“Who sent you? The king sent you, didn’t he?...King Seokjin-…”

The boy blinked in surprise. Sehun had flinched and moved his face away from his touch at the mention of the name. Sehun put his left palm on the ground and started to push himself up. The boy scrabbled forward hurriedly and caught hold of his left arm, pulling him up. Sehun was left staring at his face in amazement as the boy pulled him up to his knees with one swift tug.

“Wh-what the-…” Sehun stopped mid-sentence and flinched as the pain in his head and arm seemed to throb with even greater force. 

“Oh my god, , what have I done!! I’m so sorry-…” The boy’s face was pained as he raised his hands to touch Sehun’s shoulders. 

“First tell me this-…” Sehun asked. “What the hell even are you? I’m sure I heard a sound…it came from you. And it was a vampire’s growl…and then you blasted me off my feet with magic…and you have the strength of a vampire. What the are you?”

The boy gasped and glared at him with a reproachful face at the word “”. Sehun gave a questioning shrug with a scowl on his face and the boy motioned with his head towards the children, who were staring at them with open mouths. Sehun rolled his eyes and turned his eyes back to the boy.

“What are you? Vampire?...Warlock?...or both?...How the hell can you be both?” Sehun asked.

“Umm…can we come to that later?” The boy said, coughing awkwardly once before turning his head to the door and looking back at Sehun anxiously. “My name is Luhan, I can tell you that much for now. You said you’re here to help save my children-…”

“Your children?!” 

“-…So how do they get out of here?” The boy said, shaking his head impatiently. “What is King Seokjin planning to do?” 
Sehun’s eyes narrowed as his eyes locked with the boy’s.

“King Seokjin is blissfully unaware of your children’s danger. And even if he were aware, I don’t think it would have been much of a help for you.” He said. Luhan gulped, his eyes going as wide as a deer’s as he stared at Sehun’s cold eyes.
“And as for what I’m here to do, I have a friend who wants to save your children. And I was helping before you attacked me, that is.”

“I’m sorry again.” Luhan whispered.

Sehun looked away from the boy and closed his eyes. He tried to focus on identifying his injuries and working out some way to ease his pain for the time being.

“I can heal your injuries.” Luhan said, placing a hand on Sehun’s shoulder.

“I can heal myself.” Sehun jerked his shoulder away and the boy’s hand fell. “But we don’t have enough time for that. I can work some magic to lower the pain for some time…as much time as we need to take the Oculis out and away from this fort.”

“But how?! There are so many rebels in this building…we could never…that’s why I couldn’t do anything when they came to-…” Luhan sighed as he turned his head to the side and watched the children. “I couldn’t do anything…one of them, the one who has a scar that runs through his eye- he had one of my children in his arms and he said he would-…” Luhan shuddered as he apparently seemed to remember the scene. “I had to stand idle as they captured my children, I couldn’t act-….if even one them got hurt-…” Luhan shook his head vigorously at the thought, as a tear fell from his eye.

Sehun had his eyes focused on the boy.
“And you?....why did they bring you?....What do they want with you?”

“I asked to be brought with them, of course.” Luhan turned his head to Sehun and gave him a look that showed surprise at being asked such a question.

“What?!” Sehun asked, raising his eyebrows. “You asked to be kidnapped?...You know they obviously intend to kill you with the children, right?” 

“My children can’t do without me. They’re children, they need someone to be with them, watch over them and take care of everything all the time-…how can you even think I would have left them alone?...Of course, you wouldn’t know. You’ve never had a child in your life, whom you loved and wanted to protect. I don’t blame you for not getting it, you’re just a kid yourself.”

“I’m more than a hundred years old.” Sehun said in a blunt voice, his eyes cold. “And your other assumption is wrong as well.” 

Luhan blinked in confusion.

“Enough useless talk. We need to get out of this place quickly. Gather your kids and tell them they might be seeing some action. Ask them to keep together and grab each other’s arms to stay linked."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“I think I hear them coming.” Jimin said, his stance changing immediately.

“Yes.” Jungkook said. He nodded at Jimin, who returned it.

Soon enough, their hybrid ears registered the sound of approaching footsteps – a shuffle of a large number of small feet. They both focused their eyes in the direction of the footsteps. Suddenly, Jimin turned, his fists curling and his eyes narrowing.
“!” He uttered.

Apparently, the sound of the children’s footsteps had been overheard by some of the rebels as well. Jungkook did not turn, his eyes were still in the direction from which the children were approaching.

“There are two…or three maybe.” Jungkook whispered. As soon as he had finished the sentence, three grey cloaked figures had appeared and made to cross them and proceed towards the other end of the corridor.

Jimin caught two of them by their arms and the next second, he had banged their heads together, their skulls cracking. The next moment, he was in front of the other rebel, who had turned in shock to see what just happened to his two companions. The rebel bared his canines and jumped at Jimin. He landed with one of Jimin’s hands around his neck and another one around his back, which Jimin used to pull him in as if to hug him to his chest and the next moment, he had bent the rebel’s head back, snapping his neck in half. He moved in towards the shadows, pulling the rebel’s body with him and dumping him in the shadows. He came back and dragged away the other two rebels as well, hiding them in the shadows, returning back to stand next to Jungkook in a few seconds. 

Jimin met Jungkook’s gaze of admiration with a shrug. 
“Don’t want to leave the place dirty.”

“Impressive.” Jungkook whispered with a grin.

“Those three will heal though, they’re not dead. I don’t really want us to greet the children, standing in a pool of blood.” Jimin grinned.

They both turned and there was a crowd of children of various ages, from toddlers up to six-seven year olds running hurriedly in their direction. Jungkook glanced at Jimin and saw him smile, his eyes glowing.

“Look hyung, two more young boys. They’re so pretty!” One of them, who seemed no more than five years old said, out of breath to a boy whom they noticed now, coming out of the darkness. He was followed by Sehun, who was now disguised as DoYoon again.

The children quickened their pace and ran straight up to Jimin and Jungkook. One of the girls at the front ran up to Jungkook and hugged his leg, looking up at him. Jimin stared at Jungkook, who for the first time, did not have the calm face that he always carried. Jungkook’s mouth was hanging open as he stared at the girl, meeting her gaze.

They remained silent for some time, Jungkook’s eyes locked with the girls. Jungkook looked dumbfounded while the girl’s fear was clearly written all over her face. Jimin noticed she was shaking a little and her grip on Jungkook’s leg was very tight, as if she were afraid to let go.

The boy who had accompanied them now caught up with them. “MiSun ah, let go, cmon!”  The boy started to come to pull the girl away.

Jimin almost gasped as he saw Jungkook bend down and pick the girl up in his arms. After he picked her up, the little girl continued to look directly into his eyes. She slowly edged closer to his chest in his arms, but didn’t look away from him. Jungkook blinked a few times at her, his mouth slightly open, as if he didn’t understand what was happening.

“She can’t speak.” The boy said and Jungkook turned to him with a surprised face.

Sehun came up to stand behind the boy and Jungkook, who was about to say something to the boy looked at Sehun instead.

“Hyung?...Why are you walking that way?...You’re hurt!” Jungkook said.

“I’ll be okay,