The streets passed by in a sort of blur until Jungkook finally realized the color of the districts had changed to a rather unforgettable shade: red. He blinked hard and shook his head with a confused look. “What are we doing here?” The Red District was questionable on the best of days. Granted, it wasn’t as bad as the Black District, but as a human, this area unnerved him.

                “I told you,” Yoongi answered without looking his way, the vampire’s dark eyes scanning the area with methodical slowness. “Going to the Hunters.”

                “Here?” he squeaked out, drifting that much closer to Yoongi again. He knew the Hunters were in the city but he’d never really bothered to look up specifically where they were located. It wasn’t just that this was an area where most fleshly hungers could be sated, and it wasn’t just that you could find almost any borderline illegal substance hidden in the corners of the district… No. It was the eyes that followed you. That weighed and measured your worth in coin and vigor. The tendrils of suggestion that filtered out to gently tug at any passersby unwary enough or susceptible enough to be tentatively ensnared.

                For the first time, the vampire seemed to actively notice his discomfit as he looked away from the scenery and focused on his charge. “No one will bother you while I’m here,” he promised, glancing up at the slightly taller man.

                Jungkook appreciated the sentiment but he shivered all the same. “It feels like they’re all looking at me,” he admitted in a quiet whisper, ducking his head to at least try and pretend he didn’t see the glimmers of eyes peering out from shadows and the occasional snatcher on a corner, aptly named since they tried to snatch your attention any way they could. Yoongi made a sighing noise in the back of his throat but shifted his grip to sling his arm around Jungkook’s upper waist, pulling him close. A burst of what had to be power made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and Jungkook stiffened at the sudden change. This wasn’t what he’d quite had in mind…

                “Better?” the vampire asked without looking over, though his cheek and eye twitched with the shift.

                It made Jungkook remember Yoongi had recently been stabbed. “Your shoulder!” he gasped, reactively trying to jerk away which only made the vampire wince again with a pained grunt.

                “It’s fine,” he grumbled back, keeping his hold firmly on Jungkook and his eyes raking the area.

                “Oh,” Jungkook sighed, leaning over enough to catch a glimpse of the torn sweater and sticky redness matting the fabric.

                “I’ll be fine,” Yoongi promised with a sidelong glance when the continued stare pulled his attention.

                Jungkook nodded mutely and forced himself to take a breath. Yoongi was a Rank 3 vampire after all. If a knife wound was enough to really endanger him, vampires were much weaker than he thought and he knew that wasn’t the case. That aside, he did have to admit that being even closer to the vampire had apparently chased away most onlookers as well. Glancing around, he saw the odd pair of curious eyes, but the direct focus was gone, turned away by some sort of command or sheer preservation instinct. He wasn’t sure. Jungkook knew Yoongi had done something with his power but the exact nature was unknown to him.

                “Look. We’re almost there,” Yoongi announced, breaking Jungkook’s train of thought.

                He looked up to see what the vampire was talking about and frowned. The building he had to be referring to was normal enough, but it felt sorely out of place. It lacked any of the decoration or neon or magical enhancements that were rife among the other buildings. Drab was probably the best way to describe it. Nondescript also came to mind. But that was also what made it so very recognizable. It needed no signage because it was its own advertisement. Unlike the other buildings around it, this one was also only two stories, squatting low and hiding in the shadow of the four story and taller surroundings. “Huh,” he hummed, turning his head to the side to change his view briefly.

                “Someone’s always here as you can see with the light,” he nodded, pointing out the single incandescent bulb like a beacon in the night. It perched on the wall right next to the door and cast a long shadow down the short steps directly in front of the building. “Come on,” he urged, steadily leading Jungkook towards the stairs.

                The vampire didn’t bother to knock when they reached the unlocked door and simply stepped inside with a quick glance around. He paused with Jungkook just on the other side of the threshold, looking at the single figure seated behind a sprawling desk that looked like something out of a harried detective movie. “Problem, victim or perp?” the young looking man asked, holding up one and two fingers on both hands as he asked his three questions.

