Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Ten

"I'll be fine," Jisung rolled his eyes, "the pack should be back by now. And besides, I don't think anyone will try to murder me in broad daylight." A short chuckle escaped him, causing Felix's eyebrows to furrow.

"This isn't a joke. You almost... you almost died." He frowned, and Jisung offered him a small smile, patting his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Lix. And," he leaned in, a grin slowly easing its way onto his lips, "you should tell me your roommate's a wolf before I come over next time." He chuckled again, and the blonde boy winced, nodding as he groaned, shooing him out the door.

Jisung waved before the door closed behind him. As soon as it was completely shut, his smile immediately slipped off his face. He cast a look over his shoulder at the apartment, before he hurried halfway between Felix's door and his neighbour's.

He peered around the hallway, waiting several moments, straining his ears for any sound of approaching footsteps. When he found none, he crouched, index elongating into a long, sharp claw. He winced slightly at the transformation, but the pain faded quickly and was swallowed up until there was not a trace left.

He pressed his finger down against the carpet's seam, and slid it across the bottom of the wall, tearing the fabric. He reached down and lifted the flap of carpet ever-so-slightly, a frown pulling at his lips as he took notice of the strange, dull marks on the wood floor beneath it.

He let it drop and ran a hand down his face; even though this proved he'd been right, he really wished he hadn't. He looked at the door, his frown turning bitter; he hated keeping things from his best friend. Especially things that were so potentially – and obviously – dangerous as this.

But he knew Felix; and he knew he'd obsess over it, driving himself mad to figure out who had put the enchantments on his apartment, and why. He'd put himself in danger, even more than he already was, to reach his goal. He'd done it before.

Jisung tugged at his hair before he shook his head, forcing himself to walk away from the apartment door. He'd tell him, eventually – when he'd figured it out; but not today. First, he'd talk to Grand Wizard Moonsoo about it; there was no doubt in his mind that this was the work of a witch, in the old language of Acarthian, the original tongue of all magic-folk.

He loosed a quiet breath, shaking his head one last time as he left the apartment complex.

~#~#~#~#~#~

The packhouse bustled as usual, perhaps even more so; it had been a long time since any of them had seen one of the magic-folk, and most were often entranced by the prospect of them. Jisung shouldered his way through the thick crowd; he knew Grand Wizard Moonsoo was in the common room. He didn't need his nose to know that.

He deflated slightly as he took in the large crowd surrounding the elderly man; there was no way he'd ever be able to see the wizard for a while yet. He ran a hand through his hair, fingers catching on all the knots that had formed on his way there – he really did miss being able to shift into his wolf.

"You aren't gonna be able to see him for... at least three hours, sorry to say. People just love their problems." He jumped at the unknown voice that came from behind him, and he whirled around, only to be met with a boy he'd never seen before leaning against the wall. The first thing that caught his eye was the red hair, and he immediately knew that he was no wolf; wolves didn't dye their hair.

"Who are you?" he asked, muscles tensing as he eyed the boy; he didn't particularly smell like anything, either. Definitely not a wolf. The boy smiled and his eyes flashed purple. Jisung startled before slowly relaxing; a wizard.

The boy shrugged. "I'm Kim Seungmin." He pushed himself off the wall and rolled his shoulders. "I'm Grand Wizard Moonsoo's apprentice." He said it with pride, and his eyes drowned in it, glowing with his self-satisfaction.

Jisung hesitated. He peered over his shoulder, looking both ways before he leaned in closer, face the epitome of seriousness. "Do you... do you think you can help me? It's rather... important. Maybe even dangerous, for some people." Seungmin quirked a brow, but at least he looked interested.

"Oh? And what is this... important matter about?" Jisung swallowed thickly, shaking his head.

His voice lowered to a whisper, his gaze uncertain. Over the bustle and excitement in the room, he knew no one else could hear him. "I don't think I should say here."

"Interesting. Alright, then," Seungmin said, eyes flashing in curiosity, now. Without anyone else noticing, the pair quietly slipped out of the common room.

~#~#~#~#~#~

"So, what's this secret, important, dangerous thing you're worried about?" Seungmin asked, his eyebrows quirking upwards. Jisung ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Do you think it'd be possible for, uh, runes...?" He gazed up at the young wizard questioningly, to which the boy nodded. "To be... placed around an apartment, so that... the people inside can't smell anything from outside the runes?" Seungmin's eyes widened and he blinked.

Soon after, he shrugged. "It's just a simple Concealment spell," he said. Then his eyebrows furrowed and he stared at the wolf oddly. "Why is it so dangerous?"

"Because..." Jisung sighed. "It's put around an apartment where two wolves live, and..." He gnawed on his bottom lip. "And... last night, when I was over, I saw someone standing on the balcony. Their cloak didn't move with the wind and it was storming outside. When I looked twice... they were gone. I couldn't smell who it was." Now it was Seungmin's turn to appear baffled.

"Okay, I get your point. That's kinda creepy, actually." Jisung nodded, the hairs on his arms rising slightly as he thought about the shadowy figure. "Show me where these runes are."

A/N:  I just love redhead Seungmin, oKaY... and it gives me magic vibes fite me

ALSO! I'm going to my grandparents' cottage for the week, and they literally support my writing more than any other family member I have, so I don't think they'll have a problem with me sitting down to write for a little while every day, but I still want to spend time with them more than anything else because they're not getting any younger, and I really don't spend enough time with them, which is something I need to change. So forgive me if I lag a little bit!

Q: Would you rather three day weekends every weekend but no summer break or the other way around?

A: Three day weekends, probably. I mean, summer is nice and all and I like my break, but I think it would diminish my stress-levels to have three day weekends instead XD

Lots of love,

~Junnie