It didn’t feel like he’d been asleep for long when Hakyeon woke up again, feeling the same nudging sensation as the night before. Blinking himself awake, he felt around with his magic, finding no other but Hongbin’s once again. The fae’s magic was molding to his, just like the night before; not invasive, nor aggressive. Just there, almost like cuddling, and mimicking the calm flow and swirls of Hakyeon’s.

Hongbin stirred in Hakyeon’s arms eventually, mumbling something unintelligible before he started turning around.

“Whaswrong?” he mumbled, more asleep than awake, and Hakyeon shook his head, tightening his hold on the fae comfortingly while nuzzling his face against Hongbin’s back, between the bases of his wings.

“Nothing. Just our magics cuddling. again. Go back to sleep.”

The fae mumbled something again and turned back around, humming contently before drifting back to sleep. It didn’t take long before Hakyeon followed.

He was still the first to wake up again in the morning, once again trapped in bed by Hongbin’s form splayed half on top of him. He blinked blearily into the early morning light, wondering why his vision wasn’t focusing for a moment, before he realized he had one of Hongbin’s wings spread over his face.

With a quiet sigh, he took a moment to figure out how Hongbin was lying to find the edge of the wing and gently shove it away from his face. It followed his guiding hand with barely any resistance, feeling simultaneously cold and warm to the touch, just like fairy dust.

A shudder ran through Hongbin’s body as his fingers brushed over the edge of the wing, and Hakyeon frowned. Tentatively, he touched it again, brushing ever so lightly over the smooth, translucent yet shiny membrane next to one of the thicker veins that ran all the way to the tips of the wings.

In his sleep, Hongbin moaned, shifting and arching his whole body against Hakyeon’s just as another shudder ran through him.

Hakyeon retracted his hand as if he’d been burned, eyes wide and blushing.

He bit his lip, making a mental note to himself; no more wing-touching. Apparently, those were sensitive; very sensitive, and very much a no-touching zone. At least without Hongbin’s consent; exceptions being when he stuck them in his face in his sleep again.

Hongbin settled down again quickly, though, and Hakyeon relaxed subsequently, letting him sleep.

As his gaze trailed over the beautiful creature asleep on top of him, his thoughts wandered back to the book they had discussed the day before, and he couldn’t help but wonder what Hongbin would sound like singing. He was sure it would be beautiful, too. His talking voice was entrancing already, so his singing voice, especially imbued with magic, would most likely be otherworldly.

Hours passed until Hongbin stirred again, this time waking up. He didn’t move much, though, staying right where he was even though Hakyeon could tell he was awake. He let him, though, until he finally decided to shift and turn around, unwinding his arms from around Hakyeon to fold them on his chest and lay his chin on top of them.

“Morning.” He smiled sleepily up at Hakyeon.

Hakyeon chuckled.

“Good morning. I see I haven’t lost my appeal as a pillow…”

Hongbin grinned lightly.

“You didn’t.” He yawned, stretching his wings behind him and throwing the blanket the rest of the way off them in the process. Hakyeon couldn’t avoid staring at the mesmerizing appendages, blushing slightly. Hongbin tilted his head, giving Hakyeon a curious look.

“What?” Hakyeon asked, probably more defensive than he’d intended to.

“Nothing. You just had a weird look on your face just now. And you blushed. Why?”

Hakyeon huffed, averting his gaze and not answering.

Hongbin tilted his head further, an understanding smile growing on his face.

“Is it my wings?”

Hakyeon furrowed his brow.

“What?”

Hongbin hummed pensively, but couldn’t hide the amusement in it.

“My wings. Did you touch them while I slept?”

Hakyeon wasn’t going to answer, but he couldn’t avoid the blush on his face so he found himself forced to at least try to explain.

“Well, you had them shoved in my face, and when I went to push them away you basically humped me!”

Hongbin chuckled.

“Sorry about that! But I didn’t hump you. Didn’t you know fairy wings are sensitive?”

“No, I didn’t. Not like that. Lesson learned, though, I guess.”

Hongbin laughed quietly and laid his head down on Hakyeon’s chest again.

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Touching our wings elicits involuntary responses from us, though. I should probably have told you… But I thought you knew, since you’ve always been avoiding touching them…”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“I didn’t. I just don’t go and randomly fondle someone else’s body parts for no reason.”

Hongbin chuckled again.

“You don’t?”

“Shut up. I don’t.” Hakyeon grumbled, and Hongbin propped his chin on his folded hands again.

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t mind you touching my wings. Also, while the sensitivity of a fairy’s wings can be useful in a ual context, whatever response it elicited in my sleep was definitely not ual.”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes.

“For origin’s sake, Hongbin…!”

“What?” The fae asked innocently, and Hakyeon groaned.

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Silence settled over them again, in which Hongbin made no move to get up. Hakyeon found he didn’t mind, especially since it was raining outside. He couldn’t help his curiosity, though.

“What does it feel like, when someone touches your wings?”

Hongbin hummed, said wings fluttering lightly behind them.

“It depends. If it’s a light touch, like a caress, it feels good. Like… A warm shower. If it’s a firmer touch, someone gripping them or something like that, it hurts.”

Hakyeon nodded slowly.

“What about when you lie on them? Or when they’re, like, trapped between us, like last night?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“They aren’t very sensitive to touches from objects, or clothing. When I lie on them it’s the same as laying on an arm… Same when you hug me from behind. They only react sensitively to skin contact. Otherwise we’d constantly be overwhelmed by random gusts of wind touching them while flying and such, and that would be unpractical.”

Hakyeon nodded pensively.

“What about magic?”

Hongbin shuddered.

“That depends, too… Normally, they work like a shield against all magic, but sorcerers have developed one spell… It tears them to shreds, and I guess you can imagine how that would feel.”

Hakyeon paled.

“Was that what-…”

“What had happened when you first found me? Yes.”

