The old mansion on the hill looks exactly as he remembers.

Faded white walls, tall Victorian arches and weathered tin roof gleaming in the sun. Every detail as heartwarming as he dreams of at night.

The only home he's ever known, filled with laughters and clamour. Taehyung can almost hear Jimin's giggles, and grandpa Jin's sappy jokes as he cooks in the kitchen.

The family has been at the house for generations. The library full of musky old scrolls and sketches, the ritual room in the basement that's always comfortingly dark - every corner of the house is touched with the mysterious, the wooden floors creaking and whispering of forgotten secrets.

Taehyung stands by the front entrance and hesitant, heart thrumming nervously, face blanched.

After all, he's the one that ran away from it all as a teen, moving into the city to live on his own, willingly fading into the crowd as an unassuming nobody. He remembers vividly how much he grew to hate everything here, the witchcraft, the fear of losing control of his power, the suffocating responsibility and expectations.

He swore vehemently to never return. But here he is, heartbroken, worn out to the bones, with no more strength left of his own to face reality.

The reality that his love has died.

Suddenly, the front door opens. Taehyung gulps and sees the familiar dimpled smile, "Yoon said you'd be here today, I didn't believe him. You know he's never gonna let me down on this one."

Tears start to well up in Taehyung's eyes, as he falls into Namjoon's embrace. And just like that, Taehyung is home. He feels Namjoon thumbing away his tears and whispering to him, "it's ok, you're back now. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together."

It's overwhelming seeing everyone's familiar face, Jin and Hoseok laughing heartily, Yoongi pushing out a stiff little grin when their eyes meet. But the one that's the hardest for Taehyung to face is Jimin.

Jimin. His little brother, so young when he left, who still relied on his companionship. The glint of coldness in Jimin's eyes makes Taehyung flinch, but as he wipes away the tear stains on his cheeks, a sob breaks out of him and he sees Jimin's gaze soften. Taehyung worries his lips between his teeth as Jimin walks towards him, and exhales sharply when he's pulled into a long hug.

"I'm sorry." He rasps, tears soaking into Jimin's shoulder.

"Don't you dare leaving again." There's something sharp in Jimin's voice, but Taehyung knows there's no bite to it.

Taehyung ends up sleeping in Jimin's room, staying up all night catching up. Sometimes they speak rapidly, overlapping each other like the impatient little kids they were before, sometimes the room is filled with silence, as their thoughts drift apart.

Taehyung tells Jimin how tough the outside world was, how alone he felt and regretted running away from home, how much he missed Jimin and the rest of the family. It was all a huge mistake, until he met Jeongguk.

It was like a dream, the year they had together. The city no longer felt cold and grim, but instead painted in pastel hues and hopeful glimmers. They were never apart for long, and Jeongguk was the only one that Taehyung revealed his true identity too, with an anxious heart and a nervous tick. Taehyung was afraid, he didn't want to see the inevitable look of shock and disgust in Jeongguk's eyes, the same look from the village kids growing up that hardened his heart. But Taehyung had to tell him one day, for he could never love someone that didn't embrace his biggest secret, the true identity of his family. And to his surprise, Jeongguk just looked at him with a fond smile on his lips, "baby, you're special. I love you and am honoured you would share who you are with me."

It turned out Jeongguk always suspected something. For as hard as he tried, Taehyung could never truly disguise the magic within him, the touch of stardust that would slip out when he's relaxed or emotional - the way his blanket would levitate just a little when he's sound asleep holding onto Jeongguk, the glistening pink mist that shrouds him when they kiss.

Jeongguk had always known Taehyung was special, and he had made peace with it, loved him more because of it. When Taehyung finally understood that, he felt relief washing over him, and a sense of fulfillment, that his life had finally come full circle.

Love conquered all, if Jeongguk could embrace who he truly was, maybe he could accept himself too, after all.

What Taehyung didn't realize, is that like two sides of the same coin, there's an opposite to love and life - death is the unbreachable divide that turns all the rainbow hues into endless black.

"I miss him, Chims, I miss him in every passing moment. It's like he took a part of my heart with him, and I can't move on, I'll never be whole again." Tae's eyes are screwed shut, his whispers faint and mixed in between their shallow breaths, like a dream that lingers and refuses to fade away.

He feels Jimin's hand through his hair, and his voice echoing on his mind, "you've been away for too long, Tae. You forget that death is not the end, but the beginning. If he means that much to you, if I could make your tears go away, I'd do anything, we all would. Tomorrow, we'll talk to Yoon..."

Taehyung has always been scared of Yoongi. Even in the afternoon sun, with the golden rays softening his profile, Yoongi's dark eyes pierce right through him, reminding him of all the childhood days when his lies would trick Namjoon easily but never get pass Yoon.

"Are you back for good this time? No more running away?" Yoongi comments.

Taehyung shakes his head, deflated, "no more running away."

"That's the thing about you, what I could never understand. So much potential, namjoon always said you would grow up to be the most powerful one of us all. But you cared about what other people said, cared about it more than your family. You broke namjoon heart, you know? He blamed himself for you leaving us."

