Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They slowly inched down the hallway, Jimin grabbing his elbow after a few steps, his grip tight. Yoongi did the same on his other side, and Jungkook had to suppress a wince as he realized they were worried he would run off again. Which… Yeah . Fair enough. He totally was going to do that once they found Byungho. 

He strained his ears, detecting faint noises he couldn’t properly decipher as they neared the corner of the hallway. The other two did as well, Jimin extinguishing the lighting ball before pulling them all to a stop.

For a moment, Jungkook couldn’t see anything in the darkness, and then he noticed weak light coming from around the corner. They all froze, Jimin patting his elbow in warning before letting go. Yoongi pulled back as well, and Jungkook anxiously watched as they padded closer to the corner. He didn’t want to follow them, knowing shit would hit the fan if Byungho were to see and recognize him, but watching Jimin and Yoongi potentially put themselves in danger sent ice-cold fear running through his veins. Byungho was a shitty necromancer, true, but this was 300 years into the future and witches no longer had access to protection amulets. Byungho could kill Jimin and Yoongi with the snap of his fingers. Or do something worse to them, and Jungkook really really didn’t like this. 

He shifted his weight from one leg to another before sneaking forward as well, joining the other two. It was too dark to see Jimin and Yoongi’s faces, but he could tell Jimin was sending him a disapproving look. Still, he grabbed Jungkook’s wrist, pulling him closer to the wall. After a moment, he fished a mirror out of his pocket, using it to look around the corner. Yoongi and Jungkook leaned closer to look too.

The reflection revealed a hallway – if it could even be called a hallway; it was wide enough to be a room – with torches on the walls, emitting cold blue light. The middle of the room was occupied by a stone altar, and a person stood over it, cutting something with a knife. Byungho . Jungkook couldn’t check his soul via the mirror's reflection, but he'd burned the face of the witch he was possessing into his memory, and he had no trouble recognizing him now. He glared at the traitor's face for a few moments before directing his gaze to his hands, squinting. Unfortunately, it was too dark and they were too far away to see what he was cutting.

“This is weird.” said Yoongi.

“What?” whispered Jimin.

“I can sense the same type of magic on him that’s on Shadow.”

“ What ?” Jimin took an audible breath. “Do you think it’s…?”

“I don’t know.”

Jimin pressed the back of his head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes. Jungkook couldn’t see his face in the bad lighting, but he suspected he was frowning. “I can’t sense anything.” he whispered after a while. “He’s either wearing a charm that can protect him from my magic.” He paused. “Or…”

“He’s dead?” finished Yoongi, his words plunging them all into silence. Something seemed to have startled Byungho though, and he suddenly whipped his head up, looking in their direction. Jimin whispered a curse, quickly pulling the mirror to his chest. They all froze after that, straining their ears. Jungkook swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest. If Byungho had heard them… He pressed his lips together. This was why Jimin and Yoongi’s presence was a problem. Of course, he couldn’t hide his either, not completely, but he could make it less visible to necromancers and more difficult to sense. He might have been able to hide from Byungho, but Jimin and Yoongi couldn’t, and Jungkook had a very unfortunate feeling that the traitor knew they were there. 

The question now was how he was going to respond.

The answer came a short moment later. Jungkook felt it before he heard it, and he whipped his head around in alarm. Jimin and Yoongi followed his example, the mind witch sharply inhaling while the hedge witch uttered a quiet curse. A human skeleton strolled onto the hallway from one of the dark entrances, its skull snapping toward them. It was one of the older ones, its bones licked clean and chipped at places. The only thing left of its clothes were a few ribbons of dark brown fabric sticking to its ribs.

Jungkook blinked at the skeleton, the skeleton staring back at him with empty eye sockets. Despite the urgency of the situation, Jungkook couldn’t help judging its slightly stilted movements and the occasional twitches of its limbs. A subpar job, truly . 

It had been sneaking toward them, but it froze now, and Jungkook bit his tongue once he realized why it’d reacted the way it had. He didn’t dally after that, practically sprinting around the corner, toward where Byungho was standing. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Before he could reach him, the body the traitor had been inhabiting collapsed to the floor, soulless. From the loud thump coming from behind him, Jungkook surmised that the skeleton suffered the same fate, and he flinched. Damn it . Byungho had recognized him. He’d recognized him immediately . Jungkook had… Well, he had not expected that . It’d been three hundred years. Jungkook had started to forget his family’s faces after four, so what business did Byungho have remembering his after 300 years ?

Byungho’s soul escaped through the wall, but it wasn't going to be able to stay tethered to the living world for more than five seconds or so without a physical body. 

Wraiths were an interesting phenomena, and their existence had more to do with sheer luck than with anything else. Souls sometimes returned to the land of the living through the Deadlands’ first arch, the feat made possible by finding the right place to pass through and timing it correctly - but mostly it was pure luck . Because they couldn’t return to their mortal body, they attached themselves to an object that had been nearby when they’d died, and they couldn’t travel more than a few meters away from it. Necromancer wraiths were, unfortunately , the exception to the rule. They had no anchor, so they could move around as they pleased as long as they were inside a corporeal body. Once they lost the latter, they had a very narrow window of time to bind themselves to a new one, or they would be pulled back into the Deadlands. Escaping the latter was, of course, much easier for necromancers than for everyone else, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either, and Jungkook doubted Byungho would go for it if he could avoid it. Besides… there had to be a reason he was staying away from the Deadlands and hadn’t yet moved on to Beyond. 

So… There was little doubt that he was going to try to find another body so he could stay in the Veil. Jungkook reached around with his magic, cursing once he realized where Byungho had escaped to. The Bone Room was right through the wall on his left, and there were plenty of bodies for Byungho to choose from. Jungkook concentrated as hard as he could, but he couldn’t sense any vermin or other small animals nearby the traitor could use to escape. It wasn’t much of a surprise - they tended to dislike peripheral magic, so they wouldn’t frequent this part of the academy. But while it was true that Byungho would be much easier to find and apprehend in a human’s body, this wasn’t much of a relief. Not when his other roommates were still in there . 

He took a deep breath, trying to push the dark thoughts away. He had to keep a clear mind to deal with this and panicking wasn’t going to help.

He looked at the body Byungho had discarded, lying peacefully on the floor with a knife next to his right hand and a… Jungkook narrowed his eyes as he squatted, carefully wrapping his fingers around the object Byungho had been cutting before his escape. He turned it around, suppressing a surprised snort at what he found. It was a wooden statue of the Weaver, her eyes glaring at him from under her comically furrowed brows and her nails unnecessary long, more claws than nails. What the actual fuck? He shook his head, pocketing the statue. The finding was as hilarious as it was confusing, and he had no idea what to make of it, but he was definitely going to show it to the Weaver. 

“What the fuck,” wheezed Jimin behind him, sounding shell-shocked, “what the fuck?”

“A wraith.” said Yoongi. He sounded less affected by what had happened than Jimin, but even he was a little breathless. “A necromancer wraith.”

Jungkook was impressed that Yoongi figured it out so quickly, but they had no time to discuss it. “We have to go back,” he said. “We have to make sure no one leaves the Bone Room.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Jimin waved his hands around, looking at him with wide eyes. “ Jungkook . What is going on ?”

Jungkook faltered. He knew he’d acted suspicious, and while Jimin had ignored the first instance of his odd behavior, it was clear that he wasn’t going to do the same for the second. Which was a problem, because they had no time for this .  “I…” he started, shaking his head. “I’m going to explain everything later.” he said. “I promise . But…” He swallowed. “Can you just trust me on this? Please?”

Jimin stared at him in silence for a moment, his pupils blown wide. Then he shot a look at Yoongi, the hedge witch calmly returning it, and Jungkook wondered what it would take to actually shake him up. He looked way too unaffected considering the circumstances. “We trust you.” said Yoongi, and his matter-of-fact delivery sent a wave of relief through Jungkook. He turned to Jimin, and the mind witch’s lips quirked, forming a barely-there smile. It looked genuine enough, and Jungkook returned it, a considerable weight falling off his shoulders.

He had to take care of Byungho first, and he could think of what came after once the traitor was dealt with.

“We have to go.” he said. 

They had to act fast, and Jimin and Yoongi understood that as well, not saying a word as they half-walked half-ran back the way they came from. Jungkook could almost feel the question at the tip of their tongues – how would they get back when the door was closed? – as they dashed down the hallway, but neither of them posed it out loud. Once they reached the entrance, Jungkook didn’t hesitate, placing his hand on the wall and focusing his magic. At times like these, the complexity of the necromancer locking mechanisms was more than a little annoying, but he pushed through, grinding his teeth as the bones slipped into their proper positions and the door opened. It was lucky that he had so much practice, really , or it would have taken a lot longer. He still remembered his childhood, marked by a long procession of locked doors he couldn’t open without going at them for hours at a time. 

