"Lee Manor, Hong Minkyoung speaking?"

"Hi mom, are you free to talk?"

"Oh, Jisoo! Sure, dear; I'll just go to my room. One moment."

Jisoo toyed with the pens on his desk while he waited, listening to the quiet footsteps of his mother and the voices in his living room. He jumped when Minghao suddenly started cheering and grinned at the muffled protests of Chan and Seokmin. Who would have thought that they would enjoy playing his old boardgames?

"How are you, love?" His mother's melodic voice pulled his attention back to the phone.

"I'm fine, what about you and dad? How's Master doing?" As soon as the words had left his mouth, he bit his lip. He could feel his mother's disapproval in the way she stayed quiet for just a tad too long.

"It's been five years; you really need to stop, Jisoo."

"Sorry... I'm just so used to it. It feels weird to call him 'Mister Lee'."

His mother sighed and let the topic go; they had talked about it multiple times already anyway. "He's doing fine and your father is too. I still have some back problems but it's nothing I can't handle. How are your Forcebearers?"

Jisoo's stomach dropped at the choice of topic and he took a deep breath before answering. "I think Chan's getting better. I told you he took it pretty badly, but he's been smiling more recently and he even visited Seokmin to borrow some books."

"Did he talk to the others while he was there?"

"Well, if he did, he didn't tell me but he can be a bit stubborn at times, so I don't think he did. Also he still completely ignores them at university."

"I see. What about Seokmin and the handsome Chinese boy? Minhao?"

"Minghao. They're doing fine as far as I know. Seokmin gets along well with all of us and he's probably the only one who's not awkward around anyone and Minghao, well, he usually pretends to be tough but I think he's really worried about Jun and Hansol."

His mother stayed quiet for a moment. "Have you heard anything yet?"

"No, they've completely vanished ever since that day." Jisoo swallowed hard and took another deep breath. "I'm worried, too..." His voice broke.

"Don't cry, dear, they'll be fine. You said the Clairvoyance Guardian promised to call if they'd get in trouble, right?"

"But what if he misses something? Clairvoyance is such an unpredictable ability."

"You can't do anything but trust him and trust your friends that they know what they're doing. From what you've told me, they have quite a bit of experience."

"But last time Jun got hurt..."

"I know it's hard for you, dear, but I can't predict the future and neither can you, so you should focus on the present and make the best of it." His mother's tone was soothing but final.

"Yes, mom..."

Silence was the only thing he heard for a few seconds before his mother started talking again, her voice a bit more cheerful this time around. "How's university? Is it still awkward?"

Jisoo groaned and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "Yes. But it's not as bad anymore," he admitted. "Himchan and Soonyoung wouldn't stop asking about what had happened but Chan and Daehyun told them off when they overheard."

"Daehyun is your Wielder-friend, right?"

"Don't call him that, mom; he's a friend just like the others," Jisoo complained and his mother's giggles rang through the line, making him smile.

"Sorry, dear. Okay. So they stopped the two from pestering you?"

"Yes. I think Seokmin explained it to them though; they didn't try asking anymore afterwards."

"Seokmin sounds like a great guy; I really hope I can meet him someday. Wouldn't he be perfect son-in-law material?"

Jisoo flushed beet red at that thought and tried to get heard over his mother's laughter. "Mom! Stop, he's my best friend!"

"Yes, yes, I know." She calmed herself a little. "So how are you dealing with seeing your former Forcebearers at university?"

"Hm, I try to act as normal as possible but it's really hard sometimes, especially with Seungcheol." He couldn't suppress a low sigh. "Jeonghan doesn't attend classes often and the other two keep their distance to the rest of us."

"Why is he not attending classes?"

"Seokmin said that his parents are trying to get him to take over his father's business after university and he's going to meetings and stuff. And he's probably trying to avoid me." Jisoo's voice had turned even more depressed at the last sentence.

"Don't take it to heart, love. It's hard for them as well; don't forget that. Everyone copes in their own way and I'm proud of you that you're still working hard."

"The guys help me a lot," Jisoo admitted with a small smile. "When I met Seungcheol and Jihoon in class after the cancellation, Seokmin held my hand the whole time and Chan picked me up afterwards together with Soonyoung. And Minghao always waits in front of my door when I'm coming home; I should probably get him some spare keys soon."

"They sound like amazing friends. I'm so happy for you. Are you thinking about forming a contract with Soonyoung? You seem to see each other quite often."

"I think he has a Wielder already; he just doesn't talk much about it. Also I don't know if I want to form any more contracts..."

"Do what you're most comfortable with but don't let your experiences influence your decisions too much."

Jisoo started doodling unhappy faces on his notepad. "I'll try..."

"Did you already decide wh-"

The door to his room got flung open and Minghao waltzed in. "Do you have a pen? We can't- whoops! Sorry, I didn't know you're on the phone."

