Dulce Periculum

14. Welcome In

Mingi picked up at the second ring. 

"Yeah?" The background sound of his voice fizzled and rushed, as if he was running or a storm whirled around his surroundings. Perhaps he was also out to save lives right now. Yunho wanted to see him again. Mingi appeared confident in his abilities without Lux's haughtiness. 

"Can you send someone to pick me up?" Yunho asked, not bothering him longer than necessary. They had all the time to talk once he made it to Tenebra.

"Send me your location. I will have someone with you in twenty minutes." With that, the line clicked and Mingi's deep voice disappeared. Though it calmed Yunho, he didn't chase after it. He tapped around on his phone to comply with Mingi's wishes.

Auresce tracked him from the very beginning. Perhaps Tenebra also kept tabs on Yunho, but he was flattered to be given a choice. Be it an illusion or not.

After sending his information to Mingi, Yunho dawdled in the alley. He made sure to pull his hood over his head and lean in a shadow, looking inconspicuous to the outside eye. With his bag, he could easily pass as a loitering university student. He never attended since he lacked the funds for the tuition, but he always dreamt of student life. Instead, he worked every odd job available to make ends meet.

His parents would have scolded him for his ignorance towards Auresce when human lives were at stake, but Yunho saw more than enough to know he wouldn't save anyone. At most, he would cause more deaths.

It didn't take long for a sleek black car to pull into the street joining Yunho's alley. He recognised the man stepping out as the same driver from last time. It took him twelve minutes to get there.

"Hey," he greeted Yunho when he emerged from the shadows. His determination must have shown on his features, because a grin dashed over the man's lips.

"Back so soon?"

"Yeah. We are going to Tenebra," Yunho said when he slipped into his same seat. He held onto his belongings as the car whizzed down the streets and out of the city to the villa in the distance. 

Though his driver was noticeably nosy about the turn of events and kept glancing at Yunho in the rearview mirror, he held his tongue. Nothing was set in stone yet, though Yunho made his decision.

They pulled onto the curb of Tenebra's villa and, like last time, Yongguk awaited them. He had some time to gather himself until Yunho arrived, so his smile was steady, along with his handshake.

"You returned quicker than expected," he greeted Yunho and, though the circumstances were unfortunate, Yunho's grin was easy-going. The air changed immediately, though these were also espers and guides. Those deemed a hazard by Auresce.

"Things unexpectedly worked out. I would like to take you up on your offer of working together." 

Though Yongguk saw it coming, he politely beckoned Yunho inside to sit first. The driver brought the car away, leaving the room to discuss. 

"Are you sure you had enough time to think about your choice? It will be difficult to return after you spent some time here and Auresce caught wind of it," Yongguk reminded him. Yunho shook his head at his offer for a drink. His leg bounced in his armchair and he still wore his jacket and bag, ready to get moving.

"I can't let anyone else die because of me. Where do I start?" He asked, straightforward. Yongguk showed a more genuine gummy grin.

"For now, we wait until the team returns from the rift. Then we will test your abilities to determine your rank and find you a suitable guide. Mingi has an eye for these things," he offered instead of a contract to bind them. It would come, mostly for Yunho's security in case of an emergency, but that had time. Yongguk mentioned last time he wouldn't push Yunho to jump into a fight until he trusted his abilities.