Aron trudged up the large marble steps into the academy he would learn at for the next five years with a sense of nervousness.

Weapon and Wielder Academy – better known as WWA – stood before him with a tall, intimidating air. It was one of the world’s biggest academies for weapons and wielders and had a graduation rate of nearly eighty-seven percent. Weapons and wielders alike transferred from all over the world to learn here, Aron being one of the hundreds who enrolled internationally. The best Goemul Jeonsa to ever live had walked up the very steps Aron stood on. Through these doors, Aron would be put through rigorous training and be forced to choose an ssang, a partner for life. Every weapon and wielder came of age to choose an ssang when they turned eighteen. Aron was now twenty-two and he still didn’t have a partner.

Inhaling deeply to relax himself, the brunet continued up the academy steps and into the building. Inside was even grander than the outside. The ceiling was high with chandeliers of gold casting light across the room. The furniture was probably meant to be in castles; every cushion to sit on was covered in red velvet and had golden feet. Staff and students wandered the halls and mingled in the lobby. Stiff, serious voices came from teachers in deep discussions and light, laughter filled voices came from students who caught up with friends. Aron was a little overwhelmed, having freshly learned the Korean language and culture.

The brunet headed over to a large desk that looked like what an administration desk would look like in a regular school. A female secretary smiled at him from behind her computer and keyboard. “How may I help you?”

“I just transferred here,” Aron replied, scratching the back of his neck.

“Name?”

“Kwak Aron.”

The secretary’s fingers flew across the keys and in another moment she was handing Aron a map, handbook, schedule and dorm key. “This map will help you find everything. If you still get lost, just ask a staff member or student for directions. And welcome to WWA, please enjoy your stay!”

Aron stiffly bowed to her in thanks and ducked in around small clusters of chatty people. He received a few looks from passing students and glanced down at his current attire. As soon as he found his dorm room, he’d get settled and then go shopping. American style was a lot different from Korean it seemed. A few minutes of turning corners and walking down incredibly long hallways, Aron found himself in the male dormitory. The halls were pretty empty and Aron made his way up two flights of stairs, watching the numbers on the doors steadily increase. The brunet wandered down a hall marked with rooms in the 480s. He was getting close.

Suddenly a door burst open, very nearly hitting Aron as he passed. “Sorry!” he apologized.

 “Sorry, my fault.” A blond stood on the other side of the door, an apologetic grin on his face. “You’re new right? You look like you’re new.”  

Aron nodded hesitantly, he was a little unsure with how to answer the sudden question. Regardless, Aron found himself starting to smile a little. The blond had a smile that couldn’t be ignored. “Yeah, I just transferred here from America.”

“See, Ren? He’s a newbie!” The blond addressed the silent brunet who stood a step behind him inside the doorway. The talkative stranger quickly turned back to Aron. “I’m Kang Baekho, wielder.”

Aron bowed a little, still awkward with the mannerisms in Korea. “Kwak Aron, I’m a weapon.”

The brunet next to Baekho bowed as well. “I’m Choi Ren; I’m a weapon and ssang with Baekho, though I often ask myself why I thought it was such a good idea.” His voice was full of irritation but Aron could hear the fondness still.

“Hey!” Baekho cried, a pout forming on his face. “That hurts Rennie.” His dramatics were short lived when he turned back to Aron and smiled. “Where’s your dorm? We might live nearby.”

Aron held up his key. “I’m still looking for it. You wouldn’t happen to know where room 509 is, would you?”

“That’s just down the hall and around the corner. Friends of ours are your neighbours actually.”

“Does everyone have a roommate?” Aron asked, unhappy with the idea of a stranger sharing his room with him.

“Just those who already have an ssang; I take it you don’t?” Ren asked.

“Not yet,” Aron replied, averting his eyes. People were highly judgemental of non-partnered weapons. Weapons were considered completely useless without someone to wield them.

“You’ll find someone! It’s still early,” Baekho encouraged, grinning. “How old are you?”

Aron scratched the back of his neck, keeping his eyes on the very interesting lantern attached to the wall. “I just turned twenty-two.”

Baekho paused before replying, “Oh… well that’s what this school is for! You’ll find one soon. I actually know a few wielders who don’t have an ssang yet. Maybe I can introduce you?”

Aron smiled a little awkwardly, appreciating Baekho’s acceptance and willingness to help. “Thanks.”

“Let’s go find your room and we’ll introduce you to your neighbours, JR and Jason if they’re in,” Baekho promised, already headed down the hall with Ren in tow. Aron followed them. If everyone in this school was as friendly as these two, Aron maybe wouldn’t mind it so much. Three years of avoiding applying to one of the many weapon and wielder academy locations worldwide due to apprehension and now Aron had already made two acquaintances. He was beginning to think that those three years just working random part-time jobs and hanging out with friends were wasted. He could have been here earlier and already been in year three.

“509, right here,” Baekho announced gesturing to a simple black door.

Aron used his key to unlock the door and looked around the practically empty space. There were two beds on either side of the room, each with their own dresser, desk and chair. There was door that led to the bathroom Aron was required to share with the room next to his. A smaller area was set up in the back of the room for a small kitchenette. There was a small refrigerator, a small stovetop, sink and counter space with a cupboard above it. The walls were bare except for a clock that ticked softly. The place was ready to be covered with Aron’s own personal possessions.

“This room is bigger than ours!” Baekho complained. “Aron, I know we just met, but can you do a man a favour and trade?”

Aron laughed at the blond’s pleading expression. “Sorry but I think I’m already attached to this room.” A cheeky grin stretched across his lips.

Baekho made a face as if he were a little kid who was denied a cookie. Ren rolled his eyes at his ssang’s antics and he his heel towards the door. “I’m going to go visit JR and Jason.”

“Oh yeah, it looks like you share a bathroom with them. I’ll warn you in advance; JR said Jason takes forever in the bathroom in the morning. Your best bet is to shower at night.”

Aron wondered how many friends Baekho actually had in this school. Already he seemed like he knew everyone. On their way to Aron’s assigned room, the blond waved to at least three people as they were headed down the hall. Ren left the room and Aron could hear him knocking on the neighbouring door, calling out for JR. The painted wood opened and a pink-haired male poked his head outside. “Rennie!” he cried, the door opening wider so he could throw himself onto the brunet.

Ren looked unimpressed. “I wasn’t asking for you. Where’s JR?” He held the over-excited male at bay with a hand against his forehead.

Aron assumed this was Jason. Baekho let himself inside their room and gestured for Aron to follow. The brunet didn’t feel completely comfortable entering into a stranger’s room without permission but Ren looked like he was about to throttle the man trying to hug him and Aron really wanted to get out of the way of the pissed off weapon.

“Jonghyun, you have a new neighbour!” Baekho announced, pushing Aron towards the blond laying on his bed, a Japanese manga held above his head.

JR glanced his way and sat up, setting the book down beside him. “Nice to meet you, neighbour. I’m Kim Jonghyun, but call me JR. I’m a wielder.”

Aron bowed a little in greeting. “Kwak Aron, weapon.”

“I assume you’ve already met Jason?”

“Not officially.”

“He’s still trying to hug Ren,” Baekho explained, chuckling.

JR shook his head, laughing a little. “He probably won’t ever give up. So, you share a bathroom with us?”

“Yeah, Baekho already warned me about your roommate’s excessive shower use.”

JR nodded. “It’s easy enough to work around. I usually wake up before him and use up all the hot water. If you shower at night, you’ll have no problem. Is it just you?”

“I don’t have a wielder yet,” Aron replied.

“That’ll change soon. I heard that our homeroom assigns different partners until you choose.”

“That sounds lovely,” Aron sarcastically remarked, sighing a little.

JR opened his mouth to reply but he was interrupted when a brunet and pink-haired male entered the room again. “Just one hug, Rennie! You look so huggable I can’t help myself!”

Said male pushed the unwanted hands away and crossed his arms. “No, I’m not hugging you.”

“That’s right, Rennie only lets me hug him,” Baekho teased, coming up behind his ssang and wrapping his arms around him, smirking.

Jason pouted. “Fine, I’ll just hug JR then.”

“Don’t even think about it,” JR immediately replied. “Introduce yourself to our new neighbour before you scare him off.”

Jason finally noticed the new presence in the room and he grinned. “Hey! Call me Jason! I’m JR’s weapon and I promise I’m not that scary.”

Aron grinned. “I’m Aron; I’m not anybody’s weapon yet.”

“Oh, a free spirit! Foreign? I can hear your accent.”

“I just transferred here from America.”

“America?” Jason whistled. “That’s a big change. I moved from China years back so I can’t really call myself a foreigner any longer.”

“Sometimes I wonder why you don’t go back,” Ren muttered.

Jason gasped, a hand clutching his chest. “You wound me, Rennie! It’s okay though, because I know somewhere in that ice heart of yours, you love me.”

“In your dreams,” Ren responded, already headed for the door. “Baekho, let’s go.”

Baekho waved. “See you guys in class tomorrow!” The two left the room.

Aron cleared his throat. “I should probably go settle in. I was planning on going shopping for new clothes.”

“Want company and a second opinion?” Jason asked, grinning.

“Uh, sure. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have someone who knows the Korean fashions help.”

JR laughed. “Jason’s lived in this country for six years and I’ve known him four of those six. Not once have I seen him follow the trends. I’ll be more help than he will.”

“Why is everyone so mean to me?” the pink-haired weapon complained.

Aron chuckled. “Just let me go get my wallet and we’ll go.”

“Just go through the bathroom, it’s faster.”

Aron awoke with a start at the sound of his alarm blaring through the empty room. He groaned and hit the button, turning off the siren sound and rolled out of bed unwillingly. He was exhausted from yesterday’s shopping trip. He was dragged around to at least a dozen different clothing stores in the span of four hours and was now three hundred thousand won short. Jason was a very difficult person to sway once he had an idea. Lucky for Aron, JR seemed to be Jason’s personal defuse and saved Aron from more than one horrid fashion choice.

