Okay, this is actually only half of the update. I wanted to post it all in one go but something unexpectedly came up so i decided to split it somewhere relatively safe (no hair pulling and nail biting cliffhanger).

This is a dialogue heavy chapter because i need to establish a rapport between the characters, but it does have some action. Also, i'm not good at physic and have next to zero knowledge about the science of dreams. What gibberish i wrote in this chapter all came from Google search. Please suspend your belief and just enjoy the story. :)

Big thank you for everyone who made time to read this. Also big hugs to those who left comments, subscribed and upvoted. I love you full!

General Park glanced at the monitor screen, noticing that there was only 5 minutes left on the countdown. He had tried to ask more question to Hyukjae, but the young Magi only shook his head and told him to ‘stuff it’. Apparently he saw Donghae’s eyes flickered beneath the lids and it made him so excited he had practically plastered himself to the tank’s surface.

General Park didn’t want to admit it, but the excitement that was radiating from Hyukjae was highly contagious and it started to affect him and made him giddy too. He pinched his thigh and locked his spine to keep himself from rocking on his heel.

“Re-animation process complete. Commencing  resuscitation.” The automated voice announced.

Hyukjae held his breath as a shock went through Donghae’s body.

“Come on Donghae. It’s time to wake up.” He whispered.

Another jolt but Donghae’s eyes remained closed.

“Open your eyes Donghae.” Hyukjae half pleaded.

And at the third jolt, Donghae opened his eyes.

The second those eyes opened and chocolate brown locked at Hyukjae’s black, Hyukjae let go of his Shield. He dropped them completely, letting the walls he erected around his magic crumbled away. And it was magnificent. His magic soared and expanded, occupying and saturating everything around him.

The glass cylinder slid open and Donghae stumbled onto Hyukjae’s waiting arms. The moment they touched, Hyukjae’s magic swirled and rushed into Donghae.

Hyukjae gasped at the sensation, he felt his magic being away and he moaned. Whenever Donghae spoke about this, he described the whole thing as a messy ordeal. He spoke of how the Magi will be disoriented and lapsed into fatigued state while he himself will be reduced to a sobbing and retching mess.

But it wasn’t the case with Hyukjae. Not at all. As his magic flowed to Donghae, he felt the heavy burden that he carried on his shoulders began to lift. He felt the heavy weight that used to dragged his entire being had been lessened. For the first time since he realized he had magic, Hyukjae felt free.

The magic sang through his vein and oozed from every pore of his body. It beat like a second heart in his chest, traveled down his spine in tingling caress and pooled in his stomach like liquid fire before it flowed to Donghae. And he moaned again because it felt so good. It felt hundreds times better than that one he had back when he was 15 and had a wet dream about Donghae. Hyukjae felt himself growing hard and he couldn’t help but let out another needy moan.

Donghae wasn’t faring any better. When he opened his eyes and saw Hyukjae’s black orbs, the hunger instantly returned with a vengeance. But before the familiar pain and suffocation settled in, he felt a warm magic enveloped him. As the glass walls opened and he fell into Hyukjae’s embrace, the magic flowed steadily into him. He waited for the nausea to hit the back of his throat, but it never came. On the contrary, it tasted sweet like honey and fresh like mountain spring. He could only marvel at the rightness of it. He didn’t have the mind to feel embarrassed at the mewling noises he was making, especially when Hyukjae moaned like that.

Hyukjae’s magic kept flowing into him, feeding the ever present hunger, warming his insides and painting beautiful colors inside his mind. He heard another moan from Hyukjae and he felt better than great. He felt euphoric. And when Hyukjae’s bulge pressed against his own rising one, Donghae felt his body thrummed in sweet anticipation. He felt Hyukjae’s digits dug into his flesh; he felt Hyukjae’s frantic heartbeat echoing his own. Inside the warm cocoon which was Hyukjae’s embrace, he felt like he belonged. For the first time in his life he felt whole and complete. For the first time in his life he finally could breathe.

