The World Ends With You
Title: The World Ends With You
Chapter: 2/?
Pairings: ZhouRy (Main), many others
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Character Death, Angst, Apocalyptic Themes
Summary: Sequel to Till Death Do We Part. Zhou Mi had always been a failure of a necromancer. He botched up all his spells, brought back the wrong person, and the few times he had gotten it right, his ex boyfriend had taken it upon himself to send his successes back where they came from. But this didn’t stop him from trying… Until one day, the new boy next door happened to walk in on his ritual… And vanished into thin air. Determined to get Henry back, Zhou Mi set off for Korea, to find the only person he knew would be willing to help; Cho KyuHyun, his ex. But more people start disappearing, and the events set in motion would change all their lives, and the fate of the four worlds, forever.
A/N: Second chapter~! Thanks so much for all the comments guys, hope you like this chapter too! ^.^ Oh, and the Character and Terms list has been updated, with new info for YooChun, JunSu, HeeChul, HanKyung, and Henry, as well as new terms mentioned in this chapter.
Trailer
Characters and Terms
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Laughter rang throughout the valley. Not the laughter of friends, nor family, but cruel laughter, dark and menacing. A group of young men completely surrounded their target; another boy like them, but with a much kinder appearance, which was now frozen in uncertainty and fear. The targeted male tried to back up out of their way, only to find his back brushing up against the valley wall. Completely cut off. He felt like a sheep among wolves.
“W-what do you want?” He tried sounding brave, but his voice came out as little more than a squeak. The laughter continued.
“What do you want? Want do you want?” They mocked him, repeating his words over and over in that wobbling baby tone. The leader of the small pack stepped up to him, hitting the boy hard across the face. “To put it mildly, we’re bored. My friends and I were looking for a bit of fun, and we thought, why not invite little baby JunSu to join in?” He stuck his face close to the shorter males, delighting in how JunSu pressed himself flat against the wall in an effort to get away.
“I-I’m n-not interested,” JunSu tried, but was answered with a hard punch to the stomach, then a hand around his throat, lifting the small boy off the ground.
“It wasn’t a question.”
“Yah, what are you lot doing?”
The group turned around at the sound of the new voice, the leader letting JunSu drop to the ground coughing. A feminine-looking boy stood at the entrance to the valley where they’d cornered JunSu, hands on his hips. “I believe you’re on our turf without permission. Tsk tsk.”
The male leader of the small group laughed. “Nice try, princess. The boundary is at the entrance to the valley, where you’re standing. I’m still on my own ground, and your lowlife servant is on our side of the line.” JunSu gulped as the man cracked his knuckles.
“That’s odd…” A second voice joined in, as out of thin air, a different male appeared at the side of the one he’d called ‘princess’. “I saw the whole thing, and the imp stayed well on our side of the line. But one of you used a spell to drag him over, which if I remember correctly was a clear violation of the treaty.”
“Spells don’t count,” laughed the leader. “It was written nowhere, and we shall do as we please with our magic.”
“Very well.” The second male nodded towards the feminine boy beside him, who grinned wickedly. Red fire twisted around his fingertips, and without warning the leader was suddenly dragged by an invisible force towards them. Once he was in front of the duo, the ‘princess’ smirked. “Too bad. Now you’re on our side of the line, and spells don’t count, right?”
JunSu covered his ears to block out the sickening crunch of breaking bones, picking himself up and running towards the boundary between clan grounds. The second he had passed safely onto the other clans’ territory, the feminine man released the demon from the other clan, blasting him back onto his own side. “And remember your place,” He smirked.
“Come on you, no meals for a week,” The second demon said gruffly, grabbing JunSu’s arm and pulling him away. JunSu babbled apologies as they left the sight of the other clan.
Only once they were inside the mansion at the center of the clan grounds, and safely inside their rooms, did the male release JunSu with a groan. “I’m getting tired of this.”
“Which is why I tag along,” commented HeeChul, dropping majestically onto the nearest chair and proceeding to fan himself. “Because if I let you punish that bloke, he probably would have went back in even worse condition, and we’d have another clan war on our hands. And no way in Hell am I letting those blasted angels get wind of it and interfere again.”