The weapon ran a hand through his dark hair and put on his glasses, forgoing his contacts so he’d have enough time to sort through the bags of clothes he was too tired to put away yesterday and maybe grab a bite to eat before going to class. The bathroom, as expected, was occupied so Aron used the wall mirror he bought yesterday to fix his hair. He tore the tags off his new clothes and pulled on the simple pair of black skinny jeans and a grey graphic tee. With his bag thrown over his shoulder and a piece of buttered toast – courtesy of the toaster he also bought – between his teeth, Aron knocked on his neighbours’ door.

JR opened it and grinned. “I’ll walk with you to class. Jason will probably be late.”

The blond grabbed his wallet and the weapon and wielder headed down the hall. They made small talk and Aron couldn’t believe how mature JR sounded at the age of nineteen. JR asked him questions about life in America and in turn Aron learned more about what life was like in Korea. They made it to their homeroom a good ten minutes in advance, both taking a seat next to each other. There were only a handful of students in the class and the teacher hadn’t arrived yet. A few students, including Baekho and Ren appeared with minutes to spare and Jason ran into the class the moment the bell rang, the teacher right on his heels. Everyone took their seats in the auditorium shaped room, rows of chairs in the shape of a semi-circle with a single isle down the middle as the rows got higher and higher up.

A tall brunet had taken the empty seat next to Aron and set him a smile. They weren’t able to exchange pleasantries before class had begun.

“Good morning, students. I am your homeroom teacher for the rest of your time here at this academy. Call me JB and I hope we get along. I’m going to do roll call. Your year is split into two classes, whoever has last names that start with ‘A’ through ‘K’ remain here, if you don’t, you’re in the wrong class. The exception to this would be if you are ssangs and you’ve already been spoken to.” JB paused but no one moved. “Excellent, lets begin. When I say your name, please stand, bow and say whether you are a weapon or wielder and whether you have an ssang or not.” He glanced down a long list in his hands. “Ahn Jaehyo.”

Aron tuned out the voice of the teacher until it got closer to the ‘K’s and leaned closer to JR, dropping his voice to a whisper, “Have you heard if this teacher is any good?”

“He’s supposed to be really nice but really clumsy,” JR whispered back. “His class has had accidents before.”

“What kind of accidents?”

“I heard that last year he was showing his first-year class a level four Goemul and the thing nearly decapitated a girl that got too close.”

“Seriously? They bring live Goemuls in for show-and-tell?”

JR nodded. “We’ll probably be shown a level one today. I heard that JB’s class has the highest graduation success out of all the school though, so I think we’ll be fine.”

Aron nodded and the boy next to him stood up when JB called out “Hwang Minhyun”.

Minhyun bowed and smiled brightly. “I’m a wielder and I currently do not have an ssang.” He sat back down and JB continued on with his attendance call.

Aron glanced at the boy next to him from the corner of his eye. Right next to him was a free wielder, a potential for his ssang. The brunet was probably younger than him but was definitely taller and slender, perfect for his weapon type.

“Kim Jonghyun,” JB called.

JR stood up, bowing. “Please call me JR. I am a wielder and Jason is my ssang.”

JR sat down and JB called out who was next. A few names were called before Aron heard “Kwak Aron.”

The brunet stood and bowed. “I am a weapon and I have yet to find my ssang.”

JB nodded and Aron sat again. The teacher put his list down and picked up an open textbook. “Everyone is accounted for; that’s the kind of attendance I want from all of you for the rest of the year. Now, lets move on to the introduction of this course. I know that most of you, if not all of you, already know this stuff like the back of your hand but it never hurts to review.

“The human race is divided into three types: humans, wielders and weapons. Humans are the most basic of our species and are the prime food source of Goemuls. Wielders are specialized humans who show strong soul waves at birth and will eventually come to choose a weapon to wield. Weapons are the least human of the three and are able to transform their bodies into a weapon that best fits their type of soul; no two weapons are exactly the same, not even twin weapons.

“Wielder and weapon births are possible through multiple types of couples. If one parent is a wielder and one is human, their child can either be a wielder or human; same for weapons. If both parents are wielders, the child has a high chance of being a wielder; the same goes for weapons. If one parent is a wielder and one is a weapon, which is the most common type of couple due to ssangs, the child has a high chance of being either wielder or weapon. There are also rare cases of human couples giving birth to a wielder or weapon if there is either blood type at most two generations back in their family tree. Regardless of the type of parents, there is always the chance of giving birth to neither wielder nor weapon.”

Aron rested his chin on his propped hand and tried to pay attention. He had learned this all before, like everyone else in the class. Aron’s own family was an example of the first couple type. His father passed on his weapon gene to Aron and his younger sister Grace, while his mother passed her human gene down to Aron’s youngest sister Hannah. It was extremely common and extremely boring. Aron could see that Jason was already sleeping, his pink head resting on his desk, next to JR.

“Ssang, or a soul pair, is a once in a lifetime connection between a wielder and weapon. This connection can be between any wielder and weapon regardless of or race. It is a commitment that cannot be undone until either party dies. It also cannot be redone if one party dies and the other continues to live. You get one ssang and only one in your whole life. An ssang is a soul who matches yours on a very deep level. It goes beyond intimacy and love. Your souls are meant to be connected as wielder and weapon. Because of this, often the ssang pair grows to love each other on an intimate and emotional level. But that doesn’t always have to be the case. There are many cases of a wielder or weapon marrying a human, while having an ssang. The ssang relationship exceeds that of any emotional or physical relationship and is thus something far different. We’ll go into more detail on that topic at a different time.

“Moving on, the purpose of our existence as weapons and wielders is to destroy Goemul. Goemul, as they are called in Korea, are evil human souls who have refused rest after death and come back as creatures who feast on living human souls. Wielders use weapons to destroy the body of Goemul and the weapon consumes the evil soul to strengthen themselves. With enough Goemul souls, a weapon is able to evolve their form and move up a Yeonghon level – a soul level. A wielder’s job is to keep up with their weapon’s Yeonghon level by training their own soul to keep their ssang connection strong. The stronger the ssang connection, the stronger the attacks…” JB’s voice gradually faded as Aron felt himself slipping deeper into sleep.

The weapon jolted awake again, unsure of how much time had passed since he had fallen asleep. The room smelt disgustingly like sulphur and rotting eggs, causing Aron’s stomach to twist. JR had kicked him in the back of the leg and was staring down at the front of the class with a very serious expression. Even Jason was awake now and seemed to be excitedly bouncing in his seat. Aron followed their line of sight and froze.

In front of the class was JB, standing in front of a large cage. Inside the cage was a shifting black, hairy creature with bent, ugly limbs that Aron immediately recognized as a Goemul, even after having never seen one in person. He didn’t know how the thing fit in there; its arms looked to be wrapped around its head at weird angles and its many claws were peeking out between the iron bars. Its multiple red eyes shifted around the room as students whispered to each other, some excitedly and some in fear.

JB shushed the class and continued his lecture, “This is a level one Goemul. These creatures increase in size, strength, speed and overall ability as they consume human souls. Level one Goemuls are rather easy to defeat but as they evolve, they get more powerful and even begin to show signs of intelligence and specialized abilities which make them extremely dangerous. Now, not all Goemuls look the same and they are very good at hiding. There are only a handful of signs to look for when hunting these creatures. One-” JB never got to continue because a loud groan filled the room and then the sound of screeching metal.

The cage behind JB gave a final grind before one side of it burst open, flying across the room and crashing into the wall. A few students began screaming and JB was thrown across the room by a long, crooked hand. Aron stood up in a rush, his body filling with adrenaline. The brunet saw Baekho grab Ren’s hand, already jumping over his desk and into the row in front of him, heading for the front of the room.

Aron didn’t know what came over him; he turned his head and met gazes with Minhyun for a split second before he was in motion. The weapon grabbed the wielder’s hand, already commanding his body to transform. A white light blinded Aron momentarily before he was in the familiar black room of his soul’s weapon. He could feel the dark brown wood of his weapon form, held firmly in Minhyun’s hand. Aron’s weapon form was thin, his body curved with a grip in the middle and gold ends. He felt Minhyun hold the string firmly and take aim. Aron concentrated, reaching out to temporarily connect with Minhyun’s soul waves. The connection wouldn’t be as strong as that of an ssang but it would be enough. The weapon could see the creature wreaking havoc at the front of the class, only a matter of seconds had passed since the Goemul had escaped. Baekho was still leaping over desks, a gleaming silver katana in his grip.

Aron felt it; Minhyun’s soul. The weapon built up his energy, mingling with Minhyun’s own and as Minhyun pulled back the string, a glowing blue arrow of energy gathered at the notching point. Aron could feel the wielder inhale and pulled the arrow back to the edge of his mouth and exhale, releasing the beam of energy straight at the Goemul.

Bright light flashed and an exploding sound went off, then a crash. The beast was sent back into the chalkboard and the wall it was supported on gave out and parts of it crashed to the floor, where the Goemul used to be. Once the dust settled and the sparks from Aron’s energy blast faded, in its place sat a floating black orb, the Goemul’s soul. 

For a single moment, the class was in complete silence. Aron transformed back into his human form and Minhyun immediately let go of his hand, as if he was shocked.

The teacher slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off, rubbing the back of his head. JB addressed the class, “Is everyone alright?” A few standing students, collapsed in their seats and one girl fainted, falling into her weapon’s arms. Ren had already returned to his human form, still hand-in-hand with Baekho. “Who shot it? Who killed the Goemul?” JB continued, eyes scanning over each and every one of his students.

“Minhyun did, with Aron,” JR piped up, looking the least bit phased by what had just happened. Jason resembled an excited toddler next to him.

Every pair of eyes in the room landed on Aron and Minhyun. The weapon averted his eyes and he could feel Minhyun straightening next to him.

“Is this correct?” JB asked, his dark eyes not letting Aron look away once they met his.

Aron nodded mutely while Minhyun actually replied, “Aron grabbed my hand and just transformed. I could feel his soul…” Minhyun swallowed. “With his long-range type I could hit the thing before anyone else could get close enough.”