"I'm sorry. I don't know - I don't know how you all do it, how to make peace with it all, to just be." Taehyung's lips quiver.

A sigh. "Anyways. Jimin said you wanted to bring someone back, someone that's passed away."

"Well, I don't know." Taehyung wrings his hands and eyes him uncertainly, "I don't know what I want. I just know I can't move on. He's the one and I can't move on now that he's gone."

Yoongi stares at him, just watches him retract into himself, and finally comments, "he's not gone, not yet anyways. You have to do it yourself, I can only open the portal but you have to really want it, to give something up in return."

Yoongi gets up, shaking off the languid afternoon sun, and there's a gleam in his eyes, something mysterious and older than all of them.

Taehyung remembers the reason he's always been intimidated of Yoongi. It's not about his demeanours, they are family after all - Yoongi wears his love on his sleeves as clearly as his disdain for other things.

No, what he's always been afraid of, is the dark magic seeping out of Yoongi, calling to him, luring him in.

They spend a whole week preparing, Namjoon and Yoongi pouring over the vast library of spells, and grandpa Jin and Hoseok visiting other witches and contacting purveyors for rare materials. And one night, with all the nights turned off and the six of them sitting in the family ritual room, amidst flickering candles and the comforting scents of potions, they are ready.

Taehyung seats in the middle and Yoongi draws shapes all around him with the enchantment dust based on the family recipe. The black dust glistens under the candlelight and shifts with each step Yoongi takes, forming circles and lines surrounding Tae.

"People always think the symbols and potions look creepy. What they don't realize, is that those are not the source of power, but meant to protect the witches, to ground them to the spells." Taehyung remembers Yoongi speaking to him when he was still a kid, eyes gentle and hands by his arm, guiding him, "the magic has always been within you, waiting to come out. We just need to ensure you believe in yourself, that you will be safe and intact as it channels through you."

And Taehyung feels it again, the power that culminates within him, as he ignites the tray with potions on the floor, and watches as a translucent blue flame starts to grow with each recite of the spell. And when he pricks his hand and feeds drops of his blood to the flame, as the other five walk by and do the same, the flame wavers and grows, sparks of ember floating and spreading in the stagnant air, like lost fireflies drifting aimlessly.

EVOKARE LEMURES DE MORTUIS
Beyond death, we shall become one again.

The flame flickers and suddenly dies.

Taehyung's lips curl into a contented smile, as he sinks to the floor.

He can feel it again, his presence, warm and enveloping, as if he's never left. The touch is immaterial, like the subtle kisses of the wind, but his voice is unmistakable.

"What have you done, baby?"

Jeongguk is back, his physical body drifting in and out, spirit low and barely hanging on, but he's back, confined to the house as a limit of the spell that resurrected him. Taehyung grows possessive of him, afraid he would disappear back into the void one day. He barely sleeps, clinging onto him and keeps reminiscing of the past. They spend almost all of their time in the library, arguing and going in circles, as Taehyung looks up more and more spells, trying hard to make Jeongguk more stable, more alive.

"We made a mistake, should've never let him do it." Namjoon watches from the hallway and sighs.

"But how would he learn otherwise? He'll always wonder the what ifs, that's no way to live. He's a witch, needs to learn the extent and limit of his power sooner or later." Yoongi comments flatly.

"Yeah but, it still hurts watching him struggle through it. I wish it's easier for him..."

Yoongi loops his arm through Namjoon's, "It was never easy for any of us, love, that's just the way it is. Remember when my parents didn't accept you, and you tried to erase our memories of each other?" He plants a soft kiss on Namjoons flushed cheeks, "it's tough and it hurts, but we live through it and comes out stronger, more sure of where our heart is. And Tae is smart, he'll figure it out."

Taehyung talks to Yoongi one night , bleary eyed and with a sob threatening to break out, "I don't know what to do anymore, I can't give up, can't give him up. But what does that leave us?"

Yoongi stares at him thoughtfully, "well, as I'm sure you are finding out, there are always more spells to try, darker and stronger magic. It's infinite, as bottomless as people's greed."

"Yeah." Taehyung lowers his gaze, "but he's not happy. And I can feel it inside, something changing within me. The more I call upon it, the more detached I become. Some days, I forget what it's all for, just living off the sensation, how thrilling it feels, to go deeper and deeper..."

"Right, you've always had an affinity for the dark magic." Yoongi's glance softens, "even when you were a baby, I use to hold you as you slept and feel it ebb and flow within you. It was so beautiful, how instinctual it all was, how you never questioned your capabilities at the beginning of your life."

"But it's wrong, and scary, I can't control it, can't even save the one I love - " his breath turns ragged, and tears start to fall, salty wet drops that cannot be stopped. "All I want is for him to stay around for a bit longer. He was my hope, the light in my life when I had nothing left, when I abandoned my own family and couldn't even stand myself..."