“I’m sorry,” JunSu said sheepishly, bowing his head. The two higher-ranked demons observed him. “It’s not your fault, duck-butt,” HeeChul replied dryly. “You were doing your job, and those lowlifes decided to make you into some sort of game. Again.” JunSu apologized again.
“Anyways, I’m off. Hannie’s waiting for me.” HeeChul rose again, winking at the other demon. “Don’t punish him too much.” With that, he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.
“YooChun, I…” JunSu trailed off as the other demon wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close. “Are you alright?” YooChun asked, checking the smaller male for injuries. When he spotted the forming bruise under the boys torn shirt, and the fingerprints around his throat, he growled in anger.
“Chunnie, it’s okay,” JunSu said softly, resting his head against the others chest. “I’m sorry for making you worry. I try not being a target.”
“I know,” the higher-ranked demon replied, stroking the others soft hair. “You’re just not cut out to be a demon.”
Park YooChun and Kim HeeChul ran the Renui clan, and had for a few centuries now. The Renui clan was a group of demons, and their land made up a good eighth of Hell. Clan wars were rather common, but few people dared proclaim war on the third strongest clan in Hell. It’s demons were fierce and strong, especially its leaders.
Kim JunSu wasn’t a high ranking leader, nor officer, nor much of anything. He was a lowly ‘imp’, a status considered to be the worst of the worst. Normally new spirits remained at imp status for their first century, making them easy targets for all the others. But after 100 years, and sometimes even before them if the imp does something memorable, they are promoted and it becomes harder to use them as targets.
JunSu however, had been an imp his whole afterlife. All 500 years of it. He was simply too kind to even consider hurting others, even when doing so would raise his status and bring him above the rest of the imps. He had never done anything bad while he was alive; truly, the only reason he was in Hell was because he spent too much time as a regretful ghost, and ended up turning into a poltergeist and going on a bloodthirsty killing spree. Killing several humans before he was finally stopped, he was then promptly sent to Hell.
“I’m sorry,” JunSu whispered. YooChun tilted the others face up. He had no idea when exactly he had fallen for the quiet, bullied imp who worked on his land, but it had happened, and faced the both of them with a dilemna. A clan leader could not be seen dating a lowly imp, especially one like JunSu. If they were found out, JunSu would be torn limb from limb, and made to suffer the rest of eternity that way (because it was next to impossible to kill someone already dead, no matter how badly they were massacred), and YooChun would have a full clan rebellion on his hands, because although homosexual relationships weren’t exactly looked down upon in Hell, the clan leader seen caring for a weakling imp was in theory not strong enough to lead. Others would rise up against him, and in time he would be otherthrown and perhaps even brought back down to imp status himself, something he hadn’t been called in over 800 years.
“Don’t be sorry, Su,” YooChun replied softly. “We’ll get through this, alright? HeeChul knows about us, and he’s promised to keep this a secret. We just have to be careful.”
JunSu smiled tearfully up at him. “I know. I love you.”
“I love you too, duck-butt.”
Besides HeeChul, the only one who knew of their forbidden love was another imp like JunSu. This one was new, having only been dead for a few years, but it was already assumed that he would turn out just like JunSu. He was just too kind-hearted for much of anything.
And unfortunately for him, Kim HeeChul had taken a liking to him.
“Yah! I’m hungry!” HeeChul gave a dramatic sigh and fell over onto the couch. “Get me something to eat now!”
“Yes HeeChul sshi,” Came the quiet voice from the kitchen. One did not question a leader of the clan, though he did wonder just why HeeChul liked to keep him around. He never asked, but he’d heard HeeChul telling YooChun something about always wanting to have a pet.