General Park had given up on trying to stand up. He was currently on all fours on the ground, trying not to be crushed under the invisible weight and pressure. He wasn’t a sensitive person; the most he ever felt whenever he was around strong magic was just a low buzzing sound. But when Hyukjae released his magic, the General immediately fell to the floor. He felt like hundreds of invisible hands were pushing him down, like a giant boulder was suddenly dropped onto his shoulders. Even the air was heavy and soon breathing had become an arduous task. He felt sweat running down his back and what felt like tears stinging the corner of his eyes.

But worse than the pitiful and embarrassing state he was in were the cold hands of fear gripping his heart.  He never felt so small, so insignificant, and confronted with the enormous power that was Hyukjae’s magic, General Park felt like a speck of dust in the face of a tsunami.

Hyukjae sighed as the rushing flow of magic dwindled down to a steady trickle. He rubbed his cheek against the soft mop of hair resting against his shoulder. He held the slightly smaller man in his arms just a little bit tighter. His magic had no longer weighing him down, it had settled around his shoulder like a warm blanket. Sensing that Donghae didn’t need so much magic anymore, he raised his Shield, only leaving enough gap to not lose connection with Donghae.

“Donghae.” He whispered softly, conveying a lifetime of longing into one name.

For his part, Donghae wound his arms around Hyukjae’s waist and drew the younger man in. The hunger had been sated and the gaping maw that occupied his sternum had finally closed and purred in contentment.  He still felt the magic connecting Hyukjae to him, but instead of sensation, it felt more like biting the end of a straw. The magic was still there, ready to be consumed. All he had to do was sip and Hyukjae’s sweet magic will flow into him once again.

They stood like that for a moment before Donghae tensed and broke the embrace. He held Hyukjae at arm’s length and peered up at him with furrowed brows.

“Hyukjae. Did you destroy anything on your way here?” He asked.

Hyukjae gaped at Donghae, plump lips opened in shock, monolid eyes widened in disbelief.

“We met for the first time ever and the first thing you said to me was that?” He said incredulously.

“Technically, the first thing I said was your name.” Donghae said levelly.

Hyukjae threw his hands up in the air. “You’re unbelievable! Gosh Donghae!” He stepped away in agitation.

The warm magic which permeated the room turned icy and jagged in an instant. Donghae’s hand shot out and grabbed one of Hyukjae’s wrists, preventing him from stepping further away.

“You ruined it. You ruined our first meeting.” Hyukjae’s tone had turned sulky, his lower lip jutted out in a pout.

Donghae pulled him closer and cupped Hyukjae’s cheek with his free hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. That was bad of me. Can I have a do over?” Donghae’s voice had turned gentle, a soft smile played on his lips.

Hyukjae looked at him with a petulant gaze, but gave in after a few moments. “Donghae.” He said again, still with a lifetime of longing.

This time Donghae stood on his tip toe and brushed his nose against Hyukjae’s other cheek. “Hyukjae. I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

The icy and jagged magic had melted into spring with flowery scents and warm sunlight. The General sighed in relief and got up from the floor. He thanked his luck that the other two occupants of the room were too busy making moony eyes at each other to see his embarrassing position. He put a little distance between the two and himself, wanting to give the pair some kind of privacy.

Hyukjae rested his unoccupied hand on the small of Donghae’s back and buried his face in the crook between Donghae’s neck and shoulder. “I’m happy too. And no, I didn’t destroy anything on my way here.” He mumbled against the golden skin. “But I might have broken some glass.” He admitted sheepishly.

Donghae chuckled. “It’s better than I expected.”

“Oh? And what did you expect? Total obliteration? I can still do that on our way out if you want.” He said teasingly.

Donghae cuffed the back of Hyukjae’s head lightly. “Pabo.”

Hyukjae laughed and pulled Donghae into another hug. Donghae pushed at Hyukjae’s chest and looked up at the taller man. They stared at each other’s eyes before Hyukjae shifted his gaze to the inviting thin lips.

