The room is awfully still and horribly silent as Seungjun lounges in the corner, watching his fellow vampires as if they were nothing more than furniture. No one moves, no one breathes, no one bats an eyelash or averts their eyes. They all sit as if they were marble statues and Seungjun mirrors them exactly. In the center of their little coven is Yuji with eyes that appear almost empty as dust begins to collect upon her head. It feels like an eternity before she speaks to the rest of them and Seungjun is briefly reminded that they are all in fact not inanimate.

“Your reports,” she says simply, hands folded neatly in her lap.

Seungjun’s eyes dart over to Inseong who stands firmly beside him. He looks the same as he always has despite any recent events. “I encountered the hunter,” he tells the room, watching as no one gives any visible reaction. “He’s definitely something else. Embarrassing as it is, I could barely overpower him.”

“You?” She asks, skeptical in tone. “Did he use the siren spell on you?”

“No,” Inseong answers immediately, “The whole encounter was…unusual.”

“Actually,” says Seungjun, quickly butting in, “I learned a bit about that from the witch. It seems like the hunter isn’t directly responsible for the spell. She said it was a contained type of magic that could be used by anyone.”

“You think he only had it the one time?” Inseong asks him, tone skeptical. “A one use spell that he used the first time he saw us?”

“Maybe he can’t win against the two of us without it,” answers Seungjun. “He is only human after all.”

“You didn’t go up against him. He’s fast and almost undetectable. His whole body reeks of magic and wards– he’s hardly human.”

Yuji is silent as she stares at the two, her mind seeming to run with different conclusions and Seungjun purses his lips at her reaction. She’s in a cooler state than she has been since her first order of finding the hunter and it sets something off in Seungjun.

“The witch mentioned one other thing when I saw her,” he says in a small voice, worried that she might change her calm demeanor in the split second. “A clairvoyant is apparently near.”

All eyes are on him as soon as the words leave his lips and it’s Haeryung with a look of disbelief on her face when she objects. “That’s a lie. There hasn’t been a clairvoyant since–”

“Since Hyeyeon,” says Yuji, brow suddenly furrowed and Seungjun visibly gulps. “There only exists one clairvoyant at a time, that way no two readings clash with one another. If the witch says there is one near, then that only means one thing.”

Slowly, he shuts his eyes, escaping the room and drowning everything out with the sound of crickets chirping in the moonlight as he stares into Hyeyeon’s glassy eyes. He’s in the garden once more, the smell of earth strong on her hands as she cups his cheek. Her voice is sad, but hopeful as the last reading she’s ever told him leaves her lips.

“There’s a boy that comes to you. You’ll know right away when you see him. There is a terrible fate waiting for him and you must save him. He’s searching for something and you’re the only one who can lead him to it, but he’s very fickle so you have to act fast and desperately or else he’ll be gone. He’s also the only one who can give you what you’ve been searching for too.”

Her eyes begin to overflow with tears, but despite that she’s smiling more brightly than Seungjun has ever seen and he wishes he could tell her that he has everything he needs right here and now and that he wishes she wouldn’t have to leave.

The memory quickly fades as her voice is replaced with that of Yuji’s as the leader of their coven looks at them somberly.

“I’ll have to leave,” she announces. “I’ll go meet with Solji and discuss what to do.”

“If you two decide that she won’t be coming here then does that mean…” Inseong trails off, looking her directly in the eye.

“It means that we’ll be the ones who leave,” she confirms.

Dahye stirs in her spot, fingers restless as she asks, “Why do we have to leave?”

Seungjun had altogether forgotten her and even more so forgotten that she had only joined their coven a few years ago when she had been willingly turned by Yuji. She was never around for Hyeyeon, but still, her reaction to them leaving is unexpected.

“When Hyeyeon left us,” Inseong begins to explain, “She had us all take a blood oath to no longer deal with magic that told us the future. She made it so that we could no longer be seen in any future.”

“She made us more dead than we already are,” says Seungjun, a dubious yet forlorn grin on his face. “If we come into direct contact with the clairvoyant then the blood oath will be broken and we will lose our immortality.”

