There is something very unsettling about Kim Namjoon's displeased countenance. He displays irritation yet does not raise his voice. In fact, he seems rather adamant on keeping his mouth shut. Taehyung finds it impressive, how he is able to let one know they've done wrong without having to utter a single reproach. He looks around, waiting for someone else to express their condemnation of his behaviour but everyone had adopted Namjoon's stance: silent scolding stares.

Yoongi, as weary as ever, grunts as he sinks further into his armchair while Hoseok's knitted brows makes it quite obvious he has not forgiven the theft of his wings. Jimin clears his throat before pulling out a remote control. "Taehyung, you're on the news."

And sure enough, within the fuzzy and shaky phone images, he recognizes the imposing dark wings from which fly chaotic hexes. And for the first time, he sees Jaewon's silhouette hitting the ground as witnesses scream in horror. Some even managed to capture Taehyung's dematerialization, gasping in shock as they tried to make sense of what had just happened.

The journalist reporting on the event is desperately attempting to make head or tail of the recordings which, he says, have been authenticated by the authorities in charge of the investigation. His own inquest has led him to the hospital where the victim is presently being treated for — purple pus seeping out of pimples which have erupted all over his face and body, likely following what he labels a "vicious attack on the part of what may very well be paranormal forces".

Jimin turns the screen off at the request of Namjoon who makes it clear he's seen enough. "Taehyung, I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation which we have agreed to call a crisis. Therefore, I expect you to cooperate to the fullest of your abilities as we lead our independent investigation into this matter."

Taehyung nods, "of course, I'll do anyth-"

There's a loud knock on the door which startles them all but before anyone can even respond, it flies open, letting in a visibly miffed vampire. "Since none of you, honourable members of the SSB Council, seem to remember that I am a key witness in this case, I thought I'd kindly remind you of my existence."

Hoseok cannot but scoff at the gutsiness. "A witness you say? And what exactly did you see as you were biting the dust?"

Jungkook wants to riposte but Yoongi raises a tired hand. "Kid, I know how you like to make everything about you. However, this was Taehyung's mistake and we must now brief him before his interrogation tonight."

"My what?" It is the first time Taehyung hears of any sort of official questioning to be conducted by the authorities.

Jimin flies to the rescue of his confused — and slightly frazzled — friend. "The Seoul Bureau of Numinous Affairs has requested your presence. You are to report at 12 am at their Gangnam branch office."

"What?" Taehyung and Jungkook shout as one.

Namjoon speaks again. "You heard that right. We have just been notified. No need to be alarmed though. We believe it's just standard procedure whenever such — breaches occur."

Jungkook cannot help but giggle. "Midnight tonight, huh? They sure like to make things dramatic."

The vampire's constant interruptions are not contributing to the lightning of the mood, Taehyung can tell as Namjoon's frowns deepens. Placing a gentle hand on his arm, he whispers, "I appreciate your willingness to be of assistance, but perhaps we can let boss finish explaining. I, for one, would love to know what to expect this evening."

If Namjoon is grateful for Taehyung's mediation, he doesn't show it. Looking at the report sitting on the desk in front of him, he asks instead, "what was that hex you used?"

The witch's face falls. "I-I'm not sure. I panicked. I don't recall what spells I cast but you have to believe me when I say that it was never my intention to harm him. I just wished to distract him long enough for us to get out of there. Jungkook was dying. What else was I supposed to do?"

It is common knowledge that Taehyung does not deal with stressful situations very well. The teary eyes are a good indication that his nerves are about to snap. Jimin makes a move to provide him with much needed comfort, wrapping an arm around the nervous wreck Taehyung is at the moment. "Hey, Tae. Breathe for me, will you? I got you."

Namjoon speaks up again, but with concern in his tone. "Tae, calm down. This is not about pillorying you in any way. This is just an emergency Council meeting we decided to hold in order to hear your side of the story so that we may best help you prepare yourself for what's to come. Alright?"

"Alright." The voice is not very loud, but Taehyung's stance is visibly stronger than what it was just a minute ago. "Do you think, perhaps, Jimin can tag along?"

Jungkook sniggers. "The garden fairy turned librarian? How can he be of service to you?"