A polite cough interrupted the two. Donghae whirled around so fast he might have given himself a whiplash. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed a man in military uniform standing some distance away.

“Hello.” He greeted the stranger. A slight blush tinted his cheeks. He heard Hyukjae muttered ‘’ under his breath and his hand automatically gave the boy’s head another loving cuff.

General Park nodded to him. “General Park of Metropolitan Armed Forces.” He introduced himself.

“Lee Donghae.” He said while disentangling himself from Hyukjae, much to the latter’s displeasure.

“Old man Choi couldn’t make it. They sent him instead.” Hyukjae muttered.

“Hyukjae, manner.” He said in a low voice and tried to walk but Hyukjae captured his waist and held him against his side.

Donghae gave an exasperated sigh but allowed the close contact. He cocked his head as he studied the man before him. “Have you bought them enough time?” He suddenly asked.

General Park was doing a fine imitation of deer in the headlight.

Hyukjae nuzzled Donghae’s ear and put in his two cents. “He was decent, but subterfuge isn’t really his strong point. You should’ve heard the questions he asked. Made me look like a genius.”

Hyukjae flinched when Donghae pinched his forearm hard. He then smiled to the General. “We’re not trying to make a fool out of you, but it was kind of obvious.”

“What was?” General Park asked, the wobble in his voice was hard to miss.

Hyukjae snorted. “General Park, I’ve known exactly what’s going on ever since you introduced yourself to me. But since you’re determined to keep it up until the very end, I might as well indulge you.”

“Be nice Hyukjae.” Donghae said softly, eyes never leaving the General.

Hyukjae nodded. “Anything that happens here should’ve fallen under NMA’s jurisdiction. That’s why I expected old man Choi, I mean Grand Magi Choi.” Hyukjae amended when Donghae elbowed him. “But not only had it taken one hour for a person in charge to show up, it was also you, a General from MAF, meaning Grand Magi Choi had been detained and the MAF had been deployed and they sent you inside to gather intel on me. Oh, they also wanted you to buy them some time so they could set up the playing field.” He said in a matter of fact tone.

General Park stretched his palm outwards. “Busted huh?” He said in self deprecating manner.

Donghae smiled brightly. “Don’t worry General. They made a wrong move by sending you here. If Grand Magi Choi couldn’t make it, then you’re the next best option.”

The General raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Hyukjae grinned at him. “We didn’t plan to take over the government, but I personally wanted to swat some flies. You’ll be the best person for the cleanup after.”

General Park eyes widened in surprise. “Swat some flies?” He gasped.

Donghae rolled his eyes and huffed in exasperation. “Hyukjae wanted to topple the government but I managed to persuade him to tone it down.”

“But why did you told him to not destroy anything on his way here?” General Park asked.

“It’s different. He didn’t have me by his side before. No one to dampen his magic and no one to stop him from going too far.” Donghae looked pointedly at Hyukjae.

Hyukjae only grinned wider. “There was also that one promise you made me. Something involving strawberry and whipped cream, if I remember correctly.”

Donghae stomped on Hyukjae’s feet, his cheeks reddening at an alarming rate. “Enough of this. Let’s just go.” He hissed and pried himself away from Hyukjae’s hold.

Hyukjae laughed and caught up to Donghae’s retreating back. “Come on, let’s not keep them waiting.” He gestured to the General to lead the way.

Still reeling from their strange conversation, General Park led the way outside.

Once the door was opened, barrage of offensive spells attacked the trio. Fortunately, Hyukjae was smart enough to erect a shield in front of the General just a moment before. The flurry of spells bounced off the shields, some even ricocheted back to the Battle Magi. A chorus of ‘’ and ‘’ can be heard above the sizzling sounds of flying spells.

General Park had frozen in place. For the first time in his life, he was the target of hundreds of deathly spells. He gulped as he saw the spells came at him only to be repelled by an invisible wall just inches away from his body.

“Don’t kill anyone.” He heard Donghae murmured before a bright Red Area bloomed outward from underneath Hyukjae’s feet.

