Chapter Text
It all started with the damn alarm. If only the dang thing would go off at exactly the right moment, Kai wouldn’t be in this position! (Right, like him not packing his bags in advance could be remedied by him waking up half-an-hour before he prepped and left, but that was besides the point. ) Instead, his alarm woke him up an hour late, which somehow created a domino effect that effectively uphended his life. Okay, he was being a tad dramatic, but needless to say, this was NOT how his first day at University was supposed to go. Somehow (thanks to Lea’s help) his bags were packed and ready to go before he was, but in his haste to get ready he’d managed to mix up his socks, misplace his syllabus, and lost his bags not once, but twice with the apparition spell. Despite summoning his bags back he was pretty sure there were at least 3 items that got lost in transit. Just as Hueningkai reached out to grab his bags, he heard a loud thump.
He stared blankly after that, unsure if he wanted to laugh, or cry. Without a doubt, his ink bottles and quills were destroyed in that fall. His bags were strewn haplessly across the floor, and he was right in the middle of the platform. After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he finally looked down.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Kai groaned. Just as he thought, there was a dark spot in the middle of his bags, right where his inks were. He was pretty sure that was one of the things he definitely needed on his first day, so… At least the fix will be quick. Quickly, he muttered the spells to vanish the broken inks and quills within his bag, with a quick “clean as a whistle,” to remove the ink stains. The wonders (mainly horrors) of magic. Kai now had one more thing to add to his to-do list today. Great.
“Kai, move your ass! You’re going to miss the train if you don’t move now!” Lea yelled at him from the front, bags floating behind her. Kai’s bags, actually- somehow he hadn’t realised that. Rather belatedly, he couldn’t help but wonder if the earlier spells were hers, too- it usually took him a while longer to cast them, but Lea always did them effortlessly. And wordlessly, too- somehow she’d managed to master it before Kai even began to comprehend it. It probably came as no surprise she topped her class. Kai was internally praying they wouldn’t get the same professors, though he knew the chances of them being in the same classes she had previously were slim. But slim wasn’t as good as none, and the outcomes were either being embarrassed or highly awkward, neither of which Kai would enjoy.
“KAI! MOVE YOUR ASS! YOU’VE GOT 5 MINUTES!” Lea yelled again, but this time she sounded angry. Shit.
“I’m coming!” Kai yelled back, sprinting forward to catch up with her.
“I swear, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was the one going back to school,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. “Even Hiyyih was more excited than you.”
Kai finally caught up with her, and settled into a comfortable walking pace next to her.
“Its school, noona. What is there to be excited about?” Especially if you’re me, Kai thought. The last 6 years of magic education had already been torture enough for him, with the laughter and constant comparisons he got from some of the teachers- he wasn’t as strong as Lea, no matter what he did. And he paled in comparison to Taehyun, who was basically a magical prodigy. As soon as he finished talking, the train arrived. Lea didn’t answer, quickly going to a random cabin and loading his bags up. Kai tried to help, but was quickly shoved away. With a slight flick of her wrist, the bags levitated in place.
“You’ve got everything, right?”
Kai stared up at the bags, a familiar feeling of dread pooling into his stomach. “Yup, Thanks, noona.”
Much to Kai’s annoyance, Lea began ruffling his hair. He tried to duck, but to no avail- (Okay, maybe he didn’t try ducking that hard, but it was atill mildly annoying.) Oddly enough, it was comforting getting his hair ruffled. This is it, I guess. Kai thought, staring blankly up at the bags. I’m going to be away for a year. The words felt weird, even in his head. Away. From everything he’d known, for at least a year before break. No Lea, no Hiyyih, no mum or dead. He was going to be alone, away from family, for the first time in years. Even in Johnson High School for Wizards and Witches, he’d had at least one of them, and now…
“You’re going to be okay, Kai. I promise,” Somehow, Lea knew what he was feeling without him having to speak. Kai was really going to miss this. Even if both his siblings were more powerful than he was, they always helped him when they could, and sometimes he swore they knew him better than he knew himself.
“I wish Hiyyih was here,” he confessed as Lea pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m really going to miss you guys.”
Lea pulled away slightly to pet his head. “We’re going to miss you too, Kai. Now, I really have to go.” The engine of the train had just started again, and if neither of them left in the next 3 minutes, Kai wouldn’t be going alone, but she would get into trouble. Without meaning to, Kai started pouting.
Chuckling, Lea pulled away. “Don’t give me that look. Taehyun will still be there, at least. And we’re just an owl or apparition spell away.”
Kai just nodded solemnly and pulled away. “You should go, Noona. Taehyun should be here soon.” Right on cue, a voice chimed from behind them.
“You called for me?” Hearing this, Kai’s face lit up- he immediately launched himself at Taehyun, pulling him into a tight hug as the older boy gave him an unimpressed look (though he was still smiling). Lea just laughed, immediately spelling his bags up, so they sat beside Kai’s. Taehyun nodded in thanks, unable to speak momentarily with the way the younger boy was currently crushing his lungs.
“Hi, Taehyun. Take care of Kai for me, okay?”
Taehyun glanced at the boy currently attached to his shoulders. Luckily, he’d loosened his grip by now, so Taehyun could finally speak. “Sure, noona.”
