“So we’ve gotten to that part already?” Namjoon mused, brows rising thoughtfully as he frowned at the computer screen in front of him.

                “Yeah,” Yoongi groaned, legs slung over the arm of the cushioned chair he was lounging in.

                “He seems to be doing well otherwise,” the coven leader commented without looking up, his attention otherwise focused. One eye twitched and Yoongi knew he was reading something he didn’t particularly care for.

                “He’s definitely stuck around longer than I thought he would,” the younger vampire admitted with a slight sigh.

                Now Namjoon looked up and glanced over at his coven member. “You sound almost as if you might be starting to like him,” he commented with a satisfied smile.

                Yoongi shot him an annoyed glare but then leaned his head back and opened his mouth to run his tongue along one row of teeth. “He is a good distraction,” he admitted quietly. Namjoon’s soft laugh was the only response. “Easy to talk to,” he added, still staring at the ceiling.

                “That’s good,” his leader prompted, humming softly under his breath in the next moment.

                That something was starting to bother the other vampire was hard to miss and Yoongi picked his head up again. “What’s got your in a twist?” he asked, gaze sliding to the back of the laptop.

                “An Exile,” he answered without hesitation.

                Immediately, Yoongi flinched and sat up. “In the city?”

                “Yeah. He’s been making a couple appearances lately. Nothing too serious, but Donghyun has sent me a message asking me to look into it,” he sighed, clearly none too thrilled by the thought. “Ugh,” he scowled with a sound of disgust, reaching to shut the laptop abruptly. “I think the latest encounters with the humans have made him curious again,” he mused, scratching at his platinum head with one finger.

                “Oh. That one,” Yoongi commented with a shake of his head.

                “Exactly.”

                Yixing wasn’t the worst of the Exiles, but like all of them, he had a knack for unsettling anyone around him. Especially if they realized what he was. “Where do you gotta go this time?” he asked, regarding the elder vampire with curious eyes.

                “Rainbow district, human side. He’s much too close to the buffer zone for any creature’s liking. If the humans realize who he is, he’s likely to start a panic,” Namjoon grimaced, wiping at his face with both hands.

                “You could always distract him with something,” Yoongi suggested, though he had no particular idea to offer.

                “Eh. I’ll probably just take Sanghyuk with me,” the coven leader explained with a dismissive wave. “You know he’s fascinated by the young ones. And it’s about time for Hyuk to meet one of them anyway.” He frowned and focused on the other vampire. “Speaking of young ones, you best keep an eye on yours while he’s in the area. He’s liable to smell the vampire on him. I doubt he’d do anything to him, but if anything would scare a human off of turning, it would be catching an Exile’s attention.”

                Yoongi nodded in agreement and shuddered at the most recent memory of his own run in with an Exile. It had happened about seventeen years ago now. There had been a clash between their resident archon and a visiting demon possessed human. The human had been killed in the encounter but the demon itself vanished and Junsu had stepped in before the Hunters could arrive to stop the archon from trying to give chase. He remembered it quite vividly.

                “That’s enough,” Junsu murmured, one thin hand reaching out to grip the archon’s wrist and hold him fast. He’d appeared out of nowhere before anyone even had a chance to realize who it actually was.

                “Let me go!” Joon snapped back before recognizing just who had caught hold of him. His golden eyes flashed in a brief glimpse of potential panic and he stilled, greatsword clutched in the hand being held.

                “It’s not often you see a demon in this realm,” the Exile murmured, ruby red hair gleaming in the sunlight as he looked after the departed creature. “And you would try to destroy it just for existing?” he wondered, returning his gaze with predatory intensity.

                The archon flinched and looked down, burnished golden wings folding and retracting back into place as he reverted to his fully human guise. “He doesn’t belong here,” he muttered, releasing the conjured blade in his trapped hand. His plate mail disappeared with it, as did the golden hair color, replaced by a dark brown instead and a nice set of casual clothes for spring.

                Junsu laughed in eerie delight, fangs quite obvious in his open mouth. “We all did at one point,” he promised with a playfully seductive voice. “What’s to say it didn’t come home to visit? And what right do you have to ban it?” he pressed, leaning close as he breathed deep, eyes narrowing to slits as he caught a whiff of the residual demon scent.

                “It smelled of death,” Joon defended himself, swallowing hard.

