Byungho laid on his back, staring at the ceiling of his room. Yesterday was an really eventful day, but he was worried about Seungmin. After the redhead had talked to his mother, Lilith, the young demon changed, but not in a necessarily bad way. He just became more serious and focused. Even though he had said yesterday that he would head to bed soon since he was tired, a part of Byungho believed that the redhead spend the night in their father's library searching for some kind of answer.
The brunette sighed and sat up. He hoped his little brother really went to bed and didn't stay up all night.
A light knock on his room's door pulled Byungho out of his thoughts. "Come in", he called out, knowing that it was either one of his brothers or his mother. The door was opened by his mother, Eve, but something was off since she didn't smile warmly and wished him a "Good morning" like usual. She just silently closed the door behind her with a rather distressed look on her face.
"Mum, what's the matter?", Byungho asked, standing up from his bed to meet his mother in the middle of the room. Eve sighed deeply, avoiding to look into Byungho's eyes directly. The brunette noticed the way his mother held her right hand with her left one when he approached her. He could see the movement over her left index finger gently stroking over the golden wedding ring on her right ring finger. If her distress wasn't clear before, it surely was now.
"I talked with your father and Lilith about the current situation since Seungmin's behavior from yesterday evening worried me greatly", Eve began to explain. Her gaze was casted downwards, but she slowly raised it to look at her son. Something dreading was in her blue eyes, letting Byungho's stomach lightly cramp with anxiety. He had never seen his mother like this in his whole life.
"I may have to ask you for something you will dislike", she admitted, obviously not being sure of what else to say. Her gaze dropped from Byungho's face back to the ground. The brunette felt a bit of anxiety being take off his shoulders. It was weird that he felt a bit relieved, but he would do anything to help his mother even if he disliked it. He slowly took his mother's hands into his own, letting her look up again.
"I will do it if it helps you", he answered, looking directly into his mother's blue eyes to reassure her of his will to help. He knew he had convinced her when a small, loving smile made its way onto the blond angel's lips and her eyes began to radiate their usual warmth. She gently freed her hands from Byungho's feather light grip, so she could lay them lovingly onto her son's cheeks.
"I really don't deserve you", she almost whispered, warmth lacing her tone before letting her hands drop down. Byungho wanted to protest, but he didn't know how. His mother was kind, loving and beautiful in every way. She deserved more than the world could give to her, more than he could give her.
Byungho stopped thinking about protesting when he saw his mother's eyes darken. Her beautiful blue eyes were slowly clouded by dread and a bit of resentment, which was something Byungho had never seen his mother's eyes do. She looked at him still with dread and resentment held deep in her gaze, but there was also a bit of hope.
"We need to go to heaven, so we can talk to the angels about the current situation here on earth," she started, "Yesterday, Lucifer and Lilith told me how many lives were already lost in the span of just a month." Her face contorted with pain that was not caused by physical injury, but her own empathy.
"I wish I had known sooner what was really going on. I maybe could have done something. This isn't what the gods wanted, so we need to talk to them through the angels", Eve explained, letting her gigantic white wings become visible. Byungho was a bit taken back by the sudden appearance of his mother's pure white angel wings, but even more startled was he by what she had said. Did she really plan to return to heaven to prevent the war between the supernatural creatures and hunters from happening? Byungho chased that question out of his mind as soon as he thought it. The answer was a simple, straightforward "Yes". His mother would do anything for the sake of the world and its people if she had even the smallest of chances.
"But I can't enter heaven without an other angel by my side", she concluded, looking at Byungho. The brunette blinked at her, trying to take this information in properly. His mother needed him to get back to heaven? Was this the reason she was still here? Because she knew Byungho didn't even like the idea of meeting an other angel, knowing that they will hate him for being the child of an angel and a demon? Eve was right when she said Byungho wouldn't like this, but he couldn't say no to his mother and if he could stop the war with her by just talking there was no reason for him to decline.
"I will need to change my shirt for that", the brunette said, walking to his closet to get out one of the special shirts Eve had made him. It exposed his back, making it possible to have his wings on display without his shirt getting two gigantic, vertical holes. He found one of the mentioned shirts pretty quickly.
After quickly changing, he let his wings become visible. The were the exact opposite to Eve's angel wings, since they were pitch-black and not white with golden rimmed feathers. Eve smiled when she saw her son's black wings. Byungho knew that his mother liked his wings a lot. She always said they were unique, but the brunette never understood her in that point.
"Let's go", Eve said, holding out her hand for Byungho to grab. The brunette took his mother's hand, waiting for her further instructions. Eve only smiled reassuringly at him before looking up to the ceiling of the room while mumbling "Aperire".
Before Byungho could think about what this word meant a beam of light surrounded the two, letting the young male with the black wings almost flinch away. His mother kept him in place by pulling him towards her.
"It will be over in a second", she whispered. Shortly after she said that, the beam of light had disappeared into thin air. Still, Byungho needed a moment to let his eyes adjust to his now a lot brighter surroundings. Everything was just white, bright and simply gigantic.