Hakyeon took a sharp breath, biting his lip as he cupped Hongbin’s face in one hand, his cheek with his thumb.

“I’m sorry…”

Hongbin shook his head lightly, leaning into Hakyeon’s touch.

“Don’t be. You fixed them for me, and I’m still grateful for that.”

“Still… How did you stand it when they were still-… I mean, it must have hurt like hell before they healed.”

Hongbin hummed.

“It did. It literally felt like they were on fire, melting off my back.”

“How were you able to pretend it was nothing big, walking around for days like that? I think I would have done nothing but lay on the floor and scream until I died.”

Hongbin sighed.

“I wanted to. But I didn’t want to die at the hunters’ hands -or yours, since at the time I thought you weren’t any better than them- so I carried on. The first time I got them shredded I was close to giving up just to end the pain, though.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widened.

“The first time? Do you mean that wasn’t the first time? That happened before?!”

Hongbin hummed again, turning to nuzzle Hakyeon’s hand.

“It was the fourth time. And it wasn’t as bad as the times before. Still, I think I’m good without having them shredded again; ever, if possible.”

Hakyeon took a shaky breath, hugging Hongbin above his wings.

“If I can do anything to help keep that from happening, I will. I promise.”

Hongbin smiled up at him.

“Thank you.”

He stretched then, and for a moment Hakyeon thought he would roll off him, but he just flopped back on top of him.

“I could stay here all day, if that’s alright with you. I really don’t feel like moving. The weather is crap, too.”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“What about food?”

A contemplative hum answered him.

“That’s an argument… But I don’t know if food is worth the trouble of getting up…”

Hakyeon nudged him lightly.

“For me, it is. You can stay in bed if you want, but I have to go and find something to eat soon.”

Hongbin wrinkled his nose at him.

“There is no point staying here if I have to stay here alone…”

Hakyeon laughed quietly, nudging him again.

“It looks like you’ll have to get up as well, then. If it helps motivate you: I’ve been thinking, since we concluded last night that there might be more books on that fairy plant magic in the cave, that you might want to take a look at them. You know, there might be some that explain it well enough for you to be able to learn it, too, even without a teacher. If you want to, of course. You could practice here, with my magic shielding yours, so you don’t raise suspicions. By now it should be making the rounds anyway that my magic feels like fairy magic, since that’s what the biggest gossip of my generation concluded that day by the stream…” He trailed off, giving Hongbin time to think about it.

The fae frowned a little, averting his eyes as he plucked on a loose thread on the sleeve of his tunic.

“Hmm… I don’t know. I mean, yes, sure I’d love to see what the books are about, but… I don’t know if I should try to learn it…”

“Why not?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“Wouldn’t it be useless to know anyway? I would never be able to use it anyway…”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“It’s never useless to know how to do something. It might come in handy in the most unexpected situations.”

Silence settled over them as Hongbin let that sink in, then shook his head.

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it later.”

“Of course. No one said you had to decide now… The only thing you need to decide now is whether you’ll let me get up so I can make something to eat before we both die of starvation.”

“Death by starvation takes a very long time, you’d be surprised…” Hongbin groaned, but eventually rolled off of Hakyeon, letting him get up. He made no move to get up himself, though, bunching the blanket up in his arms and looking up at Hakyeon pleadingly.

“How about breakfast in bed?”

Hakyeon laughed, lifting the other end of the blanket with his magic and throwing it over Hongbin’s head.

“Stop with that look, shameless!”

Hongbin pouted as he pulled the blanket down, but Hakyeon was already gone. With a sigh, he decided to get up as well, though much slower than the sorcerer.

When he eventually joined him in the kitchen, the sorcerer was almost done preparing breakfast. Still, Hongbin walked up to where he was standing at the counter, cutting something up.

“Can I help with something?” He offered, and Hakyeon hummed, wiped his hands off on a towel and handed him two empty bowls with spoons and a small cork board.

“You can take these to the table and sit down. I’m almost done here.”

Hongbin nodded, doing as he’d been told. Crossing his arms on the table, he rested his chin on them again as he watched Hakyeon finish cooking something.

“Can you check if my magic has changed again later?” Hongbin eventually asked into the silence that was only filled by the sound of the boiling food and Hakyeon cutting vegetables.

Throwing a short glance over his shoulder, Hakyeon nodded.

“Of course. Is there any reason, though?”

Hongbin hummed.

“I think it feels different…”

“Ah… It did that cuddling-up-to-mine-thing again last night, by the way. When I felt it and woke up, it was already mimicking the same flow and swirls again.” He remembered.

Hongbin frowned.

“Why does it do that?”

Hakyeon didn’t have an answer for that, shrugging while he extinguished the flame of the stove, finishing cooking the meal.

“I’m not sure. I have kind of a theory, but as I said, I’m not sure. I think it might be related to you being able to sleep peacefully when I’m with you. Maybe the reason why you can sleep is because your magic starts mimicking mine when I’m close enough and touching you; or, it does that because you are finally getting some rest and it’s trying to heal using mine as model. But like I said, it’s just a theory.”

Hongbin nodded pensively, waiting as Hakyeon set the steaming pot down on the small cork board and started ladling food into his bowl.

“Is it bad when it does that? I mean, for you? Am I in some way attacking your magic or compromising it when it does that?”

Hakyeon shook his head, filling his own bowl.

“No. Your magic is just there, peacefully. It doesn’t affect mine at all, I can just feel you there, that’s all.”

“Well, that’s at least something…” Hongbin fidgeted, sighing. Hakyeon watched him for a moment, but he didn’t notice, nor did he make a move to pick up his spoon and start eating.

“Hongbin? Are you alright?”

Hongbin jumped slightly, hastily taking up his spoon.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m ok. Just… feeling weird.”

Hakyeon set his own spoon down again.

“Do you want me to check your magic now instead of later?”

The fae didn’t answer immediately, chewing on his bottom lip as he stared at the table unseeingly.

