Chapter Text
“We’re in a war torn country—so are they.”
Changbin lifts his head from where he was staring at the table. He averts his eye to face Head of the Hwang Clan, Hwang Jaebeom.
The Leader of one of the clans scattered in No Man’s Land, the space between two of the biggest country in the big island, the country Umei in the south and Unmyeong up north, where each Country were controlled by Imperial Kingdoms who wants nothing to do with the Cultivating Clans.
He stood tall, proud and he still looked like a warrior, despite the fact he is the father of three children. Beside him, the Clan Heir was silent. Changbin knows for a fact that Hwang Hyunjin revels in war—he seemed like a gentle person but he can see it in the younger’s eye, lighting up with fire and determination.
Gathered around them, the Hwang elders nod along to his words, including his war general, Kang Younghyun, who seemed just as determined as his Clan Heir.
“The Kim will not back off.” Jaebeom continued on. “Never once they mentioned peace, and we are a proud clan than will not be bullied into submission. We do have a chance now—I know it’s sudden, but I know this might be the only time.”
Beside him, Changbin can hear his older brother sigh.
“With all due respect, Clan Leader Hwang, I must remind you that the state of our alliance—however secure it is, is still fragile.” Chan hyung said, not flinching at all as Jaebeom’s eye burn holes through him, “I am glad for the future marriage between your oldest son and my youngest brother, but I am not sure that the way to celebrate their engagement is by attacking the Kim.”
Changbin hides his mouth behind his cup of tea, hiding a smirk that was threatening to bloom at Jaebeom’s red face. He glance at his own elders, who was looking like they were choking on their saliva.
He gets it—the Kims are still recovering from their initial blow, but they had allied with their faraway cousin, the Lees, so it won’t be long before they have even more manpower than the Hwangs and the Seos combined.
Sure, the Seo might now have been an actively warring clan, choosing to do mission given to them by the Imperial Jeong Kingdom from the Unmyeong country in secret. No Imperial Kingdom would want to be discovered asking favors from Cultivating Clans.
“But—“ Hyunjin stops as his eyes landed on Chan hyung, who must;ve worn a very persuasive smile, “Right. Yes, uh, Clan Leader Seo has a point, father. Surely such wars can wait in the light of my own engagement.” Hwang Hyunjin said tentatively. He didn’t sound confident at all, and Changbin raised an eyebrow at Chan. Where did the fire in his eyes go?
This is the man you’re sacrificing our baby brother for?
Chan rolled his eyes, before he glanced at Jisung who was scowling without a shame. Changbin can’t really blame him, though. Jisung despises Hyunjin.
He remembers the initial meeting between the both of them about 3 months ago. The Hwangs had offered peace to the Seos and offered their Clan Heir’s hand in marriage. Between the three of them, it was Jisung who got picked since Changbin is now the Clan heir and they cannot sacrifice their own clan head in a marriage unless they want to dissolve the Seos.
So they went with curiosity and positivity, since Jisung had agreed to it and they’ve heard tales of Hwang Hyunjin, the fierce Black Fire. Jisung was buzzing with enthusiasm, and Changbin was feeling pretty good about, to be honest. He wonders what had went wrong between Hyunjin and Jisung.
He liked to think that his younger brother has his some good qualities, despite his lack of grace and mouth filter. He gets that Jisung can be such a pain in the ass, but he’s adorable—a redeeming quality of his. And he wonders what went wrong with Hyunjin—his face was redeemable enough!
“I hate that fucking piss ass face—I hope he dies early. Do you what he said to me, hyung? He told me to fight better!”
Changbin snorts, “Then what did you say to him?”
“I told him to heal people better! Ha—as if his fire based magic can heal people. The moment he can I will—“
“Jisung.” Chan reprimanded tiredly, “Well, we can still agree on the peace alliance without the marriage—“
“We will not back out! We are not a coward! Our father did not raise any quitters! If there’s anyone backing out from the marriage, it is him! That stupid coward—”
Chan shares a glance with Changbin who just rolled his eyes.
And that had been it. To be quite honest, it was a dumb reason to continue the marriage, but Hyunjin seemed as hard-headed as his brother is, and both Chan and Changbin failed to talk Jisung out of it. So they went anyway with the engagement, despite Hyunjin and Jisung looking like they are five seconds from killing each other.
“Surely, we can wait for the attack while we plan for it.” Changbin counters, since Hyunjin looked like he was buzzing nervously and his younger siblings, Jeongin and Yeji was staring at the scene before him in amusement. Adorable useless baby, he thought quietly.