“Aron, what kind of weapon are you?” The teacher asked, collapsing in his desk chair. He looked utterly exhausted now.

“A long bow, like my father,” Aron answered, squaring his shoulders. He may be often judged for not having an ssang at his age but one thing Aron would always stand tall about was the pride in carrying his family weapon form.

JB seemed to collect the information his was given for a minute before addressing the whole class. “I hope all of you took something from this experience. I apologize about the shock for the first day and I assure you that not every day will be so hands on. You are all dismissed for the day. I shall see you all back here tomorrow. Aron, Minhyun, please stay back with me for a minute, I wish to talk to the both of you.”

The class filed out of the room with small whispers and fleeting looks at Aron and Minhyun. The shorter brunet took off his glasses and ran a hand through his hair. Minhyun was collecting his books next to him.

“Hey, Aron. We’re going out to get a bite to eat, want to join us after you talk to JB?” Baekho asked, appearing in the spot JR was in just a minute ago.

“Uh, yeah sure. I could use some food.” The weapon nodded and grabbed his bag, returning his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

The blond paused and grinned at Minhyun, who was just zipping up his bag. “Minhyun, right? Want to join us?”

The taller brunet stared at the blond for a moment before smiling a little. “Okay.”

“Great! We’ll be waiting in the lobby for you guys.” Baekho was the last student to leave the classroom besides Aron and Minhyun. The two of them stood before JB, unsure on what they were about to be talked to about.

“Neither of you have ssangs?”

The wielder and weapon both nodded in confirmation.

“I’d like to pair you up as temporary partners for the first assignment. I’ve never seen anyone complete such a successful attack on their first soul connection, especially without being ssangs. What you two accomplished was an amazing feat. I would definitely consider each other as potential ssangs. To be able to send an attack like that in the short time frame that you did is nearly impossible. Your souls are very much compatible with each other.”

Aron glanced at Minhyun quickly and their eyes met. Minhyun turned away first and exhaled. “I’ve temporarily connected with weapons before. It’s probably because I have experience.”

Aron covered up a quiet scoff. This Minhyun seemed mighty confident in himself. “What’s going to happen to that Goemul soul?” The weapon asked.

The black orb was still floating where its body used to be.

“I suppose you could have it since you did kill it,” JB concluded. “Is this your first one?”

Aron nodded and ignored the eyes he felt burning into his back. JB walked over to the soul and picked it up by its shimmering tail. He handed it to Aron and the weapon furrowed his brows, staring at the wiggling, unappetizing thing. “What do they taste like?” 

“No idea,” JB replied, “I’ve never asked my weapon before.”

Aron stared at the soul that was still moving in his grip. He exhaled and convinced himself that he had better get used to it if he wanted to ever get stronger. Leaning his head back with his mouth open, he raised the soul up to his lips and dropped the thing into his mouth, letting the soul slide down his throat so he wouldn’t have to taste much.

Once the thing disappeared from his airways, Aron absentmindedly touched his throat. “That actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.” The weapon oddly felt energized; like he had just finished eating from the most satisfying all-you-can-eat buffet.

“That is disgusting,” Minhyun muttered, his nose wrinkled in distaste.

“Alright, think about what I said and try to get to know one another better, in a week you’ll be training as partners. You’re dismissed.” JB returned to his chair and began sorting various papers that were thrown across the surface of his desk.

Aron left the classroom in silence, a step behind the tall wielder.

An hour later, the three wielders and three weapons were in a booth in a small family restaurant, practically inhaling traditional and delicious Korean dishes. Aron hadn’t had a real Korean meal since he had left his family and his mother’s cooking skills back in California.

“So what did JB want to talk with you two about?” JR asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“He’s assigning us as partners for the first assignment,” Minhyun replied, picking at his food.

Aron swallowed the piece of chicken he just shoved in his mouth and added his own comment, “He said our souls are compatible and that we are potential ssangs. Also, I ate my first soul.”

Jason slammed down his chop sticks and gaped at the weapon from his spot across the table. “He let you eat it? What did it taste like? Did it move in your mouth?” The pink-haired weapon resembled a child who was on the verge of a great discovery.

“I just tipped my head back and let it slide down. It tasted sweet actually, with a salty after-taste. Haven’t you had a soul before? You’re older than all of us, right?”

Jason shrugged. “I’m twenty-three but I’ve only ever seen a Goemul before in passing. Only a complete idiot would consider fighting one of them ssang-less, especially as a weapon and I had to wait until JR was eighteen before I could even train properly.”

“You waited,” Aron paused, counting the years on his fingers, “four years until JR was of age?”

Jason nodded as if it wasn’t that big a deal, which it probably wasn’t to him. “I also failed most of my classes at WWA so I’d be able to apply with him in first year. I moved from China six years ago to apply but ended up applying two years later. I met JR at a dance studio I joined for fun, believe it or not.”

“You were such a creep back then – not that that has really changed.” JR avoided a piece of fried beef that Jason flung at his head. “I was fourteen and this idiot was one of my dance instructors. He kept following me around and suggesting that I become his wielder when I came of age. I still can’t believe that I agreed but I can’t say that we don’t make a good pair.”

“I just knew that your hip-hop flips would come in handy with my weapon type!” Jason explained, grinning.

Before anyone could ask the question that JR could probably clearly see on each of their faces, he cut in, “Jason is a rare type. I guess you could call his form clawed gauntlets but they’re attached by a chain and are really easy to throw.”

“Dude, I have to see that sometime!” Baekho exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Why don’t we just spar sometime?” Jason suggested. “I’ll show off what JR and I can do.”

“You’re on,” the blond easily replied. “Ren and I have some skills of our own.”

“Don’t underestimate us,” Ren piped up, agreeing to the challenge with his comment.

JR just laughed and nodded. “Same goes for us.”

Aron leaned back into the squishy padding of the booth seat and snuck a glance in Minhyun’s direction, diagonally across the table. He felt oddly out of place, without an ssang and unable to join in on the friendly competition his new friends had set up.

Apparently his dejected expression was easy to read because a moment later, Baekho suggested that Minhyun join their sparring match with Aron.

The brunet wielder yielded under Baekho’s persistence and agreed, making sure that Aron understood that “this doesn’t mean that we’re going to be ssangs”. The weapon understood but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to persuade the taller male otherwise. His soul was drawn to the wielder; just like his soul had been drawn to South Korea out of all the other academies he could have chosen. Aron couldn’t deny that his soul had been pointing him in the direction of this country, this academy and now this wielder.

“I don’t want it to be unfair for Minhyun and Aron since they lack the ssang bond, so why don’t we spar after the first class project? That’ll give them a chance to get used to each other’s soul waves,” Baekho suggested.

“Just so long as you guys don’t go easy on us.” Aron crossed his arms and rested them on the table in front of him. “Even without the ssang bond, I’m still pretty powerful. I think this morning was proof enough.”

“I don’t know,” Jason replied, his tone teasing, “all I saw was Minhyun standing there creating a pretty huge ball of light.”

Baekho decided to join in on taunting Aron. “Yeah, what was up with that? Minhyun was holding a pretty long bow. How can your form be so long when you’re so short?”

Jason erupted into laughter with the blond while Aron glared at them. “I’ll make you both eat your words when I kick your asses in the sparring match,” the weapon promised.

“Enough provoking Aron. Are we done eating? I want to get going.” JR received no complaints from his suggestion and waved over a waitress for the bill.

The next day in class, Minhyun had chosen a seat as far from Aron as possible. The weapon was completely sure that it was deliberant. Did the wielder dislike him that much? What did he do that had the younger male taking childish precautions to avoid him? JR started a conversation with Aron before class started and the brunet could tell that the blond was trying to keep his mind from dwelling any longer. It was appreciated.

JB arrived soon enough, right behind Jason just as the bell rang. The pink-haired male took his spot next to his wielder and the teacher started roll call. Class dragged on with the introduction of the project JB had mentioned to Aron and Minhyun the day before. In pairs, the wielder and weapon were required to master a stable soul connection. For ssangs such a thing would be as easy as breathing, so JB changed their requirement to doing a little soul searching and providing a detailed paper on the benefits and limitations of having an ssang. Aron could hear Jason and Baekho’s groaning at the prospect of extra work.

The brunet weapon stood up when JB instructed the ssang-less students to find a partner. Aron’s gaze zeroed in on Minhyun, who was seated a few rows up with a small crowd of students surrounding him. Aron could hear them asking to be their wielder for the project and Aron grit his teeth, climbing over desks in an undignified manner. He pushed through the bodies encircling Minhyun and slammed his hands on Minhyun’s desk.

“JB already assigned us as partners. Unless you forgot about yesterday, when we took down a Goemul without so much as knowing each others’ names?” Aron quirked an eyebrow and Minhyun’s expression turned sour.

The students around them slowly disbanded with hushed whispers and looks over their shoulders. Aron smirked, still leaning over Minhyun’s desk, very much in his space. “Excellent. I suggest we start practicing as soon as possible.”

“If for some reason my previous warning hasn’t gotten through your thick skull, I’ll remind you again. Just because we’re partnered up doesn’t mean that we’re going to become ssangs.” The wielder’s gaze was solid and unwavering.

Aron leaned closer, practically sharing air with Minhyun. “My soul has been drawn to you ever since we took down that Goemul yesterday. Now, we can go on pretending that you aren’t drawn to me in the same way and probably live the rest of our lives ssang-less, or you can quit being so stuck up and stubborn and just accept it.”

Minhyun’s dark eyes turned deadly and he planted his hand on Aron’s face, shoving him backwards. “You’re delusional. I’ll do this project with you but there is no way you’re become my weapon permanently.”

Aron rubbed his throbbing nose and smirked. “We’ll see.” He headed back to his own desk, strengthening his resolve to have Minhyun as his ssang. The taller brunet could deny the soul attraction all he wanted but Aron knew that it was only a matter of time before the younger relented.