“Hmm, maybe… If that’s ok. I can wait until after breakfast…”

Hakyeon sighed, stretching out his hand over the table.

“Give me your hand, Hongbin.”

Hongbin looked up, surprised, and he looked as if he wanted to say something, but then decided against it, just reaching out with his own hand and placing it in Hakyeon’s.

The sorcerer closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before he felt for Hongbin’s magic with his own. It didn’t take him long to find out what he needed to.

Hongbin retracted his hand when Hakyeon let go of it, rubbing it awkwardly, and Hakyeon cleared his throat quietly.

“Your magic is still chaotic, but there are the same underlying currents as yesterday. A bit stronger than yesterday, even.”

Hongbin blinked up at him.

“Is that good?”

Hakyeon smiled.

“I think so. I don’t know what your magic should look like normally, but to me it feels better than yesterday.”

A small, hopeful smile flitted around Hongbin’s lips.

“I thought it felt better, too… I just wasn’t sure, because it still makes me feel nauseous and does nothing of what I want it to.”

Finally starting to eat, Hakyeon chuckled as he blew at the hot broth on his spoon.

“Huh, so, it looks like we just have to cuddle a lot and your magic will be back to normal in no time? Is that it?”

Hongbin huffed, blowing against his fringe.

“I don’t know. But I can tell why you would like that.”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes at him.

“I won’t deny it. But I will take this opportunity to remind you that you are the one who invited me into your bed, and were eager to keep me there.”

Shrugging, Hongbin finally focused on his food, too.

“What can I say; it looks like I instinctively knew what would be good for my magic’s health.”

Hakyeon snorted.

“Of course. I’m sure that was the one and only reason all along.”

“Most definitely.”

“Mhm.”

“Yup.”

“Shut up and eat.”

Hongbin blew him a raspberry, but then focused on his food. They ended their meal in relative silence, and like usual Hakyeon shooed Hongbin into the living room as he started picking up the table to clean their dishes.

Once he came to find Hongbin in the living room, the fae was already paging through To Sing A Flower again. He looked up when he heard Hakyeon.

“I think this might be a part of a series. There are notes and references to things that aren’t described in this book, at least.”

Hakyeon nodded, staying in the doorway.

“Should I go get some more of those books up here for you to check over? You might make sense of them.”

Hongbin shrugged.

“Sure, why not. It’s not like I have anything else to do.”

Hakyeon nodded.

“Alright. I’ll be back.”

With that, he turned around and headed to the basement. When he opened the door to the previously hidden room, he was greeted by a gentle breeze. It was warm, uncharacteristic for the basement, and smelled vaguely of salt and algae, like the sea, and very much not like dusty basement that hadn’t been aired out in a couple millennia.

As he sent out a ball of light to illuminate the space, he noticed that all the traces he’d left in the dust on the floor the day before were gone. It looked as if the room hadn’t been touched in eons again, except for the boxes that still stood where Hakyeon had put them the day before.

Hakyeon wasn’t all that spooked. Being a sorcerer himself he was used to all kinds of spells in old buildings, but he felt the silent warning this spell was meant to be. There was more to the boxes and books, and he was aware he would do well to be careful.

Still, he didn’t let it bother him too much, and he approached the boxes lined with green tissue paper. Nothing happened as he opened them and searched for the books with the golden ribbons, taking them out and stacking them on top of one of the other boxes. Once he’d gathered all the books he could spot at first glance, he picked the stack up and carried them back upstairs into the living room.

Hongbin’s eyes lit up as he spotted the stack of books, quite heavy in Hakyeon’s arms, but his expression changed when he spotted Hakyeon’s.

“Did something happen?”

Hakyeon shrugged, setting the books down on the floor in front of the couch.

“Nothing much… There’s a spell that resettled the dust on the floor in that room… I guess it is a warning.”

Hongbin’s eyes widened, fear creeping into his look.

“A warning?!”

Hakyeon hummed, sitting down on the couch to catch his breath for a moment. The books really were heavy!

“It makes sense. Those boxes don’t look like someone simply sorted through their books and banned some old ones they didn’t use much to the basement to make room for new ones. They are too neat, too tidy, too carefully packed and stacked. Then there is the door to the room that was hidden and sealed, and the warning in the dust. Those books weren’t banned; they were hidden. And judging by their contents, the wealth of information they hold, and the kind of information…

“I’m willing to bet they were hidden to be protected. To make sure they didn’t fall into hands that would use them for evil, or to make sure they weren’t destroyed and all that information lost. There are books about species that are long extinct; and that fairy magic, which you say is also almost extinct. If it wasn’t for those books on them, everything might be irrevocably forgotten eventually.”

Hongbin shifted uncomfortably where he was sitting.

“Maybe we should leave them alone, then…”

Hakyeon shook his head.

“I’ll be careful. Books are to be read, after all! And I don’t plan to use anything I find out for evil…”

Hongbin huffed.

“I know that, but does that spell that lies on that basement know that, too?”

Hakyeon paused to think about it.

“You know, I think it might… Considering all the knowledge contained in those books down there, I doubt the sorcerer didn’t know how to put a spell on that door that kept me out if it wanted to. And yet, it was surprisingly easy for me to break those seals. I’m sure there is a spell on the room, too, that is evaluating my intentions while I’m working there. I haven’t been attacked, though, and I spent hours down there yesterday, so I think I’m fine for now.”

Still, Hongbin wasn’t appeased.

“I don’t like it… I think you shouldn’t go back down there.”

Hakyeon sighed.

“I’ll be careful, I promise. I can’t just let all that knowledge go to waste down there! And I’m not defenseless, either!”

Hongbin huffed.

“You’re not at the best you can be, either, I bet. I never thought I’d say this, but if you absolutely have to go back down there, I wish you could at least defend yourself as well as any sorcerer that uses ingredients from other creatures…”

Hakyeon recoiled as if Hongbin had slapped him, staring at him with wide eyes.