Crossing his arms in defiance, Taehyung replies, "his presence alone gives me solace, whereas yours just puts me on edge".

Namjoon swiftly terminates the budding quarrel, reminding them there is no need to argue over Taehyung's possible escort since he is to show up unaccompanied. That settles one of the numerous issues they have yet to discuss. As promised earlier, the witch does his best to recall and narrate last night's events, successfully weathering the Council's questioning without breaking down once.

"The Secret Sevens, of all people, should know that I was never meant to be caster. And if the Seoul Bureau of Numinous Affairs wishes to confiscate my wand, I will gladly let them," he concludes with a sigh. To all present, it sounds as if Taehyung is relieved at the prospect of being dispossessed of magic.

That is when Jungkook, who has somehow managed to keep quiet until now, decides to object. "Nonsense. I knew you were no Hermione but this really takes the cake. The culprit here is Jaewon, who used you to get what he wanted. Why should you pay for his crimes?"

Taehyung's head hangs low. And the vampire cannot, for the life of him, figure out why no one else is standing up to knock some sense into the witch. "May I remind the Council that if it weren't for Taehyung, I'd be dead by now?"

The silence that ensues is deafening.

"Well. If you're willing to let him talk himself down like that, then I think we're done here. Come, Taehyung. Let's go."

He makes a move to pull the other out of the room but Taehyung won't budge. "You don't understand. No one just wags an official summons."

The inner workings of their world have remained obscure to Jungkook who never found it useful to concern himself with such trivialities. Which is why he sees things a little differently. "Why not?" he asks. "Are they going to release a warrant for your arrest? Or unleash some beasts to track you down?"

"That's a possibility."

"Pffft. Let them come. I'll show them the extent of my powers."

The irony of Jungkook boasting about his mastery moments after being discharged from the infirmary is not lost on the audience.

Taehyung calmly reminds him that he is not his personal bodyguard and that it is his choice after all, because it was his mistake to use magic in the presence of humans. But the vampire is being particularly stubborn today, forcing Namjoon to raise his voice. "Jungkook, the Council has duly noted your willingness to assist us in our probe. Know that your contributions are valuable. Also, please be aware that summons — the likes of which Taehyung has been served with — are nominative. In other words, you cannot accompany him. You may take your leave now while we brief your partner on the procedures ahead."

"I will not take my leave. And I will accompany Morgana over here to wherever he needs to be tonight. You'll be glad someone is there to testify to his innocence when they charge him of wrongdoing."

The loud grunt Yoongi lets out can only mean one thing: no use arguing with that one right here.

Despite the jibe, it is not clear to Taehyung whether he should be grateful for the vampire's sudden interest in his exculpation. What soon transpires, however, is that no one among the Sevens knows exactly what is going to happen to him when he presents himself at the specified location.

By the end of the emergency meeting, Taehyung decides Jungkook's presence by his side is still preferable to the prospect of showing up alone.

╱╲╱╳╲╱╲

He arrives there early, thanks to his speedy hoverboard and to the lack of traffic at this late hour.

A shadow moves to greet him. Jungkook is there, waiting, incidentally confirming the rumours that the creature rarely takes orders from SSB. "Are pets allowed?" the vampire asks, noticing Ash sticking his head out of the witch's overcoat.

"I didn't have a choice. The Vault doesn't have any cages that fit him. Besides, he won't part with me."

There's no denying the obvious devotion the tiny drake exhibits, making himself at home within the folds of both Taehyung's clothes and heart.

They enter the building at once. Stepping into the obscure lobby of one of downtown's most iconic skyscrapers without setting off any alarm whatsoever despite there being three of them instead of one brings a smug smile to Jungkook's lips. Indeed, Namjoon was convinced the vampire wouldn't make it past security.

Speaking of which, they notice an old man sitting behind the front desk, motioning for them to go through high-end metal detectors before letting them in with a nod.

"What floor?" Jungkook asks, eyeing the elevators.

"181338."

"Sweet vixen, may I remind you where we are? The Yuksam building is so called because there are only 63 floors."

"I'm just reading off the summons, you know. See for yourself, Count Orlok."

