(a/n: My apologies for my extended absence. I had not anticipated my new school year on being quite so busy and time consuming. I'm hoping that now, nearly five weeks into the semester, I'm finally getting a handle on things and will be able to resume and maintain at least mostly regular updates. Thank you for being patient with me and I hope you do enjoy this latest update. ^_^)

                Yoongi sighed again as he rested his chin in his palm, elbow propped up on the arm of the cushioned chair he was reclining in. After eating a blood pack from the kitchen, his shoulder was feeling much better, but that also meant he had nothing left to distract him from what had happened with his potential trainee today. On the other side of the room, Jungkook was sleeping peacefully in a queen sized bed. There was a nightlight in the corner adding a hint of illumination but Yoongi didn’t need it. He could see the human just fine in near total darkness.

                And right now, he looked remarkably like a child to the older vampire. He scoffed quietly and shook his head with a slight frown. Maybe that was why he was so… protective of him. Almost involuntarily so. It wasn’t love - it was barely even like, but because he was his charge and because he appeared younger than many humans, Yoongi got unreasonably angry when he was put in danger. He could have gotten rid of the knife with ease, but though he said he was protecting them, as in all the humans, the only reason he’d chosen his own body as a sheathe for the weapon was to make sure it didn’t get Jungkook. And it had been painfully difficult not to outright kill him when the chimera laid his hand on the boy. Flexing his right hand, he watched his nails grow to points and back before clenching it into a loose fist. But when it came to chimeras, it was best to try and take them alive.

                “Stupid chimera,” he scowled, running the memory over in his mind. When he’d been following Jaejoong, the creature hadn’t let his guard slip at any point. It was more about him feeling a little off, and that only after watching for a few days. He met with Sungwon more often than Yugyeom but seemed to keep mostly to himself. Sometimes he met with other humans – not magical creatures – but his conversations were short. He should probably let the Hunters know about them too, just in case. That aside, it looked like he might have had a temporary house in the residential part of the White district. It would make sense too. Humans wouldn’t be nearly as likely to notice he was a bit off. There were too many things Yoongi didn’t know about him though.

                If Jaejoong was an older chimera, he would likely have at least a couple possible ‘homes,’ and not all in the same area. Likewise for faces and names. Chances were pitifully low that they’d find him at this point, but it was also a good bet he wouldn’t be sticking around for the time being. He might try to come back later with a new identity, but having his cover blown, he’d be skittish. The chimera was a problem for sure, but one that he’d already lost the trail on. The bigger concern would be the Mage that had made him and the creatures he’d used to become one. The Mage could very well be in the area still and the magical creatures would be missing persons…

                Taking a slow breath, Yoongi closed his eyes and pulled up the memory of his encounter again. The sight of rippling skin made him shiver once but he closed his eyes harder and focused. Human skin fluxed and gave way to fur. What kind? Yoongi took a breath and fixated on that single patch of hair in his memory. Brown. A tiny splash of cream in a couple hairs. Coarse though. Not a cat person. Longer than a wolf too. Located near the shoulders. Lion? Maybe… What else. The fur had given way to a sleek hide. It was fur again but flat against the skin and patterned. Not a kelpie. Probably selkie. Gray patch with brown splotches. It did look a bit like seal skin after all. The last obvious shift had been wings. Crumpled but no feathers. Soft, like a fairy but dark in coloration. Maybe woodland fairy. Markings? Too folded to see.

                Yoongi opened his eyes with a grimace. Not the best recollection but it was better than nothing. The last bit had actually been when Jaejoong was running away and it made him cringe. Black eyes peered at him once. It was only for a split second but he knew those dead orbs: wendigo. There was little love lost when a wendigo died. They weren’t all bad, but they often gave magical creatures a bad name. Creatures of shadow and cold, they practically delighted in causing harm when they could. And it very nearly had.

