“M-Mum?” Kyungsoo stumbled forward when he saw a pale fuzzy outline of a longhaired woman. Their mother was a beautiful lady, with hair as black as the midnight sky and she had a smile so lovely that Kyungsoo felt everything fading away when that smile turned to greet him. “Mum!” Kyungsoo burst out into tears and ran to engulf her in a tight hug. He was only five when she passed, and no day was spent without him missing her ever since. “My baby…” She smiled and reciprocated the embrace, “I have so much to tell you but we don’t have much time… baby, my death wasn’t an accident.” Kyungsoo reeled back in shock. “Someone wanted me dead because I refused to continue developing time-turners. He wanted a time-turner that was so powerful that it could even turn back time to before birth, meaning he wanted to erase a person’s life. He mentioned a prophecy and a boy; I couldn’t let him wipe out someone by erasing all memories of him… especially not to my baby.” His mother caressed his face gently. “M-Me? Someone wanted to prevent me from even being born? Why would anyone do that? I’m just an ordinary kid...” Kyungsoo shook his head anxiously, refusing to accept what his mother said.

“You’re special, my Kyungsoo… and you don’t even know it yet. One day you will pose a threat to that person’s power, that’s why he wants you gone…” Kyungsoo felt faint all of a sudden, it felt like something or rather someone was shaking him hard and calling out for him in the inner depths of his mind. “Soo! Wake up, Soo!” His mother fought back her tears, “Time is running out Kyungsoo… your friend is calling for you. Take care of yourself and Baekhyun. Tell your brother that I love you both so much and will always watch over you two… Beware of him, Soo. Don’t let him get to you… only you can stop the second coming!” Kyungsoo watched as his mother’s figure started fading, “Mum!” he reached out desperately, but could only clutch onto thin strings of air. “Go back, Kyungsoo… Go back to your friends.” His mother smiled at him one last time before she disappeared into the shadows. Who was she talking about… beware of whom? “Mum! Don’t go. Don’t leave me again, please…” Tears streamed down his cheek yet again.

The second Kyungsoo and Baekhyun peeled away from the rest of the group and made to run towards the dais, Chen’s loud shout of “Stop them!” alerted the rest to the possible dangers within the archway that the Ravenclaws had smartly figured out. While the rest distracted Kohen, Kai and Chanyeol sped towards the pair of brothers. Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun fairly quickly, as the boy was still out of sorts from the brain attack earlier on. Kyungsoo was harder to catch for he had distanced himself from his brother with his quick speed. “No, Soo!” Kai yelled as he watched Kyungsoo step closer to the dark within the archway. Come on, Kai. Run faster! Kyungsoo reached a palm out, but before he could make contact with the black tattered curtains, Kai came swooping in just in time to tackle him to the ground. The impact knocked Kyungsoo unconscious for a while. “Soo! Wake up, Soo!” Kai yelled into his ear and shook his boyfriend’s body hard.

“Mum! Don’t go. Don’t leave me again, please…” Kai watched as tears started streaming down the other’s face. When Kyungsoo came to, he started thrashing under Kai’s hold. “Let me go!” Kyungsoo huffed and tried to wriggle free. Pretty soon, another bout of tears sprung to his eyes when he realized that Kai wasn’t going to relinquish him. “L-Let me go!” Kyungsoo sobbed, hitting Kai’s chest weakly, “That’s my mother … Let me see my mother!” Kai’s heart died a little at the other’s current state. Never had anyone seen Kyungsoo break down, to this extent. “I’m sorry, Soo. I can’t let you go… I won’t.” Kai pulled the other up into a hug, cradling the smaller boy’s head in the crook of his shoulder. “Kai…” The said boy looked up into his own brother’s worried face. “We’re fine, Suho.” The older nodded and knelt beside Kyungsoo. “We got Kohen.” He pointed to the unconscious body slumped on the ground. The other boys were surrounding the fallen Unspeakable, wands pointed towards him just in case he was to suddenly revive.