With a hiss, the vampire confirms Taehyung is, in fact, expected to report to an office on level 181338. They throw a quick glance at the watchman who shows no sign of concern nor willingness to help them out. So when the elevator doors open, they step in, ready to improvise.

Eyeing the numbers before him suspiciously, Taehyung suggests they press the first, eighth, thirteen and thirty-eighth floors, "just to see what happens".

"Our options are rather limited at this point, so yeah, let's start with that."

The caster does as proffered but the lift simply rises to each requested floor, unclosing onto dark hallways for it is now well past office hours.

"How about we add up all the digits and try 24?"

They test a few other possibilities — fruitlessly — before giving up. "This is not right. It shouldn't be so tricky."

Nervousness slowly creeping through his system at the prospect of being late, Taehyung offers to call their boss. But one thing his partner is known for — apart from his undying passion for bickering — is his stubbornness. "We'll figure out! It can't be that hard. It might even be some kind of trial to assess your worthiness or whatnot."

Taehyung lets his body slide to the ground in defeat. "And here I was, thinking I had made it clear I was not worthy."

"Don't say that." Jungkook is probably just as curious as he is stubborn. He would love to get to the bottom of this self-criticism Taehyung seems so obstinately prone to. But they have a hidden floor to find. So he plops down instead and lets his head drop to the side. "Hold up."

"What it is?"

Jungkook points at the buttons he has just noticed. "Have you seen the number of underground levels?"

There are at least a few dozen of them. They hit the jackpot on their third try when something that doesn't usually happen in human-made hoists occurs. The lights dim and a voice from what sounds like the afterlife gone digital echoes all around. "Floor 18-13-38. Seoul Bureau of Numinous Affairs."

It's presently very hard for Taehyung not to squeeze Jungkook to death for his luminous inspiration. "If you hadn't called me vixen just a minute ago, I think I would have kissed you right now."

Jungkook swears he has the perfect comeback, but for some reason, the image of Taehyung's lips on his own keeps messing up his snappy retorts. "Shut it." The unbecoming stutter is barely dodged.

He doesn't know how much time it takes to reach the desired level, but obviously, the ride is not long enough for him to get a hold of his wits. When they arrive at their destination, he hardly has the reflex to follow Taehyung out as they enter what they mistake for a spacious lobby at first. They soon notice the many cubicles occupied by workers busying themselves behind see-through flat screens and other electronic devices.

Nobody pays attention to them and they probably would have just stood there till morning, were it not for the janitor shooing them away in order to proceed with the scrubbing of the already sparkling floors.

"Kim Taehyung?" says a strong yet somewhat broken voice behind them. Both turn around and jump at the sight of a large, greenish ogre of sorts. The trollish face, however, is quite friendly, sporting a pair of spectacles that looked positively tiny on top of the prominent nose. The white shirt and black tie contribute to the professional aura emanating from the extraordinary employee called Zul, according to his name tag.

That's when Ash — whom they had forgotten about for the drake had been rather discreet — figures now would be a good time to practise spitting fire balls. The troll is surprisingly quick to prevent his spotless neckwear to carbonize. "Pest?"

"No, no! It's my pet. Not yet weaned."

It takes quite a bit of self-control for Jungkook not to burst out laughing. "What does it eat," he asks instead.

The wink he gets in response is flat-out mischievous. "I hear their species is mad about bats."

Again, Jungkook wants to bite back but Taehyung's antic plays on repeat in his mind until they enter an office, barely large enough to fit the three of them. The interrogation begins with formal identification, followed by the question of their respective occupations.

"We both work for the Secret Seven Brigade."

"Field agents?"

Jungkook confirms but Taehyung disagrees. "I'm really more of a back-office tech agent. This was my first field mission."

Zul silently reads from his file before uttering, "talent?"

"Caster." Taehyung's voice is barely audible, as if ashamed of his gift.

"Ma Jaewon fell victim to one of your spells. Correct?"

"Correct."

"Not correct," Jungkook protests. "This was self-defence. Jaewon attacked first. You have to stop calling that schmuck a victim!"

"He is a giftless. Correct?"

"As far as we know, he is human, yes." Taehyung doesn't want to elaborate for that would mean acknowledging their surveillance of this prime suspect had been somewhat lacking.

