atmosphere charged with raw, untrained power. Jongin used to live here. Each dorm room was big enough for two but he, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had stubbornly squished themselves together regardless of the rules. There’d always be one extra mattress on the floor and they’d play rock-paper-scissors to see who’d get to sleep there every night. Kyungsoo would almost always be the one down there, no matter who won or lost, claiming ‘it’s closer to the ground.’ It became clear that Kris too knew where he was going, barely pausing to look around before heading straight for room twelve. 

Now Jongin lagged behind, teleporting every few steps to catch up. Most of the trainees were asleep by this time, all of them tucked safely into their dorms, their peace unbroken. 

Room twelve waited patiently for them at the end of the hallway. No key in the lock. Jongin reached to grab Kris’s hand, his shoulder – whatever he could reach, really – in an attempt to slow Kris down. He needed to talk, but he couldn’t do it when Kris was practically running away from him. His fingers brushed Kris’s sleeve. Then longer fingers, a bigger hand, clamped over his mouth and Kris dragged him into the room.

 

Jongin’s back hit the wall the same time the door slammed shut and left them in pitch darkness. His magic rose in panic, urging him to move, to get the hell out of there, but he swallowed it down and froze in place. Wind brushed by his face and the lights flicked on.

“You listen here.” Kris’s tone wasn’t exhausted anymore, it blew flat and hostile into Jongin’s ear, calm before a storm. “Do not tell Chanyeol where I am. Do not tell Kyungsoo where I am. Keep them away from me. Do you understand?”

Jongin could barely nod against Kris’s grip on his jaw but the tiny dip of his head seemed to be enough. He nodded without considering Kris's bizarre request, but Kris didn't know that. Kris relaxed his hold and stepped back. Jongin stayed where he was, carefully keeping his magic inside so it didn’t lash out against Kris’s. “Why?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“What does the master want from you?”

“I don’t know yet.” Kris scowled. “Stop asking.”

“I can teleport you out now. Even if you’ve got another contract, if I get you out you can break it and run.”

“The master’s tracking me by blood. I can’t leave.”

“Chanyeol and Soo are –”

“Tell them to stop. I’m not leaving even if I’m free.”

Jongin’s thoughts crashed into each other, trying to salvage something from this unthinkable situation. “What? Why?”

Kris stared at him, unreadable. He waved his hand and air tugged the door open. “Leave.”

“Wait –” A gust swept Jongin off his feet and sent him tumbling out of room twelve, smacking the back of his head against the door frame on his way out. The door shut quietly behind him.

 

Jongdae waited exactly as Jongin had left him, sitting stiffly behind the front desk. He raised an eyebrow at Jongin’s approach, noting how the teleporter winced whenever he touched his head.

“You okay?”

“No.” Jongin braced his elbows on the desk and groaned. “I have a headache.”

“Need some ice?”

“I’m fine.” He jerked a thumb upwards. “Where was Kris before he came in tonight?”

“Doing a job for the master. I don’t know what sort though.”

“Do you know what’s keeping him here? I don’t think it’s a contract.” Jongin couldn’t think up anything worse than the exploding-death-sentence magic the master had worked into their blood.

“No idea.”

“Jongdae.” Jongin hissed, exasperated. “I’m leaving with more questions than answers.”

“At least you know where he is?” Do not tell Chanyeol where I am. Jongin bit his lip. Kris had really looked… scared. How one person could be scary and scared at the same time?

“Hey, do you know who caught him?” Jongin asked the question with half a mind, not thinking it was of any importance, until Jongdae’s silence brought his attention back. “Jongdae?”

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Kris? He didn’t tell me anythi –”

“Not Kris. Baekhyun.”

“What does Baek have to do with this?”

“Jongin.” Jongdae stared him dead in the eye. “Baekhyun was the one who caught Kris.”

 

The apartment was dark when Jongin returned and Jongin was glad for once. With Baekhyun around, Jongin would never be able to not ask him. That particular scenario was fated to end in another fight. A note waited for him on the dining table.

Leftovers in the oven. Got a job to do.

A job to kill Chanyeol, of all people. Jongin sighed, flicked on the lights, and pulled the still-warm pizza from the oven. He didn’t call Kyungsoo.

 

>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><< 

 

“No, we haven’t heard anything about Sehun’s case.” Minseok eyed the kid thoughtfully. He and Luhan had distanced themselves from the rest, watching Joonmyun fuss over Tao and Sehun. They had arrived early to the harbour and Luhan had driven their car onto the ferry, double-checking he had the keys in his pocket before leaving it behind. They’d need it in Seoul. As efficient as the public transport system was, there were too many dangers being out in the open.

McDonalds, thank the spirits, was an excellent go-to for a quick breakfast. Even though pizza too was available all day every day, having it so early was kind of weird. Luhan fretted over the short walk to the fast food joint and back, but Amber’s magic had diminished to nonexistence and nothing jumped out at them.

“What about Amber? You know her?” Luhan sipped at his coffee and tried not to dwell on their sleepless night. Only Tao had managed to drift off for a few hours in the motel, resting on Joonmyun’s shoulder.