Kai gathered a broken Kyungsoo in his arms and made his way over to the others. Kyungsoo immediately latched himself onto Baekhyun once Kai sat him beside his brother. “We heard our mother…” Baekhyun explained for their sudden outburst. Some stared at them curiously whilst the Ravenclaws nodded in understanding. “That veil separates the living world from the dead. You heard your mother because she has passed… We had to stop you from passing through the archway, if not you two would have been stuck in the world of death.” Suho patted Baekhyun and Kyungsoo comfortingly on the head. It was the latter’s hushed whisper that tore through the silence. “Our mother worked here in the Department of Mysteries…” The boys couldn’t help but let out a collective gasp. I didn’t know that. “They said she died because of a workplace accident. She died on my birthday when I was five… But I spoke to Mum just now, Baekie.” Kyungsoo whispered. Baekhyun grabbed his brother’s arm anxiously. “She said her death was murder. And she also said that he is coming for me…” Kyungsoo shivered. Kai wrapped an arm around him and pecked him on the forehead, whilst the others glanced worriedly at the two siblings. “But, why you? I don’t understand…” Baekhyun frowned. Everyone turned to stare at the unconscious man, as if doing so will churn out the much-needed explanation.

“Speaking of which, we should go get help. Kohen might wake any moment… we need to get the authorities to take action against him for attacking us innocents.” Xiumin said. Kris, Tao, Luhan and Lay volunteered before they were running out of the Death chamber. Their screams for help sounded even before the door closed behind them. It wasn’t too long later when the man started stirring. All the boys scrambled to their feet and pointed their wands at him; they decided to put the body-binding curse on him just in case.

The Unspeakable groaned, mind and body still spinning from the wicked stinging hex and stunning spell delivered by Suho and Sehun earlier. “My oh my, what a pleasant sight to wake up to… Kyungsoo.” Kohen smirked at the frowning boy. Kyungsoo crouched beside the other, “Why are you doing this to us? We’re just ordinary students... why did you attack us?” Kohen chuckled, “It’s not you guys… it’s only you.” Kyungsoo stiffened as chills ran down his spine. “He wants you because of what the prophecy said, and I would have succeeded if you went into the world of the dead.” He was referring to the Dais that Kai saved Kyungsoo from. “Who’s the he, and why does he want Soo? What prophecy?” Kai growled at Kohen, pulling Kyungsoo further away from the body on the floor. “Ask him.” At Kohen’s stare in Kyungsoo’s direction, all eyes swiveled to the said boy. Sehun let out a gasp when he caught on to what the Unspeakable was saying. It was the prophecy from before… the one Kyungsoo and Sehun heard back in the Hall of Prophecies. Distant shouts and footsteps could be heard, indicating the impending arrival of help. “I’ll be careful from now on Kyungsoo… He’s coming for you.” Kohen smirked. “Who’s coming for me?” Kyungsoo growled and grabbed onto the front of the other’s robes. But before he could answer, the door to the room burst open and several wizards from the Ministry stormed in. “Tell me who!” Kyungsoo demanded, shrugging off the adult hands that were trying to pull him off Kohen.

“Kyungsoo, stop.” It was the one voice Baekhyun and Kyungsoo dreaded the most, which halted him. Despite not having seen his two sons for quite some time now, Minister Do’s face was ever serious and cold. Kai plucked Kyungsoo from the ground and held him to his side tightly. The Minister narrowed his eyes at the pair, stared at Baekhyun who took a side step to duck behind Chanyeol’s height for a while, before turning to Kohen who was already apprehended by two other officials. “Izmeki Kohen… I’m giving you a chance now to defend yourself against these boys’ accusations. They said that you attacked them, even to the point of almost driving two of them over the edge and to their deaths. Is that true?” At the other’s reluctance to speak, a wizard stepped towards Minister Do. “Should we use Veritaserum to get him to talk?” The Minister declined a tad too quickly, but nobody paid special attention to it. “Take him away for questioning…” Pretty soon, all that were left in the room were a cold-faced adult and tw