"Hospital reports mention purple pus." Zul grimaces. "What was that spell you used?"

"I do not remember," the witch admits, slightly embarrassed.

The grunt they hear in response is, however, not one of compassion. "Have you brought your weapon, as instructed?"

"I have." Taehyung hands over his army wand for Zul to examine. "Swiss-made," he adds, recalling how excited he'd been to have won that bid.

"Is this the only weapon you possess?"

"Well, my other wand got stolen."

The groan is louder this time. "I trust you filed a report for the missing item?"

"I d-did not, no."

Jungkook and Taehyung suddenly discover a new dimension to grunting decibels as the growl amplifies. "Why not?" Zul asks.

"It was — unregistered."

Taehyung and Jungkook practically go deaf this time as Zul lets out the most booming grumble ever. "You mean illegal."

"The black market is where I make all my purchases because I'm not licensed."

Zul eyes his screen quizzically. "I see no school records to your name. Where did you get your training, Kim Taehyung?"

It's a pity Taehyung doesn't know how to make himself invisible for now would be the perfect opportunity to show off his magical skills. Instead, he sinks further into the seat and half-heartedly confesses he was denied education in witchcraft.

Compassion does not seem to be a trollish trait. "Why is that?" Zul questions, voice as callous as ever.

"It's — a long story."

Zul points at the clock on the wall. "We have all night."

The tale Jungkook has been waiting to hear finally begins. He soon finds out that to be gifted with the craft of magic, one must inherit the art from a spellcaster wishing to pass their nous onto someone before they die. Taehyung's own grandmother was such an enchantress and on her deathbed, she had called upon her granddaughter whom she believed had what it took to carry on the family tradition. Taehyung, who'd been studying to become a doctor, was present by her side at the time, attending to her needs as she waited for his sister to show up.

"Grandma was not well, but there wasn't much I could do, except check her vitals every now and then and keep her comfortable and hydrated," he explains. "That night, she was particularly agitated. I got up to see if she had a fever when she grabbed my hand, calling me by my sister's name."

He pauses. No words are needed for Jungkook to understand that the gift had been bestowed upon him by accident.

"She died shortly after, not knowing what she had done. By morning, it became clear to everyone I had stolen the talent that was rightfully my sister's. I was disowned and forbidden to ever set foot in the house."

Silence cages the untold story. It doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to picture Taehyung struggling to master the craft on his own. Something stirs within Jungkook. Perhaps it is admiration at the thought that Kim Taehyung — a self-taught caster — has demonstrated plenty resourcefulness in order to save him from demise. Or perhaps it's something else altogether. He doesn't know what it could be, and tries not to mull over it for he might just unearth some uncomfortable truth he may not be ready to deal with at the moment.

Taehyung hasn't uttered another word, too busy hiding his genuine surprise at the sight of Zul wiping off a tear which is threatening to trickle down his coarse features. What a vision indeed.

Clearing his throat, Jungkook points at the gloves Taehyung is always wearing. "Is that what those are for? To prevent the gift from being bequeathed by chance?"

"I do not know how these things work. Is it even an exact science? All I am aware of is that this gift is no gift at all. It is a curse and I wish it on no one."

"I would be dead without your gift."

"We both wouldn't be here without my gift either."

Junkook understands. And empathizes. How many times had he pondered the what-ifs of his existence? Too many to count for sure. But he eventually learned to tame his own curse, embrace it even, turn it into the fuel of his subsistence. Perhaps Taehyung needs a little more time to bend his bane into a blessing.

"Well, the Bureau cannot strip you of a licence you don't have." Zul is, unsurprisingly, grunting his emotion away. "I'll have to send in my report. You can expect to hear from the High Court who will decide what to do with you."

The High Court.

One of the highest authorities in the world of the paranormal, not notorious for its leniency but rather its consistent ferity.

"Please make sure to write in your transcript that Taehyung is a valuable asset to the Secret Seven Brigade and that his contribution is significant. Can you do that?" Jungkook's plea betrays suppliance.

"Do you know what would help his cause?" It is the first time Zul addresses the vampire, voice sombre as the troll enumerates his exhortation. "Retrieve the stolen wand. Cure the injured party. And wipe his memory clean if possible."

—

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