“I said, don’t kill anyone.” Donghae said again, irritation clear in his voice.

The Red Area dimmed and changed color to a Green one. All the Battle Fields had been cancelled out and without the Fields the spells lost some of their speed and potency. Hyukjae stepped in front of the General, and calmly walked to the nearest Battle Magi.

The Battle Magi tried to move, but he found that he couldn’t. He took a moment to look down and let out a string of curses when he saw green tendrils of magic had s around his legs, holding him in place. Hyukjae stretched his hands and without much effort or resistance, grabbed the Battle Magi’s forearms. The Battle Magi screamed in pain when he felt unbearable heat in his hands. He stopped casting offensive spells and tried to cast healing ones instead. But Hyukjae didn’t let him. He twisted his hands and pushed, making the Battle Magi fell down on his knees. Hyukjae finally let go, and the Battle Magi crumpled into an unconscious heap on the floor. Hyukjae’s hands had burned through his clothes and gloves and left a red angry imprint on his forearms, marring the tattooed spells on the Battle Magi’s skin. The Rest of the Battle Magi finally realized the predicament they were in. One by one they stopped firing spells at the trio.

“I advised you all to stay here and take care of your friend. Just don’t go up in the next hour or so. It’ll be safer down here.” Donghae said in an even tone.

Hyukjae stepped away from the fallen Battle Magi and pouted. “Be thankful that Donghae is a very nice person. I had wanted to do worse.” He said as he stalked away from the Battle Magi and made his way to the elevator.

Donghae smiled and followed him. General Park was torn between staying or leaving, but the decision was taken right out of his hand when Donghae caught his wrist and tugged him along.

“Hyukjae is in a mood. Better not make him wait.” He half whispered to the General.

Once they were inside the ascending elevator, Donghae let go of the General and turned to face Hyukjae. “Thank you for holding yourself back.” He said and kissed Hyukjae’s cheek.

Hyukjae’s grin was so wide it almost split his face. “Can I get another one? On the lips?” He asked eagerly.

Donghae shook his head but his eyes twinkled. “You’ll have another one if you behave up there.”

Hyukjae pouted. “I don’t think holding myself back up there is worth another peck on the cheeks.”

Donghae nodded. “You’re right. I was thinking of throwing in a cuddle as well, but if you think it’s not worth it...” Donghae shrugged.

Hyukjae gasped and immediately latched onto Donghae’s arm. “I take it back. It’s worth it, it’s totally worth it.”

The image that came to the General’s mind was of a begging puppy.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. The General braced himself for another barrage of spells, but only silence met them. The trio stepped out of the elevator and into the deserted hallway. They steadily made their way to the other end of the hallway, passing through the opened door of the observation deck.

Donghae stopped and peeked inside out of curiosity. He shook his head ruefully as he saw the cracked and sliced off magi glass. “I hope this is all you damaged.”

Hyukjae looked sheepish for a moment, but nodded. “So far, yeah.”

They resumed their walk and upon reaching the other end of the hallway, went inside yet another elevator. Hyukjae motioned the other two to stand in the corner furthest from the door.

“This isn’t the same elevator I rode on my way down. I don’t know what spells they have waiting, so stay behind me. Donghae, I’m going to let loose for a bit.” Hyukjae said as he took off his shirt and tied it around his waist, revealing a black wife beater underneath. Surprisingly, Hyukjae had lean and sinewy arms with pale unblemished skin.

Donghae swallowed. “Okay. Try to keep it non lethal.” He finally replied.

“Stay in the elevator. I’ll call when it’s safe to go out.” Hyukjae said once the elevator door opened.

He was about to stepped out when Donghae called him. “Hyukjae, be careful out there.”

Hyukjae smiled over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I have my billowing cape of awesomeness.” He said at the same time as he lowered his Shield and walked out. True to his word, there was a ripple of air all around Hyukjae.

The heavy air returned and when General Park squint his eyes just so, he could barely discern the outline of a long cape, flowing from Hyukjae’s shoulders and trailed behind him.

