Chapter 12

While strolling down the beach, Chan brought his usual items when he would visit Hyunjin. Laptop in hand, a nice big blanket in his bag to sit on, and a few snacks with some cold drinks. It wasn’t until he got closer to the usual spot where Chan froze. He could see two others on the beach, talking to Hyunjin. He had never seen Hyunjin talk to any other land creatures besides Chan, nor did he mention anything about them.

“Hey guys!” Chan walked up to all of them, trying his best to sound cheerful. Over time, Chan found himself getting protective of Hyunjin like he would for his own little siblings. He didn’t know who the others were and what their intentions were with the sea witch.

“Hey Chan hyung! Meet Seungmin and Jeongin. They’re witches just like us,” Hyunjin smiled.

Chan looked over at Seungmin and gave him an unsure look. But as soon as Chan’s eyes turned to Jeongin’s, his expression softened.

“Oh my god you look like the cutest being in the whole world what the heck,” Chan gasped.

The music witch set down his stuff and studied Jeongin from almost every angle. “I will protect you from any harm that comes your way,” Chan said in a serious tone.

Jeongin laughed worriedly and looked at Hyunjin. The other gave him a shrug, his face telling Jeongin to just “go along with it”.

“So you’re Chan, the music witch?” Seungmin questioned.

“Uh huh, why? Has Hyunjin already told you guys everything about me? I’m so embarrassed,” Chan teased.

Hyunjin just rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh. “Did you bring me my banana milk this time?”

“Yeah, but since you didn’t ask nicely for it I’m giving it to Jeongin instead,” Chan said while reaching in his bag and handing a carton to Jeongin.

“Okay, I like you already,” Jeongin giggled while graciously taking the banana milk.

Hyunjin pouted and Seungmin couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. They all sat down on Chan’s blanket and the divination witch and art witch explained the whole thing about looking for Hyunjin and Chan, but not without leaving a lot of details out.

Chan frowned, one thing still on his mind. “But why come all the way here just to talk with us? There has to be some bigger reason, right?”

He noticed as Seungmin and Jeongin’s bodies visibly stiffened.

“We guarantee that we’re just here to learn about your guys’ powers,” Jeongin lied.

Chan knew this was false, but held his tongue. After all, he didn’t want to come off as rude to people he had just met merely half an hour ago. When they all finally hit a point where there wasn’t much else to talk about, Jeongin said that he was going to try to meditate. After all, he hadn’t gotten much of a chance to since he’s left the safe realm. While sitting next to the witch who was now levitating cross-crossed in the air, Chan opened up his laptop and checked a few things on there. He focused on making a few last minute tweaks for a song he had almost completed.

“Hey Seungminnie, do you want to walk with me on the beach?” Hyunjin suggested.

The art witch's eyes met the other’s and he gulped. Why did Hyunjin’s voice make Seungmin feel like he was gonna melt?

“I guess that would be nice,” Seungmin coughed.

The two got up together and started to head off, walking side by side. The air held a gentle, salty breeze across the land. The sand under their feet was soft, slowing down their walking pace and really letting the two enjoy the scenery. Even though Hyunjin has lived there all his life and had a connection with this sea like no other, the waters still held beauty in his eyes.

“Wow, so this is what people talk about in their dating profiles. Long walks on the beach…” Seungmin trailed off.

Hyunjin glanced over to him, the corner of his lips curling up into a small smile. “Dating profiles? Are you implying that we’re on a date right now?”

Seungmin choked on air when he heard that. His heart started to thump out of his chest and his throat went dry.

“Sorry, I was just messing with you,” Hyunjin giggled while he patted Seungmin’s back, trying to help the other’s breathing stabilize.

“No it’s okay,” Seungmin assured him, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Hyunjin gave Seungmin one last gentle rub on his back before dropping his hand to his side. “So I’ve been meaning to ask, what do those symbols mean on your art bag?”

The art witch looked down, noting the patches he had put on there showing off magical signs.

“Oh those? They’re sigils.”