“You don’t mean that…!” he gasped, and Hongbin gave him a worried but painfully sincere look.

“I do mean that. At least somewhat. Rather that, than have some ancient spell stab you in the back.”

Hakyeon shook his head, bordering frantic.

“If I used ingredients from other magical species you wouldn’t even be talking to me!”

Hongbin averted his gaze, scoffing quietly.

“If you only used ingredients that were willingly given to you, I would! I wish you would accept it when I offer to give you some of my dust, or hair, or nails. At least that much. You could do a lot with those and I don’t mind the loss. Heck, I’d willingly give you blood and skin and tears without second thought, too!”

Hakyeon jumped up, taking a couple of steps away from Hongbin, shaking his head frantically and lifting his hands defensively, his voice bordering hysterical.

“Stop, Hongbin! You wouldn’t! And I don’t want it! I don’t want any of it! Don’t- don’t ever say that again! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Hongbin was about to reply that he knew very well what he was talking about when he saw tears streaming down Hakyeon’s face. He shut his mouth again, startled, and stayed quiet when Hakyeon lifted his hands to his face, wiping at the tears and his nose and taking a couple steadying breaths.

“Never say that again, Hongbin. Never ever. I don’t want to hear it. That is not an offer you should ever make!”

With that, he left. He stormed out of the room, not thinking about where his steps were taking him until his knees sunk into the dust on the floor of the room in the cave. Again, he sniffed, wiping away a few stray tears that had still managed to spill after he’d left the living room. In his mind, he’d seen the scene in the dungeons of the academy again, only that now, the fairy strapped to the experimentation table was Hongbin. He retched as it flashed before his eyes again, new tears spilling out as he tried to catch his breath and ban that image from his mind forever.

A gentle breeze came up again, ruffling his hair slightly, and he lifted his head. He couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, nor feel anything, except for the breeze. It didn’t seem threatening, though, rather comforting, actually. It blew past him eventually, lifting some dust off of the corner of a box that still had several others stacked on top of it.

Without knowing why, he got up and started taking the other boxes down so he could reach that one box. It was different from the others; right away, he could tell that this box had been nailed shut. And not just that, there was a spell on it, too. He couldn’t identify it, but it was as if he could hear a word all of a sudden. Simultaneously, it was as if it echoed in the room around him, no more than a whisper, and only in his head.

Kyuhyun.

He blinked, confused.

“Kyuhyun? What does that mean?” He whispered, mostly to himself, but somehow expecting an answer, too. He got none.

For some reason, it sounded familiar, though. Was it a spoken spell? A curse?

He sat down in the dust, crossing his legs as he thought about it, idly running his fingers over the edge of the box’ lid.

“It sounds like a name… Kyuhyun…” He mused, rolling the word on his tongue.

A sudden gasp fled his throat when the box he’d idly been tracing with his fingers suddenly emanated a soft glow that rapidly grew in intensity.

Hastily, he scrambled away from it, towards the door. He didn’t leave the box out of his eyes as light continued to pour out of every crack in the wood, glowing bright enough to make it look as if the whole box was glowing in itself. Suddenly, the glow stopped, and a light puff of dust came out of the crack between the box and its lid.

Hakyeon rubbed at his eyes, sore from the blinding light from moments before that had left his vision full of black dots. He blinked a couple of times, waiting until his eyes had adjusted to the dim light again rather than the bright and blinding one.

It was probably stupid, he was well aware of that, but he couldn’t help himself as he carefully walked back into the room, approaching the now innocent looking box again. It didn’t look any different from before; well, except that the dust had disappeared from it and the nails holding the lid to the box were gone.

Tentatively, he reached out until his fingers brushed against the wood, but he couldn’t feel the spell from before anymore. He reached out with his magic, feeling for it, but it was gone.

“So, it was a spell?” He didn’t dare say the word again.

With the utmost caution, his fingers wandered to the edge of the lid, curling around it.

Only when he thought himself prepared for everything, he tried to lift the lid. It offered no resistance whatsoever.

Hakyeon paused, growing even more cautious. What could be in a box that had been sealed for possible over a thousand years? A spell? A creature?

Most creatures would be dead if they’d been sealed in for that long, but not all of them… He took a step back, opting to try and lift the lid with his magic instead, but it was impossible. It didn’t move at all.

Frowning, Hakyeon concluded that he would only be able to open the box with his bare hands, which made him even more cautious. It made him vulnerable, and he was aware that was most likely the intention behind it.

Still, he approached the box again and lifted the lid ever so slightly, expecting the most unexpected to jump out of it.

Nothing did, though, the lid coming off easily to reveal nothing but a layer of black tissue paper.

Curious, Hakyeon lifted a corner of the paper, folding it back carefully, then another, and another. Upon lifting the last layer, his eyes widened at what he found. It really wasn’t what he had expected anymore at this point, but on the other hand, he probably should.

The box was filled with books.

He chuckled, incredulous, sitting down in the dirt again.

Books. Of course there were books. He reached inside the box, pulling one of them out. It looked different than the books in the other boxes. It was leather bound, too, but the binding was soft instead of rigid. A thin strap wrapped around the book, holding it shut, though nothing hindered Hakyeon from unwrapping it. The book held no title, and when he eventually opened it, he knew why. It was a journal.

He gasped in surprise at the date in the top right corner of the first page, dating way over three thousand years back. The handwriting was familiar, though, the same as in the other books surrounding him. He pulled another of the books out, finding it was in a similar fashion, and he was right; it was a journal, too. All of the books in this box seemed to be, some looking more worn than others. He looked for the least worn looking one, hoping it would prove to be the most recent. It dated three thousand and two hundred years back, and a foreboding feeling settled in Hakyeon’s gut. As he opened it, a loose page, folded twice in itself, fell out.

He set the journal down, picking up the loose piece of paper first and unfolding it.