                Yoongi’s fingers dug into the arms of the chair and he quietly hissed as he remembered claws against Jungkook’s throat again, dark and sharp. Even now they made him itch to rend the chimera to pieces. “Ugh,” he scowled once more, shoving himself up and leaving the room with purposeful energy. He stopped when he stepped into the hallway though. Jungsu was standing in his path, face calm and thoughtful. “What?” he grumbled, not really in the mood to tangle with the Second of the Coven.

                “Namjoon said I should keep an eye out tonight,” he commented with a quick shrug. “How is he?” he asked, head tilting towards the closed door and brows rising curiously.

                “Sleeping,” Yoongi answered in a curt voice. When Jungsu just looked at him under the fall of his brunette bangs, the younger vampire frowned slightly but nodded. “He’s shaken but fine. Maybe he’ll change his mind later but for now, he seems interested in continuing his trial period.”

                “That’s good,” Jungsu smiled, crossing his arms and casually leaning against the hallway. Yoongi nodded once and moved to step around him. The Second made him pause again though with a hand blocking his path. “You going out?”

                “To see the Hunters again.”

                Jungsu nodded in understanding. “And your Mage?”

                Yoongi grimaced and gave him a sidelong look. “Yeah.”

                “Wait for the morning for her,” Jungsu instructed, dropping his hand. Taken aback, Yoongi looked askance of him. “Namjoon figured it might be a good opportunity for you to take Jungkook. If he’s intent on staying in the morning, take him with you.”

                “It’s a little early for that,” Yoongi countered with a wary glance, wondering if this was a test for him. He’d already had a hard time with the blood offer…

                “So was the chimera’s approach,” Jungsu explained with a shake of his head. “If he stays, he’ll have earned that much at least. Find out in the morning though. We can adjust his trial period as needed from there.”

                Yoongi leaned his head to the side and stared at the wall and floor thoughtfully. He would have preferred to hear such things from Namjoon but if he wasn’t here, he was likely handling Coven business or dealing with the Exile still. “Fine,” he grumbled with a shake of his head. “I’ll see the Hunters tonight and come back to see how the newbie feels in the morning.” He straightened his head to focus on the stronger vampire. “Happy?”

                Jungsu laughed in dry amusement and waved. “Happy travels then. And watch your back, Yoongi. You scared the chimera today. It doesn’t mean he’s gone yet.”

                “Yeah, yeah,” he brushed the warning off. He wouldn’t be wandering the streets where the chimera could see him anyway. And short of being part vampire himself, he’d never be able to find Yoongi in the shadow paths.

                When he showed up at the Hunters’ Quarters again, Kyuhyun was gone but Lisa was inside. Unlike her superior, she liked chatting with Kwangmin when she wasn’t busy and the petite young woman was perched on his desk, one leg folded elegantly over the other when Yoongi walked in. “That was fast,” she commented with a raised brow and a shake of her head.

                Yoongi paused in the doorway, slightly confused. But then Kwangmin barked a laugh and grinned. “Told you he’d be back tonight.”

                “Yeah, yeah,” she sighed in amusement, making a shooing gesture at him with one hand while she pushed a couple tokens his way on the desk.

                “Ah,” the vampire hummed in understanding, both amused and annoyed.

                “Well, come on then,” she added, hopping off the desk easily and sauntering towards the door at the back.

                With platform knee-high boots, she was just shy of Yoongi’s height. The high ponytail of swinging lavender hair did bring her just about even. Unlike the other Hunters, she preferred to be obvious in her appearance so that no one confused her for a standard human. He had to admit it did help. Since she changed her hair color, a fair few magical creatures and humans had stopped trying to ‘protect’ her when she showed up to incidents.

                Yoongi tilted his head to the side and then glanced at Kwangmin. “How much did you bet?” he asked with a knowing smirk.