                He looked far too bubbly for a night job like this, if you asked Jungkook. Messy black hair splayed in every direction but his eyes were bright and observant. And the smile he gave them while he waited for their answer was alarmingly disarming.

                “Chimera,” Yoongi answered instead, his voice flat and perturbed.

                “Oh,” came the surprised chirp of a response. His brows rose to disappear under long bangs and he nodded in understanding. Jungkook expected him to pick up the phone on his desk to call or physically stand up to retrieve someone, but he did neither. Instead, he pushed back from the desk and slid in the rolling chair to reach a pipe with a cover that was secured to the wall. It looked like it went through the ceiling. He opened the cover and literally yelled into it. “Kyu! You are needed on the first floor now!”

                “, K!” came the immediate reverberating response from whoever was on the other end. “I told you stop using this damn thing!” the likely Hunter scowled, a loud banging sound making everyone on the ground floor wince.

                “Kyu…” the man behind the desk warned with a falsely sweet tone of voice.

                “I’m coming, dammit!” the Hunter snapped, followed by more racket and the sound of retreating footsteps.

                “Why…?” Jungkook started to ask as he leaned close to the vampire.

                “The phone’s for polite calls and Kwangmin is too lazy to go up the stairs sometimes,” Yoongi answered preemptively, smiling back at the other man who snorted in their direction.

                “You’re one to talk,” Kwangmin scoffed with a shake of his head. “I can only imagine this being a newbie of yours, else you wouldn’t be on this side of town actually working. Especially not with news of a chimera.” Yoongi just shrugged, neither confirming nor denying their relationship.

                They both jumped when the door at the back swung open – but didn’t slam – and out walked a tall, scarred individual with a glare and a scowl that could curdle milk. “This better be good,” he grouched, demeanor shifting when he took in the sight of the guests in the room. His face softened slightly as he looked at Kwangmin for enlightenment.

                “Chimera,” the apparent secretary shrugged, both hands gesturing to either side of him.

                “,” the Hunter spit as his mouth twisted like he’d tasted something bad. “Come on,” he waved, turning to go back up the stairs without hesitation.

                “You heard him,” Kwangmin smiled with a motion towards the door as they paused for just a moment.

                “We’re going,” Yoongi frowned, waving at the secretary dismissively before he tugged at Jungkook to get them both moving.

                Personally, Jungkook was relieved. He didn’t know what Kwangmin was but he was pretty sure the man wasn’t entirely human. He felt too… off for it. Too much like Yoongi. As such, he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of being left alone with him. His tension faded away just a bit and apparently Yoongi could feel it.

                “You don’t need to worry about Kwangmin,” he promised quietly as they followed in the Hunter’s footsteps. “He’s mouthy and annoying sometimes, but if you’re here, you’re under his protection regardless.”

                “What is he?” Jungkook whispered, half afraid his voice would carry and the question would be unintentionally insulting or something. He knew that not all magical creatures appreciated being talked about behind their backs, especially when they were so close by.

                “Aqrabuamelu.” At Jungkook’s blank stare, he laughed once and clarified, “Scorpion man.”

                “That’s new,” he murmured, thumbing at his bottom lip.

                “Eh. They’re not common but they are great guardians. The Hunters protect the city – as best they can – and he and his brother protect them,” Yoongi explained, holding his finger to his lips as they reached the second floor. Jungkook fell silent despite the questions tumbling through his mind.

                The room they stepped into also reminded Jungkook of a police station minus the holding cells. Maps of the city covered the walls. There were four desks present here, only one of which had anyone at it – Cho Kyu…hyun if the nameplate was any indication. All of them had folders on them with cases presumably. While most of everything seemed strangely old fashioned, the computers they had were absolutely new – sleek and shiny. The Hunter noticed Jungkook’s line of sight and he smirked, the expression falling into place as if it belonged there.

                “We kept breaking the old ones so the city finally got us Mage proofed ones,” he winked, the quick moment of amusement fading swiftly as he fell into his chair and turned his attention to Yoongi. “What in the Nine Hells are you doing tangling with a chimera?”

                “Protecting my trainee,” Yoongi shrugged with a nod at the human beside him.