The look of confusion and devastation on Dahye is hilarious and Seungjun only grins wider. He likes the idea of her being so lost in their world, having only a decade of being immortal on her. One of the reasons Yuji even took the girl in was surely because she thought Dahye wouldn’t be affected by the blood oath – that the new addition could still have her fate looked at. Yuji was always obsessed with knowing her future and it was what had caused Hyeyeon to despise being human. It was what lead Hyeyeon to leave them.

“What happens then?” She asks, a worried look passing through her round eyes.

“It isn’t clear,” says Inseong. “The years could possibly catch up to us and we may die.”

The room is silent as it takes her a heartbeat that none of them have to process it, Seungjun thinking about the timing of it all. Dying wouldn’t be in his favor now that he has Jihun to look after too.

“How long will you be gone?” Haeryung asks.

“Four months,” she answers, “I’ll be taking Dahye with me.”

A knowing look is quickly exchanged between she and Haeryung and Seungjun knows what it means. She’s leaving Haeryung there to keep an eye on both he and Inseong. The thought makes him scoff, as if he and Inseong were so untrustworthy after centuries of serving under Yuji. As if even after everything that had happened with Hyeyeon, he was still defiant in all of her ways. He lets out another scoff, because of course, he is still like that.

Four months isn’t a lot of time for him, but he knows exactly what he has to do before Yuji returns. He was left with a final prophecy that was given to him by the only person who ever seemed to understand him. He was going to help Jihun find whatever it was he was searching for and hopefully, the other could do the same for him.

-

It stirs him awake in the late evening and despite the heavy drowsiness placed upon him, Seungjun can feel the familiar pull of the bond calling to him. The sun is barely set and the house is even more silent since Yuji and Dahye’s departure and Seungjun wills himself to get out of bed. Both Inseong and Haeryung are probably still asleep, the night being very early for any of them to be awake at this hour.

He manages to slip into some clothes, his hair still disheveled and senses blurred with the thought of this is it. The moment he’s been waiting for is here, the words he previously said to Inseong ringing in his head like an alarm.

“He’ll come to me.”

When Seungjun makes it up to the first floor of the house that hides their underground home, he can smell Jihun just outside and the thought of getting to finally see the other again sets something off within him. He can feel a sort of spark course though his system and in almost no time he has the front door flung open, the sight of Jihun right on his doorstep making his head swim.

The scent Jihun gives off is electrifying and oh so enticing that Seungjun’s fangs slip out despite knowing that he cannot drink from the other. He’s so absorbed with inhaling every bit of the human, he doesn’t notice the mortified look of the other as Seungjun immediately embraces him.

“You’re so warm,” he says, brow furrowing. “I forget how warm humans are.”

Jihun struggles against his arms, but to no avail. Seungjun is not letting go so easily. “What are you– How did you– Why are you–”

“Oh, I missed you too pet,” he says affectionately, burying his nose into Jihun’s hair.

“I’m not your pet,” Jihun huffs, perplexed. “Are you even– is this real?”

Seungjun pulls back just enough to get a look at Jihun. The human is worn, eyes bloodshot and skin pale and he looks just an inch away from death. What exactly happened to him? Immediately Seungjun finds the answer.

“You haven’t eaten,” he says, further inspecting Jihun’s face. “And you’ve been crying.”

“I have not!” Jihun objects, pushing his arms against Seungjun’s chest in an attempt to separate them. “Can you let me go for a second?”

He frowns before releasing Jihun, finally taking notice of the duffle bag beside the other. “Did something happen?”

The question seems to take him by surprise and Jihun averts his eyes. “Why are you even here?”

“Me?” Seungjun asks, brow raised. “I live here. Isn’t that why you’re here? Because of me?”

“I don’t…know.” His eyes scan the floorboards of the front porch and he seems lost. Without even thinking, Seungjun brings a hand forward to gently lift Jihun’s chin.

“Tell me, what led you here?”

The human keeps his eyes off Seungjun’s and quietly mumbles out, “I don’t know. It was like…some kind of force. My feet just brought me here.”

“It’s the bond,” he explains, hand falling away from Jihun’s face. “You came to me because you need me.”

The other’s cheeks flare red and Seungjun grins at how easily embarrassed his human can get. Jihun takes a step back, head shaking in denial. “I just– This is all your fault anyways.”

“My fault?”

