Chapter Text
Xu Minghao had learned young that there were very few things that could be considered a truth. Many things were true, of course, however loose the term was. In a society built from magic, all you needed to do was believe what you wanted for something to be true. From the simplest illusions like the sky, blue one minute and a glittering gold another, to the more intricate and dark fantasies. Blood spilled in the dead of night, the stench of death – someone died and your hands are red but who? You don’t remember killing someone, you couldn’t have, you swear it. But all it took to change the laws of nature, to ruin a life or two, was a Magician.
This was the first of three irrevocable Truths of the universe, as observed by Minghao in his twenty-three years of living.
The second Truth was that if you wanted to be anything in this world, truly remarkable that is, you needed to be born an Alpha. The gods did not select all humans to bestow their power upon – in fact, many grew up to be astonishingly average. But for the others, the souls that piqued the interest of the Spirit Realm, they were chosen at birth. Blessed by the deity of the Sun, these humans possessed Alpha spirits with magic that radiated the sheer, unmatched power of an inferno. The gentler spirits of the Earth manifested in humanity through Beta spirits, and their magic reflected the stability of roots and the calm of spring. Finally, the goddess of the Moon showed her favor through Omega spirits who served as guiding forces. These humans were as different as the faces of their patron. Because of this, there was no telling what would become of their magic: most were exceedingly clever, but the power of the Moon seemed untamable, ebbing and flowing as it pleased, coming and going like the tide. Ultimately, this unpredictability caused the world to see Omegas as a burden if anything, and soon their gift turned into the curse of the Lunar children.
The final Truth happened to be a more recent discovery unlike the others and consisted of two parts. Actually, Minghao stumbled upon the Truth when he found himself kissing the one person he needed to stay away from. And of course, it had to be in a room full of the most highly esteemed Magicians of the last century. It goes as follows,
One, Xu Minghao would be marrying Wen Junhui in exactly four months.
And two, the Omega was completely and utterly fucked.
❧
If you asked anyone who worked for the Royal Institute of Magicians about Minghao and Junhui’s first meeting, they all would have said sparks had flown. Unfortunately, this was not meant in the silly romantic sense but instead, quite literally.
It also happened to be Minghao’s first day as the Institute’s new Lead Archivist. He had already been working at the Helios Library for five years at that point, as his family had managed to pull a few strings to get him a job when he had turned eighteen. The Xu family were esteemed for their unbroken bloodline as Alpha Magicians, all having made names for themselves through the Institute. Unbroken, that is until Minghao was born. When the doctor had told his mother of the young Omegan spirit that was bonded to her baby, his parents immediately took measures to keep the information from being revealed to the public. Even with their status, they knew they wouldn’t be able to protect their son from the cruelty the world subjugated Omegas to. Since then, he had learned to be extraordinarily average. To everyone else, he was quiet Minghao with his head buried in a book, armed with only his sharp tongue, and in a society where magic meant strength he had none. They didn’t know that his fingers would be incessantly drumming to the rhythm of the energy constantly flooding through his system. They didn’t know that his inhumane reflexes were because of the spirit inside of him, nor that he was more sensitive to smells and touches because of the Omega intertwined with his nerves. They didn’t know that in his room when he could finally let his magic free at night, he was greeted by the most beautiful, otherworldly light, his own light, that responded as though he was the Moon itself.
But no one could ever know, so he was content to just be Minghao.
The new position meant more eyes on him, as he would be working directly with Magicians since a Lead Archivist was in charge of not only keeping records, as his old post used to entail but also helping research cases and providing Magicians with any assistance they needed for a mission. Most of the other Archivists had Beta spirits since they needed a steady, calm demeanor to be successful in their work, good under the constant pressure they would be under. Minghao was listed as a Beta as well in the Institute’s database for their employees, so he was never without his scent blockers unless he wanted to be caught by security and thrown before the High Council for treason. Lying to the Institute was a crime punishable at least by exile and at most by death, depending on the lie. It was strange, how much the Institute valued Truth when everything about what they stood for was fabricated by magic and sheer power. Over the past century, the Institute had grown, taking control of most of the systems in society including the Law. Minghao hated how the Council chose politics over justice over and over again in their trials. The corruption had spread from the top down to the lesser levels of the hierarchy inside, and the Council had even implemented a specialized security of their own that they called their Knights. The Knights were stationed at every entrance and hallway. They were the spies of the Institute and reported any “suspicious behavior,” which could mean anything. Get on someone’s bad side and suddenly they could report you to the Knights where you would be taken in for questioning, a gruesome ordeal.
