Late November

1592

I saw him again.

This morning, I had been sent out to town with one of the chambermaids. Not wanting to waste any more time than we had to in the cold, the two of us had separated to complete our individual tasks and then make the long trek back to the manner. Taking advantage of the solitude, I managed to slip further into the square and head towards one of my favorite shops to replenish my ink and scroll supplies. The shop was normally rather high-end and would never sell to a commoner such as myself but I was smart in my persuasions and had convinced the owner that I was purchasing for the young Lord and Lady. Seeing as I was always frugal with my meager earnings and was friendly with most of the other merchants in the market, I always managed to talk things down to lower prices and use the leftovers for my own needs, however shady that was. Soon I became a frequent customer and the man quickly stopped questioning my intentions and was always eager to see me.

That was when I saw him. The crowded street parted like the sea for just the briefest of moments and I caught sight of his broad back that was nearly unmistakable. His dressings were as elegant and finely tailored as ever and he stuck out sorely compared to the rest of his surroundings. The others in the square. noticed how out of place he appeared as well as he was quickly garnering a crowd that acted as if they weren't staring from afar.

He must have sensed I was standing there as in that moment, he had turned around and spotted me amongst the onlookers. He seemed to recognize me and smiled brighter than the sun itself and stepped forward. I felt the breath seize in my chest.

"I was wondering if I would run into you again." He had said through his grin. His cat eyes sparkled with mischief as if he knew for certain that we would and I could feel heat grow on my cheeks that was not caused by the sun. "How is your ankle?"

"How did you know my name?" I couldn't help the sentence from bursting forth. The thought had been on my mind since the second he had left me last. It was unwise to question a nobleman but in regards to myself, I felt it was justified.

The noble blinked owlishly at me, a bit surprised by the outburst but regained his smile. "My apologies for being presumptuous. I was a visitor at your manor some months ago and saw you for the first time in the courtyard as a maid called your name. I figured you remembered who I was."

I felt my ears burn and almost smacked myself on the head for entertaining strange ideas. He wasn't some strange man who just happened to know his name, he had been a visitor. Though I was sure I should feel a bit flattered that he remembered a lowly servant's name. But I also wonder why I never caught such a striking visage at the manor. I felt mildly embarrassed at the situation.

The nobleman, somehow privy to my emotions, decided to change the topic. He pointed to the shop beside us and asked if I was going in to buy something. Noticing the shop that I always frequented, I quickly shook my head. If he were a noble that knew the Lord and Lady at the manner, it was not a good idea for him to see me purchasing ink and scrolls and he might just mention my hobby to the masters of the house.

I love writing but my mild education has always been a bit of a secret and, if it got out, would put me at a great disadvantage. In the beginning of my servitude, I was taught just enough to entertain any guests for a few moments but nothing more. Anything else I picked up was from mutterings I had heard from around the Manor and the streets. Eventually I got my hands on a spare scroll that had been ripped and a frayed brush. Writing seemed to come easily after that. I know very few characters but I wish to learn more. Perhaps what I write is only legible to me but it is my solace, my release, and I refuse to give it up because I was careless and let something slip.

The man before me didn't seem to accept my denial and instead looked at me with a rather strange eye. He told me to wait a moment as he went in to pick up a few things. Confused, I watched as he entered the store. I don't know what had compelled me to listen to a complete stranger, but I had, and a few moments later he walked out with whole armfuls of the most ornate scrolls I had ever seen. They were woven with the most unique patterns on the backs and a golden tassel seemingly woven of the finest threads hung from the wooden rod as decoration. In his left was a fresh ink pot in a metal container that was painstakingly hand crafted. My eyes widened as I knew just how expensive those things were. I eyed them nearly every time I set foot in the shop.

As if the things he held were of no value to him, he thrust them into my arms and, in my shock, I struggled to keep the items from falling to the ground. I could feel my chin hit my chest.

"What are you doing?" I remember I had squeaked out to him. He just smiled that same captivating, and infuriatingly handsome, smile he had shown me earlier and gave a wink.

"Your fingers have ink stains on them," He observed coolly. "If you're going to lie, you should really try harder."

"I can't possibly accept any of this." I exhaled, fingers trembling around the merchandise. "Why are you doing this."

