Chapter Text
Yoo Joonghyuk thought, “This is it, I’m really going to die.”
He’d been at death’s door countless times. He danced with it, really. How many times had he almost teetered into the void? He fought back until his chest ached, his ribs burned, his vision blurred. He pushed his body to get up, despite it all. Desperately trying to get the last blow, his sword in hand, clenched in his fist like the wrapping of roots in the dirt.
He stood back up, eyeing the monster with a fierce glare. Blood was dripping down his head, and still, he ran right at it. The beast, with six yellow glowing eyes and horns as its crown, was a monster that stood over him as tall as a tree, with thick limbs that could easily crush his body underneath. For something of that size, it was surprisingly quick, its tail struck quick as a lightning bolt, lined with poisoned quills. He realized that fact too late. He could barely dodge this one, leaping over it without losing momentum. He drew closer, rushing in. It still needed support from all four of its limbs to stand, and the two hind legs could only reach a certain distance. It stomped its leg, exactly what it did before it charged the first time. He continued to run at it at the same speed; the beast charged forward, the ground around them rumbling. Just in the nick of time, he slid underneath the beast, drawing his sword up and through its soft belly.
By the time he looked back, it was already fallen.
He shouldn’t have taken so much damage from such a simple creature, but it had been smarter than he expected. Initially, he’d aimed for the head, where its eyes were, but it used the surrounding environment to charge forward, derailing him with the branches of lower trees. Once his grip had faltered, it took advantage, swinging its tail with force. He must’ve crashed through multiple before he finally stopped, his ribs taking a beating. He probably had a concussion. Or worse.
He took a step forward, before his legs gave out from under him.
“Damn it.” He muttered, splayed out on the ground in the middle of nowhere. He was paralyzed, likely a symptom from the toxin, not to mention the blood pooling out of the back of his head. He attempted to drag himself back the direction he came, a meager crawl, but a dark void began to consume his vision. “This… is not… how I die.” He hissed.
“You’re right. It isn’t.”
He could see someone approaching, their face blurry. They wore a strange white cloak, the hood of it draped over his face, and he could feel his head becoming propped up against the stranger. He could hear his own jacket and bags being moved. A lowly thief. His eyes widened with fury, and he reached for his sword, just inches away from him.
“Bastard, steal anything from me and I will–”
A hand snapped out to hold his own in place, pinning it down to the ground. His touch was ice cold. “Ah, shut up, will you?” The stranger brought a hand toward him– to suffocate him? To muffle his voice?-- and Joonghyuk used as much momentum as he could to roll into them, taking them off balance with his shoulder as the two crashed back onto the ground, this time, with him above.
His vision was still blurry, but he clearly heard them laugh. “Are you trying to kill your only way of survival?”
Screw the sword. He brought his hands to the stranger’s pale neck.
“Haha. you warriors and your stupid sense of pride.” The stranger brought their hands over his, delicately, as if he weren’t afraid.
“You don’t seem to know what position you’re in.” Joonghyuk said, scowling.
A wisp of cold air seemed to surround them, and in the blink of an eye, ice in the shape of a dagger rose from the palm of his hands. solidified out of nothing, and said weapon was now placed a breath away from his throat.
A mage.
“Hm. What do you think will be faster? Your hands or my sword?” he whispered, hoarsely. If this continues, he'd surely die faster, the second the blade cut through his neck he was a goner. It would be clean and thorough.
Joonghyuk exhaled, resisting the urge to draw his hands even tighter, slinking backwards like a stalking cat. He slouched in his kneeling position, trailing his fingers over where the weapon had ghosted upon his skin.
“Now, stay still.” The mage followed him, as though there was a rope tied to his body, as though nothing even remotely dangerous for him had occurred. His hands went to his stomach yet again. “I don't have to heal you, if that's what you wish.
So he could manipulate ice and perform healing magic? Barely anyone had the talent to have two specialties.
“Don't look at me like that.” The mage tsked, and he felt a burning, warm sensation spread over his stomach from where they were connected. Particles of gold flew up in the air, like millions of tiny fireflies.
When he finally let go, it was like all the pain he had dissipated. He put a hand to his wound, finding the skin unbroken. He wasn’t lying; he actually healed him. He repaired it so quickly, too. It was beyond what an ordinary healer could do. “Who… are you?”
“Nobody.” The mage whispered, already on his feet. He tossed him a small bottle– a potion. “Drink this to clear your poison.” He couldn’t get a good look at his face. Joonghyuk tried to stand to follow him, but he found that his feet wouldn’t budge. He looked down at his boots, which were frozen in place, sealed to the ground. When the hell did he do that?
“Join my party.” Joonghyuk demanded, doing his best to slide his leg out of the ice, and almost falling over. The way his legs were planted didn’t allow him to fall, so he was stuck in a position of wobbling from the top half of his body in an attempt to regain his sabotaged balance. A bead of sweat ran down his face. He must look like an utter fool. He cleared his throat, eyebrows furrowing. “I’ll pay you. Name your price.”
The mage, with his back turned to him, waved. He could hear him snicker under his breath.
“Goodbye, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
"Stop!" he shouted. "Don't you dare run away."
He heard him whisper something under his breath, and he was gone, disappearing right before his very eyes. As though he were nothing but an illusion.
How did he know my name? Yoo Joonghyuk thought, feeling a bit delirious.
He looked down at the concotion that had been thrown to him. A vibrant color. It could very well be poison. He grinned, as if seeing a vision from the future. Would he live or would he die?
