Chapter Text
-WINTER-
Jungwon marks the final rune on the pavement, wiping chalk dust off his jeans and standing to review his work. The ritual required a New Moon, and there were no artificial lights for miles, so he’d had to rely on the faint glow of his warding lanterns and the stinging glare of Heeseung’s wobbling phone flashlight.
The final product consists of five interlocking circles positioned around the central symbol: a winding, maze-like pattern that would serve as a safe gateway from the mundane plane into Limbo, if all went well. Despite the darkness and the tight coil of anxiety growing in Jungwon’s chest, the runes looked neat and symmetrical. It’s not the prettiest ritual he’s prepped- a familiar voice in the back of his head chides him about line weight and steadier hands- but it would suffice. Next to him, Heeseung seems to agree, patting Jungwon once on the back and shooting him an awkward closed-mouth smile. Jungwon appreciates the gesture, but knows they’re both thinking the same thing- Jay would’ve done it better.
Jungwon breathes in and then out again. He turns to face the others.
Sunoo stands near the edge of the empty parking lot, kicking rocks and looking entirely too at-ease given the danger they are about to face. Beside him, Jake looks like he’s about to throw up. Jungwon claps loudly, and the idiots he’d gathered for this suicide mission turn to look at him.
“You’re done? Fucking finally.” Sunghoon approaches in his typical annoying rich-boy saunter, looking down his nose to examine the runes. Jake is offended enough at Sunghoon’s rudeness to distract him from his nausea. “Dude. Come on. This is serious.”
“Yeah. Serious-ly fucked.” Riki speaks for the first time in several hours. “I kind of hate all of you for agreeing to do this. I hate myself for agreeing to do this. Damn it.”
“Don’t you dare get cold feet now, you were eager enough when we explained it to you.” Jungwon tries to keep his tone calm, but he’s terrified that Riki will back out for real. The ritual requires five people to enter the gateway, and a sixth (Sunoo) to protect their bodies from opportunistic spirits in the physical realm while their consciences are… elsewhere. Riki also has an uncanny attunement with the spiritual world that Jungwon has been counting on to get them through this alive. Worst of all, if they can’t do the ritual tonight, they’ll have to wait until the next New Moon, meaning another month of leaving Jay to anguish in the purgatory he’s currently (probably) trapped in.
Riki shakes his head. “You don’t get it. None of you can feel it like I can. When you sealed that rune the energy of this place fell totally out of whack. Whatever door you were looking for is open, but it’s freaky as hell.”
“Well technically it is Hell, according to some sources.” Heeseung says unhelpfully.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Jake breathes out, shaking a bit at the knees. Sunoo pats him on the head and shoots a glare at Heeseung.
“What? It’s true. You guys are risking your lives, I’m not going to lie to you about what we’re doing.” Heeseung is right, of course, but Jungwon can’t help but want to be selfish about this. He needs to get Jay back as soon as possible, and if he has to twist the truth to convince these people to help him do that then so be it. Looking at Jake and Riki’s hesitant faces, Jungwon feels panic sparking in his chest. He needs to stop their spiraling and get them back on schedule before the window passes. He tries to reach for the right words, but finds his mouth dry, mind blank.
Help arrives, for once, from Sunghoon.
“Get yourselves together. You know that Jay would go through this and ten times worse if it were any of us in his shoes. We all know that. That’s why we’re here.”
And that’s the crux of it, isn’t it? They’ve all been pulled into Jongseong’s orbit just as Jungwon and Heeseung were. They knew Jongseong’s selflessness and compassion and shameless sincerity firsthand; knew that it was force powerful enough to convince someone to send their soul into a hellish spirit-plane via an experimental rune gateway in order to save him.
Jungwon makes eye contact with Sunghoon, sees nothing but steadfast determination, and for the first time understands how Jay and Sunghoon stayed friends for so many years. Jungwon looks up at the sky, and then at the five people around him, whose gazes had all settled into a cautious determination. It was time to open the gateway.
- FALL-
Heeseung and Jungwon were never really friends, but they’d become something like it over the past month. Their first meeting two years ago had been awkward at best. Heeseung was annoyed that Jay had seen fit to introduce some wide-eyed freshmen into their weird co-dependent friendship, and Jungwon was simply too distracted by his massive obsession/crush/normal feelings about Jay to pay Heeseung any mind. They’d had a cordial acquaintance relationship since then, keeping a peaceful coexistence in orbit around Jay, but never drifting close enough to connect personally.
Everything changed when Jay disappeared. Heeseung and Jungwon both coped with Jay’s absence the same way: shoving their feelings deep down inside of them and throwing themselves entirely into the impossible task of tracking him down.