When he looked back at Jimin and Yoongi, Jimin was looking at him with a curious expression on his face, and Yoongi… was completely frozen. It wasn’t unusual for him to be stoic, but Jungkook had never seen him quite as still, and he swallowed, averting his gaze. He knew why Yoongi was reacting the way he was; he’d sensed his magic, and he’d recognized it. He knew he was a Jeon, and he knew he’d been the one to bind the cat.

“Could you…” He flinched when something rubbed against his leg, looking down. The cat. Of course. As usual, she appeared out of nowhere and at the most inopportune time, giving him a proper fright. Jungkook glared at her, and she let out an innocent meow. He sighed. “Could you get the others?” he asked Jimin, hoping the mind witch would agree without asking any more questions. 

He did, nodding. “And don’t let anyone leave.” added Jungkook, feeling the need to say it one more time, just in case. Jimin nodded again before turning around and walking to the Bone Room, the door closing behind him.

“Um.” said Jungkook awkwardly, shifting his weight from one leg to another as he risked a glance at Yoongi.

The hedge witch had managed to unfreeze himself by then, assisted by the cat meowing and scratching at him. He leaned down to pick her up, absently combing his fingers through her fur as he cradled her in his arms. “What’s her name?” he asked after a moment, keeping his eyes on the cat.

Jungkook hesitated. 

“Desolation.” he said finally. “After the seventh arch.”

Yoongi looked up at that, his gaze finally meeting Jungkook’s. Jungkook studied his face, his shoulders instinctively tensing as he braced himself for whatever he was about to find. His and Yoongi’s family histories were intertwined and complicated, and he had no idea how the hedge witch felt about this new revelation. Thankfully, Jungkook couldn’t find anything hostile or guarded in his expression, and he slowly relaxed. Yoongi just looked surprised, and… curious? Jungkook tilted his head.

The hedge witch was about to say something, but before he could, the others spilled onto the hallway. They all looked worried, which was expected: Jimin was still a little freaked out, and they picked up on that.

“What’s going on?” asked Seokjin, concern lacing his words. His eyes darted from Jimin, to Yoongi, to Jungkook, then back again, and Jungkook suspected he was assessing them for injuries. A look of relief passed over his face once he realized everyone was fine, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“So-” started Jimin, shooting the others a cautious look before explaining everything that had happened in the past few minutes. Jungkook watched as the concern on everyone’s faces intensified, silence falling over them once Jimin finished speaking.

After a few tension-filled moments, Jungkook forced himself to speak. “Um,” he started intelligently, “we can’t let him escape.” His skin prickled under his roommates’ heavy gazes, and he swallowed. “I’ll… I’ll explain everything later, so just… trust me for now. Please.”

More silence followed. It stretched, the tension growing more and more unbearable, and Jungkook swallowed, ignoring the dread in the pit of his stomach as he wondered if he was asking for too much. And shit, who was he even kidding, of course he was. Of course he was asking for too much. He was basically demanding that they follow his lead on apprehending an ancient necromancer wraith. His lead, the lead of a barely trained halfling unnamed who famously knew nothing about anything. No one reasonable would go for that , and the fact that they were even considering it suggested he might have been wrong after all. He thought that they still didn’t trust him, not completely, but now he realized it was possible that he’d been projecting his own lingering distrust onto them.

After what felt like ages, and about a million exchanged glances between the coven mates (minus Yoongi who never took his eyes off of Jungkook) later, Namjoon gave a decisive nod, and the others followed suit. It was surprising, and Jungkook couldn’t help wondering if Namjoon had figured out the truth, or if not exactly the truth, something close to it. It seemed impossible based on the negligible clues the eclectic witch was working with, but this was Namjoon . If someone could put the puzzle pieces together, it was him. 

Most of the coven was clearly confused about the situation, but it looked like they were, despite all odds, going to at least try to cooperate with him. It was a relief. It was… He swallowed. Warmth spread over his chest, and he tried to ignore the feeling and force himself to focus on the task at hand.

“We need to make sure no one leaves.” he said, motioning to the Bone Room. No one else was in the basement this late at night (not anywhere nearby, at least), which meant Byungho could only escape by taking one of the bluebloods for a ride. He would need five minutes at minimum to properly bind his soul to the new body, so he was definitely still inside the room, undertaking preparations to cause mayhem. Jungkook suspected he was planning to use everyone in that room as hostages to avoid capture, and if they wanted to prevent a complete bloodbath, they needed a good plan first. Locking the room and guarding the entrance wasn’t a solution, but it should buy them some time.

“Is that… a good idea?” asked Hoseok. “There are people inside.”

“He won’t bring attention to himself if he doesn’t have to.” said Jungkook. “Even if he’s indestructible, the bodies he possesses aren’t.” He didn’t doubt Byungho could subdue the bluebloods in the room, but not without effort, and it was far likelier that he would put his time and energy into figuring out how to deal with Jungkook and escape. It was the smartest solution to the problem at hand, and despite Byungho’s lack of necromancy skill, he wasn’t stupid. He was perfectly capable of working out what benefited him the most and acting accordingly.

“And we can’t let him escape.” said Yoongi before turning to Jungkook, his eyebrow twitching. “Is he the reason behind the disappearances?” Jungkook nodded, unsurprised that the hedge witch had connected the dots.  

“I still don't think it's a good idea.” said Hoseok, frowning at the door, his usual smile absent. Seokjin seemed to agree with his sentiment, his arms crossed over his chest and the look in his eyes dark. “There has to be a safer option.” said Hoseok, but Namjoon was already shaking his head. 

“There isn't.” he said in a quiet voice. “We're dealing with a necromancer wraith, one born and trained before the Downfall.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Letting him escape isn't an option. He could destroy the entire Veil.” 

Jungkook opened his mouth to say that it wasn’t that serious, that Byungho wasn’t that powerful , but he was forced to swallow the words, suddenly realizing that Namjoon had a point. He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly remembered one of the theories describing the discrepancy between the different affinities. It argued that all affinities had infinite potential, but they developed in different ways and at different speeds. Juns had been way ahead of everyone once upon a time, and the Jeons followed suit. His ancestors had been aware of the destructive power in their hands and had taken many measures to protect other witches. Rules, laws, scouts, protection amulets freely made and distributed… But all of that, all of the things that protected other witches from necromancers’ magic was gone now, and nothing at all (apart from Jungkook) could hold Byungho back. He wasn’t invincible, sure, but he could cause great destruction, much greater than any other witch (apart from Jungkook) in the Veil. Jungkook really doubted Byungho would go for it, but he supposed Namjoon had a reason to worry. 

His words quieted the rest of the coven, their faces pale and their concern palpable. “But…” said Taehyung slowly. “What can we do about it? We trap him in the Bone Room, and then what?”

“Trust me.” said Jungkook, forcing himself not to fidget as everyone’s eyes turned toward him.

There was a moment of silence, and then Namjoon nodded. Jungkook bit his lip and returned the gesture, now even more sure that the eclectic witch knew something, that he’d put a few puzzle pieces together. Hoseok, Seokjin, and Taehyung still seemed hesitant, but they didn't argue. Yoongi knew exactly who Jungkook was, so he’d been on board from the beginning, and Jimin could probably feel how sure Jungkook and Yoongi were about this and trusted them (or Yoongi, at least). 

“Alright.” said the eclectic witch after a moment, getting back to business. He absently scratched the tip of his nose, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. “I can seal the door, but I can’t promise it’ll last.” He paused. “There are a few capable eclectic witches inside,” he gestured to the Bone Room, “who might be able to undo it.”

Jungkook nodded. Buying themselves some time was better than buying themselves no time. “Do that.” he said.

He watched as Namjoon walked over to the door and took out his rune-pen, pressing it against the metal surface. He chose a spot close to the lock, and after a moment, he moved his hand and began to draw. Jungkook stared at the tip of the rune-pen but didn't pay proper attention to what the eclectic witch was doing, his thoughts escaping elsewhere.

How to catch Byungho without causing a massacre in the process? A soul cage would have come in handy right about now, but they were all in his room and that was too far away to get to in time.

Soul cage… Soul cage.

He was here with a powerful eclectic witch and an equally powerful hedge witch. Couldn’t the three of them work something out? He’d already successfully reworked one of the soul cages to pull and trap souls from a distance, and with Namjoon’s and Yoongi’s assistance, he might be able to create a soul cage that would do just that and isolate Byungho’s soul, ensuring no one else got trapped. They wouldn’t even have to enter the Bone Room if they could pull it off. 

