Chapter Text
October
1592
It's happened again. The dream. This marks the fourth time in a fortnight that this vision has come to haunt me so.
I say haunt not because of the dream itself, but for the images it bestows upon me that I cannot help but come back to throughout the day. The others in the house have taken it upon themselves to tease me for my distractions but oh, dear journal, if they only could see what I see would they know of my reasons and be just as distracted as I.
The dream starts the same as always, at the base of a foggy mountain standing in a nearby stream with the full moon drawn high. I had never seen it glow brighter and the water is cool against my heated skin.
A sound. Like a whisper through the night. I turn my head and there, the object of my affection stands just beyond the shadow of the waterfall upon a shallow rock. His hair is always kept loose and, though there is no breeze, it seems to sway in the light of the moon underneath the Gat on his head. His hanbok is made of the finest materials and seemed to flow like water to hypnotise the senses. Though I cannot see his face, he moves with such an elegance that there is not a doubt in my mind that his features are just as refined. Too beautiful to be gazed upon by a filthy commoner such as myself.
But, oh, do I curse the days when I must wake and long for the night to come again so I can once again gaze at his form as he makes the water dance.
From the Journal of K.H.J
Present Day
"Why are you doing this!?"
Hongjoong cried out as he watched his aunt toss his things into a duffle bag. He felt the bitter sting of tears burn just behind his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Instead, he raced forward as the woman carelessly tossed some of his CDs into the bag and pulled them out before tossing them on the bed.
"I don't understand!" Hongjoong tried again as his aunt moved through his room, grabbing a handful of clothes randomly from the dresser before tossing them down. He grabbed onto her arms as if to stop her, "What is going on? Auntie!"
"Enough!" The woman yelled out, knocking the boy's hands away placing her own over her ears as if it would help block out the desperate cries and confused cries of the teenager before her. You could see the dark circles and overall haggardness of her stance. Her once lustrous hair hung limp at her shoulders and she seemed aged beyond her years. "I just-I can't do it anymore Hongjoong!"
The boy didn't know what she was talking about. Can't do what anymore? He hadn't been a model student, often skipping class to work on his music, but he never got in their way. He was still passing his classes with good marks. He did his own dishes and laundry and most days he stayed holed in his room away from her and his uncle. He ran his hand through his dyed blue hair, wincing as he remembered how they hadn't been happy about that, but couldn't think of much more of a reason. They couldn't be kicking him out because of a hair color could they?
His aunt didn't seem to care about any of this and disregarded Hongjoong's heartbroken and confused look as she pulled out one of his drawers from the dresser. She hauled it over the bed and dumped it into the bag, most of the close missing and falling onto the bed or floor. "A week they said! You were supposed to be here for a week. It's been three years!"
That was true. Hongjoong remembered the day he had been dropped off here as a young teenager. His parents were only supposed to leave him at his aunt's house for a week as they went off on a couple's retreat for their anniversary.
And they never came back.
Now, here his aunt stood, doing the same thing his parents did to him three years ago, tossing him aside. Was he really that unwanted? That not even his own family would care enough to keep him? As he watched his aunt continue to pack away his things, he felt the fight drain out of him. There was no reason to. She had already made up her mind.
"You're just like them." He whispered, mostly to himself.
Apparently, his aunt heard him however and she paused in her packing.
"Hongjoong..." Her voice broke. Finally, she walked around the room and cupped his face in her hands. Her eyes were filled with sadness but she was just so tired.
"I'm sorry."
That was how Hongjoong found himself on a train staring out the window as the bright orange and yellow colors of the trees passed by. It was definitely fall now. It had always been his favorite season. Frolicking in the leaves as the air turned cool and crisp enough to burn at your lungs with every deep breath.
Absently, he remembered his birthday was soon.
A three hour train ride and a two hour car ride later, Hongjoong stood in what felt like the middle of nowhere on a mountain. His entire room, reduced to two duffle bags, sat at his feet as he stared up at a large iron gate, an insignia presented proudly in the center. Behind the bars was a large and almost ancient looking victorian building that was painted in muted colors and the grounds, from what he could tell, were rather big.
Hongjoong swallowed and picked up his bags, nervously stepping forward as the gate opened and allowed him entry. He caught a glance at a plaque on the gate. 'Crescent Academy for Exceptional Children.'
"What in the fresh hell-"
"Mr. Kim," Hongjoong heard his teeth click as he hastily closed his mouth. Whipping around, the boy came face to face with three people of various sized. There was a short, portly looking man whose suit seemed two sizes too big with a rather red looking nose. He sniffled every now and then as if he were fighting off a cold.