"Figured I could just help you get what you came for." He said as if it were the most simple thing in the world. "A person needs quality equipment when writing."

He had begun to walk away after that. I felt myself frozen, my inability to speak suddenly leaving me. Finally, before he had disappeared back into the busy market place, I had managed to summon my voice.

"Wait!" I called. He turned. "I don't even know your name."

The man just turned his head over his shoulder and winked. He pointed to the scroll still in my hands. Catching the meaning, I scrambled to open the scroll in my hand and was met with a hastily scrawled picture reminiscent of the river we had first met in the forest and a moon in a position that indicated a certain time of night. At the bottom, there was a word hastily scribbled and made of the few normal characters I actually recognized.

Seonghwa

XxX

Hongjoong inhaled as the vestiges of wakefulness crept upon him. The vague images of candlelight and the smell of ink leaving him as he groggily blinked. He took a moment to register that he was back in his bed and the early morning sunlight broke through the cracks of the curtains to sprawl across his face. Shifting and stretching out his muscles, he took a glance at the alarm clock sitting on the desk beside him.

6:00 a.m.

Knowing that sleep wouldn't return to him, Hongjoong laid there for a few moments as he took in the warm of his blanket as it reflected his own body heat back to him. He had dreamed again. It wasn't very often that Hongjoong had dreams. Or at least ones that followed him into wakefulness. There were never any concrete details in these images but they always seemed to follow the same wavelength of scrolls upon scrolls of scrawling words that the boy was never able to make out. It was a rather odd type of dream to have, considering nothing really happened. However, his dreams always seemed to come or get a little more vivid as his birthday draws closer and with each year that passes.

It is almost that time again.

Feeling the still cool metal move around his wrist, Hongjoong moved his arm up to look at the dangling charm as it caught the light. He had been here a total of five days now and no matter how long he wore the bracelet, it was still cool to the touch, as if it were a reminder that it was still there and doing its job. Inside, the blunette was happy that the charm was doing it's work. True to its promise, the teachers hardly paid him much attention and the course work was still simple bookwork. Hongjoong was dreading the day that he actually had to do anything involving practical application. He just knew, charm or no charm, that he was going to draw a lot of attention then.

Finally deciding he had wasted enough time lounging and that he should shower to get ready for the day, Hongjoong sat up and placed his feet on the floor with a languid stretch, a small groan leaving his lips as his bones settled and his tense muscles loosen. As he lowered his arms, he caught sight of a lump curled in the opposite bed facing towards the wall and away from the blunette. The smallest sliver of silver hair was visible above the blankets.

Seonghwa.

It had been a few days now since Hongjoong had arrived at this strange school and he still didn't know much about his mysterious roommate. In fact, they hardly saw anything of one another. He still didn't know why all his previous roommates had requested to switch rooms before but so far there had been no problems. Seonghwa would always return late after Hongjoong was already asleep and most of the time be gone before he woke. The blunette was dying to find out what kind of person this man really was and Hongjoong's inherent curiosity of the boy only increased once he found out that he was the headmaster's son.

Personally, he didn't see any similarities between the man curled up on the bed and the kind headmaster but he could just take after the mother. They both did have silver hair after all. Was it natural? Dyed? They also did have different last names. Was he adopted? Did his parents get a divorce? Hongjoong had so many questions but he didn't dare speak them outloud for risk of sounding nosy and insensitive. Silently, he made a vow to make an effort to at least make small talk with Seonghwa tonight.

Moving his gaze from the other man, the blunette stood and grabbed his toiletries from the closet. As quietly as he could to not disturb his sleeping roommate, he tiptoed out of the room and down the hall towards the communal washrooms. As he got closer, a sudden chill so strong it stopped him in his tracks and ran down his spine. Stopping, Hongjoong took a moment to look up and down the hall, thinking that maybe Wooyoung was up and using his teleportation powers to mess with him as he had in the past. Spotting no one, the blunette shrugged. The building was older and it was getting colder outside. Maybe he had just walked past a place with poor insulation. Paying the sensation no mind, he carried down the hall, eager to step under the spray of hot water.

XxX

Hongjoong exhaled tightly as he slid into his desk just as the bell overhead began to ring, signalling the beginning of class. Despite getting such a headstart on his morning routine, he took a little too long getting ready and the lines in the canteen for breakfast ended up getting too long. Realizing he didn't have time to wait, he grabbed a bit of fruit from one of the shorter ques and headed out. He hadn't managed to find any of the others that morning but figured he could catch up with them at lunch time.

