Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Forty

The pair shifted from foot to foot as Grand Wizard Moonsoo came to a stop in front of them. His face was grim, set in an unusual melancholy that made the wrinkles on his forehead more prominent, made his eyes darker. It put Minho off; he was used to seeing the man in a jovial state of being.

He made sure no one else was in the room before he exhaled shakily. "You are about to step into the lion's den, the one place that is quite possibly the most dangerous for you to be. There is no telling what could happen, and a million different things could go terribly wrong."

He turned towards Minho and slipped a ring from his finger. "This was your ring, once. It protected you – and it will protect you once more." He placed it in Minho's open hand, curling his fingers around it.

The silence stretched on. "What are you here to tell us, exactly, Grand Wizard?" Jisung asked at last, clearing his throat awkwardly. From the way the elderly man lingered in the room, the grim expression still adorning his face, he knew that was not the only reason he'd come to find them.

Moonsoo truly did not seem as though he wanted to tell them. A few more moments of silence passed before he spoke. "I'm here to talk to you about your... death." Jisung's eyes widened, jaw slackening. "Not... not in this life, of course. I'm here to retell the events of the night of your deaths two hundred years ago so you know what to look out for."

He closed his eyes, mouth moving over words that would not come. Jisung pitied him; he had been Minho's friend in his past life, and now he had to speak of his death. He took a deep breath.

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"If you kill us," he started slowly, "you will plunge both our peoples into war." Jinsun's voice was firm, his fists clenched tightly at his sides; there was nothing but truth to his words.

Chan smiled. "So be it."

Moonsoo peeked out from behind a tree, and Myungsoo's eyes slid over Chan's shoulders, meeting his. Discretely, subtly, he shook his head, eyes sorrowful, and yet determined. Moonsoo clenched his teeth, his breathing already ragged; it was a miracle he hadn't been discovered yet.

The blood of the vampires he'd fought clung to his skin, seeping through his clothing, and a lump formed in his throat. Had he done all of this in vain? He shook his head, eyeing the Vampire King and the Werewolf Lord. He had a decent shot at beating him; if he could prevent any hassles for his friends, he would.

Even if it meant sacrificing his magic.

"You have been a problem since you stepped foot in my castle, milord. I should have known you would attempt to... corrupt my love." Chan's eyes flashed dangerously, and Jinsun's eyes turned golden in turn.

"All I must do is get rid of you, and everything will be well again." His lips stretched into a cruel smile. Moonsoo's eyes darted between the three parties, noted how Chan's stance changed in order to attack, watched as Myungsoo watched him, fangs bared.

Jinsun didn't even have the time to Shift before Chan lunged. Although werewolves were fast – vampires were faster. A dagger none of them had seen appeared in the Vampire King's hand, and he slashed it towards the werewolf.

Moonsoo's eyes widened; no. Not any dagger; how had he gotten his hands on an Enchanted dagger? No wizards worked with him, he was sure. The young wizard gasped, the sound lost in Jinsun's roar as the knife plunged, ripping flesh – but it was not his flesh.

Myungsoo plummeted to the ground, blood pouring from the wide, open wound at his neck, small, black runes creeping along his neck. "No," Moonsoo whispered, eyes wide in shock. May this knife kill all your enemies, it said.