Death isn’t pleased.

The amount of deaths that’s happened over the past few weeks have risen to an alarming rate. Corrupted souls are roaming around the city so openly along with a few sightings of witches when it’s always impossible for them to be seen.

Death has given out an announcement. Cities around the world must be guarded heavily and every meister and weapon that is well-trained and ready is to be dispatched.

This is how Sehun and Luhan find themselves drafted and Sehun doesn’t hide the fact that he’s excited.

“This is insane,” Sehun whispers, his hushed tone coming out ecstatic beside Jongin as they fill the large hall at the academy where every meister and weapon in the country are called to be registered and where they’re given their license.

“This is crazy,” Sehun continues gleefully when he spots a well known team up ahead. “Everyone is here.”

“Would you stop breathing down the back of my neck and let me find our stations in peace?” Jongin grumbles back at him as he looks around the place. But Sehun ignores him as he digs his fingers around Jongin’s wrist.

“Ow! What now?”

“Zhou Mi and Victoria are here.”

Sehun points to a tall man and woman, looking both strikingly handsome and beautiful by the platform up ahead, greeting and shaking hands with a few people. Even Jongin forgot what they’re here to do having stopped in his tracks to gawk at them. It’s not everyday they get to see a legendary team around.

It seems like every meister and weapon are here. The notable ones, the ones who are on their way to becoming notable and the young and old who are about to be dispatched. Despite the grave issue as to why they’re all here, the hall is filled with so much activity, both jovial and melancholy. Some are here to see the fresh new faces that are to be sent on their missions while the others, aside from registering, are here to see their predecessors.

“Man, I’d give anything to see them in the field,” Jongin breathes. Sehun can only nod at that. He’s heard how a link between twins are so much different, so much stronger. He, like Jongin, would give anything just to watch Zhou Mi and Victoria fight. Pick up a few tips and techniques. Something that can help him out there.

Someone bumps into Jongin’s shoulder sending him bumping back into Sehun. They both look away from the platform to see who it is when they come face to face with an annoyed Tao.

“Where have you guys been?”

Jongin points up at the platform, his face looking a little dazed. “Zhou Mi and Victoria.”

Tao rolls his eyes at him, an image that has Sehun snickering even if he was the one who had been starstruck just minutes earlier.

“Have you forgotten we’re here to register?”

Jongin nods, smiling sheepishly, making Tao sigh.

“Come on.”

Tao takes Jongin by the hand, leading them away from the crowd. Sehun follows behind them, squeezing through bodies to get to their stations.

Luhan and Kyungsoo are waiting for them as they finally make their way out. They’re both deep in discussion, probably talking about the recent announcement Death made. Sehun notices his meister’s eyes furrow at the things he’s hearing from Kyungsoo and is reminded again of how serious this all is.

They both look up as they notice their weapons arriving. Luhan hands Sehun a form as a greeting and tells him to fill it up quick. Jongin and Tao do the same as Kyungsoo hands them theirs.

Sehun is interrupted once in awhile by new visitors arriving. Just after Zhoumi and Victoria, he spots the legendary Yunho and Jaejoong, greeting people close by. Heechul with his two weapons, Siwon and Hangeng arrive a few minutes later and Tao couldn’t stop oggling at them. He had asked Kyungsoo if he can go and have something of his signed. But Kyungsoo wouldn’t let him because Heechul and his weapons seem busy at the moment. He did promise them that they could maybe shake their hands or something in exchange for a signature.

“You are not a hundred and eighty five centimeters,” Luhan says, peering at Sehun’s paper and noticing the height he placed. Sehun grumbles back at him, bringing his attention back to what he’s doing and changing the last digit to two.

He endures more teasings from Luhan. Because Luhan on a good day, likes to tease. Not the kind that Sehun would come to enjoy when it’s mostly just to poke fun at him. Like how he doesn’t weigh much because he has no muscle and “Are you sure you’re twenty something? Are you sure you’re not in your teens?” Sehun tries to get a few jabs of his own in between but mostly, it’s Luhan who ends up winning.

A strange silence fills the hubbub of chatter just a few feet away from Sehun and is replaced with whispers. It’s not enough to catch the whole hall’s attention but it’s enough for all of them nearby to stop whatever they’re doing and look to see whoever or whatever it is. Sehun suspects it’s another team, someone who’s famous. But it’s just an ordinary boy, probably just a few years older than Sehun, making his way through the crowd.

He doesn’t look like he’s from around here. He looks like a traveler. Like he just got here judging from the heavy layer of clothes he’s wearing and the large duffel bag on his shoulder. His hair is slightly disheveled, probably from the cold and the wind from outside. He doesn’t seem to be fazed by anything, as if he knows his way around and he continues on walking, the whole thing so ordinary.

What’s strange though is that people are staring. They’re staring at this boy that’s just walking there. Sehun doesn’t understand why they’re all staring. He doesn’t seem special. He’s not someone famous, or at least, someone Sehun hasn’t seen before. He doesn’t even look the slightest bit familiar to him.

“Is that…?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“It must be him.”

“He looks like him.”

“That can’t be him. That can’t be Zhang Yixing.”

Sehun ignores the whispers going on around him as he goes back to his forms. He doesn’t know a Zhang Yixing anyway.

“Hey Luhan,” Sehun prods his meister with his elbow. “What’s my blood type again?”

Sehun is expecting another teasing remark how he keeps forgetting his own blood type when he realizes Luhan doesn’t have his attention on him anymore.

Sehun looks up once more to see Luhan still standing there by his side but he’s just staring at the same person everyone is staring at. Only that Sehun can tell the stare Luhan has is different than the rest. There’s a mixture of confusion in there rather than awe like what everyone has. And maybe a little bit of disdain. He looks kind of surprised too though Sehun isn’t sure.

But mostly, it just looks like Luhan is deep in thought.

Sehun shrugs, going back to his forms. He suddenly remembers he’s an O and he continues filling up the form, ignoring everyone else, ignoring his meister that he hasn’t noticed has grown a little tense and the whispers everyone is continuing to make about this Zhang Yixing.