Illusion: Ateez Oneshots

♔Inquisition♔

Dedicated to Neon_J and AngryCya 💜

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A spell gone wrong. A new curse that would haunt this town for centuries. Who knew a single charm would cause so much turmoil? One hundred years ago, the apprentice of the lord of Crescent, a witch town in the depths of the forest, casted a spell meant to amply the powers of the town's citizens. Yet it did quite the opposite.

One by one, witches felt their magic, their life force, drain right before their very eyes. Leaving nothing but a husk behind. For his crimes, the apprentice was exiled, left to fend for himself in the hands of fate and the uncertain terrors of the word.

It is said that he had a library dedicated to his witchcraft and inside, the cure to his curse. Yet no one was ever able to find it. For years, Crescent suffered. Losing a new witch every day. When one was born it felt as though another would die and they simply couldn't deal with the loss.

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Mingi caressed the knuckles of his lover's cold hands. Even though tears stained the younger witch's cheeks, Yunho made sure to keep a smile on his face, just for him. "You're not really going to cry over me, are you?" He asked, his weak voice laced with tease to uplift his friend's spirits.

"Save your strength, please..." An airy chuckle was all Mingi heard from his partner. What was once boisterous and joyful was reduced to such a feeble state. It made Mingi's heart clench. He was fading, and he was fading fast. No matter how hard Yunho tried to fight it, he couldn't escape his fate as one of the many witches destined to be drained of their life force.

"There's a map," He whispered hoarsely. "I found it in my father's study years ago...It's the location of the secret library."

"Yunho...Why are you telling me this?" The other witch broke out into a fit of coughs, clutching his chest for dear life. Mingi held his hand tighter, frantically reaching for the water resting by his bed, but Yunho pushed it away.

"L-Listen to me," He rasped out. "Please, find the library...Save the ones left. Even if I won't be one of them."

"Yunho..." Yet again, tears fell down his face, trickling onto his lover's hand that he kept close. Mingi felt the other hand slip from his grasp, moving to stroke his face gently.

"Don't cry princess, please don't cry," Mingi wiped his tears. Moving closer, he just wanted to feel what little warmth was left in the older's body. "If I die today, the very last thing I want to see is your perfect smile..." The blunette sniffed, forcing himself to grin just for Yunho. Of course, the older male knew it wasn't genuine and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his lips.

It was only then that Mingi giggled, his face brightening from such a simple yet sweet act. That was all Yunho wanted. "Thank you Mingi..." Was the final thing that left his lips before his hands went limp.

Mingi heard nothing but his fading heartbeat as he laid against his chest. He sighed heavily, letting his head drop. Then across the town, the agonising sobs of the mage echoed. That was when everyone knew they had lost the lord's son. Heavy tears of anguish drowned both Mingi and his lost partner's clothes. There were no words to describe the pain he felt.

Slowly, the bedroom door creaked open. Too distraught, Mingi didn't bother turning to face whoever was there, so they came to him. He felt something furry brush against his leg, glancing down to see a blonde cat rubbing against him. The feline backed away, its body transforming in a swirl of sparkles to reveal a tall man, with wavy, blonde locks and bright silver eyes. "Yeosang h-he..."