A minute later, HanKyung appeared with a plate of steaming fried rice. A small smile appeared on his lips as he placed the plate down on the table. “HeeChul sshi, I made you food.” Pausing when HeeChul beckoned towards him with one hand, before he gathered his nerves and approached the clan co-leader. He didn’t know any magic of his own yet, and even if he did, few spells could so much as tickle one as experienced as HeeChul. Between him and YooChun, HeeChul had been around longest, at nearly a millenia. He was a witty and sarcastic leader with an ego about the size of the land he controlled. One did not cross Kim HeeChul and walk away unscathed, and quite frankly HanKyung was a bit scared of the older demon. He’d only seen HeeChul’s magic once, and he was sure it hadn’t been his full power, but even that had been more than enough to make HanKyung never want to get on the demon’s bad side. He could go through ten millenias here and still be nowhere close to where HeeChul was now.
Which made him wonder why HeeChul agreed to be co-leader beside YooChun in the first place. With such power, couldn’t he just snatch up full control by himself? But even a lowly imp could understand there were far greater powers in the underworld than Kim HeeChul, and two other clans who’s power was stronger than the Renui’s. Could Park YooChun be just as strong as HeeChul, or even stronger?
HanKyung was called out of his thoughts by another beckon to come closer. Gulping, he went up to the edge of the couch, looking down at the handsome demon. Suddenly, HeeChul’s hand shot up, seizing HanKyungs collar and pulling him down until their faces were inches apart.
“Food’s nice… But I’m hungry for something else…” HeeChul murmured with a smirk, before pulling HanKyung down those last few inches to press their lips together.
He would never understand why a clan leader like Kim HeeChul had taken such an interest in a lowly imp like himself, but sometimes, every now and then, he really didn’t care.
*****
The full moon rose high in the sky, almost directly overhead. Checking his watch, Zhou Mi sighed and went faster in preparing the circle, sprinkling faint traces of the explosive powder from before along the ground. It was just about time, and he wasn’t near ready.
The fault was really his own; he’d been having so much fun with Henry, watching the movie that Henry could only barely understand, then going out to the arcades together in the neighboring town. They’d played games for a long time, so long Zhou Mi had lost track of time, and upon realising that the sun had set and he hadn’t prepared his potion yet, he’d had to hurriedly drive Henry back to his house, saying he had a meeting and he was going to be late. Henry had looked adorably confused, but perfectly obedient, saying with a bright smile that he’d see Zhou Mi tomorrow. Something which Zhou Mi was looking forward too, definitely, but if he was going to get this right this time around, he had to stop thinking about Henry and start thinking about demons.
He’d finally made that potion, after blowing up another bowl and wasting more of the precious powder that was so hard to come by and had taken him months to find. Now, alone in the middle of the forest, he formed the summoning circle with traces of the powder and sprinkled the potion in the center. Different herbs were positioned at various intervals in the circle, all with magical properties related to the dead.
Zhou Mi could do spells other than necromancy, of course; he was one of the very few magic users left. But necromancy was where he found his calling, even though he had no skill in it. Something he hoped tonight would fix.
The moon was almost overhead. Just a few minutes left. He had to finish the casting as soon as the moonlight filled the clearing, or the spell wouldn’t be as potent. With his lack of skill, he needed all the help the moon could provide, and couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“I can do this,” He whispered to himself, kneeling down and flipping the page in his trusty spellbook to the section on demon casting. This spell required no incantations, something Zhou Mi was glad for, because although he had a magnificent voice and loved to sing, he hated the idea that his voice could carry past the forest and attract unwanted attention. Unfortunately, it required magic of a different sort, the magic he had been born with and had yet to master.
KyuHyun would have laughed at him had he been here. The ghost hunter had no magic of his own beyond sensing the paranormal, yet he'd done extensive research on the subject and apparently Zhou Mi should have mastered his own magic long ago. Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one with magic running through his veins, like a constant itch he just couldn’t scratch. He could never understand Zhou Mi’s drive to learn more, and his attraction to black magic. Because Mi felt like this was what he had been born to do, this was what his magic was for, and nothing could change that.
Walking into the circle, he took a deep breath to steady himself, and began to call his magic out from under his skin. It was hard, the magic fought his grasp, but after a great deal of effort he flung it out across the clearing like a net, covering the circle. And he started working on the spell, lips shaping unheard words as he formed symbols in the air with his hands.