                The scorpion man waved at him with a wrinkled nose and a smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

                His coy answer was more annoying than anything and Yoongi made a face like he’d tasted something bad. He scoffed instead and followed in Lisa’s wake, ready to give what further details he could. Four missing persons amidst the piles they already had… Granted, the folders were for collective cases across the world. Their agencies worked on a redundancy system. Everything was stored online but just in case they were hacked or Mage wiped or something happened, they all had physical copies too. And since magical creatures could often move around the world a bit easier than humans, it just helped if they all had information on the same cases so they could correspond with the initiator if any of them found something. Humans had a similar system, albeit for humans only, though the Hunters and human law enforcement did coordinate when their worlds interacted.

                “Alright, vamp,” Lisa grinned, falling into her rolling chair in the back corner, next to the desk where the newbie Taekwoon would be. “Tell me whatcha got.”

                Yoongi raised a brow and asked dryly, “Should I go back to calling you Animal Control?”

                Lisa looked at him with dark eyes for just a moment before she sighed audibly and rolled them in response. “Okay, Yoongi. What details can you give me?” she asked, leaning forward and holding a pad of paper and a pen in her hands, very much like Kyuhyun had earlier.

                Content with the shift in her attitude, Yoongi pulled up the nearest chair on the other side of her desk and settled in to tell her what he remembered. It didn’t take long. Even with her follow up questions, of which she had many. Unfortunately, most of them he couldn’t answer to any degree of satisfaction. Though he did remember to give her the information on the other humans they could follow up with that he knew Jaejoong had met with previously.

                When he was finished, the Hunter waved him off as she turned her attention to the nearest computer and started typing in the information to see what would come up. That was fine by him. Yoongi waved at Kwangmin on his way out, exchanging glances but no words. Only when he was outside the building was he able to take the shadow paths again. Most public places like the Hunters’ Quarters had wards to keep creatures like him, and Mages, from just popping in when they wanted to.

                He was tempted to go by the Mage’s shop but it was late… And Jungsu had told him to wait, according to Namjoon. “Fine,” he grumbled to himself, practically flying through the dark as he returned to the Coven. Jungsu wasn’t present when he got inside, but Sanghyuk popped out to confirm it was him, his smile bright and welcoming.

                “Welcome back,” he waved once, leaning around a pillar on the first floor. Spiky brown hair, a slightly larger than average nose, and dark eyes that perpetually made him look like he just woke up set him apart from the rest of the vampires easily. Well, that and the fact that he was currently their youngest. At the tail end of his training period with Jungsu, he’d be off probation and ready to start taking on tasks by himself within the next couple months. For now, he often had evening watch duty.

                “Any news?” Yoongi asked with a glance down.

                Sanghyuk shook his head and looked around once as if to make sure for himself. “Been a quiet night.”

                “Good,” the elder vampire nodded once.

                He turned to leave and paused when Sanghyuk called out. “You gonna see the newbie?”

                “That was the plan,” Yoongi answered, turning his head to glance over his shoulder.

                “Is he gonna stay?” the younger vampire wondered, almost wistful.

                “Maybe,” was the soft response. Yoongi had no real idea one way or the other. He’d thought his first two would but they hadn’t worked out the way he intended either. A thought occurred to him and he turned a little more to look at Sanghyuk. “How was the Exile?”

                Immediately, the younger vampire shuddered and cringed. “Scary.”

                Yoongi barked a quiet laugh and nodded. “Sounds about right.”

                “They don’t… eat… us, do they?” he asked hesitantly, the words stopping and starting as they fell from his lips.

                “No,” the elder vampire promised with a bemused smile. “They only look like they want to.”

                “Oh good,” he murmured distractedly, scratching at the back of his neck with a worried expression lingering on his face.

                There wasn’t much Yoongi could say that would reassure him just then so he left it alone at that. With no further words, he turned and headed to the room Jungkook was sleeping in. All he could do now was wait. At least he wasn’t usually a late sleeper, though with what had happened recently, he might well have been more tired than he thought.

                He was lucky. Jungkook woke up at a relatively normal hour. It wasn’t surprising that he didn’t look well rested and a tiny bit shaken still, but it was encouraging that he gave Yoongi a sleepy but bright smile when he sat up in bed. Rather like an impatient parent, he shepherded Jungkook through the morning routine of a shower and breakfast before chasing them out of the coven to go deal with the Mage business he’d wanted to handle last night. His potential trainee was just distracted enough not to ask any questions until they were on their way.