It held a journal entry, too, though it looked hastily scribbled instead of neat like the handwriting in all the other books and journals. He could tell it had been the same hand writing it, though.

The date in the corner indicated a Spring day, three thousand, one hundred and seventy eight years ago.

“I am tired. I’ve been so tired for a long time, and yet I don’t feel deserving of the rest I will be put to within the hour.

I have failed; we all have. The Council is no more. Five of my brothers are lying dead at least, and I don’t know if more have fallen already as I write these lines. I know the henchmen of darkness are coming for me, too, but it won’t be at their hands that I shall perish.

My work isn’t done yet, and my last task is one I can not afford to fail at. Too much is at stake, and there is nothing left but to trust in the prophecy the seers were given in the light of the last blue moon.

Though, I don’t know how to bring up the faith that it takes to trust the darkness that birthed my kind and corrupted their hearts and minds. How is that festering darkness, growing thicker and murkier by the hour, supposed to birth a child of light?! And yet, that is what the seers proclaimed, and I am left here wondering. I guess I don’t have the wits to understand the mysterious works of magic after all.

All I can do is fight the darkness with the trust bestowed in me by my brothers until my last breath leaves my body. I will not become a tool for evil.

My time is running short. The Academy’s most capable members have breached the edge of the forest.

May magic decide to keep the time short between my last breath to seal these chambers and the first of the child that shall open them again.

In a way, I am grateful my fallen brothers and I won’t live to see the ages of pain and suffering that are bound to arise. Maybe that is the blessing that lies in our sacrifice, even if death feels like the coward’s way out at this point.

The time has come.

Shall my name be forgotten until the day light returns.”

Hakyeon lowered the piece of paper, and only then did he notice he was crying. If anything, that realization only served to make him cry harder, sobs wrenching themselves past his throat as tears streamed down his face, the weight of the discovery he’d made crashing down on him.

He didn’t hear Hongbin calling his name from the top of the stairs, growing more frantic with each time he didn’t get an answer.

He didn’t hear the steps coming down the stairs, and more calls for his name, his sobs growing louder as if to block these sounds from him.

He didn’t see Hongbin stepping into the adjacent room, nor his expression of simultaneously relief and worry as the fae spotted him.

He didn’t notice his presence at all, until the fae’s arms came around him and pulled him to the other’s chest, holding him tightly.

“Hakyeon… Hakyeon, I’m so sorry! I promise I won’t say those things again, I promise. Shh, I’m sorry, Hakyeon. Please don’t cry, please. Stop crying. I’m sorry…” He mumbled incessantly as he held the sorcerer, rocking him gently.

Hakyeon didn’t stop crying, but he clutched to Hongbin with all his might. The sadness he felt within was so immense he felt as if he was drowning in it, as if it was crushing him, and yet a tiny corner of his being knew it wasn’t his own.

Hongbin’s words slowly filtered through to him eventually, and he shook his head, his tears slowing down slowly and the sobs dying down enough for him to speak.

“It’s not you… It’s not you…” He managed to whisper before he sunk back against Hongbin and the fae cradled his head, brushing through his hair gently.

“It’s not…? What is it, Hakyeon? Why are you… Why are you crying like this?” There was an edge of panic to his voice, and Hakyeon held onto him tighter, trying to reassure him. He let go eventually, though, just long enough to show Hongbin the piece of paper he still held in his hand.

Hongbin took it from him, holding Hakyeon close again, chin hooked over his shoulder while he read the journal entry behind his back. An increasing frown grew on his face as he read on, his grip on the paper tightening.

“…’Shall my name be forgotten until the day light returns’… Now if this doesn’t sound like a curse…!” Hongbin muttered, a deep frown on his features.

“I don’t like this… Hakyeon, can we please go upstairs? Please? Can you walk? Are you ok?”

Hakyeon nodded weakly, pushing out of Hongbin’s hold to get up. He swayed a little but caught himself quickly, wiping at the tear tracks on his face while he tried to even out his breathing. Hongbin was by his side in no time and pushed him towards the door and through the next room, towards the stairs.

Hakyeon stopped in front of them, lowering his head to stare at his feet, and forced Hongbin to a stop, too.

“What’s wrong?” The fae asked, and Hakyeon sighed.

“You shouldn’t have come down here. You still need to rest, and not climb more stairs than necessary.”

Hongbin huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, come on! Of course I had to come down here! You were sobbing so hard the windows were rattling; I had to do something! Now, go up!”

Hakyeon shook his head, but did as Hongbin said and started up the stairs. He couldn’t help but turn around to look after Hongbin, who worked himself up the stairs with clenched teeth.

“Don’t stop, just go ahead. I’m fine.” The fae muttered, but Hakyeon waited for him regardless, putting an arm around his back to help him up the last bit of the stairs once he reached him.

In mutual understanding, they winded up on one of the couches in the living room. Only then did Hongbin notice he was still holding onto the journal entry, and frowning, he read it again.

“I seriously don’t know what to make of this. So, these are like the parting words of the last sorcerer of the council?”

Hakyeon nodded quietly.

“I think so…”

Hongbin shook his head, frowning at the text.

“And he died to seal that room? How does that work?!”

Hakyeon took a deep, shuddering breath.

“I’ve only ever heard about it as a myth… There’s supposedly a spell that uses the sorcerer’s soul as seal… Supposedly, it never worked, and it has been forgotten how it’s used, because those who knew either died trying or kept it to themselves because it’s so dangerous and at the same time ineffective.”

Hongbin scoffed.

“If the date on this is correct and you are really the first one to open that room in three thousand one hundred and seventy-eight years, I wouldn’t say that spell is ineffective.”

Hakyeon paled a little, retching drily.

“I broke a seal someone gave their life for… Someone died, and it was all for nothing because I couldn’t see what I was doing and just undid it…” He heaved again, and Hongbin shook his head, patting his back.