It had been a few days since their project had been assigned. Aron went to classes with the same routine of knocking on JR’s door, walking with him to their homeroom class, sitting next to him, watching Minhyun arrive and sit as far as possible from him, greeting Baekho and Ren when they showed up and laughing at Jason who made it seconds before JB arrived. JB went into more detail on the development of wielders and the signs of the required soul for that type. Aron took notes when necessary and had hushed discussions with JR on Jason’s latest “grand idea” or JR’s opinion on who would win a fight if this classmate battled that classmate.

Already pairs had been practicing their soul connection in the open training area behind the school. JR had apparently already finished more than half of his paper on why Jason made both a good and bad partner. Aron had yet to even talk to his partner and he was losing precious time to work with Minhyun on their project requirements. His assigned wielder was avoiding him still, disappearing when JB gave them class time to go to the fields to train and giving lame excuses after class on why he couldn’t meet up for an hour. Aron had had enough of it. He wouldn’t let his marks suffer because his partner was being difficult.

JB gave them more class time to work today and dismissed them. Ren dragged Baekho towards the school library to work in peace and JR offered to help Aron convince Minhyun to actually practice today. Jason just said that he wanted to watch and decided to follow.

“Minhyun,” Aron called, approaching the tall brunet who was quickly packing his bag.

Minhyun looked up and Aron could see the clear hindrance being caught before he could escape had caused him. “What?”

“Aron was telling me that you two were having trouble creating a stable connection,” JR lied, offering a kind smile. “Would it be okay if I came to watch and see if I can give you any advice?”

Minhyun hesitated and exhaled softly. “Yeah, sure.” The wielder threw his bag on his shoulder and followed the other three out of the classroom and to the training fields.

A few other pairs were already on the field, practicing with short bursts of coloured light and the sheen of silver weapon blades. Aron dropped his bag on the ground at the base of a tree and Minhyun followed suit, standing across from the shorter male.

“Ready?” Aron asked.

“Are you?” Minhyun shot back, clearly wanting to be anywhere but where he currently was.

“You guys really don’t have all day. Aron has another class after this and there are only four more days to practice,” JR spoke up, arms crossed over his chest. Jason was reclined against a tree with an amused smirk on his face.

Aron exhaled and caught Minhyun’s gaze, shifting his body forward and letting his weapon form embrace him. He felt Minhyun’s fingers brush the grip of his bow form and then he hit the ground, immediately returning to his human form and letting out a pained groan.

“Sorry, I missed.”

Aron glared at the wielder and rubbed his back, getting to his feet again. “Do I have to hold your hand again so you don’t drop me?”

Minhyun rolled his eyes. “Just transform again.”

Aron did, this time having Minhyun grip him tightly.

“Good, now produce an energy shot like you did the other day,” JR instructed, pointed at a tree at least a dozen feet away from them.

Aron inhaled and exhaled, relaxing his mind and reaching out with his soul. He thought he felt the somewhat familiar waves of Minhyun’s own soul before the short connection was severed by a sharp pain and Aron landed on the ground on his back, in human form with the wind knocked out of him. The weapon curled in on himself, clutching his chest as the blinding pain he felt slowly ebbed away. Perspiration had gathered above his brow and Aron was panting as if he had run a marathon.

“What happened?” JR asked, coming to kneel by Aron’s side with a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

The weapon growled and shot Minhyun a glare that would have him disintegrated on the spot if looks could kill. “You bastard,” his hissed, “that hurt. Are you trying to kill me?”

Minhyun’s usual stony expression was actually filled with concern – and guilt? “I-I’m sorry.” His eyes were wide and he seemed to shrink a little under Aron’s heated glare. “I didn’t know it would hurt so much… I- I’m sorry. I just wanted… I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t know,” Aron spat, sitting up with the help of JR. “Since when could you ever know how it feels for a weapon? You don’t know how it feels to be constantly judged because you don’t have a wielder to be used by; constantly being viewed as completely incompetent. As a weapon, society is continuously beating into you that you are a tool rather than a living being and that wielders are the real heroes that protect our world. But you wouldn’t know, because you are a wielder who isn’t judged by not having chosen an object to use against Goemul. No, you’re just living life above the rest of us, not giving a damn about how others feel with your snobbish, ignorant, holier-than-thou-”

“Stop it, Aron.” Jason was the one that cut him off, walking up behind the angry weapon and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Battling prejudice with more prejudice is just giving fuel to flames. Both of you just need to go your separate ways for now to cool down and then you can try this again tomorrow. I’m sure neither of you want to fail the first assignment of the year.”

Aron scowled and gave Minhyun one last glare before turning away and gathering his bag before stalking away.

Unlike what Jason suggested, Aron and Minhyun didn’t talk for the next two days. Aron was still ticked off and his chest had been burning at random times with phantom pains. Minhyun hadn’t tried to approach the weapon, which was probably for the best. The confrontation wouldn’t have ended positively since Aron was still so upset over the whole ordeal. Aron had skipped his afternoon class the day of the failed practice session and the day after Aron failed in leaving his dorm room. He stayed holed up in his empty room, watching English movies on Jason’s borrowed laptop. The day after that JR wouldn’t let him skip class again and dragged the weapon to their homeroom with very convincing reasons on why he couldn’t skip again.

As soon as class ended, Aron made a beeline straight for the male dorms again since he didn’t have another class that afternoon. The weapon had just set up camp with the laptop he had borrowed and a bag of chips when JR broke into his sanctuary via the bathroom.

“Why are you still moping?” The blond asked, making himself comfortable on the uninhabited bed in Aron’s room.

“I’m not moping. I’m enjoying my empty bedroom by watching movies and eating junk food,” Aron replied, munching on a chip to further prove his point.

JR rolled his eyes and sighed. “You have two days to complete your assignment.”

Aron huffed, realizing the blond’s goal in being there. “I’m not connecting with him again. How can I trust that he won’t cut me off and nearly kill me again?”

“You and I both know that you’re being dramatic. You didn’t almost die. Minhyun came up to me yesterday and said he wanted to talk to you. I knew you needed at least a day to get over it but by the looks of it, you’re still being grumpy. Minhyun apologized and looked genuinely sorry. He honestly didn’t know that cutting off your soul waves would hurt you so much. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it. Believe it or not, Minhyun’s not a bad person. He’s gone through his own kind of ridicule from the people around him and has his own reasons for not wanting to choose an ssang so quickly. You just need to give him a chance to explain himself.”

The weapon frowned, not liking the sense that JR was making. The blond stared at him evenly, not giving him much room to argue with his logic. “Fine,” Aron relented, “I’ll talk to him.”

“Great. He’s in room 369 on the floor below us.” JR smiled and shut the lid to Jason’s laptop when Aron made no sign of moving. “I didn’t mean later, I meant now.”

Aron sent JR an annoyed glare and got up, straightening his glasses and pulling a baseball cap over his bed hair. “Fine, I’m going.”

Five minutes later, Aron found himself standing in front of a solid black door with the digits 369 on a plaque just above his eye level. The weapon stood outside Minhyun’s door, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot, trying to talk himself into knocking.

The brunet kept replaying JR’s words in his head and kept picturing the guilty and troubled look on Minhyun’s face. JR had said that Minhyun had his own reasons for not accepting Aron’s advances. A piece of advice his mother had given Aron before he got on his flight weeks prior rose up in his mind – “Everyone has a story, Aron. Some stories are easy to read and can be understood with a single glance at the surface. But some are hidden behind a cover and it’s the reader’s job to dig deeper and turn the pages. Never judge based on what is seen on the surface; the pages hold what a person is really made of”. Aron squared his shoulders and exhaled, before raising his hand up to the wood and knocking.

The door opened a moment later and Minhyun stood just in the doorway, a surprised look on his face. Out of all the people who could have been knocking, Minhyun probably never expected it to be Aron.

“Hi,” the weapon mumbled in greeting.

“Hi,” Minhyun replied, stepping away from the door. “Want to come in?”

Aron stepped inside and Minhyun gestured to the less lived-in bed in the room. The older male took a seat on the end of it and Minhyun stood awkwardly in the middle of the room for a minute before seeming to think of something to say. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Do you have coffee?”

“Yeah, I just made a pot.” The taller brunet moved into the kitchen area and Aron watched him take two mugs out of the cupboard and fill them with rich, dark coffee. “Cream and sugar?”

“Just a spoon of sugar, thanks.”

The tension in the air refused to dissipate and Aron felt more out of place by the second. A few moments of silence passed before Minhyun was holding out a mug of steaming coffee and Aron took the warm mug with a quiet ‘thanks’.

Minhyun sat on his own bed directly across from the weapon and sipped his own drink before setting it on the floor at his feet. “I assume JR told you that I wanted to talk to you?”

Aron just nodded and held his coffee up to his lips. The smell was dark, pleasant and it reminded him of home.

“I wanted to properly apologize.” The wielder dropped his gaze to his hands resting on his lap. “I am very sorry about what I did the other day. I had no idea that doing that would hurt you like that. I didn’t mean to hurt you; I just didn’t want to connect again. The feeling… I don’t like it, connecting-” He abruptly cut off and ran a hand through his hair, looking like he was struggling for words. “That’s not quite what I meant. I don’t dislike you or anything. I just…” Minhyun let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, I can’t explain it well.”

Aron was silent for a minute, staring at the wielder seated across from him. He sipped at his coffee and changed the subject a little bit. “JR said that you have gone through your own kind of ridicule and that I should listen to your reasons before jumping to conclusions like I did.”

Minhyun bit his lip and glanced down at his hands again. “It’s not really ridicule,” he paused and lifted his gaze to meet Aron’s eyes, “have you heard of the Hwang family before?”

“No, I lived in America before I transferred here.”

Minhyun nodded. “The Hwang family – my family – are highly influential in the wielder part of society. We’ve carried a long line of strong wielders through many generations. We don’t have a single drop of weapon or human blood to ‘taint’ our bloodlines. That is something my parents are very proud of. Both my parents have nearly pure-blooded sword-type weapons and the same went for my grandparents, my great-grandparents and so on. The weapons accepted into the Hwang family must be purely weapon blooded at least two generations back and carry a sword-type gene. It’s considered a sacred tradition that must be carried on.” Minhyun paused to take a sip from his coffee, returning it to its previous spot at his feet.

