GRADARIUS- THE SECOND OF WHAT LIES BENEATH -2

Ancient Goryeo, 920 A.D


Once he became alone and sent the Prince off back to the Kingdom, the Mage allowed himself a moment to test the aura the Dark Forest emitted and become connected as one. 
 
He needed to know why there were so many parasitic possessive spirits appearing lately. Last week alone he fought off fifteen creatures of the Dark Forest. They managed to escape into the villages and steal life-energy from humans. Which was odd. The Forest has a protective charm that keeps its supernatural creatures contained.  
 
The Forest also held a special magical property that consumed the dead bodies that the beasts left behind when their spirits left to the netherworld and then they can be recycled  into their next reincarnated form. Yet, instead of moving on, the spirits remained latched to the bodies. 
 
The parasites managed  to chunk together to be strong enough to possess the dead carcasses that were left carelessly from hunters. Using them as empty vessels to gather power. 
 
The Mage spread his arms into the air around him, reaching high towards the sky. Praying to the gods of Heaven and breathing in the cool air around him. The tips of his fingers felt the wind rise above, accompanied by the dancing leaves. 
 
His white hair swayed all around in the chaos. The pupils of his eyes transformed into a bright blue color, revealing the true aura of his power.
 
The wind blew past his cheekbones roughly, towards the Eastern kingdoms. He turned his head. The trees began to moan as their branches whispered words into the mind of the Mage. At that moment Nature and Changmin became connected. They became one. 
 
But that wouldn’t last long. He felt his powers starting to wane. The connection was barely there. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 
 
Releasing all of his power from his body, his entire body became illuminated like a lantern. The wind began to blow even more harshly and the whole Forest grumbled in agony. The Earth shook and with the turn of his hand, the wind changed directions again. 
 
Breathing out, the Mage took a step back, and fell to the ground in exhaustion. His long hair fell in front of his face as he breathed hoarsely, trying to gather what’s left of his strength. 
 
His eyes were cast with worry. Mother Earth was shaken. His magic could not channel with Nature. There is something wrong and he could feel it in his bones. Something was going to happen. The magic of the forest was becoming depleted. Just to get out of his trance state he had to use his own power supply and cut the connection. 
 
“What…is…happening,” he said out of breath. Changmin’s face was riddled with questions. 
 
“Mother, why have you rejected me? What have I done wrong?” 
 
The Mage stood up to his feet. He began to shout, his voice filled with worry. 
 
“What is happening? Mother speak to me!” 
 
Nothing but silence accompanied his words. The Earth did not speak a word back. 
 
 
 
A shadowy figure walked out of the foliage. A smile on his face and a tanned complexion that enhanced the whites of his teeth. 
 
“Yoochun…old friend?” Changmin glanced up at the approaching figure. 
 
As the dark figure stepped into the ray of light seeping in between the trees, he revealed himself to be the form of Yoochun. The young Mage looked at his old friend and noticed the peculiar garb he was covered in. 
 
“My friend, what is that you’re wearing?” He pointed at Yoochun’s unusual footwear. 
 
“Oh, I was, umm, you know,” he chuckled sheepishly, “I was in New York, that other dimension I told about. The Future. These are called sneakers-”
 
Changmin quickly shushed Yoochun with a finger. “Don’t tell me about your whereabouts. When, where, why or what. I shouldn’t have any knowledge of the future. Do you understand?”
 
Yoochun ran his fingers through his greasy long hair. Changmin didn’t understand where his old friend spent all of his time. He wore a white shirt that was ripped at the shoulders and made him look like a peasant. In addition to the odd choice of top wear, Yoochun managed to fit into some leather pants to which Changmin looked upon in disgust. 
 
 The Mage materialized a shroud out of thin air and wrapped it around his friend protectively. 
 
“Here,” he sighed. “So you won’t stand out in a crowd. Now, tell me what you are doing here.” 
 
Chuckling, Yoochun looked at his taller comrade with adoration. 
 
“Actually, I came here on an errand,” he took out a familiar scroll, yellowed with age, it was tied delicately with a red ribbon.
 
Changmin’s eyes widened, “What is this?” he asked horrified by the sight of the object. 
“Junsu sent me here on a mission. I have to gather some souls for him.” 
 
“Now he is making you his errand boy? He can’t make the pick-up himself?” Changmin’s eyes were full of worry. Junsu never sent out anyone to gather dead souls. He always went alone. This was odd. 
 
“Quell your worries Changmin-ah. I also came to deliver some Jewelries to the King on Heaven’s orders. You know how he is, and since we’re  you know …together…I might as well just get it over with since I don’t know when I will come to this dimension again. My time-traveling still hasn’t improved.”
 