Chan sends him a grateful look while Jisung smiles scathingly at Hyunjin.
Jaebeom looked placated, he nodded quietly. “Very well. That was a very wise suggestion, Seo Changbin, I might have to say that I got too blinded by my hatred against the Kim.”
Changbin bowed his head, “I am grateful to help.”
They discuss some other things again, about food supplies between the two clans, the merging of their compounds, and wedding details.
“I’d love a winter wedding.” Jisung pipes in.
“That’s a year from now.” Jaebeom deadpans.
“Beautiful, white wedding.” Jisung sighs.
Chan, who was wearing a beautifully tailored kimono with a wide sleeve, hides his growing smile behind it. He coughed lightly, before lowering his sleeve.
“A beautiful wedding indeed it will be, Jisungie.” He said with a tentative smile.
The younger beams at him, before turning to Hyunjin while staring at him with a smile that seemed way to threatening.
“I agree.” Hyunjin said stiffly, “I mean—it’s unusual but pretty. Pretty awesome. Great.” He added after a beat.
Across him, his brother looked like he was choking on his tea while Clan Leader Hwang looked like he wants the earth to swallow him. Changbin snorts at Hyunjin’s embarrassed face. He really needed to learn more about elegancy and poise.
At age 16, Chan had become clan head because of their father’s death, and he already has more elegance compared to their rowdy father, Jiaer. It became clear that Chan was more of his mother’s child, Changbin thought as he recalls the calmness and poised nature of Lady Bang, borderline docile, and despite that the power she holds over clan politics. It contrasted so much with his own mother who was determined and ambitious in their conquest, and with Lady Han who had dived in head first into building the clan.
He’s not going to say that Chan is docile, but he was such a spitting image of the late Lady Bang, so perfect in mannerism that Lady Seo and Lady Han adored him more than their own child. Which was well deserved of course, Changbin and Jisung would give everything for their eldest brother.
“Well,” Chan begins, dragging all the attention back to him with his calm voice, “I suppose today’s meeting is adjourned, then, unless there are other things to discuss?” He questioned calmly.
Jaebeom shakes his head easily, before eyeing his son.
Hyunjin coughed, “Right—um, well, my brother and I will gather our things and join you for travels.” He nodded quickly.
With that, the meeting was concluded.
--
Jeongin wonders why Chan was appointed as Clan Head, when Changbin seemed to be the legitimate heir to the family. He mulls about it as he scratched Kkami’s head idly. Perhaps the Seo appoints the Clan Head by age? It’s not quite the same with the Hwang then, where Hyunjin becomes Clan Heir because he’s the strongest out of the three of them.
Without much thinking, Jeongin asked, he’s quite certain his adorable face is pardoning enough for the odd question.
He questions it without flinching, causing his own brother to choke on his tea and his future brother in law to nearly fall of the pillow he was sitting on. Chan spared him an amused look, tilting his head so that his black curls moved sideways, while the Clan Heir watched him with amusement.
“You sure are bolder than your brother.” Jisung said with a grin.
His hyung growled from across him, at his own damned fiancé, and Jeongin wants to hit his hyung. At least try to act in love or smitten! “Shut your mouth you squirrel.” His brother muttered instead.
Jisung squawks angrily, while Changbin guffawed.
“That’s accurate, Hyunjin, he is a squirrel.” Changbin snorts. Jeongin relaxed quickly, the urge to bodily harm his older brother was dissipating quickly. He wonders what his sister will do if she was here. Probably strangle Hyunjin, since Yeji is wicked like that.
“Well—that was an interesting question, little Jeongin.” Chan said, cutting in before Jisung can open his mouth. “Would the Clan Heir answer it?” he said with a teasing lilt at the end of his voice, and Jeongin is enamored.
Changbin crossed his arms and played with his food before shrugging, “Well, technically, all three of us are legitimate heirs, since our father married our mothers legally.” He begins. “Father married the late Lady Bang as a peace alliance, and she became the matriarch of our clan, then Father married my mother, a distant cousin from a lower Seo branch to unify us as one.”
“And lastly Dad, married my Mom.” Jisung cuts in, picking his rice languidly before stuffing it into his mouth. He tried to reach for Kkami, Hyunjin’s wolf who immediately moved out of reach, causing Jisung to whine and nearly choke on his own food. Jeongin cringed.
Chan sighed at his youngest brother behavior, handing him a napkin without glancing at him, “For peace alliance too. My mother stayed as a matriarch until she dies, then father leads the Clan by himself accompanied by a council of the elders.”