“My older sister was the first of my family to break that tradition. She picked an ssang with a hammer form and a human mother. She even went so far as to fall in love with him. My parents kicked her out of the house and permanently cut her off from the family. They said horrible things to her, their own daughter.” Minhyun’s hands began to shake and Aron felt the urge to reach over and take them in his. “They called her weapon’s form ‘barbaric’ and ‘hideous’ and forbade her from using their name any longer. I haven’t heard from her for at least five months now. I don’t know where she is or how she’s doing.

“Now my parents dot on me, always saying that I was always their favourite child and that it’s my duty to carry on the family traditions and to not taint their name like my sister had. I don’t have the freedom of choice like most wielders have.”

Aron let the information Minhyun had opened up about to sink in for a little. The younger’s stubborn denial of their soul attraction and his strong refusals to become ssangs were starting to make more sense now. “So all the coldness was because of your parents’ prejudice against my weapon type and the fact that my mother is human and not because of anything I did, right?”

Minhyun nodded a little. “They won’t react well if I became ssangs with a bow type. I’d be disappointing them and ultimately going against generations of tradition just like my sister. They wouldn’t have any other children left to carry on the family name.”

Aron could understand Minhyun’s need to gain his family’s approval and to stay in their good graces. Blood ran thick and making your parents happy was what any child wanted. Even if the weapon didn’t agree with Minhyun’s parents’ strict conditions and unfair treatment of their daughter, he still understood why Minhyun was trying so hard not to disappoint them and get cut off from those he loved.

After another minute of silence, Aron asked another question, “Tell me honestly, do you feel the same soul attraction that I do?”

Minhyun chewed on his bottom lip and nodded. “I know that you’re a potential ssang and I know how amazing it is that I am lucky enough to find someone that connects so well with me. A small part of me honestly wants to go against my parents’ wishes and become ssangs with you just to rebel against them for once in my life. I want to disobey them and feel the freedom that comes with that. But a bigger part of me doesn’t want to lose them and be on the receiving end of their wrath.”

“Do you really think that they’d disown you, their last child?” The weapon couldn’t help asking. He highly doubted that Minhyun’s parents could actually do something so foolish for something as pointless as tradition.

“I don’t know,” Minhyun mumbled, “it’s a possibility. My parents honour tradition just as much as family.”

Aron stood up and walked over to Minhyun’s bed, setting his mug down next to the wielder’s own and sitting next to him. The weapon took Minhyun’s hands in his and held his gaze. He could feel the buzzing energy between them, their souls pulsing in time with each other. Minhyun gasped softly, no doubt feeling the same thing.

The weapon gently rubbed the back of Minhyun’s hand and smiled softly. “Even if I were to visit every country on this planet, I don’t think I’d ever find a wielder with a soul that matches mine as closely as yours does. I’ll respect your choice to honour your family’s tradition but that doesn’t mean that I won’t try and change your mind. I have my own life to worry about and I want you as my wielder, so I won’t stop trying to convince you. For now, let’s start with getting this project done, okay?”

Minhyun smiled and Aron quite liked the way it lit up the younger male’s face. “Okay, let’s get an A then, partner.”

Aron and Minhyun practiced every free moment they got, trekking to the fields behind the school and working long hours to make up for their five day delay. They had Sunday and Monday to perfect their soul connection before JB was grading them on Tuesday. The pair spent hours trying to bring Aron’s energy arrows up to their highest power as temporary partners. They often collapsed on the grass, sweaty and exhausted with tree branches lying haphazardly around them. Aron used this time to learn more about the wielder he held as his potential ssang and let Minhyun know more about himself. They quickly formed a friendship of sorts, finding it easy to be around each other since their souls were so naturally in tune.

Once the day of grading came around, Aron felt that they had a good chance of getting at least a high B. Minhyun, as expected, was worrying and was nervous the whole walk to the back fields, led by JB.

The ssang students sat down on the grass, forming a sort of audience since they had already handed in their assignment when they arrived in class. JB stood in front of them, calling on student pairs in alphabetical order. Aron and Minhyun stood off to the side as the first set of partners went up to get graded. They’d have to wait a little until they went.

The first pair was both males – Aron recalled the wielder’s name being Ahn Jaehyo – and they successfully connected, the weapon firing a purple energy bullet from the gun’s barrel and sending a tree onto its side, splinters raining down. The student audience clapped and JB marked down the grade on his clipboard. A few more pairs went and Aron watched them, impressed by the amount of work they clearly put into it.

It finally became Minhyun and his turn and the two stepped up, standing across from each other. Aron caught Minhyun’s gaze and nodded, smiling to help relax him. Minhyun exhaled to calm his nerves and nodded to signal that he was ready. Aron shifted forward and transformed, feeling Minhyun’s firm grip wrap around his weapon body as he caught him. Aron saw his surroundings from within his soul’s eyes, felt the wind gently causing his weapon form’s string to vibrate. Minhyun had reached out his soul waves first, while Aron was settling into his other form. The weapon felt Minhyun’s soul’s waves and immediately connected them, the familiarity of it all made it easy. Aron could feel Minhyun’s nerves and gave him his own confidence, sharing in their emotions to better harmonize their minds and focus on the task on hand.

Minhyun inhaled, pulling Aron’s string back and falling into his stance until the notching point rested against the corner of his mouth and Aron could feel Minhyun’s even breath. The wielder exhaled slowly and inhaled again, assisting Aron in concentrating their soul energy into a powerful blast. Quickly, a blue arrow of light formed and Minhyun exhaled, releasing the arrow straight at a tree. The projectile hit its mark and a flash overtook the target before a few branches fell to the ground and leaves rained down, the rest of the tree was completely obliterated.

Aron could hear Jason whistle from behind them and the rest of the class clapped politely. JB marked down their grade and smiled at them, giving them silent praise for their good work. Aron returned to his human form, his hand clutched tightly in Minhyun’s and the two took their seat with the rest of the presenting partners, still hand-in-hand.

Aron’s eyes raked down the list posted just inside the classroom and his eyes fell on his and Minhyun’s names. He followed the dotted line over to their mark and at the same time, Minhyun let out a whoop, fist pumping in the air. Aron laughed and gave the other male a quick half-hug, a grin stretched wide across his face.

“Eighty-seven percent! Whoo!” The wielder was acting as if he had just won the lottery.

Aron pulled him away from the board to let other students have a chance to see their mark. They approached their small group of friends as they were looking over each of their marked papers.

“Judging by the -eating grin on Min’s face, you guys did good?” Baekho questioned.

“Eighty-seven,” Aron replied, taking a seat next to JR in his usual desk. “Did you guys do well on your papers?”

“Seventy-nine!” Jason boasted, practically shoving the stapled pages in Aron’s face.

“Glad to know your previous failing was on purpose and not the actual extent of your academic abilities,” JR teased.

“I’m smart!” the pink-haired weapon defended, a pout crossing his face.

“Then continue getting good marks to prove how smart you are,” JR responded immediately. Their relationship often resembled a teacher speaking to a young child with the promise of a prize if they worked hard. Jason was the biggest child Aron had ever met.

JB returned to the front of the class once the crowd around the mark list disappeared and he dismissed the class early, praising them all on their hard work.

Baekho immediately suggested going out to grab a bite to eat but JR didn’t want to waste anymore money on eating out. They had been visiting nearby shops to eat for the past few days, at least for one meal and it was taking a toll on their wallets. Plus the food wasn’t usually healthy for them. Aron thought of the empty but well stocked kitchenette he had in his room and offered to cook if they all bought the ingredients. The weapon was a little hurt that all his friends seemed extremely surprised that he even could cook. Regardless, they eventually all agreed and headed out to the supermarket to buy supplies.

The sight of six young men wandering around a grocery store at ten in the morning is certainly a sight to behold. Aron was ready to smack his head against a wall just so he could fall unconscious and escape this horrible idea of his. Sure, Minhyun and JR were the best behaved but they were hardly any help with the other three children. Ren was continuously demanding to get the most expensive meat he could find, even after Aron repeatedly reminded him that they didn’t have money growing on trees. Jason and Baekho were much worse though. They were strikingly similar to a pair of preschoolers who were surrounded by limitless toys. Things kept catching Jason’s eye and he immediately dragged Baekho over to the shelf to freak out over whatever managed to hold his attention for more than a minute. They were loud and disruptive. Baekho boisterous laugh rang through the whole building and Jason bounced between the isles, seemingly hyped up on something sugary. Aron may have joined them on any other day, but today he felt like the parent having to provide for five children.

Never again would he be taking all of them anywhere.

They made it back to Aron’s dorm room around lunch and the weapon went straight to work. An hour later, the group was pigging out on grilled beef and kimchi and numerous other dishes that Aron had personally learned from his mother. The response to the food was positive and Aron was exempted from cleaning up since he made everything.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies on Jason’s laptop and playing stupid children’s games to reveal everybody’s deepest secrets and desires. Personally, Aron felt that it was a day well spent.

Two weeks of boring lectures proceeded after their partner assignment was complete. Aron tried to take notes but the lessons were reviewing the most basic information on Goemuls and how important it was to hunt them.

Goemuls are bad. Humans were at the top of their prey list. They were more dangerous the higher the level. Only trained ssangs should ever try and go after a Goemul. Their souls were pretty tasty. Blah, blah, blah. Aron fell asleep more than once during these kinds of discussions.

Luckily, the weapon’s other classes weren’t nearly as boring. His Thursday afternoon class was nearly all hands on and was weapons only, designed to specifically strengthen a weapon’s transformation. His other class was held in the evenings on Tuesdays and managed to capture Aron’s attention with the stories of some of the greatest Goemul Jeonsa from around the world.