The circumstances of Jay’s disappearance were undeniably suspicious, but Decelis Academy administration were more concerned with sweeping the incident under the rug than they were with seeking justice. The Dean had sent out a soulless, placating newsletter to the student body apologizing for the “unfortunate accident” that had occurred at Autumnal College’s annual Equinox ritual, assuring everyone that there was “no need to be alarmed” and that campus was “as safe as ever.” Jungwon wants to throttle the Dean. Apparently even the loss of the most skilled sorcerer in the student body wasn’t enough for the school to risk a hit to their reputation.
So Jungwon and Heeseung took matters into their own hands. Every spare moment was spent in the Vamfield library poring over every last detail of the Equinox ritual- every student and faculty member involved, any possible misstep or sign of sabotage, and most importantly what sort of magic could’ve been used to make Jay disappear without a trace.
Jungwon was relieved that he and Heeseung had wordlessly reached an agreement to ignore any scenario in which Jay might be dead. That wasn’t worth considering. The only option was to save him. They found themselves spending sleepless nights in the library together, surrounded by stacks of grimoires and empty cans of redbull, driven by spite and caffeine and the need to numb themselves to the chasm in their lives that Jay had left.
Decelis’ administration had successfully kept Jay’s disappearance out of the papers, but it was harder to cover up the botched Equinox ritual at Autumnal that had caused it, on account of the the giant explosion and whatnot. The press release circulated by the Riverfield Gazette told the following course of events:
1- Automnal, one of Decelis' eight Houses, had been carrying out a routine, private ritual in the Greenhouse to bring prosperity to their gardens for the upcoming fall season.
2- One of the key components had been omitted from the due to a national shortage of said component..
3- Because of this omission, the runes caught fire at the spellcasters first words. The Automnal students quickly grabbed the ceremonial tools and escaped according to safety procedures.
4- The Greenhouse was home to several exotic and extremely temperamental strains of magically-enhanced flora, which proceeded to explode in a bright mushroom of arcane smoke, setting the quad on fire and painting the sky an unpleasant gradient of purple, orange, and green for the next 12 hours.
5- Faculty members extinguished the fire hastily. Although startling, the explosion was just a foolish mistake, which damaged property but didn’t “permanently disfigure anyone that we know of.” Automnal’s president apologized for their negligence and agreed to compensate any emotional damage experienced by the townspeople in the form of handmade treats and kitschy trinkets.
That story makes sense if you know very little about ritual procedures at Decelis, and absolutely nothing about the weirdo freaks running Automnal. This was true for the entire mundane Riverfield population and even a good chunk of Decelis’ students, but Jungwon and Heeseung were a part of the minority who knew several different things to be true:
1- Automnal is full of entitled snobs who are annoying as hell, but infuriatingly competent.
2- Since ceremonial magic is still fairly new to polite society, every ritual done at Decelis is audited by a third-party observer from Vamfield, the magical history college.
3- The observer for this particular ritual was none other than Park “Jay” Jongseong, the most meticulous and exacting auditor in their ranks. Nothing was missing from the components.
4- Prior to the failed ritual, Park Jongseong had eaten lunch at Vamfield College with his mentee Yang Jungwon and research partner Lee Heeseung, as he did most days. At this lunch, he was uncharacteristically silent. (This wasn’t important at the time, but Jungwon kept playing it over and over again in his head. What did Jay know? What should Jungwon have asked?)
5- The Greenhouse was gone after the fire. Not destroyed or reduced to ashes. Entirely gone. The burn marks in the grass surrounding it were not of this earthly plane, and indicative of magic surely not warranted for a standard prosperity ritual.
6- Jungwon had been assigned to clean and archive the ritual tools after they were returned to Vamfield, and the ash that covered them was not, in fact, ash at all. It was a dark powdery mineral that felt like soft sand and shook ever so slightly when he clenched his fist around it. He couldn’t identify it with certainty, but it felt… well. Wrong. Somehow. Surely that means something.
Following the Riverfield Gazette press release, the Vamfield Dean told students that Decelis was conducting an internal investigation into Jay’s disappearance. Jungwon and Heeseung submitted their evidence and complaints incessantly, but were completely stonewalled after that first announcement. Thus, their descent into madness began.
Jungwon, of course, was convinced it was sabotage. There are several people who would benefit from Jay’s disappearance, many of whom hold power within the Houses. The explosion must’ve been a coverup for a much more wicked and taboo ceremony designed to take Jay out. Jungwon felt bile rising in his throat as he considered an even worse alternative; Maybe it hadn’t needed to be Jay. Maybe Jay just happened to be the most convenient sacrifice available. The thought make Jungwon sick. The most consequential person in the history of the universe made nameless casualty to someone else’s scheme. Not even a protagonist killed because of the threat he poses, the power he wields, but a pawn taken out by pure bad luck.