“Hyung was appointed Clan head because the elder’s chose him. And I am chosen clan heir because Chan hyung chose me, it’s really just like that.” Changbin said easily.
Jeongin nods as he processed the information. Marriage for peace alliance is a common thing that has been happening especially with warring Clans without the support of the royal family—which in this case, all clans, besides the Lee. He’s heard of the Bang, not much of a fighting Clan, more agricultural people, which is a very benefitting arrangement. The Han are healers, another benefitting arrangement.
And now, he glances at his brother, who is engaged to a Seo Jisung. It is most beneficial for the Hwangs. They have been living in poverty, even though they were a strong Clan with many fighters. It hurts to see their people suffer, and he knows his brother feels the same way, judging by how little he used to eat, shoving his rice on Jeongin’s plate instead, or on Yeji’s.
“You should eat more, Hyunjin.” Chan pointed out, breaking Jeongin’ train of thought. The clan head glance at Jeongin and he can see how Chan’s eyes are glinting knowingly, before bowing his head slightly at Hyunjin, and Jeongin is in awe.
Is he a mind reader? Should I ask father to dissolves Jinnie hyung’s marriage in favor of me and Clan Head Seo?
His brother raised his head from where he was staring at his empty rice bowl, and before he can decline, Changbin moved faster than ever, shoving more rice on his bowl and putting some dishes on top of his.
“You look so thin.” The Seo Clan Heir mutters quietly.
Jeongin can see how his brother’s finger clenched, and how his face seemed to grow more hostile. He understands the dilemma, of how they can eat lavishly in the Seo estate while their people starve—well, not so much anymore since the Seo had generously send them food for the past month.
Jeongin wonders how he can dissipate the tension and before he can say anything, Jisung slams his cup of tea on the table.
“Come on, Hyunjinnie, eat up! Or I’ll force you!” He grins, grabbing his chopstick, dissipating the somber atmosphere quickly.
Hyunjin’s eye widens in alarm, “What do you mean—“
Jisung grabs a chopstick full of rice and pushed it towards Hyunjin, opening his own mouth widely, “Now say ah and open our stupid mouth! Aaaaah!”
Jeongin thinks that the youngest of the Seo brother sounded like he’s being murdered instead of trying to get someone to open their mouth.
“Are you trying to kill me with that amount of rice?! I can eat myself!” Hyunjin cries dramatically, picking his own chopsticks before shoveling food down his throat.
Chan raised his long sleeve and hides his wide grin behind it, while Changbin snorts, looking wholly amused. Jeongin allowed himself to laugh quietly, before Jisung averts his eyes to him.
He grins maniacally, crawling on top of the table and shoving his chopsticks towards Jisung. In the corner of his eye he can see Chan blanching while Changbin trying to grab his youngest brother off the table.
“Now open your mouth, you sly fox!”
He panics, and Jeongin immediately downs the closest tea next to him before he grab Kkami for defense, shoving the grey wolf in front of him who yips at Jisung, causing the man to scream and topple backwards.
“Jisungie behave yourself!”
“Aishhh, fine Chan hyung.”
--
Hyunjin was used to the elders looking at him like vultures. It was a common experience, especially when you are the Clan Heir, too valuable to be let around running in battle-fields, but he was also an established warrior. The Black Fire, they call him.
A few days ago Lady Seo and Lady Han had cornered him and ask him multiple questions that made him red in the face and made him wish his father is with him, it was so embarrassing and uncomfortable and Hyunjin doesn’t know how to say no that it took him half-an-hour to be saved by Changbin who ended up in a screaming match with his own mother and step-mother—though, fondly.
Right now though, across him was the Seo elders. They seemed to be intent on staring at him without saying much word, and in the middle, sat Seo Chan, the clan head, who thankfully looked hospitable as usual.
“Well Hyunjin, we do need information of the Kim before we can help you.” Changbin said, breaking the silence from where he was seated next to his brother.
Hyunjin nods, and notice that his fiancé and brother were excluded from the meeting, since the both of them aren’t fighter. His sister, Yeji, should be present in the meeting since she’s one of their most prominent fighter, but she stayed home with father to guard their borders.
“The Kim—they’re powerful.” He blurts.
Hyunjin cringed at his own words, eloquence have never been his forte, Jisung pointed that out repeatedly the first time they met and it took everything for Hyunjin to not strangle the boy.
He wonders how his bravado and confidence he exudes in a battle-field can disappear in a council meeting. What a mystery.