Unfortunately, the one class Aron had with all his friends was now becoming his least favourite.

Currently, Minhyun was carefully sneaking Aron a slip of paper that was covered in both of their handwriting. They were having a silent conversation while JB explained the different levels of Goemul. Halfway through his sentence, there was a knock at the door and JB opened it.

A feminine looking boy with light brown curls entered the room and bowed politely to the teacher. Aron couldn’t hear their hushed conversation clearly from where he sat but soon JB was standing in the center of the classroom again, gesturing to the boy.

“Class, we have a new student who will be joining us for the rest of the semester. He transferred here from Busan. Please, introduce yourself.”

The boy bowed to the whole class, his lips stretching into a charming smile that made him look even more like a woman. “Hello, I am Beom Myungki. I am nineteen-years-old and I am a weapon who is still looking for an ssang. Please take care of me.” He bowed again and JB directed him to an empty seat at the back. A few students were whispering amongst each other, no doubt about the new kid and JB easily fell back into his previous lesson.

Minhyun nudged Aron and slid their note conversation back over. Aron tried not to laugh at the words that were written, I’m not the only one who is strangely attracted to her him, right? The weapon scribbled something right back and Minhyun quickly turned a little to look back at the new student sitting in the back of the classroom. The wielder immediately turned right back around and Aron could swear that Minhyun had a faint blush gracing his cheeks. He was looking right at me. He’s too pretty to be a dude was what was written back to Aron on the slip of paper. The older male was just about to reply back when the bell rang and JB dismissed them.

Minhyun crumpled up the paper and put his books away. Aron stretched and took his merry time to pack up.

“Hi,” a voice greeted and Minhyun nearly lost his balance from avoiding the stranger’s face from being so close.

“Uh, hi,” the wielder replied.

“My name is Beom Myungki. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hwang Minhyun,” the tall dark-haired male replied, bowing a little.

Aron stood up and smiled. “And I’m Kwak Aron. So are you new to the school then?”

Myungki nodded. “I applied a little late but my family was able to pull some strings to get me in.” The boy giggled – literally giggled.

“Your family must be pretty powerful to be able to get accepted late,” Minhyun commented.

“I’m related to the Beom family. Perhaps you’ve heard of it; it’s a really large, pure-blooded weapon family.”

Recognition dawned on Minhyun’s face and he opened his mouth, but then closed it.

“Aha! I see you do know of it! I’m not surprised really; you’re Hwang Minhyun of the Hwang family, aren’t you?” The feminine male smiled brightly and bounced on the balls of his feet.

“Yes… I’ve met members of your family before. It’s a pleasure.” Minhyun bowed.

Myungki giggled again and waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t be so formal! We’re classmates now! It’s nice to meet someone from another pure-blooded family and a wielder at that. Where is your dorm room?”

Aron was very easily excluded from the conversation. The weapon sighed and told Minhyun that he’d see him later, leaving the classroom without a response to try and catch up with JR.

Something certainly felt off about that weapon. Aron couldn’t place it but his instincts were telling him to be weary.

“Hey Min!” Aron slowed down as he got closer to the wielder who was walking next to none other than Myungki. “Where were you yesterday? I thought you said you were going to come over so we could watch that foreign movie you wanted to see so badly.”

“Oh! I completely forgot! I’m so sorry, Aron. Myungki wanted to go around Seoul for a little and I got caught up talking and it slipped my mind… I’m sorry.” Minhyun looked genuinely apologetic so Aron let it go.

“Good morning, Aron,” Myungki greeted, his smile stretching across his face. That smile made Aron’s stomach turn. It was like Myungki knew something that he didn’t.

“Good morning,” the older weapon replied, any hint of cheer immediately leaving his voice.

“Did you hear that Minnie and I are nearly neighbours? It’s great huh?”

Aron nodded a little. “Yeah. I’m going to go find JR; I’ll see you guys in class.”

The weapon left the younger two males and hunted down JR who had already found Baekho and Ren in the lobby.

“Morning!” Baekho called with a smile on his face. The kid just oozed cheerfulness and exuberance; Aron found it hard to remain in a sour mood with him around.

“Where’s Min?” Ren asked. “I thought he was going to crash in your extra bed after movie night?”

“Myungki had him preoccupied last night so he forgot about our plans,” the older weapon replied, the bitterness seeping into his tone. He may have forgiven Minhyun for letting it slip his mind but he was still a little hurt over it. Apparently a kid Minhyun knew for less than a day was enough to distract him from his friends.

“The new student?”

Aron nodded in response to Ren’s question and adjusted his bag on his shoulder.

“Are you jealous?” Baekho teased, appearing suddenly over his shoulder.

“As if,” the weapon shot back, rolling his eyes. “I’m just a little ticked that Minhyun forgot about what we had planned in favour of escorting a guy he hardly knows around a city said guy should have at least visited once in his life.”

“That sounds an awful lot like jealousy to me. I should know; I’ve been jealous when it comes to Ren before. He’s a pretty boy that likes to make me riled up and protective. It’s ho-”

 Ren smacked his wielder’s arm and effectively shut him up.

“I’m sure Minhyun will make it up to you. He’s just being friendly to the new kid,” JR proposed.

“Yeah,” Aron agreed, but he really didn’t believe it. That new student was planning something; the weapon could just feel it. Perhaps this weekend, Aron would have a better chance to be with Minhyun alone.

That chance didn’t come for another three days. It was Saturday now and Aron had convinced Minhyun that he needed new clothes and only Minhyun’s opinion on them would be good enough. That’s how the two of them ended up wandering around Seoul each with an ice cream in their hands and their eyes peeled for any promising clothing stores or even a tasty looking pastry shop.

The day had started off well. Aron met Minhyun in the front lobby of the school around noon and they left for the city with full wallets and empty stomachs. They ate at a small coffee shop and headed out, chatting the whole way about things that they would forget within the day. Minhyun spotted an ice cream cart and Aron kindly offered to pay and again they were off. It was already around two in the afternoon and they had yet to even enter a clothing shop, enjoying their easy conversations and frozen treats instead.

The wielder was just finishing up a story about his two sisters back in America when Minhyun perked up in excitement, his attention shifting away from Aron and towards a dim building. They were in a quieter part of the city, walking along a practically empty street that offered sketchy looking services and cheap accessory stores. Aron hadn’t realized they had even wandered away from the bustle of the crowds and he was surprised that a rich guy like Minhyun recognized one of the stores in an area like this.

“Myungki showed me that place,” Minhyun explained, immediately ruining Aron’s mood with the mere mention of that kid’s name. “It has some really cool items.”

“Uh-huh,” Aron noncommittally replied.

“Let’s go in, we might find something you like.”

The weapon grabbed the wielder’s arm as he started towards the shop. “I have a bad feeling about this place. Let’s go back to the main streets and keep looking.”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared?” Minhyun teased, his voice coming out harsher than Aron hoped he meant.

“No, it just doesn’t look like a place that sells my style,” the older male replied, tugging insistently on Minhyun’s arm.

The younger brunet finally caved and let Aron pull him away from the store and towards the busier part of Seoul. Minhyun had a small frown on his face as he was lead back the way they came. “Myungki said that you probably wouldn’t like that kind of place. He said that you thought you were too good for a run down shop, even though you’re low class. He said that you think of yourself higher than you really are and that you need to be reminded of your position.”

The comment sounded as if Minhyun was only half paying attention to what he was saying. The words still cut through Aron like a knife and the weapon felt a wave of resentment towards the male he was pursuing as an ssang. Lips twisted in scowl and tone laced with animosity, Aron pulled Minhyun to a stop and faced him. “Do you agree with him?”

Minhyun blinked at the sudden halting motion and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

“Do you agree with his bigotry views?” Aron repeated, his fingers tightening around Minhyun’s upper arm.

“Well,” the wielder started but the weapon quickly cut him off.

“Has he managed to influence you so much in a matter of days?” Aron cried, his voice easily rising in volume as he spoke, “I’m shocked to even see you hesitate. I wanted to let you prove me wrong about your class. To prove to me that not all of you are snooty, conceited, discriminatory s that think all weapons are lower than you. I wanted-” Aron stopped talking when the wind shifted and his nose was assaulted with a sulphuric stench. His whole body tensed and his instincts screamed danger.

The street stank of Goemul.

Without another word, Aron grabbed Minhyun by the wrist and nearly ran from the area, dragging the protesting wielder behind him. Of course, the wielder didn’t know what was going on since only weapons could smell Goemul. Explaining to Minhyun could wait; getting them both to safety was priority over a flailing, confused wielder.

Aron hadn’t spoken to Minhyun in a week since their failed shopping trip. The avoiding was beginning to get ridiculous, but the distance didn’t seem to have affected Minhyun at all, as far as Aron could see at least. The wielder was happily getting along with Myungki, much to Aron’s displeasure. JR and the others had continued speaking to Minhyun, not sensing the odd vibe the new weapon was giving off (except maybe Ren). All of them – minus JR, who was trying to be supportive – thought that Aron was acting like a teenage girl with jealousy issues.

What surprised Aron the most was on Saturday evening when JR entered the weapon’s room through the bathroom, announcing that Myungki had invited them to go to a club in the city. The clubbing wasn’t surprising; the fact that Myungki invited Aron was the shocking part. Regardless, the weapon’s instincts were telling him to go, if anything, to keep Baekho and Jason out of trouble or maybe even join them in trouble. Aron really needed to have some fun.

An hour later, Aron finished getting ready in appropriate clubbing attire and met with everyone in the school lobby. The response to his arrival was mixed. JR smiled warmly, Jason grinned, Baekho cheered, Ren looked indifferent, Minhyun looked uncomfortable and Myungki looked irritated.

Neither Minhyun nor Myungki said anything to Aron’s face though and they soon headed out to the club Myungki promised was the best one in all of Seoul. Fleetingly, Aron wondered how the younger weapon knew of this club since two weeks ago he apparently hadn’t visited Seoul at all. Keeping silent, the brunet followed the group, only half paying attention to the conversation JR was trying to uphold with him.