Slowly, he felt the clearing come alive around him, the wind gradually picking up. Mother Nature was sensitive to magic, and her first reaction was to try and move the source away with wind. But Zhou Mi couldn’t be budged. A dull humming filled the air, as he felt rather than saw a strange being slowly materializing in the center of the circle, right in front of him.
“Zhou Mi ge?”
His hands froze mid-symbol. Henry appeared from one of the paths leading to the clearing, rubbing one eye sleepily. From the sleeping bag and pillow tucked under one arm, he’d apparently been planning to sleep under the stars, in the clearing Zhou Mi had showed him a week ago. “What are you doing here so late? Did your meeting finish?” the Canadian asked confusedly, as he spoke stepping right into the unseen web of magic Zhou Mi had cast.
Zhou Mi grew in a deep breath, trying to stop the spell with his mind, but the demon he had been calling fought with him, apparently just as confused as Henry was. “Henli, don’t move,” Zhou Mi said, but Henry didn’t understand what he said, walking closer.
The second Henry stepped into the unseen circle, the light wind picked up with a roar, and Zhou Mi was suddenly knocked onto his back, the spell leaving his control. He heard the demon scream, as it vanished. The potion in the center dried up, the circle blowing away and vanishing as the spell flickered and died.
Groaning slightly, Zhou Mi sat up, rubbing the back of his head. There went another spell. None of his spells had backfired quite like this one, but then again no one had ever walked into one of his circles before either. Recalling Henry, he looked up at where the boy was.
But Henry wasn’t there anymore. His sleeping bag and pillow rested on the ground at the circles edge, but their owner was nowhere in sight.
“Henli?” Zhou Mi scrambled to his feet, looking around. He checked the trees all around the edge of the clearing, in case the smaller and much lighter boy had been blown about by the wind. He threw his magic out across the forest, searching for his friend, but the spell brought back no information on Henry’s whereabouts.
“Henli! Where are you?”
He was gone.
Chapter: 2/?
Pairings: ZhouRy (Main), many others
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Character Death, Angst, Apocalyptic Themes
Summary: Sequel to Till Death Do We Part. Zhou Mi had always been a failure of a necromancer. He botched up all his spells, brought back the wrong person, and the few times he had gotten it right, his ex boyfriend had taken it upon himself to send his successes back where they came from. But this didn’t stop him from trying… Until one day, the new boy next door happened to walk in on his ritual… And vanished into thin air. Determined to get Henry back, Zhou Mi set off for Korea, to find the only person he knew would be willing to help; Cho KyuHyun, his ex. But more people start disappearing, and the events set in motion would change all their lives, and the fate of the four worlds, forever.
A/N: Second chapter~! Thanks so much for all the comments guys, hope you like this chapter too! ^.^ Oh, and the Character and Terms list has been updated, with new info for YooChun, JunSu, HeeChul, HanKyung, and Henry, as well as new terms mentioned in this chapter.
Trailer
Characters and Terms
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Laughter rang throughout the valley. Not the laughter of friends, nor family, but cruel laughter, dark and menacing. A group of young men completely surrounded their target; another boy like them, but with a much kinder appearance, which was now frozen in uncertainty and fear. The targeted male tried to back up out of their way, only to find his back brushing up against the valley wall. Completely cut off. He felt like a sheep among wolves.
“W-what do you want?” He tried sounding brave, but his voice came out as little more than a squeak. The laughter continued.
“What do you want? Want do you want?” They mocked him, repeating his words over and over in that wobbling baby tone. The leader of the small pack stepped up to him, hitting the boy hard across the face. “To put it mildly, we’re bored. My friends and I were looking for a bit of fun, and we thought, why not invite little baby JunSu to join in?” He stuck his face close to the shorter males, delighting in how JunSu pressed himself flat against the wall in an effort to get away.
“I-I’m n-not interested,” JunSu tried, but was answered with a hard punch to the stomach, then a hand around his throat, lifting the small boy off the ground.