“Yeah, you turned me into…whatever it is and now I’m in some kind of trouble.”

Seungjun blinks down at Jihun before grabbing his bag and tossing it into the house. He pulls Jihun in by his waist, easily lifting the other as he quickly brings the human deeper into the decrepit house. It’s dark, but Seungjun has never had any trouble navigating through such conditions, his eyes easily adjusting to the interior of the house none of them spend any time in. His human stumbles around as Seungjun releases him, banging into a table and Seungjun has to stifle his laughter.

“This is definitely against my will,” Jihun says, huffing and puffing like a child as Seungjun turns to one of the old bookshelves. He quickly finds what he’s looking for and manages to light a small oil lamp beside them before squinting at the harsh light. Jihun watches him curiously as the room fills with yellow. “Is it that bad?”

“Don’t worry about me, pet.” Seungjun grins and Jihun shoots him an annoyed glare. “It’s a bit annoying, but I can see you just fine. Now, tell me what it is exactly that has given you trouble.”

He motions for Jihun to take a seat on one of the musty ancient couches, the thing must be terribly hard and dirty, but Jihun seems to find comfort easily in the old thing. He sits with his back straight and his hands carded carefully in his hands, as if he can’t seem to understand Seungjun’s hospitality.

It takes him a moment to find his bearings, but Seungjun waits patiently for his human to explain. The house alone is filled with all sorts of different charms, even ones to completely mute the faintest of conversations, so Seungjun isn’t worried about Haeryung or Inseong walking in on them (not that they would anyways, there are other entrances and exits from their underground home and they seldom use the front door). When Jihun finally manages to collect the words, Seungjun is pleasantly surprised.

“You know the hunter?”

“Yeah, he was my co-worker of all things. Wait, you know the hunter?”

“Not personally, but we’ve been trying to track him down recently. He had a nasty spell that gave Inseong and I a hard time. You remember Inseong right? I sent him to feed you, but it looks like he’s failed.”

“No, I–” Jihun pulls out the unopened blood bag. Seungjun can see the torn look on his human’s face as he tentatively his lips, temptation pricking in his eyes. He gently lifts his chin to look at him, the contact making his skin buzz.

“Do you want to drink from me?” His voice is quieter than he meant to make it, the flush of red slowly creeping up on Jihun’s pale cheeks and that’s when something stirs in Seungjun. “You need to feed, my pet.”

And that’s enough to get Jihun to blink away the bashfulness, to brush Seungjun’s hand away and look the vampire square in the eyes. “I’m not your pet. Stop calling me that.”

He can’t help but grin at how quickly Jihun changes, at how he doesn’t miss a beat to show off his bravado in front of Seungjun. It’s almost like a small dog thinking it can take on a fully grown timber wolf. It’s been so long since Seungjun’s been able to be around someone so hot and cold, yet so ignorant of the danger before them.

“You’ll fade if you don’t feed,” he tries to reason, taking a step back to give Jihun some space.

The human keeps his stiff posture, looking at the floorboards as if Seungjun’s face is just too offensive of a sight. The blood bag in his hand expands with the pressure of Jihun’s hold and Seungjun begins to see the internal conflict within him. “I don’t want to drink this stuff anymore,” he says barely over a whisper, lips shaking from how weak he is right now or from some kind of overwhelming emotion – Seungjun can’t pinpoint what it is. “It’s not normal.”

“You’re not normal,” Seungjun says in his deep voice, smiling in reassurance to his human. He means it too – Jihun is not like the other humans he has met before.

He doesn’t get the reaction he thought he would as Jihun scowls at him, throwing the blood bag in his direction, but missing as Seungjun smoothly dodges the attack. “What are you doing–”

“Stop trying to constantly flirt with me or– or whatever this is.” His cheeks are flared again, but Seungjun doesn’t think it’s from embarrassment, but rather akin to anger. “You keep trying to say nice things like I’ll get over the fact that I’m a walking freak show now. It’s all your fault that things are ruined and Heejun is gone, it’s your fault that I’m barely even human anymore.”

“My fault? How is this my fault, you wanted this.” Seungjun’s voice is hot now, a feeling he hasn’t had in centuries burning somewhere within. “You begged for me to turn you.”

