Chapter Text
The same mythical scene every morning; sunlight seeping through the gap on the wooden wall, moist air from the morning dew, serene breeze waving the curtains, the hazy glow veiling the vicinity. As a human, Jeonghan should feel honored, having the experience of living in this otherworldly side of the continent, deep in the valley, hidden from plain eyes.
As he opened his eyes and force his heavy body to sit down, resisting the urge to snooze another five or ten minutes, he heard a rattling voice by the window. Pulling the curtain back, the fairy stuck by it jolted in surprise and stumbled into the air, only to be stopped by Jeonghan’s gentle hand. He slowly guided the little fairy out of the window and waved, letting it go with a small smile.
Outside the window, the view of green stretched in front of him, lush deep forest with specks of colors from the mushrooms, flowers, and other unique plants could be found nowhere outside this haven. A glance is enough to tell this place is not ordinary, flowing with ancient and mystical power, a misty atmosphere settling perpetually around it.
Jeonghan moved to the topmost floor of the treehouse to wake a certain person up. More than a treehouse, it’s more of a tree mansion or a tree tower, from the sheer size and magnificent architecture alone.
The topmost of the treehouse has a dome-shaped ceiling, with opening around the edges to let natural sunlight in. A large balcony located on the side, and at the end of the room is a round plush bed, with the owner sleeping soundly on it.
Jisoo.
The Guardian is curled to his own body, a layer of blanket covering the lower half of his body, while the top half is covered by his own wings. Dragon wings.
Careful as not to make any noises, Jeonghan crept across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Waking up early sucks, but it is compensated by the opportunity to stare at Jisoo’s sleeping state to his heart’s content. He loved it whenever Jisoo looked especially vulnerable and at peace, liberated from his duty and responsibility.
Jeonghan take every detail of his features meticulously. Jisoo’s white dragon horn, not too long and curled around the edges. Though it seems sharp, Jeonghan knew it’s harmless, and he loves it when Jisoo bumped his head affectionately. Jisoo’s dragon wings, white frame and white translucent membrane, sometimes see-through and glittering under the lights. Jeonghan knows how reassuring and warm it is being hugged under those wings, offering him home and shelter he longed for so much. Finally, Jisoo’s dragon tail, scaly and emerging from the end of his backbone. The tail can be used as an extension of his limbs, and it gives an honest reaction to Jisoo’s emotion. When Jisoo is excited, the tail wags back and forth, and when he’s alert, the tail sit upright, and when he’s down or disappointed, the tail droop down.
It’s cute, Jeonghan thought, but it’s more than that.
The dragon parts of Jisoo seems to have a faint ethereal glow to them, leaving Jeonghan both mesmerized and yearnful. Other than the dragon characteristics, every part of Jisoo is completely human, though otherworldly, especially Jisoo’s beautiful eyes and lips.
Watching him now, chest going up and down, facial muscles relaxed and deep in dreamland, Jisoo looked tenfold more serene and ethereal. Ethereal and otherworldly is overused, but there’s no other way Jeonghan could describe Jisoo without those two words.
Jeonghan decided to lie down next to him, scooting closer as much as he could without waking Jisoo up. He listened to the gentle breathing of Jisoo, a faint purr occasionally heard, and his heart swelled in content. There was the greatest urge to rake his fingers down on Jisoo’s soft white hair and to see those stunning sapphire blue eyes. The loose white tunic revealed Jisoo’s lovely collarbones and neck, stirring a desire within Jeonghan.
Instead of indulging in it, Jeonghan reaches out and patted Jisoo's shoulder gently. "Jisoo, wake up. It’s morning.”
The dragon yawned, curling further to find the nearest source of heat, which happens to be Jeonghan.
Jeonghan chuckles. "Jisoo, good morning."
Eyes still half-closed, Jisoo smiled sleepily. "Good morning, Hannie.”
