--

19

--

When you opened your eyes, Woohyun was still asleep. You didn’t move for a moment, enjoying the soft sheets on your skin and how close you and Woohyun were sleeping. After a moment or two, you leaned back and reached up with your hand to brush some stray strands of hair away from his face. His eyes snapped open, startling you a little bit until he smiled.

“Good evening,” he said, leaning forward to kiss you.

“Good evening.” You laughed into his kiss until he pulled you closer to him and kissed you a little bit harder. You protested into his lips and shoved gently at his chest, making him whine in the back of his throat until he pulled away.

“Woohyun, I’m hungry. Come on.” Woohyun sighed and reluctantly let go of you, watching as you slid off of the bed with a sheet wrapped around you and hurrying towards the bathroom.

“I don’t know why you’re wearing that sheet. It’s not like I haven’t seen anything underneath that before.”

“Woohyun! I have to keep some modesty!”

“Not while we’re in the bedroom. Come here!” You yelped as Woohyun jumped off the bed and came running after you.

--

“Who do you love the most?” Woohyun asked as the two of you were getting dressed. He had no idea how to tie a corset, making you roll your eyes. You threatened to call Joon, but he didn’t want anyone else intruding on his time with you, especially after you two had just gotten married. “I’ll figure it out. Now, answer my question!”

You laughed and glanced over your shoulder. “You, of course.”

“Do you... love me more than Joon?”

You in a breath as Woohyun pulled the laces a little bit too tight. “Too tight, Woohyun, too tight.” Woohyun panicked a little bit before loosening the laces, letting you breathe again. “Yes, I love you more than Joon, but if you help me dress like this...”

Woohyun laughed and made a mental note to learn all the parts to women’s clothing. There was so much you had to put on, it was like under armor hidden by a simple dress on top. “Do you love me more than Dongwoo and Sunggyu?”

“Yes, I love you more than them.”

“More than Seungho?”

“Definitely more than Seungho,” you said as you pulled your stocking up onto your legs. Woohyun grinned at you as he pulled your dress down over your head and laced up the back. You sat down in front of the vanity, and Woohyun picked up the brush before beginning to brush your hair.

“Do you love me more than Myungsoo?” It was a risky question to ask, he knew. Woohyun figured if he got the answer he didn’t want to hear, then he could just brush it off. At least then, he would know where he stood in your heart.

You furrowed your eyebrows at the mirror before turning to look over your shoulder at him. “Do I love you more than who?”

Woohyun stopped in mid brush and raised an eyebrow at you. “... Myungsoo. Do you love me more than Myungsoo?”

You blinked a few times at him in confusion. “But I don’t know a Myungsoo.”

“You... don’t know a Myungsoo?” Woohyun almost dropped his brush.

“No, I don’t,” you said slowly. You stared at him for a moment before grinning and turning back to the mirror. “Was that a trick question? I can’t love someone I don’t know! So of course, I love you more. I love you the most,” you said with a fond smile, looking down at the wedding band on your finger.

Woohyun did a double take. You didn’t remember Myungsoo? Was it a trick to make him feel better? He numbly brushed your hair until your hair flowed over his hands, and when you stood up, he held your face and stared into your eyes.

“You really don’t know who Myungsoo is?” 

You frowned again. Woohyun was really insistent on this Myungsoo person. “No, I don’t. Should I know who he is?” 

Woohyun searched your eyes, looking for any flash of color. Since you had vampire blood inside of you now, the little power of not being able to lie transferred over to you. It wouldn’t be as obvious, but obvious enough to tell if you were lying.

Your eyes remained as deep a blue as ever, maybe with a hint of confusion.

“No, he’s not that important. I thought it was strange, that’s all. I just remembered that I have to go discuss some things about the reception tonight. You’ll be okay by yourself for a little bit?” You frowned slightly and grabbed his arm, squeezing it. You didn’t notice when he turned away and squeezed his eyes shut to keep you from noticing the color flashing in his eyes.

“But I wanted to have breakfast together.”

“I know. I’ll be quick about it, okay? Just wait for me for a little bit?” You smiled at him and nodded, glancing back at the two of you in the vanity mirror.

“That’s fine. I’ll wait for you as long as it takes. Or until I get too hungry.”

--

“This is a surprise. What are you doing in my study instead of enjoying time with your new bride?” Seungho asked as soon as Woohyun opened up the door to his study. Woohyun hurried over to the chair and sat down, eyebrows furrowed.

“Don’t think too hard now, you might hurt yourself.”

“She doesn’t remember him.” That got Seungho’s attention. He glanced up from his scrolls and raised an eyebrow.