Jihun’s eyes widen with a dangerous warning and it’s amazing how he begins to hold his own against someone like Seungjun. His voice doesn’t falter once as he stands to his feet, his full height impressive even if he isn’t as tall as Seungjun. “ you,” he seethes, the redness in his cheeks spreading to his ears and Seungjun would think the trait cute if he hadn’t just cursed at. “You’re lying again.”

Again? Seungjun takes offence in that. He hasn’t once lied to Jihun. “You did. You begged to be turned into a vampire, but I refused to comply with that request because I do not turn humans into vampires whether they want it or not.”

“Bull!” Jihun refutes, “I would never ask to be turned into a monster, much less beg.”

“You did,” Seungjun says, lowering his gaze and keeping stern. “I remember it just as if it was only a few hours ago. You were in a trance, but very much conscious and very much desperate to be turned.”

“That’s because you glamoured me!”

Seungjun blinks down at him, the heat inside him spreading like wildfire. “I could let it go when you accused me of lying and the fact that you blamed me twice for something you wanted done to you, but to accuse me of glamouring you too? There are lines you can cross, but I won’t stand for such blasphemy.”

“Oh stop your little act. You’re no saint. I know I was glamoured, Heejun saw me.”

“I did no such thing,” Seungjun says, his voice rising and fangs poking into his bottom lip. “I do not glamour humans.”

“Just like how you don’t turn them? What do you call what you did to me then?”

“A favor from death,” he seethes. Memories of Hyeyeon flash through his mind and burn into the front of his brain and Seungjun has to restrain himself from lashing out. It was always one of his less than pretty traits. “There is so little you understand and even smaller is the capacity of your comprehension.”

Jihun blinks, appalled. “Did you just insult my intelligence?”

Seungjun huffs with a smug look, “And if I did?”

“Coming here was a mistake,” Jihun announces, narrowing his eyes and turning for the door. “Youjin and the fortune teller wouldn’t have been such s.”

His words spark an immediate interest in Seungjun and swiftly he blocks Jihun’s path for the exit. “Fortune teller? Do you mean the clairvoyant? She’s with the hunter and you met her?”

“I’m not telling you squat,” Jihun spits out. It’s frustrating, but Seungjun still finds his defiant attitude a refreshing breath of air compared to the far too compliant vampires he finds himself in constant company of. “Get out of my way.”

“Listen,” he says as level as he can despite the irritating way Jihun speaks to him even after all that Seungjun has done for him. “I know you’re not very bright, but things aren’t adding up, are they? I need you to trust me here, because what I said happened that night happened. I have no reason to lie for that or any other reason to turn you into a daywalker. If you were truly glamoured then that explains why you seemed to be in a trance the night we met, but it didn’t seem like a glamour to me. From your obvious dislike of my kind, I can tell that you wouldn’t ask to be turned as much as I wouldn’t turn you.”

Something flashes across Jihun’s eyes and Seungjun recognizes it. “You think someone else did that to me then?”

“See? You can think for yourself if you try.”

Jihun flips him off but blinks away any remaining heat from earlier. “And you’re not lying right?”

“I already said I had no reason to. Why would I lie and go through all the trouble of turning you into a daywalker and feeding you my precious blood? Where do I benefit in that?”

He swallows thickly, finally looking up at to meet Seungjun’s eyes. It’s true. They’re complete strangers and despite Seungjun’s obvious interest in Jihun, he isn’t going to risk so much on a silly little human that isn’t going to merit him in any way. He’s going to fulfil Hyeyeon’s final prophecy if it’s the last thing he does.

Jihun’s eyes are clear as Seungjun stares into them. He’s being examined right now and even after centuries of faking his emotions and expressions, he isn’t quite sure how to convey a sincere face.

“I trust you,” Jihun says, and perhaps it’s the bond, but Seungjun is relieved either way as this will make things go much smoother. “About this.”

It isn’t really 100% but Seungjun will take it.

“Good. We’ve got a lot to talk about, but first thing’s first– you really need to feed now.”

