"Jackson wants you to come to his house?"

Seokmin's words were enough to catch the undivided attention of all people currently seated around the big dining table in Jeonghan's flat.

Chan almost spilt his bowl of soup in his haste to lean forward. "Jackson?! What? Why?!"

The probing stares of his Forcebearers caused warmth to crawl over Jisoo's face and he tried to swallow the bite he had taken from his sandwich - before Seokmin had repeated his quiet words not quite so quietly.

Various feelings flashed through his bonds. Concern. Anger. Jealousy. A lot of jealousy. "He j-just-"

"It's obviously a trap," Minghao cut him off, rice still sticking to the chopsticks he waved in front of their faces.

"Yeah, obviously." Hansol nodded sagely.

"Don't go, hyung! He's going to kill you and then forcebond us and then he's- ow!"

The muted twack of Jihoon's newspaper hitting Chan's head caused everyone to quiet down. Nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of the small Warrior's wrath. "Stop talking nonsense, all of you." Dark eyes nailed every Forcebearer to their chair before he turned towards the Wielder, who fidgeted uneasily. "Did he say what he wants?"

"N-no, he said it's a secret."

"That makes it even more suspicious," Mingyu noted helpfully while Jun rolled his eyes next to him and picked up some more fish.

Even Seungkwan seemed interested now, his fingers already massaging his temples. "I'll try to concentrate on the future, maybe I can see something."

"Shouldn't we ask Jisoo what he wants to do?"

Wonwoo's words were met with an annoyed sigh by Jeonghan, whose fork had moved dangerously close to Seungcheol's plate. "Stop being so rational." He stole a piece of meat.

"No, Wonwoo's right," his brother said, waving the offending fork away. "What do you want to do, Soo?"

All eyes turned back to the Wielder who scratched his nape at the question. "Uhm, well... it's the first time he asked me for help so I'd really like to go..."

"But sweetheart, what if it's dangerous?" Jeonghan's brows had furrowed at his words and he was by far the only one looking concerned.

"He is one of the most powerful Wielders on campus," Minghao threw in and most Forcebearers nodded. "And he never seemed to like you all that much which makes it even more fishy."

A feeling of dread bloomed in Jisoo's stomach when he finally arrived in front of Jackson's house and peered through the gate. It was quite big - more of a villa than a regular house - but he had expected nothing less from the most feared Wielder in university. 'Ordinary' just wasn't his style. It looked quite well-kept and unintimidating though, with trimmed hedges and a bright green lawn.

The Wielder took in the height of the fence and tried to push the thought away that it could also be used to lock him in instead of locking him out. Yesterday's dinner conversation had really messed with his head.

With a quiet huff, he once again checked if his bonds were sealed off completely before he steeled his resolve and used a shaking finger to press the doorbell.

It didn't take long for a buzzer to ring. He pushed against the gate, his stomach one big knot of anxiety, and it swung open without a sound.

Jisoo followed the other Wielder along a brightly lit corridor, pictures of smiling people lining the walls. He could make out Jackson in various stages of his life, once apparently in kindergarten, wearing a bright yellow safety jacket, next with friends at high school graduation...

They entered the living room which had a surprisingly cosy atmosphere and Jisoo jumped slightly when Jackson finally addressed him. "Thanks for coming." It took the other Wielder visible effort to stay friendly and aloof. "Want something to drink?"

All of Hansol's warnings about being on guard and not touching food or drinks immediately popped into Jisoo's head and fought his upbringing as a polite person.

His upbringing won. "Y-yes, thank you."

Jackson sneered when he noticed Jisoo's worried gaze following his hands. "Relax, I'm not gonna spike your drink or something. If I wanted to do something, I'd do it with a frontal attack. Poison is for weak e- I mean. Poison is kinda underhanded, right?"

Jisoo couldn't help but chuckle at his choice of words. It was kind of a relief to get a glimpse at the usual potty-mouthed Jackson behind the unnaturally friendly mask.

Silence filled the room while both sipped their cokes. Jisoo could feel the tension rising. He fidgeted on his place on the couch, shooting glances at the other and wondering if he should simply ask what all this was about - but he had never been the most courageous person so he remained silent until Jackson spoke. "I need your help."

The sentence alone seemed to rob the student of his will to live. Concern welled up in Jisoo at the sight of his defeated expression. "S-sure, what is it?"

Jackson stared him down for a drawn-out moment and Jisoo once again fidgeted nervously. "If this leaves this room, you're dead. You got me?"

"Y-yes?"

", here goes nothing. A