He downed the potion in one fell swoop; it tasted sweet, sweeter than anything he'd tasted before. All the other potions tasted bitter, like a medicine you couldn't help but feel ill with. Was it a personal choice? It coated his throat, gooey like honey. He wiped his lips.
One thing was for sure, though.
This mage was powerful.
His skin crawled with the possibilities. If he could spawn ice out of thin air, how far could he go? A beast like the one he faced wouldn’t stand even five seconds against him. That healing ability, too. Having him by his side would be a most valuable asset.
“Ah, shut up, will you?” His voice rang out in his head.
Well.
If he didn’t kill him first.
***
“Sir, we can’t find anyone who matches that description!”
The pen in his hand snapped in two, ink travelling down his hands. “What did you just say?”
Lee Jihye stood in front of him, crossing her arms. “I’m saying you found a ghost, master. Someone who’s good at healing and ice magic is rare. They’d have to have a high education, but nobody in the mage towers have ever heard of such a guy. We searched through for those who did have the abilities, but none of them admitted to being the one who saved you. And searching for someone with ‘dark hair’ is way too general.”
Yoo Joonghyuk glared. “I couldn’t see his face clearly. It was blurry because I was under poison."
“There’s just not enough information,” she said, frowning. “If he’s this hard to find, don’t you think he might not want to be found?”
“Put out posters.” He took something out of his pocket, a crumpled piece of paper, taking the time to smooth it out a little before sliding it forward. “Say there’s a reward for anyone who finds him, a thousand– no, three thousand coins.”
Lee Jihye’s brows raised as she stepped forward, looking at him oddly before finally taking the paper. The second she looked at it,, she bit her lip, her shoulders shaking until she couldn’t help it and burst into laughter. “Master, it’s good that you’re a good fighter, because you should never explore art.” She said, hiding her snickers behind her hand as she looked at the drawing.
Yoo Joonghyuk glared with the intensity of a thousand suns. It wasn’t very effective.
“Is that a wand?”
“No, it’s an icicle dagger.” He muttered, clenching his jaw so hard she could see the line of a vein.
“Ah, I see, I see.” Jihye said, nodding seriously like a parent forced to say their kid made a masterpiece. She didn’t have a death wish, after all. “I’ll send this out with a physical description and bounty underneath.” She turned away, successfully escaping with the treasure in her hands and a smile.
Joonghyuk leaned back in his chair, letting his head fall back to stare at the ceiling.
“You warriors and your stupid sense of pride…”
He brought his hands to his hair, slowly exhaling. He paused, looking at his scarred hands. The same ones that held him underneath. A strange feeling swirled around his gut. He only did it because he thought he was stealing from him. Why should he feel guilty? His personality had been irritating too. All he could hear was that low, arrogant voice playing over and over in his head.
It was only anger at being held down and bested, that was all. Once he had the opportunity to defeat him– or have him on his team– then all this nonsense would die down.
He stood up, almost tearing the door open as it slammed against the wall, revealing his storming figure. The rest of his party turned their heads, their conversation halting instantly.
“Where are you going?”
“If you want something done, do it yourself.” He murmured, mysterious as ever, boots stomping on the floor. He didn’t even look back as he headed out the building, leaving them in the dust.
“There he goes again. Why doesn’t he let any of us have any fun?” Kim Namwoon grumbled, kicking a nearby trashcan.
“I think he’s found someone really strong.” Lee Jihye whispered conspiringly. “I haven’t seen him this riled up in a long time.”
“Better than me?” His dark eyes glinted with surprise.
Jihye held up the paper, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “I don’t know, but he’s a mage. He’s even offering coin.”
“But we already have a healer. Even though Lee Seolhwa’s been gone for a while, she’s already recruited.” He said.
Jihye looked out the window, shaking her head. “Who knows what master’s planning...”
***
Leagues away, Kim Dokja sneezed, snot running down his nose.
A small floating creature resembling a puff of cloud flew towards him, frantically worried. Just like she was trained, she got them back home safely.
"Ah, I'm okay Biyoo. Thanks for getting me out of there." He gently scratched the creatures head, receiving a small hum in response. Biyoo was a creature with the power of teleportation, one of the rarest creatures in the world to find with its proficiency in magical talent. Kim Dokja had raised it from when he'd found it as an egg. Its parents were unknown, likely hunted by warriors. They were frightening when they reached an adult age, but right now it was just a baby.
His train of thought drifted, and he made his way to the window of his tower, hidden deep within a clearing. The tall mountains surrounding it made it secluded, untouchable, just the way he liked it. The sun was just beginning to set, and he perched himself on the ledge. Biyoo followed, curiously.
"You don't think he'll come after me, do you? He was being so stupid I ended up intervening..." he winced. "I said things that could get me killed. I even threatened him! I held a dagger to his throat!"
Biyoo rubbed against his cheek in sympathy.
He nodded. "You're right. Why would a warrior like him waste time trying to find me?" Kim Dokja smiled, his eyes crinkling. "The infamous Yoo Joonghyuk is weaker than I thought he was."
His head turned to the side, revealing dozens of shelves, stacked with books that ran so high the ladder had to be four times as tall as him. While majority of it contained research on magic, he had many dedicated to the stories about them, the tales of the party and their heroic quests.
"I suppose you don't believe everything you hear." He said, laughing. He reached out, grabbing one of the books and flipping to the prologue. "Though, the way he beat that monster was fascinating to see." He allowed himself to become absorbed in the familiar pages, thumb running over the words. He felt a little sad, knowing he couldn't meet him again or ask him about any of it.
He sighed. "It's better to be safe than sorry." He knew it better than anyone.
Nothing good would come from them meeting again.