She simply smiled back. “Thanks, Taehyun. I gotta go now. Enjoy your first year of Uni!” With that (and a flash of brilliant yellow magic) , she disappeared. The two of them stayed like that for a few seconds, until Taehyun finally spoke.
“You can let go of me now, you know?” But Kai barely nudged, holding onto him a while longer before pulling away. He hadn’t seen his best friend much over the holidays, and he’d missed him immensely.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry,” His eyes were teary now. Sensing his anxiety, Taehyun said “It’ll be okay. It’ll be just like Johnson. I know they won’t be there, but at least you have me.” You won’t be alone.
“Yeah,” Kai sniffled, wiping away his tears, before smiling back at Taehyun. No matter what, at least he had his best friend. “Thank you,”
“That’s what friends are for.” Taehyun grinned, wordlessly summoning a set of cards. “Now, do you want to start playing, or do you wanna stop halfway again?”
Kai let out a choked laugh. “Let’s start now.”
After the both of them settled down in their seats, the cards began shuffling themselves, before flying into Taehyun and Kai’s waiting hands. Feeling the familiar weight of cardstock in his hands, the knot in Kai’s stomach eased a little. Sometimes tradition was best, after all.
- +x+ -
Somehow, they fell asleep. (Well, not exactly- they had a tendency to take a nap together on the train every year, but Kai hoped that with the new school year, something would change. Apparently not.) But, contrary to tradition, it was Kai who woke up first. He stared out of the window as the train continued moving, the kaleidoscope of windows a stark reminder that with ever passing second, he got closer and closer to this new stage of his life. He felt it when the train passed through the barrier- it was like some small part of his chest got compressed, right before relaxing and blazing back to life. From the countless spires, and smoky chimneys, they were finally in River’s Bend. Unlike Johnson High School, which had a tendency to float, the Grand High University was one of few magic schools located within an actual wizarding town, River’s Bend. Kai had only been here once before, to send Lea off in her last year. Exactly one year ago, before his specialisation test…
Kai could still see it in his mind’s eye. The room was vaulted, its walls made of what appeared to be glass, rather than the stone walls that graced the other rooms. The walls were made to mimic the night sky, a deep mix of navy and onyx, disturbed only by the random splatter of stars that kept shifting, never staying still. The students were all dressed in their full uniforms, and the room was filled with chatter, voices full of hope, eyes filled with anticipation, focused on the Testing Crystal in the centre of the room.
It was clear, nearly transparent. Were it not for the facets and designs carved into it, Kai would most definitely have missed it. Honestly, most of that night went in a blur- he vaguely remembered announcements, as well as watching people walk towards the crystal, getting it to light up- but he didn’t really register anything else, not with the growing unease in his stomach. Time trickled slowly, but too quickly for him to keep note of anything else, besides the fact that with every name called, he was getting closer to sealing his fate. He could feel the judging stares even before it was his turn, eyes that tore him apart and weighed him. It was no secret he was one of the weakest wizards in their year, if not the weakest. The other kids didn’t tend to like him much, finding him odd, so he tended to cling onto Taehyun. Most of them had come close to bullying him, or had bullied him at least once, so…he wasn’t sure what he really expected, but none of this was helping his unease. It was a little absurd, the idea that the trajectory of his life would be dependent on an inanimate crystal, the more that he thought of it. With the strength of his magic, he wasn’t expecting much, if anything at all, he just hoped he had at least a flicker of innate power, so he could get into a university with Taehyun- though with every passing flash of light, he felt the hope in his heart shrivel up a little.
He’d watched in trepidation as Taehyun went before him, sending a wave of his magic towards the gleaming crystal in the centre of the room, watching as the crystal lit up with not one, but two colors. Green and blue light bounced off the walls, painting everything in teal. Despite the sinking feeling in his stomach for his own fate, Kai couldn’t help but smile, internally screaming in joy for his best friend. Taehyun glanced back at him immediately with an excited beam, and Kai could have sworn he swore stars in his eyes. He probably couldn’t count the number of courses Taehyun was excitedly combing through in his head right now, and he couldn’t be happier for him. Alchemy and Elemental Magic. They suited Taehyun, really- and knowing him, he’d excel at both of them, and the others. He gave Taehyun a thumbs up, which the other boy immediately returned, before turning around, though not before mouthing a quick “you’ve got this,” .
Next, he could hear the teacher’s voice drone again… “Kai Kamal Huening!” Fuck. Without thinking, he glanced back at Taehyun, who gave him an encouraging smile. Sighing, he closed his eyes, stepping forward as he reached out a hand, whispering the words he’d dreaded.
“Magic of the purest snow, unfold as you show what lies inside, there’s no need to hide.”As soon as the words left his lips, the thin thread of his magic flared forward, shining into the crystal. To his surprise, the light dancing off the walls was blue, unlike the darkness he was expecting. Elemental magic. It still felt like a surreal dream, and he’d stared at the crystal in awe even as the light faded when the spell wore off, only snapping out of his reverie when Taehyun pulled him to the side.
“We did it! We’ll be able to stay together!” he pulled Kai into a tight hug, and Kai could still recall the warmth in his chest at the sight of his best friend excitedly jumping up and down, and the newfound reassurance that he’d be able to attend University. The best part? He wouldn’t have to do it alone.
Unbeknownst to him, the thin thread of his magic had only grown thicker towards the end, forming a beam of light.