Kibum believes that every season has a sound and right now he is listening autumn. Fall in the forest is a heavy silence only rarely broken by crunching leaves under foot. The occasional twittering of birds and the shuffle of creatures making their last minute harvest color the air and a restless energy floats on the wind. Everyone is preparing for change, including Kibum. He was finally going to Victoria Academy.

"Bum-bear?" Kibum's mother yelled from the balcony, “Did you pack the Ever-Warm blanket halmoni sent you? You know she'll have a fit if you don't take it with you. Speaking of halmoni, be sure to call her. You know you are her favorite grandchild, right?" Nervous about her son leaving home for the first time, Kim Taeyeon was a whirl of energy, running through the house trying to think of every possible thing her baby would need for his journey to the capitol city.

"That's because I am her only grandchild. UMMA, relax. I'm handling this. I wrote my packing list last week and my travel spell won't forget a thing. No need to worry." Kibum reached for his mom and let her hug him tightly. Truthfully, Kibum was nervous. There had been very few people in his life from the time he was a baby. Living in the woods, your neighbors are the trees and the animals and when your father is the leader of the Warlock Chamber, the protection spells are no joke. That's why Kibum didn't have any other friends - no one was allowed into the forest where Kibum's family lived. Not that Kibum was sad about it. He was alone but never lonely. He had Umma, Halmoni, Appa (when he wasn't working) and his cousin, Jinki.

In fact, if it wasn't for Jinki, Umma would have never let Kibum go off to the capitol to study. Jinki had been in studying at the academy for a couple of years now and of all the people in the world, he was the only one she would trust to take care of her baby outside of their little forest home. For a number of reasons she was concerned that the academy just wasn't the place for an artistic soul like Kibum's. Sensitive and stubborn, Kibum was special and she remembered her own days at the academy as being both high pressure and highly disciplined.

But it was expected that Kim HyunJoong's son should attend Victoria Academy like all of the other young people in the land. Lately a rising unrest had been putting Kibum's father under a lot of strain. Factions around the capitol had been lobbying to expand the borders of Victoria and while the population did need the extra room, the magic required to increase their universe could only be achieved at a great toll to the people of the borderland, specifically the moon worshippers. Every time the borders were expanded, the moon worshippers were pushed further out while other groups claimed the lands that moonies had been lovingly tending to for years. Tensions were high and recent political ads had painted HyunJoong as an aristocrat with no sympathy for the city dwellers suffering from crowded conditions.  In order to place himself and his administration in a more favorable light, it was important that Kibum fulfill his duty and attend the public finishing school. Since no one had really meet Kibum, the expectation was even greater that he not only attends, but succeeds both academically and socially.

Kibum was a filial son, but there was another reason he was excited to be attending the academy. For the last three years there had been a stirring in his magic. Harmless conjuring spells had started to react in extreme ways. The first time Kibum noticed the shift was when Umma asked him to clean the exterior windows. Usually Kibum could just utter "Immaculatam Mundi" and in seconds the windows would be cleaned.  But this time, the windows as well as the floors, the walls, the clothes, the carpets, the balcony and the ground surrounding their modest home were bleached a blinding white, scaring all the animals within a 100ft. radius and taking several hours to reverse. Kibum had freaked out but his mother had assured him that it was just a sign that his magic was maturing and just like his baby pudge had started to leave his now more adult form, his powers were coming into their own and transforming. Kibum was becoming a man and this increase in potency was a sign. Kibum would soon be ready to meet his mate.

Kibum was going to be 18 in a month.