-

He isn’t sure if this is the most ideal situation, but he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go and the witch– Hani, was insistent he do something useful until nightfall when she would properly explain to him just how her little business transactions worked. The shelves are lined with old books and scrolls, most beyond repair, but a few are still legible and Heejun scans through them as much as he can. Cobwebs and dust linger in every inch of the tiny attic and Heejun wonders just how it is exactly that Hani can even sleep up here on the rickety old bed in the corner under all of this mess. It’s likely she doesn’t even sleep though, Heejun realizes, taking notice of how unused so much of the stuff up here is.

“Cleaning a witch’s bedroom,” he sighs to himself, tossing an illegible scroll into a trash bag. “That sounds totally normal.”

He isn’t sure it’s entirely safe either as what he can only assume is a large rat scurries across the corner of the room into a pile of trash and Heejun’s ward fizzes unreassuringly.

Many, many hours later and more than ten trips to the alley in the back to toss trash bags out and Heejun finds himself collapsed on the ugly lime green couch again. He didn’t think the tiny attic could hold so much trash, but he was clearly proven wrong as his skin feels like it’s taken on a new layer of muck from the exhaustive work. He thought with all the books he might have been able to learn a thing or two, but most were in languages and scripts he didn’t understand and those that he could read from held very little information that he could use.

“You did a good job,” she says, stirring him awake as he’s greeted by Hani in what she calls her ‘usual form’. It’s still unsettling, but the dark hair and sharp look in her eyes beats the creepy smiling in her ‘day form’.

“Whatever information you have for me better be free after all that manual labor,” Heejun says, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and sitting up to see that the shop has darkened, lit candles illuminating a soft light that makes Heejun feel like he’s in some haunted house attraction. “Is it dark out already?”

“The sun set just twenty minutes ago,” Hani answers. Turning to the back and beckoning Heejun to follow. Tentatively he goes, being lead through a beaded curtain that almost hits him in the face.

The back room is a bit of a surprise, but only in the sense that it looks exactly as Heejun would expect a witch’s lair to look like; a completely different vibe from how the storefront is presented. It’s just as messy as the attic, but a much more organized mess with things that smell and bubble in various degrees. A heavy looking, but extensively used cauldron sits just in the middle of the room over a perfectly drawn pentagram star.

“Caught your eye?” Hani asks, keeping her back to Heejun as she begins collecting little bottles of Lord knows what.

“Yeah,” he answers honestly, “It just all looks so…I don’t know, cartoony?”

“Thanks, that’s the aesthetic I was going for.” She sounds so proud and Heejun grumbles.

“Are you going to help me or not?”

“Patience,” she says, pouring a few of the bottles into the cauldron that begins to slowly bubble with the new additions. “You helped me out, so I’ll help you find whoever it is you’re looking for.”

A strange sense of relief washes over Heejun and he suddenly feels guilty. He shouldn’t be doing this alone and yet he is.

The room fills with a soft purple haze as the cauldron boils over and Heejun jumps back, avoiding whatever it is pouring out onto the floor. Hani seems unbothered as she dumps more strange liquids into the large pot and begins chanting in a foreign language. It’s all surreal, but Heejun must realize this is his reality– dealing with vampires and having to sort through a witch’s hoarding problem.

Hani closes her eyes, deeply inhaling the purple smoke and swaying her head slightly as if possessed and the whole thing sparks Heejun’s ward off uncomfortably. He doesn’t know if he’s entirely in danger or not, but he stands his ground, waiting for some kind of verdict. Almost as if reading his mind, Hani becomes completely still, eyes shooting open as she turns to look at him directly.

“There’s two figures. They’re not human and they’re advancing. Constantly on the move, but constantly stationary. Whatever led you here, led you to the right place, but you just missed them.”

Heejun blinks at her, “What does that mean?”

“They’re no longer here, but they may return.”

“When?” Heejun huffs, annoyed. “I don’t think I can stay here cleaning for you until they come back.”

Hani sighs, seemingly tired from the whole thing. “I can’t tell. However, there was a third figure, though small.”

“A…third one?”

He can’t recall a third person, but the memory is so vivid in his mind that it’d be impossible for him to miss a whole entire person. “Who?”

“A young girl,” she tells him. “You don’t know her?”

“Listen lady, I’ve been spent the last decade searching for the two blood ers who murdered my family. I don’t even know what they look like, how would I know this mysterious third person?”

“Hey, you’re the one who came looking for help on finding these people, I’m just telling you what I saw.”

