Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone knew that Chan’s coven wasn’t to be taken lightly. They had taken in their youngest member, Jeongin, about 6 months ago, and soon after it was known throughout Seoul that their coven bond had been solidified after months of waiting for their final member to appear.

Their coven was eight. As it was meant to be all along.

None of their powers were to be trifled with, individually, but together? Nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of that. And while their power was regarded with a healthy amount of fear, they were respected and widely liked. They were friendly until given a reason not to be, and they were invaluable in protecting the magical community thanks to Minho’s illusion magic and Seungmin’s premonition abilities.

All of this, taken in combination with the knowledge that the coven would do anything for one another, should have been enough to ward off any interlopers.

It would have been far nicer if it had been.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The day began as most of theirs did, the coven waking slowly one by one and convening in the living room adjacent to the kitchen, where Minho and Felix had spent the morning side-by-side at the marble counter, making breakfast pastries for the others. 

The scene really was blissfully domestic, once they’d all arrived in the living room. On the couches around the coffee table, the members were draped over one another, their magic humming contentedly between them. Hyunjin, Felix, and Changbin had formed one single mass of limbs, Changbin wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders while each of the other two had slung one leg over each of Changbin’s. Jisung and Minho were beside them, the younger lying on his back, head in his hyung’s lap with their hands tightly intertwined and resting on Jisung’s stomach. Chan was paging through some book on ley lines as one hand idly carded through Jeongin’s hair where the youngest’s head was resting on his shoulder. Seungmin had draped himself over both of their laps, Jeongin’s hand resting on his knee and thumb gently rubbing over the joint.

Jisung loved mornings like this. He loved when he could sit there and gaze over his coven, each of them glowing in the sun as it streamed in through their tall windows. When he could feel his magic thrumming in his veins, reaching out with gentle, trusting hands towards his coven and being met with their magic reaching back to him, twining together and producing this gentle hum in the air between them through their coven bond. Years of being a solitary mage, his ability to detect lies making others uncomfortable with his presence, had left him fairly sure that he would never find a coven that would take him in. His magic wasn’t particularly useful to any coven, not like Jeongin’s healing or Chan’s telekenesis. The years of being rejected had left him standoffish and quick to anger. After a while, he had lost much hope of being taken in by a coven, despite how much his magic ached under his skin every moment that he spent alone isolated from others and their unique magical frequencies.

And then there was Minho.

Jisung met the illusionist first out of anyone in the coven. It wasn’t a special occasion, and he wasn’t searching for a coven or even a friend at the time. It was the magical community’s annual solstice celebration, in the heart of the summertime. Jisung was never all comfortable with hot temperatures or large crowds, and that night was no exception. He had spent most of the time hiding out by the drinks stand, watching from afar as a blonde hydrokinetic showed off his water sculptures in a nearby fountain, eyes lit with a piercing, gorgeous blue. He was lost in watching the show from afar, entire body jolting when his shoulder was nudged.

“Hey,” The mage had greeted. “Enjoying the show?”

Jisung had ducked his head, cheeks heating up at having been caught. “Haven’t seen many hydrokinetics, but I used to wish I had been born one. Their magic is lovely.”  

The other had smiled, the sight enough to make Jisung’s heart jump in his chest. “I have to say I agree. That one over there’s my covenmate. I might be biased, but he’s one of the best around.”

Jisung had stumbled over an apology for staring at the stranger’s covenmate, insisting that he was just curious and hadn’t intended to be disrespectful. The stranger just laughed good-naturedly and ruffled Jisung’s hair as he told him it was alright. Without even intending to, Jisung’s magic had flared in his veins, pupils flashing red for a split second, enough to tell Jisung that he wasn’t being lied to. The stranger had introduced himself as Minho, and had asked him to come meet the rest of his coven.

The rest was history. It turned out that Minho’s coven of seven had been searching for the final member of their bond to make themselves known. They had been losing hope after months of waiting, and it was pure chance that Minho had caught sight of Jisung from across the crowd, and that his magic had practically dragged him over to the other.

The coven’s days had been slow after that. A lot of time was spent cooking, gaming, lying on couches or floors in a tangle of limbs. Chan and Changbin dragged Jisung to the gym with them, Hyunjin and Minho tried to teach him some of the dances that they had been learning whenever they got the chance, and any other spare moment he didn’t spend writing was spent getting dragged into whatever nonsense Felix, Seungmin, and Jeongin were getting up to. Usually, it was something involving a disastrous baking attempt.