                “This is your trainee?” he asked in amusement, finger pointing at Jungkook with a crooked smile and a raised brow.

                “What?” Jungkook asked, confused.

                “Don’t,” Yoongi warned with a curled lip.

                Kyuhyun ignored him and focused on Jungkook with a cat-like grin. “He hates having trainees taller than him.”

                The comment took a second to register and then Jungkook blinked in surprise. Reactively, he bent his knees to lower his height and it made Kyuhyun laugh in earnest delight. Yoongi elbowed him in the ribs and he coughed with a pained wince.

                “Chimera, remember?” the vampire pointed out acidly, not looking at Jungkook as he glared at the Hunter instead.

                Kyuhyun wiped at the corner of one eye and finished his laugh before he sat up, changing to a more professional demeanor in the blink of an eye. “Which is probably already long gone so delaying for a moment or two will change nothing.”

                “Kyu,” Yoongi warned with a tilt of his head and a gesture at his shoulder. “I was stabbed by the chimera that was after my trainee and I am in no mood for your games tonight.”

                “Oh,” Kyuhyun murmured in genuine surprise, brows rising again. “He was faster than you thought.”

                “No. I let him stab me,” Yoongi corrected with a flat, staccato tone.

                “Then what are you getting pissy with me for?” the Hunter scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

                “He laid his hand on my trainee,” the vampire growled, good hand balling into a fist.

                It was strange for Jungkook to be talked about as if he wasn’t there, but it was also fascinating being spoken of in such a possessive way. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or creeped out. Maybe both. But he did understand that was part of vampire culture. Werewolf too, if he was being honest. Since he did want to become a vampire and was under Yoongi’s tutelage, he was the vampire’s and yet not at the same time.

                Kyuhyun nodded in open mouthed understanding and finally waved his hand for more info. “Details,” he murmured, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen as he focused on finding a clean page.

                Jungkook was quite interested too so he remained silent and listened in, though it was hard to focus due to the wound Yoongi kept poking at distractedly and the prominent scars on Kyuhyun’s face. He half listened to the vampire talk while he tried to stare unobtrusively at the Hunter. What he could only imagine were claw marks – maybe teeth too – had created a web of scar tissue in crisscross patterns on his right cheek and forehead. A single long line ran down the length of the left side of his face and just above his shirt collar, he saw more markings that indicated further healed wounds hidden beneath.

                He flinched when Kyuhyun looked up and his eyes darted to Jungkook briefly. As fast as he could, he looked away, eyes darting about for a different focus before settling on Yoongi. His current wound held a similar fascination for him…

                “…so I followed them for a few more days to make sure one of them was what I was beginning to suspect.”

                “So you didn’t know until this evening?” Kyuhyun commented, jotting down a couple more notes.

                “Not officially,” Yoongi shrugged, lip curling as he peeled the fabric away from his wound and stared at the parted flesh. “ing silver,” he hissed, fingers flexing like he wanted to itch it.

                “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t,” the Hunter tilted his head, pen tapping on the paper. “What were their names again?”

                Yoongi repeated them quickly without question, but Jungkook blinked in surprise, realizing belatedly they were talking about his friends. Well, they had been his friends at least. “But Jaejoong’s the chimera. Why do you need to talk to Yugyeom and Sungwon?”

                Kyuhyun raised a brow and focused on the human. “You have a vampire to vouch for you. They do not. And chances are good, one of them was acting as a front for the chimera.”

                “But-”

                “My money’s on Sungwon,” Yoongi added with a quick glance at Jungkook. “When I was following Yugyeom, he was practically the epitome of your oblivious human.” His tone was sincere but his expression evidenced amusement.

                “What tipped you off about Jaejoong?” Kyuhyun questioned, practically ignoring Jungkook who opened his mouth to try again.

                “Too human to be human,” the vampire snorted. “And he smelled weird, but it took me a while to catch on. I’d guess he’s been one for a while. May be nearing the end of his life.”

