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Having Jinwoo, Chairman Go, and Hunter Woo with him at the Hunter’s Association was much less nerve wracking than he thought it would be, though it also came with its own downsides. Jinwoo had been named S rank himself a while ago, and having both the Chairman and him here drew much more attention than Wuxian had thought originally.
Glancing over at Jinwoo as they stood in the hallway waiting to go inside for the assessment, he bit his lip hard and leaned a little closer. Jinwoo glanced at him curiously, tilting his head down to listen.
“Is it usually this busy?” Wuxian asked quietly, all his senses on alert in such a crowded place. A hand was placed against his lower back, calming him down quickly and leaving him a little stunned.
“Depends, there’s usually a handful of people that come to get assessed; but since myself and the Chairman are here - word got out.” Jinwoo responds, his thumb brushing along Wuxian’s black lightly as he keeps his hand where it is.
“Oh.” Wuxian responds, the tension in his shoulders easing. Chairman Go strides over, his normally stern appearance gone for the moment as he looks towards Wuxian.
“Are you ready?” Chairman Go asked, to which he nodded, following the examiner into the room.
Inside, Wuxian glanced around with wide eyes; he’d been allowed to bring Jinwoo in considering the Chairman had seen fit to ask if it would be allowed - they told the operator that Wuxian had terrible anxiety without someone he knew. Once upon a time that would’ve been laughable; now it was too true to be fake sometimes - but they didn’t need to know that.
The examiner gives Wuxian a soft smile, motioning towards the orb in the middle of the room surrounded by machines. “Please step up and place your hand on the orb, it’ll read your mana and tell us what rank you are.”
Wuxian nodded after glancing over at Jinwoo who gave him an encouraging look from beside the door, arms crossed and leaning back against the frame. Stepping up, he placed a pale hand on the orb and watched as it flickered.
The orb was cool to the touch and started rapidly changing colors, alerting the examiner and Jinwoo. Wuxian stared transfixed; as if he could sense something no one else could - normally silver eyes now a glittering crimson.
“Ah… Jinwoo.” He trailed off, glancing over with a look Jinwoo read before he even said anything - shadows exploding into the room and around the building as the orb exploded. The building shook viciously, plaster falling to the ground, most of the room was gone. The only things unharmed were Jinwoo, Wuxian, and the Examiner who was curled up under a shadow with terrified eyes.
Wuxian stumbled before his knees gave out, eyes falling closed and slipping into a dead faint. Jinwoo lunged to catch him, cradling him to his chest. Whatever had just happened was alarming, but Wuxian came first.
“Chairman Go!” Jinwoo yelled, Igris had the examiner in his arms, carrying the woman out behind them. The Chairman met them at the door, nearly ripping it off its hinges in the process; everyone had felt the explosion, but they’d been safe because of Jinwoo’s shadows.
“What happened?!” Chairman Go asked, voice gruff and concerned. His eyes flicked from the examiner to Jinwoo; his eyes falling to Wuxian who was limp in the Hunter’s arms.
“Something in the orb reacted to his abilities, all he said was my name but it was as though he was transfixed on something only he could hear.” Jinwoo replied, voice quiet not to alarm anyone.
Chairman Go frowned, glancing over towards Hunter Woo who was helping evacuate people.
“You think it’s got to do with how you met?” The Chairman asked, causing Jinwoo to pause in thought. He couldn’t really agree or disagree; so he simply shrugged.
They both went quiet as they made to leave the building, avoiding the reporters outside. “We should get him to a Doctor.” Chairman Go retorted, walking beside Jinwoo.
Jinwoo weighed his options before giving in with a nod. “They’ll have to… know.” He finally caved, knowing that Wuxian did need a doctor, but also knowing they’d have to be told something if they were going to be of any help.
Chairman Go nodded, and they got into their vehicle; Hunter Woo slipped over to quietly speak with the Chairman for a moment before driving them all to a house Jinwoo had never been to before.
Glancing up at the house, he carried Wuxian in; careful to make sure he wasn’t bumped into anything by accident on the short trek. A man opened the door, looking slightly startled before opening the door wider and letting them through.
“Chairman Go, Hunter Woo… Hunter Sung; what can I do for you?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest after he’d led them to his living room. His eyes trailed to Wuxian who was still unconscious in the other’s arms, his brows furrowing as he looked him over.
Jinwoo laid Wuxian down gently on the couch, before looking at the man. “Wuxian was getting assessed at the association for a Hunter’s rank. We’re not sure what happened but he fainted and the orb exploded; he’s… not from this time originally, so we think it might have something to do with that.”
The man's brows shot up, glancing over to the Chairman and his right hand man to see if this was some kind of joke. When he saw no indication of it, he glanced back at the pale man occupying his couch.
“From when did he come?” The man asked, walking over and crouching down beside him. He shot a glance over at Jinwoo when the Hunter didn’t move right away but relented when he saw he wouldn’t do anything harmful.
“Over 2 millenia from now.” Chairman Go responded, sitting down on one of the plush seats nearby and placing his elbows against his knees.
“Two-?” The man choked out, blinking in shock as his head snapped to the side, staring at Jinwoo. “You’re certain?”
Jinwoo nodded, clasping his hands together. “I met him in a C-Rank Gate that had turned into a Red Gate. His abilities are something I’ve never seen before, and…” He trailed off, his brows furrowing. “He and I are connected.”
Chairman Go glanced at Jinwoo when he mentioned that, since they hadn’t deemed to mention that part. It made sense though, Wuxian hadn’t known a word of Korean yet but now he could speak it fluently like he’d known it since he was born.
The healer - a man named Min Byung-Gyu got to work, his eyes closing as he concentrated on the man before him.
A soft weak moan left Wuxian’s lips as the healing worked its way through him, moments before he jerked up with a gasp, eyes growing wide in alarm. Jinwoo was there in a second, hands cupping the other’s face to get his attention on him while the other three froze.
Wuxian’s eyes were glowing an ominous crimson, his already pale skin growing more pale as his hair floated gently.
“You’re okay, you’re safe, no one will hurt you.” Jinwoo said quietly, their eyes locked together.
The crimson slowly bled from Wuxian’s eyes before he glanced around cautiously, his shoulders relaxing. “Oh…”
Blushing a bit, he gave the other an awkward look before Jinwoo’s hands dropped from his face but kept his hand on his shoulder, grounding him.
“Sorry about that, thank you for healing me.” Wuxian said quietly, fidgeting with his hands as he looked away; unable to look at them after that.
“It’s alright, can you remember what happened?” Min Byung-Gyu asked him, moving out of his space to give him room.
Wuxian furrowed his brows, a hand coming up to touch his temple as he tried to remember. An odd look came over his face before he glanced up at Jinwoo.
“I heard voices, but they were… off. They sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.” Shaking his head, he clutched his head as a sharp pain shot through his skull.
Jinwoo crouched beside him, the Chairman and Hunter Woo looking worried from their spots in the room, Byung-Gyu crouching back in front of the two on his couch as his eyes locked on the other man.
Hissing softly in pain, his shoulders relaxed slightly before saying in a quiet voice. “Who are the Kings?”
It had everyone else frowning, but Jinwoo narrowed his eyes in thought; it would seem more would be revealed with this than anyone had thought.