Chapter Text
Sickly rust tones seep into the night sky, dispersed by columns of thick, billowing smoke. Even from the distance, Taemin can feel it, the sheer heat radiating from the epicenter of the great fire. Its amber light reaches between the dense cluster of evergreen branches, piercing a darkness that had once seemed so impregnable. Ill dread roils inside the witches guts as he stands by stewing in a sensation so thoroughly unfamiliar to him.
Helplessness.
It has been centuries since such a petty bother had ever even whispered from the depths of the witch’s mind. Yet there he stands, completely and utterly powerless to stop the fire enveloping his beloved academy for young, bright witches.
Flames devour the old victorian estate from the inside out. Orange sparks seep through every crack, and wrathful explosions shatter glass that had been artfully crafted over a century prior. From her toxic gas spews ugly and dark, stained by the countless ingredients, potions and mystical artifacts that hadn’t been crafted to withstand flame. More devastating, however, is the knowledge that restless spirits had bound themselves to the place. With their material surrogates aflame, no doubt they would take to the skies again, discontent and perhaps even vengeful. Fiery, hot malevolence emanates from the once vivid, bright place in such a thick aura that it’s nearly overwhelming.
“H-How?” Taemin asks his associate, awestruck. He stumbles toward the old estate. The once enchanted, vivid place rapidly reduces to nothing more than an angry, blazing heap of wood and stone. Wretched popping and booming sounds explode from within the tortured soul of an estate. “How?”
“We shouldn’t go any further than this,” Kibum, second only to Taemin himself, instructs the other.
“That’s my school,” Taemin responds defiantly, charging toward the clearing.
“Taemin, no-!” Kibum lunges after the other, just barely catching the black sleeve of the other’s jumper between his fingertips. “It’s lost. She’s lost.”
“No-! No, I- I refuse to accept it!” The witch struggles against his friend’s grip. “We are the most powerful beings on this damn realm of existence-”
“Taemin-”
“-I will be damned if a- if a fire will stop me!”
“Taemin!” Kibum chides the other harshly, grip unrelenting. He grabs the other by the shoulders and turns him so they’re eye to eye. “The academy has fallen. You have to accept it.”
“But how?” The blond shoves the other off roughly. His gaze falls upon the pillars of flame engulfing his beloved academy. “What creature could possibly overcome all of our security measures. The- the barriers, the concealment charms, the traps, the alarms, the- the- oh gods.”
“Settle down, Tae,” Kibum imparts softly. “Burning alive isn’t going to help anything. I mean- I- I don’t know either. I- I don’t know.” He bites down on his lip worriedly, glancing at the blaze meters beyond. “At- at least it was during the summer break,” He tries to add optimistically. “No students or staff were hurt. Well, no mortal ones.”
Oppressive trepidation pressed down on Taemin’s heart heavily. He focuses on the flames, watching them lick up the wood and illuminate the holes once adorned by stained glass windows. The panic trickles into his veins, a stinging venom that begins to strain his ability to breathe, to think even.
“Of course they weren’t,” Taemin says numbly.
“Wh- Hm?” Kibum’s brows furrow confusedly.
“Because their intention was not to harm us, but to warn us.”
“B-But- the intention of who?” Kibum’s voice quivers at the implication.
“I don’t know,” Taemin’s gaze never wavers. Try as he might, he cannot tear his eyes away from the raging mass of malice swelling amidst the forest clearing. “But whoever they are, they’re one of us.”
“They’re- what?!”
“They have to be. The security, the charms, all of the enchantments - only someone on the inside could surpass all of our measures.”
“You- You think it was one of us? One of the staff- or- the students?!”
“There’s no other possibility.”
“... Shit ,” Kibum hisses, continuing to worry at his bottom lip. “Shit. Where do we go from here? We have to find this fiend. Perhaps if we can get somewhat close we- we can try to divine-”
Taemin heaves a sigh, shaking his head, “No, Kibum. Not now. Not yet. Right now we have more pressing concerns.”
“What? What is more pressing than finding the person who did this to us?!”
“Key, if you don’t recall, this place is- was a school first and foremost. And, in case you’ve forgotten, students are to be moving back into the dormitories in a week’s time.”
“Oh, right. My bad. I guess what with the massive fire burning down our school that detail slipped my mind,” The other witch huffs.
“It is your bad,” Taemin sighs. He dusts himself off, and little specks of ash fly off of his black turtleneck.