“Heard of her, never met her. SM has gotten pretty big after you left.” Minseok sighed but his breath didn’t mist in the air like Luhan’s did, too cold for condensation. “She’s had a lot of kill jobs.”

“That’s great.” Nothing was more exciting than having a seasoned murderer on your .

Joonmyun, Sehun and Tao had gotten quite far ahead, already milling with the crowd waiting to board the ferry. Half past four in the morning.

 

Luhan always kept his magic on Tao, on the lookout for signs of distress. And Tao, being a time mage, always noticed and reacted to threats first. So when Tao’s power burst to life, Luhan was already running, cup of coffee dropped and forgotten along with the pain of his ribs. Another second and Minseok was running too. They couldn’t see what was wrong, but they could feel it. 

Red pooled on icy concrete, vibrant under the white lights of the harbour. The crowd fell deadly silent, a ripple of shock. Luhan still couldn't see what the problem was, but he knew that incomprehension was usually the first reaction towards an act of violence. Someone screamed and the crowd scattered into chaos. Luhan and Minseok plunged into the fray, searching desperately.

Tao had Sehun shoved behind him, Joonmyun standing protectively in front of them, the only three still figures on the harbour. The crowd thinned as more people found escape and Luhan could finally see who they were facing. Amber.

But that couldn’t be possible. Luhan hadn’t felt her magic.

One dead body was at her feet and another, still alive, she held at knife-point. The blade glinted red, pressing dangerously under her hostage’s jaw. Was she mad? Out here, with so many witnesses, she was willing to carry out her job?

“Amber.” Luhan shouted but she didn’t break her gaze, staring straight through Joonmyun and Tao to focus on Sehun. The five of them had relatively discreet magic, even the current cold could cover up for Minseok’s ice. As long as they didn’t do anything too flashy…

“Give me Sehun and I’ll let this one go.” She snapped back, pressing the knife just hard enough to draw blood. Her hostage whimpered. This section of the harbour was now deserted. Security had to have called the police by now.

“And what are you going to do after you’ve got him?” Luhan slipped forward slowly until he stood on Joonmyun’s left. A chill indicated Minseok had taken his brother’s right. Amber tensed and that was when it clicked. She’d been suppressing her magic, going without it for who knew how long. That’s why they couldn’t sense her. “Kill him?”

“If you choose to keep him alive, how much longer will he have?” Amber’s voice shook.

“The master didn’t want any of them left – he won’t give up.”

Luhan clasped his hands behind his back, magic at the ready. “Ok, ok. Let’s talk this out, ok?”

 

He snapped his fingers, the movement hidden from her sight. An eerie sense of connectedness crept over him as he felt Joonmyun’s magic surge alongside his. Luhan’s wave of energy smacked into her the same time Joonmyun’s literal wave of water did. They were so close to the ocean, only a few steps from the edge of the harbor, that Joonmyun was practically thrumming with energy. Without her own magic to protect her, she was at mercy to their forces, losing grip on her hostage and sent flying. 

Minseok’s chill overtook them, ice forming patterns in the water as it froze and trapped Amber where she stood. A moment of peace as the violence ebbed. Then ice shattered as her powers blasted to life.

 Luhan had forgotten how fast she could move but Tao hadn’t. Droplets of water slowed their trajectory through the air, in time with their heartbeats and breaths. What would have taken Amber half a second now took forever. The whole area warped with Tao’s time trap. 

Tao may not have forgotten her speed but he had forgotten her desperation. No fully sane mage would run around killing people out in the open. She must have been running low on magic, dangerously close to the line of overuse, but she clawed through his trap anyways, ripping it open so that time flowed freely once more. Amber rammed into Tao shoulder-first, flinging him sideways and leaving Sehun exposed.

 She reached for him.

 

There was a reason why young mages went to Guilds to train. All of them had the potential to snap, lose control, lash out. Luhan shouldn’t have been surprised at Sehun’s magical snap but he was. Wind exploded around them like a tornado. It sliced sea spray over their skin, loud and terrified. Fresh red joined the droplets in the air and instead of Sehun, Amber dropped limply to the ground.

Sehun scrambled backwards, eyes wide, wind dying in his shock. Luhan didn’t think air could be so sharp. Half of Amber’s neck was missing, so was her left hand, and gashes curved over her body, through the clothes and deep into skin. Blood mixed with water.

 

Sehun screamed.

 

>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><< 

 

Chanyeol didn’t sleep a wink through the night and from the way Kyungsoo stumbled into the living room, yawning, he didn’t think Kyungsoo had either.

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo peered at his phone screen, taking in the email page. Chanyeol let him see.

“We had a Guild supporting us in Beijing, I need to explain what happened.” Hopefully he and Kris would still have their jobs when they got back. “You?”

“What about me?”

“Your job.”

“I work at a café – everyone there’s a mage.” Kyungsoo turned his face away to yawn again. “Already told them I wouldn’t be turning up for the next two weeks or so.”

“I checked on the hospice yesterday, when I went on my walk.” Chanyeol pocketed the phone, following Kyungsoo as he shuffled to the kitchen. “There’s a registered worker by the name of Zhang Yixing. He only works on nights Monday to Friday.”