“Show off.” Donghae murmured.

“I heard that!”Hyukjae half shouted.

“Show off!” Donghae shouted back with a huge grin on his face.

Hyukjae’s echoing laugh could be heard before the sounds of hundreds of spells flinging themselves at the teenager drowned it out.

The General winced as Hyukjae raised both hand and started to swat the incoming spells one by one. The ones that escaped his hands shattered against the invisible wall surrounding his body. Hyukjae seemed to be enjoying himself, his hands a blur of movement while his feet swiftly carried him from one spot to another.

“He’s dancing.” Donghae said in awe.

The General peered at the smaller man’s face and couldn’t help but smile when he noticed the star struck expression.

“He’s beautiful.”Donghae said again, his eyes greedily took in the sight of Hyukjae’s lithe body moving around the hallway.

“That’s what he said when he first saw you. He said that you’re beautiful.” General Park said from beside him.

Startled, Donghae turned to face the General. Seeing the look on the General’s face, Donghae turned back and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.

After a while the General hummed. “Why didn’t he just take over the spells like he did in the observation chamber?”

Donghae scoffed. “He’s showing off to me. He’s also blowing off some steam. Let him be. It’ll make him less aggressive for the next part.”

It was 15 minutes later when Hyukjae finally swatted the last spell. He had a light sheen of sweat on his skin and a eating grin on his face.

“It’s safe now.” He called out.

“Took you long enough.” Donghae said as he stepped into the hallway, the General followed closed behind.

“They re-activated the attack sequence many, many times. After the 23^rd time, I didn’t bother counting.” Hyukjae replied. “I was hoping for more but it seemed they ran out of Magi.” He continued

“You’ll have more later.” Donghae said dismissively as he approached the younger.

Hyukjae nodded vigorously. “Yeah, I know. This is so fun!” He bounced giddily.

‘Definitely a puppy’. The General thought to himself.

The trio made their way across the hallway, where it made a sharp turn to the left. It continued some way before ending in a closed door.

“Stand back.” Hyukjae ordered as he erected another shield in front of Donghae and the General. The door opened and Hyukjae stepped out, ready to dance again.

And dance he did.

At the fifth door, Hyukjae clenched his fist. “This is getting tedious.” He grumbled.

“Tired?” Donghae asked, a hint of worry tinged his voice although he didn’t feel any change in Hyukjae’s magic through their connection.

Hyukjae shook his head. “Nope. Bored.”

“Why don’t you just take over the spells again Hyukjae-ssi?” General Park suggested.

Hyukjae hummed and glanced at Donghae. He seemed to be waiting for something. Donghae caught his gaze and held it for a moment. Then it dawned on the older man.

“You did great.” He said and held Hyukjae’s hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

The grin returned to Hyukjae’s face and he visibly cheered up. “I’ll just blast through in one go.” He announced as the door opened. He ran outside and few second later a quake accompanied by a booming sound shook the building.

“He’s so easy to please.” Donghae muttered.

“He’s like a big puppy.” General Park added, surprising a laugh out of Donghae.

“Don’t let him hear you say that. He might bite you.”

“It’s clear!” Hyukjae shouted.

The General sighed. “And you couldn’t praise him sooner?”

“It slipped through my mind.”

“Right, you were too busy ogling him.”

Donghae choked on air. “I was not!”

“What’s the hold up?” Hyukjae shouted again.

General Park walked briskly, leaving a flustered Donghae behind.

The General took a look at his surroundings. There was no visible damage to the building itself but he could see the burned out remnants of the inscribed spells along the walls. Hyukjae had been swift; it only took less than 10 minutes to navigate the treacherous and seemingly endless maze of hallways and doors and reached the lobby.

After a brief tactical meeting, (consisting of Hyukjae telling the other two to stay inside the building until he come and get them), Hyukjae stood in front of the entrance and cracked his knuckles. With one last warning of ‘don’t kill anyone’ from Donghae, Hyukjae wrenched the metal barricade from the door and tossed it aside like it was a piece of cardboard.

