"You've got this" Somi looked at the sudden words being spoken to her, her eyes filled with wonder as she looked at one of her closest friends.

"Whatever it is that you go through, you've got it, you've got it so under control and you're gonna ace it, get through it like the legend you are" Somi couldn't help but to send a grateful smile to Yixing, he just had a way with words.

"Look at you being a big old softy" Somi nudged him, making Yixing chuckle and shake his head.

"I'm not the old one, Minseok is" Yiing spoke louder on purpose and the pair could feel a pair of eyes burning into their backs.

"Right, how could I forget about that old fart?" Somi purposely spoke just as loud as Yixing did and there was the sound of scampering feet coming towards them.

"I'm just glad I wasn't included in that insult" Junmyeon breathed out in relief.

"I will yeet your asses out of this country" Minseok scampered on his feet to follow the two, putting his own head between Somi's and Yixing's with his threat falling out through grit teeth and the two snapped their head to look at him.

"Is that the right way to use yeet?" Somi furrowed her brows and Yixing did the same, shaking his head as he pursed his lips.

"It doesn't sound right when he is the one saying it"

"You're right" Somi nodded, only to be cut off when Minseok put a hand on the back of her neck and Yixing's neck, gently threatening them with a squeeze.

"We won't be talking about my age, I've got a date next weekend and I'm not about to have it ruined by my lack of youth being exposed, right kids?" Minseok only pulled away with a grin on his face when he got nods from Yixing and Somi. Somi hugged her bag to herself tighter, grumbling under her breath as Yixing rubbed the back of his neck, still feeling sensitive where he was grabbed by Minseok.

"I don't see why all of us had to be here" Kyungsoo breathed out in a small voice, grumbling to himself and Jongin shoved him away from him.

"We all wanted to say goodbye to her, stop walking so close to me"

"You're the one that came near me first" Kyungsoo shot back and Jongdae shoved through the two of them, ignoring their bickering session.

"Oh my god look at that handsome fella" Jongdae brushed down his sideburns and his lips, looking into the mirror displayed in the window of the shop he was passing by, Baekhyun scoffed and Chanyeol shoved him out of the way roughly, sending him stumbling down the path as he winked at the reflection.

"now, that's a real hotty" Chanyeol hummed, nodding to show his approval.

"Keep moving moron" Junmyeon guided Chanyeol back onto the path to the train station a little too roughly for the tall males liking. Chanyeol whined out in complaint, whining and groaning about the pain that Junmyeon was apparently causing him to experience. When they made it to the train station, Somi was relieved to find that it wasn't packed with people like the train station had been when she was making her trip back to her hometown. This time it was easy to navigate her way to where her train would be pulling up and they all made it to the sector with plenty of time remaining before the train would be pulling in.

"Ok" Junmyeon pulled himself together with a big breath in and a rub of his hands, turning and smiling down at his friend, Somi looked at him questioningly as everyone else turned to look at them. Were they leaving now? Would she have to wait for the train alone so they could go and do whatever they had to do with their days? Somi grew worried at the sudden authority Junmyeon was displaying, something he only did when he was getting serious, and Somi could already see the serious glint in his eyes as they stood blinking at each other, with her waiting for him to tell her this was where they left her.

"Remember that we're all only a phone call and a train ticket away from you, the moment you need us or need to come back home, you'll let us know, won't you?" Somi found herself relaxing physically as her heart jolted in her chest. How could she doubt her own friends like that? Everything that was happening over the span of the week was making her more stressed than she needed to be.

"Yeah, just say the words and your knights in shining armor will be there in the blink of an eye, fighting off every er that tries to test you" Baekhyun did an awkward rendition of shadow boxing, it made the others scoff and Minseok punched him in the arm to make him stop his gimmicks.

"You can't even fight a fly without crying, idiot"

"It's the thought that counts" Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck, pouting and looking away bashfully as Somi let out a small chuckle at the sight of her puppy like friend.

"You'll call us the moment you need someone right?" Junmyeon brought the girls attention back to him, he was looking down at her with worry in his eyes, his brows creasing and a frown on his face that had Somi softening as the others went quiet again, awaiting her answer almost in a nervous way.

"Of course, when have I not trusted you with anything?" Somi let her lips quirk up in the best smile she could give them with how lagged her body was feeling and Jongdae scoffed, nudging Sehun.

"Wasn't it like, the first two years of knowing her where no progress was made?" He rose an eyebrow at the friend next to him and Sehun nodded in agreement.

"If not a little longer than that probably"

"I'll let you know" Somi nodded to Junmyeon, taking her glaring eyes away from the pair that everyone was snickering at to reassure Junmyeon with gentler eyes and a nudge. Junmyeon smiled, wrapping his arm over Somi's shoulder and pulling her closer with that same arm, swaying them from side to side.

"Good"

------------

Why was it that every time he came across one of them, it was the one that shared a name with him? Couldn't he come up with a nickname? Couldn't he go somewhere that wasn't where he was? Or couldn't he drop from the face of the earth? Minhyuk would be more pleased with the last option, but all of them would be good, so long as he didn't have to keep being met with the spellcaster that he shared a name with.

"What do you want shapeshifter?" Hyunshik spoke up from beside Minhyuk, the one that shapeshifted let out a scoff through his nose as he let a searing gaze travel over what the pair were doing, having simply been walking, as he himself had been, but there was an air around them that didn't feel right.

"Don't get your hopes up, I wasn't looking for any of you" He put his foot forward again, continuing towards the building that held his destination, as he got closer, the sinister feeling in the air grew. And it was all surrounding the pair that wielded magic through their words. Minhyuk sent them another look as he passed them, taking in a breath and scrunching up his nose at the bitterness of the air. It made him move quicker, strolling around the corner and pumping his legs to double their speed once he was out of sight. He still didn't feel right though, even once he had slowed down, leaning against the wall of the building he was supposed to have entered, the feeling he got from being near the two was still setting off something inside himself. Minhyuk looked around, rubbing his chest and letting out a deep breath to try and calm down. His eyes were dark, alert as they looked for any signs of danger, finding nothing out of the ordinary for the place he was in. Minhyuk let his head fall against the brick wall with a bump, he ignored the minor ache it gave him and shut his eyes.

This year seemed to be different from any other year, the spellcasters seemed to already be getting competitive, not that the competition they started between themselves and the shapeshifters were to ever rest, they just seemed to be feeling the anticipation of the Great Race a lot sooner this year. They looked eager and ready, like there was something coming for them that Minhyuk should probably be aware of, he thought and thought, looking around and finding what lead up to the moment where he got this new feeling of danger that he hadn't felt in a long time, until he realized.

It all started with the new girl.

The spellcasters were the first ones the newbie ever talked to and now she was openly claiming to be friends with one of their ene