Chapter 26 – Gain and Decline

“No,” Hakyeon says for what must be the thousandth time.

Hongbin, who is panting heavily, lets his magic recede. “What am I doing wrong?!” he asks desperately, sinking to down to sit on the ground.

He’s been stuck on this spell for more than a day, which was saying something because he’d been learning two spells a day every day for the last three months. But now that they were getting into spells that required more magic and he feels like he can’t concentrate, like he could sleep for days on end, and has to remind himself over and over that he had to get through this training so he could be helpful to Hakyeon.

“I told you, you’re not gathering enough magic before you release it.”

“Hongbin’s reserves aren’t very big,” Ravi butts in.

“I know that,” Hakyeon replies. “But he needs to be able to do any spell even if he feels completely drained. This is about learning to use his reserves efficiently.”

Sanghyuk, who had gotten bored of watching the apprentice struggle with this spell hours ago, looks up from the book he’d been flipping through. “When is he ever going to need a spell that polishes wooden floors?”

Leo meows in agreement. For the most part Hongbin learnt spells that could be useful in some way. They were offensive or defensive or good for a distractions, but every now and then there was a spell he just didn’t understand why Hongbin needed to learn. This was one of them.

Hakyeon is about to open his mouth and deliver a lecture on the fact that it didn’t matter what spell they used because this was just an exercise on how to control deliberate magic, when he remembers that he’s talking to two creatures that don’t actually care and a potion maker who would tell him that ‘there’s a potion for that’ every time he brought up a new spell.

Instead Hakyeon motions for Hongbin to stand up. “Fine. We’ll skip this one.”

It was the first time Hongbin had been allowed to skip a spell so far, and to be honest he hadn’t ever wanted to. He knows he’ll never be able to become very advanced in magic, not before Hakyeon took it away, but he was still annoyed that there was something he couldn’t do.

With a groan Hongbin climbs to his feet. “What’s next?”

Hakyeon grins. “We’re up to the fire based spells.”

“You know there are a number of potions that –”

“I know, Ravi,” Hakyeon cuts him off.

Ravi shrugs and tries not to feel jealous of the two sorcerers – because there wasn’t a potion for every spell and he knew it – while Sanghyuk grins and closes his book. It should get good now, he thinks excitedly. Leo on the other hand slinks away to hide inside, not interested in catching fire any time today.

“Is the report here yet?” King Jihun demands the moment Suhee enters the room. “The one from the front lines?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Suhee answers. “I just read it. It’s…”

She trails off, not eager to share the news. The king – who had already been glowering at the map in front of him – glares and holds out his hand. Suhee hands the report over with a bow.

It takes less than a minute for King Jihun to read the report and the second he’s done an angry arm shoots out and pushes everything off the table onto the floor. A growl of both frustration on pure anger rips its way from his chest.

“How?!” he snarls. “How do they keep avoiding our attacks?!”

Suhee clicks her tongue, deliberating over whether or not to state her suspicions. The king knows she must have some theory and turns to look at her, demanding an answer with his expression alone.

“Well, the only way they could be avoiding them so consistently is if they have information about the attacks before they happen.”

The king knows exactly what his advisor is suggesting but he still asks. “What are you suggesting?”

“There is reason to believe that someone who is privy to your plans and strategies is feeding the other countries information. Someone who has access to the plans and a way to relay the information.”

King Jihun’s scowl deepens. “And who do you think it is?”

Suhee crosses her arms over her chest. “I’d have to look into it more.”

“Do so.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Maintain it,” Hakyeon encourages.

Hongbin takes a deep breath and redoubles his efforts.

“Please don’t drop us,” Ravi whimpers.

Hongbin stares up at the four men he has floating in the air, brows drawn together in concentration. It feels like it’s getting heavier, like he’s going to be crushed, but they’re floating high enough that falling would result in injury – because in his moment of exertion he forgets that he’s learnt the cushioning spell and that Hakyeon wouldn’t actually let them fall – and that spurs him on.

