We were all rushed back to the dorms, a signal from Kris’ Sier that the Royal Headmaster Oh Shin, Royal Master Oh Shun, and his team of mages were on the way to SM for an emergency meeting. All mages were to be present alongside the best Mentors of the peacemakers which was Jin and J-hope and a list of names that I didn’t even know who they were.

“We need everyone who works closely under the Order to be in the meeting room in fifteen minutes. The Royal Headmaster is coming.” I heard Suho shout to Kris over the chaos of everyone trying to figure out what to do.

“I’ll bring the peacemakers to the empty dorm rooms. Lay, call Mr. Bobbit and the other brownies, and tell them we need their help. Suho, prepare the echowomps needed,” Kris instructed, a hand up to call Jin and J-Hope over to discuss what to do next.

“Students of SM, this way,” Suho yelled into an echowomp. “Peacemakers, please follow your mentors and Advisor Kris to the new dorm rooms.”

“Student leader of the peacemakers, do a headcount!” Jin yelled out. “I want all of you in one line. ONE LINE! J-Hope, not you—you’re leading them.”

I saw J-Hope toddle into the line, stressed out from the rush of people coming from everywhere and I followed EXO, their footsteps bringing them towards the meeting room. The room was wide with a long table, all the mages in SM sitting down. EXO on one side, NCT in another. I saw as Suho sweated nervously, gripping a piece of paper in his hand; his frown deepening when he saw Ms.Tiffany come inside the room. She, as bright and cheerful as she was when I met her, she also reeked of anxiety. She wore a white dress and a headset, her lips painted red as she waited for the Order's arrival. 

The atmosphere was tense and my sleepiness was gone even though I was dead tired from the days training. As I sat down beside Chen on my left and Xiumin on my right, I saw Sehun sit by Suho; his face grim. A man then walked in with two familiar faces that I recognized, Jungkook and V striding into the room as they belonged. The man beside Jungkook and V stood out from both of them since he had wings at his back that folded and he struggled to not hit anyone with it.

“Why are Jungkook and V here?” I asked Chen who whispered back.

“They are vigilantes, but they will fight for Exodus. Since they always run odd jobs for the Order, they are automatically taken into account every time there is an emergency.”

“And the man next to him? The man with wings?”

“That’s Exodus’ one and only Alchemist. His name is Jimin. Alchemist Jimin makes potions and all that shenanigans. People say that his wings were grown when he experimented it on himself and they sprouted out all bloody.”

Alchemist Jimin sat beside Jungkook, V, Jin, and J-hope—all of them bowing their heads down as they spoke in hushed voices. I saw V reach up to wipe his eyes, a teardrop sliding down his cheek. I looked at Chen who was staring at them too and when he caught my eye, he smiled sadly.

“They were all very close to Royal Messenger Namjoon,” he said softly and I nodded.

What a wake-up call when death is involved.

[Alchemist Jimin]

It didn’t take long before I saw people from the Order begin to pile into the room, Oh Shin the first to enter followed by Oh Shun. He was followed by the three mages who I saw accompanied him when he came to watch our last class evaluation. Senior Siwon, the one with the power of the shield. Senior Leeteuk, who could cause illusions.

And Senior Yesung, who had X-ray vision and worked in the Royal Infirmary. They stood there, with black coats as Oh Shin took a seat and swept his gaze over to the rest of us. Soon, they were joined by Donghae, who lowered the hood of his coat and stood quietly behind Oh Shin. Oh Shun stared blankly at all of us while his brother began to speak.

“Our Royal Messenger was just beheaded at the portal,” Oh Shin drawled and I wondered if it was just me—but he had not an ounce of sadness in his voice. “This is a sign from the Eurenic that they will strike soon enough and time is running out. I want to know what you, as mages, will do to protect Exodus.”

“We have decided on the formation for war, sir,” Kris spoke up and I saw that even he, was nervous. “We are working with the peacemakers and are also thinking of a front line of defense.”