He pressed his lips together, trying to subdue the wave of nervous excitement that washed over him. The success was nowhere near guaranteed, and he should be mindful of that. Sure, he’d struggled to rework the soul cage so much that he could probably create one on the spot if he was woken up in the middle of the night and forced to work with one of his eyes closed, but the magic he was considering was incredibly advanced, and Namjoon, Yoongi, and he had never worked together before. Figuring out how to connect their magic so that their end product worked as it should would be difficult, and their lack of prior cooperation considerably heightened the impossibility of the endeavor.

Still. It was possible. Hedge witches and necromancers used the same basic runes, so weaving their magic together and forcing it to work for the common goal shouldn’t be too demanding. It was the eclectic witch magic that was the problem, and getting it to work with necromancy and hedge witch magic would be complicated, but not impossible. Eclectic witches often worked on projects with witches of other affinities, and ironically, their magic was more adaptable than the rest.

So… His idea might not work, but it was worth a shot, especially considering all of his other options were shit. 

It was either the soul cage or going inside the Bone Room and facing whatever Byungho had prepared for him head on. Knowing him, his plans most likely involved multiple minions made from the bodies of the bluebloods who he’d kill for the purpose. He would probably have them create a distraction while he tried to slip away, and Jungkook knew how troublesome that would be to deal with. His only option in that case would be to a) steal Byungho’s minions (which wouldn’t take long, let’s be honest, but it would require focus, so chances of Byungho getting away while he was distracted weren’t negligible) or b) create his own minions from the remaining bluebloods (and thus double the chaos Byungho could use to get away). He’d have to kill them first for that, which was something he really didn’t want to do, even if he would resurrect them after. So, they were both shitty options, and he might as well give his crazy soul cage idea a go. He would revisit the other two options if the soul cage didn’t work.

“Does anyone have…” he paused, contemplating what to ask for, “anything silver or metal with space inside?”

His words were followed by another round of exchanged glances, and then Jimin and Yoongi shook their heads, while Hoseok, Seokjin, and Taehyung diligently searched their pockets. The findings were as followed: a silver locket (from Seokjin), a small metal tin (from Hoseok), and an ink container (from Taehyung). Jungkook inspected each of the items, opening and closing them as he carefully turned them in his hands. In the end, he settled on the locket. It was the sturdiest, and it was difficult to open and close. And Byungho would be quite cramped inside of it (Jungkook would be lying if he claimed that didn’t play a considerable part in his decision).

“What are you planning to use it for?” asked Seokjin, giving the locket a somewhat quizzical look.

“This doesn’t have a sentimental value or anything, right?” asked Jungkook. Seokjin wouldn’t be getting the locket back, so he should first make sure the healing witch wasn’t emotionally attached to it.

Seokjin shook his head. “No. I was going to use it for a cleansing charm, but I might as well donate it for the purpose of… whatever you’re trying to do?” He raised his eyebrows, clearly expecting an answer.

“I’m going to build a trap.” said Jungkook.

“A trap?” asked Namjoon. He’d finished with the door and rejoined their group, and Jungkook shot a curious look at his handiwork. The runes he’d drawn were big, their lines thin and even. They told Jungkook absolutely nothing about their purpose, leaving him with no choice but to trust they did what Namjoon said they did. It wasn’t difficult, since Namjoon was nothing if not reliable.

“Do you remember when I asked if it was possible to make a trap with magic as the main parameter?”

“Yes.” said Namjoon slowly, his eyes flickering to the locket in Jungkook’s hands.

“Could you do it?” Jungkook offered the locket to the eclectic witch, and Namjoon stared down at it in doubt, his eyebrows knitted together.

“Yes.” he said after a while, turning to Yoongi. After a moment, Jungkook did as well. Yoongi would have to set the parameters for this, and if he couldn’t recall Byungho’s magical blueprint well enough to pull it off… The hedge witch’s eyebrows twitched, but then he nodded, and Namjoon looked back at Jungkook. “Yes.” he said, with more conviction this time. “But,” he continued, “we’re trying to trap a wraith.” He paused, frowning at the locket. “I’m not a peripheral witch. Whatever I do, it’s not going to work on him.”

“That’s… not going to be a problem.” said Jungkook, hoping he was right. “So, humor me, please.” He bit the insides of his cheeks, averting his gaze once he realized the look in his eyes might be a bit too pleading. He was trying to seem calm and collected, but he wasn’t sure how convincing he was when his heart was pounding and his chest was tightening with anxiety. He didn’t dare to contemplate potential failure to capture Byungho, feeling like a rug was about to be pulled from under his feet each time his thoughts swirled just a little too close to the possibility.

Something passed over Namjoon’s face, his lips pursing as his eyes flickered back to the locket. “Alright.” he said with finality, fishing his rune-pen out of his pocket. “But I’m going to need better light and a proper working surface.” Which… yeah. He would. The locket was tiny, so the runes would have to be as well, and the smaller the runes, the higher the importance of good lighting and a steady rune-drawing surface. Which they did not have access to in this hallway.

“There’s a stone altar in the other room.” said Yoongi, motioning to the now-hidden entrance to the tunnels. Jungkook nodded. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing. 

“Yes, but…” said Taehyung, shooting the wall a skeptical look. “…it’s kind of inaccessible now, isn’t it?”

“No.” said Yoongi. In his usual fashion, he offered no further explanation, and Taehyung gave him a half-exasperated and half-defeated look before looking at Jimin for answers. Jimin casually motioned to Jungkook, and Jungkook had to suppress a sigh once the green witch’s eyes bored into him.

“I can open it.” said Jungkook, refusing to go into details despite his roommates clearly wanting him to if their curious looks were any indication. “It’s probably our best option. But…” He paused, eying the door to the Bone Room. “Someone should stay here and keep watch.”

“I’ll stay.” said Hoseok. “I’m the only one with offensive magic.”

“You’re not planning to throw light at anyone who steps through that door, are you?” asked Seokjin with clear suspicion in his voice.

“I would never.” said Hoseok, his tone suggesting that was exactly what he was planning. “I’ll just blind them a little.”

“I’ll stay too.” said Jimin. “I’m the only one – besides Yoongi – who can tell who the wraith is in.”

“Who he’s in?” Taehyung raised his eyebrows at the mind witch, and Jimin laughed.

“How else should I say it?”

“Possessed.” said Yoongi dryly. “The words you’re searching for are “who he’s possessed .”

“Right, right, got it.” said Jimin, shrugging his shoulders. The barely perceptible curl of his lips implied his awkward wording might not have been as unintentional as he was trying to pass it as, and Taehyung seemed to have picked up on that as well, the corners of his lips slightly lifting.

“I’ll stay too.” he said. “Someone’ll have to explain why Hoseok is throwing light around.”

“Okay.” said Jungkook. “But stay at least two meters away from the door. Preferably more. And if Namjoon’s spell stops working, you should come find me as soon as possible.”

“Got it.” said Jimin, and Hoseok and Taehyung nodded.

“Okay.” said Jungkook again, turning to the others. “Let’s go.” He could feel their gazes at the back of his head as he stepped to the wall and placed his hand against it. They were unsettling and uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to contemplate what his roommates were thinking - what conclusions about him they’d come to. He had no time for it either, and he did his best to push the anxious thoughts away and focus on the mechanism inside the wall. He pushed the bones into their correct positions as fast as he could, and once he was done, a part of the wall slowly slid to the right, revealing a dark hallway. A few sharp inhales could be heard from behind him, though he couldn’t determine who they belonged to.

The stone altar thankfully wasn’t far from the entrance, and they reached it in a minute or two, Yoongi leading the way with the light ball levitating above him. The torches were still on, and they provided some light, but it was nowhere near strong enough for the complicated rune-work they were about to undertake. It did, however, give them a nice view of the skeleton and the body of the unfortunate student Byungho had possessed, and Jungkook could see Seokjin flinch in his peripheral. Namjoon seemed equally uncomfortable at the sight, but Jungkook didn’t miss the look of morbid curiosity he shot at the bodies.

Once they positioned themselves around the stone altar, Seokjin wordlessly took over the job of providing the light, conjuring his own light ball and holding it over the locket Namjoon had placed on the altar.

“Um…” started Jungkook when Namjoon adjusted his grip on the rune-pen, swallowing. “Could you walk me through it?” For this to work, he needed to know - in detail - how the eclectic witch’s runes worked, and he knew he might not be able to figure it out on his own. His knowledge was still lacking.