“There, there, calm down. We don’t know if that is really what that person did to seal that room. Or maybe, you are the one who was supposed to open that door again. That ‘child of light born of darkness’… Quite dramatic is you ask me, but it could be.”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes, though not too much since he already felt dizzy enough.

“Hongbin…”

Hongbin didn’t listen though, sitting up straighter.

“No, listen, it makes sense! The way this person writes about this darkness that birthed them, too… They are a sorcerer, right? So, sorcerers are the darkness. You are a sorcerer. But you are also not an but quite the opposite, so, you know, you could be that child of light!”

Hakyeon huffed.

“I most certainly am not. I am as much scum by birth as the rest of my kind.”

Hongbin sighed.

“And here we go again… What about what you said earlier, about the spell knowing whom to keep out? What if the spell recognized you because you are the person of that prophecy?”

Hakyeon got up abruptly, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“I am not a hero, Hongbin!”

Hongbin got up as well, blocking Hakyeon’s path out of the room.

“Well, to me, you are!” He glared at Hakyeon, whose glare faltered as it met Hongbin’s.

“That’s different… So, I helped one person! That doesn’t change-… Doesn’t change that-…”

It didn’t change that so many others had suffered because of him already, but he was unable to say that in front of Hongbin.

“It changes everything. You helped me when you could have easily used me, like others would have. You don’t hurt others for your own personal gain. You won’t even accept help when it’s freely given. You are different than everyone else of your species. The only one that stands out. You are good where the rest are disgusting and vile.”

Hakyeon shook his head vehemently.

“Stop, Hongbin. I’m not. I’m not good. I try to be my best, but it will never be enough. I’m not the person of that prophecy! I am not a ‘child of light’!”

Hongbin huffed, growing frustrated.

“You are so ing stubborn, that’s what you are for sure! Why can’t you see, just once, that-… That-… Ugh! Hakyeon! Seriously!” He flung his hands up into the air, turning around to walk out of the room, but stopped in the doorway to face Hakyeon again. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again and disappeared, shaking his head.

Hakyeon stayed behind, feeling lost.

Tired, he sat down on the couch again and picked up the piece of paper Hongbin had left there. He huffed lightly as he read it again.

“If you don’t understand the ways magic works, of all people, how am I supposed to…” He muttered quietly, smoothing out the wrinkles in the paper.

“‘Shall my name be forgotten until the day light returns.’… That’s going to be a long wait… I don’t see light returning to this world for a while… Not the kind you mean. You’re indeed lucky not to have lived to see what this world has become… The way you wrote about other species, you would have hated to see what they are doing to them.”

He sunk back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling, unseeing.

Who was this person that had written that last note? Other than the last sorcerer of the Council.

How were they? Short or tall, blonde or brunette, serious or funny…? What was their name, really? Surely it couldn’t have been completely forgotten… There must be records of the last members of the council…

Hongbin had said he knew of fairies who had been around at the time the council had still existed. They were over three thousand years old! But they surely had to remember the name of the sorcerer. The same went for other species who lived that long, and longer. They couldn’t have been forgotten…

The smell of something burning pulled him out of his thoughts, and he got up hastily to investigate. He found the smell came from the kitchen, but as he was about to enter it, he got a rag flying to his face.

“Get out, child of moping! Now is my time to mope, and if I happen to do so by burning your last stash of Allium cepa in an attempt to produce something edible, so be it. Be gone!”

Hakyeon caught the rag before it could tumble to the floor, a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips as he watched Hongbin in front of the stove, trying to save a roughly chopped up onion from burning in a pan.

“Sunflower oil. The green bottle next to the basil.” He provided helpfully, just to earn another glare from Hongbin.

“I said, be gone! Go away!” He did get the sunflower oil, though, pouring a large amount of it into the pan with the blackening onions.

Hakyeon cringed, and even more so when honey followed the sunflower oil into the pot. He didn’t know what Hongbin was trying to cook, but he was already going through the spells that could come in useful to clean burnt-in pans, extinguish kitchen fires, heal upset stomachs and help keep up a pleased smile while wanting to throw up.

Rye flour followed the honey along with dried berries and a large amount of almond milk, and the sticky wet sound of something thick sloshing around in the pan had Hakyeon’s stomach knot in dread.

“If you aren’t going to go away, at least tell me where you keep the sage…” Hongbin eventually muttered, and Hakyeon pointed wordlessly at a cabinet. Hongbin followed his directions without a word of thanks, but Hakyeon didn’t mind.

More and more different ingredients that Hakyeon wouldn’t even have dreamed to combine landed in the pan, until Hongbin eventually declared the dish done. Dutifully, Hakyeon moved to set the table, and Hongbin served the food.

Of course, the fae waited for Hakyeon to take the first bite, and Hakyeon felt as if his life would depend on whether he gave the right verdict on the food.

Unfortunately, his first instinct was to spit the sticky, burned, half raw and thoroughly weird tasting substance out as soon as it neared his taste-buds, but he kept his mouth closed. It took him a moment before he could bring himself to chew, and he wished he hadn’t.

Hongbin watched him closely, expectantly.

“And?” He asked after Hakyeon had swallowed, and the sorcerer nodded slowly, clearing his throat. Repeatedly.

“Uhm… yeah. Interesting.” He managed, waving a pitcher with water and a glass over from the sink.

“Do you like it?” Hongbin prodded, and Hakyeon flinched internally.

“I… I’m not sure yet. Fairy cuisine isn’t something I’m used to.” Hastily, he washed the lingering taste in his mouth away, filling his glass right back up.

“Is it hot?” Hongbin inquired, nodding at the water, and Hakyeon cleared his throat again.

“A little. Not spicy, just… warm.”

Hongbin nodded slowly, poking at his own plate.

“It doesn’t quite look like what it was supposed to, but it’s been a while since I had it so my memory might be a little off…” He lifted a bit to his mouth, and Hakyeon was content to see that his face looked the same as he had felt. Still, Hongbin went on and chewed, and swallowed. He teared up a little, and before Hakyeon knew it he had yanked the glass out of his hand, washing the taste out of his mouth with the water.

