It was clear by the look on Jungkook’s face when they stepped into the shop that the young man had never been in a Mage’s workplace before. Yoongi’s mouth quirked up into a half smile while he watched Jungkook’s eyes go wide and then trail slowly over the immediate area. He literally flinched when he saw one shelf full of bones and then blinked in surprise when he noticed the Mage herself. From where they were standing, it looked like she was floating in air. Yoongi knew she was simply sitting on a thin shelf where she could keep an eye on everything but it wasn’t easy to see.

                The vampire glanced between his charge and the Mage, the latter of whom was regarding them with interest, her gaze focusing much longer on the human. “Wait for it,” he murmured in dry amusement, placing gentle fingers against Jungkook’s forearm.

                “What-?” he started to ask before he practically choked as the Mage leaned forward and… disappeared into the air. “Where did she- Ack!” he began to question up until she appeared directly in front of them, stepping out of the air once more.

                Yoongi chuckled in genuine amusement as Jungkook lurched behind him, putting distance between him and the disappearing Mage. “Be nice,” he chided dryly, raising one brow at the relatively small but vibrant woman standing before him with a mischievous smile.

                “I am,” she winked, her smile growing wider when she looked over the vampire’s shoulder to make eye contact with Jungkook again. “But I like to be playful too,” she admitted, winking once.

                “How did she-?”

                “Portals,” the Mage answered before he could finish his question, her preemptive smile fading just a touch when she focused her gaze back on the vampire. “But you didn’t come here to talk about those. Why are you here so early, Yoongi?” she wondered, lightly crossing her arms over her chest as she tilted her head to the side in a curious gesture.

                Yoongi wrinkled his nose and held his hand up. “First,” he stated, stepping aside to gesture at the man he’d come in with. “Jungkook, this is the Mage Yejin.” His hand drifted to aim at the woman. “Yejin, this is my… possible trainee, Jungkook.” His hand moved back to in front of the human and then dropped to his side once more.

                Yejin didn’t say anything about it, but he could tell by the way quirked into a crooked smile again her personal suspicions had been confirmed. “You didn’t answer my question,” she reminded him, utterly uncowed by the vampire’s grimace. Her dark eyes jumped to Jungkook and he raised his hands in immediate surrender. He could obviously feel it too, her power in this place.

                “Right to business, I see,” the vampire grumbled with a sigh. He tilted his head to the side in a conceding motion and shrugged. “Gotta ask you about the other Mages in the area in connection with a chimera.”

                “Mother of Magic!” she scowled, all playfulness fading in an instant. Her hand waved at the front door with a sharp motion and the outside world vanished as the surface went completely opaque.

                Jungkook’s surprised squeak would have been funny under different circumstances. Admittedly, Yoongi was still amused at how quickly the human cozied up to him, hands gripping his shirt tightly. “Had a run-in last night,” he admitted, watching the Mage set up all her security measures in quick order.

                “Why didn’t you come by last night?” she demanded, glaring at the vampire. Yoongi simply looked at Jungkook who glanced at him, started to look away and then looked back when he realized he was the center of attention. Yejin wrinkled her nose this time and took a breath. “I take it he was the target?” At Yoongi’s nod, she scoffed irritably. “Must be trying to add a vampire to the list. Likely on its last legs.”

                “That’s what we figured too,” Yoongi agreed with a slow nod.

                “You went by the Hunters,” she stated, shrugging with a roll of her eyes when the vampire simply gave her a raised brow. “I take it I’m not a suspect here,” the Mage added, turning just enough to give him a sidelong look.

                “Please.” It was Yoongi’s turn to scoff. “My parents never would have befriended you if you’d ever even considered dabbling in that bit of magic.”

                Yejin nodded in quiet understanding and agreement. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

                “You should.”

                “Your parents?” Jungkook asked quietly, his hands still holding tight to Yoongi’s shirt.