“So what are we to do about our displaced students now? Gods damn, we’re going to have to tell them all to enroll elsewhere. I suppose if we get in touch with all of their intended schools our name might give them some weight. Then again, how many institutions are full up at this point in time, and where will they stay-”
“Enough,” Taemin cuts the other off, holding up a finger. He wags it a few times before elaborating, “We’ve no choice but to merge our entire student body with another organization. We can’t simply send everyone off on their own. The news alone will send them into a tizz, let alone being told they have to find a new place to study. No, no, I… I will think of something.”
“You best think quickly,” Kibum says.
A loud explosion erupts from the blazing wreckage of the estate, and smoldering hunks of wood and rock fly into the sky. Pieces of debris crash and clatter onto the ground beneath. The sight is horrific: the slow agonizing death of a grand estate, a place that had a spirit in its own rite. It’s not unlike the witch executions of old. She stands helpless, bound to her place, given no other option than to give way to the flames until her very soul is consumed by them.
“Goodbye,” Taemin speaks to the estate itself. His voice thickens, water smearing his vision until he only sees her as a blur of black and bright orange. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you but know I will find who’s done this to you.”
Kibum shuffles over to Taemin’s side and wraps an arm around his shoulders, squeezing tight.
Taemin sniffles and shakes the other off. He straightens up his posture and lifts his head high to the sky.
“Come, Kibum,” He says, voice clear and authoritative again. If they - whoever they are - are watching, he’ll be damned if he shows them fear or vulnerability. “We’ve much work to do.”
“Yes, Headmister.”
Taemin turns on his heel. His back burns as he walks away from the fire, but he doesn’t bother turning around or looking back. His shadow stretches long in front of him as he walks away from the clearing he and many others once regarded as a second home. Kibum follows dutifully, muttering a barrier spell to contain the fire behind them.
With the containment from the spell, smoke wells up beneath the energy barrier. It fills the bubble to the brim until finally smothering the flames in their own suffocating fumes.
Byun Baekhyun coughs and sputters, splattering coffee all over his pink sweater. He pouts, heaving a dejected sigh at the unsightly stain.
“I-I’m sorry,” Baekhyun stutters, “You want to what?”
“Did I say want?” The witch perched properly on his office’s couch replies. “I apologize if my tone implied such uncertainty. What I mean to say is: this is happening.”
Baekhyun smiles through the pain.
If looks could kill, no doubt Lee Taemin would be a mass murderer. Zodiac and Dahmer would wet themselves in the witch’s presence. If Baekhyun likened Taemin to an object, it would be a dagger. A polished, sharp dagger. It wouldn’t surprise Baek if the other drew one out of his tight black pants. Not a single platinum blond hair fell out of place, and his black turtleneck seems like it wasn’t sewn but actually molded to his beautiful body. Even the way he carries himself is intimidating. He’s all direct eye contact and straight back, nothing about him slumps or sags. Baekhyun feels like a bit of a muppet in contrast; shaggy hair, drab (now stained) sweater and jeans in a wash just dark enough to pass as professional.
“I- I’m sorry,” Baekhyun says, “Can you please start from the beginning. I- I’m kind of confused-”
“What part of ‘my school burned down so we need to merge our student bodies so I can send mine here’ did you not understand?”
“Wh- Well, I-” Baekhyun’s eyes shoot down to the nameplate on his desk like it’ll give him the proper answers. Unfortunately, the crappy plastic with embossed “BYUN BAEKHYUN, HEAD MISTER” does little more than remind him just how optimistic he’d been when applying for the position. He briefly wonders if Taemin had a name tag. He imagines it was probably carved out of marble and faceted with real, twenty-four-carat gold. “I suppose the part where somehow the most renowned, exclusive academy of powerful witches got completely annihilated without anyone noticing?”
Taemin’s smile is almost as fake as his hair as he answers, “If I knew the answer to that, do you think I would be here?”
“Listen, I’m very sorry about your situation, but I- I just don’t see how this will work.”
The blond sheds his courteous facade and rolls his eyes, “Of course you can’t. It’s simple, really,” He stands up, striding over to Baekhyun’s desk with a confident ease that the headmister wishes he had. Even just the way Taemin walks makes it seem like he should be accompanied by a string symphony at all times. Baekhyun imagines his personal orchestra would be composed of something like bike horns. Or kazoos.
“Nothing about merging two schools is simple,” Baekhyun replies.
“May I be frank with you?” Taemin asks - as if the other has a choice in the matter. “Perhaps if we were discussing merging two schools of equal stature and rapport in society, this would be a much deeper discussion. This, however - this thing I am extending to you - is more an act of charity than anything.”
