Ryujin observed her surroundings. The sound of people chatting around her filled her ears. She took a deep breath and focused on a young woman, early twenties, talking to a man around her age at a table across the cafe. 

He is so cute. I can’t even!

Ryujin rolled her eyes and set her sight on the man. 

I just want to get this over with. 

Ryujin stiffled a laugh. Woozi sat down beside her in another chair.

”Enjoying yourself?”

Ryujin watched the man and woman converse. “Yep.”

Woozi’s phone started to vibrate. He answered it, “hey.”

Ryujin rose from her seat and walked to the trash can to throw her empty coffee cup away. When she turned to return to Woozi, she saw a woman holding a dagger just behind Woozi. The woman raised the dagger up in both hands, holding it above his head.

”No!” Ryujin screamed. Her scream alerted everyone in the cafe, including the woman. 

Woozi looked behind him when realizing Ryujin was staring behind him. He barely dodged the dagger coming down at him. Woozi fell to the floor. The woman immediately lunged at him. 

Woozi motioned his hands at her, but she didn’t freeze. Ryujin dashed to the altercation. The woman and Woozi began to struggle for the dagger on the floor. Before Ryujin could reach the two, a man pulled the woman off Woozi.

Ryujin helped Woozi up. The man held the woman’s arms behind her. The woman tried to break free, but the man’s hold was too strong. 

Ryujin leaned in to whisper, “why didn’t you freeze?”

”I can’t risk it here.” Woozi whispered back.

”The cops are coming.” The cafe’s manager stated. She came to Woozi’s side. “Are you okay, sir?”

”Yeah. I’m fine.”

The manager nodded and walked to the man. The man was around the height of the manager, around 5’8”. His blonde hair was covered by a black beanie. He wore a black hoodie and blue jeans, both stained with white paint. The color of his eyes caught Ryujin’s attention, they were a dark red color. 

“Freeze the room.” 

”I can’t. Too risky.”

”We need to find out why she wanted to kill you.”

”Read her mind.” 

Ryujin eyed the woman, who was still struggling to get free. 

Don’t read my mind, Witch! 

Ryujin jumped at the volume of her voice. The woman was glaring at her.

”What’s wrong?”

”She knew I was reading her mind.”

”What?”

The woman sneered at Woozi, “freeze me, boss’ bottom boy.”

Ryujin and Woozi looked at one another. The woman started shouting profanity at the two. 

“Wait, I have an idea.” Woozi said as he whispered the plan to Ryujin. 

Ryujin looked for the cafe manager. Woozi pointed behind the counter at the manager. Ryujin focused on the cafe manager. 

Turn off the cameras.

The cafe manager stiffened, shocking her coworker she was talking to, then walked in the back to her office.

Ryujin nodded to Woozi. Woozi pretend to scratch his ear before freezing the cafe. The employees and customers were frozen. The woman wasn’t frozen, neither was the man holding her. 

“Uh-oh.” Woozi exclaimed. 

The man looked around, surprised at the scene. The woman took the opportunity to break free, shoving the man away and escaping with the dagger. 

The man sighed, dusting off his clothes before crossing his arms over his chest then glaring at Woozi. 

Woozi chuckled, “This isn’t good.”

”Who are you?”

The man walked towards the two, who backed up in response. The man stopped his advancement. “Defensive.” 

“What’s your plan, Woozi?”

”My plan backfired like a freeze ago. I say we run and hope-“

”If you run, the freeze will break and you will have exposed magic. Not smart, Witch.”

”Yeah, not a witch. We are just very special.” 

“The power to freeze is a witch’s defensive power.” The man stated, he then turned to Ryujin. “Telepathy is a passive power.”

”We aren’t witches.”

The man motioned towards where the woman escaped, “she wouldn’t have attacked you.”

”Well she is wrong.”

”Ok! Let’s test it then. Witches hate fire.”

”Our friend controls fire.”

”Of course he does.”

”I do.” Yoongi said as he walked through the front door. 

The man eyed Yoongi. “And he’s the firestarter?”

”Show him.” Woozi said to Yoongi.

Yoongi snapped his fingers and a ball of fire materialized beside him. The man nodded. Woozi and Ryujin both waved their hands in front of the fire.

”See? Not afraid.” 

The man sighed “I see.”

”And who exactly are you?”

”Well, I am a witch.” The man rolled up his sleeves then put his hands together. He pulled them apart until a ball of light occupied the space between his hands. “I control light.”

”That’s cool!” Yoongi said with a huge smile.

Ryujin nudged Yoongi then turned to Woozi. “How are we going to explain the gone girl to the cops, and the manager?”

Woozi smiled and eyed the man, “Can you create light bright enough to momentarily blind someone?”

”Like a camera flash?” 

“Exactly.”

”Easy.” 

Woozi turned to Yoongi and pointed to the door. Yoongi shrugged “what?”

”You weren’t here before the freeze. Go.” 