                “Yes, well, they always did have good taste,” Yejin went on as if she hadn’t heard the human’s question. “And as it stands, there aren’t that many Mages in Tradeborough that might dabble in that sort of magic.” She held up two fingers. “There used to be three but one of them left some time ago,” she admitted, relaxing her hand to wave them after her. “Come on. We need more privacy for this,” she exhaled with a shake of her head.

                “What about her customers?” Jungkook whispered, leaning close enough so that his breath tickled Yoongi’s ear.

                “Not this early in the morning,” Yejin answered, making the human’s eyes go wide again. A glimmer of her humor returned as she looked at him and added, “A Mage’s shop is never closed, though we are not always available immediately.” She laughed to herself as she stifled a yawn and shrugged. “We may be very powerful but we are not all powerful.”

                Yoongi was ready for the portal that opened before them. He’d experienced it many times, but Jungkook was not and he inhaled sharply when power buzzed to conjure a circular opening in front of the Mage. The vampire didn’t let him think about it too much and simply grabbed the human’s hand to drag him into it when he followed Yejin to her secure chambers.

                It was early afternoon when they finally returned to the Coven. Jungkook was mute, at least slightly overwhelmed by everything, and Yoongi was pensive. Yejin’s efforts hadn’t uncovered anything conclusive but it had given them both a pretty good idea of just how many things they could have their hands in at any given time. Mages were uniquely powerful in that they were born only when all six primary elements were present in their bloodline. They were some of the youngest magical creatures in existence, largely because they had been born the latest, but most of them were still quite old. They didn’t age the same as humans, or most magical creatures, by any means.

                When they walked in the front door – Yoongi opted to skip shadow traveling – Namjoon was the first to greet them. His expression was neutral but his eyes were sharp as he looked over the pair for any initial hints. His gaze lingered on Jungkook for a breath longer than necessary, but then he shifted his attention to Yoongi. “Well?”

                Yoongi shook his head in a quiet negative gesture. “Nothing. She found a couple possible leads to track down. Maybe. But right now, the chimera making Mage is free to continue their work,” he grumbled with a relatable grimace.

                “Damn,” Namjoon hissed, brows furrowing at the unwanted news. “Very well.” His mouth twisted again and he added, “I’ll look into them. You’re free to go,” the vampire lord waved with a dismissive hand. He didn’t wait for Yoongi to answer or move. Namjoon turned and walked back into the heart of the coven, clearly on a mission himself.

                “Well then,” Yoongi shrugged, turning to face his charge. Jungkook still looked dazed and pale. At least he didn’t seem frightened. Just… overwhelmed. “Come on you. Let’s get you some food first,” he exhaled with a sympathetic shake of his head. With a gentle nudge to get the human moving, they escaped to the kitchen and Yoongi watched with veiled interest as Jungkook shuffled through the motions of preparing something simple and eating mostly by rote. The vampire could almost see all the thoughts running through his head. Interestingly, they did not show on the human’s face. His expression remained fascinatingly blank. He’d probably be good at poker.

                He knew Jungkook well enough by now to realize he was trying to figure out what to say or ask. Pushing him wasn’t going to help the process so the vampire simply sat in silence, running over the events of the morning himself. Yejin’s secure chambers were unlike anything he’d ever seen himself and that was saying something. Apparently they were different for each Mage. Since her strength lay with earth, her… lair, for lack of a better term, was surrounded by stone. Not entirely surprisingly, Mages often had no real technological concessions in their abodes. Yejin was no exception. They could accomplish a great deal more with magic alone than they could with any sort of computer network.

                And she certainly had. With a variety of waves of her hands, strange ingredients that came at her call, and quietly murmured words under her breath, visions like screens had appeared in the air. Pictures first, of the other Mages she was looking into. Kim Ryeowook and Kim Seokjin. No relation. Their locations too. Presumably in the White and Red Districts, both of which were automatic flags, considering where Yoongi had seen the chimera previously. Yejin had conjured another screen that, very briefly, had given them a glimpse into the respective homes or workplaces of the other Mages. It hadn’t lasted more than a couple seconds. Both had been quick to respond or had securities in place that shut her out almost immediately.