“We’re going to try to start by flooding the battlefield and with Senior Siwon’s energy field help, we’ll be able to contain the water to just their side,” Suho said and Chen raised his hand from beside me.

“When that happens, I’ll electrocute the water,” Chen continued with Suho and I wondered when they talked about this. “This may not help much but it might help in lowering the health capacity of the troops in the first wave.”

 “We will have Johnny put with the peacemakers. He doesn’t get burned by fire. Wannaone—Seungwoo and Wooseung are also to be fighting in the first line of defense. Seungwoo is able to absorb fire.”

I was suddenly afraid for my brother's life.

“The Eurenic aren’t mages, Advisors. I hope you keep that in mind. They will be coming with weapons, like our peacemakers. They will also be coming with their creatures since they have the ability to tame them. We will be fighting, not only with their people but with their Chimera’s, their manticores, and dragons.”

“What are those?” I whispered to Chen who explained patiently.

“A Chimera and a dragon are creatures that breathe fire. Manticores—Remember when we went to South Africa?” Chen asked and I nodded. “It looks like that animal you showed us. With the mane and four feet. You said it was the top of the food chain.”

“A lion?”

“Yes, it’s a lion with wings.” Chen nodded. “And a tail of a scorpion.”

[Manticore; Creatures of Euren]

Well, me, indeed.

“The number of troops the Eurenic have will be overwhelming,” Oh Shin continued. “They have been training for war their whole life so we need to utilize everything we have. We do not have enough people to fight them. Mages and peacemakers combined.”

“We will be getting help from the giants,” Johnny said and this was the first time I’ve seen him serious and not freaking out. He leaned back in his chair, Jung Jaehyun beside him with his eyebrows furrowed. “There are twelve of them that will help. We have existing armor for them from the last war between the giants and the people but that was centuries ago.”

“My father will be able to help with that. He’ll be able to strengthen the armor and replace the areas where it’s rusted,” Kai spoke up, telling Johnny. Kai’s father was an ironsmith, I recalled, one who always tried to marry Kai away but one of the greatest Ironsmiths in Exodus.

“I can conjure up a list of animals that I can summon up in war,” Jaehyun spoke, his voice soft but confident. “I think squonks, adult ones, may be used as tanks in war. Insects and all may be used as distraction and birds can be used to scout for information from their side.”

“I hope you understand that they will not come back alive, boy,” Oh Shin began and Jaehyun nodded. A flitter of pain flashed through his eyes at the thought of animals dying but he seemed to have prepared his heart for it.

“Yes, sir. I do,” Jaehyun replied.

“I will have potions ready,” the man with wings said, and he stood up. “As the Alchemist, I will be able to aid Advisor Lay in making potions and hopefully speed up the healing of those who are injured. I’ll be getting water from the Heavenly Falls and start brewing them by today.”

“Thank you, Alchemist Jimin,” Oh Shin said and Jungkook piped up.

“I will have my people join the peacemakers in the fight,” Jungkook said, his eyes fierce and intense.

“As expected of you, Master Jungkook,” Oh Shin replied.

“Have you guys thought of the possibility that the war may last longer than five days?” Oh Shun, who sat beside his older brother Oh Shin, suddenly asked and Kris paled. My eyes widened—Five days? “Our last war lasted eight days.” He began, tapping his hand against the table and for some reason he looked so pissed off at our lack of planning. Then again, to lead people is to make sure they know what they’re doing.

Silence.

“Our troops will be tired by the second day. If you add constant battling and healing, we won’t be able to hold them off. What plan do you have to make it sustainable?” Oh Shun asked, almost irritably. I remembered that he was the hot-headed one between the two of them.

“Uh…” Suho’s voice trailed, his pupils shaking. Even Kris looked bummed out, not knowing how to answer the question. Oh Shun fumed, tapping his fingers against the wooden long table. He was about to say something when Oh Shin raised a hand to silence his younger brother.

“Relax, Shun,” he said and Oh Shun closed his mouth. “I trust in your competence. I hope all of you have a plan.”