“What are sigils?” Hyunjin asked.

“They’re basically symbols charged with energy. When you carry the symbol around, that energy imprints itself into your subconscious and magically pushes you toward your desire. When the sigil is charged, the energy is sent out into the universe to manifest,” Seungmin explained.

Hyunjin’s knowledge on witchcraft was probably only the tip of the iceberg. He had never heard about these symbols until now. The fact that there were so many types of witches out there with different abilities, items, and energies was intriguing to him. He wanted to learn more, especially about Seungmin’s unique abilities.

“That’s really amazing. What desires do your sigils stand for?” The sea witch asked.

Seungmin pointed to a yellow patch on his bag. “This one one here is representative of a successful career. It also kinda stands for good fortune.” He pointed to a light blue one. “And this one represents protection. Then I also have this pink one here to stand for creativity. It helps keep me inspired for longer so I don’t burn out too easily... this is boring, isn’t it?”

“No not at all,” Hyunjin defended, “I was the one who asked you about them in the first place. Whatever you want to explain, I’ll listen to you. I’m curious.”

Seungmin pursed his lips into a thin line, trying to ignore his pulse picking up from Hyunjin’s gentle eyes which showed genuine interest in him. The art witch cleared his throat, moving on to explain what the other sigils meant.

Jeongin meditated for a little while and ultimately nothing eventful came to him, meaning nothing worth noting was going to happen soon. His body floated down until he sat back on the blanket. Chan right next to him was wearing headphones over his head, bopping slightly to the music.

The humming that Jeongin had heard that was connected with Chan still buzzed around in the back of his mind. It was interesting how the music witch had an energy at first, but then the sound of humming guided the divination witch. Chan must really love music for that type of thing to come from his soul.

Chan noticed Jeongin looking at him and the older took off his headphones, smiling at the other. “Curious to what I’m listening to?”

Jeongin nodded. The music witch put his headphones over Jeongin’s head, then tapped the play button on his laptop. The track started off with light instrumentals and the bright sound of waves washing over the shore. He heard a familiar voice start singing, immediately recognizing it as Hyunjin’s. His voice was so calm and melodic, matching perfectly with the top line. After the first chorus he heard Chan’s voice, rapping as the beat got heavier. When Jeongin got to the end of the song, he smiled, taking the headphones off.

“That was you and Hyunjin, right?” Jeongin asked.

“Yup. His voice is beautiful, isn’t it? This was actually how we connected in the first place. I needed help on this song and Hyunjin was able to give me his input. I really like the finished project,” Chan said.

The music witch shut off his laptop and then faced his body towards Jeongin. “So, how did you find out about your specialty as a witch?”

Jeongin hummed, slightly scratching the back of his neck. “Well it actually came for me earlier than most others. In school I was a child prodigy a few years ahead of my age group. I would constantly get stressed with the workload and expectations put on me. So after trying a bunch of things to calm me down, I tried meditating one day. It helped a little and everything felt fine until I there was a sensation within the deep deaths of my soul. It was like a rush of energy just hit me, and I suddenly started to levitate off the ground. And yeah, I just kind of figured out things from there.”

Chan quirked his head to the side at this. “I kind of felt the same rush of energy when I found my speciality. But you’re a divination witch right? Seeing into the future is kinda like your thing?”

“Yup,” the younger nodded, “My mind actually drifts more to the future than anywhere else really. In life, I’ve met many people whose minds are accustomed to either be stuck in the past or live in the now. And I’m neither of those things. When I meditate, I can get vague ideas of my own future.”

“Well why can’t you live in the now?” Chan questioned.

“Huh?”

“Sure it’s good to think about the future and set your mind to that, but if you do it constantly you’ll miss out on a few things in the present. I know you’re a divination witch and it’s in your nature for your magic to tell the future and all, but why can’t it be possible for you to live in the moment also?”

Jeongin picked up a handful of sand and played with it, trying to think of a good answer. “I guess I’ve never thought about it like that.”

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