And he hears a sigh, and an arm wrapping around his hunched shoulders, strong and reassuring, "you didn't abandon your family, we wouldn't let you. We are always with you. And don't worry, things have a way of working themselves out. Death is not the end, but it is the next phase, and you'll only learn to master it when you surrender."

One day, Taehyung notices Jeongguk staring wordlessly into the garden. He follows his gaze and spots a tiny puppy wandering and barking. It turns out to be a scrawny little thing, with dull black fur and rib cage visible under its skin. Strangely, he seems to warm up to Jeongguk instinctually, following him around and curling into him wherever he is.

They decide to keep him, Jimin growing especially fond of the puppy right away, "Cerberus, oh my cuddly fluffy big baby, he'll grow up to be big and scary and like a proper guardian of hell."

"Yeah, big and scary just like how you turned out." Yoongi deadpans, and watches as the puppy tugs at Jimin's pants and slobbers all over the floor.

Taehyung calls him Rus, and is grateful for the solace he brings to everyone. There's always a moment of peace when the puppy is cuddled next to him and Jeongguk, just the three of them relaxing and pretending everything is as it should be, even just for a brief moment.

The fleeting sense of serenity is broken when Taehyung finally finds the perfect spell one day. The second his eyes land on it, he feels the jolt of anticipation and fear. Finally, he can keep Jeongguk with him forever, no matter the cost.

This time, it takes weeks to prepare. Namjoon is quiet the whole time, biting his lips and slipping away whenever he gets a chance, averting his glance. And Jeongguk barely clings on, body fading in and out, thoughts far away. Taehyung forgets to eat most days, burying himself in preparing all the materials and practicing ancient forgotten spells that fill his heart with dread. Yoongi is the only one staying by his side, watching and protecting him, never interfering but always there.

But when that night comes, they are all there for him. The familiar darkness shrouds them, as silence fills the room, saved for Taehyung's chants, each word slow and deliberate. Yoongi draws the shapes, trapping Taehyung and Jeongguk with gleaming black dust. This time, there's no flame, but Taehyung glows from within, kneeled on the floor and eyes fluttering closed.

My life for yours, until we will never part.

Taehyung feels the life force within him trickling away, heart chilling and pulse slowing down.

Then he hears the door creaking open, and looks up. There's the sound of footsteps, and before it's too late, he sees big clumsy paws cutting through the black dust. And a shriek, half in terror and half in pain.

Rus falls to the floor right when he crosses the line, whimpering and shivering as his life force is sucked out. Taehyung freezes in panic.

"Baby, that's enough. You have to stop now, please." Jeongguk's voice makes him tear up, and Taehyung sees him, imbued with all the life force, his torso finally materialized and shrouded in an ethereal glow.

Jeongguk continues, reaching out to touch him, the feel of his hand making Taehyung's lips quiver, "I love you, and I'll always be with you. But not like this, not when I'm hurting others."

Taehyung rasps weakly, delirious from the surging power that's burning up his life from within, "I thought you wanted this. You said I'd never be alone again, you promised..."

Jeongguk leans in, enveloping Taehyung with his icy blue glow, breathing words into his lips, "let me go, love. One day we'll meet again, but until then, you need to have faith. Faith in our love, and in yourself."

The kiss is lingering and gentle, pausing time and making Taehyung's breath hitch. There's a sinking feeling in his heart, for he's always known what he's meant to do. What Jeongguk has always wanted.

He blinks the tears away, and whispers, "one day..."

Slowly, Jeongguk's lips curl into a fond little smile, "yes, one day, when you're ready and we meet again."

With a trembling heart, Taehyung lifts his hands and flutters them in the air. A gust of wind blows, stirring up all the black dust, destroying the intricate symbols and shapes. As the glistening dust swirls all around them and settles, Jeongguk's outline becomes blurred, fading into the air bit by bit, until nothing is left in the solemn darkness.

Taehyung collapses onto the floor, eyes misty and body worn out, finally surrendering to the void.

---

There's an old mansion on the hills, with faded white walls, tall Victorian arches and weathered tin roof gleaming in the sun. It's Taehyung's home, where he belongs, with the rest of his family, clamouring and laughing, generations of witches under the same roof.

Rus is fully grown now, big and with shiny black fur and an intimidatingly deep bark. But everyone knows he's a big softie, sleeping by Taehyung's bed every night, shrouded in an icy blue glow. Yoongi calls it a "serendipitous gift", but Taehyung likes to think of it as something more, a lingering trace of the love that'll be with him for a long time to come.

He collected the black dust from the ceremony that night, and scattered it in the garden, holding a wish in his heart. Slowly, thorny bushes began to grow over time, digging into the soil and stretching out their dark leaves. One morning in spring, Taehyung wakes up to a garden full of blue rosebuds, with glistening black speckles in the silky petals. The roses come back every spring, the intoxicating fragrance easing Taehyung to a peaceful slumber at night. He dreams of fields of blooms, Rus by his side, and a familiar silhouette with a gentle smile by his lips.

Love turns out to be the greatest magic of all - pure, and eternal.