Special Snowflake:

Hayan:

“Grandma,” Hayan sighed as she flipped through her book of talismans and charms. “Why do you only ever stick me in this class while the others get an extra hour for lunch?” she asked for the nth time in her life. It was the usual question she asked when she got bored with reading the same ways to bind a beast and to put up protective wards around a building. Hayan already knew it all by heart, but she didn’t understand why her grandmother always made her read through the same tome every week (always from cover to cover).

“Because those boys don’t have the brains for this sort of magic,” Professor Haru stated just like every other time Hayan asked. “Now how do you link a soul, and why would you do it?” the old wrinkled woman quizzed. Professor Haru may have been nearly two hundred years old, with a bend in her spine and swollen joints, but she was still fast, clever and strong for an old woman. Not only was Hayan, but the eight other boys, were terrified of her ability and wit.

Hayan groaned as she sat up more on the stool to answer the question properly so she wouldn’t get scolded for slacking. “You’d only link a soul to create a cage and stop something inexplicably dangerous when you have no other means of stopping it. It’s done by the magic user willingly giving up their soul into an object that they hold dear that will act as the lock to the charm that will seal the creature away. If the object doesn’t hold enough significance to the wielder and they attempt the spell then their soul will be lost and the creature will continue its rampage,” she explained like a robot reciting from the text.

“Good. Now give me an example of what you would use in that situation,” her great grandmother said with a fleeting glancing that had Hayan curious as to her motives behind this sudden quiz.

“Me?” Hayan repeated and the woman nodded without looking up from her own work. “Well, to make it the strongest it could be I would use,” she paused to think through her possessions and it wasn’t long before one in particular came to mind. “I would probably use that old baby blanket, mom made for me,” she answered.

A smile broke across the old woman’s face as she lifted her head up from the stack of papers she was working on. She looked proud, which was a rare emotion to see on her. “Good Hayan. That would be the perfect charm for you to use.”

Hayan didn’t get the chance to ask why her grandmother had asked that because in stomped the eight boys, their lunch break over and their next class about to begin.

•••

Minseok:

This was a field trip? he thought with his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide.

Before the nine of them was a beast at least five stories high, completely made of snow and ice destroying the evergreen forest they stood in. Minseok had never seen an ice giant before in person and nor did they look like the illustrations from Nordic mythology. It was like a troll, just made of blue ice and sharp edges. And Professor Haru wanted them to stop the creature.

HOW?

“Figure it out. I’m only here to spectate and grade. You all will be guardians one day. Prove it,” she said gesturing to the beast backhanding a cluster of pine trees away like it was nothing.

“Well,” Junmyeon said stepping forward, acting as the leader he liked to think he was. “Let’s make a plan.”

“What are you going to do?” Baekhyun shot dryly. He was always the mouthy one of the bunch and Minseok wished there was a way to gag the guy to just get him to stop muttering away. “Drown it? It’s made of ice!”

“I’m well aware of that,” Junmyeon shot back.

“Then we should send out Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said in a calmer and reasonable tone. “Use fire against ice. Melt it away.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jongin said, and Jongdae nodded in agreement.

“Then I’m on it,” Chanyeol declared stepping towards the destructive being.

Minseok bit his lower lip as he watched the taller guy approach the ice giant. Chanyeol brought his hands together in front of him and muttered an incantation to bring flames to his palms that he quickly whipped at the monster. Everyone waited with held breath for the creature to start yelling as it melted but as the red-orange flames made contact with its back all that happened was the fire went out as rapidly as it was made.

“What the hell?” Baekhyun yelled marching over to Chanyeol’s side. “What sort of wimpy flames are you slinging about?”

“I’m not! My fire is fine,” Chanyeol yelled back.

“Then why didn’t it work?” Jongdae challenged joining Baekhyun’s side.

“Does it look like I know?” the red haired boy hissed.

“Professor?” Kyungsoo asked with a small turn to see the old woman shaking her head and making notes on her clipboard.

“So we’re really on our own?” Jongin inquired.

Haru nodded.

“I guess we just hit it until it crumbles,” Baekhyun said rolling up his sleeves. “But Minseok you stay back.”

“Yeah, try to keep the damage to a minimum while we take on the giant,” Junmyeon added over his shoulder as they raced towards the threat.

Minseok growled and stomped his foot not liking that he was being kept from the fight because his power had to do with frost, but he knew it was for the best. What good could he do? Help the beast? A guardian helped the innocent not the wrongdoers.

“Um,” a smal