“We do,” Ms. Tiffany suddenly said and she smiled at Oh Shin, her beautiful face seemingly the only thing that was lighting the room up. “I know of The Staff of Moses.”

The Staff of Moses?

“Speak, Headmaster,” Oh Shin urged and she nodded.

“The Staff of Moses is a wooden staff that has been bestowed to a human named Moses by the deities,” Ms. Tiffany started. “It is known to be able to create water from rock. Advisor Suho here won’t be able to create enough water after the first wave—his power has limits. But with the staff, we can ensure that his powers will be multiplied if Suho wields it. In the end, Advisor Suho is the water mage.” She paused and Oh Shin nodded.

Moses was a man in Christian history. He divided the sea into half and I knew of it since I was born Catholic and have listened to Ahjumma talk about bible stories since I was young. I didn’t know it was a real thing until I heard Ms. Tiffany speak.

“And where would we find this staff of Moses?” Oh Shun prodded. I saw Ms. Tiffany flicker her eyes at Suho worriedly.

“The Triton territory,” she said and I immediately saw Suho’s eyes widen. “When there was a war between the merfolk and the sirens, the staff was taken from the safe seas and now resides in the Triton territory.”

“We’ll have to retrieve it then,” Oh Shin said it like it was simple and he nodded. “I’ll leave it to you all to find a way. I have to relay everything back to the members of the Order of Royals. Young Mistress Ong Harin.” He said my name and my heart almost stopped. I turned to look at him and I found myself staring into his eyes.

“When they go to Triton Territory, I expect you to be there. Your powers are unique and I think you’ll be able to lead a team into the victorious extraction of The Staff of Moses,” Oh Shin said and I found myself frowning.  

No. I shook my head. He wants me to get killed.  

“My sister? Why would she go? Her powers aren’t developed yet,” Wooseung sounded out and I snapped out of it. I looked over at Wooseung who was frowning in confusion. “She’ll die if she goes on a mission.”

Why was Wooseung answering back? Was he not charmed? I saw my brother staring defiantly into Oh Shin’s eyes and he didn’t show any signs of backing down. I saw Kris shuffle nervously and when I looked at Oh Shin, he was staring at my brother with his expression unreadable.

“Your sister, Young Master Ong—”

“My sister hasn’t been in SM long enough to get a hold of her powers,” Wooseung continued talking, not caring about the looks he was getting. “Why would you put a newbie on a team to extract a staff that is deep underwater? It doesn’t make sense!”

What was Wooseung doing? I blinked at my brother and he turned to me, motioning in plain sight towards Oh Shin to me, his expression confused as he made a crazy sign at the side of his head.

“Enough, Wannaone,” Kris drawled and Wooseung rolled his eyes, sitting back on the chair. Kris turned to Oh Shin and bowed. “I apologize, Royal Headmaster. We will assure you that Ong Harin will be put on the team and we will also assure her safety,” Kris said, shooting Wooseung a glance. “Please, you have other errands to attend to.”

“Of course. I trust you, Advisor Kris Wu,” Oh Shin responded and I saw Wooseung mimic him under his breath. I had to press my lips together not to laugh despite remembering Eunhyuk’s words.

“So, let me tell you how it goes: she’ll find her powers.” Eunhyuk had said. “Your seniors will find a way to make her graduate fast and give her first mission. While she’s on the mission she’ll be killed and never be heard of again.”

He expected me to die while on a trip to that… whatever territory, did he? I sighed, rubbing my forehead as Oh Shin and Oh Shun bid everyone goodbye. I saw his three mages leave, Donghae taking a seat once they exited the meeting room. Alchemist Jimin, Jin and J-hope already excused themselves as they were going to start getting ready for intense day training the day after.

“Wannaone,” Kris drawled at Wooseung who became haughtier with the absence of Oh Shin.

“It makes no sense, Senior.”