                “That would be a good reason for trying to net a new vampire,” he agreed softly, eyes sliding to focus on Jungkook again. “Or even befriending one that wasn’t yet turned. If he could find enough information to weaken a stronger one, that would be good too.”

                The new information made him stop trying to say anything as he turned it over in his mind. Vampires were nigh on immortal, barring accidents or unfortunate incidents.

                “Exactly,” Yoongi nodded with a slow blink, grabbing his arm near the wound and squeezing hard in lieu of itching. It had to hurt but Jungkook didn’t see it on his face when the vampire looked at him with an unreadable expression.

                “Did you catch sight of what it was made of?” the Hunter wondered, pen adding more notes as he spoke.

                Yoongi shook his head and frowned. “It was a quick flux. Definitely saw the beginning of fairy wings. Probably some sort of were and another that had a sleek hide. Maybe selkie,” he murmured, biting on his lip as he tried to remember.

                “Damn. Means he probably has at least one more in reserve and that’s hardly enough to help with the missing persons cases they’d be connected to,” Kyuhyun sighed, turning his head to stare at the pile of files on his desk.

                It wasn’t a mountain exactly, but when every desk looked to have a similar sized stack, that amounted to quite a few cases. “Are those all for missing magical creatures?” Jungkook wondered aloud, surprising himself with the question.

                “Missing, dead, wanted… you name it. There’s always something,” the Hunter sighed, scratching at his temple with a gloved finger.

                “You might wanna add another Hunter soon,” Yoongi prompted, a half-smile tugging at his lips.

                Kyuhyun scoffed. “You try recruiting humans to be Hunters.” Mutely, Yoongi pointed at Jungkook who wasn’t sure of the significance of the gesture. “Right,” the Hunter chuckled, the genuine amusement removing years from his face for just a moment. “Well, I think I’ve got enough to get started for now. I’ll have Xiumin check in on Sungwon tonight. He should be on call. Taekwoon can get a shot at Yugyeom in the morning.”

                “So that’s your newest one,” Yoongi snorted, face twitching as his hand spasmed. At Kyuhyun’s questioning look, he added, “Saw him on the news last month. Cat person incident.”

                “Ah,” the Hunter replied with a knowing nod, though his gaze focused on Yoongi’s wound. “You should probably do something about that, you know.”

                “Do you have a blood packet?” the vampire asked archly, his face a deadpan look.

                Kyuhyun’s brow furrowed and he scoffed. “Course not. Why don’t you just bite your trainee?”

                “Too early,” Yoongi answered with a shake of his head.

                The Hunter’s frown deepened. “He’s not even halfway finished?”

                “Nope,” the vampire answered, still shaking his head. Jungkook did not entirely miss the significance of the halfway comment, though he wasn’t sure why it was otherwise surprising.

                “The chimera must really be hurting for time,” Kyuhyun grimaced. “That changes things. I’ll take a run around this evening. See if I can’t find anything about him. Let me know if you think of anything else in the meantime,” he encouraged, waving at the pair in an obvious dismissal.

                “Sure,” Yoongi nodded, reaching out to brush his fingers against Jungkook’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

                “Huh. Oh,” Jungkook blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected Yoongi to just go with it so fast. He got distracted briefly when he saw Kyuhyun reach for the phone and actively ring Kwangmin downstairs, as confirmed by the ‘K’ comment. As Yoongi gently pulled him away, he heard the Hunter telling Kwangmin to call in Lisa – not Liza – to watch the place while he was out.

                “It was nice meeting you, Jungkook. Maybe I’ll see around again if you become a vampire,” Kwangmin smiled and waved as they entered the main floor.

                “Yeah,” Jungkook nodded in rote agreement.

                “Here,” Yoongi offered, dropping a blood stained blade on the secretary’s desk. “You can have this.”

                “Ew,” Kwangmin grimaced with a disappointed look at Yoongi.

                “What? Kyu was busy and you’d probably have more luck anyway,” the vampire reasoned with a simple shrug.

                Kwangmin’s disapproval didn’t change but he did take a breath and roll his eyes. “Fine. You’re probably right, but maybe try giving it to me first next time?”