Namjoon nodded, holding his rune-pen above the locket for a moment before getting to work. As he drew tiny even runes on the surface of the locket, he explained, slowly and in detail, how a certain rune worked by itself and with other runes he created. His explanation was easy to understand, but Jungkook still asked him to elaborate on a few details, wanting to be absolutely sure that he got it right. 

After Namjoon finished with his runes, it was Yoongi’s turn, and Jungkook found the single rune he drew in between all of Namjoon’s, connecting them together, a lot more familiar than the eclectic witch's runes. Hedge witch magic was similar to necromancy, and they all used the same basic runes. The one Yoongi had used wasn’t basic, but it was similar to necromancy runes, so Jungkook would have been able to figure out what it did even without being told.

After Yoongi completed the rune, the trap was built. Jungkook’s job was to convert it so that it could capture wraiths – or in short; he had to change its settings from trapping a body to trapping a soul. Which was a shorter job than making the entire soul cage by himself but not an easier one. Plus, it meant he would have to adjust the entire trapping mechanism. Right now, the trap was constricted by the limits of a physical body, and despite being set to work from multiple meters away, its influence couldn’t spread outside of the room they were in. Souls, however, didn’t have physical bodies, and as such, their movement wasn’t limited by the physical world, which gave Jungkook a lot more freedom. If everything went according to plan, he could make the soul cage pull Byungho’s soul from the Bone Room and trap him from right here . 

He momentarily closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before pulling out his own rune-pen. He always carried two; the standard one and the necromancer one. He reached for the latter this time around. It didn’t look that different from a normal rune-pen, so he didn’t think Seokjin noticed anything was off. Yoongi might have, but not because of how it looked but because of the magic lingering on it, and Namjoon, a rune-pen expert, picked up on it immediately, his eyes focused and inquisitive as they bored into the rune-pen.

Jungkook tried to ignore the attention on him as he leaned over the locket, his rune-pen hovering above it. His hand shook a little, but that was a normal occurrence when he was about to draw a rune, and he paid it no mind as he pressed the pen’s tip against the surface of the locket. He’d figured out what he had to do while Namjoon had been explaining the runes to him. The trap Namjoon and Yoongi had created had a similar goal as a soul cage, and Jungkook could leave parts of it untouched. Other parts he would have to adjust, but it didn’t seem he would have to change that much. Hopefully.

He took a deep breath. So, yeah. He knew what to do, but it was the execution that was the difficult part, not the planning. For him at least. One’s drawing prowess was important for runes, sure, but it was just half of what was needed. You also had to feed the runes magic as you drew them, and the quantities required were very specific and varied from line to line. Jungkook wasn’t that bad at drawing - he wasn’t great, true, but he wasn’t absolutely horrific either. It was the magic-feeding part that was causing him the most problems, which was partly the reason he was so much better at necromancer runes than at standard runes. Feeding them with his primary magic was easier than feeding them with his secondary, barely developed magic.

He held his breath as he drew the first line, gripping his pen hard enough to hurt as he carefully pushed his magic into the rune. The cat, of course , chose this exact moment to meow loudly from Yoongi’s lap, making him flinch. He pulled his hand back to avoid screwing up the rune in time, but it was a close call, and he sent the cat the most scathing look he could muster, motioning across his neck to let her know what awaited her if she continued being such a nuisance. Still, he felt somewhat less anxious after that, some of the tension in his muscles dissipating as the adrenaline left his system. He rolled his shoulders before placing the rune-pen back on the locket, pressing his lips together in concentration.  

Namjoon had drawn four runes, two at the top and two at the bottom. Yoongi had added his in the middle of them, connecting it to all four of Namjoon’s. Jungkook didn’t have to draw his own runes, in theory , he just had to overwrite some of Namjoon’s, adapting them. It was the reason why the trap wouldn’t have worked at all if their magical compatibility had been low. To succeed in making the soul cage, their magic had to flow together seamlessly.

He finished the first line before proceeding to trace two of Namjoon's. His work was still far from done, and he ground his teeth together as he carried on, connecting two of Namjoon’s lines in the middle before adjusting the other runes by drawing new lines and retracing some of the old ones. He could feel his and Namjoon’s magic, flowing together with no friction at all, and he couldn’t decide if the sensation made him happy or nauseous. If only Namjoon wasn’t Daeseong’s descendant and his magic didn’t feel so horrifyingly similar to his.

He paused before connecting the last line, his heart pounding with fear and anticipation. This was it. The soul cage would either work or it wouldn’t and he’d have to enter the Bone Room and confront whatever waited for him there head on. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to finish the last line, his hands shaking. He pulled away right after, and for a moment or two nothing happened. Then the runes began to glow, emitting bright violet light for a second before dimming again. Jungkook could feel the magic radiating from them, and he knew it worked . Furthermore, he could feel Byungho’s soul inside the locket, like he could feel everything that was dead, and he grimaced at the sensation. He hadn’t been this close to Byungho since his treason, and the lack of distance between them filled  him with disgust.

“What… happened?” asked Seokjin, his voice unsure.

“It worked.” said Yoongi, staring at the locket with an unreadable expression on his face.

“But that was…” started Seokjin, his voice trailing off.

Namjoon finished the sentence for him. “Necromancy.” he said quietly, the look he directed at the locket part curiosity and part admiration. Jungkook averted his gaze before the eclectic witch could look at him in that way, knowing he wouldn’t be able to handle it. “It was necromancy.”

Seokjin opened his mouth, but then he changed his mind, shaking his head. “Let’s get out of this creepy cellar and go find the others.” He gave Jungkook a stern look, and Jungkook awkwardly shifted his weight from one leg to another, flashing the healing witch a strained smile.

“Tunnels.” said Yoongi. When he was met with a confused look, he elaborated: “We’re probably in the old tunnels.”

“The old tunnels…” repeated Namjoon thoughtfully, his eyes traveling up and down the room they were in, taking in the dark entrances on each side. It looked like he was going to say something else, but then his ring shone with blinding white light. It lasted for no more than a second, but it got their attention. “We have to go.” said Namjoon as he stared down at it, motioning for Seokjin to lead the way back. Seokjin obeyed without a word, and Jungkook quickly grabbed the locket off the altar, putting it around his neck before scrambling after them, Yoongi not far behind.

“Um…” he muttered after a moment. “What was that?”

“We can send alerts to each other through the rings.” said Namjoon.

“You… haven’t mentioned that before?”

“It’s not an enchantment.” explained Namjoon. “It’s only possible because the rings are interconnected. We can send some of our own magic through, and the other rings will react to it.”

Jungkook nodded. That made sense. This alert was probably from Hoseok, considering the light and all, and Jungkook absently wondered how the alerts from the other roommates would look like. If he understood correctly, they would send their own magic through when they wanted to get someone’s attention, and there would be no transfusion magic to act as a buffer. Unlike Hoseok, most of them didn’t have magic that was immediately visible, so it was hard to imagine how that would work. He should ask Namjoon once he had the opportunity.

He hadn’t known the ring alerts were possible, so he’d left the entrance to the tunnels open, wanting to give his roommates a chance to warn them if something happened. It hadn’t been needed, but Jungkook was still glad he’d done it. That way, he could see the bright, blinding light spilling into the passage from a distance and mentally prepare himself for whatever was going down in the hallway.

They all had to shield their eyes as they stumbled through the entrance, and the door slipped close behind them, aided by Jungkook forcing it to hurry up with his magic. The hallway was… worse, much worse. Jungkook could see absolutely nothing in the blinding light, and he had to press his eyes closed, the brightness quickly becoming too much for his eyes. He and his roommates, apparently , weren’t the only witches present in the hallway, and he could hear multiple voices groaning and complaining.

“Hoseok.” hissed Seokjin from somewhere near him, and someone placed his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, though it was impossible to determine who. A moment passed and then the light dimmed before extinguishing completely. Jungkook carefully blinked his eyes open, having to wait for what seemed like ages before they adjusted to the relative darkness of the hallway and he could see again. Namjoon was the one who had placed his hand on his shoulder, and he showed no signs of planning to remove it. 

“Hoseok, I don’t want to be rude, but what is going on?” The question was posed by a witch in a burgundy dress, standing next to the now opened door to the Bone Room with three other witches. She had introduced herself to Jungkook – as had everyone else – but all he could remember was that she was from one of the eclectic Kims’ Low Houses.