Baekhyun balks, “Now hold on-”
“No, you hold on,” The witch cuts him off. “The Rouge Shadow Academy for Witchcraft is one of the most reputable magical academic institutions in the world. Our student body is comprised solely of the continent’s most brilliant, promising young witches and our staff is chock full of decorated, globally recognized figures in the supernatural world. Then, there is you-” Taemin waves vaguely at Baekhyun, as if speaking about him personally. “You warlocks.”
Baekhyun bristles at that. It’s true, witches are more powerful than warlocks. Warlocks can manipulate the material world, but only witches have the ability to manipulate energy, spirits, and living things. Baekhyun by no means resents witches for this. He’s grateful to have any magical gifts at all. After all, he could be a magically stunted manikin, or even worse: a mere mortal, living on completely ignorant of the what truly drives the world around him. He just resents this witch at the moment.
“And what about us?” Baekhyun narrows his eyes.
Taemin rolls his in response, “Oh, please, you know I don’t mean it like that. I am not here to remind you of the painfully obvious reality that witches are superior to your kind in every way.”
“Of course you aren’t,” Baek replies sarcastically. “Thanks for that.”
“I’m not talking about ‘you warlocks’ as in all warlocks, but ‘you warlocks’ as in you warlocks at this school,” He gestures to the office.
“This school” is, of course, referring to the Wolfwood Warlock School. It’s no fabulous Victorian estate, but the abandoned mental asylum had everything Wolfwood’s founders needed. They lovingly etched out every detail of the facilities, converting hospital rooms to dorms and surgical wards into classrooms. Unlike Taemin’s hoity-toity academy, Wolfwood takes in all kinds - warlocks and witches. They’re happy to accept anyone with an aptitude and a will to learn, even extending financial aid packages which Baekhyun’s fairly certain Taemin would cringe at. Baekhyun is an alumnus himself, and after a few decades of teaching, he returned to his alma mater to run the place. His mental image had been a joyful one, full of laughter, mirthful pranks and fun coming of age rites - all while he had the privilege of watching over the bright youth of tomorrow.
Nowhere in his fantasy was there a platinum blond bitch with a smokey eye and a condescending air. Yet, there he is, in the flesh, demanding that Baekhyun open his school to a few hundred persnickety little witches because reasons.
Taemin elaborates on his spiel, “Listen, I’ve done my research. I know that Wolfwood is hurting for enrollment numbers. I get it, we’ve been struggling, too. Humanity is more skeptical than ever, and magic isn’t what it used to be. And a big place like this? Must be hard to keep the lights on.”
Baekhyun presses his lips together. The beautiful bastard’s got a point. They’ve been bleeding for the past decade, each class smaller than the last. With the mortal economy driving down the supernatural subeconomies, everyone’s hurting, and they’ve been extending more scholarships and aid packages just to help people get in the door. Being an old facility, Wolfwood’s in constant need of repairs, too. They’ve had their fair share of floods, fires, and mold issues - none of which went easy on the coffers.
“We make due,” Baekhyun says neutrally. He feels way out of his wheelhouse talking with the other one on one. Shouldn’t there be a board meeting or something? Some administrative staff situation necessitating the presence of an adult - well, an adultier adult - to supervise the fledgling headmister? Alas, Baek foolishly welcomed Taemin into his office, thinking it to be some miscellaneous inter-academic discussion about curriculums or sporting events.
“You make due?” Taemin chuckles at that. “I passed under at least half a dozen holes in the ceiling on my walk to this very office.”
“They’re being repaired. They’ll get better before the students arrive.”
“And what of the poltergeist rearranging the trophy case?”
“Wh- I thought we took care of that- I mean- we- we did take care of that.”
Taemin raises his brows incredulously at that, “What did you do, give it a sage cleanse?”
“ No ,” Baekhyun fires back even though, yes, that’s exactly what he and Jongin did. It’s not their fault Warlocks aren’t gifted with manners of the spirit realm. They did what they could with the tools at their disposal!
“Of course,” The blond looks far too amused for Baek’s liking. Even so, the headmister allows the other make to make his case. “My point is that this place is falling apart, you have ample room to house more students and your facilities are… Nearly adequate.”
“Nearly adequate? Wow, no need to be so complimentary.”
“Come on, I am handing you the opportunity to house some of the world’s young magical elite. Think of what a good influence they will be on your students. Think of the connections you and your school can make.”