On the opposite side was a stern looking woman with a bun pulled so tight it was a wonder she still had hair at all. She was of medium height and was dressed in a bland grey looking pencil skirt and jacket, not a wrinkle in sight with her ramrod straight posture.
The person that caught Hongjoong's attention the most, however, was the person standing in the middle. He seemed otherworldly and, if the boy wanted to be cliche, he would say that the man were some kind of angel. He was rather young looking and the tallest out of the three with long hair that nearly brushed his waist and the color of pure moonlight. He was the only one dressed in a rather modern looking Hanbok in blues and silvers that complimented his pale complexion.
"It is such a pleasure that you could join us," Hongjoong blinked as he realized the man in the middle was the one who had spoken earlier. Even his voice was pleasant sounding and deep. "I am Headmaster Moon. I wanted to be the first to welcome you to the school and that, though it is rather late in the term, we are happy to have you join us."
Hongjoong felt his cheeks flush lightly. He nodded in leu of responding as his mouth suddenly felt rather dry. What was happening?
Headmaster Moon didn't seem to mind the younger's refusal to speak and just smiled at him warmly. "I'm sure you must be tired after your long journey. I will have Mr. lee here escort you to your room for now." He gestured to the sniffing man. "Your schedule and a map of the school is already inside waiting for you. There is about an hour left until dinner."
Seeing as it would be rude to answer, Hongjoong fought through his still dry throat. "Oh-uh-thank you."
"The pleasure is ours, Mr. Kim." The man smiled once more. With a bow he turned to leave and Hongjoong felt a rather cold feeling wash over him. He shivered despite his multiple layers and lack of breeze. Odd.
"Come this way, Mr. Kim." The sniveling man gestured for Hongjoong to follow. Even his voice sounded as if his nose was pinched and stuffy.
Picking up his belongings, the boy walked behind Mr. Lee as he looked around to try and get a feeling of his surroundings.
Hongjoong had been right about his earlier observation, the place looked massive. The closer they got to the main building, the larger it looked and the more intimidated the boy grew. Just how was he supposed to navigate around here? He was sure he would get lost and never found again.
They passed walked underneath an awning cutting through the school and into a small courtyard with buildings on every side, boxing it in. Brightly colored trees lined sidewalks connecting the buildings and an ornate fountain sat in the middle with statues of mermaid's peaking out and back in amid the spray. Despite its beauty, it seemed that no one was around, meaning class was probably in session.
"The girl's dorms are on the left and the boy's on the right." Mr. Lee huffed as he pulled a handkerchief out of his breast pocket, lightly dabbing at h is damp forehead. "The building behind us is for administration. The farthest is the cafeteria and infirmary. The rest of the buildings for classes are smattered around campus but everything is within ten minutes walk."
Mr. Lee stuffed his hanky in his pant's pocket and continued walking towards the boy's dorms. "You will have a roommate," The man spoke as they entered the building and headed up the stairs to the second floor. They walked a little farther before stopping at a door near the end of the all. Mr. Lee pulled an old looking key out of his pocket and handed it to Hongjoong.
"The room on the left is yours. Please do your best to keep in mind that curfew is eleven and under no circumstances is anyone of the opposite gender is allowed on the upper floors, we've had enough of that this month." He shook his head as if remembering an unfortunate incident. "Any questions?" Hongjoong opened his mouth to try and say something but didn't manage to get anything out before Mr. Lee was rushing to speak again. "No? Good, I must get going now. Lots of work yet to be done!"
Hongjoong watched the man scuttle away with a sneeze and sighed, closing his mouth as he stared at the key still in his palm. He sighed. So much for questions. It only figured, no one has answered a damn thing since his aunt started to pack up his things.
"Oof, room 1024? Rough luck buddy." Hongjoong jumped at the sound of a voice from beside him. He whipped his head around saw someone about his own age on the other side of him. For a moment, he was confused as he glanced down the hall and noticed that it was a dead end. How did he get there without him noticing?
"What's wrong with this room?" Hongjoong couldn't help but ask as he gave the new arrival a once over. The boy seemed about his height if not a centimeter taller with black hair that was long enough to curl around his ears. He was dressed in a grey blazer with a intricate looking crest consisting of a crescent moon surrounded by beautiful pink chrysanthemums. He had a black tie that was pulled loose around his neck as if presumably coming back from class.
The boy didn't seem to mind the look and regarded Hongjoong with a raised eyebrow. "This guy goes through roommates every few weeks." He gestured to the still closed door.
"What does he do?" the other furrowed his brow as he looked skeptically at the room that was supposed to be his. He was already envisioning what kind of nightmare he was about to walk into.