He walked out handsomely. Head held high, chin up, back straight, shoulders squared and the billowing cape of awesomeness had once again took form and trailed behind him. He had only taken a few steps when the warning klaxon sounded off.

“Stay right where you are!!! Put your hands up and surrender yourself!!!” A loud voice could be heard above the deafening siren.

Hyukjae looked around and smirked. There were lines of barbed wire fences situated around the entrance.  He tilted his head and squint, his sharp eyes made out the hidden shapes of claymores, land mines and explosives spells placed all over the place. He felt a tinge of anticipation somewhere in the pit of his stomach; it spread fast to the tip of his fingers and toes, leaving a blazing trail of mounting excitement. He had held back for so long, but it was time for him to unleash.  

He raised his hands in mock surrender. Then a Silver Area bloomed from his feet and a rope of lightning formed on his right hand. He whipped it toward the nearest barricade, slicing it in two. With his left foot, he stomped the ground, creating a quake which hurled some of the explosives upward. At the same time, he extended his left hand and formed a vacuum sphere around the explosives just as they exploded. He watched in smug satisfaction as the explosion turned into implosion which quickly died out for lack of oxygen. After the flame died down, the only thing left was blackened chunk of compressed debris. He pivoted on his right foot, targeting another barricade.

Hyukjae fell into a mesmerizing routine of whip, stomp, vacuum and pivot. His head nodded along to a rhythm playing in his head. One by one, the barbed wires and the explosives were rendered useless.

The General and Donghae watched him from inside the building; both were silent for different reasons. Donghae was focused on the magic surrounding Hyukjae, feeling it rose and flowed and obeyed Hyukjae’s bidding. He slacked his leash over his hunger, preparing to away any excess to keep Hyukjae’s magic from turning deadly.

The General, on the other hand, was silent because he was enraptured at the way Hyukjae wielded his magic. During his long life as a military man, he had encountered some powerful Magi. One thing he learned was that Magi needed spells to manifest their magic, whether by incantation or by activating scribed spells. For Hyukjae to juggle so many different type of magic at the same time without the help of spells was astounding.

He saw Hyukjae in a new light. The boy must have had an iron will, superb control and high level of concentration. From his amateur observation, Hyukjae performed several types of magic at the same time. Lightning for his whip, earth for his stomp and air for his vacuum sphere. He was almost sure that Hyukjae also casted levitation spells, seeing how nimble he was.

He couldn’t hold back his curiosity anymore. “Does Hyukjae use spells?” He asked.

Donghae shook his head. “He’s horrible with spells. He always had troubles pronouncing them correctly, could never decipher scribed ones and horrible at writing his own.”

“Then how does his magic works?”

Donghae smiled sadly. “Imagination. He visualizes what he wants his magic to do, and then it’ll happen.”

General Park couldn’t hide his awe. “That’s amazing!”

Donghae’s smile turned even sadder. “No it’s not. It’s horrible.”

General Park’s face marred with confusion. “Why is that a bad thing?”

Donghae turned a little to catch his eyes. “Because he could never let himself dream.”

*****

“Donghae, how come you always appear on my dreams?” Hyukjae asked curiously.

Donghae hummed. “Well, technically speaking, this isn't really your dream Hyukjae.”

“What are you talking about? Off course this is my dream!” Hyukjae protested.

“I admit, we’re in your head, but I’m projecting my brainwaves into your brain. So this is actually my dream taking place in yours.”

Hyukjae groaned and clutched at his head. “I don’t understand a single word you said.”

Donghae chuckled. “You don’t need to understand Hyukjae. Just know that we’re both here. Now, let’s start today’s lesson: How to erect a Shield.”

Hyukjae huffed and shifted his focus on Donghae’s voice. He still didn’t get the how, and he thought he never would, but he started to understand the why. And it was good enough for him.

Next chapter will have more of Hyukjae wearing a billowing cape of awesomeness while swatting some flies.