Kris’s head popped up from the desk, a feeling of foreboding rippling up his spine. His desk partner flinched at the sudden movement, giving him a weird look. With urgency, Kris gathered his things, effectively stealing attention away from the professor giving the lecture.

“Mr. Wu, is there an issue?” The professor asked, clearly unimpressed. Kris didn’t bother with an answer and instead flung his bag over his shoulder and walked out the door. The professor looked at the seatmate, who just shrugged, and the lesson began again, the professor making a mental note to dock some points from Kris’s conduct grade.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Kris was nearly sprinting down the hallway, not bothering to watch whom or what he bumped into. He could feel the dark energy spiking near the library and he knew it meant trouble. As he drew closer, he could hear panicked screams, undoubtedly from the girl he had been following for the past day and a half.  He briefly glanced at the clock on the wall, frowning when he realized that a class change was due in a few minutes. He had to move quickly.

“Luhan! Where’s Baekhyun and Lay?” He shouted as he threw his bag to a corner out of harms way. He glanced at Jinri, and his skin crawling with the feeling of the dark energy in the air. “. This is bad.”

“Sehun went to find them,” Luhan shouted back. “I’m setting up a barrier. It won’t last for long, though. Can you call the others? It’ll be stronger if everyone is here.” Kris let out a primal roar, and Luhan froze for a moment, letting the sudden burst of energy rip through him. Turning so that his back was to Kris and Jinri, he closed his eyes and made a sweeping motion with his arm. To the untrained eye, it seemed as if he was just waving his arms, but anyone that tried to get within twenty foot radius of them, would be turned around, suddenly remembering that they had to be somewhere else*. The barrier would only hold for a little while, and if Sehun didn’t get back with Baekhyun and Lay soon…he shuddered just thinking of the consequences.

Kris got as close as he could to Jinri, who had grown silent with his arrival. She was shaking her head frantically, her shaky hands still clutched to her head. He reached out a hand to touch her, but she smacked it away, a hiss coming from her lips, her eyes snapping up to meet his in a glare. Her eyes had turned black, and all of the color had left her face, the black spreading slowly up her left cheek. She looked apologetic almost instantly after she acted.

“No I can’t,” Jinri moaned, looking at Kris, but somehow looking right through him. “Get out. It… I can’t… I can’t hurt them!”

“Who, Jinri?” Kris asked, knowing that her mind was in a war to keep control over whatever it was inside of her.

“Kris! Get away from her!”

Baekhyun and Lay slipped easily into the barrier radius, Baekhyun leading the way. Kris took a step back, knowing that even though he was alpha, he didn’t stand a chance against whatever it was about the be unleashed from Jinri’s body.

“How long has she been like this?” Lay asked Luhan, who Sehun had joined in keeping up the barrier. Luhan repeated what Jinri had told him, and Lay nodded, his features growing grim.

“Then we don’t have much time,” Baekhyun said. “The others are on their way, but they’ll need to stay just outside of the barrier. Kris, you should go to.” From his back pocket he produced a stone with spiral markings etched into it and begun drawing a circle on the ground around Jinri.

“This will contain it for about thirty seconds after I get it out, so get her completely out of the barrier as soon as I give you the signal,” Baekhyun ordered Lay. “This is one nasty little- WOAH!” He flinched backwards, nearly falling as Jinri’s hand shot out towards him.

“You… are weak… I’ll destroy… you,” Jinri hissed in a voice not her own. Baekhyun had completed the circle before she lashed out, so she was bound to the spot, but she – no, the thing – was still dangerous.

“Jinri, I know you’re in there and I need you to listen, okay?” Baekhyun called, ignoring the taunting of the creature. “In a few moments I want you to fight with all you’ve got against this… thing. It’ll be hard, but you can do it.”

“…” Jinri’s lips moved but the sound was inaudible, and she began to shake even more violently than she had been before. Baekhyun quickly glanced at Lay, and out of the corner of his eye saw that the others had gathered around the perimeter of the barrier, helping Luhan keep it strong. Above them, the bell ran