Ryujin woke up in the middle of the night. dry. She pulled back the covers and exited her room.

As she entered the kitchen, she found a dark figure sitting at the table with a book under his head. Ryujin the light, Woozi awoke immediately.

Ryujin grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the sink. Woozi rubbed his eyes and eyed her. 

“Hey.” Woozi said, stretching his arms.

Ryujin downed the water then put the glass in the sink. She eyed Woozi, “didn’t you say you wouldn’t be obsessing over this anymore?”

Woozi sighed, “It just doesn’t make any sense. Nothing of what happened last week connects.”

”How so?”

Woozi rose from the table, closing the book and held it close to him. “The woman called us witches, she possibly wanted to kill us because she thought we were witches. She knew you were reading her mind, and she was immune to my power. Then the whisper came to apprehend her. We finally killed the woman to find out she’s a witch who lost her sanity from abusing her power. The whisper, and his “friends” made it so no one would see our battle. Which makes no sense. Then the guy very quickly told us what he was and what he wanted, then left with the woman.” Woozi sighed and shook his head. “None of it makes any sense, there is no connection. Something is missing or that guy, whatever he is, is lying.”

”Don’t forget “them”, he said they’d contact us.”

”I’m assuming they are his employer. Maybe just a leader or something like that. I don’t get it. None of what happened makes sense!”

”Okay,” Ryujin snatched the book from Woozi. “This is enough obsessing for now. You are going to bed. Now.”

”Ryu-“

“I can force you to sleep. Don’t make me.”

Woozi sighed. Ryujin threw the book back on the table and ushered Woozi to his bedroom.

The next few days went by quickly. On a bright sunny morning, Yoongi packed a suitcase in his bedroom. Ryujin leaned against the wall, watching him. 

“I’ll be gone for a weekend. I need to get blackout drunk at least once a year, otherwise my life has no meaning.”

Ryujin rolled her eyes then sighed, “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Especially since the whisper guy showed up. As much as I hate to admit it, Woozi is sort of right to be worried about it.”

”I know, but I’ve been waiting for this weekend for months. Girls and gin, nothing can beat them.”

”What If he attacks, or some other monster?”

 Yoongi showed Ryujin his phone, “it will be on twenty four seven. I’ll come back straight away if it is that serious. I’m only an hour away.”

Woozi ran in the room, dark circles under his eyes. A smile on husband face. He held a book in his hand, “I found him.”

Woozi sat down on Yoongi’s bed and motioned for the two to join him. Woozi pointed at a black and white drawing of a man with a huge hole where his lower torso should be. His face was skeletal-like, his teeth protruding from his chapped lips. In his hand, hanging from their hair, were beheaded people. 

“Creepy.” 

“I know.” 

“So are we sure that’s a whisper?” 

“Well, it has the hole in the chest.” 

Woozi read the description then sighed, “this picture shows if a whisper goes insane.” 

“Then maybe he is harmless. Maybe-“ 

“Yoongi, I think you should stay here.”

”What? Why?” 

“It’s too dangerous. What if something attacks us?” 

“I told you I’ll have my phone on me. Isn’t that good enough?”

”No, it isn’t. What if-“ 

Yoongi threw his suitcase on the ground, “I’m going god dammit! Can’t I get two days off from saving the world?!” His voice startled Woozi and Ryujin. “I barely passed my exams, thanks to saving the world, my love life is in ruins, thanks to saving the world, and now my vacation time is-“

”Fine! Go. Whatever. If we die, it’s your fault.” Woozi interjected. He rose from the bed and stormed out towards his bedroom, slamming the door shut.

Yoongi looked at Ryujin, who shrugged at him before leaving the room. As soon as Ryujin turned out of Yoongi’s room, a pillar of black smoke appeared in the hallway.

Ryujin eyed it, “guys!” 

Woozi and Yoongi exited their rooms and joined Ryujin. The pillar of smoke suddenly lunged at the group. The three moved out of the way. As the black smoke passed by, the wooden floor began to decay. 

“Freeze it.” Ryujin said to Woozi.

Woozi tried to freeze it, but it continued to move down the hall towards Woozi’s room. 

Yoongi conjured a fireball in his hand and chased after the black smoke. Ryujin and Woozi followed him, calling out to him to be careful. 

The three entered Woozi’s room. The black smoke had begun to spin, swirling Woozi’s belongings around it. As soon as objects touched the smoke, they began to decay. His phone crumpled into a black ball, his wallet becoming like paper and shredding due to the swirling winds. His id and cards doing the same.

Yoongi threw the ball of fire at the smoke. The fire was immediately extinguished as soon as it touched the smoke.

”That didn’t work.” Yoongi stated.

”No. Really?” 

Yoongi glared at Woozi, who glared back at him. Ryujin focused on the black smoke, trying to convince it to stop. 

Ryujin shook her head, “I can’t control it. It’s just a lot of static in its mind.”

”So what do we do?” Yoongi asked.

The black smoke suddenly started towards the three. 

“We run.” Woozi said, taking his friend with him to flee. 

The three ran to front door. Woozi opened the door to find Seongchul just about to knock.

”Oh great!” Yoongi exclaimed.

”What?” Seongchul asked. Woozi elbowed Yoongi before taking Seongchul by the wrist and dragging him to his car.

The black smoke could be seen from Woozi’s window. Yoongi walked over to Woozi and Seongchul, Ryujin followed.

”We have a ‘thing’ to kill. Your boyfriend can wait.”

”Oh? How about the whisperer? We need to kill that too. So if that’s the case, your vacation can wait too.”

Ryujin got in between the feuding friends. “Ok,” Ryujin gestured at Woozi and Seongchul. “You take Seongchul to the library, find whatever you can about this smoke thing.” She turned to Yoongi, “you and I will keep a watch on it.”

”Fine.” Woozi said, taking Seongchul with him. “Let’s walk there. I need some fresh air.”

Woozi glanced back at the house, seeing the smoke monster still in the window. He turned back to talk to Seongchul. Something of what he said stuck with him as he walked, he just didn’t know what.