Minghao hated the Institute. But for the sake of his family, for the easy life they wished for him, he would play his part.
He followed the man – Jeon Wonwoo, a Beta and another Lead Archivist – in charge of his orientation up the winding steps to the higher levels of the Helios Library, to the wing dedicated to the Archivists' work. He nodded at all the right questions, politely answering those about his family and background to match what he knew was written in his file. Wonwoo seemed nice enough, and Minghao learned that he had been promoted to the job just a year ago. He told him about how he had to adjust quickly though, in a matter of weeks instead of the usual two-month period it took to train new Archivists, and unfortunately, Minghao would have to do the same.
“There’s a shortage in the Institute,” Wonwoo explained.
Minghao frowned, “Too many Magicians, not enough Archivists?”
“Not exactly,” Wonwoo stopped in front of a room. “There are enough Archivists, just not enough willing to work with the Magicians they’re assigned to. Sometimes there’s not a good match and the Archivist will either get reassigned or swapped out for someone else. This will be your space by the way.”
“Oh,” Minghao blinked as he took in his new office. Rows of mahogany bookcases lined the walls, towering over them as they walked further into the room. They were filled with volumes Minghao could recite in his sleep and others he didn’t recognize. He trailed his fingers along their spines as he let his eyes wander. There was also a long desk, empty save for a beautiful mosaic lamp, blues and purples reflecting gently in the afternoon light. He could imagine late nights pouring over his notes and annotations of case files that would clutter the surface soon enough. Directly behind the desk at the end of the room, the entire wall was made into a window overlooking the rest of the world in a view that stole his breath. There were curtains, tied back to the side should he need them. He made a note to himself to remember to draw them closed at night if he ever let his Omega spirit free in his office, though he only would if he knew there would be no one else wandering the Archives.
“It’s nicer than those cramped closets we were trapped in as Librarians, huh?”
Minghao looked over his shoulder at Wonwoo leaning against the doorframe. He grinned, “Definitely an upgrade.”
“Well, take your time setting up, you can move things around. I’m just a few doors over, so call me if you need anything,” Wonwoo paused. “Or even if you don’t, I don’t mind.”
“Thanks, I’ll remember that.”
“Oh, also you should be getting your first assignment by the end of this week,” Wonwoo said, flipping through the papers in his hand.
Minghao felt a twist of nerves in his stomach. Somehow, it must have shown on his face because the other Archivist gave him a small smile.
“Hey, it’ll be fine. Believe it or not, the first Magician I was paired with? We worked so well together that now, most of the time he just puts in a request to be assigned to me.”
“You can do that?” Minghao raised an eyebrow.
Wonwoo nodded, “Yeah. I haven’t told Mingyu yet, but I just submitted the paperwork to be his permanent partner. I’m just waiting to get approved first.”
“Well, that actually did help. If I get along with my Magician half as well as you did, I’ll consider myself lucky. Thanks, Wonwoo.”
Minghao was not so lucky.
A few days later, he was sitting in his new office going over the case file that had just been dropped off that morning when the alarm went off. Everyone who worked at the Institute was aware of the procedure when the alarm sounded – evacuate immediately – and yet, when Minghao poked his head out into the hallway, the other Archivists seemed to be going about their duties as normal. He spotted Wonwoo leisurely heading back to his own office, coffee cup in hand. Most likely, the Beta had just come from the breakroom. Minghao waved, hoping to get the other’s attention.
Wonwoo took a sip from his cup as he made his way over, “What’s up?”
“The alarm,” Minghao said. He didn’t think he had to elaborate.
Wonwoo blinked.
So, clearly, he did have to elaborate. “You know, the one that’s been going off for the past five minutes and sounds like a banshee giving birth–”
“Yeah, thank you for that colorful description, Minghao. I have ears, too.”
“Then?”
“Then what?”
“Shouldn’t we be evacuating? Or…something?” The genuine confusion on Wonwoo’s face was making Minghao doubt himself, which was impressive taking into account that the Institute’s alarm system was specifically designed to instill a horrible mix of panic, urgency, and absolute terror upon being triggered.