“She doesn’t remember who? Myungsoo?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t have a clue who he is.”

Seungho stared at Woohyun, a little bit unsure. “I... don’t really see what the problem is here. Isn’t that something you wanted? To have her undivided attention?”

“Yes. No. I wanted her to love me more than Myungsoo.”

“But she does.”

“Because she doesn’t know who he is! I don’t know what happened. I was careful with her last night, nothing broke or anything, and she didn’t hit her head! The night was perfect!”

Seungho sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Whatever little detail Woohyun gave was still too much information for Seungho.

“I’ve heard of this happening before. Apparently, this happened to me after I got bonded with Gyuri as well.”

Woohyun blinked at Seungho a few times.

“You seem surprised. Gyuri wasn’t my first love. Bits and pieces have been coming back to me since she died. But let me explain quickly so you can leave and spend time with your wife. There are cases where bonds are forced on people that love others.” Woohyun started to protest but Seungho held up his hand to silence him. “And when that happens, when feelings run deep for another person, vampire blood does whatever it can to shift those feelings onto the owner of said blood. In extreme cases, it can make someone forget someone else completely.”

Woohyun sighed and sank down in his seat. You loved Myungsoo so much that the only way Woohyun’s blood would bond to you was if you completely forgot about Myungsoo.

“She loves you, don’t doubt that. Now, get out of here. If you still have questions, ask them after your honeymoon. Don’t you think you should be enjoying this time instead of sweating the details?”

Woohyun pushed himself up from the chair with a huff and stopped at the door, turning around with a curious expression on his face.

“It was a childhood friend. Leave. I’m tired of seeing your face.”

--

The trip to the knight’s training den took a little bit of a detour when a group of feral vampires attacked the caravan. The trainees had the time of their life trying to stay alive from the brute force, raw strength they possessed. Feral vampires couldn’t use magic, but they were ridiculously strong and unpredictable.

Myungsoo was knocked onto ground, holding back a feral vampire. Its jaws snapped at him, sending bits of saliva flying everywhere. Myungsoo gritted his teeth and summoned a burst of flame, sending it flying back with an anguished howl.

Eli jumped forward and slammed his sword into the vampire’s chest and twisted it, destroying the heart. It stilled and fell to ash. “Good job, Myungsoo,” he said before disappearing to help the others.

Kiseop was having the time of his life. This was his element, what he’d been doing for the past few decades. It got repetitive after a while, but Kiseop managed to find ways to make it fun.

“Kiseop! That’s not funny!” Kevin yelled as Kiseop threw a severed head at him. It fell to dust before it could even reach the other boy. Kevin washed the ash away with a blast of water and shuddered.

“Gross, gross, gross.”

“Stop being such a girl, Kevin. How did you even become a knight in the first place?”

“Kiseop, do they normally gather in large numbers like this?” Soohyun asked, slicing through three at once that ganged up on him.

“No, not really. Feral vampires usually hunt in packs of three or four, and they tend to only go after wild animals.”

“So, mind telling me why they’re trying to eat us?!” Sungyeol kicked a feral vampire away from himself and threw a dagger, hitting it right between its eyes. The vampire dusted and Sungyeol managed to pick up his dagger before another one attacked him.

The feral vampires managed to get a circle around Myungsoo, staring at him in apprehension. Myungsoo kept his eyes moving, searching for any sign of movement for a first attack. He felt someone else press his back against him, holding up a weapon.

“You look like you could use a little help,” he heard Dongho say.

“Yeah. Looks like I bit off more than I could chew,” Myungsoo said sarcastically. There were at least six or seven of them surrounding the pair. “Where did they all come from? And why are they attacking us?”

Suddenly, there was a loud yell, sounding almost like a screech mixed with a hiss. Dongho covered his ears while Myungsoo gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes.

“You, boy. It’s you,” one of the feral vampires said, pointing a long, clawed finger at Myungsoo. Kiseop’s eyes widened. In all of his years of hunting feral vampires, he’d never heard one speak before. Myungsoo readied his defenses, eyes scanning for any sign of attack.

“The ssstone. It will kill you. You are not of the warlock raccccce. We feel itssss energy, and it drivesss us wild. It will kill you,” the feral vampire hissed out before retreating back into the woods. The other trainees and knights stared at Myungsoo for a moment.

Soohyun didn’t let his guard down just because he couldn’t see the feral vampires anymore. He signed for Hoon and Jaesop to search the perimeter before making his way over to Myungsoo.

“Any idea what that was about?”