Byungho had to blink a few times to make out how big the place was. He couldn't even see the end of the massive column, which surrounded them, nor could he make out the roof they should be carrying. The ground under his feet was white marmot as far as he could tell. It was mostly covered by something Byungho would describe as little parts of clouds.
"In the names of the ancient gods, Eve", a voice called out. Byungho turned his head towards the voice to spot an seemingly female angel flying towards them. She had massive wings in a beautiful golden color which matched the white toga with the golden details she was wearing. Her hair was a beautiful reddish brown color and just like Eve she was unbelievable beautiful and her every motion seemed effortlessly elegant. The unknown angel landed in front of Eve and Byungho but she let her golden eyes merely graze Byungho's form before her full attention laid on Eve.
"I thought you would never come back to us", she commented with an easy smile on her lips. Byungho had to resist the urge of hiding behind his mother and covering up his wings. Just seeing this angel and hearing her talk in a melodic voice with a bit of an stern undertone made him feel completely out of place.
"I am not here for small talk, Rafael. I need to talk to Adam. It's urgent", Eve explained to the other angel sternly. She seemed determined, which obviously Rafael noticed. The brunette angel glanced at Byungho for a brief second. Even though no negative emotions were shown in the eyes of the angel with the golden wings, Byungho could feel that she somehow disliked him. The reason for that were probably his pitch black wings and his father.
Rafael put her full attention back onto Eve. The relief from before was washed off her face and replace by something a lot more serious.
"I will be honest with you Eve. I don't think you talking to Adam is a good idea. You left him in the dust for Lucifer and your selfish wish", Rafael said, putting a hand onto her hip. She didn't look pleased and Byungho understood her a little bit but the brunette could feel that his mother wasn't going to give up.
"This isn't about Lucifer, Adam or me. It's about earth and the destiny the gods created for it", Eve argued. Rafael seemed to think for a short moment and in the end nodded. Her golden eyes showed no emotion Byungho could actively name.
"Alright, I will bring Adam here, so you can talk. Don't move", Rafael said before swinging herself into the air and flying off. Byungho was slowly growing more and more anxious because he was slowly doubting this meeting with Adam wouldn't end well. He knew who Adam was through very old books, but his mother never really told him much about her former partner. Maybe because she just wanted to forget him.
According to the old books, Adam was the earth's first male human. He once had a wife called Lilith, but she didn't obey the gods nor Adam's orders, so she was banned into the earth's crust, dooming her to sleep there for eternity. Adam's second wife was the woman, who was also Byungho's mother, Eve. They had lived together on earth, which was called Eden at the time, until it was invaded by dark forces because Lucifer created hell and unleashed the demons which had been sleeping in the earth's crust. To safe them, Adam and Eve were brought to heaven to serve the gods as their strongest angels. Byungho knew this story continued with Eve leaving heaven to live with Lucifer on earth, but the books didn't tell you that part.
If Byungho was honest with himself, he truly feared Adam. He feared that the mighty angel would attack him with all his build up rage, because he was the living proof of the relationship between Eve and Lucifer. Adam would probably also hate him for looking like his father.
"Don't worry, Byungho", Eve spoke up, laying her hand onto her son's shoulder. Byungho turned his head towards his mother being met with an reassuring smile and kind, warm blue eyes. He will never understand how his mother could be so loving and reassuring even in situations like this one. She must nervous in some way too, right?
"We will be just fine", Eve reassured him before she retracted her hand from Byungho's shoulder to take off her wedding ring. It was a beautiful gold ring with some vines engravings. On the inside also stood the name "Eve". Byungho knew the ring meant a lot to his mother even though he never understood why.
"Hold on to this for me", she said, giving the ring to Byungho. Why would she give him something she treasured so much?
"But mum...", the brunette tried to protest but Eve shushed him. "Just trust me, alright?", she insisted. She took Byungho's right hand and slipped the ring onto her son's little finger. The brunette let out a little sigh and looked at the ring, which now occupied his little finger and somehow managed to fit perfectly.
"Your father put a special protection charm on the ring. If something happens it will bring you home", Eve explained, smiling warmly while she looked at the ring lovingly. Byungho felt a big of panic flooding into his system. This was a bad sign, wasn't it?
"Then you shouldn't take him off", Byungho said, looking at his mother with distress being evident in his eyes. He knew if his mother gave him something like her beloved wedding ring he had to fear for their safety but Eve only shook her head.
"I am just a concerned mother, who wants to know her child is safe with a certainty. Keep the ring on, please. Do it for me", she vouched, looking at him with a little plead in her blue eyes. Byungho couldn't say no to this so he gave his mother a little nod before he looked up to see three angels coming their way. In front flew a rather tall, male angel with dark hair and golden eyes. His wings looked like Eve's just a bit larger to match his broad frame. If Byungho had to guess he would say this was Adam. The other two angels were Rafael and another male with messy raven hair he didn't recognize. They landed not right in front of Eve and Byungho but a few feet away from them.