“Well, gee, thanks.” He watches as she rolls her eyes and Heejun does the same.

“You’re very unpleasant, you know that?” She says as if he hasn’t heard those words his entire life.

“Yeah, yeah. So, where do I go from here?”

Before she can even open , her eyes dart to the beaded curtain behind Heejun where he hears someone enter the room.

“This town is like a maze,” says the stranger, his voice deep and rich. Heejun takes one glance at him and doesn’t notice how silent his ward has become. He doesn’t seem to pay Heejun much attention, as he gives a greeting nod to the witch.

“You’re interrupting,” she says, even more tired.

“Well, the person I was escorting seems to have run away, so what can I do eh?”

He’s taller than Heejun, shoulders broad and eyes sharp in a way that makes him look intimidating but not frightening like Hani. There’s something about him that makes Heejun feel like they’ve met before, but he can’t place it.

“I have a client right now,” she says, waving him away with a dainty little hand. “Go wait in the front.”

“That’s the thing–” he begins, scratching his head bashfully. “I’m on a deadline so could you just help me out really quickly?”

She sighs, gaze turning to Heejun as she nods her head. “You go to the front then, I’ll be done in a second.”

Heejun doesn’t say anything, blinking at her before complying, making his way through the beaded curtains as he hears the man mumble out a: “I’m looking for a Kim Jihun…” and suddenly he realizes who the man is.

The hunter.

-

The house is silent and feels thick, as if everything in the room isn’t really there and Jihun was in some kind of strange dream. The blood bag rests in his lap again after having been retrieved by Seungjun and Jihun is still tentative on drinking from it. This is the ugly thing that drove a stake between he and Heejun– the thing that makes Jihun painfully realize he isn’t human anymore.

“You have to feed–” Seungjun says, omitting the word ‘pet’ and Jihun rolls his eyes. The affection the other keeps giving Jihun is sickening and even worse is the way it makes his skin tingle.

He stares wordlessly at the blood bag, cursing it along with Seungjun before stabbing a straw that the vampire had given him into it. Slowly he brings his lips to it, drinking from it as if he was drinking from a kool-aid pouch. The blood is sweet on his tongue, not as delicious if it were fresh, but still giving him some kind of relief. His shoulders slump as his eyes drop closed and Jihun hates himself for indulging in the vampire’s blood.

“There,” Seungjun says, smiling warmly at him. “You already look so much better.”

He feels so much better. The strength in his hands has returned as well as the color to his face. Jihun can feel Seungjun’s blood course through him and the thought alone makes him feel annoyingly embarrassed.

The vampire is painfully handsome, charming in his own way and his words are always so honey-like that it makes Jihun more cautious than usual. He says it’s the bond, but Jihun feels like it’s something more ridiculous at play that draws the two together. It’s almost as if no matter how angry Jihun can get with himself or with Seungjun, he knows he’s going to want to come back to this place.

“You’re certain you’re in some kind of danger?” He asks, legs crossed as he rests on the arm of the couch.

“Youjin– the hunter said he was taking me to The Hunter’s Association. I can’t think of a reason why that doesn’t involve me being arrested.”

Seungjun lets out an airy laugh. “They aren’t the police, they don’t arrest people. They execute them.”

Jihun squints his eyes as if him being hung was a laughing matter. “I figured I’d be safe here, I don’t know. The bond or you know, whatever it is made me think you could…protect me.”

“Oh, I can.” Seungjun’s gaze is heavy and enchanting in the way that no human could pull off. “You made a smart choice in following the bond.”

Jihun still doesn’t think it’s exactly like that, but he can’t find the words to express his thoughts just yet, so he agrees wordlessly, finishing off the blood bag and pursing his lips. He’s somewhat sated, but there’s still a strange emptiness in him, as if it wasn’t enough.

Almost like reading his mind, Seungjun grins as he leans forward to Jihun. “The offer to drink from me still stands, you know?”

“I’ll pass,” Jihun says with every little bit of strength he can muster.

“You’re stubborn,” Seungjun tells him, but the grin doesn’t falter. Jihun doesn’t like it one bit. “It’s fine, I know you’ll come to me again.”

“Again?” Jihun questions because he isn’t enjoying Seungjun’s tone.

“Yes. Again.”