“He has his reasons,” Kris reasoned out and I saw Suho nod. Wooseung decided to drop it and before I knew it, he had switched to Seungwoo who fumbled for his glasses. “Sorry for Wooseung, he’s just pissed right now. Are you sure Harin will be safe?”

“We’ll try our best,” Kris answered almost robotically and my heart sunk. I saw Seungwoo waver, his eyes going to me when he spoke.

“I think she’ll be able to develop her powers. The mission will do her good,” Seungwoo said to me and when I looked at him, I saw that he also had the similar blank look on his face. It seemed like Seungwoo was charmed even though it wasn’t him in the limelight. It must have been when Wooseung looked into Oh Shin’s eyes. I wondered why it was only Wooseung when I remembered a detail from a couple of days ago when Wooseung went to Rumpelstiltskin.

Wooseung’s soul had gone through dark magic. That is why he was different from the rest.

For Kyungsoo it was because he was conceived by a woman possessed by a dryad, for Wooseung it was because his soul had undergone dark magic and he was probably immune to Oh Shin’s charms—Did that mean Jaehyun who was conceived by light magic was not charmed too? I whipped my head to see Jaehyun who looked like he was deep in thought.

I guess I’ll have to ask him later.

I had too many problems to worry about.

“We need to create a team that will extract The Staff of Moses,” Kris said looking who Suho whose face was drained with color. He blubbered, looking flustered at the idea of going to the Triton Territory.

“Our seas are divided into two parts,” Lay spoke out and everyone listened. I know they all knew everything but he was saying it for my sake because he was looking straight at me. “The Safe Seas and the Triton Territory. The Triton Territory are inhabited by sirens and the Safe Seas are for the merfolk.”

“Uh. What’s the difference?” I saw Seungwoo ask, squinting through his glasses.

“Sirens,” Suho began and I remembered he told me that his mother was a siren who came on land and fell in love with his father and had him. “Are the vampires of Merpeople. When bitten by a siren, the venom will enter your blood and you’ll turn into one. You will crave flesh and you will lure in men, drowning boats just to get the taste of human flesh.”

Suho paused. “Sirens are dangerous and Merpeople are not.”

No wonder he hated how he came to be. His mother was a siren who killed people. My heart pained for him at the look of his face.

“You will have to go, Suho,” Ms. Tiffany said gently. “You survived last time and even slayed the Kraken. You have the ability to breathe underwater. You have the most possibility in surviving and bringing the staff to us.”

The Kraken? Ms. Tiffany mentioned Suho fighting a Kraken when she was giving him more things to download before we went to Earth.

“Why were you fighting the Kraken, Senior?” Baekhyun asked and I saw that he was incredibly quiet. For Baekhyun to be quiet in the midst of everything was weird but then again, he was probably tired. Suho let out a sigh.

“One summer, I went back to my island and met a girl.” He flinched at the memory. “We fell in love—Or I, in love with her. But little did I know she was a siren who was using me so she could trick me to go back to the Triton Territory under my mother’s orders so she could gain legs.”

Wow. Talk about betrayal on another level.

“Your mother’s orders?” Chanyeol asked. “Don’t tell me—”

“Yes.” Suho nodded, his face blank. “My mother is the queen of the sirens.”

Gasps from all the trainees filled the room.

“Tell them about how you slayed the Kraken!” a voice said excitedly and I saw Mark from NCT who was at the edge of his seat. His eyes were bright and excited to hear Suho tell the story and we all looked at Suho eagerly.

“So, I was dragged down by the sirens into the Triton Territory and held prisoner by my mother for a few days until I found a way out,” Suho narrated. “However, my mother, who is the one sole ruler of the Triton Territory, sent a Kraken after me because she wanted me down there with her—to rule.”

“Tell them what happened when the Kraken followed you up to shore!” Mark urged, his hands flailing in the air and Suho couldn’t help but chuckle before telling Mark with a hint of adoration in his voice.

“Do you want to tell the story, Mark?”

“Yes!” Mark stood up, ready to tell the story and I wondered if he had something to do with the story. “So, this is what happened. I was on the Pan-Lee ship with my father, Smee Lee.”