“Good,” Hakyeon claps five minutes later. “You can release the spell now.”

“Lower us first!” the Anyegi laughs, having a blast but concerned that Ravi is going to pass out.

Hongbin feels sort of satisfied that he has enough of his reserves left to first lift them higher – watching the horrified expression on the potion maker’s face with a grin – and bounce them around a little before lowering the group slowly to the ground and releasing the spell.

“Never again!” Ravi yells once he’s safely on the grass.

Sanghyuk chortles and nudges Leo, pointing out that his hair is sticking up all over the place. The Anyethi – who had been woken up from his nap for this bull – pushes the youngster away violently. Sanghyuk is only a foot away from face planting the grass when he springs back up, laughing hysterically at Ravi’s face.

“You’re all insane!” the potion maker cries, watching on.

Sanghyuk sticks his tongue out at the older man. “Leo’s been teaching me how to properly control my intuitive magic,” he grins.

Hongbin sort of agrees with Ravi, watching Leo and Sanghyuk ‘train’ was terrifying. They’d just throw themselves off the house and hope their magic kicks in and stops them from hitting the ground. Or they’d fling large quantities of magic at each other and hope it gets blocked.

He knew that creatures have greater control over their intuitive magic than humans did but he also knew that Hakyeon and Ravi have almost perfect control over theirs. Frankly he couldn’t see why Hakyeon had bothered to learn it if there was a spell that could do the same thing.

“I’m not helping anymore,” the potion maker says. “You’re always almost killing me.”

Last time it had been protection spells and the time before it was cushioning spells.

Hongbin pouts. “You only come over every two weeks.”

Ravi refuses to be guilt tripped into anything.

“I’ve almost finished with the health potions. If I really push it I can finish them in three weeks.”

Hongbin sighs in acceptance. “And then you’ll come over more, right?”

Ravi smiles. “Right.”

Their relationship hadn’t progressed much from what it had been five months ago. They liked each other and knew it, but they simply hadn’t had time to take that next step. Ravi had closed his shop indefinitely since he no longer had any sorcerers to sell to – and that was where he’d made the real money – and been brewing health potions exclusively. He’d almost reached the quota the prince had set all those years ago. Hongbin on the other hand was always either with Hakyeon outside trying to learn a new spell or with him in the library studying theory. He spent nearly sixteen hours a day trying to get up to the level Hakyeon wanted him at with his control. Really the only time the budding couple saw each other was when Ravi came over and volunteered to be a guinea pig for Hongbin’s practice.

Hongbin doesn’t realise he’s openly ogling the potion maker – causing Ravi to blush ridiculously – until Sanghyuk’s whine distracts him.

“Why not?” he grumbles, clinging to the Anyethi’s arm.

Leo groans and tries to push the teen away. “Because I said no.”

“But you told me you’d teach me how to fight with my magic.”

“I never said that.”

The Anyegi whines again and begins to chant ‘please-please-please’ in quick succession over and over. Leo casts a suffering look to Hakyeon and the sorcerer comes to his rescue.

“Now, now, Sanghyukkie,” he says. “I need you to help me with Hongbinnie, remember?”

Sanghyuk complains but gives up, choosing to cling to the eldest. “You’re the meanest big brother ever,” he tells Leo. “Hongbin is way nicer than you.”

Leo scowls and clicks his tongue before he begins walking away. Hakyeon scolds the Anyegi and Hongbin is certain he’s the only one that hears the Anyethi mutter ‘I’ll show you mean’. He hopes Leo doesn’t actually decide to do that.

With a sigh Hongbin turns his attention back to Ravi. “Bye,” he mutters.

Ravi, who had been watching Hakyeon try to drag Sanghyuk off the floor after his scolding, looks back up. “I promise I’ll come over soon.”

“No, do your work first,” Hongbin mumbles reluctantly.