"It's nice to see you again, Eve", the male with the dark hair greeted, walking forward just a little bit. A bit of a smile made it's way onto the man's lips but it dropped when his gaze flickered the Byungho for just a moment. This was surely Adam.
"The pleasure is all mine, Adam", Eve politely greeted, clarifying that this man was indeed Adam. Byungho froze when Adam's golden eyes began to pierce through him. Unlike Rafael, Adam took his sweet time to muster the brunette up and down like he was some sort of puppet or animal in a zoo. Byungho tired not to show any fear while internally praying that his demon side was enough to fool the mighty angel.
"I need to talk to you, Adam", Eve spoke up, taking Adam's attention away from Byungho. The young brunette internally released a breath, being glad the intense eyes of Adam weren't on him anymore.
"Rafael let know you wanted to talk. After all you mentioned the earth's destiny", the tall man answered, glancing at Byungho again when he said destiny. Byungho had no clue why but every time Adam's golden eyes focused on him the urge to just hide behind his mother was enormous.
"There is a war starting on earth but not one created between just humans. It's a war between every creature living there and you know yourself that this wasn't supposed to happen. You need to tell the gods to stop this before it takes thousands of innocent lives", Eve explained with urgency in her voice. Adam looked at her with coldness radiating from his eyes, which send a shiver down Byungho's spine even if it wasn't directed at him.
"Eve", Adam began talking in a neutral tone. "The reason this war came to be is because Lucifer screwed up the world's destiny by having children. His first son was a problem but one that could be fixed, since he was a pure blood demon but his second child", he continued and looked directly into Byungho's eyes while his gaze darkened. "Is something that should have never been born", Adam hissed lowly, cold hatred almost overtaking his whole aura.
Byungho took some steps back. This was bad. Adam did hate him like he thought but not because he was the living proof of Eve's and Lucifer's relationship. He was something that wasn't supposed to exist in the eyes of the gods and angels. Adam had a right to hate his very being.
"Remember that he is not only Lucifer's child", Eve yelled in a calm but strong voice. She moved and now stood in front of Byungho. Despite Eve being smaller than Byungho, the brunette felt protected.
"He is my son too", Eve reminded Adam with a strong and loud voice. Her gaze was almost piercing through the tall, male angel but weirdly it made Adam seemingly calm down. He sighed and straightened his back, letting his gigantic wings fold themselves more nicely.
"Still, Lucifer's second child is the main reason this war broke out because he managed to shift the already fragile destiny by being careless enough to be spotted by a human with his black wings on full display", Adam said a bit more calmly but he looked at Byungho with pure hatred. The young brunette just wished he wasn't frozen in his spot, so he could duck down behind his mother and fully hide from Adam.
"Stop this. There is no point in blaming him like this", Eve screamed, walking a few steps towards Adam, which alarmed Rafael and the other angel. They made themselves ready to attack Eve but stopped their movements when Adam raised his hand.
There was a silence. One that Byungho could only describe as suffocating. He had never seen his mother this mad. Never in his whole 19 years of living with her. The brunette had the feeling to only hear his heart pounding in his ears while Eve glared at Adam. Suddenly the gaze of the tall angel softened.
"Listen to me, Eve. I know you badly wanted a child. I know you love him with all your heart but he is a threat to this world, to destiny itself. The only reason he and his brothers weren't taken out sooner is that the angels are not allowed to go down to earth ever since Eden fell", Adam explained calmly. Byungho lightly flinched at that but slowly his brain began to shut down. This was becoming too much for him. Adam had confirmed what he had always known. He wasn't supposed to exist; he was a cursed child; his mother would have deserved something better.
"Byungho isn't a threat to anyone. He is unique, special, lovable and kind. Maybe he is half demon, half angel but he is a better person than all angels combined", Eve shouted, only earning a pitiful look from Adam. Byungho on the other hand had the feeling he couldn't really hear her.
"The earth really changed you, Eve. And I am terribly sorry for what I am about to do", Adam mumbled, making it hard for Byungho to register he even said something. For a moment Byungho asked himself what Adam meant. He heard something similar to electricity hiss and that was when he noticed that Adam had a spear made of light in his hand. Without hesitation he threw it directly at Byungho.
Everything was slowing down like time itself decided to let this seem longer. The spear made of light would pass Eve and directly hit Byungho's chest. It was too fast for the brunette to dodge, so the only thing his body did automatically was wrap his wings around him. It was a reflex but he also tightly closed his eyes, waiting for an impact, which never came.
"Eve!", Byungho heard Adam yell, which let time speed up again. Byungho quickly opened his eyes and got his wings out of his sight when he heard his mother's name being yelled, only to see his mother stand in front of him with her wings spread out. The spear was stuck in her chest and strange little lightnings covered her whole body.
Her wings dropped to the ground like a deadweight. Slowly and with heavy steps did Eve turn around, facing her son and only child. Byungho felt like he was dreaming. His mind became foggy and it seemed to him like he was watching a movie. A horror movie.
