ten

I don’t know how Kai got my contact information but when I get home there is a long line of SMS messages on my phone.

“There’s something strange with Tao. He was glaring at me when we left school today from the second floor window.”

I sigh but as I’m sitting there with a thumb hovering over the delete button I pause. I’m tired of running. I’m tired of being indecisive or as Kai says, being wishy washy. I don’t mean to be but so many things in my life have changed in so little time. Before it was just music and basic bodily functions. I’m mentally unprepared for the turn my life has made. I never had to learn these basic social skills.

I’m a wreck. I need help. I have no one else to turn to.

My thumb moves away from the delete button and I read the rest of Kai’s messages.

“”I mean it for your own good when I say you should be careful.”

“There are people who hunt us for our powers and wear basically what amounts to our souls around their necks.”

“They’re called soul gems and you would definitely know if you’ve seen one.”

My mind immediately recalls Luhan and his pendant.

“If my suspicion is correct not just you but me as well, we’re both in danger.”

I finish reading the last text and fall back onto my bed just as the door to my room opens after a knock.

“Sehun.”

It’s mother. She peeks her head in.

“You’re up late.”

“I just got home,” I reply.

“Oh? Out with a friend?”

I nod, “That boy, Jongin.”

She seems happy to hear it.

“I’m glad you were able to make a friend,” she says.

I don’t reply and she moves to leave again.

“Good night,” she says.

“Wait,” I call, sitting up in bed.

“Yes?”

I don’t know what prompts me to say it the way that I do or how she would even know where I am even trying to go with this line of thought but the words come out anyway.

“What am I? Where am I from?”

She freezes and her eyes meet mine. I see her struggle internally attempting to deflect it somehow. But the look in my eyes must have shown my determination. She looks down and rubs her arms as if cold and then glances up at me. I’m a bit surprised how much the gesture reminds me of myself.

“You’re special. That’s what you are.”

“Special?”

She nods and I know she’s about to solidify all of the remaining doubts in my mind into absolute fact. She crosses the room and sits at my desk. I know the story will be long but the truth is way overdue. I’m ready. Finally, I am ready for it.

----

Sehun receives confirmation of everything Kai had ever told him. It was fact. His mother told him so and his mother always knew.

As he sat and listened he became disembodied. He was not Oh Sehun, but a spirit, a muse. This is his origin story.

“Joohyun!”

Sehun’s future mother, Ock Joohyun turned to see her older brother Dongwan jogging towards her. He was holding his flute case and a folder of sheet music beneath his arm as he approaches.

“Oppa,” she greeted, smiling. “You look so happy. Did you already choose your hone for the big audition?”

“Even better,” said the man. “I found my new accompanist.”

Joohyun pouted, “No fair. I’m always your accompanist.”

Dongwan just grinned in return, “Sorry but I had to change. As soon as I saw her I knew I had to play with her.”

“Saw her?” Joohyun quirked her brow.

The male nodded, “Yeah it’s weird. I hadn’t even heard her yet and still I knew we were meant to play together. Like melody and harmony.”

Joohyun rolled her eyes, “Oh please!” she gagged. “I never knew you’d be such a sap.”

“You wouldn’t understand. Our fiancée isn’t even a musician.”

“Wait. What does he have to do with any of this unless… you actually like her?”

Her brother blushed and Joohyun laughed.

“It’s OK. I’ glad you found someone you connect with. Really, I am.”

As time passed Joohyun could tell Dongwan’s connection was not a mistake. He and Lee Hyori were an unrivaled duo. What Dongwan lacked Hyori made up for. It was amazing and as Joohyun later found out, it was supernatural.

Hyori was a muse and when a muse and human form a symbiotic relationship, that exchange of energy is called a bond. They were bonded and as Hyori took in his passion Dongwan’s creativity also increased beyond his natural abilities. Joohyun later met other muses who were not bound to any human. They had human names like Hyori but preferred to use their natural names like Rain and Yesung. Joohyun even felt the feeling of being fed upon by a muse but it wasn’t a world she really belonged to.

Life was good and everyone as happy. In the next year she watched as Dongwan’s flutist career took off and she married Sehun’s father. Neither she nor her brother expected the sad turn of events to come.

Joohyun and Dongwan sat in Dangwan’s apartment when Hyori came stumbling home, shirt ripped and hanging from her shoulder.

“They’ve come! They’ve got him!” Hyori was in near hysterics and Dongwan launched off the couch to grab her by the shoulders.

She collapsed against him, exhausted in his arms.

“Hyori! Lee Hyori! Wake up!” Dongwan pleaded to the limp body he was holding.

Joohyun stood as well.

“Oppa! Hyori!” she cried, joining them.

Dongwan laid Hyori on the couch and Joohyun ran to get some water. When she returned Hyori had regained consciousness but looked frightened until she saw it was Dongwan and his sister.

“Dongwan!” she clasped Dongwan’s hands until her knuckles were white. Her pale lips trembled. “They’re here! They’ve got Rain!”

