“Are you alright?” N asked Sori for what was probably the hundredth time. The shifter nodded, but he could clearly see how tense she was. Almost having her brains blown out had scared her more than she wanted to admit.

After the ISBIP locked down the area, everyone had been ordered inside. Jihu had taken a group to search for the shooter and soon located him. Unfortunately for the shooter, Jihu was able to get him tied up before he could kill himself. Unfortunately for the agent, the shooter was mute and the only telepath available was miles away in Northern part of Canada. He’d been told that this telepathic nymph wouldn’t be able to get to Dark Lake for a few days, frustrating him beyond belief. If Yuri was well enough, she could have done it. But she wasn’t so she couldn’t.

Everyone in Sori and N’s group of friends had gathered in the common area of the boy’s dorm. Everyone kept glancing at Sori, worried about the fact that she seemed so unresponsive to everything. She wasn’t the most expressive person in the first place, but there was something about her current blank expression that worried all of them. The only one not currently present was Hyoyeon who had left a few minutes prior to keep an eye on Yuri as per Kris’ request.

“Those council guys sure got out of here fast,” Chen commented, “you’d think that it was them who’d been shot at.”

“I’m sure they think that,” Heesun chuckled.

“Not all of them left,” Kris glared at them, “so have some respect for the two who stayed.”

“Right,” the two werewolves turned and bowed to councilmen Jiwook and Youngjae, “we’re sorry for being so rude.”

“It’s fine,” Youngjae waved it off, “I have no problems with being talked about in such a way. Not when most council members deserve it.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Suho spoke up, “why did you two stay?”

“Today confirmed something for both of us,” Jiwook explained, “we’ve had a feeling for a few years that there was something wrong with the council.”

“Like what?” Sori spoke, startling everyone around her since this was the first she’d spoken since being shot at.

“Sori,” Kris turned to her, “maybe you should go to your room and rest. Or my room, it’s closer.”

“No,” she growled at him, surprising everyone she she’d never spoken that way to Kris, “I want to know why I was almost killed today. I want to know why Yuri was almost killed. I want to know what’s going on.” She turned back to the two council members, appearing calm once more, “please keep going.”

“There were a few members today who didn’t look surprised,” Jiwook said, “they looked rather unhappy that you didn’t die. I could have sworn I heard one of them cursing about killers for hire who don’t do their jobs right. I have no proof, but I’m sure that’s what I heard and saw.”

“We don’t think it’s just the shifter council,” Youngjae added as the room grew silent, “we have old friends on other councils who have noticed some odd things going on.”

“Do we know how big this is?” Suho asked.

“I suspect that whatever is going on involves members from all the councils,” Youngjae replied.

“Are you sure?” the dragon only got nods of confirmation.

“Boy,” Jiwook called, looking directly at N, “your aura has changed.”

“Huh?” N looked over at Sori, panicked.

“When you saved Sori, you were a werewolf,” Jiwook explained, “and now you’re a fae.”

“It’s nothing to be concerned about,” Suho laughed.

“His powers are messing with his aura,” Hyuna added.

“I’m sure things will settle down in time,” Kris finished. Sori nodded, but shifted her body so that if anyone tried to attack N she would be ready to stop them. Kris, Suho, and Hyuna did the same upon noticing her subtle movements.

“He’s a changeling,” Youngjae announced, looking at N with a fond look in his eyes, “I haven’t seen one in ages.”

Silence fell over the room. Honestly, no one knew what that meant. Well, no one outside of Sori, Kris, Hyuna, N, and Suho knew what that meant. Those who didn’t know exchanged curious looks, trying to figure out what that meant for N.

“A changeling,” Jiwook started to explain, “is a very special type of supernatural. They have the DNA of every type of supernatural in their body and they can use it, gaining access to the powers that go with each type. They’re rare, very rare.”

“They also have short life expectancies,” Kris hissed, “if people find out about them.”

“Which is why I’m going to keep my mouth shut,” Jiwook waved off the dragon’s anger, “that boy will turn out to be useful if things go as badly as I predict, so I’m not going to put his life at risk. It could mean my life later if I do.”

“I knew a changeling once,” Youngjae reminisced, “he was a powerful young man. And he had a good heart, too. Sadly word got out about him and he was killed. It wasn’t a pleasant end, I can tell you that much. He suffered until his last breath and the one who killing him even got a necro to ensure he suffered in death, too.”

N felt himself starting the shake in fear. The idea that Youngjae had put into his head scared him. He didn’t want to die. He couldn’t die because he had to be there for his friends and to look after everyone. He couldn’t do that if he was dead.

“It will be fine, Hakyeon,” Sori whispered, patting his hand in an attempt to comfort him, “I promise.” N nodded, deciding to trust in the shifter.

“So,” Kris said, “you think a war is coming? Why?”

“You can feel it in the air at the council meetings,” Jiwook frowned, “every time they get together, it feels like there’s something going on. Like the calm before a storm.”

“Last week,” Youngjae voiced, “the shifter and werewolf councils met to talk about some trade deal or something like that. When the head of the shifter council greeted council man Kim, it just seemed like they were talking in some kind of secret language. Their eyes seemed to be saying something rather important.”

“Council man Kim would never work with a non-werewolf,” Chen scoffed, “he hates them.”

“You’re his son?” Jiwook asked, “the eldest?”

“Not proud of it,” Chen growled, “but I am.”

“Your father is an evil man with a lot of hate in his heart,” Jiwook frowned, “but in all the time I’ve had the displeasure of meeting him, he’s always been willing to put aside his feelings if the reward is large enough.”

“You think that our enemies’ goal is that large?” Sori asked.

“We think we should all be worried, yes,” Youngjae told her, “the only way to get so many council members from so many councils working together is to promise them something of great value.”

“And there are only a few things they would find valuable,” Suho frowned, “and none of them are good.”

“You should start to prepare for war,” Jiwook cautioned, “I realize that you’re children, that you aren’t ready for what our enemies are going to do, but you need to try.”

“And if we aren’t ready?” Leo voiced the thoughts of everyone in the room, “what then?”

“At least we tried,” Sori replied, “we cannot stand by and allow those who wish us dead to do as they please. We need to make ourselves ready to fight them with everything we have.”

“She’s right,” Luhan nodded, “we can’t let them do what they want.”

“So we start training,” Kris decided, “we get ourselves ready.”

“We should warn Jihu,” Hyuna suggested, “we can’t fight alone, we need allies.”

“You’re right,” Jessica nodded, “if the enemy has enough supporters, we won’t be able to fight back. We’ll need help.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Sori decided, “see what he thinks of everything. Maybe he can get us some information, too.”

“We will try to help in any way we can,” Youngjae offered, “but for now we need to return.”

“It won’t do to be found out now,” Jiwook added, “if the enemy figures out what we know, they could take us out.”

“Lay low,” Kris advised, “gather whatever information you can and tell us when you’re sure it’s safe to do so.”

“Be safe.”

A/N: and the plot thickens! Who’s involved in this evil plan? What IS the evil plan? Does an evil plan even exist, or are Jiwook and Youngjae lying? Bet you all can’t wait until the answers are revealed, huh?