"Mum...", Byungho merely whispered, not even noticing how his lips moved. Eve only smiled at him even though her whole body seemed to slowly fall apart. Her smile showed that she regretted nothing and was as warm and kind as always.
"Praesidio", she mumbled and next thing Byungho knew he was surrounded by light, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again he found himself in the middle of a room he had only glimpsed at once in a while. His parents' bedroom.
Byungho just stood there, in the middle of the room while his brain tried to comprehend what just happen. His legs felt like jelly and soon enough just broke away under him, letting him fall to his knees.
This was just a dream, right? A big nightmare he will soon wake up from, right? This wasn't real.
The brunette stared at his lap while his sight was slowly clouded by tears. This didn't happen. He would soon wake up and be greeted by his mother's smiling face. She would say "Good morning" and remind him to get dressed soon. She would ... she would ... Tear dropped down onto Byungho's pants when a part of him realized that his mother was gone and it was his fault.
Suddenly the door burst open with a familiar voice calling out "Eve!". It was Lucifer out of all the people, who lived in his house. Byungho didn't look at his father nor did he really notice his presence. Only when his father sat down beside him, taking his hand where he wore his mother's wedding ring on his little finger, did his brain tell him that he was there.
"Please tell me she didn't", Lucifer mumbled to himself. "She is so reckless", the devil added with a sigh when he let go of Byungho's hand, laying down rather gently. The brunette just felt numb and his mind was foggy mess of memories. Tears were still streaming down his face but the restricting feeling in his chest and throat became something he barely registered.
"Come on. Stand up. Sitting here won't do you any good", Lucifer said in an almost kind tone, which was unlike him. Normally he had a provoking tone or sounded like some sort of entertainer but now it seemed empathic.
Byungho hated his father. He really did, which was why he never understood why his mother said she loved him but the way Lucifer carefully pulled Byungho to his feet, stabilizing him with ghostlike touches at least told him that his father did have a soft side.
—————————————
Chan felt a little sting in his chest, which caused him to put his hand over his heart. It was a dull pain but it hurt enough for the wolf hybrid to react to it.
"Are you hurt there too", Sicheng, who was checking on Chan's wounds, asked with worriedly. The warlock's violet eyes seemed worried when Chan met them.
"Oh. Nonono. Just felt a little sting there. Nothing serious", the wolf hybrid dismissed, hoping he didn't cause more worry for the warlock. Sicheng didn't look very convinced but he said nothing and carefully put Chan's injured arm down, which he had examined.
"As far as I can say your wounds heal perfectly. At this rate they will be gone in two weeks. Maybe even earlier if you rest well", the blond warlock concluded while wrapping new bandages around the wolf hybrid's arm. His movements were very fluid but precise, telling everyone that he had done this a lot of this.
"I really need to ask Byungho what kind of spells he used on this", Sicheng then mumbled to himself. It probably wasn't meant for Chan but the hybrid couldn't help but laugh a bit. He had no idea what Byungho had used on him but it was beautiful and amazing. There was no way he would mind sharing the spell with Sicheng.
"He will tell you for sure if you ask him", the wolf hybrid replied, smiling a bit. Sicheng mirrored the smile and let Chan hop off the treatment table after the warlock had finished securing the new bandages.
It was really astonishing how Sicheng and Chan were the same age but were at completely different levels in the point of experience and knowledge. The wolf hybrid couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by the fact that young adults in his age were as experienced as some people in his parents' generation. On the other hand he also admired Sicheng's calmness, kindness and his thirst for even more knowledge.
"You are really admirable Sicheng. I can't believe we are supposed to be in the same grade", Chan spoke out his thoughts, taking the blond warlock by surprise. He put away the unused bandages and then turned back to Chan.
"I was only lucky enough to be able to join NCT quite early if I'm honest", the warlock replied after a short pause. He rubbed his neck sheepishly and didn't directly look at Chan. Even though Sicheng seemed to explain his abilities with him being part of NCT there was no denying that he was talented.
"It's still amazing", the wolf hybrid insisted, making the other laugh a bit. Sicheng leaned onto the counter with the sink, trying to not show just how much he appreciated the compliment but he also seemed to think.
"I'm glad you think my abilities are great but I'm still not as good as Yuta-hyung. We are seen as a team ever since we figured out that we are soulmates but he remains the true magical genius of NCT", Sicheng explained, while an almost lovesick smile tugged at his lips. Chan was surprised when the heard the word 'soulmate' because he knew how rare it was to find a soulmate.
"Yuta-ssi and you are soulmates?", he asked for clarification. Sicheng nodded while Chan looked at him with absolute amazement written all over his face. "That's so cool. Finding your soulmate is really hard", the wolf hybrid commented. The warlock lightly laughed but the lovingly smile was more prominent on his face now. He seemed to be thinking about his soulmate.