“Yeah, that.” said Hoseok, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “See I…”

“He got spooked.” cut in Taehyung, managing to sound just annoyed enough to be convincing. Jimin who was standing next to him nodded in silent agreement. “By that.” Taehyung pointed in the corner, at… Jungkook’s mouse minion. Oops . Once Jungkook had stopped controlling it directly, it had diverted back to its old orders, which were to patrol around the academy. He should have eased it back into it to avoid any potential glitches - like the mouse forgetting it was supposed to stay hidden - but oh well. Too late now. What luck that Yoongi was the only hedge witch here, really. Jungkook risked a glance at him, not surprised to find him stoically staring at the mouse.

One of the witches startled at the sight of it, taking a step or two back as she grimaced. The witch who had spoken flinched, but the other two looked unimpressed. “A mouse,” said the first one of the two (Jungkook suspected she was from a different eclectic Kims’ Low House, but he really wasn’t sure), “ really ?” 

“I’m terribly sorry.” said Hoseok, leveling the witches with a blinding smile. They were just a sliver less affected by it than Jungkook, though the one who had initially spoken fought its effects quite hard.

“No offense,” she started again, “but this all seems a little suspicious. Hana collapsed, and I struggled to get the door opened…” She paused, her eyes flickering to the door. Jungkook held his breath as he followed her gaze, exhaling in relief once he realized Namjoon’s runes were gone. Not a single trace of them remained, and the witch frowned before turning back to them. “Like they were sealed or something. And then Hoseok blinded us with the light, and you,” she motioned at Namjoon, Seokjin, Jungkook, and Yoongi, “where did you come from, again?”

“We went out to get some air.” said Seokjin, giving her an amicable smile.

The witch didn’t seem convinced, her eyes narrowing. Thankfully, another witch jumped in before she could interrogate them any further. “Nabi.” she said. “We can discuss this later,” she glanced at Hoseok before looking back at her friend, “let’s help Hana first.” She turned to Seokjin. “I’m so happy you’re here.” she said. “Could you take a look? She collapsed out of nowhere.”

Seokjin nodded, suddenly all business. “And before that?” he asked as he walked into the Bone Room with her. Her friends were right behind the two, and Jungkook and the others didn’t dally either, following them. It had to be Hana’s body Byungho had possessed, which meant Seokjin couldn’t do much to help her. It was up to Jungkook to resolve this.

“She was acting a bit weird.” replied the witch. “She was tipsy though, so that might be why.”

Hana’s body was lying on one of the couches in the middle of the room, the other bluebloods gathered around, reminding Jungkook strongly of a shiver of sharks waiting for their turn to feast. They talked to each other in quiet voices as they took periodic glances at Hana’s immobile body. She was… alive, interestingly enough. Byungho, pressed for time, must not have bothered severing her soul from her body and had just evicted it to the Deadlands before taking its place. The traces of his magic were all over her, and like Jungkook had anticipated, this really wasn’t a situation anyone but him could resolve. The Deadlands weren’t a place for the living, and a living soul that found itself trapped there would die sooner, rather than later. Peripheral witches lasted longer than other witches, but necromancers – trained necromancers – were the only real exception to the rule. Once the soul was trapped in the Deadlands, it couldn’t return to the land of the living on its own (unless it was lucky), so Hana would be stuck there until she eventually died if it weren’t for Jungkook.

Seokjin walked straight to her, the bluebloods parting to let him through. Jungkook stopped a healthy distance away, his roommates following his example. None of them said anything, watching on in morose silence. After a moment, once he was sure no one was looking in his direction, Jungkook slowly reached for the death bell hanging around his neck, pulling it from under his shirt and cradling it in his hand. He could have easily done this without the bell if he could get closer, but he knew trying to approach Hana right now was a bad idea. It would be suspicious and risky, considering some of the bluebloods seemed to believe he and his roommates had something to do with her collapsing. So… he had no choice but to do it from a distance, and for that, the death bell was his safest option. He'd most likely be able to pull it off without it, but summoning souls from the Deadlands was already a risky business, and he didn’t want anything to go wrong. The death bell would lower the possibility of any mishaps.

Taking a deep breath, he held the bell in the air, careful to keep it hidden from any prying eyes with his other hand. He rang it once, closing his eyes as the melody echoed in his ears. His skin tingled as his magic surged, finding Hana’s soul link before encasing it and pulling . The bell had focused his magic enough that he didn’t have to concentrate that hard on what he was trying to do, and Hana’s soul wasn’t trapped in the Styx, which was a major relief. He’d have to enter the Deadlands if that had been the case, and he certainly couldn’t do that in a room full of bluebloods.

He could feel her soul return to her body, and he blinked at it, relieved. Even now, after years and years of necromancy practice, he still struggled to describe what a soul looked like. He supposed a ball of light was the closest thing he could compare them to, but they weren’t quite that either. They were… firmer, more corporeal, and connected to the body with a soul link, which looked a bit like a rope if ropes were made out of light. Or maybe a chain?

Jungkook squinted at Hana’s soul. He could leave it like this. The damaged soul link would regenerate in time, but it would leave her with a pretty bad case of soul sickness in the meantime, and someone might connect the dots and realize what her symptoms pointed to. Jungkook had… an unfortunate suspicion that soul sickness wasn’t at all rare amongst the necromancers in this day and age, so yeah, it was probably better to rebuild the link. He rang the bell a second time, quickly reweaving all the damaged parts and fastening the soul back to its body.

Hana gasped a moment later, jolting up so violently that she almost fell off the couch. Seokjin quickly steadied her and so did her friends, while the other bluebloods stared on in silence. “Hana.” said the witch who had asked Seokjin for help. She sounded genuinely worried, her eyes blown wide. “Are you alright?”

“Um.” Hana looked baffled, which was expected given her short rendezvous in the Deadlands. Souls only rarely remembered what went on down there once they were brought back, and Jungkook hoped, with bated breath, that she wasn’t the exception to the rule. That would have been a bit… awkward for him. Thankfully, it didn’t seem Hana remembered a thing, her eyes filled with confusion. “I’m fine?” she said. “What happened?”

“You collapsed,” said Nabi.

“Oh.” Hana looked down at her hands. “I don’t remember?”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” asked the first witch, and Hana nodded as she looked up at her.

“I’m fine Eunju.”

“Let me check just in case.” said Seokjin, holding up his hand. Hana gave him a cautious look before letting out a soft sigh and placing her hand in his. Jungkook couldn’t see Seokjin’s face from where he stood, but he watched him squeeze her hand, holding it for a while before letting go. Then, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, patting down his clothes. “Everything seems good.” he said. 

“Then why did she collapse?” asked Nabi, her voice toeing the line between polite and accusing.

“I don’t know.” said Seokjin. “And I would if it was anything serious.” He paused. “You should still take her to Ilseong, just to be sure.”

Nabi looked like she wanted to argue further, but Eunju grabbed her elbow before she could let out another word, shooting her a warning look. “Thanks, Seokjin.” she said, nodding at the healing witch.

Seokjin nodded back. “Of course.” he said.

After that, he briskly made his way to Jungkook and the rest of the coven, grabbing Jungkook’s wrist and half dragging him out of the Bone Room. Jungkook stumbled after him, almost tripping over the edge of the nearest carpet. Taehyung grabbed his other elbow to steady him, and he didn’t let go even after Jungkook was stable on his feet again. Being manhandled in this way made him feel a little like a prisoner being accompanied to his jail cell, and he definitely hoped this impression wasn’t anywhere near the truth.

He… wasn’t actually sure though. Taehyung looked perfectly nonchalant, but Seokjin seemed pissed, and the others were walking behind them, so Jungkook couldn’t see their faces. They hadn’t seemed hostile or suspicious or anything of the kind the last time Jungkook had looked at them, and all he could do now was hold on to that and hope that they didn’t hate him, hope that they wouldn’t… He swallowed. A part of him wanted to believe that they wouldn’t screw him over, that they would at least give him the chance to explain before doing anything they couldn’t come back from. Even so, another part of him couldn’t help but replay how they’d pitted the department heads against him, how they… Yeah . It was difficult not to worry given the circumstances. 

He forced himself to take a deep breath before slowly exhaling. He wanted to believe that they wouldn’t. He wanted to believe that, while they might change their minds about courting him, they wouldn’t willingly endanger him. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that everything would be fine, he couldn’t stop the fear eating at him from the inside out, his chest tightening as his heart pounded in his chest and blood rushed in his ears. He wasn’t sure what was worse; that or the numbness slowly spreading over him. 

“Seokjin, seriously…” said Jimin from somewhere behind him, sounding more than a little exasperated. He elbowed Taehyung out of the way despite it not being necessary, the green witch already making space for him, and grabbed Jungkook’s wrist with his very much bare hand. Jungkook, too overwhelmed, only picked up on the detail once Jimin’s magic was already swirling over his skin. He could feel the hurricane inside him settle, the emotions battling for domination dimming but not disappearing, and he slowly exhaled.