Jisung never had to be alone unless he wanted to be. It was always a choice, never a result of having nobody to spend his time with.

It was fucking blissful.

The one thing he rarely did, however, was go out alone. It wasn’t like he was afraid of the city, and he had spent a lot of time before joining his coven doing things by himself. But now that he had a coven, he wanted to do things together. Granted, they spent every hour of the day together, never really separate, but Jisung had never been able to show the world that he had a coven. There was something about going out, even just to the convenience store, with someone he loved and who he knew , with bone-deep certainty, wanted to be around him and be by his side, healed old wounds. Ones left by the sight of covenmates shopping together in the city when he was just alone . 

Despite that, Jisung knew it wasn’t always possible for him to always have someone with him whenever he needed to get something.

Chan hyung, He called out in his head.

Jisungie? You alright? His telepathic coven leader answered immediately. 

Yes hyung, He answered, amused. Just letting you know I’m heading out to get some coffee.

There was a pause from Chan’s side of their bond.

Hyung?

Are you taking anyone with you? The other asked suddenly.

Jisung frowned. No, everyone’s doing their own thing. I’ll be gone like ten minutes, I just didn’t want you to freak out when I left the house’s telepathic range.

I’m sure you could get Hyunjin or Minho to come with you, I’ll ask them—

Why are you pushing this, hyung? I’m an adult, I can handle a damn trip down the street to grab some coffee . Jisung snapped, hurt coiling in his chest at the thought that his leader didn’t trust him to be by himself.

No, no, Jisung, I’m sorry, Chan backpedaled apologetically. I trust you, of course I do. I’m just being stupid and protective since you’re our newest member. I feel more comfortable if there’s someone to look out for you, honey.

Jisung smiled fondly at Chan’s scrambling, feelings of hurt ebbing away at the sincerity in the older’s voice. It’s alright, and usually I prefer to have one of you with me. But I think I’ll survive just this once without you, hyung.

Be safe, Jisungie. Love you.

Love you too, hyung. I’ll be back in ten.

I’ll start a timer.

Don’t you dare!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The coffee shop down the street from the coven’s house was, in Jisung’s professional opinion, adorable . It was small, but it had an absurd amount of cushions on the soft couch. It was mostly lit by lamps, and had a prickly old cat that spent its days lounging on the beat-up scratching post in the corner of the room. The owners were nice as well, a somewhat loud but hilarious couple that had solidified their magical bond about 20 years prior and were not afraid to bicker about who was taking up too much of the counter, even in front of customers.

As Jisung waited for his coffee, he couldn’t help but wish he had taken up Chan’s offer of convincing Hyunjin or Minho to go on this excursion with him. It wasn’t unspleasant , but it would have been nice to be able to lean into one of his covenmate’s sides or twine their fingers together, just to feel their presence next to him. To be able to smile at the illusion of a butterfly as Minho’s magic hummed on his side of their bond. To feel one of Hyunjin’s shadows curling itself around his own ankle. 

C’mon Jisung, He chided himself as he grabbed his coffee and smiled at the woman behind the register before turning to leave. Get it together, you’re fully capable of doing things by yourself. 

Jisung stepped outside, sipping at his coffee as he walked back up the street to his house. Idly, he wondered if Chan and Changbin had finished the track they were working on when he left. Jisung had written the lyrics, not really intending them to be used for anything, but Changbin had found the paper on Jisung’s desk when he was borrowing the younger’s headphones and decided they would work well with a track he had been making a couple nights before. Jisung hoped they weren’t done quite yet, he loves sitting in the studio with his hyungs when they’re working on music, chiming in every once in a while from the couch. 

He sped up his pace a bit, smiling at the image. Maybe if he had been paying more attention to his surroundings, he might have noticed the unfamiliar magic making its presence known. Perhaps he might have seen the figure approaching him in his peripheral vision.

Perhaps things would have gone differently .

Jisung’s coffee cup clattered to the ground, lid flying off and sending coffee pouring over the sidewalk. There was an unforgiving arm trapping him in a headlock, dragging him into an alley a couple of feet behind where he had just been walking.

Chan hyung! He called out, a desperate part of his magical instincts calling out for his coven. Chan, Minho, fuck— hyungs!

“Don’t scream,” A deep voice hissed in his ear, headlock tightening. “Nobody can hear you anyway.”

Jisung thrashed against the grip, ignoring the pain and panic of how it forced the arm even further against his throat.

