Pirate King

Chapter 5

Hongjoong loved seeing all of his brother's Aurora. He still remembered when Eden taught him how to use the spell. The first person he practiced on was Yunho since he was the only one available at that time.

"The spell used to be used by sorcerer's to see the intent of future kings," Eden had told him. "The Aura of a person is so telling; it can be different colors, or just one. It can be as bright as the sun or as dark as an abyss. It can twinkle like a star, as warm as a sunrise, a dazzling light, anything you can imagine, and more. It's connected to their soul, and if the soul is corrupted, it will show up."

When Hongjoong first saw Yunho's Aura up close for the first time, he cried relentlessly. It was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

"Yunho's Aura is so beautiful," Hongjoong sobbed. "Master Eden, an Aura is so comforting-- like an Aurora," Hongjoong told Eden when he found him crying. "Can I change it to Aurora?" All Eden could do was nod to comfort the wailing boy.

Eden's voice echoed through Hongjoong's head, and it snapped him back into reality. "But, an experienced sorcerer's can create an illusion, where you see only what they want you to see." Hongjoong let out a deep breath and pulled the Aurora out of Yunho's forehead. He harnessed it through his wand, pulling it away from Yunho. He gently waved it so it can hover in front of him. Yunho's Aurora was bright, a dazzling mix of yellow and blue that twinkled in tune with his heartbeat. Hongjoong sighed in relief. He thanked God that there were no dark patches or dulling of his light. Hongjoong rounded the Aurora, taking a close inspection. He didn't want to miss anything that could affect his brother. Satisfied with his inspection, Hongjoong harnessed the Aurora back and chanted the spell to return it safely home.

"Just want you to stay," Hongjoong serenaded the Aurora sweetly. Hongjoong heard it hum before it settled back inside of Yunho. It was the only way to coax an Aurora to go back to its host; otherwise, it could run away or get captured. He smiled as he carded his fingers over Yunho's hair. Yunho fluttered, his eyes opened, and he hurried to sit up.

"It was her magic that brought me back, right?" Yunho asked. Hongjoong huffed as he looked away.

"I don't understand it yet. Her magic hasn't even fully materialized yet, and she was able to bring you back. Jongho is strong, but he wouldn't be able to bring you back as whole as she did," Hongjoong responded. Yunho pouted.

"What are you going to do with her?" Yunho asked, worriedly.

"We can't leave her alone. If the HALA's find out about her... They will use her for destruction. No one can find out about her magic. It's the only way to keep her safe," Hongjoong responded. Yunho swallowed hard at the mention of the HALA pirate crew.

"I need to talk to Eden," Hongjoong concluded.

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"Do you guys really have to tie me up?" you asked as San pulled your wrists out in front of you.

"I'm afraid we can't risk you escaping again," Seonghwa said apologetically.

"Yeah, we don't want you to kill us accidentally," Yeosang responded a bit too harshly. You look up to him to glare at him, only to be met with a smirk and a wink.

"Jongho might not always be there to save us, and I like to keep on living. Thank you very much," Wooyoung said as he sat down on a stool. You raised an eyebrow at him, and you slowly started to move your hands back down.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. Seonghwa can manipulate his magic very well-- but you never know," San warned. You shot your wrists back up when Seonghwa's right hand began to emanate a dark blue fire.

"It won't hurt you, but it might sting," Seonghwa reassured you. He flicked his wrist, and a fiery blue rope snaked its way towards you. Your eyes widened in amazement as you looked down to watch the fire coil around your wrists. The cool tingling of the fire suddenly shocking you and causing you to gasp loudly. You looked up to stare at Seonghwa, his severe eyes studying at you curiously.

"Jongho, Mingi, why don't you watch over her first. Wooyoung and San will come to relieve you after a while, Hongjoong, and I will take the third shift. Yeosang will take the morning shift," Seonghwa commanded, and they all moved again in unison. Mingi was staring daggers at you for a second before he walked to the other side of the room, sitting on the comfy bench under the window. Jongho sat next to you on the bed, observing you as the others left the room.

"So, how did you do it?" you asked Jongho. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, thinking carefully about the incident.

"I don't know," Jongho finally relented.

"I'm glad you brought him back. Yunho is a good person," you replied as you tried to move against the headboard of the bed. It was a lot harder than you thought, especially with your hands tied up. Jongho giggled at your pathetic attempt and picked you up with ease and sat you back carefully. Your face was beet red as you felt his fingers burn against your waist, and Jongho blushed as he quickly removed his hands from you.

"I'm glad, too. None of us have had our magic retaliate in awhile. Maybe Yunho's magic no longer wants to obey him," Jongho said, quickly changing the subject.

"You mean your magic has a mind of its own?" you asked quizzically.

"You have no idea! We all had problems harnessing our magic to obey us. The only one who never had trouble was Hongjoong. His magic pledged his loyalty to him as soon as it was given to him," Jongho continued.

"Who gave you your magic?" you asked.

"Master Eden gave it to us when we were born. It was meant to live inside us until we were old enough to summon it, but Hongjoong-- He summoned it when he was one year old. Master Eden had to invent a child lock so Hongjoong wouldn't accidentally hurt someone," Jongho said.

"Wow, little did that help," you remarked sharply. Jongho looked up to see you, sadness clouded his eyes--deepening his eye color to an ashy blue.

"That boy-- it was an accident," Jongho said quietly, looking away from you.

"Jongho come over here for a minute," Mingi called gently. Jongho walked over to Mingi and sat down next to him. You saw the red-haired boy comfort the younger one, and you wondered if all the stories you've heard about them were all wrong.