The black haired boy shrugged. "D'know. Just that everyone who has ever lived in this room put in for a room transfer after a week or two."
"Great," Hongjoong rolled his eyes. Not even five minutes at his new school and he was already getting displaced.
"Just wait a little before you unpack," The boy shrugged a shoulder before sticking out his hand. "I'm Wooyoung by the way."
"Hongjoong," The boy set his bag down and gave the other's hand a quick shake.
"I like the hair," Wooyoung cast his gaze up. Hongjoong reached and patted his blue hair self consciously, suddenly realizing that he might be breaking a rule with the color.
The other boy seemed to sense this and waved him off. "Don't worry, there's no rule against it. Do you know what class you're in?"
Hongjoong pursed his lips together and shook his head. Yet another thing he doesn't know about. "I'm a senior but I haven't been told anything else."
Wooyoung made a bit of a strange face as it scrunched in confusion. "Have you even gotten a tour of the place?" Again, Hongjoong shook his head. The other boy sighed. "C'mon, set your stuff down and I can show you around."
The blunette felt a weight off of his shoulders. Finally, someone in this damn place could give him some answers. He had been tossed aside and now he felt like he was free floating without any ground below. He knew he had a lot of tied up emotions that he was going to have to unpack later, but for now, he was just going to focus on the here and now.
Hongjoong set a duffle bag down and fumbled with his key for a moment before he managed to fit it into the lock that was just as ancient as the key itself. He turned it with a click and pushed open the door, peeking inside just in case someone was there. On the other side he was greeted, thankfully, by an empty room.
The room itself was pretty standard with two beds and small wooden desks beside them that worked as a night stand as well. At the ends of the bed was a wooden closet atop a set of drawers for storage space. Overall, it wasn't much but it would be home for now.
What struck Hongjoong the most though, was it almost appeared as if no one else lived there. The blunette wouldn't even have known he had a roommate if it wasn't for the made bed on the right side of the room away from the window as the other bed had blankets folded and laid at the end. This made the boy even more curious as to who his potential roommate could possibly be.
"Wow," Came a low whistle from the door way. Hongjoong turned around to see Wooyoung standing there. "I always wondered what the inside of this room would look like. Guess I had my hopes up for nothing."
Hongjoong set his bags on the unmade bed, not bothering to unpack at all, and made his way towards the door. Once back in the hall he locked the door back and pocketed the item.
"What's first?"
"And over here is the library," Wooyooung pointed out as they stood on the lawn outside a large beautiful brick building that had definitely seen some things. "Just don't go to the fourth floor if you ever want to get anything done."
"This campus is huge," Hongjoong huffed. He hadn't expected to be walking around so much. Wasn't this just a high school? Why was it the size of a college campus.
"Well we have all grades here." The black haired boy shrugged as his way of explaining. "We have some elementary students all the way up to university. Some even come back to be professors."
This intrigued Hongjoong. He had never really heard of a set up like this. "Elementary school is pretty young. Why would people stay that long?"
"It's a safe space," Wooyoung shrugged. "There are a lot of rich assholes here but, for a lot of us, this is the only place we have to belong."
That was interesting. A place where you could belong? Hongjoong made to open his mouth and ask more about that when something flew in between the two. The blunette just managed to move out of the way before he was nailed in the face by something. Turning his head he noticed a frisbee a little ways away.
"Sorry!" A voice called from the other end of the yard. The person jogged closer to where the two were standing and panted a little as he slowed to a stop. "Didn't mean to almost hit you! Frisbee got away from us a bit."
"Better be careful, Yunho," Wooyoung greeted the new arrival as he held out the frisbee in his hand. When had he gone and gotten that? "You almost hit the new guy."
This is when Yunho seemed to notice that Hongjoong was still standing there and turned his head to give him a quick once over while the blunette took the opportunity to do the same. Yunho was dressed similarly to Wooyoung and had the same crescent moon on his jacket but instead of chrysanthemum's, his had pure white plum blossoms. His hair was a bright blonde but if turned in the sun just right, Hongjoong could notice the very faint hues of pink along with tiny flowers strung here and there in his hair.
"Hi!" Yunho said brightly as he held out his hand to Hongjoong. "I'm Yunho, sorry again about almost hitting you."
"Hongjoong," The blunette said with a half smile that he hoped was friendly enough. It was really pointless to try and get close to people since he wasn't going to be here for too long, seeing as it was his last few months in school.
"Are you coming to the party tonight?" Hongjoong blinked as he realized that Yunho was still talking to him seeing as he had gotten lost in his head for a moment.