                “I smell of death,” the Exile reminded him, still lingering perilously close. “Do you want to try to kill me too?” he asked, a bizarrely playful jaunt to his voice. The lopsided smile and intense look did not help him sound any less off. Reactively, Joon leaned back and shook his head in a barely perceptible motion.

                No one in the entire circle of spectators made a sound at all until a trio of Hunters arrived, leaping down from one of the nearest buildings. Their eyes were dilated, showing they were ready for a fight if they needed, but everyone remained stoically calm as Kyuhyun approached amidst a collective wary breath from their audience. “Exile. Archon,” he nodded at both, motioning slightly for his companions to stay back. “Is there a problem?”

                Junsu and Joon looked at each other until the Exile smiled. “Well?”

                “No,” the archon muttered with a subdued glare at the slightly taller figure.

                “Good,” Kyuhyun stated with a firm nod. With a bravado most creatures could only dream of, he approached the pair and reached out towards the archon with a gloved hand. “With your permission, we will take it from here.” He was touching Joon but his attention and his words were for the Exile alone.

                Junsu looked at the archon and then let his gaze slide around the circle of spectators. It seemed as if he took in everyone present with a single sweep and nodded. “Okay,” he grinned, finally letting Joon go as he stepped back. He looked across the way at another creature for a brief moment and Yoongi’s stomach dropped when he swung around to look at him specifically too. Dangerous power swirled in the depths of his eyes. But then the Exile blinked and he seemed as normal as any vampire.

                He winked at Yoongi with a bemused smirk and then vanished into shadow. In the middle of the day. Without flame and without any manufactured shadow. That more than anything had completely unsettled him. The sheer amount of power it would have taken to do that was staggering and he did it like it was nothing…

                “Well, just be careful,” he cautioned, shuddering again as he tried to banish the memory somewhat successfully.

                “I will,” Namjoon promised with a quick grin. “They might scare a Rank 3 like you, but they only make me nervous,” he bluffed with all the humor he could manage. As it turned out, he was the other creature that Junsu had looked at that day. He tried to be around anytime an Exile made any sort of move in the city. As the Coven Leader, it was somewhat expected of him.

                “Your funeral,” Yoongi snorted and rolled his eyes.

                Namjoon simply laughed in response and stood up. “I’m out. But seriously. Go keep an eye on your human until the Exile’s gone. Again, I don’t think we have to worry but better safe than sorry. And really, it’s a great opportunity to watch and see how he will respond to what happens next,” he winked, the expression serious under the false smile.

                “I know,” he huffed, leaning back in the chair, though he did stuff his hand into his pocket for his lighter.

                “Be good,” the vampire lord chuckled, ruffling Yoongi’s hair as he walked past.

                “Joonie…!” the younger vampire groaned without getting up. Namjoon didn’t answer and when he tilted his head to see, the elder vampire was already gone. “Bastard,” he laughed once, freeing his lighter to stare at the metallic rectangle. It had the astrological sign for Virgo on it: his mother’s sign. Absently, he flipped it open and closed a couple times, thinking if he really wanted to go out and about during the day.

                He was giving Jungkook a bit of space to realize if his friends were what he thought they were but… Namjoon wasn’t wrong. What happened next would ultimately determine whether or not the human could even finish his trial period or not. Part of Yoongi kind of wanted him to fail, just so he could have his time back again, but another part that was progressively growing louder didn’t like that thought.

                “Ugh. Fine!” he groaned to himself. “I can at least keep an eye on him until he tries to message me or something,” Yoongi reasoned, flipping the lighter open and clicking the flame. With a thought, he fell into shadow and vanished from the room. He didn’t get nearly as far as he wanted to but with the full weight of the sun bearing down, that wasn’t a surprise. Yoongi popped out in a familiar alley in the Tourist Square near the buffer zone on the magical creature side. At night, he could make it clear across the city with no problem…

                Ah well. Walking wasn’t gonna kill him, even if the sun was beating down. At least it wasn’t hot. January was a delightfully cold month and though they hadn’t seen snow yet, there was still time. With a glance at the all too clear sky, he grimaced and hunched his shoulders to make his way from the shadowy haven. Jungkook was supposed to be working in a bread shop in the rainbow district on the human side of the city. That was a large part of the reason Namjoon had urged him to get out here. It was all too close to where the Exile was.