                “Right,” Yoongi waved, already starting to walk out the door. He paused at the entrance and called back. “Jungkook.”

                Jungkook flinched and looked away from the red and silver weapon. “Coming!”

                As they stepped out into the gloomy night, Jungkook inched closer to the vampire. The red district always seemed ominous, but in the evening, it was worse. He wasn’t expecting Yoongi to say anything next though, so his comment of, “Merlin’s piss, this itches!” surprised him.

                “Merlin’s…?” he questioned curiously, head tilting of its own accord.

                “Mage several hundred years ago,” the vampire waved off, actively growing more agitated with the wound on his shoulder if the facial expression and claw gesture at it was any indication.

                “If it was going to be such a problem, why did you let Jaejoong stab you?” he wondered watching the vampire’s face closely.

                Yoongi’s shoulders slumped as he made a pitiful face before straightening up and pulling the façade back into place. “Since humans were in the area, it was the safest course of action.” Jungkook frowned in obvious confusion and Yoongi rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I could have knocked it away, but who’s to say I wouldn’t hit it into one of you?” That made a sort of sense. “And really, I didn’t know what he was gonna do if he kept it.”

                Oh. “So you were… protecting us?” Jungkook confirmed hesitantly.

                “Of course.”

                Jungkook looked down and bit his thumbnail in thought. “Why did you give it to Kwangmin?”

                The vampire scoffed again but did answer. “I grabbed it so they couldn’t use it for prints, but Kwangmin might be able to track down who sold it or even who made it. It’s illegal to sell silver knives for a very good reason,” he added with a weary exhale.

                That made sense and it was enough of an answer that Jungkook didn’t have another question for that at least. On the other hand… “Why didn’t you tell me you were following us?”

                “And let you ruin the surprise?” Yoongi asked in response.

                “Why didn’t you contact me at all?” he asked when he didn’t feel like responding to the other question.

                Yoongi narrowed his eyes in a frustrated look and asked, “Are you going to ask me questions all night?”

                “No,” Jungkook answered immediately. Then he thought about it and nodded, “Yes.” It felt wrong both times though, and he shook his head with a frantic look. “Maybe?”

                Yoongi stopped walking and placed his hand on top of Jungkook’s head. His thumbnail was a talon and quite obvious in Jungkook’s peripheral vision. “Stop,” he commanded gently, his free hand rising to point a finger at the human’s nose. “You can ask me whatever you want tomorrow, but tonight, I’m tired. I like the cold but it doesn’t like me,” he reminded the younger man. His seriousness broke with another look down at his wound and a pained whine. “And this itches so bloody bad!”

                Jungkook had to actively hide his smile so that it wouldn’t upset Yoongi more. It wasn’t a funny situation, not really, but his reaction made it almost impossible not to laugh. “I could help…” he trailed off suggestively, at least a little curious about what being bitten might be like.

                “No,” Yoongi snapped back with another finger pointing at him. “Stick around another couple months and then we’ll see. Right now, no.”

                “Are we gonna walk back?” he asked, changing the direction of questioning.

                “Yes.”

                “Can’t you just… poof?” Jungkook asked, motioning with his hands in an open and closed gesture.

                “Jungkook…” Yoongi warned, giving him a dark side-eyed look.

                “It would be faster.” The side eye turned into an unmistakable glare and he held his hands up in surrender. “Walking it is!”

                “Gods, you’re annoying sometimes,” Yoongi grumbled, shoulders slouching as he continued trudging forward.

                “You’re welcome?” he offered tentatively, waiting to see how the vampire would respond.

                “Little ,” Yoongi chuckled dryly, a weak smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Come on, you. You’re staying at the coven tonight.”

                “But it’s a Wednesday.” When Yoongi just gave him a raised brow look, he shrugged and nodded. “Guess I am.” In all honesty, he wasn’t upset with that arrangement. The beds at the coven were nicer anyway. And to be quite fair, he felt infinitely safer there. Having numerous vampires around tended to do that for him. After what happened today, he was good with the added safety in numbers.

                “A millennia of relative peace seems like a long time and yet, not long at all,” Minzy murmured, her eyes turning sad as she took a breath for the next part.