Unlike Jeonghan, Jisoo is easy to wake up. He sat down and rubbed his eyes, stretching and unfurling his wings behind him. Jeonghan scooted over and helped straighten it, earning an appreciated hum from Jisoo. The lights refracted from the wings created an array of color at the side of the wall and Jeonghan thinks it’s the most beautiful thing in this world, only second to Jisoo himself.
“Why are you so early?” Jisoo softly muttered, finally opening his eyes and gracing Jeonghan with his warm gaze.
“I’m going to town today, remember? Let’s have breakfast, and then you can tell me what you want to buy.”
“Hmm, new brush, cake, and a strainer, that one new cookie shop—”
“Later, later, when I’m writing the list, alright?”
And off they went, downstairs to have breakfast, a simple combination of toasts and eggs topped with the freshest jam processed from a fruit Jeonghan can’t find in a human market.
This forest provides everything, literally everything, just with a different kind of way compared to humans. Sugar, salt, and any spices could be replaced by specific plants or seeds, tools could be replaced by the bark or leaves of certain trees, and such. Even so, since Jeonghan started bringing more human stuffs to Jisoo, the dragon becomes more and more interested in it, especially the cake and pastry he has fallen in love with.
As Jeonghan double checked the list of groceries, he looked up at Jisoo, seemingly busy watering and checking on the house plants. “It’s been a while since last you went to town. You really don’t want to come with me?”
Jisoo shook his head. “No, I’ll have a guest coming in today. Have a safe trip, okay?”
From time to time, friends of Jisoo would come by, asking for his assistance and his healing capabilities. Jeonghan had only been acquittanced to a fraction of those guests, and he admitted it was quite a unique experience in getting to know each one of them, completely diverse in race and personality.
“Alright. I’ll be going then.”
As usual, Jisoo would walk him to the gates, and Jeonghan has stopped complaining how this treatment makes it as if Jeonghan is still a child. Jisoo isn’t worried, it’s just he cares.
“See you. Return safely,” Jisoo says, a warm smile gracing his lips, waving his hand in a tiny way.
Even when he’s a few steps away, Jeonghan is already looking forward to return home.
Walking around town like this, Jeonghan looked normal, as if he wasn’t living with a guardian dragon, as if he’s an ordinary human spending the last few years at human town, mingling with human society.
Jeonghan is only twelve when he's abandoned by his ‘family’, thrown away, and left to rot somewhere in the middle of the vast valley. For his whole life, those people mistreated and neglected him, and he doesn’t exactly understand why. If the reason is poverty, why did they treat his siblings well, but not him? He’s much underweight and left starving to near death, while the rest of the ‘family’ lived sufficiently.
Alone and lost, he lets go of everything, tired of living, until he feels warmth enveloping him and the soothing voice calling for his presence. Jeonghan thought his life has ended and this was a glimpse of heaven he’s feeling.
But then he woke up, basked in the presence of Jisoo.
A single glance is enough to tell Jisoo isn’t human, even when he’s hiding his dragon parts, in fear of scaring child Jeonghan. The air around him is intense and unsettling, showing the concentrated power flowing in his veins, as he is the Guardian of this land, a divine being worshipped by many.
Jeonghan is indeed wary, not because Jisoo is not human, but the fear of being thrown away and abandoned once again, without a permanent home forever. It doesn’t matter if Jisoo is human, god, or a mythical being. Will he eventually tell Jeonghan to leave? Jisoo is overflowing with kindness and warmth, closing the gaping hole within Jeonghan in an instant. If Jisoo tells him to leave, Jeonghan will be shattered into pieces and there’s no recovering from that.
Time passes, and since then, he has lived with Jisoo for seven years.
“Sweets again, Jeonghan?” the owner of the bakery Jeonghan frequented is always kind enough to leave an extra cookie or two.
For the townspeople, Jeonghan is a handsome and diligent young man who lived near the outer edges of the valley, visiting the town thrice a week. People is intrigued about him, as he is friendly and is a perfectly eligible bachelor. However, he is quite mysterious, as he rarely talks about himself and the one person he lives together with. The only thing they know is how disgustingly fond Jeonghan is to this person he calls ‘Jisoo’.
