Part 2 of a double update. Make sure you've read the previous chapter.

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Chapter 3

The elevator was actually quiet large, it had enough space to carry 12 persons, but once Hyukjae stepped inside followed by the reluctant General, only 2 other Battle Magi had the courage to tag along. Hyukjae raised an eyebrow and looked at the rest of the Battle Magi still standing at the corridor.

“I don’t bite.” He said playfully while tapping his foot, erasing the White Area beneath his feet.

The General cleared his throat and gave a not so subtle sign with a flick of his head. The Battle Magi threw glances at each other before they entered the car one by one. It was a tight fit, more so when the Battle Magi all plastered themselves to the walls, unwilling to be within touching distant with Hyukjae. Hyukjae started whistling another happy tune as the elevator door closed and the car began its descend.

This time, Hyukjae didn’t bother counting the time it took. He knew that they were going even deeper underground. But the pulling sensation he felt somewhere in his stomach told him all he needed to know. Donghae is close.

When the car finally came to a halt and the door opened, Hyukjae felt a wave of giddiness spread over him. He walked out of the elevator with a light bounce on his steps. If he was less self conscious, he’d probably be skipping happily. The rest of the entourage followed him at a more sedate pace.

The elevator opened up to another corridor. This one is rather short with a heavy metal double door at the end. Hyukjae stood before the door and eyed the panel on the side of the door. Surprisingly, it was an old technology contraption without any hint of magic.

Hyukjae tilted his head and hummed in concentration. After a moment, he shrugged and touched the panel with his index finger. A spark of electricity jumped from the tip of his finger onto the panel. Nothing happened. Hyukjae raised an eyebrow. He tried again with a stronger spark. Still nothing happened. He suddenly laughed out loud.

“It figures that my first obstacle isn’t even related to magic.” He said mirthfully. “Now, be a good a machine and open for me. Otherwise, I’ll just blast through. Whichever works.” He said before sending another spark.

Either his magic finally worked or the panel somehow became sentient and feared for its life, but the door finally hissed open.

Hyukjae clapped like a little child. “Finally!” He exclaimed before he entered the ante chamber. “Only the General please.” He said to the people behind him.

General Park exchanged wary looks with the Battle Magi. It was bothersome that Hyukjae brought all of them down here, only to leave them outside the last door. But he nodded and straightened his back before he followed Hyukjae inside. The door hissed shut leaving the two men on the small room. Hyukjae didn’t wait for the General; he walked at a brisk pace toward the main chamber. General Park half ran after him and abruptly stopped at the sight that greeted him.

The main chamber wasn’t very big; it wasn’t even half as big as the observation room. Its walls and ceiling were made of some type of smooth metal. They were barren, not a single spell was inscribed to the surfaces. The only object in the room was a huge glass cylinder placed in the middle of the room. Several rubber pipes connected the cylinder to outlets on the wall. But what really captured Hyukjae’s attention was what inside the glass cylinder, or rather who.

He splayed his shaking hands onto the surface of the glass. His eyes widened in awe as he took his first look at the man who he had been dying to meet since he was 7.

“Donghae.” He whispered reverently.

*****

Donghae always knew that he was different. He couldn’t describe it, but there was something wrong with him. He had something akin to a hunger settled low just below his clavicle. It wasn’t the usual kind of hunger that can be satisfied with food. It was more demanding, more primal. He first noticed it when his brother Donghwa showed him the rope of water he managed to conjure.

Donghwa rated 3 on the Merlin Scale with Affinity for water. It made their parents very proud. Mother was a non Magi but Father was an excellent Spell Scriber, level 1 on the Scale with Affinity for metal. Donghae had resigned himself to be a non Magi; he was almost 10 and had never shown any sign of magic. His family was okay with that since Mother is one too.

That day, Donghwa was finally able to gather enough moisture from the air to form a short rope of water. He happily moved it around, shaped it into spiral and loops, stretched and bent it at his will. Donghae sat before Donghwa, happily clapping and laughing at the spectacle before him.

Then he felt something rumbled in his chest. He thought it was his hungry stomach, but when the rumble came again, it was from the vicinity of his chest. He stared down at his chest in confusion. The next rumble was more noticeable; he even felt it as a slight physical pain. He rubbed his chest with his little hand, hoping to get rid of the weird sensation.

 Is this what jealousy felt like? He asked himself. But no, he was never jealous of Donghwa, he never envied his brother. Sometimes he would feel a bit sad because he had hoped to make his Father proud with his magic, but Mother and Father always assured him that they would always be proud of him, whether he was a Magi or not.

The next time Donghae felt the rumble was when his Magi friends showed off their magic. They didn’t do it out of malice, they were just having fun, showing each other what little bit of magic they could do. Donghae was watching the mini fireworks one of his friend conjured when the rumble came back. It had gotten stronger and more painful, Donghae was momentarily choked. He stepped back from his circle of friends and tried to breathe. After several unsuccessful attempts, he was finally able to draw a ragged breath.  One of his friends noticed his predicament and asked him if everything was okay. He nodded weakly in reply and returned to the circle, his hand rubbing at the aching spot on his chest, willing it to go away.

His other friend, the one who made the mini fireworks, had conjured a ball of fire and floated it around the circle. However, the moment the fire ball came close to Donghae, it died down. The boy laughed and conjured another ball, only to have it disappear again once it reached Donghae. The boys scratched at his head but thought nothing of it. It was probably because his magic hadn’t developed enough to maintain the ball of fire for a long period of time; he was still young after all, he reasoned when another friend made a jab at him.

But Donghae knew better. And it made him nauseous. Mumbling incoherent excuses, he turned and ran from his friends. He ran and ran until he reached his house. He only stopped when he was inside his room, huddling under the blanket.

The ball of fire hadn’t just disappeared. He made it disappear. He didn’t do it consciously though. When the ball of fire floated to him, he felt the magic flowed from the fire ball into him. And for a moment, the pain in his chest lessened. He experienced the same thing with the second fire ball, erasing the pain completely.

Instead of feeling relieved, he felt nauseous instead. Because he wanted more. He wanted more magic. More, more, more. He wanted it so much he was more than willing to take it from his friends, by any means necessary. And even if the thought only crossed his mind for one second, it scared him to death.