Changmin pondered for a while and looked up at his friend with worry. “Yoochun, carrying out such a mission is dangerous. I’m in the middle of capturing parasitic demons. Junsu should have already known how dangerous it is to come to Goryeo right now. How could he send you when black souls are roaming our land and you can’t fend them off. You’re inexperienced!”
 
“Listen,” Yoochun sat on the ground now. “Junsu is a seer. He must have other things to attend to and he probably knows already my mission will go well. He wouldn’t send me off to danger-”
 
“Stop. He is an emotionless creature, we went over this countless times already. He is a Creature of Demonic Nature-”
 
“Well so am I, but I can feel-” 
 
“Yoochun, you’re a different case.  You’re different.” They stood there in silence once again. 
 
The Mage broke the silence, “Do you know the names of the persons that are destined to die?” 
 
“No, the scroll is still blank. I checked, nothing on it.” Yoochun tapped the scroll on the ground playfully. 
 
“How many? When?”
 
“According to Junsu, tomorrow- one soul is to be gathered. The name will appear on a full moon.”
 
“A bit ambiguous.”
 
“He said it is on a need-to-know basis.”
 
~~~
 
After parting with his friend, Choikang Changmin headed towards the stables with grace and elegance. With his feet hidden beneath his long robes it would seem from a distance that he was almost gliding through the tall green grasses as if through liquid water. 
 
He was trained to hold a perfect and poised posture. Every detail of his chest muscle and biceps were visible through the thin white robes, revealing a slender thin waist. The most enchanting part of his form was his face- the unusual high cheekbones and feline eyes enhanced his otherworldly appearance which gave him the presence of an ethereal beauty and charm, that attracted both men and women within the palace walls. 
 
Upon entering the stables, with a smile, the Mage expected to see the Prince prepared and ready for the banquet. 
 
Approaching the sound of Yeun-Ho’s voice, it put a smile to Changmin’s face. Yet, as soon as he got closer he realized there was another voice accompanying the Prince’s. 
 
A female. One that Changmin did not particularly like. At all. The bane of his existence.
 
He could already imagine the scene that he was about to walk into. The Prince halfway-undressed with the girl, in the act of child making. Moans and groans and giggles. Oh the agony that protruded the Mage’s mind as he contemplated the corruption of his precious charge by the vile woman. His thoughts were just racing wildly at the possibilities. Rage. That was the only emotion fueling him now.  
 
Like a storm he barged straight through the stable doors. Fury colored his eyes a bright scarlet.
 
“You. Lee Jae-Eun. What are you doing here?” His voice echoed with strain. He pointed his fingers with accusation at the two teenagers who were cuddling in each other’s arms. 
 
Yeun-Ho’s fingers were dangerously close to the female’s bust, which only angered his mentor even more. The Mage pulled Yeun-Ho out of the girl’s arms roughly. 
 
Jae-Eun’s face turned sour. She pouted her lips and stuck out her tongue, trying to rile up the Mage. 
 
“! Old man!” she shouted after the retreating figures
 
Changmin’s hands tightened around Yeun-Ho’s wrists as he dragged him out of the stables.
 
“Ow! Stop! You’re hurting me!” Yeun-Ho shouted in protest. 
 
“You are so ignorant! How could you go canoodling with that corruptive . Your Majesty, with all due respect but this woman will lead you towards doom. I have warned you time and time again. Why do you refuse to listen to a word I say?” The Mage continued on another lengthy lecture, trying to recount his years of experience. 
 
Yeun-Ho rolled his eyes and snorted in frustration. 
 
“Yah! Changmin! She is the love of my life! I love my JiJi, she is beautiful and amazing inside and out. Why can’t you see that?”
 
The Mage paused. He let go of Yeun-Ho’s wrist and stared at him with stone cold eyes. 
 
“Prince Yeun-Ho. You are far too young to understand what love is. You have just started living your life. Barely even born out of your mother’s womb. That girl that you constantly see is only going to guide you towards a path of destruction. Why do you disobey me? Why can’t you trust me?”
 
The Prince slumped his shoulders and averted his body away from his mentor in a show of defiance. 
 
“A person like you. What do you know about love to speak of it so frivolously as if it doesn’t exist? I believe in it and I will hold on to my beliefs. She is my first and only true love.” Yeun-Ho brought his hands to his chest and felt the beating of his heart. 
 
The Prince’s words brought a dull pain to Changmin’s own chest, but he didn’t allow his emotions to show. Not saying anymore words, once again he grabbed Yeun-Ho’s arm and phased them inside the Palace walls with his magic.
 
They were at a student and mentor relationship, so Changmin must show him the proper rode to adulthood whether the Prince wanted it or not. 
 
~~~

South Korea, South Jeolla Province- Police Department- Present
 
“What are you still doing here?” Yunho glared at the thin young man in front of him, his eyes trying to display a façade of rage.
 