"Well we found out after getting together through our leader Taeyong-hyung since his power is to see souls. According to him every soul has a special color and feels different. People, who belong together have the same soul color", the blond explained. Chan let out a "Wow" sound, looking like a child, who just heard one of those old myths parents told their little ones before bedtime.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door of the medical room, cutting the conversation short. "Come in", Sicheng called out. The door was opened not a second after that revealing Felix, Jisung and Yedam, who poked their heads through the door.
"Finished with your check-up, hyung?", Felix asked. Chan nodded with a little smile on his lips and turned to Sicheng again. "Thanks for everything, Sicheng", the wolf hybrid politely thanked the warlock. "No problem. It's kinda my job after all", Sicheng answered with a smile. Chan retuned the smile before he left the room, joining the three younger males.
Changbin and Minho leaned on the wall, opposite of the door of the medical room. Changbin's eyes still glowed in this strange red color but it became a bit less over the night. It probably was all thanks to Jae, Younghyun, Dowoon and Sungjin, the four members of Day6 who dropped by yesterday night, shortly before bedtime. Chan knew them since they were once students at Miroh High in Chan's first years there. All four males had seemed rather stressed if Chan was honest but the wolf hybrid could imagine why, since Jae, Younghyun and Dowoon were vampires. He also figured that their familiarity with Changbin meant they had a sort of connection to the royal family of the vampires.
"Since Chan-hyung is finished with his check-up we can finally go to the training room", Yedam cheered, jumping in the air. He seemed rather excited for that and Chan couldn't blame him. He would maybe react the same way but he wasn't sure in the current situation.
"No, we need to wait for Jeongin and Hyunjin first", Felix reminded the young wolf hybrid. Of course Chan immediately noticed two names missing. "Why just Jeongin and Hyunjin? What about Byungho and Seungmin", Chan chimed in, clearly confused. Had something happened to the two Kim brothers?
"Seungmin wrote they can't make it today because it's too risky to sneak out today. Apparently their father is onto them", Jisung answered, tipping a little bit on his phone to show the little chat he had with the redhead. Chan frowned a bit at the texts since Seungmin's texts seemed a bit rushed. Jisung seemed to notice Chan's vary gaze.
"I know it's strange but we need to just trust them", the warlock sighed, pocketing his phone again. Chan had to agree with the warlock. He wasn't entirely sure if Seungmin would tell him if something was wrong with their family but Byungho surely would, right?
"Sorry we are late", you could hear Hyunjin call out in the distance. The siren along with his blond cousin came running towards the six other males. They seemed a bit out of breath but otherwise fine.
"What took you two so long?", Minho spoke up, pushing himself up from the wall. The cat hybrid mustered the two quickly with a bit of an accusation in his eyes but Chan was pretty sure Minho wasn't mad. Jeongin caught his breath first and answered for him and Hyunjin.
"Auntie was worried and we had to reassure her that we would be fine. She also thinks about moving away", Jeongin answered, the last part was mumbled. This brought the mood down instantly. They were officially a group now. The last thing they wanted was being separated again.
"Maybe we can ask Taeil or Taeyong if she could stay here", Felix suggested, trying to bring the mood up again. Chan will forever adore Felix for always trying to be positive even though he knew the amount of worries the young ginger must have because of his parents.
"That is an amazing idea, hyung", Jeongin smiled at the ginger. Felix mirrored the smile just a bit brighter. Those two were definitely the group's little sunshines.
"I guess you didn't talk to her about the rescue mission NCT is planning?", Changbin spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. The vampire was still leaning onto the wall, having his arms crossed over his chest while his gaze was more fixated on the ground than the group. Hyunjin sighed and shook his head as an answer to the vampire's question.
"We couldn't ask, hyung. When we came home yesterday the first thing auntie did was wrapping us up in a big and tight hug, which she almost never does. She told us how glad she was that we were okay and how she didn't want to loose us too", Jeongin explained, looking to the ground while playing with the hem of his sleeves.
"It's okay, Innie. You don't have to join this if you don't want to", Felix reassured Stray Kids' maknae, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Chan internally agreed with Felix. Nobody will force it onto Jeongin and Hyunjin. Besides Chan liked the thought of knowing at least two of his friends were completely safe.
"I think we won't participate in it", Hyunjin mumbled almost to himself. The siren looked at the ground while shifting his weigh around a bit. "We can't do that to my mum", he added.
"Understandable, so don't worry about it, you too", Chan said, smiling a bit at them to let them know it really was okay. The wolf hybrid knew the problem since his mother hadn't been fond of the idea either when he told her about it yesterday evening but it didn't take a lot of persuading to get her to agree. She even said that she will probably participate too if she was allowed to, which made Chan feel weird relieved since he knew his mother was a great fighter. Yedam, who was aware of the rescue mission too would have to stay back though because neither Chan nor Mrs. Bang would let him take part in this plan, no matter what kind of argument he brought up.
"Enough of this negativity. We don't need that for now. Let's get to the trainings hall", Yedam urged, walking behind Hyunjin, Felix and Jeongin so he could just pushed them forward like a cart. Chan chuckled a bit at his brother's behavior and he wasn't the only one. Jisung and Minho seemed kind of amused too. Yedam really was a happy pill for everyone in his surroundings.