Chan offered him an encouraging smile so Hyunjin takes a deep breath, and recalls all of the information he knows of the Kims, from the Clan Leader, the dangerous God of Nature and his younger brother, the elusive White Wolf.
“Kim Minho—the leader, the Clan head, and his younger brother were children of a Lee mother, while their father is a Kim, the elder brother of Kim Wonpil, the former Clan Head.” He starts. “Minho became Clan Head by merit, and that’s how it is in the Kims, because they don’t have bloodline magic.”
That piqued Chan’s interest, “They really don’t? I thought it was just a rumor.”
Hyunjin shakes his head. He recalls his own bloodline magic—the ability to place illusion, to create false scenarios in people mind, to make them see things that aren’t there, all just by looking into their eyes that turned silver when they use their bloodline magic, and in return he can see past any illusions created by magic. It was strong—too strong, but not many has achieved it’s true power.
Then, he recalls the Seo’s ability to see clearly around them, enabling them to notice their surroundings for miles, and to see injuries. He recalls other clan’s bloodline magic that became such a special and rare thing to each Clan.
“The special thing about the Kims are their huge magic reserves, and their raw magic. They don’t have an affinity to an element, enabling them to use any elements without any hindrance.”
“What—you’re saying they can make fire and lightning bolts like you?” One of the Seo generals blurts, wide eyed.
Hyunjin pursed his lips as he remembered how the White Wolf had slammed his body, bringing Hyunjin down with his weight then sits on his chest as he summons fire—blue fire, around them, causing Hyunjin’s clothes to catch on fire and Yeji to jump in and rescue him.
It hadn’t been an impressively big and flashy fire, but still—it was unexpected. And hot. What.
Hyunjin shakes his head, focusing on the task at hand. “They can.” He concedes, “Their affinity is more to nature. If most of the Lees has affinity for water or wind, and most of the Seo is earth, thus the Kim has an affinity to nature, life, and fertility. That’s why the clan head can summon trees and create forest—that’s why their people are so strong—so in tune with nature.”
Besides the white wolf, who seemed too capable for anything.
It’s a weird concept of magic—one that Hyunjin never really grasp either. A combination of earth and water can create life, but still there is something that is needed to begin the life, and that is what the Kims have. That’s why they have so many animals following them into field—why Kkami had trotted over to the white wolf just to get a fucking belly rub.
“And they’re too crafty for their own good. Kim Minho is a smart man, he can hold his ground against my father without much effort—sometimes I think he fights my father just to rile him up.”
Minho was obviously holding himself back for some reason, not that Hyunjin wants to provoke him which may cause not just the death of his last parent, but also the extinction of his clan. His father never offered peace to the Kim—the last person who did that had been his great-grand father who died anyways, slaughtered by a Kim.
The Kim never once offered peace, choosing to fight. At this point, Hyunjin isn’t quite sure of the reason why they keep battling each other. Sure, war between clans break out easily, especially when the Imperial Kingdom doesn’t support those Cultivating Clans, making them poor and shunned away from normal village, but the war between the Kim and Hwang have been going on forever.
Everyone knows about it.
“I mean, we’ve heard of how strong they are, I just never thought they are that strong.” Changbin murmurs.
“They’re small in numbers, but that doesn’t make them any less weak.”
Chan looked thoughtful and somewhat pained after his explanation. The Seo generals are already discussing between themselves while Changbin taps his finger on his table.
“Their lands have always been rich, so they don’t bother making allies—that’s a weakness to them. Minho and his brother aren’t known for their social behaviors, keeping their Clan small and barely housing other small clans as their villagers.”
“Well that’s good, they don’t have much allies with the village around them.” Chan begins.
“Besides the Lees of the Crescent Island.” Changbin adds, “The heir—Yongbok, now calls himself Felix, all because he went through the coming of age ritual.”
“Still a formidable ally to the Kims, especially when the Lee have established their own Kingdom, with a monarch system and strength to rival the Imperial Kingdom because of the abundance of magician especially the royal family.”
Characterized by their bright hair, Hyunjin thinks, remembering the bright orange hair on top of Kim Minho’s head.
He remembers that one time Minho sprung onto the battlefield, flunked by wild cats—from tigers, to panthers, to leopards, and Hyunjin had frozen. He urged his dire-wolf back, his little Kkami before the felines can harm his beloved pet.
“Minho has three cats.” He blurts.
Chan raised an eyebrow, “Like… Persian cats?”
“No—like, freaking tigers.”
“Holy fuck—“
“Language, Changbin.”