"Cutting it a little close there, aren't you?" Jongho whispered from beside him as Hongjoong reached to get his notebook out of his bag.

"I made it didn't I?" Hongjoong shot back with a smirk just as Eden walked through the doors. At the sight of the instructor, any talking in the class immediately hushed and he stepped towards the podium to take role and answering when their name was called.

"Yeji?" Eden called from his sheet. When there was no answer, Eden looked up and glanced around the classroom. Hongjoong looked behind him and noticed that the seat where the cat-eyed girl sat was indeed empty. He vaguely remembered that she was a second tier level student from the Chrysanthemums present on her school uniform.

Roll call continued and it turned out that there were one of two other students that were absent but considering the weather outside, it wasn't unheard of to think that the beginning of flu season was upon them. Class continued as normal and Hongjoong furiously scribbled everything he could inside of his notes, much to Jongho's amusement and slight ire at the scratching sounds. The blunette, as skeptical as he had been about everything before, was slowly finding himself fascinated by everything this world had to offer. It was his wildest fantasy novel come to life and it was all right in front of him. Some things, however, he could still believe were real life.

"Now, at the beginning of the week we talked a little bit about magical properties but we have not talked all that in depth about Gifts and their implications." Eden began from the front of the class. "Gifts, I'm sad to say, are not individual in the way you might think. The simpler the Gift, the more common it may be to meet someone with the same inclination. If you have a knack for making potions, chances are there are others out there similar to you." The young teacher said with a bit of sympathy in his voice.

"However, if your Gift is more powerful, chances are it is more unique." Eden segued. "Take the elements for example, if your Gift is directly related to one of the magical properties, your powers may be of considerable strength and are a lot more rare to find. But, like all magic, there is a give and take. This means that these Gifts are quite a bit more difficult to control and, if mishandled, can often become dangerous to the user or those around them. There have even been instances and reports of a shortened lifespan or health issues in the future if not handled correctly."

"Since Gifts are considered different separate from the Magical Properties, it is not uncommon to see Gifts influenced by more than one of the these." Eden left his post at the podium and began to pace around the room. "Remember, the Properties are to be used more as a guide to separate magic into categories for simplicity's sake but do not segregate them into boxes where they cannot interact with one another. A Gift can come from both the Star and Sun categories but whichever is considered the stronger influence of the two is considered the governing body."

"Now, I know that it is rather late in the year for this with the term about to end, but tomorrow I want to do some practical lessons." Eden suddenly said. Hongjoong's furious note-taking instantly came to a halt with a scratch. Practical what? He looked over at Jongho whose eyes were just as wide as his, confirming his fears.

"I want to see if you have been keeping up with individual practices and have an early test of your skills." Eden explained as he walked up the aisle, stopping right beside the blunette's chair. Excited murmuring broke out in the class. "Hopefully some of you will take advantage of this opportunity and manage to score high enough to test out of the remedial class a bit earlier than usual." The teacher cast a look and Hongjoong who still sat frozen at his desk. "It will also allow our new student here to finally get his level test for the next semester."

A sharp inhale that the blunette honestly couldn't tell if it came from his table-mate or he himself. A practical test meant a show of skills. He wasn't magical. He didn't have a Gift. He had nothing to show and everyone would know it. Everyone would know he was a mortal amongst the mages.

Hongjoong was royally fucked.

XxX

"Yikes, what's got your panties in a twist?" Mingi commented upon seeing Hongjoong and Jongho approach their normal outdoor table underneath the tree. He and Yeosang were the only ones there at the moment. "You both look like you swallowed lemons or something."

Hongjoong didn't immediately comment as he slumped onto the bench with a sigh, his bag clanging noisily. Jongho, taking pity on the other, decided to speak up.

"Eden is having a practical exam next week." The red head said, taking his place next to Yeosang.

Mingi winced. "Geez, that's got to be rough. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Hongjoong sighed. "Is there not some kind of spell that can give me magical abilities for a little bit."

The taller man just shook his head sympathetically. If there was a spell like that, it would be disastrous. Anyone and everyone could use it and not for the right reasons.