Smee? As in the boatsman in Disney’s Peter Pan? I lifted my eyebrow at recognizing the name.

“And we came from Neverland, so we were sailing… sailing… sailing… towards the City of Atlantis to return a little baby mermaid when we felt a deep rumble from underneath the ocean!” Mark said, excitedly, looking around to make sure everyone was listening. I saw Suho cross his arms as he watched Mark’s eagerness in telling the story.

Well, I knew Neverland, alright.

“And suddenly, right at the border of the Safe Seas, we saw the Kraken pop up and none other than Senior Suho trying to create waves to rise above it! I was there. I SAW IT!” Mark’s voice rose an octave and I jumped. “And so, when we sailed closer, we saw that the sirens were trying to grab Senior Suho and that was when my father told me—”

Mark deepened his voice and placed his hands on his hips as he tried to imitate his father, Smee.

“My father said: Mark! Mark! Do the thing! Do the thing”” Mark acted it out. “So, I went to the edge of the ship and I did the thing! I went: “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“Ouch. Ouch. Ouch,” Suho yelped and everyone covered their ears as Mark’s sonic sound rang through the meeting room. I had to plug my ears with my fingers and when Mark stopped, he continued as if he didn’t just try to break our eardrums. No wonder Haechan told me Mark screams.

“And that was when all the sirens disappeared! They went away because they were scared of my sonic sound! From that day on, Senior Suho asked me to go to SM and here I am.” He then grinned at everyone before realization dawned on his face and he covered his mouth. “Oh no! I’m sorry. I didn’t know I used my powers.”

Suho nodded, motioning Mark to sit down and the younger male sat down, Suho still trying to hear. My ears were still ringing but it didn’t take long before it went back to normal.

“Nice story, Mark,” Kris said, before sighing. “I need a team to extract The Staff of Moses. I will be there, of course—”

“I think you should stay on the ship,” Suho said to Kris. “We need someone on the ship if something ever happens.”

“I’ll stay here,” Lay said from behind Suho. “I will help Alchemist Jimin in making the potions. He won’t be able to handle it all alone.”  

“I want to go!” Mark yelled, raising a hand in the air. “I can use my powers on the sirens! It worked before; it will work again!”

Kris and Suho exchanged a look. I know they know it made sense to bring Mark, but Mark was still young. Kris let out a sigh, chewing on his lip when Sehun spoke up.

“I’m going.” His one sentence was enough for Suho to nod at Sehun when Kyungsoo raised his hand.

“I go. I make kelp,” he said, looking at Sehun. “I protect Sehun.”

“Anyone else wants to volunteer?” Kris asked, his eyes moving over the EXO and NCT Trainees. I knew Chen wouldn’t be able to go, to use his powers in water may cause us to all die of electrocution. Xiumin’s icicle may melt underwater—Kai. Where would Kai teleport to? Especially in a place, he didn’t know of? Chanyeol’s fire skills won’t be able to work underwater. Baekhyun—

“I should go,” Baekhyun said and I saw him rub his forehead. “It’s dark there and I can create light. More than that, if something ever goes wrong, I can merge with those who are fighting.”

“Thank you for volunteering your service, Baekhyun,” Kris said. “For now, we have: Mark, Harin, Suho, Sehun, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun and I. We’ll be dividing into two groups so I need two more people.”

“Me.” Jung Jaehyun, the controller of animals lifted his hand. He had flickered his eyes to me and for a moment I was certain I could sense pity from him. “I may be able to call for sea animals. I have done it before once, I’m pretty sure I can do it again.”

“Will you be able to communicate with the animals in Triton Territory?” Suho asked and Jaehyun shook his head.

“The animals in Triton Territory only listen to your mother, the siren queen, Senior. I will have to call them from the Safe Seas. It’s a long shot but it’s worth a try,” Jaehyun said. “Besides, I don’t think Senior Harin should go into the seas. Senior Wooseung wa