"You really need to learn how to knock." Jisoo aimed his pen at him after he had somewhat recovered from the scare but Minghao expertly caught it and twirled it between his fingers with a cheeky grin. He threw him a wink and a peace sign before he went back into the living room, closing the door behind him. Shaking his head, the Wielder returned to the call. "Sorry mom, what were you saying?"

His mother laughed in response to his weary tone. "Was that Chan?"

"No, Minghao. Chan actually has learned to knock by now but Minghao is almost as bad as Hansol." His heart clenched and he quickly tried to steer away from the topic. "You wanted to ask something?"

"Ah, yes. I was wondering if you've already decided where to spend your holidays? The semester is ending in a few weeks, right?"

"I haven't made any plans yet but I think I'll just stay here. I don't want to leave Chan alone in my flat and Minghao has to work, so he wouldn't be able to join."

"Is he still working as a barista?"

"Yes, he pretty much gave up on being a street artist after he got attacked. To be honest, I'm glad about it. He's incredible though; he sometimes shows his tricks when he wants to entertain us."

"Take care of yourself. It's really scary to imagine that people just randomly get attacked in Seoul. Please keep your Forcebearers close when you go out at night."

Jisoo blushed at the white lie he had told his mother and tried hard to keep his tell-tale stutter at bay. "Of course, mom."

Muffled voices got audible at the end of the line and he patiently waited until his mother returned. "Dear, do you want to speak to Master Lee for a moment?"

"Yes, sure." He heard rustling and then the sonorous voice of his parents' Wielder filled him with bittersweet memories of days long past.

"Jisoo. How have you been?"

"Good evening, Mr. Lee. I've been doing fine; how are you, Sir?"

"Not bad so far. I've heard that you finally got yourself some contracts?"

"Yes, Sir. I have three now." Another sting in his heart.

"I trust you to take good care of them, Jisoo; you've always been an exceptional person when it comes to treating others well and it's great that you've decided to embrace your status after all."

Jisoo smiled proudly at the warm words, his cheeks tinted red. "Thank you, Master- uh, Sir. I'm sorry." He flushed even more, this time out of embarrassment, but the other Wielder only laughed about his mistake.

"Still a bit caught up in the past, aren't you?"

"I'm getting better but it's hard sometimes," Jisoo admitted sheepishly.

"I believe that you'll do just fine as a Wielder. Tell me more about your Forcebearers, how did you meet them and what abilities do they have?"

"Uhm, by accident mostly. They were in trouble and I tried to help and somehow we ended up in contracts. Their abilities are Nullification, Healing and Telekinesis."

Silence buzzed through the line for a few long seconds and Jisoo had just opened his mouth to ask if the other was still connected when the older Wielder spoke in an unusually sharp tone. "Jisoo, are you aware how dangerous it is to bond with three of the Others? If that gets out, your life could be in danger."

Jisoo began to fiddle with his notepad once again, uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. "Yes, I know, Sir. B-but they're important to me, so I won't give up on them even if it's dangerous."

Another short pause followed until the older Wielder broke it with a sigh. "That's a noble thing to do and I didn't expect anything less from you, but please take care of yourself. Your parents would be devastated if something were to happen to you. If you have any questions or need advice regarding Wielders or Forcebearers, please don't hesitate to call; I'll try to help you as best as I can. I'll hand you back to your mother now. Have a good evening, Jisoo."

"Thank you Sir, I appreciate your concern and I'll make sure to be careful. Have a good evening as well."

After a few moments of rustling, his mother's voice reached his ear once again. "Why did he look so concerned? Did you say something to him?"

"I told him the ranks of my Forcebearers."

"Ah, no wonder he's worried. He really likes you a lot, you know? I'm worried too, to be honest, but I think you can handle it. Just don't tell anyone else about it, will you?"

"Of course not, mom, don't worry. The guys are careful too, nothing will happen."

His mother sighed audibly and Jisoo felt bad for troubling her.

"I need to prepare tomorrows breakfast now but thank you for calling. I'm really glad that you're feeling better, love. I was so worried after your last call; I don't think I've ever heard you cry that much before. It's good to know that you're feeling better."

"Sorry for making you worry and thanks for always giving me advice. Love you, greetings to dad."

"Love you too, dear. Stay safe."

The living room was an active war zone when Jisoo returned; colourful tokens were scattered everywhere and the two Guardians were busy chasing Minghao around the coffee table, who triumphantly held a piece of paper with the score.

"You got rid of one of the tokens, you dirty cheater! Admit it!" Chan attempted a tackle but the Warrior dodged him with ease and the younger landed on the sofa in a heap.

"I won fair and square; its not my fault that you both !" Minghao scrambled towards the corner of the room when Seokmin tried to