In the end Yedam's wish was granted and the eight males found themselves in the trainings hall. Yedam and Chan saw the gigantic hall for the first time while the other six were very familiar with it. Chan had never in his life seen such a huge hall.
"I am gonna run a few rounds", Yedam stated, taking off his pullover. He wore a plain black shirt underneath. Still, the younger shouldn't just shift and run off.
"Yedam, no, you-", Chan tried to say but he was ignored by his younger brother, who shifted into his wolf form and just ran away, exploring the little parkour, which was set up from the last training session from who knows who. It was great to know how well Yedam listened to his older brother.
"Little brothers", Chan sighed, picking up Yedam's pullover from the ground. "He doesn't have any injuries unlike you, hyung, so let him have his fun", Felix chuckled, carefully patting Chan's shoulder. It was the uninjured one but he was still careful. Chan sighed again, watching how his little brother jumped onto one of the high blocks, which stood in the middle of the hall.
"Come on. Let's show Chan what we learned while training with NCT", Jeongin suggested, teleporting on top of one of the blocks in the blink of an eye. Sometimes you almost forgot Jeongin could teleport himself without having to cast a spell.
"That's a great idea", Felix cheered, following Jeongin by proofing he was good at free running. With a certain elegance did the young cat hybrid climb up to the kitsune. He had a bit too much kick because when he lifted himself onto the block he crashed into Jeongin, letting them both tumble. This gave their friends a bit of an heart attack but they were fine since they didn't fall down from the block. They even laughed loudly after a surprised gasp from both of them.
"Lee Felix, Yang Jeongin someday I will have a heart attack because of you", Chan called out to them jokingly. "But you aren't that old yet, hyung", Jeongin retorted sassily. The kitsune showed a cheeky grin when he sat up. This kid had guts, you have to give him that.
"Don't make me come up there", the wolf hybrid responded, acting like a parent, making the two younger males laugh even louder. It was nice to see them laugh.
"Hey. You maybe should stop laughing and get off each other or we might think we missed out on something important", Minho stated, wiggling with his eyebrows. He was teasing them but he also had a point.
Even from the ground, where the majority of the group stood you could see how both younger males blushed when Felix got off Jeongin. Yedam came running back to the main group since he seemingly was interested in what they were doing right now. Jisung let out a little shriek and hid behind Minho when the black wolf approached the group. Chan couldn't blame the warlock for that since Yedam was a quiet walker and looked very impressive in his wolf form since he was fully grown black wolf. The young male also turned back into his human form, so he could properly communicate, making Hyunjin gasp a little.
"I have never seen a wolf hybrid turn back into his human form. The other way around his such a common sight nowadays but to see the transformation back really hits different", the siren stated. Chan as well as Yedam looked kinda confused because of that. Sure Hyunjin was right but they couldn't really understand why it was so special.
"Well, I'm no werewolf so I can transform back without being worried about cloths", Yedam responded rather bluntly. Hyunjin blinked a few times before you could almost see the light bulb above his head.
"Oh yeah. I knew there had to be something. I guess wolf hybrids have the most remarkable back transformation out of all known supernatural creatures. Turning back from my siren form is just gross", the siren stated, scrunching up his nose. This let Chan raise an eyebrow because he couldn't properly imagine that.
"I can confirm that. It really is gross", Jeongin yelled from his spot on top of the block, making Felix beside him giggle. Hyunjin's head snapped towards them and he looked like he didn't want Jeongin saying that.
"Didn't you want to show Chan-hyung what we learned while training with NCT?", Changbin spoke up. The vampire had a certain distance between himself and the group, which Chan felt bad for not noticing but he understood if Changbin needed space. After all he knew what it meant to loose a parent but the young vampire had it even worse than that because he lost both of his parents in a terrible way but also inherited their very important position as king of all vampires.
"Almost forgot. I will start", Hyunjin said, smiling a little bit. Chan noticed that the siren didn't want to brung the mood down. He turned to the group, focusing on Chan.
"Ready?", the siren giggled, looking at his group leader. The silver-haired male was a bit worried because the taller's voice sounded already different but he nodded anyway. Hyunjin smirked a tiny bit before he opened his mouth again and started to sing but Chan had the feeling the singing wasn't coming from the siren even though he saw his lips moving.
Suddenly there was a higher tone on Chan's right, which made him turn his head into the directions but there was nothing there. When he wanted to look back to Hyunjin the siren was just gone. He looked at the rest, who looked just as confused as him. Even Felix and Jeongin, who should be able to see Hyunjin better from their point of view looked confused.
"Has he done this before?", Chan asked, looking at Minho and Jisung. Both shook their head. "To our defense he rarely trained with us since he has natural abilities unlike the rest of us. He mostly trained with Mark-hyung and Doyoung-hyung but he never mention this trick", Jisung responded, looking around in search for Hyunjin. Hyunjin's honey-like singing could be heard in the whole hall.
