Chapter 1

Safety and stability. That’s what every single living thing strives for. Whether it be a plant, animal, or human, they all search for it. A life with balance, for things to continue at an equilibrium.

With this mindset, one would assume that such an environment would come from a physical place. Somewhere that stays in one area and can act as a home to shelter one from the dangers of this world. But what if there was another way to go about this? What if such a secure state could be found within something else?

After his grandma’s funeral, Chan hadn’t been the same. It had happened again. He had lost another family member in his life.

While walking through his grandma’s house, he lightly brushed his fingers against the various trinkets on her shelf. There was a small bird decoration made of glass, a few rocks and crystals arranged in a neat manner, and a box Chan dared not to open. When his grandma was alive, she was very strict about Chan and his siblings touching her wand. Being a green witch herself, she had been very strict about magic. Since her house was right next to a very urban area, one slip up could have gotten them all killed.

But even so, the lady was drawn to plants like a moth to a flame. Her gardening skills were extremely impressive, and while Chan’s sister tried her best to keep the plants alive, it didn’t look nearly as bright as when his grandmother used to take care of it.

Chan flopped on the couch and stared at his laptop on the coffee table. He’s been stuck lately. After High School he never really saw a purpose in pursuing any higher education and getting some boring human job. His heart was naturally drawn to music. Every single sound, rhythm, and beat gave Chan life. He truly felt most alive when he listened to music, and especially when making his own.

He had remembered the day when he figured out what kind of witch he was. Usually the average witch shows their speciality at around 12 years of age, but it could come to them at any other age too, it just wasn’t as common. Chan was living in Sydney when he was 12. There was one night where he couldn’t sleep, and snuck downstairs to sit next to the window and watch the rain pour outside. The calming yet strong sound of the water hitting the ground was almost musical to him. He decided to tap his hand against the table, humming along to a melody that he had made up on the spot. And that’s when it happened. Chan felt a slight rush of the most euphoric sensation he had ever experienced. His soul felt powerful, and his body was urging to release his newfound energy, his fingers tingling with mana.

Back in the present, Chan frowned. He felt trapped. Why be born with such abilities that he can never use? It happened everywhere. Almost everything was like music to Chan. The world was his own personal symphony, and Chan could feel the magic bubble inside of him whenever he heard the beautiful tunes, urging to be released into some sort of action. But Chan couldn’t. He wouldn’t want to put him or his siblings in danger. Especially after what happened to his parents all those years ago.

His Mom had been coming home from work one day when she suddenly got attacked by someone late at night. Panicking and letting her instincts take over, her fire magic seeped out and she burned the aggressor’s hands before escaping. One thing led to another, and a few days later a whole army of soldiers broke into their house and killed his mother.

Chan preferred not to remember that day, but from what he could recall, him and his younger brother and sister were in their room scared out of their minds. Chan had barely entered his teen years, but being the oldest child, he held his siblings while they listened to the screams and ruckus outside. Then, the floor beneath them started to glow white. A circle on the ground surrounded them, and inside the circle was some ancient symbol that drew itself into completion. He remembered clutching his siblings tight while feeling light-headed, and then blacked out.

When he woke up, they were outside his grandma’s house all the way in South Korea. Showing up unannounced like that, his grandma made a fuss once she saw them through the window, and instantly took them in. It was a tough situation for everyone, and his grandma had explained most likely that his Dad had teleported his children all the way to her place. But such a spell would have taken a lot of energy teleporting one person, let alone three people. Whatever happened back in Sydney, Chan knew his parents were long gone.

Chan sat up on the couch and opened up his laptop. There were many unpolished drafts on there just waiting to be turned into full on projects. But there in the dull, lifeless house that his grandma used to own was not the environment he would have liked to do it in.

He checked the grandfather clock on the other side of the room, seeing it was 12:47 a.m.. His brother and sister were both in bed, but of course Chan was up because of his insomnia. He was getting restless, desperately wanting to work on another track but not being in the right state of mind nor place to do it. He needed to go somewhere, a place where he could clear his head and work more diligently.

Hyunjin casted a water breathing spell before fully submerging his body into the sea, like he had done countless times before. Summer was just around the corner, meaning that the water felt a little cold against Hyunjin’s skin. But he didn’t mind. He’d always had a deep connection with this particular sea. It was the only place he’d ever known, he had grown up there his whole life.