Yunho’s eyes followed Changmin’s hands as he set a cup of hot coffee down next to him. 
 
The older man has been working tirelessly this past week, with barely any sleep, trying to solve another missing person’s case. If anything, the frail young man in front of him only seemed to piss him off and annoy him even more as the days went by.
 
Despite his shy demeanor, Changmin always succeeded in his goals no matter what it may cost him. He set aside his emotional barriers and convinced himself that it is critical to soften Yunho’s heart and become closer to him. 
 
Changmin watched with relief, as Yunho gripped the handle of the cup of coffee with his hands. 
Yes, progress!! He cheered internally. Last week he barely even touched it! 
 
For nearly two weeks, Changmin tried to get a hold of the older man’s good side. All of which was for nothing. He only managed to lose his face in front of the other detectives and relive a cycle of embarrassment and harassment for the pleasure of all the witnesses in the office on a daily routine. 
 
Yunho glanced at the cup in front of him. He brought the cup to his lips and tasted the liquid with his tongue. 
 
Changmin looked up, his mismatched eyes sparkling with hope.
 
Suddenly, Yunho spit out the contents of the coffee harshly and threw the cup against the wall with force; the shear force caused it to splinter off into shards, barely missing Changmin’s head.
 
Startled-the young man jumped back with a yelp and fell to the floor. 
 
Still maintaining an emotionless face, the older man returned to sort through his files. 
 
“You call that coffee?”  he mocked the bent figure. 
 
At that moment the district Chief burst through Yunho’s door. “What the hell is going on here? What was the noise?”
 
Yunho rolled his eyes, “Get out Siwon.” 
 
Siwon glanced down at the pale figure attempting to clean the floor of glass shards. As the district Chief, he was responsible for the conduct of all the professional staff within the station. He cast his eyes at Yunho menacingly and quickly put his arms around Changmin’s shoulder’s, leading him out of the office. 
 
“Yunho, we’ve all had enough of your attitude. Don’t take it out on the kid.” With that he left the lone man to boil within his own emotions. 
 
Once outside, Siwon guided Changmin towards his office across the hall. The look in the younger kid’s eyes was sad. Tears were threatening to come out. He was frustrated. His face was pale and distraught. What had I done wrong?
 
Siwon sat him down on a chair. Changmin buried his face into his hands and tried to stifle his crying. 
 
Understanding how the youngest must feel, he tried to be an understanding sunbae. He brought him a glass of water and patted him on the back. Changmin recoiled from Siwon’s touch. 
 
The elder didn’t take it as offense. The younger must feel distrusting of everybody. He will give him his space for whatever reason. 
 
“H-hyung.” Changmin looked up at Siwon. 
 
“What is it?”
 
“Why is he like this?”
 
Siwon smiled and sighed. Scratching the back of his head, the memories already beginning to flood in. 
 
“It’s a long story and not really for your ears. Yet.” Was his reply.
 
“What can I do? I really need this job sunbae.” Changmin wiped away his tears and stared at Siwon with determined eyes. 
 
“Well, frankly we’re all surprised you lasted two weeks-”
“Actually it’s only been eleven days, six hours, and thirty-four minutes.” Changmin corrected him.
 
“Wow, either you have too much time on your hands, or Yunho has really pushed you too far.” 
 
“Counting…has become a calming habit of mine…”
 
“Look. Before you came along, Yunho has had multiple partners. So, you’re not the only one. It’s because of what had happened two years ago when-”
 
At that moment Yunho barged in through the door. Pushing Siwon aside, he grabbed Changmin’s arm and pulled him back towards his office. 
 
“Sunbae…”
 
“Shut up. You wanted work. I’ll give you work.” Yunho’s voice was threatening. Despite his eyes lacking any emotion, his presence sent shivers through Changmin’s skin. 
 
Yunho led the young man to a new office.
 
It had only one desk and a lamp on top of it, filled with stacks of papers and case files. 
 
“There,” he pointed. “That’s your job and this is your new office. Rewrite all of the files. It must be done personally by your hands. No computers. Go through all of them and make no mistakes.”
 
“B-but, by hand? It’s so much, how will I get through it all?” Changmin’s eyes widened at the stacks of papers. His finger joints already began to ache. 
 
Yunho scoffed. “Get to work. Or leave.” 
 
Changmin pursed his lips in a straight line. He won’t let Yunho have the pleasure of watching him leave. He needed this job. He will do whatever it takes to stay, for his pride or for survival. Screw you Jung Yunho. 

that's right baby! show him who's boss!

FINALLY DECIDED TO POST. CELEBRATION WOO. LET'S HOPE THIS GOES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE NEXT CHAPPIE WILL BE A NICE RIDE.