It was about a fifteen minute walk through numerous back alleyways and dingy streets. Aron vaguely recognized the area as one of the places he’d passed while shopping with Minhyun. The faint stench of sulphur hung in the air and Aron, Ren and Jason immediately tensed up, already smelling the presence of Goemul.

“Where did you take us, Myungki?” Aron demanded, his body humming with soul energy. Something wasn’t right.

The light-haired boy bent over and began cackling, his giggles sounding darker than usual. Black soul energy rose off his shoulders and his presence became much more ominous. The group of them scrambled backwards but Minhyun wasn’t quick enough and he was snagged by a long black limb and held captive. The fair skin of the younger weapon melted away to reveal his true form. The sulphur and rotten eggs smell tripled and Aron could hear Ren dry retching behind him.

“What the hell?” Jason exclaimed, his eyes comically wide at the sight of the Goemul that used to hold Myungki’s face.

“I had all you idiots fooled,” the creature chortled. “My abilities fooled you all.”

At this point, Aron wasn’t surprised that the creature could speak. It had the power to hold a human shape and to hide its scent and soul. Who knew what else it was capable of?

Minhyun was still struggling in the Goemul’s bony arms. He wasn’t screaming, which Aron commended him for but the younger male was beginning to look near hysterical.

“Jason,” JR called, holding out his arm. Without another word, Jason rushed towards JR’s outstretched arm and transformed. On each of the wielder’s hands, twin clawed gauntlets materialized. For a moment, Aron paused to appreciate the beautiful weapon form that Jason held. The claws were shiny and sharp, curled at the tips in order to grab on and rip. The gloves themselves were black with pink accents that fit JR’s hands perfectly but were designed to make it easy to take off and throw.

Ren and Baekho had already deduced that they wouldn’t do much good being a close range duo that could potentially hurt Minhyun. They stayed off to the side, waiting for their chance. The most Ren did was transform only his arms into flashing silver blades.

The weapon realized that he was wasting precious time watching the others – precious time that Minhyun didn’t really have since the Goemul holding him was beginning to squeeze. Aron quickly went into offence and transformed his arms, losing no time in pulling back his bow and shooting a bright but weak soul arrow right at the open neck of the Goemul.

The creature howled and as expected, dropped Minhyun to clutch at his neck. The wielder fell on his hands and knees and clambered towards Aron, hitting the weapon like a bag of bricks. Aron stumbled backwards and landed on his , a shaking Minhyun in his arms.

The wielder was close to sobbing, whispering “I’m sorry” over and over again in the crook of Aron’s neck.

Aron shushed him; keeping an eye on the battle JR and Jason had entered with the Goemul. “Min now isn’t the time for apologies. We need to help the others. That thing is probably at least a level six; we aren’t strong enough to kill it but we can help JR and Jason.”

Minhyun pulled back, his fox-like eyes tearing up. “Be my ssang.”

“What?” Aron wasn’t sure if his ears were just playing with him.

“Be my ssang,” Minhyun repeated. “We’ll be strong then.”

“Min, ssangs can’t be redone. This will be permanent.”

“I know. I know it is. But I was going to ask you, before Myungki came and… and distracted me. I don’t know how to explain it… he was influencing me. How I acted… It wasn’t me. I’m sorry, Aron. I didn’t mean it…”

“Apologize later. We’re wasting precious time. Are you absolutely sure about becoming my ssang? Are you willing to risk losing your family?” Aron clutched Minhyun head between his palms and held his gaze.

“Yes, I’m sure. Please, Aron,” Minhyun whispered.

The weapon nodded and gently ran his thumbs across Minhyun’s cheekbones. His chest felt heavy with anticipation, as if his soul knew that it was going to be connected to another. Slowly, Aron leaned forward and captured Minhyun’s lips with his own. The action wasn’t meant to be intimate or passionate. It was the norm for connecting souls between ssangs. Every ssang pair went through it, regardless of the gender. What Aron wasn’t expecting was the wave of emotions that crashed over him. The connection wasn’t like anything he had ever read about in his textbooks or learned in JB’s lectures. His soul grew stronger, his energy and Minhyun’s mingling between their lips. The weapon felt his body strengthen and his heart’s pace levelled to match that of Minhyun’s. The wielder, at some point, had threaded his fingers in Aron’s hair and had returned the kiss with a lot more enthusiasm than was strictly professional. It felt like several hours had passed until they parted and Aron pulled back from Minhyun feeling refreshed and renewed.

Baekho whistled from a few feet away. “That was almost as hot as mine and Ren’s soul connection. Are you two sure you don’t have the hots for each other?”

Ren practically growled from his crouch next to his wielder, arms still transformed into blades and his whole body alert, waiting for the monster before them to direct his attacks in their direction. “Now is really not the time to be telling stories about how bad of a kisser you are,” the weapon snapped.

Baekho actually had the time to look offensive. “I’ve improved though!”

“Not by much,” Ren shot back.

Suddenly, JR was thrown backward, rolling to his feet with the momentum. While Baekho and Ren were bickering and Aron and Minhyun were engaging in intimate acts, JR had been keeping the thing that posed as Myungki off their asses. The blond was panting from exertion and his neck was sprinkled with perspiration. “Keep the couple arguing for another time! I could really use some support over here!”

Ren immediately transformed into his full weapon form, blade gleaming in the moonlight and his dark green handle gripped tightly in Baekho’s hand. The pair entered the fight, dashing in to deliver quick stabs to the giant creature that used to hold a human face.

Aron glanced at Minhyun and the taller male sent him a small smile, reaching out his hand. “Let’s go, partner.”

The weapon grinned and gripped Minhyun’s hand, transforming into his weapon form. Instantly, Aron noticed the difference between his power level. He and Minhyun connected easily, as it was now as natural as breathing between their souls. When they had temporarily connected before, their souls were joined but they each held their own strength. Now, Aron was sharing Minhyun’s strength, just as he was sharing his. The weapon felt like his whole life he had been missing something and now, through Minhyun, he had found it. As cheesy as it was, he felt complete.

JR cried out in pain and broke Aron from his marvelling. The Goemul had a bony hand gripping JR’s face as he hung in midair, kicking and thrashing. Jason was lying on the ground in his human form, sprawled out unconscious. Without a word between them, Minhyun smoothly pulled Aron’s bow string back and an arrow materialized in place with more ease than ever before. The shot was aligned and Minhyun released, the arrow lodging itself in the Goemul’s arm before exploding. The hand holding JR let go and the blond crashed to the ground, immediately scrambling to his weapon with blood dripping from his scalp.

Baekho, wielding Ren, rushed in without a moment to lose, ing the katana into the Goemul’s leg and jumping backwards as the creature swung his uninjured arm straight at the blond.

“You’re all going to die,” the Goemul hissed, its five crimson eyes burning like the pits of Hell. “Mere children are no match for me.”

Minhyun grit his teeth and Aron could feel his deep hatred for the thing that had disguised itself as his friend. He felt like a fool for being tricked and his guilt and anger was putting Aron on edge. “Minhyun,” the weapon called, his voice echoing while in his weapon form. “Focus. You can’t let your emotions get the best of you. Focus on my soul, feel what I feel.”

The wielder inhaled and exhaled, visibly relaxing. Aron could feel Minhyun’s soul clutching at his, as if they were physically embracing one another. The younger brunet pulled back the string again and another arrow appeared. Baekho was attacking and dodging the creature at close range so it took Minhyun a moment to find a clear shot. He released the blast, landing it on the Goemul’s leg and causing the creature to fall to its knees. Baekho dashed in to hit higher but the monster struck him in the chest and sent him flying backwards into a building. Ren transformed back into his human form just as the both of them hit the brick wall. Debris fluttered to the ground as the bricks cracked under the force of the crash. Aron could see from the corner of his view from within his soul’s weapon that Baekho and Ren were both still conscious, just a little bloodied and dirtied.

Minhyun hardly graced them with a glance as he prepared another arrow and aimed for the creature’s chest. The Goemul cackled. “Your soul smelled so delicious, Minnie. I wanted it. You were going to be mine. Why did you choose such a low class bastard as your ssang?”

“Shut up!” Minhyun growled and released another shot, missing the creature by centimetres.

“Minhyun, focus!” Aron snapped.

The wielder gripped Aron’s bow tighter, trying to ground himself.

“Jason!” JR gasped from somewhere behind them.

Aron heard the red-head groan, which meant that the older weapon was finally conscious again. “Why are you looking at me like I died? Let’s get back in that fight so I can finally taste a Goemul soul. There’s no way I’m letting Ren or Aron get it!”

A very loud smack could be heard and Jason whined.

The Goemul approached Minhyun with long, calculated strides with its clawed feet. The wielder didn’t allow the creature more than two steps before another arrow hit its chest and forced it backwards a few feet.

“Last hit gets the soul!” Baekho called, already standing with Ren in his grasp.

“You’re on!” Jason agreed, transforming into his weapon form again.

“Sorry guys, but you’re going to be two souls behind me once we’re done here,” Aron boasted, happily turning the battle into a game to calm his nerves.

“Aron!” Minhyun snapped, getting irritated at Aron sudden lack of seriousness.

“I’m not losing this, Min. Let’s go.”

The wielder huffed and notched another arrow, letting the shot sit on the bow for a few moments to collect power. Baekho was already running for the Goemul at full speed, Ren lifted over his head. JR had opted for swinging one gauntlet over his head with the chain, getting ready to throw the weapon. Jason was cackling with joy, his laughter sounding distorted from within his soul room. Baekho delivered a quick jab to the creature’s thigh and JR threw Jason straight for its neck, connecting with its black, tough flesh. The Goemul howled in pain and swung an arm, just missing Baekho, who jumped back at the last second. The limb instead hit the chain connecting Jason’s weapon form, throwing JR off his feet. The blond slid across the asphalt, stopping when Jason’s chain pulled taunt, still attached to both JR’s hand and the Goemul’s neck. Baekho distracted the creature from prying Jason from its neck and focused his attacks on the Goemul’s left arm.