He’s dying to reach out and take the older man’s hand when Hakyeon starts calling him over. Ravi knows it’s now or never and quickly ducks in to kiss the apprentice’s cheek.

“I’ll come over soon,” the potion maker says before running after Leo to demand a lift home.

Hongbin watches him go with a pounding heart and red cheeks.

“You guys are gross,” Sanghyuk states, slinging an arm over the apprentice’s shoulders.

“Well you’re a brat,” Hongbin retorts but he doesn’t push the youngster away. Instead he turns to find Hakyeon.

“Are you quite ready now?” Hakyeon asks.

“Sorry,” Hongbin mutters, feeling his cheeks flame.

“It’s like being surrounded by twelve year olds,” the sorcerer grumbles. “Let’s move on to the next spell.”

“What are they doing?” Minho cries in dismay when he sees the report on his father’s desk.

Jaehwan frowns and tries to read over his shoulder. “Wait… does this say ‘no casualties’ for their side?” the guard asks, snatching away the paper so he can read properly.

The prince groans and sinks down into the chair. “I told them time and time again to use the information I send as a way to reduce casualties. They’re being so obvious!”

Jaehwan puts the paper back where it had been found and pats the prince’s shoulder. “Think your father is suspicious of you?”

“Of course he is!” Minho exclaims.

Only a few people had access to the war plans, his father, Suhee, the army general, Minji, and himself. Suhee would never be suspected, nor would the general, and if it came down between he and his sister he’d be the one suspected.

Minho takes a moment to calm himself down. “We’re out of time,” he states. “It’s time to start everything. Send a letter to Hakyeon telling him that we’re in trouble. Tell him that we’re under suspicion and that we’re setting everything in motion.”

“Got it. What about you?”

“I’m going to let everybody else know.”

“How long will it take?”

“I should have it all done by tomorrow.”

Jaehwan nods and starts for the door, only to be stopped again by the prince. “Be careful, Jaehwan. I’m the one who will be suspected of leaking information but they could think it was you since you’re always with me.”

“I’ll be careful,” Jaehwan swears.

“Hakyeon,” Leo murmurs as he enters the lounge room.

He drops down onto the sorcerer’s lap and holds up the letter in his hand so Hakyeon can read it. Hakyeon automatically wraps an arm around the Anyethi as he begins reading.

Hongbin barely even notices them, too focussed on staying invisible and using his reserves well.

Hakyeon reads over the letter several times, holding Leo tighter as he does. This is it, he thinks. Eight years and this is it. Leo twitches but refuses to move, pressing his face into Hakyeon’s neck for comfort. The timing couldn’t be worse.

“We’ll be fine,” Hakyeon sooths. “Go change.”

He kisses the Anyethi softly before Leo stands up and teleports away, trying to hold back the twitching in his muscles even though he knows it’s useless and he transforms almost the moment he lands in their bedroom.

“You’re doing surprisingly well,” Hakyeon states suddenly, causing Hongbin’s concentration to break.

“Yeah?” he asks hopefully, turning visible again.

Honestly Hakyeon was surprised by his apprentice’s progress. Hongbin wasn’t a genius in spells but he was a hard worker. More than anything Hakyeon was surprised by how stable Hongbin’s magic still was. Because he only had tiny reserves it was taking him a long time to show any signs of corruption but if he kept practicing like this there was no doubt in Hakyeon’s mind that Hongbin would become corrupted.

“This is the last intermediate spell I’m going to teach you.”

Hongbin wants to make some sort of sassy comment about this being the most advanced intermediate spell to ever exist – it had taken him three weeks to learn after all – but bites his tongue. Hakyeon looks serious.

“I’m going to teach you one more spell,” he informs the apprentice.

That surprises Hongbin because if they went by the textbook he still had two thirds of the spell section to go. He can’t help feeling a little proud that he’d covered two years’ worth of content in six months, even if he was going to lose it all eventually.

Hongbin thinks through the spells he’d been studying in the last week, trying to pin point which one Hakyeon would consider useful enough to be the last one he teaches.