“Not a clue,” Myungsoo said. “I’ve been told I was a warlock ever since I was born. What do feral vampires know?” Soohyun and Myungsoo turned to look at Kiseop, who just shrugged his shoulders.

“None of them have ever tried to talk to me before.”

“We’ll confirm with the trainer at the knight’s den,” Soohyun said. “We should arrive tomorrow.”

--

By the time Woohyun made it back to your shared room, you were stepping out and closing the door behind you. You face lit up when you saw him, and you laughed when he wrapped his arms around you and swung you around.

“Leaving without me?” he asked indignantly.

“Yes. I’m starving.” You pointed at your stomach, and it growled for emphasis. Woohyun laughed and held your hand as you dragged him down the hallways of the castle.

People greeted you with smiles, and you noted what they were even smiling at Woohyun, who smiled back at them with a small wave.Progress, you thought. Woohyun was finally being accepted around Rivedon.

The two of you walked quickly through the town. The wind was even colder that day, but it didn’t stop people from gathering in the town, buying things from merchants and chatting with each other.

Cheers rang out whenever you and Woohyun were spotted, making the two of you sheepishly wave before disappearing into your usual eatery.

“Ah, the newlywed couple. We’ll cook up something extra special for you,” one of the cook said, reaching over the counter to ruffle your hair as soon as you pulled the hood of your cloak down. You took a small glance towards Woohyun and noted no jealousy, no anger.

Maybe he wouldn’t get so jealous anymore now that the two of you were married. Woohyun reached over behind you to adjust your cloak, going on about how polar bear fur was hard to come by.

“Anything for you, sir?” the cook asked, turning towards Woohyun. Woohyun shook his head, saying that he would eat at the castle. You cast him a look and pouted your bottom lip out as you thought.

“What?”

“What do you eat at the castle? The only thing I’ve ever seen are those raw steaks that the demons eat in the kitchen. Never again will I step foot in that kitchen,” you said, shaking your head.

“Oh. Smells bad, huh? I don’t really have to breathe when I go down there, so it’s not as bad for me. They keep blood packs in a cold storage down there. Horribly stale, but it gets me by.”

Oh, that’s right. Vampires had to eat, too. And of course, they would drink blood. How something so painfully obvious escaped you was beyond you. You needed to actively pay more attention to your surroundings and studies.

“Isn’t fresh blood better?”

“Always,” Woohyun said, encouraging you to eat. You took a few bites and pondered a few things.

“How often do you have to eat?”

“Once every couple days. Ideally, once every other day, but I can go at least a week without feeding.”

You nodded, taking in the information. There were so many people talking and laughing that your conversation with Woohyun was lost in the crowd.

“Do you have to get it from the neck?” Woohyun coughed a little bit. This was a bit of an awkward conversation to have in public.

“No, I get drink from your arm or your leg.” You snorted when Woohyun said leg and had to cover your mouth. If Woohyun could blush, his face would be red right now. “This isn’t really the type of conversation we should be having here,” Woohyun said, eyeing your shrinking plate of food.

“I would like to talk about it later. I mean, you’re extending my life, boosting my power, and taking care of me. It’s the least I could do for you, right?”

--

Myungsoo tried not to look down. He tried not to look down, until a piece of rock loosened beneath his foot and fell, making him almost fall off the four inch wide path he was sidling across.

Myungsoo muttered curses under his breath. Heights. He knew training would be in the mountains, but he thought it would be in a nice little cave, or a valley of some sort they could walk through to get there. He’d gladly welcome a cave full of monsters than climbing up the side of a mountain with a path that got progressively smaller.

“Come on, Myungsoo. You’re the last one,” Sungyeol called, grinning at his best friend. Myungsoo glared at him and continued to inch over.

--

After what seemed like ages, Myungsoo fell on a wide piece of solid land, breathing hard. He could almost kiss it.

“Well, we know what we’ll be working on with you. Inside, everyone. Since it took us so long to get here, you guys will have a week to rest before we start training again. It will be long, and it will be brutal, so make the most of your week’s rest. Myungsoo, come here,” Soohyun said as the trainees filed inside of the cave.

Myungsoo fell in step with Soohyun as the knight threw an arm over his shoulders. “How’re you feeling? Tired? Eli tells me you hardly slept on this trip.”

“Those last fifteen minutes of my life seemed longer than the entire trip here,” Myungsoo said, glancing out at the sight before him. Though the cave, everyone stopped to admire the view. It overlooked a large green valley with a small village at the end of the mountain path.

“Those are forests? And a lake?”