“, Hakyeon! You could have told me that it tastes like !”

Hakyeon cleared his throat.

“It’s… not that bad…”

Hongbin gave him an incredulous look.

“Cut the bull, Hakyeon. It’s awful!”

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Hakyeon coughed a little.

“Well… It’s… Something.”

Hongbin shook his head, pushing his plate far away from him. Sagged in his chair, he let out a low whine.

“I was so looking forward to spicy berry pancakes…!”

So that was what the grey substance on their plates was supposed to be.

Hakyeon sighed, taking his and Hongbin’s plates and dumping the contents back into the pan.

“Give me a moment…” He muttered, getting up and carrying the pan back to the stove.

With the help of a little bit of magic -or a lot, but Hongbin didn’t have to know that- a small stack of pancakes began to wander out of a new pan and onto a plate.

Hongbin was truly sulking as he waited, and it took Hakyeon shoveling the pancakes onto his plate and breaking out a jar of berry jam for him to at least sit up and try the pancakes.

He sighed, exasperated, after the first bite.

“Why do you always have to be so good at everything? Can’t there be one thing you absolutely at?! You even make my grandmother’s spicy berry pancakes right, starting from a disaster!”

Hakyeon bit back a smile, focusing on his own pancakes.

“There is… It looks like I at making you happy.”

He got a kick to his shin under the table for that.

“You don’t. That’s why I’m mad.”

Hakyeon rose an eyebrow at him.

“You know that makes no sense, right?”

“Shut up.” The fae muttered, all but wolfing down the pancakes. Hakyeon shook his head at him, continuing to eat his own pancakes in silence.

“I’ll clean up…” Hongbin offered when they were done, and Hakyeon nodded in consent. If Hongbin wanted to clean, he wouldn’t stop him. Instead, he went back to the living room, laying down on the couch to rest for a bit.

It didn’t take long before Hongbin appeared in the door, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Uhm, Hakyeon?”

“Hmm?”

“I… I can’t get the pan clean. There’s something black stuck to the bottom that won’t come off…”

Hakyeon sighed, getting up.

“Have you tried the scrubbing sand?”

“Scrubbing sand?”

Hakyeon nodded, leading the way back to the kitchen and showing Hongbin to a bucket under the sink filled with… sand.

Tentatively, Hongbin took a handful of the sand, sniffing it.

“It’s sand with soap, specifically to get rid of burnt-in crusts.”

Hongbin nodded in understanding, wary, though.

“Ok… So, I just… put that in the pan and… scrub?”

“Yup.”

Hongbin seemed skeptical, but did as instructed. It took him only a minute to give up, blowing at his reddened skin.

“Let me…” Hakyeon sighed, stepping up behind the fae and taking his hands in his own to rinse them under the cold water from the tap and drying them gently with a clean towel.

“Your soft fairy hands are clearly not made for rough work like washing dishes.” He winked, brushing a kiss to the tip of Hongbin’s fingers.

Hongbin bristled, retracting his hands quickly and stepping out from between Hakyeon and the sink.

Before Hakyeon could so much as blink, he raked the nails of one hand down Hakyeon’s back, from his shoulders to his waistband.

“Soft hands, my !”

Hakyeon arched away from the nails, his head falling back as he laughed. That got him a wet dishtowel thrown at him, which he easily dodged, and Hongbin sat down on one of the chairs at the table.

“Go on then, show me what your oh so capable sorcerer hands can do!” He scoffed.

Hakyeon grinned, snipping his fingers for effect as he let the sand scrub at the crusts on its own.

Hongbin groaned, dropping his shoulders and head.

“I hate you. Show-off!”

Hakyeon laughed, rinsing the now clean pan and setting it down to dry.

“Come on, let’s go over to the living room. We’ve spent more than enough time in here.”

His hate for Hakyeon apparently wasn’t big enough not to follow him to the room over and stuff his cold toes under his thighs as soon as they were sitting. Hakyeon didn’t complain.

For a while, they sat in silence, Hakyeon putting together a fire in the fireplace from where he sat, while Hongbin was busy cleaning remains of sand out from under his fingernails. It was Hongbin who eventually broke the silence.

“Hakyeon…?”

“Hmm?”

“What do you plan to do now, with the books in the basement?”

Hakyeon gave him a questioning look, and Hongbin sighed softly.

“I mean… Child of that prophecy or not, you were the one to open that room and find the books. The room hasn’t murdered you yet, so you can’t be all that wrong in its eyes… or the ones of the sorcerer who set up the spells. Plus, those books hold a ton of information that is most likely unknown to most living beings. It would be a shame to just let it rot down there…”

Hakyeon hummed again, leaning back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t know… What if I’m not the one meant to know the things in those books?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“I think you are at least not someone not meant to know those things…You wouldn’t use the knowledge you gained to do harm, so it wouldn’t hurt if you knew. If anything, you might learn how to do good with it.”

Hakyeon scoffed lightly.

“How?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“I don’t know. I haven’t read the books, either.”

Hakyeon didn’t answer immediately, and silence settled over them again.

“I wonder what the sorcerer was like… The one who sealed the room. I wonder if I would have liked to know them…”

Hongbin hummed, leaning against the back of the couch and wriggling his still cold toes under Hakyeon’s thigh.

“I think you would… You would probably have been like two peas in a pod, personality-wise.”

For a while, silence enveloped them again as Hakyeon let that sink in.

“What do you know about the Council, from back then?” He eventually wondered. Hongbin shrugged.

“Not much, and nothing for a fact… There were eleven members, one of every major magic species. They travelled through the territories of their own species and made sure everything was alright, listened to their complaints and disputes with other species and then carried them to the council to find ways to solve them peacefully. They rarely intervened in person, but it usually wasn’t necessary, either. Until sorcerers founded the Academy and started planning the end of the Council. When they found out about it, it was too late and all they could do was try to save as much as possible before their end. Then they were all killed, or disappeared, at least, and since then the sorcerers have been reigning terror over the rest of us.”