"Party?" The blunette tilted his head curiously. This was a boarding school. Was it a school sanctioned party?
"Yeah!" The pinkette said enthusiastically. "It's Halloween, the biggest night of the year!"
"It's not one of those lame school dances in the gym with cheap streamers is it? 'Cuz if so, I'll pass." Hongjoong was never exactly the 'party' type and he sure as hell didn't want to get caught up in the false school spirit that high school was known to shove down people's throats.
"Nah man," Wooyoung seemed to hope aboard the train along with Yunho. "It's Halloween, you know, Samhain?"
"Should be a full moon too," Yunho threw in as if it tipped the scales at all.
"And where is this 'epic' party supposed to be?" Hongjoong ask with air quotes. "Do I have to wear a costume?"
Yunho and Wooyoung looked at the blunette as if he had grown two heads. Finally, the black haired student just shook his head. Before anyone could speak, someone yelled from across the yard.
"Yunho!" Three head's turned to spot a tall guy in a long coat with gloves. It was a bit odd considering it was still rather mild out but to each his own. "You coming or what?"
"Gotta go," The pinkette shrugged and reached out to grab his frisbee from Wooyoung. "I'll see you later."
Hongjoong still seemed skeptical but a hand on his shoulder stopped him before he could turn down the invitation. He looked over at Wooyoung.
"He'll be there."
"Cool," Yunho waved goodbye before jogging back towards the other guy on the field. Together the two walked away.
"Do I really have to subject myself to some lame party?" Hongjoong lamented. He really didn't feel in the mood to socialize further and it had already been a long day. "Can't I just skip it this once?"
"Are you kidding me?" Wooyoung exclaimed as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "No one can miss out on this! I'll swing by your room around ten to pick you up."
"Oh really?" Hongjoong raised an eyebrow. "And just what could I wear to a last minute Halloween party?"
Wooyoung just smirked, giving the newbie a once over. It almost seemed as if he knew something that Hongjoong didn't. Honestly, the other was starting to suspect he did.
"Black."
Hongjoong fidgeted as he stood just outside the library waiting for Wooyoung. When he had come back, his roommate still hadn't appeared and allowed the other to unpack and change uninterrupted but it did nothing to take any of the edge off of what he was feeling. He couldn't quite place his finger on it but he felt restless, as if his body were charged with electricity and he just couldn't shake off the extra energy. He just marked it off as being thrown in a totally new environment with little to no time to adjust. So much had changed in just a matter of hours and he still hadn't been able to stop long enough to process it all. Hopefully after tonight he would have some time to breathe.
"You ready?" Hongjoong jumped at the sound of Wooyoung's voice from beside him. He must have been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed the other coming up.
"As I'll ever be," The blunette sighed. He adjusted the sleeves of his black turtleneck so they covered his hands to hide his nerves. His shirt was tucked into black slacks with a thin black belt. Over the top of it he had on a black pleather vest that he left open.
"Well," Wooyoung let out a low whistle as he took in the other's outfit. "You clean up nice."
"Were even are we going?" Hongjoong ignored the comment, preffering answers over compliments. He wanted to make sure this wasn't one of those 'prank the new kid' games.
"It's in the forest behind the school," The other boy didn't seem to notice any of the edge in Hongjoong's voice and continued pleasantly. "What better place to have a Halloween party, am I right?"
Hongjoong raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as he just followed Wooyoung towards the direction of the woods. The trees were dense as they walked in and leaves crunched underneath their feet as they entered further. The leaves were a lovely shade of orange but the brunette could do little to appreciate them with how dark it was. If it wasn't for Wooyoung, he would for sure have been lost. Above them the moon was bright and high.
"Is this the part where you kill the new guy?"Hongjoong joked after walking for a while in the dark. Just as he said it, however, the two could see a light in the distance. As they got closer, the trees opened and they found themselves in a clearing with a roaring fire going in the middle giving warmth to crisp night.
"Welcome to Creacent Academy," Wooyoung swept out a hand. Around the fire stood about thirty to fourth students all standing with red solo cups in hand socializing. There were some rather eccentric figures with brightly colored hair or intricate piercings. Some even had a few tattoos showing.
"Why do I suddenly get the feeling I dong belong here?" Hongjoong said wearily. A hand grabbed at him before he could brood further, tugging him towards someone near a tree. The brunette recognized Yunho as they got closer as he was leaning against a tree with the same blonde guy in a long trench coat and gloves from before leaning over him with his arm propped on the tree.
"Yunho, Mingi!" Wooyoung called out as soon as they were close enough.