“Oh,” Wonwoo’s shoulders relaxed. “I forgot you aren’t used to it yet.”
“I’m sorry?” Minghao asked, bewildered. “How could anyone get used to this?”
“When you hear it about three times a month, you learn to ignore it.”
“You’re telling me this is – what,” Minghao narrowed his eyes, “A weekly occurrence?”
Wonwoo nodded, gravely, “Minghao, I need you to listen very closely to what I’m about to tell you.” The older put a hand on his shoulder. Minghao followed Wonwoo’s gaze as he looked over the railing to the lower floor and at the giant doors that led to their chamber of the Library. “When you hear that alarm? It means one thing, and one thing only.”
The doors burst open and the Archives echoed with the thundering roar of a dragon scorned.
“Wen Junhui.”
A figure stumbled inside, robes covered in scorch marks and ash on his cheeks. A small patch on the man’s shoulder was still alight from the embers of a dwindling fire, but he only absent-mindedly patted it down as he searched the floor frantically. Another rumbling screech shook the walls, and the man – Junhui – winced, eyes flicking up to the ceiling nervously. His newfound angle, though, had him zeroing in on where Minghao stood with Wonwoo, and it seemed as though Junhui found what he had been looking for because he promptly raced up the steps, taking two at a time with his long legs. Still, the other Archivists in their wing remained unfazed by what Minghao could only classify as an impending disaster, only grumbling out curses as Junhui pushed through them with half-hearted apologies. He looked very determined to reach his destination and–
He stopped in front of Minghao, breathless.
“Are you my new Archivist?”
He remembered the papers he had been reading that morning, now forgotten somewhere on his desk. The last page had been on the Magician he was assigned to, and though he hadn’t been able to finish reading the profile before the alarm sounded, he remembered a name, printed neatly at the top of the page: JUNHUI, WEN.
Junhui was taller than Minghao, so he had to tilt his chin up slightly to meet the Magician’s gaze, “Xu Minghao, and yes, I am.”
“Well then, Minghao, I am really sorry for this in advance.” The Magician glanced to the side, “Oh, hey Wonwoo.”
“Hey.”
Minghao only had time to let out an eloquent, “Wait, wha–” before he was yanked into his office by the wrist.
Junhui kicked the door closed behind them and Minghao took the opportunity to pull himself free from his grasp.
“What do you think you’re doing?” The Archivist hissed.
Junhui either did not hear him or chose to ignore him for, instead of answering, he crossed the room in quick strides and started sifting through books. The Magician mumbled to himself while moving from shelf to shelf, fluttering around the room like a caged hummingbird, but his anxious energy was beginning to agitate the Omega spirit inside Minghao. Frankly, he never liked being ignored.
“Wen Junhui,” he said, firmer this time. “I’m going to need you to start telling me what’s going on or–”
“Aha!” Junhui whirled around, clutching one of the books victoriously. The volume was thick but the cover was simple, bound in a shiny black material that glinted like scales in the light.
Minghao crossed his arms, unimpressed.
Junhui coughed, “Right, you want answers! Of course you do, I just need to– um, well technically I’m on a mission.”
“Right now,” Minghao deadpanned.
“Yes, like right now right now.” The Magician was already flipping through the book at a rapid speed. “My last Archivist kind of bailed on me at the last second, but it was before we could finish the mission so that’s what I’m trying to do right now but– I’m sorry, do you mind if we have this conversation after I get rid of Mingming? It’s really hard to concentrate with this alarm going off.”
“Ha, yeah tell me about it I was just telling Wonwoo,” Minghao paused. “Who’s Mingming?”
“The Golden Titanwing currently trying to roast me alive.” Junhui closed the book and met his gaze, levelly, “And maybe eat everyone else as a light snack on the way if we don’t stop her soon.”
Minghao felt his eye twitch, “That’s funny, I don’t know why but it sounded like you just said Golden Titanwing.”
Despite everything, Junhui had the nerve to seem amused, “That’s because I did.”
“No no no, that can’t be right because that would mean you have just brought one of the deadliest dragons,” Minghao felt his breaths come quicker as he spoke, his nails digging into his palms as he clenched his fists. “Right to the heart of the Institute.” Anger prickled at his skin. Junhui took a step toward him.