                Out of habit, he glanced around just to get a feel of who was in the area and nodded to himself that no obvious irritants appeared. Plenty of humans, a fair few human guised magical creatures, and a handful of undisguised ones too. Mostly elves and fairies, bundled up in layers of warm cloth, hats and gloves, but he did see a couple weres. Their fur was naturally warmer than artificial clothes so it made sense. Yoongi stood out largely because vampires didn’t feel the cold as much. He was sorely underdressed for the weather and he drew more attention for it. But as was not uncommon in Tradeborough, he was dismissed just as quickly. Anyone walking around like him, in pants and a mere long sleeved shirt, was either crazy, a vampire, or something else most wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of.

                Yoongi took his time to meander through the familiar sights and made a point to skirt around the purple district. He had money but he didn’t really favor most of what they sold there. The Rainbow District on their side was more interesting anyway. There was always something new. His feet took him down a familiar path that led him beyond a certain Mage’s shop to the tattoo parlor right next to it. He glanced through the window as he passed but didn’t see her and shrugged. Ducking into the ink shop, he smiled lightly at the ‘living’ tattoos dancing under a display.

                “Hmm, that one,” he pointed with a sharp claw tapping against the glass as he leaned against the counter.

                The human didn’t even bat an eye as she fished out the wriggling design and bagged it for him after a quick exchange. While the shop was owned by a descendent of the original Rainbow Crow, he employed humans and other creatures alike. The man was fascinated by art; by extension, most of his workers were too. Yoongi waved once at the tatted woman with actively moving sleeves on both arms and resumed his trek to the other side of the city.

                Admin Circle was as busy as ever and he frowned at the tower that rose over the entire city. The very top of the see through tip was a Hunter’s perch. Well, more accurately, it was for the literal eyes of their group but they were in the process of finding a replacement right now. The last Seer had retired and left the post vacant. He probably would have noticed the Exile much sooner than Donghyun had, womanizing prick. But that was a satyr for you. Yoongi made a subtle frowny face at the building and continued on.

                The sun was finally beginning to move towards the horizon when he made his way towards the shop Jungkook worked at. He’d timed it so that the human would be getting off relatively soon and he wouldn’t have to wait long to see who might come knocking. Pan’s Pan was a trite play on words that only served to make Yoongi’s mouth turn down at the corners as he eyed the elegant scrawl of the name on the shop’s front. The fact that it was owned by a satyr as well simply added insult to injury…

                He hadn’t known that before Jungkook started working here, but of course he’d checked it out after. It wouldn’t do to have his human running around in unverified circles all that much. From the other side of the street, Yoongi took cover in the shade and casually activated a veil of inattention, the familiar magic coming almost as easy as walking. Free from human eyes, he unabashedly stared, catching glimpses of Jungkook moving behind the counter. There were three people at the tables in the dining area and one other coworker. Squinting, he focused on the nametag and saw it was Park Sandara. She moved then and made his sight go all fuzzy as he tried to refocus.

                Blinking hard, he sighted on the woman again, recalling what Jungkook had said about her as he matched the description visually. Older than Jungkook for sure. If she was a standard human, it was likely she was in her thirties. Brown hair pulled back into a braid with fluffy bangs and a bright smile that showed up almost as often as Jungkook’s. Granted, she acted like she was twenty, if her enthusiasm was any indication. No wonder they got along so well. He very much doubted she was one of the questionable friends, but it was almost impossible to be sure. They were the ones that were most likely to surprise you…

                Content to wait for the time being, Yoongi activated his cloak and used it as an improvised chair. As intended, none of the humans acted as if he was there, though they unconsciously walked around him all the same. Satisfied, he leaned back and waved at the odd magical creature that passed him by with a curious glance but otherwise kept his attention on the shop. And the occupant inside. It was encouraging that he didn’t feel anything powerful nearby but that wasn’t really a guarantee. Exiles were great at hiding their aura. It was possible that there was almost nothing of interest nearby too though. That would be nice.

                Time trickled by. Jungkook’s mouth opened in the shape of a laugh and Yoongi could just about hear it. Sandara followed suit, hiding behind her hand before she gently shoved him away and moved to help a human looking customer. They were completely normal too. The tanned bird person – the way their heads darted when they looked around was a dead giveaway – paid and left with no fuss. It wasn’t until it was nearly the end of Jungkook’s shift when a trio of newcomers caught the vampire’s attention.