“Thanks.” he whispered once he could breathe normally again, and Jimin smiled at him, patting his wrist before falling back. Taehyung took back his previous spot, giving him a reassuring look before linking their arms together. Seokjin looked a bit less furious now, letting out a huff as he shot Jungkook a worried look. He forwent gripping his wrist for lacing their fingers together, and they both pointedly ignored the unpleasant surge of magic that followed.

As soon as they entered Amethyst Hall, Jungkook was unceremoniously pushed to sit on the couch. He was much calmer by then, partly due to Jimin’s magic and partly because his roommates were acting… Well, they weren’t acting that far out of the ordinary. It was impossible to determine what they were thinking and what kind of conclusions they’d come to, but they’d clearly dragged him here to talk. That, at least, was an improvement from last time, and it gave him hope that, even if courting was completely off the table after this, they at least wouldn’t go behind his back and betray him.

Yoongi placed the cat on Jungkook’s lap before sitting down next to him, losing no time before grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. The cat, as usual, disliked not being in the center of attention, and she let out a disgruntled meow, only settling down once Yoongi rubbed her between her ears. Jungkook would poke her in the side if his other hand wasn’t taken hostage as well. Hoseok pulled it in his lap, absently playing with his fingers, and Jungkook got blinded by his smile when he shot him a cautious look.

“Alright.” said Seokjin once they were all sitting down. “There are some things we should discuss.” The healing witch’s gaze bore into him, and Jungkook sunk into himself, suddenly wanting nothing more than to disappear. The feeling intensified when Seokjin’s gaze was joined by the others’ inquisitive looks, and Jungkook could see a clear difference between the way Seokjin and Namjoon looked at him and the way Jimin, Taehyung, and Hoseok did. Jungkook had revealed the most to the former, and he didn’t like the pointed, sharp look Seokjin was giving him or the frown on Namjoon’s face. It was eerily similar to the frown he wore when subjected to one of Hoseok’s 5000 piece puzzles, and Jungkook wondered, once again, if he knew .

Well. Whether he did or not, Jungkook had no choice but to tell them the truth now. Letting them come to their own conclusions about tonight's events could lead to a disaster, and he would be in deep trouble if they decided he was a danger to them. “So,” he started, “um.” Yeah. Very eloquent, alright.

The silence dragged, Jungkook motionlessly staring at the cat purring in his lap as he tried to gather the courage and the wit needed to get the words out. The cat stared back, her look more than a little judgmental, and Jungkook couldn’t even begrudge her for that – she had an excellent point; he had to get it together . Urgently. Too bad it was easier said than done, and the longer the silence dragged, the less ready he was to break it.

After a while, Seokjin took mercy on him. “Did you get training from someone?” The way he asked it, slow and stilted, made it clear that he didn’t believe it. Which was more than reasonable, really. Jungkook had supposedly come into the Veil four years ago, not knowing a thing about magic and the witch society as a whole. How would he have found a necromancy teacher? And when would he have the time to practice necromancy in the first place? 

“No.” Everyone looked at Namjoon, and the eclectic witch swallowed, his expression an interesting mix of thoughtful and baffled. “That wasn’t…” he paused, “…that was a soul cage.” He looked at Jungkook for confirmation, and Jungkook dipped his chin, readily giving it to him.

“Yes, and…?” asked Seokjin as Taehyung, Jimin, and Hoseok watched on, their confusion obvious. They hadn’t been there for the making of the soul cage, so they were even more lost than Seokjin. The only one – besides Jungkook – who wasn’t lost at all was Yoongi, but he offered no input, sitting next to Jungkook in complete silence.

Namjoon hesitated, then let out a quiet sigh. “The knowledge on how to make them has been lost.” he said. “It’s not something modern necromancers can do.” 

His words created more silence, but it was different this time; less uncomfortable and more… confused , shocked. Which was a reasonable reaction considering the circumstances of it all. Jungkook could see the question in his roommates’ eyes, and he took a deep breath, averting his gaze and rolling his shoulders in discomfort. Namjoon had given him an opening, and now he just had to take it. He wished it was as easy as it sounded. “Yeah, so…” he started, awkwardly clearing his throat, “I kind of fell…” he swallowed, forcing the last few words out of his mouth; “…through one of those arches in the Jun territory.”

That earned him a few baffled looks, and he winced. Maybe this wasn’t the best way to go about it. He should have been clearer, more direct. But, well. At least his words weren’t completely lost on all of them - Namjoon got it immediately, staring at him with his mouth wide open. To his credit, he didn’t need more than a few seconds to gather his wits, and now Jungkook was even more sure that the eclectic witch had already considered the possibility of Jungkook being a time traveler. It was how his mind worked: he zeroed in on the problem, analyzed it and tried to find a solution for it. If someone could figure out the truth, it was him. “You’re a time traveler.” said Namjoon after a moment, staring at Jungkook with an incredulous gaze.

“A traveler ?” Seokjin looked at him in shock, and when Jungkook shot a quick look around the room, he was unsurprised to find Jimin covering his mouth with his hands, while Hoseok stared at him with wide eyes. Taehyung froze, and Yoongi squeezed Jungkook’s hand, shooting him a sideway glance before turning away again. 

“From when ?” asked Seokjin, leaning forward. His expression was an interesting mix of alarmed and interested, and Jungkook wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

“Uh… 1696?”

“What the fuck?” Seokjin breathed out, raising his hand to his forehead.

It was a mild reaction given the circumstances, even more so when compared to Namjoon’s, who’s response to the revelation was much worse than Jungkook had anticipated. He watched as the blood drained from the eclectic witch’s face, his pupils blown wide as his eyes turned glassy and unfocused. It was an alarming sight to behold, and Jungkook barely fought back the urge to lean over the table and shake him. 

“Um, Namjoon?” he started, but his voice got drowned out by Taehyung who had spoken at the same time as him, frowning. 

“1696? Wasn’t that…?” He could read the answer from Jungkook’s face, and he froze. After a moment, his lips pressed together as his eyebrows rose, the look in his eyes heavy but unreadable. 

The others weren’t far behind in their own realizations, and Jungkook could see how close they were to getting it on their faces. Everyone knew about the necromancers’ downfall, and while not many remembered the specific year, most knew it had happened around 300 years ago. The puzzle pieces weren't difficult to put together, and Namjoon’s magnificent reaction dispelled any doubts anyone might have. So… Yeah .

Jungkook swallowed, suddenly a bit lightheaded. He’d felt… alright before this. Not the best, given the difficulty of the conversation, but he hadn’t been anywhere close to spiraling. He was getting closer now, the shift in his mood so abrupt that it gave him whiplash. But… the conversation wasn’t done, and he had to push through. “My full name is Jeon Jungkook.” he said, slowly pulling his hands from Yoongi’s and Hoseok’s holds so he could wrap them around his midsection instead. He lacked the courage to look up at his roommates, but he could feel the shock rippling through the room, the silence growing tenser. He swallowed. “I don’t really want to talk about what happened… before.” he said. 

For a while, no one reacted, and then Hoseok placed his hand on his back, tentatively, only growing more sure once Jungkook didn’t try to shake him off. “You don’t have to.” he said quietly, cutting through the unbearable silence in the room. Jungkook was glad for the reprieve from it, even when it was a short one, the silence falling over them again right after.

It was Seokjin who spoke next, what felt like ages later. “I’m going to make some tea.” he announced, and Jungkook watched him get to his feet, the couch creaking under his weight. 

“Good idea.” muttered Taehyung, his words followed by Jimin’s whispering agreement. The others stayed silent, no one saying anything while they waited for Seokjin to return with the tea. Jungkook focused on the sounds coming from the kitchen; Seokjin’s footsteps, the water boiling, the opening and the closing of the cabinets… It was calming in a way, and much better than the complete silence they’d been subjected to before.

Seokjin made quick work of the tea-making, and a few minutes later, a steaming cup was placed on the table in front of Jungkook. “Drink.” the healing witch ordered, his voice soft but stern enough to leave no space for an argument. Jungkook obeyed the order without a word, cradling the cup in his hands while he took periodic sips of the herbal tea. He avoided his roommates’ gazes as he did so, focusing his entire attention on his cup. The tea helped, acting like a warm and comforting blanket, and he could feel himself start to slowly relax.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” asked Seokjin with a smile in his voice, and Jungkook nodded. “Should we,” continued Seokjin after a moment, his voice quiet, “call it a night and get some sleep?”