“One that we haven’t figured out how to train yet.” His voice rose dangerously with every syllable. “And, oh! Not to mention, blinds anyone who looks directly into its flame but can also set its entire body on fire?”
Junhui cocked his head to the side, a grin adorning his features, “Sounds just about right.”
“And you named it Mingming,” Minghao said calmly.
“Well, actually I named it Yu Ming but details, I guess.”
“I don’t know if this is your tactic of trying to win an early but very painful death, because I can assure you it is working and I will kill you before Mingming.”
For some reason, Junhui smirked, “Xu Minghao, we just met and you’re already trying to put your hands on me? I can’t say I’m not flattered.”
Minghao reeled back, indignantly. “You’re impossible, how can anyone work like this?”
“Yeah, yeah that’s what the last one said too,” The Magician waved him off. “Anyway, the important thing is that I know how to fix this.” He waved the book a little in the air.
“And how exactly are you planning on doing that?”
“I’m so glad you asked, my dear Archivist!” Junhui leaned closer. There was a look on his face that Minghao absolutely didn’t trust, and he meant to tell him as such, but suddenly, it was as though his mind was wiped clean as his nose was hit by an onslaught of a new scent. He hadn’t realized that, up till now, Junhui’s scent had been masked by the heavy layer of smoke from his previous encounter with the Golden Titanwing. But being this close, Minghao could pick out the Alpha’s natural scent and for a moment, he couldn’t get enough. Junhui was all burning sunrises and sandalwood, but he was also fresh laundry and spicy vanilla. Minghao almost flared his nostrils to catch more of the addicting scent, but he fought to clear the fog his Omega was yearning to accept, to give in just once and wrap himself in the scent that felt like home.
“I– what?” Minghao shook his head, throat dry. His ears burned as embarrassment flooded through his system and he realized how close he had been to losing control of himself. Never once had his Omega fought him like this to take over unless he was feeling threatened, and never had it been for an Alpha, not even during his heats.
Junhui raised an eyebrow, “You okay? You just totally shut down on me. I didn’t think my plan was that bad, come on.”
Minghao thanked the stars that Junhui hadn’t put together what had just happened, and it only helped his case that the Alpha thought that his new Archivist was a Beta, all of whom were neutral to pheromones.
The initial panic that had seized his chest loosened, and Minghao allowed himself to roll his eyes, “For the short time that we’ve known each other, I can say it probably was. Now tell me again.”
“I’m gonna need to blow up your office.” Junhui clasped his hands together, eyes pleading.
“You did not just ask me that,” Minghao said, flatly.
“Please! I promise it’s the only way I can think of–”
“Absolutely not! Are you aware that they just gave me this office this week?” He snapped. “Just, give me that book. I’ll think of something.”
Minghao moved to snatch the book out of the Magician’s hand but then Junhui’s eyes were snapping up to the window and back down to Minghao’s. “Whoops, no time. I really am sorry about this, by the way.” He actually had the decency to look apologetic this time.
Then, Junhui was throwing Minghao behind him as the dragon crashed through his window.
Minghao saw the dragon open its jaws, rows of deadly sharp teeth ready to tear them both apart and he shut his eyes quickly as Junhui channeled his spirit magic.
He only heard a brief cry of “We can talk about this Mingming!” before a blast of scorching air flung him back, his head cracking painfully against the wall.
“Minghao!” Junhui called over his shoulder as he maintained eye contact with the beast.
Minghao winced and he gingerly touched the back of his head. His fingers came away sticky and stained a vibrant red. After this, he would definitely need to visit the infirmary, but that was the least of his worries. He staggered to his feet behind the Magician’s shield.
“You okay?” Junhui risked a glance over at him. His arms shook slightly at the effort of shielding them both, and his eyebrows were knit tightly in concentration.
“I’m fine.” Junhui clearly did not believe him. He looked like he was going to do something stupid again like apologize, so Minghao huffed. “Let’s just…let’s take care of Mingming.”
For some reason, that made Junhui chuckle. The Alpha’s eyes flashed a brilliant red, “Ready when you are.”
It was then, as he stood next to a man who could still manage a smile as they prepared to fight off a dragon, that the Archivist decided that he really needed to stay away from Wen Junhui.