“Just sleep. ”

There was a cloth pressed against his nose and mouth, and as the world faded to black, the only thing Jisung could think, could feel was his connection to his coven’s bond being muted, muffled, cut off from his reach.

Chapter Text

Chan had, in fact, set a timer. It was mostly just to piss Jisung off, so he could tell him that he had arrived home 3 seconds late. Mostly . But Chan wasn’t lying when he said he was protective of Jisung, however teasing he had been about it at the time. Jisung was precious to all of them, their newest member and that critical final piece of their puzzle that they had all waited for those six long months.

Chan still remembered it like yesterday, the days that Jeongin or Hyunjin or Felix would come into his room in the dead of night, looking small and uncharacteristically somber as they asked if they could come lay in his bed with him. Of course, he always said yes. He could never deny his covenmates much of anything, especially when he could tell that they needed him, could feel the distress on their side of the mental bond. 

“What if I wasn’t supposed to be part of the coven?” Jeongin had whispered one night. “What if you were supposed to find the final member that day and because you found me instead that’s why the bond still feels so incomplete?”

The boy’s words had punched Chan in the chest.

“Darling, no,” He had pulled their youngest close to his chest. “You’re a part of our coven because your magic matches ours. Because we love you and want you by our side. Because you’re ours. Just because we can all feel that there’s someone missing doesn’t make you any less a part of our coven. Doesn’t make you worth any less at all.”

Seeing Jeongin and Jisung holding hands during movie night and feeling their two magical presences humming in the air as they laughed? That healed the pain left by the conversation that night.

“What do you think they’ll be like, hyung?” Felix had asked with his head laying on Chan’s shoulder.

“I don’t know,” He had answered truthfully. “Wonderful, I think.”

Chan had been completely right. Felix finally had someone to mirror his sunshine-bright smile, finally had someone who loved skinship equally as much as him. Seungmin had someone to sing karaoke with. Minho had someone who got him to smile the way he usually reserved only for his cats back home. Hyunjin had someone who could match his humor. Chan and Changbin had someone else who loved making music and brought his own unique aspects to their joint songs. Jeongin had someone who always knew when the youngest needed some space and when he needed someone to lean on.

Jisung fit their coven perfectly, and though there had been the usual doubt and uncertainty in the beginning, there was no questioning the unwavering trust between the eight of them.

So he didn’t question it when the timer went off and Jisung still wasn’t back. Honestly, the coffee shop might have just been busy. Or he might have gotten distracted by the constantly angry old cat that hung around there. That would be very much like Jisung, he thinks fondly.

But something felt off. 

There wouldn’t be much of a point in Chan sending his covenmate a text, since none of them really carried their phones around. They didn’t really have a need for them, Chan’s telepathic coven bond doing the job a call could do (only far better). Sighing, he pushed his chair away from the desk and stood up. He was getting anxious, he was aware of that. But as a coven leader, especially one who was pretty much constantly in contact with his covenmates in some way or another, he felt it was understandable for him to be getting a bit antsy when one of them had been gone ten minutes longer than he said he would be. 

A bit faster than he had intended, he made his way down the stairs of their house and found Minho and Changbin lounging on two couches on the opposite sides of the coffee table. At their leader’s entrance, they looked up and took in his slightly frantic face and the anxious edge to his side of their coven bond.

“Chan-ah?” Changbin called, standing already and making his way over. “You alright?”

Minho just watched the two of them, something wary and curious in his gaze. 

Chan took a shaking inhale. “Jisungie went out for coffee.”

Fuck, that sounds so dumb now that I’m saying it out loud—

“Okay,” Changbin answered, obviously confused but willing to hear his leader out. “How long ago was that?”

“Twenty minutes,” Chan answered. “He told me he was going, told me he would be back in ten minutes and fuck , he’s probably fine but I can’t reach him from here and something feels wrong.”

Minho nodded, already moving to the doorway to get his shoes on. “Okay then, let’s go check.”

Changbin agreed, moving away from Chan. The older, without thinking, wrapped a hand around his covenmate’s bicep in some instinctual attempt to keep his covenmate close. With no hesitation, Changbin moved back to Chan’s side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The empath’s eyes flashed purple, eyebrows furrowing as his ability picked up on the leader’s anxiety and his inherent feeling that there was something wrong .  

“Minho-yah, grab my shoes for me, will you? I’m gonna try and calm our hyung down a bit.” Changbin’s palm glowed purple as his ability washed over Chan, blanketing his anxious heart with a soft sense of comfort. Chan’s own hand came up to wrap around Changbin’s wrist, his chin dipping towards his chest as he tried to steady himself.