Jungkook paused, then shook his head, taking a shaky breath. “I can’t.” he said. He knew it wasn't a bad suggestion. It was late, and they were all tired. It’d do them good to sleep the day's events over and return to the discussion with fresh and rested minds. But… While his roommates knew the truth now, they hadn’t talked about what it meant for them and their future, and merely contemplating having to wait until tomorrow with so much uncertainty in the air made Jungkook want to curl into a ball and disappear. All his old worries reared their ugly heads again, and it took everything in him to fight back the barrage of what-ifs. What if they would go behind his back again? What if they were going to tell their families who he was? What if… He swallowed, pushing his thoughts away as decisively as he could. At this point, he had no choice but to believe that they wouldn’t . 

“You can ask anything you want.” he said quietly. “As long as it isn’t from… before.” He tried to keep his voice even, but it wavered despite his efforts, and he winced, looking down at his feet.

“The wraith.” said Namjoon slowly. “What are you going to do with it?”

The question was a bit unexpected, and Jungkook blinked at the eclectic witch in surprise. “Um.” he said, instinctively reaching for the locket around his neck. He didn’t want Byungho anywhere near him, but he knew having the locket out of his sight and reach would make him even more anxious. What if the runes didn’t hold and Byungho escaped? And Jungkook wasn’t there to capture him again?

Jungkook nervously licked his lips as he studied Namjoon’s expression. His reaction to learning the year Jungkook had come from was still alive in his mind, and he didn’t want to illicit another one, but… Well. “It’s Byungho.” he said, averting his gaze. “I think I’ll let him stew in here for a while.” he motioned to the locket. “Then I’ll sink him.”

He could do it tonight and be done with it, but he didn’t want to. He wanted Byungho to suffer , and he knew leaving him in uncertainty would do the trick much better than sinking him right away. He’d leave him in the locket for a month or two,  let him consider and ponder over his fate, let him fear it. He would be all alone with his thoughts, trapped inside the locket, and it would drive him crazy. Jungkook was going to prolong the torture as much as he could, and he was going to enjoy it.

“Sink him?” asked Hoseok.

“Into the Styx?”

“Oh.”

“When you say it’s Byungho,” said Namjoon carefully, “do you mean the traitor who worked for Daesung?”

“Uh… Yes.”

He saw a few of  his roommates exchange uneasy glances. “And,” started Seokjin after a moment, “ you're sure you can… sink him?”

“Yes.”

“And how exactly would that work?”

“Do you remember the rope Taehyung saw in his vision?”

“I see.” 

After that, silence fell upon them again, less uncomfortable than before, but still unpleasant. No one seemed to know what to say, and Jungkook worried on his lower lip, struggling to sort through his own thoughts. This was hard . Why was it so hard ? “So…” he started carefully, not sure what he was going to ask until the words already rolled off his tongue. “Are you angry,” he swallowed, “that I didn’t tell you?” He looked down at his hands, keeping them clasped on top of the cat. She didn’t seem to mind, her quiet purrs reverberating against his skin.

“Angry, no.” said Seokjin slowly, his voice careful. “We can’t say we’re not,” he paused, “ surprised , but we’re not angry.” The careful way he spoke, and the slight lilt in his voice at the word ‘surprised’ suggested there was something more to it, something Seokjin didn’t want to say. Jungkook contemplated asking about it, but he soon realized it would be pointless.

“Yeah.” said Hoseok quietly. “It’s not hard to understand why you wouldn’t tell us.”

“I…” started Jungkook, his voice trailing off. He cleared his throat, trying again. “I just… I mean, considering what you did…” He winced. “And you’re all the descendants of…? Yeah.”

“The descendants of the ones responsible, yes.” said Namjoon slowly.

“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.” said Seokjin quietly. “To be placed here with us, and for us to treat you like we did.” 

Oh. That wasn’t… Jungkook could feel his eyes widen, and he instinctively raised his head, meeting his roommates’ gazes. His breath caught in his throat at the emotion in them, and he had to look away again after a moment. He… That wasn’t what he’d expected. He’d expected them to be wary, to turn distrustful again, because if he’d managed to hide something so big, what else was he hiding? He hadn’t expected them to be understanding.

He took a deep breath, shakily exhaling. “So…” he said hesitantly. “You don’t think I’m a,” he paused, searching for the right word, “a danger to you?” 

The silence that followed lasted for no more than a few seconds, but it felt much longer, Jungkook holding his breath as he waited for someone to break it. He knew, of course, that if his roommates thought that he was a danger to them, they weren’t going to admit it, but he hoped he’d be able to glean the truth from their reaction. 

“Do you want to hurt us?” asked Jimin.

“No.”

“Were you ever trying to hurt us?”

Jungkook shook his head.

“You’re not a danger to us then.” said Jimin, shrugging his shoulders. His eyes gained a mischievous glint when he added; “Besides, if you wanted to hurt us, I gather you could, what, kill us from where you sit?”

Jungkook blinked at him. “Are you sure you want me to answer that?” he asked, unsurprised when Jimin’s face broke into a grimace and he quickly shook his head. 

The look in his eyes didn’t lose its mischievous glint though, and his lips curled upwards as he said;  “On a second thought - forget I asked.”

“Good idea.” breathed out Hoseok, shooting Jimin a half-amused half-dismayed look.

“I would-” started Namjoon, but Seokjin promptly leaned forward, shutting him up by placing his hand over his mouth.

“You can have a long, detailed discussion about all the ways Jungkook can kill us any time you want, provided I’m not there .” he said, his eyes flickering to Jungkook. “No offense.”

“None taken?”

Seokjin’s lips curled upwards at his reply, the smile they formed as warm as usual. Jungkook tried his hardest to return it, but he knew his own expression had to be closer to a grimace. “Um…” he started, looking down at his hands. His gaze caught on his ring, and he absentmindedly pushed it a few centimeters up his finger. “But this still… changes things, doesn’t it?”

“Does it?” asked Namjoon, looking at him with focused and inquisitive eyes.

Jungkook startled. “Doesn’t it?”

“Not for us, it doesn’t.” said Taehyung. Crossing his legs, he leaned back, his gaze sharp and heavy and boring directly into Jungkook. “It’s still you.”

Jungkook opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. He hadn’t expected that either, and it was getting clearer and clearer how out of his depth he was in this conversation. “Me and a mountain of problems .” he pointed out. 

He still didn’t know what he was going to do in the future, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy sailing no matter what he decided on. Even if he tried to live the rest of his life as an unnamed kitchen witch, there was no guarantee he would be able to keep his secrets hidden forever. He’d been at the academy for less than a year, and Haewon already knew something . Who could guess who else might figure it out. Things could turn dangerous at a snap of a finger, and that made him a potential problem, a risk for his roommates and their coven, so… wouldn’t it make sense for them to distance themselves? Wouldn’t it make sense for them to at least think about it, ponder it over and discuss it amongst each other? They were accepting this way too easily, and Jungkook didn’t know what to make of their nonchalant reaction. Should he take it as a good sign or a red flag? Just… what? What were his roommates thinking ? What was he missing ?

Taehyung shrugged his shoulders. “We all have baggage.” he said, causing Jungkook to gape at him.

“Not this kind of baggage.”

“Do you want out?” Yoongi gave him a sideway look, and Jungkook blinked at him. The hedge witch’s voice was calm, but he was even more stoic than usual, and Jungkook carefully studied his expression. When he couldn’t glean anything from it, he gave up with a sigh.

“No,” he admitted. “But I should.”

“Why?”

Yoongi watched him with dark eyes, and Jungkook could only return his gaze for a moment before he had to tear his eyes away, staring at his hands instead. “Because my presence brings nothing but trouble? If someone finds out about this…”

“No one has to.” said Seokjin quietly. 

Jungkook pressed his lips together. “Yes, but what if I want them to?” he asked, forcing himself to raise his head. He looked at his roommates, holding eye contact with each of them for a moment before moving on. “What if I want to do something about the pathetic state of necromancy in this day and age?”

Hoseok didn’t even hesitate before answering, like it was the easiest decision in the world. “Then we’ll help.”

“Wha…” Jungkook took a deep breath. “It wouldn’t be easy. Or safe.” He glanced at Namjoon. “I’m sure your family would have a lot to say about it.”

Namjoon rubbed his neck. “They would.” he admitted.

“See.”

“Jungkook.” said Yoongi. His voice was quiet, but it carried so much authority that Jungkook's words died in his throat, and he blinked at the hedge witch. Yoongi didn’t say anything else, just returned his gaze, his eyes serious, unreadable, and more than a little intimidating. Jungkook struggled under the weight of them, swallowing as his shoulders tensed.

