cheolsoo • The Society of The Shadow / Eng ver.

4. in which everything goes wrong

Magic Spells updated:

Pestium - stun spell
Magniortus - temporary paralysis spell
Vexior - pain spells, similiar to Crucio in Harry Potter
Silendio - silience for a short time

Protendo - spells that create shields for a short time

***

Chapter 4: in which everthing goes wrong

Joshua had questions about Seung Cheol's absence throughout the classification day but he couldn't bring himself to ask. It was not a good memory to recall or even discuss anything. What he saw in the vision haunted him.

Every night, it would creep into his dreams, causing him to suffer. He recalls how it felt to see Seung Cheol lifeless. The grief of those he didn't recognize, as well as the way his skin and bones fell apart, stayed the same. He was in excruciating pain.

While suffering from the same nightmare every day, Joshua realizes that his weakness is their love. He has no choice but to conceal it, to be more cautious and prudent.

That's why it remains hidden. You cannot reveal to others how to destroy you during this dark era.

***

As far as Joshua could tell, the allocation process took at least a week. It was a difficult session since they had to add more students to the dorm, create extra common rooms, adjust the amount of classes... and many other things. One of the most shocking revelations was that The Prince, who originally studied Rose-Quartz Citadel, is now one of their schoolmates.

His name is Kim Mingyu, the Queen's second son, a year younger than Joshua. He's tall and handsome as hell, good in sports and many other things. But the fact that he is Jeong Han's ex-boyfriend makes Joshua pay more attention to him.

That's a major secret which Jeong Han makes him swear not to tell anyone.

Joshua found it fascinating at first. It was fun watching them flirt with each other. However, he saw a serious problem with their relationship over time.

They had a tendency of fighting and reconciling over and over again. If Joshua remembered correctly, the couple had a cold war every week since they started dating. They used to argue on Mondays, then kiss and make up on Fridays. During the cold war, JeongHan came to Joshua, pushed the best friend to go out, and moaned about Mingyu while drinking alcohol. The dude couldn't stop till he passed out. Joshua had to carry him back to his room by himself.

Now, Kim Mingyu is here. He is not only a schoolmate, but also a classmate. Jeong Han ends up in an awkward situation.

Joshua eventually took the chance to mock him and say:

"This is karma. You broke up with him and didn't respond to any letters, but now he's here, so close that you can lay any finger on him without even trying."

Jeong Han slumps into a schoolyard bench, rolls his eyes, and talks loudly.

"Why on earth would I want to touch that boy?"

"You call The Prince "that boy"? You used to like him so much that the age difference wasn't an issue. You said it yourself. And when you broke up with him, you turned everything upside down by saying you preferred older men. I got shock as well."

"You did?" Jeong Han furrows his brow.

"What's up with that attitude?" Joshua tries not to curse at his best friend.

With a sigh, he eventually adds:

"To be honest, he's only one year younger; I don't think it's even an issue. Age is only a number; feelings matter. Let me remind you that a 20-year-old girl in our class recently married a 30-year-old farmer."