The two looked up and Yunho smiled, recognizing Hongjoong lurking behind the other boy. "Hey, you both made it."
The other guy, Mingi, leaned up from where he was on the tree giving Hongjoong a once over. He was tall, about as tall as Yunho, and seemed friendly. He still wore his gloves and upon closer inspection, they were made of velvet and went up past his wrists. The black trench coat over his body hid the rest of his proportions from view. Hongjoong wondered if he was dressed in a costume.
"Hey, I'm Mingi." The guy held out a hand towards Hongjoong and smiled. "Haven't seen you around before. You new?"
The blunette grabbed the hand offered to him and shook it while nodding. "Yeah, been kind of a roller coaster honestly."
"Don't worry," Mingi shrugged as he dropped the other's hand. "This place is great. Everyone here is like my family."
Yunho looked over at the blonde while he said that and gave a soft smile that spoke of a lot of history. It was very warm, heartfelt, and full of emotion. Hongjoong wondered just how far back they go.
"Yeosang and Jongho here yet?" Wooyoung cut in as he glanced around at the other party goers.
"Not yet," Yunho shook his head. "They should be coming soon though, everything is about to start."
"What's about to start?" Hongjoong turned his head to look at Wooyoung. He wasn't told anything else would be happening and everyone already seemed to get a start on drinking.
Mingi seemed confused for a moment but Wooyoung answered before anyone else could speak. "The cleansing ritual. Samhain is the best time to get rid of weaknesses and what is no longer wanted. Haven't your parents ever done anything like this back home?"
"Cleansing ritual?" What kind of party has that? These things were just to hang around and get drunk, not have a introspective spiritual time. If there was ever a time Hongjoong needed a drink, it would be today.
Wooyoung, Yunho, And Mingi all shared a look as if they couldn't really believe what they were hearing. They had no idea what to say to the other. Just as they were about to rapidly question Hongjoong, the fire in the center flared up, almost like a pillar that was completely unnatural. The blunette, not expecting it, jumped at the noise.
Standing behind the now tamed flame was a man with black hair that was slightly slicked back. His gaze was intense and the flames dancing in his eyes only amplified it. Like everyone else, he was dressed in black but his clothes looked nicely tailored to his figure and his button up shirt had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Always for the dramatics," Wooyoung spoke from beside Hongjoong and he could practically hear the eye roll.
"Who is he?" Hongjoong frowned. I'm surprised the guy hadn't burnt off his eyebrows with how close he was standing to the flames.
"That's San," Yunho answered this time. "They say he has the makings to be the next Supreme."
"Supreme?" Hongjoong had never heard of anything like that. "Is that what you call the class president or something?"
"What neck of the woods did they pluck you from?" Mingi came up from behind while walking towards the fire. Hongjoong felt like the comment should have bugged him but he was to focused on figuring out what kind of school he had walked into. Wooyoung just grabbed his arm and pulled him forward to join the rest of the crowd.
"Tonight we will renew the cleansing over the school to protect us from outside dangers." San spoke as he reached down to grab candles. He handed them to the two on either side of him to pass around the rest of the circle. When the candle sticks came to Hongjoong, he looked at it closely and noticed there were small symbols carved into the wax. They didn't look like Hangul or English either.
"Hey," Yunho tapped Hongjoong's arm from beside him. He indicated the candle in his hand and pointed to the fire. The blunette quickly understood what to do and stick the wick into the flame and lit it.
When Hongjoong too a step back, he looked around the circle and tried to get a look at the other's faces. There were some intricate and eccentric looking individuals among them but there were others that seemed utterly boring and normal. This place really did attract a lot of different people.
"Now to begin," San pulled out a knife from wherever he had pulled the candles from and Hongjoong's eyes widened as he took the blade and ran it over his palm with out a wince. What the hell-
San closed his hand and held it over the flame before tipping it over. Blood ran from between his fingers and dripped into the fire. As soon as the first drop hit, the flames flickered and turned a vibrant blue. The heat from it warmed his skin but didn't feel overbearing.
"In die tribulationis, et ego dico tibi, Protege me hic, Protege me, nunc."
The circle began to chanting, the Latin foreign to Hongjoong's ears. It was hypnotizing and spell binding. The blunette could feel a fog creep into his head and his eyes fluttered. A pain began to bloom behind his eyes and he winced
"In die tribulationis dico enim vobis, Protege me hic, Protege me, nunc."
The chanting continued and the pain grew to a nearly unbearable level. His vision started to blur and there were a few black spots coming in an out. He felt weak and it took everything in his power to stay standing.
Before everything turned black, he could have sworn he saw someone walk into the flames.