“Okay. Count of three, one, two, three!” Woozi unfroze the room. The man snapped his fingers and a blinding flash of light was conjured in the room, causing everyone to shield their eyes. 

“Ah!” The man yelled. 

When the light disappeared. Everyone had realized the woman was gone. The man was on the ground, rubbing his knee.

Woozi and Ryujin helped the man up. The cops appeared shortly after, asking questions and gathering evidence. 

Woozi pulled Ryujin to the side, “let’s go.”

Woozi, Ryujin and the man asked if they could leave. The cops agreed to let them go. The three drove to the house. Yoongi was sitting out on the lawn.

“Were you waiting out here?” Ryujin asked.

”Yes and no.”

”What?” Woozi and the man walked to the front door. 

“I wouldn’t go inside if I were you.” Yoongi said, standing up.

Suddenly, the door flew off the hinges. It hit Woozi, knocking him down. The woman appeared from inside.

”Our door!” Ryujin whined. The woman raised her hand at Ryujin and waved it to the right. Ryujin was dragged across the grass to the right. Yoongi chased after her.

Woozi eyed the woman and motioned his hands to freeze her. She didn’t freeze. The woman snapped her fingers and Woozi was picked up and slammed hard into the ground. 

The man pointed his index finger at the woman. A beam of light shot out towards the woman, who easily dodged it.

Woozi struggled to his feet. He watched the man and woman battle. Ryujin and Yoongi appeared by his side. 

“What do we do?” Ryujin asked.

”I don’t know. She is way too strong for us. Telekinesis seems to be her ability.”

The man drew a circle in the air in front of him. Light filled the circle before the man urged it to grow in size. The circle of light shielded from the force coming from the woman. The man waved over the three. 

“The more she uses her power, the more insane she becomes. Same goes for me. I can feel myself slipping.”

Ryujin and Yoongi turned to Woozi, who was deep in thought. A smile grew on his face.

”How long can you keep this up?”

”For as long as I want.”

”Can we just talk about the fact no one is seeing this magical battle?” Yoongi added. Ryujin elbowed his side. 

“Here is what we are going to do.” Woozi said.

The woman hadn’t stopped trying to move the circle of light. It wasn’t working. She let out a war cry before charging towards it. Suddenly, the circle dissipated. A fireball shot at the woman, who quickly moved it aside with her telekinesis. Just as she did, a beam of light pierced her forehead. 

The woman slumped to the ground, bleeding out of her forehead dead. 

“Smart move.” The man said to Woozi.

”Again, no one had seen any of that!” Yoongi said again. 

“Actually, I’m surprised of that too.” Ryujin said. “It makes no sense, it’s a Saturday around noon. This street is always busy then.”

The man shrugged “Got lucky we guess.”

Woozi turned to the man, “How did you know this girl?”

”Not important. She lost her sanity and was a danger,”

”To who?”

”Society.”

“Who are you?” Woozi asked, pulling Ryujin and Yoongi with him as he took a step back.

The man chuckled “You don’t need to be afraid.” The man raised his hands in defense, “I’m not here for you”

”You didn’t answer his question.” Ryujin said.

”Why do I get the feeling you’re the reason no one is here on this street.” 

The man sighed and nodded, “my friends are making sure no one sees what happened here.”

”Friends?”

The man lifted up his hoodie to reveal a huge hole where his lower torso should be. 

“Who are you?!”

The man let go of his hoodie, “a whisper.”

”Whisper?”

”A type of witch who is summoned to stop a possible exposure of magic.”

”And I assume,” Woozi pointed to the woman. “She was the exposure.”

”Exactly.” 

“And who summoned you?” Ryujin asked.

”That is a secret I’m not allowed to tell. You’ll meet them soon enough. I promise.”

”Them?”

The man winked at Ryujin then snapped his fingers. He dissolved into light. The woman’s body disappearing with him. 

Ryujin, Woozi and Yoongi looked at one another. Yoongi grabbed the front door. Ryujin and Woozi joined to help him. The three went inside. 

The next day, Woozi was reading a large book at the kitchen table. Ryujin ran in, grabbed a granola bar then ran out the door. Yoongi walked into the kitchen a moment later.

”It’s always a sight watching a Ryujin panicking about being late to work. Totally a one eighty from her bland nothing-bothers-me personality.” Woozi ignored him and flipped to another page. Yoongi looked over his shoulder. “What are you reading?”

”There is no such thing as a whisper. I’ve been up all night looking, internet, books, whatever I could get my hands on. This makes no sense.”

”I can create fire, you can freeze people, and Ryujin can finally know what a man thinks. Nothing makes sense anymore.”

Yoongi patted Woozi on the shoulder before going into the fridge to grab orange juice. 

“Well,” Woozi rose for the table. “I’m going to bed.”

”Have you been up all night?”

”Yeah. I didn’t want to risk getting attacked by that man or god knows what.” 

Yoongi poured himself orange juice in a glass then sat at the table. Woozi waved goodbye to Yoongi before trudging to bed.