The blond sword wielder didn’t last long before his legs were swiped out from under him and he fell backwards, Ren falling from his hands. The Goemul towered over the fallen wielder, raising his arm for a strike and letting it crash down towards Baekho’s head. The attack never connected though, sparks flashed instead of red blood and there was a cracking sound instead of the sickening sound of flesh ripping from bone.

Ren was crouched in front of a fallen Baekho, his arms transformed into blades again, struggling to defend against the Goemul arm trying to beat him into the ground. The brunet weapon was crying out as his blades cut into the wrist of the Goemul and the acidic blood dripped onto his arms, sizzling with a puff of smoke. Baekho was lying there in shock, quietly begging Ren to stop projecting him, that it was his job to protect Ren.

Aron felt the arrow Minhyun had yet to release fill to its highest state, radiating energy that practically begged to be used. Unfortunately, Minhyun didn’t have a clear shot with the monster attacking Ren. Aron had temporarily forgotten about JR amongst the chaos. The wielder still had Jason lodged into the creature’s neck. JR took a chance and pulled back hard on the gauntlet still on his hand; the chain tugged and the Goemul lost its balance for a moment, missing Ren on his next swing. Minhyun took the opening to let go of the arrow he had been holding and the shot hit the Goemul in the arm, flashing with a bright blue light with bits of the creature flying in various directions. The monster shrieked in pain and globs of its acidic blood dripped onto the asphalt before its left arm fell off and hit the ground with a thud before disappearing into black smoke.  

The Goemul turned to Minhyun with blazing eyes, tearing Jason from its neck and running towards the brunet wielder and his weapon. Its long, thin limbs allowed the monster excellent speed and it was practically upon them with only four strides. Minhyun turned tail and ran with Aron strung across his back. The wielder was headed straight for a dumpster and easily jumped on top, using his height and flexibility to grab onto the roof of the building in front of him and scramble up. The Goemul was a step behind him, its claws grasping Minhyun’s ankle before he could pull all of himself up. The wielder cried out in pain and Aron’s soul quivered with the sound of his ssang hurting.

They were just about to be yanked down by the creature below them when the Goemul suddenly cried out and Aron saw JR hanging off the thing’s back with Jason’s claws dripping with its blood. “Baekho, a little help. This burns like Hell!” Jason hissed out.

Ren transformed again, his weapon form still smoking from the mass amount of blood that had hit him and Baekho quickly got into range with the creature again. The Goemul had let go of Minhyun while it tried to fling JR off of its back and the brunet wielder scampered up the rest of the roof, positioning Aron for another shot in a matter of moments.

“I’m going to make you all bleed,” the creature growled, “You’ll all bleed out onto the streets, painting the ground such a pretty crimson. They’ll find your bodies long after you’ve turned cold and grey.”

Minhyun shot an arrow into the creature’s shoulder and the monster thrashed to the side, throwing JR and Jason from his back and simultaneously throwing a clawed hand out to catch Ren and throw the weapon from Baekho’s grasp. The weapon landed on the asphalt with a clang, shifting back to his human form, an unhealthy, bluish tone colouring his skin. Baekho cried out in pain, dashing towards his ssang. With the Goemul’s full attention on the archer on the roof, JR sprung forward with Jason fitted on each of his hands and slashed across the creature’s back, never ceasing in his quick, left-and-right motions until the Goemul’s body fell into two and disappeared in a puff of dust. A large, black soul remained in the spot it used to stand and Jason began cheering, shouting in triumph over his win.

The red-head’s celebration was cut short when a heart shattering scream overcame Jason’s joyous laughter. Baekho was crouched over Ren’s body, his hands grasping at his ssang and his body shaking with pain-laced sobs. Minhyun quickly hopped down from the roof and Aron transformed back into his human form as his feet hit the ground. JR – with Jason at his side – had already approached Baekho to assess the situation and Aron’s blood ran cold when he saw big, salty tears roll down JR’s cheeks and Jason shiver with the beginning of sobs.

The brunet weapon hesitantly stepped closer to the sobbing blond who was muttering indecipherable words. As he drew closer, Aron could begin to make out the sentences Baekho was trying to form around his painful sobs, “Rennie, stay with me. Don’t- you can’t leave me. I love you… Come back to me. This isn’t funny! Stop it- Ren, please… Don’t leave me!” The blond wielder was hysterical, his fingers digging into the incredibly pale arms of his ssang. That’s when Aron noticed the gapping, gory slashes fitting the size of claws adorning Ren’s chest and his glassy, empty brown eyes.

Minhyun fell to his knees next to Aron with a sob, half choking on the air his lungs were trying gasp for. Aron felt his own knees go weak and he leaned heavily on Minhyun’s heaving shoulder.

Ren couldn’t be dead. Aron’s eyes had to be lying to him. Such a thing wasn’t possible. Ren couldn’t be dead.

Baekho let out another drawn-out, heartbreaking wail, looking up into the night sky as if searching for answers as to why Ren had been taken from him.

Aron was too busy watching the tragic scene before him and didn’t notice Jason leave until JR hissed out his name around his sniffles. The brunet weapon turned and watched Jason grasp the Goemul soul between his fingers. The evil soul squirmed in his hold and the red-head walked back over to Baekho, kneeling down. “Baek, move over,” he whispered, gently nudging Baekho’s shoulder.

The blond wielder snapped his head up, eyes red and puffy, still dripping with tears. There was a small trail of blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth, a common sign for a wielder or weapon that just lost their ssang. “Don’t touch him,” the wielder hissed, his lips pulling back to resemble a snarl.

Jason backed up a bit, his hands going up as a sign of peace with the Goemul soul still in his grip. “I might be able to save him. Please, Baekho let me try,” Jason murmured, his voice twisting with desperation.

JR seemed to have clued in with what Jason was talking about and he stepped around Ren’s body, slowly pulling Baekho away from his ssang. The younger blond wielder began thrashing in JR’s hold, demanding to be released and crying out as if being away from Ren’s body was physically hurting him.

Minhyun’s sobs rose in volume at the suffering sight Baekho made and Aron gripped his ssang’s shoulder, offering the only support he could.

With Baekho out of the way, Jason went to work on whatever he was trying to do. With gentle fingers, the weapon tilted Ren’s head back slightly, opening his slack mouth. Jason brushed Ren’s brown bangs away from his eyes and raised the Goemul soul to his mouth, letting the wiggling thing slide down Ren’s throat. “Baekho, kiss Ren now.”

JR let go of the struggling blond and Baekho threw himself forward, connecting his lips with his ssang’s lifeless ones. A soft, yellow light began glowing from under Baekho’s thin t-shirt, travelling up his neck and to his lips, passing onto Ren’s. The light intensified once it reached Ren’s chest and shined brightly around the wound decorating the weapon’s torso. When the light faded several moments later, the wound had disappeared to leave a gapping, bloodied hole in Ren’s shirt. The previously dead weapon suddenly arched up and a gasp left his lips, eyes flooding with life.

Baekho let out another hysterical wail and threw his arms around his ssang, peppering the brunet with kisses and desperate words. Aron was shocked speechless and he quickly embraced his own ssang when Minhyun began sobbing harder. Jason’s shoulders deflated, the tension leaving his body as he slumped to the ground and stared up at the starless sky. JR silently approached his weapon and sat down on the asphalt, resting Jason’s head in his lap. It seemed that all the ssangs really just needed to be close to one another after such an intense fight.

It wasn’t until the six of them had made it back to the academy, bandaged up in the infirmary and all collapsed in Baekho and Ren’s room that Jason finally explained just what he did to bring Ren back to life. All of them would have to report to the academy headmaster in the morning, after they were all rested up. For now, they were all demanding to hear what Jason had to say.

The red-headed weapon rang his hands together in uncharacteristic nervousness. “In China, there are legends of weapons coming back to life under certain circumstances.” He paused and ran a hand over his face, inhaling and then exhaling. “I’ve heard stories of weapons being killed and using a powerful Goemul soul, being brought back to life. If the weapon consumes the soul and is kissed by his or her wielder, the wielder’s soul will literally call back their partnered soul. No one really believes it since there is no recorded proof but I had to try… Thank the gods that it worked.”

Ren gently detached himself from his ssang and reached across the bed, tightly embracing the older weapon and whispering a few words in his ear that had Jason’s eyes tearing up.

Baekho choked back a sob, his emotions once again rising above his control. “You saved Ren’s life, you saved my life. I’m forever in your debt, Jason. Forever.”

Jason managed a small smile from over Ren’s shoulder. “What are friends for?”

Aron laughed softly, rustling Minhyun’s hair with his breath. Minhyun was curled up against the weapon on Baekho and Ren’s spare bed. The pair’s relationship became strikingly obvious after the events of the night. The wielder and weapon shared a much deeper connection than just ssangs, spending every night together in each other’s arms. Aron was happy for them. He could never imagine what Baekho had felt with Ren dead in his arms and he hoped that he never would have to feel such a way.

“I love you, Aron,” Minhyun whispered, nuzzling his nose into the juncture joining Aron’s neck to his shoulder. The words didn’t quite hold the meaning that such words had between Baekho and Ren but perhaps with time, those three precious words would become just as meaningful for the newly connected ssangs.

With a soft smile on his face, Aron graciously returned the words, “I love you too, Min.” 

16,600 words later. This was nearly fourty pages on Microsoft. No wonder it took me over three months to finish. Sorry for the wait and for making it so long! Ideas just kept flowing. 

Any questions, feel free to drop me a comment or private message. I'd love to answer any curiousities about this universe or the characters! I kind of ran away with the whole history lesson JB gave and I'm sorry it's so long. It was my simple solution to explaining the universe all in one part! 

All-in-all, I'm extremely happy with how this story ended up. I had a completely different plotline when I began but then I was chatting with my friend (she gives me a lot of my ideas, especially the death oriented ones) and we developed this darker ending. I really love this one. 

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read! Please subscribe if you liked it since I may just continue the series in the future.