                “We all do,” she’d said at the time. “But maybe they’ll have left something out in the open that can help us glean what we want to know,” the Mage had continued, zooming in on the captured images from the brief peek into the other areas. Neither was a store owner, that much was obvious. But it was just as hard to explain what they were from the pictures alone.

                While she worked, Jungkook also became privy to a partial secret of the magical creatures. Yejin had opened a much smaller than usual portal and seemed to forget about it for a bit. At least until a remarkably small humanoid flew threw with gossamer wings. Pixies were very much real, but they stayed out of the limelight almost exclusively. It had been amusing watching the human stare in obvious wonder while the two talked in quiet and strange voices. Pixie speech was unintelligible to most, except a few other nature-based creatures and Mages. The latter had the ability to use magic to automatically translate almost any language, spoken or written.

                The pixie had flown off without a by your leave and then Jungkook got to experience another surprise. Yejin conjured a phone, just the receiver mind you, and made a call without dialing anything. Yoongi recognized the name – Youngmin, Kwangmin’s twin brother at the Hunters’ quarters – and listened in briefly as she rattled off some of the information she’d gleaned so they could look into it and follow up as needed.

                And yet, those were small revelations in comparison to the final one. Almost as if the thought had finally snapped Jungkook out of his musings, the human looked up, his food long gone, and stared at Yoongi with a furrowed brow. “Can all Mages record our memories like that?”

                Yoongi’s mouth quirked into an amused smirk and he snorted in quiet laughter. “Most. The older they get the better the are about it,” he explained with a shrug.

                “And Yejin…” Jungkook trailed off uncertainly, his voice weak and soft.

                “Is old enough to have had practice,” the vampire admitted. She’d been friends with his parents for a long time – well before he’d been born.

                “Why don’t humans…?” he trailed off and stopped at Yoongi’s raised brow. Silence followed as he nodded slowly in awkward understanding. “Can she control people?” he finally asked, clearly still uncomfortable.

                Yoongi took a slow breath and grimaced, the smirk fading quickly. “Yes and no,” he admitted with a shrug. “They’re not able to control minds but they can… physically make others do what they want. Sometimes.” Losing one’s agency was an uncomfortable topic for everyone, especially since Yoongi didn’t want to specifically say vampires actually could control others through their minds. And physically too but that was different.

                His response obviously troubled Jungkook. The human’s face turned clouded and he looked down at the empty plate in front of him. Yoongi let him think, simply waiting for the expected continuation. He didn’t have to wait long. “Are Mages dangerous?”

His innocent question was almost laughable, save for the earnest look on his face. It was the only thing that made Yoongi hold his tongue on the immediate comeback he would have given otherwise. Instead, he managed a soft sigh and head nod. “Incredibly. But so are most magical creatures,” he reminded the young man.

                “So… why aren’t they more regulated? Like vampires?” he wondered, genuinely curious.

                “Eh…” Yoongi trailed off, laughing to himself once. Mages were certainly an interesting pseudo exception to the general rule. “Mages are more like Exiles,” he finally explained with an accepting shrug as he met Jungkook’s eyes. “They exist. They’re incredibly difficult to kill. But they also mostly leave everyone alone. Mages just happen to live among us sometimes. There’s a reason they mostly keep to themselves, even when living in the middle of society.”

                Jungkook looked down and pushed at the plate with his fingers, moving it forward and backward with a soft scraping sound. “It just feels so strange to think that I actually knew something about magical creatures when I came here and yet…” he trailed off, looking up to meet the vampire’s gaze with troubled eyes. “It feels like I knew almost nothing.”