“It wasn’t a question.”
“Yah, what are you lot doing?”
The group turned around at the sound of the new voice, the leader letting JunSu drop to the ground coughing. A feminine-looking boy stood at the entrance to the valley where they’d cornered JunSu, hands on his hips. “I believe you’re on our turf without permission. Tsk tsk.”
The male leader of the small group laughed. “Nice try, princess. The boundary is at the entrance to the valley, where you’re standing. I’m still on my own ground, and your lowlife servant is on our side of the line.” JunSu gulped as the man cracked his knuckles.
“That’s odd…” A second voice joined in, as out of thin air, a different male appeared at the side of the one he’d called ‘princess’. “I saw the whole thing, and the imp stayed well on our side of the line. But one of you used a spell to drag him over, which if I remember correctly was a clear violation of the treaty.”
“Spells don’t count,” laughed the leader. “It was written nowhere, and we shall do as we please with our magic.”
“Very well.” The second male nodded towards the feminine boy beside him, who grinned wickedly. Red fire twisted around his fingertips, and without warning the leader was suddenly dragged by an invisible force towards them. Once he was in front of the duo, the ‘princess’ smirked. “Too bad. Now you’re on our side of the line, and spells don’t count, right?”
JunSu covered his ears to block out the sickening crunch of breaking bones, picking himself up and running towards the boundary between clan grounds. The second he had passed safely onto the other clans’ territory, the feminine man released the demon from the other clan, blasting him back onto his own side. “And remember your place,” He smirked.
“Come on you, no meals for a week,” The second demon said gruffly, grabbing JunSu’s arm and pulling him away. JunSu babbled apologies as they left the sight of the other clan.
Only once they were inside the mansion at the center of the clan grounds, and safely inside their rooms, did the male release JunSu with a groan. “I’m getting tired of this.”
“Which is why I tag along,” commented HeeChul, dropping majestically onto the nearest chair and proceeding to fan himself. “Because if I let you punish that bloke, he probably would have went back in even worse condition, and we’d have another clan war on our hands. And no way in Hell am I letting those blasted angels get wind of it and interfere again.”
“I’m sorry,” JunSu said sheepishly, bowing his head. The two higher-ranked demons observed him. “It’s not your fault, duck-butt,” HeeChul replied dryly. “You were doing your job, and those lowlifes decided to make you into some sort of game. Again.” JunSu apologized again.
“Anyways, I’m off. Hannie’s waiting for me.” HeeChul rose again, winking at the other demon. “Don’t punish him too much.” With that, he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.
“YooChun, I…” JunSu trailed off as the other demon wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close. “Are you alright?” YooChun asked, checking the smaller male for injuries. When he spotted the forming bruise under the boys torn shirt, and the fingerprints around his throat, he growled in anger.
“Chunnie, it’s okay,” JunSu said softly, resting his head against the others chest. “I’m sorry for making you worry. I try not being a target.”
“I know,” the higher-ranked demon replied, stroking the others soft hair. “You’re just not cut out to be a demon.”
Park YooChun and Kim HeeChul ran the Renui clan, and had for a few centuries now. The Renui clan was a group of demons, and their land made up a good eighth of Hell. Clan wars were rather common, but few people dared proclaim war on the third strongest clan in Hell. It’s demons were fierce and strong, especially its leaders.
Kim JunSu wasn’t a high ranking leader, nor officer, nor much of anything. He was a lowly ‘imp’, a status considered to be the worst of the worst. Normally new spirits remained at imp status for their first century, making them easy targets for all the others. But after 100 years, and sometimes even before them if the imp does something memorable, they are promoted and it becomes harder to use them as targets.
JunSu however, had been an imp his whole afterlife. All 500 years of it. He was simply too kind to even consider hurting others, even when doing so would raise his status and bring him above the rest of the imps. He had never done anything bad while he was alive; truly, the only reason he was in Hell was because he spent too much time as a regretful ghost, and ended up turning into a poltergeist and going on a bloodthirsty killing spree. Killing several humans before he was finally stopped, he was then promptly sent to Hell.