Jimin let out a small sigh. “We understand if you want out.” he said, looking at Jungkook with wide genuine eyes. “But even if you do, we’ll still help you. You’re our friend .”

“And,” said Namjoon calmly, “do you really believe that we would - that we could - do nothing when we have a chance to fix what our ancestors had ruined?”

Ah. Jungkook looked down at his hands, feeling admonished. They wouldn’t. 

Namjoon, especially, was an idealist, and while the others didn’t always agree with him on the methods, they agreed on the goals. Jungkook knew they’d already discussed their visions for the future of the eclectic Kim territory, and they knew what to expect of each other. Still. Wasn’t this a little too big to just… agree to? Without talking about it more? Why did Jungkook feel like he was missing something again? Was there something they weren’t telling him?

“That’s… Um…” He swallowed, lifting his gaze. “I’m not sure what I want to do.” he admitted, and Namjoon nodded, his eyes understanding.

“You should finish your academy years first.” he advised.

“You’ve been through a lot.” said Seokjin. His gaze was warm as he added; “You deserve to rest.”

Jungkook pressed his lips together, his nails digging into the skin on his palms. He didn’t know if it was the words or all the sympathy and the understanding in his roommates’ eyes, but he suddenly felt overwhelmed, tears welling in his eyes without his permission. He swallowed, doing his best to fight them back. He didn’t want to cry in front of his roommates, and he thought he hid his distress pretty well, but he was proven wrong by Hoseok putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. “Oh come on, don’t cry.” he said.

“Or do cry,” said Jimin from across the table, “it helps.”

Jungkook blinked at him, but despite his advice, he was still trying his best to hold back – until Yoongi laced their fingers together and gently squeezed his hand, after which he couldn’t do it anymore. Tears started to run down his cheeks, and he buried his face in Hoseok’s shoulder, suppressing a sniffle.

He wasn’t sure how long it took before he calmed down, but he suspected it was a while, his inner turmoil made worse by his roommates’ attempts to console him. Their reassuring words, back rubs, hand squeezes, and pats on the shoulder or the knee were more triggering than helpful, but he didn’t know how to communicate that to them. Or if he wanted to in the first place. 

His tears did eventually dry, and he sniffled, wiping his eyes as he took a shaky breath. “Sorry.” he muttered, avoiding everyone’s eyes. It was embarrassing to have broken down in front of them like this, and he wouldn’t mind if the ground opened up and swallowed him whole to save him from having to deal with the aftermath. Shakily exhaling, he carefully pulled away from both Hoseok and Yoongi, and they let him, albeit reluctantly, their touches lingering for as long as possible.

“I still think this isn’t going to work.” he said after a pause, vaguely motioning to his ring. He couldn’t look anyone in the eye, so he said it to the floor. “Don’t forget I’m a Jeon.” That was kind of important for the future of their relationship, and Jungkook had almost forgotten about the myriad of obstacles it brought along. He bit his tongue, his chest uncomfortably tight as he stared at the carpet. 

The thing was… Well, if he decided to do something about the current state of necromancy, as he’d said he might, and reveal his identity, he would be a family head. Every territory had succession rules, and they were rather clear; no Low House could rule as long as a member of a High House was still alive. The Jeon territory would be his . And that complicated things considering Namjoon was the future head of the eclectic Kim territory. It wasn’t forbidden to have two heads in the same coven, but more so because it was such a catastrophically bad idea that it had only been done a handful of times in the entire history of the Veil than for any other reason. 

It would never work out. 

“Really? Again? ” asked Taehyung after a few tension-filled moments, sounding mildly exasperated.

It – once again – wasn’t what Jungkook had expected, and he raised his head, meeting the green witch’s disapproving gaze. “It complicates things.” he pointed out, feeling the need to emphasize the fact. It did. It wouldn’t matter if Jungkook decided to live on as a kitchen witch, but if he worked on regaining his status and territory, then he obviously couldn’t be a part of the coven. 

His roommates exchanged glances, their meaning lost on Jungkook. He wished they would stop doing this - or alternatively; that he knew them well enough to understand what they were communicating to each other with their eyes.

“It does.” agreed Namjoon slowly, his voice matter-of-fact.

“See.” said Jungkook, turning to Taehyung. 

“It makes things more difficult, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work out.” said Namjoon, and Jungkook startled, blinking at him. 

“Two heads in the same coven aren’t completely unheard of.” agreed Seokjin, looking at him with warm eyes.

“Yes, but if I remember correctly, it never ended well .”

“Oh, you checked, haven’t you?” asked Taehyung with a hint of mirth in his eyes, and Jungkook glared at him, heat rising up his neck despite his best efforts to quell the embarrassment the words had instilled in him. He wished the green witch would stop doing this.

Jimin shot them both a humorous glance, but his expression grew more serious when he said: “We’re talking about ‘what if’s’.” His eyes bore into Jungkook with an unsettling intensity, and Jungkook barely suppressed the urge to look away. “Can you honestly say you won’t regret it if we don’t at least try.”

Jungkook swallowed. “No.” he said quietly. “But it might end horribly.”

“That can be true for anything.” said Yoongi, reaching forward to pet the cat between her ears. She purred louder before shooting Jungkook a judgmental look. He ignored her.

“Yeah, but the chances of a bad ending are much greater with this .” he pointed out, motioning vaguely at the air. “And,” he added after a moment, his voice quieter, “I don’t want you to get hurt.” They were still in the courting stage and there was no guarantee Jungkook would ever join their coven, but it'd still be much easier and much safer for them if they were to go their separate ways now, before they became even more involved than they already were. 

His roommates didn’t seem to agree, Seokjin already shaking his head. “We know the risks.” he said. “And it’s our decision if we want to take them or not.” Jungkook opened his mouth to protest, realized he was out of arguments and closed it again. 

Hoseok gave him a triumphant look. “I’m glad we cleared that up.” he said, and Jungkook snorted. 

Yeah. There were no more secrets between them now (at least from Jungkook’s side), and it felt liberating, like he’d finally been allowed to put down the heavy burden he’d had to carry so far. He could feel his lips curl upwards, forming a smile without his permission, and his roommates wasted no time in returning it.

They ended up spending the night in Seokjin’s room, piling blankets and pillows on the floor to sleep on. Jungkook found himself squeezed in between Yoongi and Namjoon, the hedge witch lying half on top of him while the eclectic witch’s back was pressed against his. Someone had thrown their arm over them, and Jungkook didn’t need long to realize it was Hoseok, his ring shining in the darkness. Their position was… Well, quite uncomfortable, objectively , but for some reason, nothing could convince him to move. His roommates’ presence was reassuring and listening to their slow breathing calming. 

He pressed his face into the pillow, taking a deep breath. On one hand, he was already half dozing off, but on the other, there were too many thoughts in his head to fully fall asleep. Too many things had happened in the last 24 hours, and he wasn’t done processing them. There were tasks that still had to be completed, like having a conversation with Haewon, though that probably wasn’t super urgent now that his roommates knew the truth and had his back. Besides, he supposed that, if she’d intended to tell anyone, she would have already done so. So it was… probably fine?

Then there was Byungho. Jungkook had already decided to keep him stewing for a while, and despite trying to convince himself that he was going to do so purely to torture him, he knew, deep down, that that wasn’t the entire truth. He wasn’t ready. No matter how much he wanted to, how much he yearned to feed parts of Buyngho’s soul to the soul eaters and sink the rest of him to the bottom of the river, he wasn’t ready to confront him. Not yet. It was one thing to know he was there, to see him around the academy, to feel his presence, and it was another altogether to talk to him. The traitor would talk back, and if he was still the Byungho Jungkook had once known, he would find a way to stab him directly where it hurt. Jungkook would need a thick skin to deal with him, and he didn’t feel like he had it, not right now. He wasn’t sure if another month or two would change anything, but… He could slowly try to process everything that had happened and get used to the idea of having to confront Byungho.

And then there were his roommates. They were by far the most pleasant subject he could think about, and he tried to direct his thoughts back to them. He suspected things would change between them after this, and while he didn’t know how they would change, he supposed it didn’t matter. They knew the truth now, and they hadn’t immediately dropped him. They hadn’t judged him either, or resented him for not telling them. They’d been ready to give him the benefit of the doubt, to give him a chance , and it meant a lot. It almost made him believe that things would work out between them, that the Lovers, the card that had hunted him his entire life, meant that he could have this . He supposed there were more things they needed to discuss, and he still had to decide what to do with his future, but there was no hurry. They all had at least one more year of the academy left, and they had more than enough time to figure it out.

The important thing was: he was no longer alone.