                Yoongi met his gaze for a long moment before he looked down and scratched at the countertop with his fingernail. It wasn’t hard enough to damage it, but he did make a similar scratching sound. “Do you think humans would continue to accept us living among them if they knew all of our secrets?”

                “Maybe?” Jungkook offered hesitantly when the silence lengthened.

                The vampire’s laugh was dry and without humor. “Oh, Magic guide you,” he scoffed, not unkindly though. “There was a time humans did know most of what we were able to do.” Yoongi looked up and let his dark eyes capture Jungkook’s. “Do you know what that time was called?”

                Jungkook swallowed and his lips before he answered. He obviously had a guess but the current conversation was just uncomfortable enough that he didn’t really want to say it. Finally though, he whispered, “The Dark Ages?”

                “Yes,” Yoongi smiled with plastic fakeness. “And you know what happened in the Dark Ages, right?” Even amongst humans, such a time period was taught, and at least relatively close to what actually happened. For the main points anyway.

                “A lot of people died,” he whispered, uncertainty and sadness warring in his tone.

                “Exactly,” the vampire snorted, shrugging his shoulders as if to banish an unwanted weight. “So if a welcome lapse of full disclosure keeps everyone just a little bit happier so that fewer people on both sides die, I see no problem with the current status quo.” Granted, that wasn’t entirely true. There were problems aplenty as it stood, but with things the way they were now, at least it was manageable. War was not looming on the horizon. Not obviously anyway.

                Jungkook took a deep breath and rubbed at the back of his neck. “It’s… a lot to take in,” he admitted in the following silence.

                “It is,” Yoongi agreed. Just because he’d grown up in it didn’t mean he didn’t know just how hard it could hit otherwise. His other two mentees had reacted similarly. Slightly different questions but close enough reactions to match what Jungkook was going through right now. He’d had one other that hadn’t quite made it this far too, but that was different. “Having second thoughts?” he pressed with a raised brow, rather curious himself.

                The human didn’t answer for a moment, making Yoongi wonder. But when he spoke again, the doubt vanished. “No,” he responded, shaking his head. “It’s just a lot. But whether I become a vampire or not doesn’t change the way things are,” he explained, chewing on his bottom lip with a slight frown. “It only changes how much I might learn about how things really are,” he added, swallowing again as he looked up to meet Yoongi’s gaze. “I’ve come this far, haven’t I?” he asked with a hesitant smile. “I wanna know more,” he promised, a half-smile tugging at his mouth.

                “Huh,” Yoongi chuckled once, smile fading just a touch as he tensed up when he felt another vampire nearby.

                “That’s good to hear,” Jungsu announced stepping into the kitchen with a thoughtful look on his mildly amused face.

                “Jungsu,” he nodded in acknowledgement, not entirely thrilled by other’s presence. Jungkook glanced between them with slightly widened eyes and nodded, like Yoongi did, but didn’t say anything.

                “If Ailee didn’t scare him off, he’s probably ready for the next stage,” the Rank 4 vampire encouraged. Jungkook jerked in surprise and some confusion.

                “Is that you saying it or Namjoon?” Yoongi asked for clarification, resting one elbow on the counter so he could put his chin in his hand and wait.

                Jungsu snorted once and shook his head. “Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?”

                “Why do you?” he countered with a raised brow and a smug half-smirk.

                “Ugh. You’re such a child sometimes,” Jungsu grumbled, rolling his eyes. Yoongi just shrugged unapologetically. It didn’t amuse the elder vampire. “You can choose when but let Namjoon know first,” he explained, pointing a warning finger at the other vampire.

                “Of course,” Yoongi promised, expression unchanged.

                Jungsu waved him off with another shake of his head and left the two in peace once more. Jungkook glanced at the door where the other vampire had been and then over at Yoongi. “You don’t really seem to like him very much,” he mused, the statement a half-question.

                “Eh. He’s not so bad, but I do like annoying him,” he grinned, the expression genuine and almost childish in that moment.