Jeonghan receive the items and thanked her, before making small talks as the bakery is quite empty this afternoon. “Thank you, Mrs. Han. How is Seojun? Is he still skipping classes?”
Mrs. Han sighed, crossing her arm frustratedly. “If only he’s as half as diligent as you are. Look at you, you used to come down here thrice a week just to study, going through all those distances, and then you’ve graduated in a blink. Are you sure you don’t want to stay here permanently? I know a ton of people who would offer a nice place for you to stay.”
People never skip a single week asking Jeonghan the same thing. As always, he turned it down politely. “Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Han. I’m flattered you think so. Well, if I’m free, I can try and talk with Seojun. Or if you want, I can tutor him once or twice a week when I’m here.”
“That’ll be amazing! I’ll try and talk to Seojun about it. But are you sure? My son can be a handful.”
“I’m sure, Mrs. Han. If there’s anything I could do to help, of course I’ll help.”
She reached out to clasp Jeonghan’s hands in gratitude, beaming from ear to ear. “Of course! Oh, thank you so much! Don’t worry, I’ll return your help handsomely. Let’s talk about the details later.” Mrs. Han could be quite loud and brash at times, but she’s kindhearted and generous. “Oh, by the way, do you want to reserve another cake this year?”
It takes a moment for Jeonghan to register her offer. “Ah, cake for the thanksgiving? Isn’t it too early for a reservation?”
“You need prepare early for this year,” she explains animatedly. “You see, since we have quite a rough year with those horrifying beast outbreaks, our mayor decided to go all out with the celebration. Literally everyone is preparing early. You shouldn’t be late too.”
“Ahh, then of course, I’ll order another cake please,” Jeonghan told her.
If this year’s celebration is grand, he must spend more than a single day enjoying the festivity together with Jisoo.
Every end and beginning of the year, humans celebrate a thanksgiving festival, officially known as the Night of Rebirth. There are two parts to this annual event, the celebration part and the offering part.
They feast, sing, and dance to celebrate the blessing they receive the past year, as well as starting anew, hoping for new blessings to replace those from last year. Streets are adorned with festival stalls and decoration, people putting flower garlands in front of their door, joyous melodies played in the area, and the sweet scent of freshly baked delicacies filling the air. There’s a special ornament hanged everywhere as a symbol of the festival, a ball covered with small, mirrored facets, making beautiful lights reflected on it, also known as a mirror ball.
Other than celebrating, the people offer their gratitude to the White Dragon, the protector and guardian of their land from impurities and corrosion. The offering varies from bounty or harvest, though most of them are flower bouquets or arrangements, and they placed them on the shrine at the entrance of the Valley of Beginning.
The people did know what they’re doing despite never meeting the guardian dragon their whole life (or so they thought), for Jisoo loves flowers.
Jisoo is… the easiest way to describe him, is well, Jisoo is a dragon. A mythical being. A completely different race and existence to human.
He is a dragon, assigned to the duty of guarding the land, hence currently holding the title of guardian dragon. There’s a special title he received from the people, after the only time he presented his dragon form in public, during the official inauguration ceremony, which is the White Dragon, derived from his pure white scales. He is a direct successor from his father and mother, who has defended the land for more than a thousand of years, now gone for early retirement in the land of dragons.
Jeonghan is beyond astonished when he finds out Jisoo’s age in human years. He did expect Jisoo to be much older compared to his looks, as he isn’t human, but he didn’t expect the hundreds of years.
“Three hundred years old?”
Jisoo giggled at Jeonghan’s flabbergasted reaction. “I know it sounded ridiculous for a human, but three hundred years for a dragon is still considered young.”
“Then… your parents, how old are they?”
“Around one thousand years, I suppose. They’re also considered young. Dragons can live up to two or three thousand years old.”