“There are forests, the lake, caves here with all the training equipment, monsters, and situations you will ever need for the rest of your life. All of the knights here should know this place like that back of their hands, right?” Everyone nodded in agreement except for Kiseop, who suddenly became very interested in a rock on the ground.

“Kiseop?”

“I feel sorry for whoever gets paired off with Kiseop,” Kevin said with a smirk. He cried out when Kiseop gave him an angry look and punched him in the shoulder.

“Come on. Don’t want to keep the people down there waiting.”

--

The knights pointed out different things in the small town beside the mountain. The dorms were roomier than the rooms they had at the castle. The mess hall where they would be eating was across the dirt road.

“The blacksmith is over here. He’s also a weapon specialist. There’s a specialist in magic, and one in hand to hand combat. Infirmary is over here. Best memorize where it is, I’m sure a lot of you will be there often. Anything else, feel free to ask. This is a small town. Population: you and us.”

--

Myungsoo dropped his things down into his own room, looking around. He picked a room with a window to ensure that Sungyeol wasn’t going to suddenly burst in and decide to wake him up in the middle of the day.

Then he realized he’d be doing training during the day now. There were people that could train him during the day. Much more was expected from the living trainees. Their bodies naturally made more energy, and they didn’t have to depend too much on the moonlight to draw their energy from like the dead did.

“Myungsoo, are you done?” Eli asked, sticking his head into Myungsoo’s room. Myungsoo shoved his bag underneath his bed and nodded with a grin on his face.

“All done.”

“Good. We’ve got a date with the magic specialist.”

--

Myungsoo got chills as soon as he stepped through the doors of the magic specialist’s home. There was so much in the air, Myungsoo couldn’t tell any of it apart. There were books stacked all around the room. The amount put the library at Rivedon to shame, and Seungho’s study.

“Seunggi? Are you in here?” Eli called out, looking around for the other man.

“Oh, it’s Lee Seunggi? Wow,” Myungsoo said, looking around. Lee Seunggi was in the history books for being a pioneer in magic and things magically related. He couldn’t believe this was who was going to be training them in magic.

“Yes, I’m under here. A little help, please?” Eli sighed when he heard the muffled voice and went digging around the books until a man popped out, taking a deep breath and rubbing the back of his head with a smile.

“Thanks! I thought I was going to be stuck there forever.”

“You didn’t think to use your magic to get you out?” Eli asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Goodness, no. And ruin my books?” Seunggi’s eyes traveled over to Myungsoo before they lit up, and he smiled brightly at him.

“And you must be Myungsoo! Seungho told me about you. I have your eternity stone around here somewhere, though I’m curious as to why you would need one.”

Myungsoo blinked a few times. “What? What do you mean you’re curious as to why I need one? I kind of need one to survive though all of the training.”

“Well, yes, if you were a warlock to begin with. Where did I put that stone?” Seunggi went combing though his things, muttering to himself.

“What?” Eli and Myungsoo said at the same time.

“What? You’re a mage. I don’t know why you would need an eternity stone. A little bit risky if you ask me. Though, I’d love to see what kind of effect it would have on you. If I just made a few modifications here and there, I think it would have the same effect as an eternity stone in terms of extending your life, but it might magnify your powers as well. Of course, there’s the Achilles’ Heel with if it gets destroyed, you’ll die, but that’s a small price to pay for immortality- Oh! Here it is.”

Seunggi reached into a small bowl and held up a round stone that shone in the light. It was red, and looked like a large red marble.

“But. That’s impossible. I’m not a mage. I can only control fire.” Seunggi pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows, dropping the stone into Eli’s hand before pressing his hand to Myungsoo’s forehead, then his neck, then his chest.

“No, I’m pretty sure you’re a mage. Huh. A mage that can only use one element? Impossible. Let me just...”

Eli stood off to the side, blinking in confusion. His confusion increased when he saw blue glowing tribal lines appearing on Myungsoo’s arm and face.

“Well, that’s the problem.”

“This isn’t normal? This always shows up when I’m in the moonlight,” Myungsoo said, frowning.

“Yeah, buddy. Nothing like that happens to me in the moonlight,” Eli said.

“Figures. It’s a pretty advanced binding curse. It would explain why you can only use one element. It takes some pretty powerful magic to bind three elements, especially in a powerful mage as yourself.”

Myungsoo gave him a look of disbelief. “So you’re telling me... My whole life has been a lie? I’m actually a mage and not a warlock?”

“Yep. But with some modifications to this eternity stone, I think I can get rid of this for you. It’ll be painful, though,” Seunggi said with a stern look.

“That’s fine. Whatever it takes.”

“Come back in a few days. I should have something ready for you. Be prepared for a bit of pain.”