“I’m sorry,” JunSu whispered. YooChun tilted the others face up. He had no idea when exactly he had fallen for the quiet, bullied imp who worked on his land, but it had happened, and faced the both of them with a dilemna. A clan leader could not be seen dating a lowly imp, especially one like JunSu. If they were found out, JunSu would be torn limb from limb, and made to suffer the rest of eternity that way (because it was next to impossible to kill someone already dead, no matter how badly they were massacred), and YooChun would have a full clan rebellion on his hands, because although homosexual relationships weren’t exactly looked down upon in Hell, the clan leader seen caring for a weakling imp was in theory not strong enough to lead. Others would rise up against him, and in time he would be otherthrown and perhaps even brought back down to imp status himself, something he hadn’t been called in over 800 years.
“Don’t be sorry, Su,” YooChun replied softly. “We’ll get through this, alright? HeeChul knows about us, and he’s promised to keep this a secret. We just have to be careful.”
JunSu smiled tearfully up at him. “I know. I love you.”
“I love you too, duck-butt.”
Besides HeeChul, the only one who knew of their forbidden love was another imp like JunSu. This one was new, having only been dead for a few years, but it was already assumed that he would turn out just like JunSu. He was just too kind-hearted for much of anything.
And unfortunately for him, Kim HeeChul had taken a liking to him.
“Yah! I’m hungry!” HeeChul gave a dramatic sigh and fell over onto the couch. “Get me something to eat now!”
“Yes HeeChul sshi,” Came the quiet voice from the kitchen. One did not question a leader of the clan, though he did wonder just why HeeChul liked to keep him around. He never asked, but he’d heard HeeChul telling YooChun something about always wanting to have a pet.
A minute later, HanKyung appeared with a plate of steaming fried rice. A small smile appeared on his lips as he placed the plate down on the table. “HeeChul sshi, I made you food.” Pausing when HeeChul beckoned towards him with one hand, before he gathered his nerves and approached the clan co-leader. He didn’t know any magic of his own yet, and even if he did, few spells could so much as tickle one as experienced as HeeChul. Between him and YooChun, HeeChul had been around longest, at nearly a millenia. He was a witty and sarcastic leader with an ego about the size of the land he controlled. One did not cross Kim HeeChul and walk away unscathed, and quite frankly HanKyung was a bit scared of the older demon. He’d only seen HeeChul’s magic once, and he was sure it hadn’t been his full power, but even that had been more than enough to make HanKyung never want to get on the demon’s bad side. He could go through ten millenias here and still be nowhere close to where HeeChul was now.
Which made him wonder why HeeChul agreed to be co-leader beside YooChun in the first place. With such power, couldn’t he just snatch up full control by himself? But even a lowly imp could understand there were far greater powers in the underworld than Kim HeeChul, and two other clans who’s power was stronger than the Renui’s. Could Park YooChun be just as strong as HeeChul, or even stronger?
HanKyung was called out of his thoughts by another beckon to come closer. Gulping, he went up to the edge of the couch, looking down at the handsome demon. Suddenly, HeeChul’s hand shot up, seizing HanKyungs collar and pulling him down until their faces were inches apart.
“Food’s nice… But I’m hungry for something else…” HeeChul murmured with a smirk, before pulling HanKyung down those last few inches to press their lips together.
He would never understand why a clan leader like Kim HeeChul had taken such an interest in a lowly imp like himself, but sometimes, every now and then, he really didn’t care.
*****
The full moon rose high in the sky, almost directly overhead. Checking his watch, Zhou Mi sighed and went faster in preparing the circle, sprinkling faint traces of the explosive powder from before along the ground. It was just about time, and he wasn’t near ready.
The fault was really his own; he’d been having so much fun with Henry, watching the movie that Henry could only barely understand, then going out to the arcades together in the neighboring town. They’d played games for a long time, so long Zhou Mi had lost track of time, and upon realising that the sun had set and he hadn’t prepared his potion yet, he’d had to hurriedly drive Henry back to his house, saying he had a meeting and he was going to be late. Henry had looked adorably confused, but perfectly obedient, saying with a bright smile that he’d see Zhou Mi tomorrow. Something which Zhou Mi was looking forward too, definitely, but if he was going to get this right this time around, he had to stop thinking about Henry and start thinking about demons.