"Thought so." The blunette muttered bitterly as his eyes raked over the busy courtyard. He noticed Wooyoung talking to the guy with the pie-chart hair from Halloween night. "What's going on there?"

The others at the table all turned to look to spot what Hongjoong was talking about. The two seemed to be speaking casually with Wooyoung pointing back towards their table but the other just frowned and shook his head sadly before gesturing to the building behind him. Finally, the pie-chart guy turned to head inside the building he had pointed to while their friend's shoulders slumped slightly before he headed towards the lunch table.

"San must have turned down Wooyoung's lunch invite again." Yeosang commented casually as he stabbed at his salad as if the scene was of no importance. "They used to be really good friends until San's Gift manifested. Now he always says he is way too busy with extra lessons to hang out."

"But why?" Hongjoong said a little confused. "Just because he has extra lessons doesn't mean they can't still be friends. He can't be busy twenty-four-seven."

Yeosang just shrugged as Wooyoung got close enough. "Not my place to say."

"Struck out again, buddy?" Mingi asked casually as their teleporting friend slumped onto the bench in a similar manner that Hongjoong had earlier. The taller of the two patted Wooyoung's back sympathetically.

"I just don't know why he has to keep lying and saying he's too busy with the headmaster." Wooyoung rolled his eyes in an annoyed fashion. "I wish he would just get over it and stop avoiding me. It's like he doesn't even want to be friends anymore."

"If you don't mind me asking," Hongjoong cut in and ignoring the looks the others at the table shot him. "I don't know much about this guy but what happened between you two if you used to be close? Did you get into a fight or something?"

"Wow, you don't hold back do you?" Wooyoung chuckled but with no real annoyance or anger. If anything, the words were said with mild amusement. "We used to be really close friends in the beginning, practically inseparable. We would play and go to classes together all the time. We had a lot of fun." He paused for a moment as if reminiscing on a different time. After a moment, he shook himself out of it and cleared his throat.

"But that was before when we were just learning the basics. You remember that I said I manifested my Gift two years ago?" Hongjoong nodded. "Well, San managed to manifest his about a year before me." The blunette raised an eyebrow at this while the rest of the people at the table seemed disinterested, having already heard this story before.

"We had snuck out into the forest to play one night after curfew. We were playing pirates and had a sword fight with some of the loose branches. Before we knew it, we were too far into the forest and didn't know how to find our way back." Wooyoung ran a hand through his hair as he recalled the events, something far off in his gaze. "Eventually we must have stumbled into a bear's territory and pissed it off. We were so scared that we just took off running. Kind of ridiculous thinking that two kids could outrun a wild animal but it was all we could do. It was so dark that San ended up tripping on a tree root. I stopped to turn and help him but the bear was already upon us. Right when I thought we were done for, San just... exploded. It's the only thing I can think to describe it. Wooyoung said, his voice carrying a modicum of awe in it.

"The flash managed to spook the bear away but then we felt the heat on our skin and everything was suddenly orange and red. San he forest was on fire." Wooyoung frowned before rubbing at his temple. "I don't remember much of what happened after that. I hadn't developed my teleportation yet so we were as good as trapped. I'm not even sure how we were rescued but since that night, San started to avoid me. He's been terrified that he is going to lose control like that again. It's why he started working with the headmaster so much. Fire is not a forgiving element and he knows it."

Wooyoung's shoulders slumped as if he had been defeated. "I just wish he would trust me and himself a little more. I want my friend back." He muttered miserably. Hongjoong placed a hand on the other and patted it in an awkward form of comfort as the younger finished his tale, mildly regretting asking. The rest of the table followed suit with their own words of support.

The group was about to move on when they suddenly noticed Yunho walk up in a rather distracted manner. His mouth, normally sporting a smile, was pressed in a thin line. His eyebrows were pinched in worry.

"There you are," Mingi was the first to greet the new arrival as he noted the look on the other's face. "Lunch is almost over, what happened?"

"Sorry," Yunho said solemnly as he took a seat next to the other tall boy. "I got held up in the infirmary."

"The infirmary?" Jongho raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing in there? Were you hurt?"

Yunho just shook his head, face still tight. "You know how sometimes I get called in to help out sometimes when the nurse gets overwhelmed."