Jay had always hated luck, conceptually. He took fate into his own hands, moved when others stayed still. Now, Jungwon would have to muster the strength to do the same.
--------
Jungwon and Heeseung have run into a wall. They’d combed through almost the entirety of the relevant texts in Vamfield library with no leads to show for it. Whatever they were dealing with must be obscure, or highly gatekept. Furthermore, magic was an ever-changing and quickly developing field. There was only so much they’d be able to find in books. They needed to do some real-world investigation.
It was 12:30am when they spoke this realization aloud. They agreed to shower and sleep and regroup in the morning. Jungwon fights off the bitter taste in his mouth when Heeseung waves goodbye and tiptoes upstairs to his room in Vamfield while Jungwon has to make the trek across campus to his underclassman dorms. This isn’t the time to be jealous, he needs to rest and prepare for tomorrow. Jungwon collects his things and waves goodbye to the two stone gargoyles stationed just inside the entryway, who nod at him in farewell.
The light to his dorm room is still on when he opens the door.
“Jungwon! I literally haven’t seen you in days! You look exhausted, do want spaghetti?” His roommate Sunoo is sitting on the floor, a sheet mask on his face and laptop playing a show that Jungwon doesn’t recognize. The situation is so normal that Jungwon is immediately disarmed. His pent up exhaustion hits him all at once, his throat goes tight, and his eyes begin to water. He nods quickly and stumbles onto his bed while Sunoo grabs him a tupperware of cold spaghetti and a mug of something warm from their kitchenette.
“I’m sorry I can’t heat it up, I br- our microwave broke yesterday.”
“You’re an angel and I love you.” Jungwon says. He can’t really taste the food, but he feels better after eating. His body is mostly numb, but he feels tears meandering down his face, and Sunoo’s hand on his back. He leans his head on Sunoo’s shoulder and lets himself cry a bit longer.
“So… still no word from Jay?” Sunoo keeps his voice quiet and continues rubbing Jungwon’s back.
“No. I don’t really want to talk about it.” Sunoo hums in response, and doesn’t ask anything more.
Sunoo’s friendship was a pleasant surprise in Jungwon’s life. They’d been randomly paired together as roommates their freshman year, and had very little in common. Jungwon’s life revolved around the study of magic, and he couldn’t imagine becoming close with someone who chose to pursue “Journalism” at a school that offered alternatives such as “Leyline Geography” and “Divination.” Sunoo proved him wrong, of course, and his friendship became a cherished relief from the intensity of his schoolwork and apprenticeship at Vamfield. Sunoo never demanded anything from Jungwon and vice versa, but they learned to keep each other company.
Sunoo, like most other students, had heard the official story- that Jay was traveling on Vamfield business. Jungwon had long since lost the ability to disguise his feelings from Sunoo, however, so he’d quickly gathered that there was more to the story. He’d chosen not to pry, however, a choice that Jungwon is immensely grateful for.
Jungwon felt at ease, the tension leaving his body as he sinks further into the bed. “Did you drug me? What kind of tea is this?” He mumbles.
“That’s just hot water and lemon juice and honey. What you’re feeling is my inherently calming presence and the power of friendship.” Sunoo pats him on the head.
“Huh. Okay.” Jungwon says, and falls asleep.
—------
The next morning, Jungwon wakes up alone with a sticky note taped to his hand. ‘hi sleepy <3, I had to go to class, hope you have a good day! remember to stay warm, you have really bad circulation lol. love U <3’
Jungwon eats a quick breakfast, throws on his biggest scarf, and heads out towards Vamfield to meet Heeseung. They had sketched out a loose plan of people to talk to about the Equinox ritual- One of the Reilgun professors is a leading scholar in Portals, and there is a mineralogist in Vargr who might help identify the strange residue on the ritual tools. Jungwon also wanted to talk to some Automnal students to fish for information, and learn who was currently in charge of cleaning up the greenhouse site. Jungwon suspected that whoever was responsible wouldn’t want anyone looking too closely at the scene of the crime, and would try to get ahead of it.
Lost in thought, Jungwon startles when Heeseung appears beside him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into a speedwalk away from the quad.
“Jungwon we have to go, the Frigid Bitch in Chief of Autumnal is across the green and apparently he’s looking for us.”