His family is the main reason why he stayed. Not knowing what happened to his real parents, Hyunjin for as long as he could remember had been raised by seven mermen. They were all really compassionate, but strange creatures. Hyunjin saw them all as his brothers, practically raising Hyunjin even though he wasn’t a merman.

The sea witch walked deeper into the sea, strolling through the sandy floor. He had gone to the beach earlier that morning before the humans came around, but he’d always leave early enough where he wouldn’t run into any. After a short walk, Hyunjin approached the underwater civilization his brothers lived in. Hyunjin himself couldn’t stay underwater forever like they could, but he could easily manage staying down there for a few hours.

Before Hyunjin could even approach the house, Yugyeom busted through the door and quickly swam out. He gave Hyunjin a mischievous grin before continuing to book it. Then the witch turned his head to the door frame where he saw an angry Jaebum panting, his chin sticking forward and everything.

“Why that little— Oh hey Hyunjin, you’re back early,” Jeabum said as soon as he noticed him.

Hyunjin gave a polite smile but then looked in the direction of where Yugyeom swam off to. “Let me guess, him and BamBam are up to something again?” Hyunjin snickered.

“Yup. Those two never grow up. And that’s why you’re my favorite Hyunjin,” Jaebum smiled.

Hyunjin heard a fake gasp coming from inside the house and watched as Youngjae stepped out and stood next to Jaebum. “Okay, that really hurt hyung,” Youngjae whined.

The older rolled his eyes, a smile etching on his face. “I can have multiple favorites.”

Lunch was eaten with the background noise of the TV playing. Jackson kept cracking jokes and telling stories about his family last week when he went to visit them, and Mark nearly choked on his food every time he tried to hold in his laughter. Hyunjin quietly sat next to Jinyoung, just taking in everything and enjoying the noodles the older cooked for everyone.

“Hyunjin-ah, how has your magic been?” Jinyoung asked.

Hyunjin shrugged, “I’ve been trying my best. I don’t know a lot of spells but those books I got from the library have been teaching me well.”

“That’s good. Be careful about practicing it on the beach. It’s a shame I can’t come there with you all the time and watch over you,” Jinyoung sighed.

Jinyoung was basically Hyunjin’s main caretaker. When he was little, he used to idolize him so much, looking at him like some sort of celebrity. Over time, Hyunjin had gotten accustomed with his hyung’s personality and no longer saw him as invincible, but Jinyoung still showered Hyunjin with love and brotherly advice.

Hyunjin put his empty bowl down and looked at Jinyoung. “Hyung, I’m 20 years old now. I’m sure whatever happens, I can handle it myself.”

Jinyoung just smiled and pushed back some of Hyunjin’s hair out of his face. “When did my favorite child become so grown up?” He cooed.

A snort could be heard across the table. “Gosh, you and Jaebum hyung are so whipped for him,” BamBam laughed.

“Well maybe if you didn’t take so many random pictures of me and used it as blackmail I would treat you a little better,” Jaebum grumbled.

Yugyeom and BamBam just high-fived each other under the table with proud smiles mirroring each other’s.

After dinner, Hyunjin would soon have to go up for air again. The sea witch usually had a spot away from the main beach where no human ever goes. It was behind some rocks, and it was the perfect place for Hyunjin to relax and do whatever he felt like.

But things weren’t all perfect. While leaning against a rock and reading his magic book, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Being a sea witch, he always felt out of place with his seven brothers. Of course he loved them, but they were different from Hyunjin. They had beautiful merman tails that glistened metallic shades of all sorts of colors in the light. They swam around and spent all their time in the water. Hyunjin felt a little left out. He always stayed because the sea was safe. Because his hyungs were there. But even with his deep connection with the sea, he couldn’t help but feel like he was destined for something else. He had to have some greater purpose, but he had no clue what it could be. He’d never met another witch before, not even another sea witch. The only clues he had to his identity were the books he got from the library. Through the small collection of books they had, he was able to pick up a few spells and tricks as a witch. But even so, he hadn’t the slightest idea of what he was truly capable of.

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