Tears welled in her eyes.

“Who? Who is here?”

“Rain. The hunters got him.”

“Hunters?”

Hyori nodded, “Hunters. Vampire hunters and werewolf hunters, maybe you’ve heard of them? Well, there are those who hunt muses as well and they attacked Rain and I.”

“Where is he now? We can save him?”

“It’s too late,” Hyori’s tears fell like streams down her slightly tanned face as she shook her head. “He’s…”

She began to sob and was inconsolable after that. The two siblings calmed her enough for her to sleep and then called Yesung up to meet them and explained the situation. Yesung didn’t look concerned. He was a strange guy. Even though Joohyun knew of him he didn’t seem close to Rain or Hyori. He was dark and a loner.

Yesung explained the situation to them.

Hunters caught muses for their soul gems. A soul gem was the crystalized form of a muse that contained their creative powers for the benefit of the wearer. However, soul gems only had a limited use and dimmed as the muses life force faded out. In the black market soul gems sold for high amounts and were quite popular. World renowned artist wore soul gems without quite realizing what they were, interested only in their effects.

“So Rain is trapped in a soul gem?” Dongwan asked.

“Yes and no,” Yesung explained. “Even if the power of the soul remains Rain has ceased to exist.”

“You mean, he’s dead?” Joohyun choked.

“Unfortunately. If the spirit energy is released from the gem before it dissipates it will not be Rain. Rather a new muse will be born from his life.”

“No! There had to be a way to save him,” Joohyun pleaded.

“I’m not going to lie and give you humans false hope,” Yesung replied. “Rain has been captured. He’s dead.”

“Do you not care?” bit Joohyun. “How can you say that so coolly?”

“I’ve seen many a muse have their souls collected. I have seen many muses born. Isn’t it the same with humans?”

“But this is murder!” Dongwan shouted.

“Yesung’s right.”

Dongwan, Yesung and Joohyun turned towards the doorway to see Hyori standing there with sad and tired eyes.

“He’s dead. Rain is gone. He is. I know but there is a new muse ready to be born from his soul gem and I must save it,” Hyori said, determined.

“Heh. You may very well end up a soul gem yourself, Chori,” Yesung said, calling her by her rarely used muse name.

“Maybe,” Hyori said cryptically. “But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.”

----

“You were born from that gem,” my mother finishes her tale. “Hyori returned to us beaten and near death but she returned nonetheless with you in her arms. She left you in my shaking hands. She said she wanted me and your father to take him and for your uncle to keep pursuing the flute and then she just disappeared into thin air. No gem was left behind.

Yesung told us when a muse weakens greatly they just disappear into the air. That’s exactly what happened. Rain and Hyori gave their life and we received you in return.”

That’s where she stops. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say and my mouth is left agape. Finally though, I speak.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know where to begin and neither did your uncle. Your father doesn’t know a thing. But I tried to nurture you. I thought maybe you would learn piano like Hyori even if Rain was a dancer, but then when you were two you chose violin all on your own.”

Well that answered my question on who chose violin for me. So it was my own decision.

“I started to worry though. Your uncle too. You’re so talented but something in you… there is no fire. We feared we were doing something wrong. We look up Kim Jongwoon, Yesung’s human name and found out he works at your school. We decided to have you audition. We know how cold Yesung can be but we hoped he would find you and help.”

“He hasn’t,” I state.

Mother’s shoulders deflate, “I’m not surprised.”

“But Kai is a muse.”

“Kai?”

“Sorry. Kim Jongin. You met him but his muse name is Kai.”

“Ah.”

“Do I have a muse name?”

Mother shakes her head, “I’m sorry. No muse named you. Your father actually gave you your name. I suppose in the end you’re like a human and raised mostly like one.”

“I never really fit in,” I say sadly.

She looks guilty so I smile and shake my head, “But it’s OK. Now I know. And Kai can help me.”

I decide not to tell her there are probably hunters in my school. Somehow I still don’t want to think Tao means anything bad despite how I treated him especially after hearing the story of mother’s friend and my uncle. The feeling reminds me too much of Tao.

However, Luhan is dangerous. That’s for sure. He was wearing a soul gem at the shop and I have to warn Kai. I’m going to stop running. Now is the time to heed the call of fate.

-to be continued-

AN:  thanks everyone! FINALLY Sehun believes everything! Sorry for everyone who got annoyed with him but I thought it'd be too unrealistic for him to just accept everything especially since Sehun was super depressed in the beginning. Well anyway so now Kai can be trusted, right? But what about Tao? Also Yesung will make his first appearance!

Thanks everyone for reading, subbing, upvoting and commenting! Commenting is great *cough* i think you all know that by now i just really like comments. *fetal* haha Thanks everyone

OH YEAH BTW before a i forget! Lee Hyori is the muse in this chapter of course. As well as Rain and Yesung. Dongwan is fom Shinhwa and Ock Joohyun is from Fin.kl along with Hyori.