There’s much for Jeonghan to learn about dragons, Guardians, and Jisoo himself. Now, he can proudly say he’s getting the hang of it
“Whoa, careful,” Jeonghan helped a stumbling kid, holding both the smaller frame and the huge grocery bag the kid is holding. The kid thanked him profusely, before continue running towards his older siblings.
Jeonghan takes in the lively, bustling town, only now realizing the early festivity, people busying themselves back and forth in preparation.
There was a certain melancholy in his chest, seeing how peaceful it is currently compared to the months before, thanks to Jisoo’s hard work. Jeonghan believes Jisoo should visit the town more to see the hard-earned peace with his own two eyes.
Jisoo only visits the towns for errands around thrice a year, excluding the two annual visits. One annual visit is for Jeonghan’s medical check-up, while the other one is for the Night of Rebirth. The dragon makes it a tradition to go incognito and wander around towns, to enjoy the festival and see the offering in person (or is it in dragon?).
Jeonghan waited for this one particular day all year long, immersing himself in the way Jisoo’s eyes lit up, intrigued by the myriad of lights, the sea of crowds, and the tasty treats. He remembers how he used to be smaller than Jisoo, holding onto his hands to not get lost. Now that they’re the same height, he can see Jisoo’s expression more closely, and sometimes it feels as if Jisoo is the one more childlike.
With the town’s enthusiasm in full throttle, Jeonghan must go all out too.
He's going to make a wonderful present for Jisoo this year.
A flap of wings could be heard and Jisoo stepped out from the porch.
“Jisoo!”
Jisoo smiled at the familiar sight of the siren, as lively and energetic as ever. “Welcome, Seungkwannie.”
Seungkwan unexpectedly stumbled on the uneven ground, almost dropping the box he had painstakingly wrapped and carried all the way here. Eyes wide and heart racing, Seungkwan glances at the box, safe in his arms, and then at the mildly surprised face of Jisoo.
He had to push down a snicker, lest Seungkwan gets sulky. “Come on in. Also watch your step.”
Guiding Seungkwan inside to sit at the couch, Jisoo poured him a cup of tea to calm his nerves. The steaming cup and the relaxing smell soothes Seungkwan’s nerves, not to mention the rich and heavenly taste. As expected of Jisoo’s special blend.
“So, what’s this thing you brought me?” Jisoo asks once Seungkwan looked sufficiently comfortable.
“Something I definitely can’t drop,” the siren says, opening the box, revealing layers of wrapping to protect the objects. As Seungkwan took them out one by one, it looks quite heavy, settling down on the table with a slight thump. From the clinking sound, Jisoo can tell it’s made of glass.
“It’s beautiful,” Jisoo marveled as he helped Seungkwan unwrap each unique glass artworks.
A glass vase of autumn woods, a glass bowl of turquoise gingko leaves, a glass plate of swirling rainbows, a glass decoration resembling butterfly wings. Jisoo holds up a glass orb with wave pattern inside it, shimmering in gold and silver, letting the stunning refraction scattered around the room.
“This is for you. An early birthday present from me,” Seungkwan announced, proud of himself for drawing out the fascinated and touched expression from Jisoo.
“Birthday present,” Jisoo breathed, unable to tear his eyes off the masterpieces.
Since when does he and his friends started celebrating birthdays like human would? Right, since Jeonghan.
“This is… amazing, Kwannie. I can’t thank you enough.”
Seungkwan frowned. “What are you talking about? You’re the one always helping us out. Giving gifts like this is the least I could do for you.”
Jisoo smiled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed by the praises. He perked up, recalling something important, and he left the room briefly. Seungkwan watches curiously when he returns with a handful of stuffs. “Speaking of gifts, I actually prepared something for you too,” he said, putting down the clear jar of potpourri and a pouch of blended tea leaves. “Both of this will help you relax and have a good sleep.”
Delighted at the gift, Seungkwan smelled the wonderful scents and broke into a grin. “Thank you! To be honest I’ve been craving your tea a lot. It really soothes my throat.”