“What? Aren’t we trying to get information from Autumnal? We should see what he wants and try to leverage it.” Jungwon fights against Heeseung's grip, slowing their pace.
“Hell no. This guy hates me and- shit, I can’t see him where’d he go.” Heeseung frantically surveys the periphery for his target, oblivious to the silent approach of a tall, dark-haired boy directly in front of him. The boy raises one eyebrow in judgment and clears his throat.
“Heeseung-hyung. Long time no see.”
Heeseung freezes and turns slowly to face the other boy, eyes wide as he meets his gaze. “Sunghoon.” Heeseung says. The two stand in silence, holding increasingly intense eye contact. It’s ridiculous. Jungwon rolls his eyes.
“Do you know who tried to kill Jay-hyung?”
If Sunghoon is surprised by his bluntness, he doesn’t show it. Jungwon continues, “I don’t know what you know, but I know you know something. And I know you know who knew what HE knew.”
“Um.” Sunghoon looks confused. Good.
“Come with us. We can’t talk here.” Jungwon grabs Sunghoon’s wrist and pulls him towards Vamfield House, Heeseung following nervously and like a loser.
—----
Once at Vamfield, Jungwon sits them all down in the foyer. Sunghoon clears his throat, “Nice place. Very… you.” He says, eyes fixed on the gargoyles by the door, their faces now twisted into hideous snarls. Heeseung bristles, but Jungwon presses on.
“Thanks. Now tell me why you were looking for us.”
“I know you guys are looking for Jay. I want to help you find him.” Heeseung opens his mouth to snap back but Sunghoon keeps going. “-and I know you don’t trust me but that doesn’t matter right now. We all know you could use my help. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but you guys have like. No friends outside of Vamfield.”
Jungwon and Heeseung look at each other. They had noticed.
“Well.” Jungwon starts. “It’s obvious that we can use your connections, but what exactly do you want from us in exchange?”
“I’m trying to find Jay. That’s it.”
Heeseung rolls his eyes. “As if. You don't even talk to him anymore.”
Anymore? Jungwon had clearly missed something about Sunghoon and Jay’s relationship. Something important. He knew they’d corresponded as representatives of Autumnal and Vamfield Houses, but was there more than that? He’s sharply reminded that there is a lot about Jay’s past that he doesn’t know. He tunes back into the bickering in front of him.
“That’s because HE doesn’t want to talk to ME. I’m giving him space. That doesn’t mean I don’t still care about him.”
“Then why did it take you so long to come to us? What’s your game here?”
“I was dealing with things! Our greenhouse literally exploded! I had to make it look like everything was okay! I’m the Automnal president during our biggest PR crisis in ages. People pay attention to what I do. If I’d started hanging around here all the time, admin would know exactly what was going on and shut it down.”
Heeseung took a deep breath. At this point Jungwon was desperate enough to accept Sunghoon’s help at face value, but he stayed silent, wanting to see how Heeseung would respond. He considered Heeseung a proper friend now, and Jungwon wanted to know what exactly had him so… emotional.
“Typical. You care about yourself first just like always. This is exactly why I told Jay to stay away from you in the first place.”
“Oh my god you cannot be serious.”
“Of course I am. I’m always serious. You can’t be trusted.”
Sunghoon groans in frustration. “WHY do you always just assume that I’m evil and a liar? You never even gave me a chance.”
“You’re the one that joined Automnal of all places. Everyone there sucks.”
Sunghoon’s demeanor was cracking, riled up by Heeseung dismissal. He stood up and slammed his fist on the table. “There are shitty people in every house! And what else was I supposed to do?! I couldn’t exactly join Vamfield. They only accept freakish magical prodigies like you guys. You act like we’re the pretentious snobs when you’re the ones looking down on everyone else, acting like some authority on magic when you guys barely know what the hell is going on half the time!”
Jungwon and Heeseung stared. Sunghoon looked back, a bit shocked by his own outburst. A few moments pass in silence. Jungwon stares at Heeseung and raises his eyebrows, willing him to fix this before their only potential ally walks out the door.
Heeseung finally speaks, a bit sheepishly. “I- uh. Hm. I didn’t realize you felt that way. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I know things have always been… tense… between us but you’re right. We should work together, for Jay’s sake.”
Sunghoon nods. “Good. And for what its worth I’m sorry I wasn’t uh- the nicest to you. Back then. I know Jay trusted you. A lot. So I’m gonna trust you now too.”
Jungwon’s head is spinning, so he does what he does best and shoves this entire conversation in a box in the back of his mind to be unpacked later. He stands abruptly.
“Perfect! I think we’ll make a great team. Now let’s compare notes."