"Try to find me", you suddenly could hear him giggle from somewhere, without the singing stopping. Chan felt like he was caught in a magical illusion even though he knew for a fact that sirens weren't capable of creating such. Suddenly Changbin dashed forward and behind one of the blocks. This action was followed by a shriek of Hyunjin along with a stopping of the singing.
"Found you", you could hear the vampire say. "Hyung you broke my song", Hyunjin complained loudly, stepping out of the shadow of the block along with the vampire. The siren had a pout on his lips and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
"What by all gods was that?", Yedam asked while his eyes glimmered with amazement. Hyunjin smiled proudly at the black-haired wolf hybrid, letting his pout disappear in an instant.
"It's my personal siren song. It can send everyone who hears it into a trance, making them confused and disoriented. Or at least I thought it works on everyone", Hyunjin explained, saying the last sentence in a rather sulky manner while looking at Changbin. The vampire only shrugged.
"Alright I am next", Jeongin cheered from his spot on the high block. He grabbed Felix's hand and teleported the two of them to the main group. "You will be surprised and amazed, hyung", the kitsune smiled at Chan before teleporting away again but this time without Felix. The blond stood on top of one of the blocks again, looking down to his hyungs and Yedam.
"Don't try anything dangerous", Jisung yelled after him. It was also the first thought in Chan's mind. "I won't", the blond replied with a smirk on his face before he turned around, facing the group with his back.
Chan looked at the kitsune in question since he just stood there, on top of the block with his back turned towards them. Suddenly the blond just stepped over the edge, letting himself fall.
"Jeongin!" Chan yelled and wanted to dash forward but Jisung kept him from doing so by stretching his arm out. "He is a fox spirit, a trickster, hyung", the warlock reminded the older in the exact moment where the falling Jeongin just disappeared as soon as he touched the ground. The silver-haired male sighed in relieve. "This is so not funny", he breathed out.
"Sorry, hyung. My specialty are illusions but I can also demonstrate something else", Jeongin called out from somewhere but Chan couldn't really tell his exact location even with his enhanced hearing.
In only the blink of an eye did the blond teleport directly in front of Chan, startling the wolf hybrid with his orange glowing eyes. The silver-haired male automatically took a step back and noticed that not only Jeongin's eyes had changed. The young kitsune had a pair of fluffy fox ears on top of his head and a long fox-like tail, which gently wiped over the floor. The ears and tail matched Jeongin's hair color, making him look like a very special kind of creature.
"Woah. This is amazing. I didn't know fox spirits had a hidden form", Chan goggled, completely forgetting Jeongin's mean trick from before. Yedam looked at Jeongin with his mouth hanging open. The young wolf hybrid had never seen a kitsune in this form before and it was just entirely mesmerizing for him.
"You are so pretty", the black-haired wolf hybrid complimented Jeongin. The kitsune smiled, showing his dimples while saying "Thank you".
"Our turn!", Felix suddenly yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Come on, hyung", the ginger said, taking his brother's wrist, so he could drag Minho a bit away from the main group. Chan frowned a bit. Felix was behaving really strangely just now. The wolf hybrid glanced at Jeongin, who looked after the Lee brothers without any special expression on his face. If Chan had to guess he would say Felix had a crush on Jeongin but was it mutual?
"Attention everyone or you won't be able to follow", Felix called out again. "Minho and I will do a little parkour race through the whole hall. Yedam can join if he wants to", the ginger suggested, looking at the wolf hybrid. "I would love to", Yedam replied, immediately turning into his wolf form. He walked up to the Lee brothers as a black wolf and situated himself beside Minho.
"Jisung you give the signal", the older cat hybrid, smirking a bit. Jisung huffed and raised his pointer finger in the air. "Ready. Set. Go", the warlock yelled letting a little light explode on the tip of his pointer finger.
Minho and Felix set off in an unbelievable tempo with Yedam having problems keeping up and he had four legs. The two cat hybrids moved, turned and jumped so quickly it really was hard to keep up. Especially their jumps seemed very powerful. Getting kicked by them would knock you to the ground for sure.
Chan could also decipher some fighting techniques out of their movements. The must have trained kicks a lot but when the wolf hybrid heard the faint sound of claws scratching a hard object he was certain they also worked on techniques which required their claws.
Poor Yedam couldn't keep up with the Lee brothers even though he really ran as fast as he could and made some quite high jumps. Felix reached the goal first, closely followed by Minho. You almost couldn't tell who won but everyone clapped anyway. Minho didn't stop after reaching the goal though because he seemingly thought it was a great idea to run up to Jisung and pick him up to swirl him around like in those romance movies. The warlock shrieked loudly while Minho giggled. Felix watched the two with a small smile on his lips before he turned to Yedam, who came in last while panting quite heavily.
"You really are a fast runner", the ginger cat hybrid complimented, patting the younger's back. Yedam looked up to the ginger while wagging his tail. Even though he was a big, black wolf he could still look cute while wagging his tail happily.