“Wh- What’s wrong with my students?” Baekhyun scoffs. Taemin merely raises his brows in response, but before he can think of any more rude witticisms, Baek continues, “I- I mean, okay. Look, like I said, I feel for you, but you saw it yourself: we’re struggling. And, yes, we have the room to house more students, but with what resources? My staff is spread thin as it is, and we’ve had to cut extracurricular programs. I can’t handle another more than what I’ve got.”
“Which is why it would be downright irresponsible of you to deny my request.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear a word I just said?”
“Of course I did. Wh- Don’t tell me you think I intend to ask this of you without compensation.”
“Without- Wh- Wait,” Baekhyun pauses, coming down slightly from his frazzled state. “Wait. Compensation?”
“Yes. Gods- What, you think I was going to send my students to this place in its current state?”
“Well, I- Uh- Yeah. Yes.”
Taemin laughs, “That is adorable . Gods, no. No, no, no. No , no, no, no-”
“You can stop saying no now.”
“No. No ,” Taemin finally finishes. “Obviously we would compensate you. Along with my students, my staff has been displaced. My proposal is that we share facilities and staff. My staff will come along with the students to help handle the course load, and of course, there will be money put up to assure this school is fit to run properly. I understand you have a set curriculum and I have mine. I’ve no intention of crossing those over, but for the sake of student togetherness perhaps we can overlap some more extraneous courses and activities. I always encourage our witches to reach out to those less fortunate than them.”
“Uh-”
“Now, let me just…” Taemin strides back over to the black trench he’d deposited on Baek’s couch and rifles through the pockets. He withdraws a leatherbound checkbook and a ballpoint pen. “This… Should be a good number to start, no?”
“Uh-” Baekhyun glances down at the check extended to him. He counts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven zeroes behind the one. His eyes blow wide open, and he nearly gags on his own spit.
“There will not be holes in the ceiling where my students are going to school. It just won’t do.”
“Um-”
“We can start with renovating the dormitories and, of course, the staff quarters.”
“Uh-”
“Then we can work on the gymnasium and oh- I have a nagging suspicion we’re going to want to order new textbooks…”
“Um-”
“I suppose if there are funds left over we can zhuzh up that little football field of yours. I think it's adorable that you have one it’s so… Rustic. Pedestrian.”
“Mhm.”
“Oh, and one last thing,” Taemin scans the room.
“I’m sorry are you- are you looking for something?” Baekhyun asks, pathetically lost.
“I’m just wondering,” The blond strokes his chin in thought, “Do you think you could maybe move that wall back?” He points to the wall beside them. It’s currently lined with bookshelves packed to the brim with tomes Baekhyun hasn’t so much as read the title of.
“Uh- Why would I do that?”
“I imagine it’d be much more comfortable to expand the office, don’t you?”
“It… Would?”
“Well, yes. I mean, otherwise, we’d be on top of each other.”
“We-?”
“If the two of us are going to be working together, it’d probably best we’re not bumping elbows all the time.”
“I- Wor- working together?” Baek squeaks.
“Wh- Yes, working together. Do you think I expect you to oversee both student bodies by yourself?” Taemin laughs. “Oh, god no. No, from now until the foreseeable future, you and I are going to be working very close together.”
“Wh-”
“We best get cracking on the renovations, your students are due in a little over a week, no?”
“H-”
Taemin sighs and his shoulders sag slightly, “Oh goodness, it is such a relief that this has worked out.”
“It- It- Wh-”
“I know it’ll be challenging reconciling our numerous differences, but I look forward to tackling this school year with you,” The witch extends his hand.
Baekhyun, completely dumbfounded, takes it. He has no idea what else to do, really. He limply shakes the other’s hand, sealing his fate as co-headmister with Lee Taemin.
“Dark Lord, help me,” Baekhyun mutters under his breath as the other releases his grip and starts commenting on other changes to be made to the office.
“Oh, one more thing,” Taemin says.
“What now?” Baekhyun gulps nervously.
Taemin’s eyes fall pointedly on Baekhyun’s jumper. He makes a sour face as if he’d smelled something bad. The headmister’s heart clenches in terror, anticipating some proposed change to dress code. However, instead, the witch merely snaps his fingers.
“That’s been bothering me. You really ought to be more careful,” He says before striding off as if walking on clouds and rattling off more would-be improvements to the construction of their office.
Baekhyun looks down at his sweater and sighs. He was going to take care of the coffee stain eventually . Of course, he ended up getting a bit distracted, what with the whole merging of two schools a week before the beginning of the academic term.
Baekhyun sighs dejectedly. This is going to be a long, long year.