Hakyeon flinched, but didn’t comment on that, for once.

“But weren’t they, like, really powerful or something? How come sorcerers could kill them all?”

Hongbin shrugged.

“I don’t know about their power. It is only said that they were very wise and respected by everyone. Well, not really everyone, apparently.”

Hakyeon sighed.

“I wish I knew more about them… Especially the sorcerer.”

Hongbin nudged his thigh with his feet.

“You know where to find information. Down in the basement… I’m sure there is more where this page comes from.”

“I can’t just go and read someone else’s journal, Hongbin!”

“Why not? They’re long dead and what they wrote might help you continue their work. I don’t think they would mind.”

Hakyeon scoffed.

“Sure, that’s why they didn’t seal the room with their soul and the box with the journals with an explosive spell.”

Hongbin’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

“What?!”

Hakyeon waved his concern away with a half-hearted move.

“Just light. When I touched the box I could feel a spell but not what kind, and then all of a sudden there was a word… And when I said it out loud, the box started to glow from inside. When the light was gone, so was the spell and the nails holding it shut and I could open it without a problem. That’s it.”

Hongbin continued to gape at him, until he groaned suddenly, hitting his forehead.

“Of course! I’m such an idiot! It’s a name-spell! Hakyeon, what was that word you said?”

Hakyeon blinked, surprised.

“Uh, Kyu-”

“No, wait! Stop!” Hongbin shouted, covering Hakyeon’s mouth with his hand all of a sudden, eyes even wider than before.

“Don’t tell me! Don’t tell anyone, for that matter!”

Hakyeon frowned, reaching up to remove Hongbin’s hand from his face.

“Why not?”

“It’s a name-spell! That sorcerer made their name forgotten, remember? They said so in the journal entry. ‘Shall my name be forgotten until the day light returns.’”

Hakyeon’s frown deepened.

“What does that mean?”

Hongbin sighed, exasperated.

“Names are powerful, Hakyeon. This sorcerer didn’t just use their soul to seal the room, but also the power of their name to hide something in that box. No one remembers the names of any of the Council members, since the day they died. They aren’t recorded anywhere, either. Name-spells can only be broken by someone who knows the name, but the trick is that upon casting them everyone alive forgets the name and every record of it is destroyed. Only the owner of the name can decide who gets to remember the name.”

Hakyeon thought about that for a while.

“But how could I know that name? The owner has been dead for three thousand years!”

“Their soul hasn’t been, though. It’s been caught in that seal this whole time, and it might still linger around.”

Hakyeon shuddered, wrapping his arms around his torso.

“Ok, that’s creepy.”

“But possible.”

The sorcerer rolled his eyes.

“Ok, maybe. But why would they decide to let me know their name?!”

Hongbin groaned, hitting his head against the back of the couch before kicking Hakyeon with his good leg.

“You are so dense, Hakyeon! Maybe because they wanted? Because they know you ain’t an ? Because they need you to know?”

“But… why?” Hakyeon whined, and Hongbin gave up.

“How would I know? I’m not them, nor has their soul told me anything!”

Hakyeon huffed, letting his head thump back against the couch before he let it roll over so he could look at Hongbin.

“So you think I should go back down there and snoop through their diary?”

“Yup. And while you’re at it, see if you can find more books on fairies, so I have something to read, too. I’m curious how much they knew about my species, and how much there is I didn’t know.”

Hakyeon sighed, falling silent for a long time.

“Ok… I guess I’ll give them a look… By the way, you’re glittering.” He nodded at Hongbin.

“Good- what?”

Hakyeon reached out, tracing the corner of Hongbin’s jaw before pulling away again and presenting him his fingers, which were covered in green and golden specks of glittering dust.

“I haven’t seen the slightest trace of dust on you since you came in that night.” He added, and Hongbin took Hakyeon’s hand in his, marveling at his own dust covering the sorcerer’s fingers.

“I know, I-… I couldn’t, since-… Hakyeon, quick, check my magic!” He tugged at Hakyeon’s hand insistently, suddenly euphoric, almost unbalancing him.

Catching himself, Hakyeon tugged his own hand back, out of Hongbin’s grip, before holding it up for Hongbin to interlace his fingers with his. He closed his eyes, but before he could feel far with his magic, he already knew where Hongbin’s was: quietly aligned with his own, so comfortable, so familiar that he hadn’t even felt it before making himself aware of it. The swirls and currents were faster and stronger now than at night, but it made sense, since it was mimicking Hakyeon’s, which was more active than at night, too.

“Our magics are aligned again.” Hakyeon informed the fae, not letting go of his hand.

“They are? Why do I not feel anything?!”

Hakyeon shrugged.

“I didn’t, either, until I checked. I guess we’ve gotten used to it.”

Hongbin pouted.

“I wanted to know what it’s like, though…”

With a sigh, Hakyeon squeezed Hongbin’s hand in his, closing his eyes and focusing on his magic again. It stirred slightly, and molded under Hakyeon’s will. He could hear a slight gasp from Hongbin, and he smiled, opening his eyes slowly. A shiver went through Hongbin, and the fae wrapped his free arm around his torso, hugging himself.

“That was… nice…” He mumbled quietly, and Hakyeon smiled to himself. He’d had his magic practically hug Hongbin’s, and while it could be interpreted as a hostile action, Hongbin had obviously caught the real meaning behind it.

“Alright then… I’ll go get some books up for us. You said you wanted books on dragon skincare, right?” Hakyeon decided to break the silence that followed after a while, immediately gaining a scathing glare from Hongbin.

“It was dragon cookbooks, actually. I’m sure I heard somewhere they have excellent recipes on how to pickle sorcerers!”