                All men, they were boisterous and loud. Two were pretty tall and another was of relatively average height. Normal enough hair and looks – attractive, but that wasn’t uncommon. Standard clothes for the weather. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary as they headed for the bread shop. All the same, Yoongi tilted his head in interest. They were a decent possibility… Two looked his general direction and glanced around casually. The hair on the back of Yoongi’s neck stood up just a touch. One of them wasn’t a human. Oh, neither had actively looked at him, but he’d gotten to know the sensation of being noticed and one of them had, which shouldn’t have been possible if they were both regular humans.

                “Hmm,” he hummed to himself, leaning forward to eye the trio as they entered the shop. His potential trainee hadn’t mentioned anything about befriending a magical creature.

                Jungkook greeted them enthusiastically and they responded in kind. It was interesting that Sandara didn’t treat them as much more than customers. It could just be that she didn’t get on with them as well as Jungkook did. But maybe she wasn’t entirely human either and could feel that from one of those three. Or it was possible she was a sensitive. That would be interesting. He was tempted to go inside just to see how she’d react to him, but… no. Now was not the time. Something was strange about one of his human’s ‘friends’ and Yoongi needed to find out what first.

                His skin tingled and a little shiver ran up his spine as he suppressed a small smile. This part was pretty fun usually. Not quite like hunting but close. Yoongi knew their faces now. With a satisfied smirk, he stood up and stretched slowly as he deactivated his cloak. Let the games begin.

                When the trio left the shop about twenty minutes later with Jungkook in tow, Yoongi was gone.

                “When the majority of the dragons were gone, Magic realized the world was empty again, but it had a new idea this time,” Minzy continued, her fingers weaving a tale of glowing lights that popped up on the planet. Red and blue and green and brown and black and white… brightly burning flickers like tiny campfires. “The Primal Elements were the next children of Magic.” Her lights formed into moving figures that fluctuated between humanoid and amorphous at any given moment.

                Hyuna waited to see if the Anansi would add in one final tidbit but when the story lagged just a touch, she stepped in to help. “While the dragons were beings of pure magic initially, Magic realized its next children might do better with direct affinities to this world.”

                Minzy’s mouth opened in silent acknowledgement, followed by a quick grimace those behind her wouldn’t easily see. She nodded her head once and then took a breath before trying again. “The Primal Elements looked after the world as the caretakers then, making sure that balance was maintained between them.” A shy smile lightened her face as she spun the world, cycling through light and dark as fire, water, air, and earth rotated with it endlessly.

                A glance around the group showed that all of her children were enthralled as usual. It seemed as if Chan barely breathed from his vantage between Mingyu and Jennie, a tiny tear of light reflecting back from the depths of his pupils. Jennie wasn’t much better off. was slightly open and her warm brown eyes darted back and forth as she tracked the moving colors. Right next to her, Jisoo had Byunghyun’s arm hugged tight to her body as she watched too while the nightmare eater actively slept, his head resting on his chest. Hyuna didn’t begrudge him the rest. He’d been here the longest after all. This tale was nothing new to him.

                “Under their guidance, the new world thrived,” Minzy added then, prompting new life to grow on the planet, covering the globe with renewed life and vibrancy. “But… even creatures almost akin to gods got lonely sometimes,” she murmured, adjusting the motion of the flickering lights so that they started to drift closer to each other. “They had always been friends and allies in a common goal, but some started to become more.”

                Two by two, the Elementals drifted into noticeable pairs. Air and earth, fire and dark, light and water… “As in all things when two come together as one, even if only temporarily, something new was born from their unions.” Minzy drew her hand through the space and a swath of images appeared like a rainbow above them. All manner of magical creatures filled the planet, their tiny figures wandering the ground as their likenesses floated above. “Celestials, Infernals, Aquans, Aurans, Ignans, Terrans, and Sylvans. They were like the Elementals but with each varied creature, they also had vastly different needs and wants.”

                Hyuna took a breath and reached out towards the figures, fingers lingering just a touch longer over the Elementals. “With the appearance of new life, the balance they had long maintained was upset once more.”

(a/n: And here we get a glimpse into our Exiles as well as a couple more vampire abilities. More will be revealed in time! Thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update. ^_^ )