Right, Hongjoong had forgotten that Yunho's gift involved some kind of healing. He still wasn't exactly sure how it worked but he figured now was not the time. He would ask more about that later.

"So why do you look so concerned?" The blunette asked. "No one was really hurt right? Just some paper-cuts and bruises?"

"Normally, yeah." The pinkette shrugged. "But this time was a little weird. We had a case of magical exhaustion."

"Exhaustion?" Yeosang put his chin in his hand. "That's weird. Normally the school is really careful monitoring spells so that doesn't happen. Not to mention practical lessons aren't really happening right now."

Yunho bit his lip, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that is what is so weird."

"Who was it?" Mingi questioned. "Maybe it was a kid coming into their Gift and they just overextended themselves because they don't know how to control it."

"That's what I thought at first but it wasn't." The pinkette shook his head. "You know that second tier student, Yeji? It was her."

Hongjoong and Jongho shared a look with one another. So that was why she wasn't in class that morning. But if magical exhaustion was so infrequent, the blunette was curious about what had happened. From the blunette's limited understanding of how this school worked so far, second tier students have already awakened their gifts and have moderate control over it. Sure, she was in a remedial class for review but surely students wouldn't try and activate a Gift without supervision. 

"Well, at least she's ok right?" Jongho questioned just to be safe, concern coloring his tone. They weren't really friends but magical exhaustion was always a serious deal.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just resting right now." Yunho assured the rest of the table. Just then the bell rang for the afternoon classes to begin and everyone started to pack up their lunches.

Hongjoong stayed slung his back back onto his shoulder and waved goodbye to the others. He had a strange feeling in his stomach but decided to keep it to himself for the moment. He really didn't know enough about magic and the situation to really way in. Instead, he made his way towards his History class while hoping that Yeji would be alright and how in the world he was going to fake it through his practical tests.

XxX

Hongjoong took a deep breath and rolled his neck as he stood outside of his door, hand hovering just above the handle. He didn't know why he was so nervous about this. It was his room too. He just wanted to have a conversation with the person he was sharing a space with. Is that so odd?

Bracing himself, he finally grabbed the handle and turned it while barreling inside before he could lose the nerve. "Hey, roomie, I'm back!"

Silence.

The room was empty with the lights still on. The room looked exactly how he had left it that morning except that the window next Hongjoong's bed was open letting in the light breeze from outside. The wind lightly fluttered the blue curtains and made them dance.

"What are you doing?" Hongjoong jumped at the sudden voice from behind him. Whipping around, he spotted Seonghwa dressed in a loose black t-shirt and grey joggers as he lightly ran one end of the towel around his neck across his still dripping hair. The blunette's eyes unintentionally locked onto a stray drop of water that fell from the end of his hair and trailed down his neck, down and down and-

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going into the room?" Hongjoong blinked as his eyes snapped upward and towards Seonghwa who raised an eyebrow at the other's strange behavior.

"Oh!" Hongjoong exclaimed, realizing he was blocking the doorway for the other to get in. Chuckling awkwardly the brunette stepped aside. Seonghwa rolled his eyes before brushing past the other to sit down in his bed as he continued drying his hair.

Feeling out of place, Hongjoong shuffled his feet lightly, not sure if he should stay or go. Taking a deep breath, the other boy strengthened his resolve and reached for the door and closed it behind him. Once that was finished, the bluenette walked over and sat down on his bed across from his roommate.

"So, uh, Seonghwa, right?" God, this was awkward. The silver headed youth looked up from his ministrations but didn't comment. "I guess we will be rooming together for awhile. I mean, it's already been a few days but we should get to know each other right?"

Seonghwa removed the towel from his head and held it loosely in his hand as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "What do you want?"

"What?" Hongjoong blinked, taken aback by the sudden deadpan question. "What do you mean what do I want?"

Seonghwa sighed and stood from his bed, the frame giving a creak at the weight shift, and walked towards the closet. Opening it, he tossed his towel in a hamper that Hongjoong could just make out when looking past the other. The boy closed the door with a soft click and turned around, leaning against the doors.

"You found out that I'm the headmaster's son and now you want something, right?" Seonghwa shrugged one shoulder. "So, what is it?"