“So he should be turning up today.” Arms crossed, Kyungsoo studied his fridge full of banana bread and muffins. Must have been from the café. “Are you good with eating this stuff for breakfast?”

 

>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><< 

 

Luhan leant against the public toilet stall, guarding anyone from getting close enough to hear Sehun’s retching from inside. There went his breakfast. Poor kid needed to get some food in him but Luhan wasn’t sure if that was the best idea right now. Luhan knocked on the stall door.

“You ok?”

The toilet flushed, Sehun’s voice barely audible. “Yeah.”

“Think you can eat anything?”

“No.”

Sehun shuffled out, pale as a ghost and shivering. Luhan waited for him to wash his hands and splash his face before handing back the jacket. Most of the blood had missed Sehun, save for a few drops, and the jacket covered the speckled red left behind.

“It doesn’t bother you at all? All that blood.” Sehun’s question needled at Luhan’s heart. Once upon a time, gore shocked him too.

“I’ve seen worse.” Luhan had done worse.

“You’ve killed someone before?”

“So what if I have?” He still had a list of names carefully noted down in his phone, backed up on diaries and note books. “Tao has. Min and Joon have.”

“You don’t… regret it?”

“What we did was under the contract. We were different people, bound to SM.” Luhan took a deep breath, his ribs throbbing as his chest expanded. Still not quite healed yet. “It’s a performance of sorts. We put on a new face and we get the job done. Sometimes the job backfires and kills us instead.”

The air calmed, eerily stagnant in a way that Luhan had only ever associated with Kris.

“I just – I killed her.” Sehun gasped and the stall doors slammed open at a sudden gust. “It wasn’t a job. She’s gone and she just –”

Luhan had dealt with this kind of shock before. Tao used to take comfort by huddling close, resting his head on Luhan’s shoulder and matching his magic to the slow beat of Luhan’s heart. But Sehun was a different mage, a different person, and Luhan was hesitant to touch him.

So he reached out with his magic instead, curling firmly around Sehun’s wind and soothing it to a light breeze. A shuddering breath and the roiling power receded.

“Look. I’m not going to say it’ll be alright because it won’t. It’s never going to be alright ever again. You’re going to see her when you walk around and when you close your eyes to sleep she’ll be there too.” The nightmares were always the worst. “But that wasn’t your fault. It also wasn’t her fault. It was SM’s and it will always be SM’s and the Guild Master will be the one to pay in the spirit realm. Not you.”

If Sehun took comfort from that, he didn’t show it, brushing past Luhan in silence.

 

On Sundays shopping malls opened late, so the five of them milled around one of the entrances, waiting. They needed food energy and Luhan needed another coffee for thinking power. The ferries were out of the question. Those services won’t be up for at least another day given what happened on the harbour.

“How safe is Incheon airport?” Luhan asked the brothers. He frowned at the look they gave each other. “What?”

“Chanyeol had arrived there. He almost didn’t make it out.” Minseok folded his arms on the table. “Are you thinking of flying back instead?”

“Yeah, we don’t want to keep Yixing waiting for too long.” They’d already been delayed once but Luhan refrained from mentioning it, casting Sehun a worried look. Kid didn’t even seem to be listening. “He was going to meet us when we got off the ferry, we’ll have to call him again, tell him to get to the airport instead.”

“You’ll have to fight your way out.”

“That won’t be a problem.” The ferries were going to be shut down for the next three days as the police get their sorted. Luhan nudged Tao under the table and they exchanged a tight smile. “We’ve fought before.”

 

The earliest flight was set to leave at midnight. They’d reach Seoul by two the next morning. When Luhan asked the brothers if they were going to take a flight too, Joonmyun shook his head. “We’ll rent a car out, make a trip around the local Guilds. There should be a few who’d know a safe place to settle down, get a job.”

Tao whispered a suggestion in Luhan’s ear and Luhan repeated the offer to them. “You could take our car if you want. It’s not like we’re going to fly it to Seoul with us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure. The heater’s broken though.” And Luhan really didn’t know if they were coming back after this. “Do whatever you want with it. Probably a good idea to ditch it when you get a new one.”

New arrangements in motion, the brothers tagged along with them to the airport. Tao refused to let Luhan do any lifting, taking most of their belongings out of the car with Sehun’s help. Spread evenly between the three of them, none of their bags tipped over the twenty kilogram limit. Luhan tossed Minseok the keys and they parted.

 

Luhan never understood why people thought goodbyes were the hardest. It had always been so easy to leave things behind. To forget.

 

But there was one thing a mage couldn’t risk to forget. Luhan sorted through their stuff until he found a notepad. When he handed it to Sehun he expected a confused stare. What he got was impatient fingers, snapping together as Sehun asked for a pen.

Amber Liu

Two words printed neatly in hangul then repeated in English. Had Sehun asked Joonmyun for the spelling? Luhan motioned for Sehun to keep the pen and the rest of the notepad. That was when Luhan swore on his own soul, from the Earth to Spirit Realms, that Sehun would never have to write down another name. Not when Luhan was still alive.