                “What did he mean by the next stage? And why did he call Yejin Ailee?” Jungkook wondered.

                “You’ll see,” the vampire promised, shifting to lean the side of his head in his palm. “As for Yejin… only friends get to call her that.”

                “And you’re one of her friends?” Jungkook asked, confirming the obvious. Yoongi nodded once. “Because of your parents?” he added hesitantly. It was still a touchy topic between them after all.

                Yoongi let the silence lie for a little bit longer, just looking at the human. When Jungkook finally started to squirm, he nodded in agreement. “Yes. But that is a story for another time. Come on,” he urged, standing up abruptly and moving to leave the kitchen.

                “Where are we going?” Jungkook asked automatically.

                “To see the rest of the coven of course,” he shrugged. Never mind that was literally only Jungsu and Sanghyuk at the moment, since he figured Namjoon had likely taken Wonho with him, but so it went.

                “O-kay,” the human responded, hopping to his feet and starting to follow before he stopped. He looked over his shoulder at the plate on the counter and then back at Yoongi. The vampire didn’t move from the doorway so Jungkook hopped back and snagged the plate so he could toss it in the dishwasher before running after the other man. “Wait for me!”

                “No, these were not ordinary weapons,” the Anansi explained as she waved her hands at the ceiling. The images of the fighting and the humans and magical creatures faded away to be replaced by magnificent pieces of almost art. Six weapons floated above them: a spear, a great sword, a longsword, a staff, a dagger, and a bow. “Forged by magical creatures akin to what the humans would call gods, they were powerful artifacts capable of defeating or even killing the most powerful creatures among us.”

                Again, the young ones gasped at the admission and Chan looked both amazed and horrified at the sight of the gleaming weapons gently circling. “Why were they special?” he asked, hands holding tight to Jennie and Mingyu’s.

                Minzy glanced at Hyuna to make sure it was alright. The older woman nodded once with a sad smile and the Anansi took a breath. “The spear Gungnir could hit any target, no matter how fast they were. The great sword Caladbolg was strong enough to cut through nearly anything. The sword Durendal is said to have been the sharpest blade in existence. The staff Kaladanda had the particularly deadly ability to kill anyone it managed to make direct contact with,” she grimaced, clearly begrudging that weapon’s existence in particular. “The dagger Kris Taming Sari could make any wielder unbeatable in battle.” It was another that earned her scorn. “And the bow… Eros’s… could make any person love or hate the next target they laid eyes upon. It was a weapon of chaos,” she scowled, crossing her arms over her chest and making the images vanish.

                Her audience exhaled as if released from a spell and Hyuna took that moment to take over for a time. She crouched low and laid her hands upon Minzy’s shoulders in a comforting and reassuring gesture first before one rose to conjure an image again. “Like most things of good intent, the weapons worked for their intended purpose at first. The humans trusted with the weapons were able to survive against even the strongest of those magical creatures that wished for their deaths. For a short time,” Hyuna whispered, her hand drawing another image above them, “a truce was accomplished.” Her eyes narrowed slightly and she sighed then, a long and regretful sound. “Had the weapons remained in the hands they’d been entrusted to, all might have been well in the end.”

                “But they weren’t,” Hyosung commented, a long-time listener of this tale. Hyuna knew that, more often than not, she felt as Minzy did on this matter.

                “No… they weren’t,” Hyuna agreed. It was a truth she could not escape nor would she lie about. “Good intentions often lead to great tragedies. The first among them being the murder of those humans we had entrusted to defend their people from those of us who would destroy them. Such weapons were never meant to fall into the hands of those humans who thirsted for our demise,” she winced, her free hand lowering to rest against her right side.

                “Just like that, the truce was broken, and blood flowed freely again,” Minzy murmured, shaking her had at the dark nature of their history. She did not illustrate it, for it was not needed. Words alone were enough to impart the horror of those times indeed.