                “Where are we going this time?” he wondered, lingering close to the vampire as he kept looking around, a wary tension in his body.

                “To see a friend,” he answered, digging into his pants pocket to pull out a crumpled bag. “Here,” he offered, pressing it to Jungkook’s chest so he’d be forced to take it or let it fall when he moved his hand away.

                “Whoa!” the human yelped, awkwardly gripping the bag and then looking at it questioningly. “What is it?” he wondered with a frown.

                “Open it and find out.” Yoongi gave him a quick side eyed glance but kept walking, tugging on Jungkook’s sleeve to pull him in the right direction as he turned his attention to the contents of the bag. Paper crinkled as it was opened and a soft gasp escaped Jungkook’s lips. Yoongi couldn’t quite help the crooked smile that tugged at his mouth. “You said you wanted one.”

                “It’s awesome!” Jungkook grinned, his smile faltering just a touch when he looked at it curiously. “What is it?”

                Yoongi scoffed and rolled his eyes before he gave his potential trainee a disappointed sidelong look again. “You’ve never seen a triskelion?”

                “No,” Jungkook shook his head, cringing in mild embarrassment. “I mean yes, but… what’s it mean?” he finally asked, holding the living tattoo close as if he was worried the vampire might take it away.

                The question made Yoongi laugh again, a dry sound lacking in amusement. But he closed his mouth and shook his head. “It’s a symbol of accomplishment and continued progress. The Eurians were famous for markings like these.”

                Jungkook was quiet for a moment as he stared at the gently moving art in his hands. Yoongi let him think as they walked, still tugging at his sleeves to move him in the appropriate direction or out of another pedestrian’s path. “I like it, but… why?” he asked in quiet confusion, glancing at the vampire from under the fall of his dark bangs.

                “You humans can be quite dense sometimes,” the vampire laughed once, nudging him a bit harder to turn down an alleyway so they could avoid the Purple district again. “You did well with not giving away any of the secrets we prefer to keep. And you did so while handling a chimera, albeit unknowingly. So whether you choose to stay or not, it’s a gift to mark your progress.”

                “Oh,” Jungkook murmured, clasping it in both hands with a shy smile beginning to light up his face. “Thank you,” he finally added, looking up to stare at Yoongi’s profile in appreciation.

                “So does that mean you want to stay?” the vampire asked, turning the full weight of his attention on the human again.

                Jungkook froze for a second, obviously not expecting the immediate question. But he blinked quickly and leaned forward to make up for the slowed pace. “It seems like there’s more to being a vampire than most people realize, but… you haven’t scared me off yet,” he laughed, the sound breathy and slightly nervous.

                “Good,” Yoongi grinned, his expression just a touch on the feral side. “Because you’re about to learn a bit more about who we deal with sometimes and why.”

                “Oh?” he blinked in surprise, glancing around like he’d be able to see whoever Yoongi was talking about immediately.

                With a nod and a pause in their steps, Yoongi motioned for Jungkook’s attention ahead. Various shops rose on either side of the street amidst the always busy rainbow district, but one in particular caught the eye. Maybe it was the motes of light dancing around the signage or the strange pull of power that would have snagged the curiosity of even the weakest human, but Ailee’s Magics stood out quite well between the tattoo parlor and the crystal healing boutique on either side of it.

                As they approached the large shop window, Jungkook’s brows knit together and he wondered, “What kind of shop is this?”

                “Eh. Think of it as a general goods store for magical creatures,” Yoongi answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he glanced inside. Even if the owner had been standing right on the other side of the glass, he never would have been able to see her. It was currently all an illusion to hide the true layout of her store from those on the outside. You had to actually enter for a better view.

                “So who are you here to talk to?” he asked, glancing at the vampire with wide eyes.