The three of them finally pulled themselves together and made their way out the door, with Chan sending out a quick telepathic broadcast to let the other members, who weren’t present for the interaction, know that the three were leaving the house. The others, especially Felix, could feel the unease on their hyung’s side of the bond, but let them go without questions. Their coven was good about communication— they were sure that they’d be filled in on the information they were missing out on once the others returned home.

Chan’s heart sank when they got to the coffee shop. No Jisung. He wasn’t in the coffee shop, wasn’t in telepathic range, and his magic signature wasn’t even lingering anywhere in the shop or nearby. He wasn’t here, and hadn’t been for a while. At least longer than fifteen minutes.

Fuck .

The couple that owned the coffee shop said he had been in there, but had left within five minutes. 

Double fuck.

Where the hell was Jisung?

Chan didn’t feel much like a leader when he came back to the coven’s house. Jeongin, Hyunjin, Felix, and Seungmin were already in the living room, each wearing a matching expression of concern. The oldest couldn’t help but wince at how much concern panic fear they were transmitting, sending their emotions of panic screaming down their coven bond.

“Hyungs?” Felix asked hesitantly. “What’s going on?”

The oldest looked to Changbin helplessly, every bit of his energy devoted to reaching out with his telepathy. He knew it would be futile; his range was impressive, but without a formal spell and an insane amount of magical energy, he had no chance of finding Jisung if he wasn’t within 10 miles.

Fuck.

“— we’re looking for him, and we have connections with the Police, which should help us find him even faster,” Changbin was saying when Chan zoned back in. “Minho-hyung and myself are going to the Tower Library to find a searching spell later today.”

“So Jisungie’s missing?” Felix’s voice was scarcely above a whisper, Hyunjin’s hand squeezing the water manipulator’s fingers tightly.

“Yeah, he is,” Minho quietly voiced the awful truth. “But we’re bringing him home. No matter what, we’ll get him back.”

“Did he leave us?” Jeongin asked, voice wavering. “Did we do something wrong?”

“No, no, Innie,” Chan’s brain finally caught up to the conversation around him. “He would never, I promise you that. Not without saying anything, especially.”

“The rest of you can’t feel what he does when we’re all together,” Changbin, the empath, chimed in. “It’s overwhelming. He adores us, equally as much as we adore him.‘

“Then who the hell would take him? Why would they?” Felix choked out. “When we only just found him, why would anyone take him from us?”

Minho sighed, fists clenching in his pockets. “To get at us, probably. Like it or not, we’re a high-profile coven. Taking our newest-bonded member is an easy way to get our attention and try to get us off-balance and vulnerable.”

“Not to mention that his ability is incredibly rare. It’s useful— how many people would benefit from having a human lie detector?” Seungmin added.

“He’s nobody’s to have ,” Hyunjin gritted out, shadows creeping up his forearms the way they did when he was distressed. “He’s ours because he gave his heart and soul to us, and we did the same in return. Nobody gets to own him just because of his ability.”

Felix laid his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder as tears began to stream down his cheeks. The shadow manipulator had once been in a pseudo-coven. Not one with any true bond, but one that bound Hyunjin to them so that he would use his shadows to do whatever they asked. Whether it was used for cloaking, shadow transportation, or to immobilize somebody through their shadow, Hyunjin would do it. The idea of Jisung, who would never do anything that could harm another person, being used as a human lie detector by someone who didn’t care about him and likely didn’t have noble purposes for Jisung’s ability, made him sick.

Chan’s panic and shock slowly melted into anger. Anger at having their coven dynamics shaken, at Hyunjin having to relive painful memories, at how he was put into a position where he doubted his own leadership abilities. 

He was going to fix this.

“Hyungs!” Jeongin burst into the room, startling everyone but Seungmin, the only one who noticed the youngest had left at all. “In our library, I remembered seeing a book on amplification of magical abilities through a coven bond.”

He flipped open the heavy book in his hand, stopping at a page titled ‘TELEPATHY.’

“This one, right here,” His finger skimmed down until he reached a spell titled ‘LOCATION PROJECTION.’ “It extends a telepath’s range by tapping into the entire coven’s power reserves through the bond. It requires an Illusionist, which shows us the location of an object or person.”

“How far does it extend the range?” Chan asked.

Jeongin looked up, a smile spreading across his lips. “As far as our magic can go.”