He’d finally made that potion, after blowing up another bowl and wasting more of the precious powder that was so hard to come by and had taken him months to find. Now, alone in the middle of the forest, he formed the summoning circle with traces of the powder and sprinkled the potion in the center. Different herbs were positioned at various intervals in the circle, all with magical properties related to the dead.
Zhou Mi could do spells other than necromancy, of course; he was one of the very few magic users left. But necromancy was where he found his calling, even though he had no skill in it. Something he hoped tonight would fix.
The moon was almost overhead. Just a few minutes left. He had to finish the casting as soon as the moonlight filled the clearing, or the spell wouldn’t be as potent. With his lack of skill, he needed all the help the moon could provide, and couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“I can do this,” He whispered to himself, kneeling down and flipping the page in his trusty spellbook to the section on demon casting. This spell required no incantations, something Zhou Mi was glad for, because although he had a magnificent voice and loved to sing, he hated the idea that his voice could carry past the forest and attract unwanted attention. Unfortunately, it required magic of a different sort, the magic he had been born with and had yet to master.
KyuHyun would have laughed at him had he been here. The ghost hunter had no magic of his own beyond sensing the paranormal, yet he'd done extensive research on the subject and apparently Zhou Mi should have mastered his own magic long ago. Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one with magic running through his veins, like a constant itch he just couldn’t scratch. He could never understand Zhou Mi’s drive to learn more, and his attraction to black magic. Because Mi felt like this was what he had been born to do, this was what his magic was for, and nothing could change that.
Walking into the circle, he took a deep breath to steady himself, and began to call his magic out from under his skin. It was hard, the magic fought his grasp, but after a great deal of effort he flung it out across the clearing like a net, covering the circle. And he started working on the spell, lips shaping unheard words as he formed symbols in the air with his hands.
Slowly, he felt the clearing come alive around him, the wind gradually picking up. Mother Nature was sensitive to magic, and her first reaction was to try and move the source away with wind. But Zhou Mi couldn’t be budged. A dull humming filled the air, as he felt rather than saw a strange being slowly materializing in the center of the circle, right in front of him.
“Zhou Mi ge?”
His hands froze mid-symbol. Henry appeared from one of the paths leading to the clearing, rubbing one eye sleepily. From the sleeping bag and pillow tucked under one arm, he’d apparently been planning to sleep under the stars, in the clearing Zhou Mi had showed him a week ago. “What are you doing here so late? Did your meeting finish?” the Canadian asked confusedly, as he spoke stepping right into the unseen web of magic Zhou Mi had cast.
Zhou Mi grew in a deep breath, trying to stop the spell with his mind, but the demon he had been calling fought with him, apparently just as confused as Henry was. “Henli, don’t move,” Zhou Mi said, but Henry didn’t understand what he said, walking closer.
The second Henry stepped into the unseen circle, the light wind picked up with a roar, and Zhou Mi was suddenly knocked onto his back, the spell leaving his control. He heard the demon scream, as it vanished. The potion in the center dried up, the circle blowing away and vanishing as the spell flickered and died.
Groaning slightly, Zhou Mi sat up, rubbing the back of his head. There went another spell. None of his spells had backfired quite like this one, but then again no one had ever walked into one of his circles before either. Recalling Henry, he looked up at where the boy was.
But Henry wasn’t there anymore. His sleeping bag and pillow rested on the ground at the circles edge, but their owner was nowhere in sight.
“Henli?” Zhou Mi scrambled to his feet, looking around. He checked the trees all around the edge of the clearing, in case the smaller and much lighter boy had been blown about by the wind. He threw his magic out across the forest, searching for his friend, but the spell brought back no information on Henry’s whereabouts.
“Henli! Where are you?”
He was gone.