"Alright my turn and then Changbin's", Jisung announced, patting Minho's shoulder as a sign to be put down. When the warlock stood on his own two feet again he fixed his cloths quickly before clearing his throat.
"I need a guinea pig. Changbin-hyung, please be my guinea pig", the blue-haired warlock asked, looking to the vampire, who stepped forward wordlessly. "I need to concentrate so you all better be quiet", the warlock huffed, cracking his knuckles. Jeongin only rolled with his eyes a bit, showing that the warlock was exaggerating.
"I will do a paralyzing spell. You can try to dodge", the warlock challenged the vampire. "When you are able to hit me", the vampire smirked a bit. For the first time in what felt like eternity Chan saw a little bit of life return into Changbin's eyes but he also noticed how the red color seemed to go back even more, which hopefully was a good sign.
Jisung and Changbin readied themselves. "Go, Hannie", Minho cheered, making Jisung smile a little. Without realizing it Chan put his hand onto his heart. He really hoped Byungho was okay and well because a part of him had a bad feeling. It wasn't really strong but there ever since he was at the medical station.
"Chan-hyung you are giving the start signal", Jisung called out, completely focusing on Changbin. "Alright", the wolf hybrid started, pausing a bit.
"Ready. Set. Go", Chan called out. Jisung immediately shot a ball made of yellow light towards Changbin but the vampire dodged it with ease. The blue-haired warlock shot more of those little yellow balls towards the vampire but he really didn't have any kind of problem with avoiding them. Still it was impressive how fast Jisungwas able to shot those little spells.
Suddenly the warlock changed his tactic and mumbled another spell, followed by another one. Without warning blue glowing ranks came out of the ground trying to grab onto Changbin's legs but the vampire jumped up high, landing on one of the high blocks. Jisung huffed in annoyance and shot another yellow light ball at the vampire. This time Changbin almost didn't see it, which Jisung used to his advantage. The warlock immediately mumbled another spell, shooting it at Changbin's feet but the vampire jumped to another block just a second before he could be hit. The spot where the male with the black hair had stood was now covered with ice.
Chan made a mental count how many different spells Jisung used in this fight, so he could note down the warlock's progress from this point on. He was pretty sure Jisung would make a lot of progress. After all he was talented.
"Is there any chance for me to win this?", Changbin asked out loud after dodging another attack from Jisung. "No but if it helps you, I will acknowledge my defeat if you are able to touch me", the blue-haired male smirked.
"Well that's easy", Changbin huffed. The vampire quickly jumped down from the block he was currently standing at after he avoided another attack from his magical friend. He dashed towards Jisung probably aiming for a quick win with his supernatural speed but when he got close to the warlock he was pushed away by some sort of force field.
"When did you put up a force field", Chan questioned curiously while Changbin backed away again when Jisung tried to restrict him again. "Before I shot the ice spell at Changbin-hyung", the warlock answered, not letting Changbin out of his sight for one second.
The vampire stood at a safe distance seemingly thinking about a plan to break through the force field. Jisung on the other hand tried the ice spell again. It got dangerously close to Changbin without him moving an inch. With a swift move the vampire stood in front of Jisung's force field. The next few movements were too fast for Chan to register but Changbin managed to break the force field and touched the warlock in the exact second his feet were hit by an ice spell, letting him be stuck on the spot.
There was a short silence since everyone needed to register what just happened but a slow clapping, which echoed through the hall let everyone's attention turn towards the entrance. There stood Taeil, who seemed quite impressed by the little training's fight Changbin and Jisung put up.
"This was a very good fight. You really are talented. All of you to be honest", the guardian stated, putting his hands behind his back. "I won't beat around the bush for long since you seem to appreciate directness. I need to have a little chat with Changbin if you don't mind", he said, getting to the point quickly.
Chan looked to Changbin and Jisung, who officially ended their fight by stepping away from each other. Jisung had quickly freed Changbin's feet from the ice with probably another spell but Chan hadn't noticed it. He was much more worried that Changbin was called by Taeil alone but maybe it was something that was purely vampire-related.
"It won't take long. I promise", Taeil added after probably sensing hesitation in both Chan and Changbin. The vampire prince (technically already king but there hasn't been a coronation yet) looked back to Chan, which surprised the wolf hybrid a bit but he just nodded reassuringly to show him it was okay.
"Alright. Just know I will tell them about our chat", Changbin said. Taeil nodded and motioned towards the entrance of the training' s hall. It was pure politeness to let the vampire walk out the door first and after thinking about it a second time it also seemed logical to Chan. Even though Changbin didn't wear a crown or had a coronation yet, he was king now. People will soon even bow to him as a greeting and not only let him walk out the door first.
After the two had disappeared Chan heard someone loudly huff beside him. It was Yedam, who had turned back into his human form a while ago.
"You know I would be exhausted after so many important talks with the rather important members of a group like NCT. I really respect Changbin-hyung for still having the nerves to just have another one with the second guardian of NCT", he commented, stretching his arms a bit.
"Changbin is really strong in that point", Hyunjin replied to that. The rest could only agree.