Hongjoong felt like he had been struck across the face at the accusation and an anger started to bubble in his chest like a small flame. Was this what the other thought? That he would just use him for personal gain? Had others done that before? Used him and flee or left because the other boy had accused them of the same thing. 

"Is that what you think?" The blunette huffed, offense coloring his tone. "That I'm just going to use you to get what I want?"

Seonghwa seemed unfazed by Hongjoong's ire. "Of course," The silverette spoke. "You all come in here and make your demands while trying to find dirt on me to report back to my dad so you can get your way but it's not going to happen."

Hongjoong hopped up from his bed, his irritation too high to cover. He took a step forward and drew himself up to his full height. The other man was still taller but it didn't matter.

"Listen here," The blunette huffed. "I don't care who your dad is or isn't. He could be the damn president of Korea for all I care. I just wanted to make my living situation as comfortable as possible for the both of us but you go ahead and make accusations without even knowing a single thing about me!"

Seonghwa's eyes grew wider the longer Hongjoong talked as he stared down at the fiery man. This was new territory for him, someone standing up to argue. He wasn't really sure what to do.

"Maybe, before assume someone wants something from them, you should try and find out what kind of person they are." Hongjoong finished with a huff before spinning on his heel. Angrily, he opened a drawer and pulled out a set of pajamas and threw open the door angrily as he walked out of the room to do his nightly routine. All the while leaving Seonghwa to stand in the middle of the room staring at his retreating back.

XxX

It was foggy. The tendrils of mist curled in and out from the maze of trees in the deep forest and the moon was full and bright as it hung far up in the sky, casting an ethereal glow on to everything below. Hongjoong felt the leaves crunch under his bare feet as he took a tentative step forward.

"Hello?" He called out into the open air as he turned in a circle. Where was he? How did he get here? And how did he get out? In the back of his mind, the blunette realized that he was still in his pajamas for the evening and that the night's chill should be seeping into his bones but he felt none of it. Not even the dewiness of the fog impacted him.

A breeze ran through the forest and ruffled the leaves. Hongjoong felt his hair flutter softly and the smell of fresh water hit his senses. A sound of a droplet. So stark and audible it was as if it had happened right beside Hongjoong's ear. Startled, the blunette turned sharply.

"Hello?" He called again but, like last time, didn't expect an answer. "Is there anyone out there?"

Suddenly there was a shift in the fog and in the distance, Hongjoong could spot a silhouette standing, their figure shrouded in darkness. Not knowing what had possessed him, Hongjoong felt a pull towards the person standing in the middle of the forest. He took a step forward. And then another. And another. Soon, the blunette found himself running and running through the forest but no matter how many steps he took, the figure didn't get any closer. Instead, it almost seemed like it was getting farther away. Another sound of a droplet.

"Wait!" Hongjoong called out, his hand extending into the air as if it would somehow help in catching up to the person ahead of him. "Don't go!" He didn't know why he was doing this. His lungs and legs were burning from exertion but some force inside his chest continued to pursue on and on. The figure, possibly hearing his voice, began to turn slowly, as if in stop motion. The motion was just enough to move the silhouette's face just slightly into the light of the moon but was still mostly covered. It smirked before vanishing in the mist. 

"Wa't..." A still asleep and blanket swaddled Hongjoong whined in his bed as he shifted. His roommate still sound asleep. "D'n go..."

In the bedside drawer, a light began to shine softly through the cracks like a peaceful shimmer just bright enough to call out for attention but not enough that it was blinding. Inside the drawer lay a thick tomb that was all but forgotten. The very same book Hongjoong had accidentally taken from the library.

On the dresser, an alarm clock marked another minute and the hour struck twelve. It was November 5th, two days from Hongjoong's birthday. 

Notes:

Hello, I am greatly dissatisfied with this chapter and wanted to make it longer but felt that there wasn't anything I could really add that would fit the format even though this chapter was pretty disjointed and rushed to me. I feel like it is pretty boring but finally, we are a bit out of the straight introduction stage and we can get into the real meat of the story!! And yay a Seonghwa interaction albeit it probably didn't go how you all wanted. 

**Any questions about the magic of the world thus far? What are you curious about?

I will do my best to answer in the comments or future chapters because in my head I know what is going on and want to make sure that is coming across.

Also made a cover for this but if someone else can edit better that would be awesome or have some art!