                Hyuna glanced around the room and saw that Chan was as rapt as ever. Hyosung’s face was a bit pinched – she knew what came next and had reason enough not to enjoy it. Joshua too for that matter… Fortunately, Jennie, Wonshik, and Seungkwan seemed otherwise unaffected. For now at least. The circumstances of their arrival had been much like Chan’s – uneventful but welcome. As for her other children, they had come to her because of other magical creatures…

                “Again and again, the creatures of Terra mixed and spread. The Prime Elementals kept the peace when troublesome magical beasts arose, but when something new appeared, something without magic, they were at a loss,” the Anansi spoke, waving her hand at the scene so that the image of a man and woman filled the space above. “Some say they were an accident and some say the remnants of Magic felt their desire to be different and allowed such beings to be born. The answer is not certain, nor does it matter. When humans appeared, the world changed again.”

                “At first, we thought them nothing more than weak Mages. But when their powers never manifested, we knew they were something else. Something new. In the early times, we did not realize how very fragile the new creatures were,” Minzy explained, her fingers weaving a quick story of a child appearing and then vanishing just as fast. “And once we understood, greater was care was taken to not harm them into adulthood, but even then…” she trailed off, showing a man encountering what looked like a were of some kind. The exchange was over before it began and the man died, quite by accident it seemed, if the were’s expression was any indication.

                “Nor did we know how to treat them,” Hyuna reminded her, waving her hand to add an image of many magical creatures looking on from afar as new humans were born and grew in a painfully short period of time. “Should we pity the beings of no magic, treat them as children to be guided and led, or as equals – like all of Magic’s creations – to exchange ideas, however strange they might seem to us.”

                “Indeed,” Minzy smiled with a gentle nod. “Even today, we can see echoes of the past we struggled to come to terms with.”

                “So humans weren’t created by Magic?” Chan asked, face a little confused. In many families, that was the story they were told.

                “Not directly. No,” Hyuna replied with a slow shake of her head. “Magic, even when the source itself is not present, can feel what we desire. What we wish to happen or change. So while Magic did not make man, one could say it did lead to man’s creation.”

                “Oh,” he sounded out, turning the answer over in his mind as he accepted the answer for now.

                “For a time,” Minzy spoke up, drawing attention back to the story again, “the magical creatures of that era left the humans mostly alone.” The image shifted, focusing more on a spot of land where a man and woman now lived. It resembled a very early settlement of mere wood and thatch with a couple domesticated animals in pens nearby. There was not a magical creature in sight. “In truth, they were neither fun nor interesting to be around, still young and naïve and small in number. Some of our kind tried to help watch over them and others advocated for getting rid of the magicless beasts, but neutrality reigned. Like the first magical creatures that had arrived, they were born of Terra and most felt they deserved to be there, even if they did not understand them in full. But though humans were very fragile creatures, their numbers grew swiftly.” She wiggled her fingers and the image zoomed out, showing how the small settlement started to spread and develop. “With minimal lifespans, they had to live and grow fast. And they did.”

                Hyuna steepled her fingers in front of her and rested them against her lips, her heart heavy in that moment. “Perhaps it was our fault for not trying to be a larger part of their lives when they were young. Like them, we didn’t know much better. And for humans, magical creatures could be terrifying and unpredictable monsters without us even realizing it.”

                “Some reached out to us and tried to be friends. That much is true,” Minzy explained, conjuring an image of a human and a fairy shaking hands. “But their numbers were few and the larger populous simply grew to be afraid.” As she spoke, new images joined the human and fairy, circling around them slowly. “Afraid of what they didn’t understand.” A gryphon materialized in the first bubble. “Afraid of the night they couldn’t see in.” Packs of weres ran through a moonless field. “Afraid of the creatures that could hunt them for food at times.” A wendigo and vampire stood back to back. “Afraid of creatures that did not die as they did and had powers they lacked.” A human looking pair with magic swirling in their eyes showed up - Mages. “Their fear made them dangerous and easy to control,” Minzy sighed, her hands stilling.