“Which one?” he asks, reaching for the text book so he can read the theory one more time.

Hakyeon smirks at the apprentice. “It’s one I invented.”

“Have any of the sorcerers gotten back to you yet?” the king asks.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Suhee answers simply. “None of them can do magic anymore.”

The atmosphere is heavy and their meal sits untouched before them. The small number of guards positioned around the room – and in the entirety of the palace – reflects the current predicament that had befallen them this time. They needed more sorcerers.

The sorcerers on the front lines burn out quickly – becoming corrupted within a few months due to their high level of deliberate magic use – and replacements needed to be sent often. However, nobody was answering the recruitments and not long after reports from sorcerers who had been attacked started coming in.

At first they thought it was a joke, sorcerers claiming they couldn’t do magic anymore so they wouldn’t have to join the front lines. But as more and more reports came in and as Suhee inspected the sorcerers, it was impossible to deny their claims.

The law that had been introduced at the beginning of the year, which had been an attempt to draw more sorcerers into taking on apprentices and reduce the number of attacks, had simply sped up the rate at which sorcerers were losing their magic.

“It was Hakyeon, wasn’t it, Your Majesty?” Suhee asks cautiously.

The king tuts angrily. “Of course it was Hakyeon! I should have gotten rid of him years ago!”

“None of the guards you sent after him ever came back,” Suhee reminds him.

It wasn’t like they didn’t try to get rid of Hakyeon, they did. The king sent numerous guards after the traitor in an attempt to reclaim the Anyethi and dispose of a threat. Eventually the advancements in the war meant that sorcerers needed to be placed on the front lines instead of chasing criminals.

Suhee sighs and begins picking at her food. “Should we send someone after him?”

“Who would we send?” the king questions, motioning around the room. “There’s no one left.”

It was as if the only sorcerers left were on the front lines, guarding the palace, or in the basement making spells and potions for the war.

“There’s Yeongsik,” Suhee states suddenly, getting excited. “All of his apprentices were attacked a few months ago.”

“Where is he now?” King Jihun demands.

Suhee can’t barely stop a grin from creeping across her face. “He’s in the basement developing spells.”

“Send him after Hakyeon immediately.”

Suhee stands up and bows. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The king doubts Yeongsik is a match for Hakyeon. Yes, he was skilled and experienced, but Hakyeon was a genius who had been able to stay hidden for eight years. He hopes Yeongsik catches the younger sorcerer off guard.

Feeling slightly more satisfied the king begins cutting into his food. All they had to do now was figure out who was leaking information and then they’d be back on track with winning the war.

“Leo,” Hakyeon murmurs, running his fingers over the Anyethi’s silky fur.

Leo stretches and yawns before turning to give Hakyeon an inquisitive look. It’s the middle of the night, what was going on?

“We’re going tonight.”

Leo meows.

“Jaehwan said in his letter that they don’t know when something will happen to them but we can’t exactly sit around and wait for something to happen.”

Leo meows again.

“Let’s go finish this.”

The Anyethi stands up and stretches again, arching into Hakyeon’s hand on his back. Hakyeon waits patiently for Leo to teleport and Leo waits for Hakyeon to go get Hongbin. They turn to look questioningly at each other.

“Let’s go?” Hakyeon offers.

Leo looks over at the door and then back again.

“Oh,” Hakyeon mutters. “Hongbin isn’t coming.”

Leo doesn’t question it, he’d always suspected something like this would happen. After another glance up at Hakyeon, heart pounding at the thought of what this could mean for the sorcerer, Leo teleports to the palace.

Ravi and Hongbin are such awkward dorks. Sanghyuk is such a brat in this chapter. Naw, poor Leo can’t even take a nap in peace these days. Control your kids, Hakyeon, god damn...

Haha, I feel bad about this but the next chapter is a ‘past’ chapter so you’re going to have to wait to see what happens. Oh woe…