                “Just a Mage,” he shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

                “A real Mage?” Jungkook gasped in quiet awe.

                “Yep,” Yoongi grinned, the expression truly amused this time.

                “The Dark Ages were aptly named,” Minzy sighed, her face pinched as she stared at the current images floating above them, reluctant to move on.

                For a moment, Hyuna thought she might not continue the tale. This was, after all, one of the worst points in their collective history. When she continued to be silent and the group started to shift in uncertainty, Hyuna took a breath and consoled the Anansi. “The Dark Ages were a dark time, but they are only a piece of the past. Not its entirety. Nor are they a part of the now.”

                Minzy swallowed hard and looked up to meet the standing woman’s understanding eyes. She nodded once and turned her head to glance at those behind her. “My apologies,” the story-teller murmured before she took another breath and sat up taller, pulling her shoulders back and turning her attention to the images above once more.

                “You’ve got this,” Mingyu promised, reaching out a hand to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly.

                She nodded once and a smile crossed her lips again. “The Dark Ages were not named for a lack of light or technology or anything like that,” she explained, banishing the current images to wipe the slate clean. “Rather, they were named for the darkness in all our hearts at the time.” When her hands moved again, they conjured frightened images of humans and magical creatures. “Like a mob, all are easy to control when they’re afraid. And many humans were creatures of fear in the old days.”

                “There is some confusion about which side actually started the first conflict of the Dark Ages, but most will agree, one way or the other, that it was the humans that lashed out first,” Hyuna explained, a wave of her hand focusing on a mob of humans staking a young vampire. After all, she well remembered that period in their history. She motioned for Minzy to take over the tale and clasped her hands together to listen in.

                The Anansi nodded and murmured, “If you asked the humans of the time, they would claim they were destroying a monster. An unholy abomination of this world. If you asked us, we would say it was an unprovoked attack on an innocent who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It no longer matters why, but it was the spark that lit the tinder of the times.” Minzy spread her hands wide and painted the open space with images of conflict: humans fighting magical creatures; humans fighting humans; and even magical creatures fighting each other. “It would have been easy for us to wipe out the humans. We could have with little trouble. But…” the Anansi trailed off, glancing at Hyuna. It was an obvious question, one she always had at this point in the story. ‘Wouldn’t it have been better if they had been destroyed?’

                “But there were those of us who felt that, even if others considered them aberrant, the humans were still the children of Magic. Even if they were misguided. Even if they sought our destruction. They had as much right to be here as we did. If only we could find common ground,” Hyuna explained in a somber voice.

                “Such a thing would not be found for a long time,” Minzy continued softly with a slight shake of her head. “Though the humans were not strong on their own, they were many. And they were resourceful. They lacked many of the weaknesses magical creatures had and were able to exploit them with time and experience. And they also had help.” A small collective gasp showed that the newest were still surprised by such an admission. Why would any magical creature help something that was trying to destroy them?

                “It was not help wantonly given,” Hyuna clarified immediately, glancing down at her open palm before closing it slowly. “There were humans that sought peace as well. Some that wished to live together. Some that loved those who were different. And for them, some of us offered aid.” She felt Minzy’s eyes on her and turned to look at the Anansi with endless understanding. The younger woman’s bottom lip trembled and she frowned slightly before nodding in a subtle gesture.

                “But even with the help of magical creatures, it was not enough. The humans were many, but those they fought against were strong. And there were some who wanted nothing more than to destroy all humans.” She stopped and chewed on her top lip for a moment, slowly weaving new images above. Creatures like archons and demons, Wendigos, and elementals rose up to tower over the survivors, angry and frightening in their savagery.

                “The humans had upset the balance we had long maintained, but in being born, they had become a part of it as well,” Hyuna murmured, her eyes taking in the images with a painful familiarity. “We could not let them simply be wiped out, despite their ignorance.”

                Minzy’s frustrated sigh was easy to hear. “In order to protect those who were willing to live with the monsters others feared, weapons were forged to allow the humans to defend themselves.”