“How is your condition?” Jisoo asks, getting to the point of Seungkwan’s visit.
The siren cleared his throat and coughed experimentally, checking his own condition. “I really don’t think there’s any problem with it anymore. To be safe, I think it’s better to check it.”
Jisoo agrees with Seungkwan’s cautious nature. “Come and sit closer to me, Seungkwan,” he says, patting the space directly next to him.
Seungkwan complies and Jisoo immediately went to work, placing his fingers on Seungkwan’s back and begun leaving fluttering touches to test the water. The tip of Jisoo’s fingers tingle, the dragon’s mana prodding into the outer layer of his skin, causing Seungkwan to shiver, not in a bad way.
Long story short, the siren got hexed a few months ago thanks to an unfortunate incident and lots of misunderstanding. The hex causes Seungkwan to have a difficulty in speaking and singing, much to the devastation of the siren.
“I swore, if that bitch try me again—“, Seungkwan started, feeling the anger rise again.
Jisoo is quick in interrupting his thoughts. “Relax,” he coaxed softly, rubbing Seungkwan’s back, massaging it with his fingers. “Focus on my voice and take a deep breath. Yes, just like that.”
With Jisoo’s reassuring presence and gentle voice, together with the tranquil air of the forest, it wasn’t hard for Seungkwan to relax and let go, pliant and willing.
“Ready?” Jisoo confirms.
“Yes.”
Unlike the drop of mana he channeled before, this time Jisoo entirely releases the dam, pouring his mana to envelop Seungkwan completely. The slight pressure and the sudden intrusion is uncomfortable at first, but Seungkwan forced himself to relax. It’s as if a thin invisible blanket is put on him and there’s a constant flow coursing through his veins. As he took a long deep breath and exhales, the unpleasant feelings completely disappeared, leaving him light and cozy, as if he’s floating on air, no friction or resistance at all.
Dragons are gifted with various of power, although Jisoo’s specialty lies in healing, barrier, and purification. It’s one of the reasons why many beings seek his help, especially when they’re wounded or in turmoil for a variety of causes. His healing power is capable of examining diseases or injuries, accelerate regeneration, and if mixed with his purification power, is able to neutralize any toxins or curses. In relation with his duty as the Guardian, he is maintaining a weak barrier along the perimeter of the land, detecting any suspicious movements that may threaten the balance of mana.
One thing to note, though, his specialty in healing doesn’t mean he isn’t good at combat. Jisoo can use offensive power if he wants to, but he prefers not doing so as he’s quite the pacifist. Only a handful of beings has ever saw Jisoo furious and on rampage, and Seungkwan doesn’t want to see it ever again in this entire lifetime.
“I’m done. You’re recovering really well. I don’t think you have to come here again,” Jisoo woke up the siren from his half-sleeping state with gentle nudges.
Seungkwan rubbed his eyes, nearly drifting to dreamland thanks to Jisoo’s relaxing ministration. He stretched his arms and torso, and when he’s about to stretch his wings, he had to be careful not to hit any of the racks stacked behind the couch. “Thank you, Soo. That feels so good, I feel like taking a nap.”
Jisoo chuckles while ruffling Seungkwan’s head affectionately. “Feel free if you want to.”
The siren had to turn the offer down as he had somewhere to go. “I’ll stay longer next time. Also, one more thing. Can you make another of your healing salve? Hansol keep getting hurt after his hunts and he’s being stubborn,” Seungkwan’s eyes furrowed, reliving the memory of Hansol coming back home drenched, muddy, and injured, and yet the man himself isn’t concerned in the slightest, as chill and unbothered as ever. “He says the usual salve is itchy. Yours is really the best.”
He could understand Seungkwan’s worry well as wolves tend to be very ambitious when it comes down to hunting. Though the siren frets and coddles after the wolf too much, Hansol being careless and unbothered about his own condition doesn’t help either. “Of course. I have a few in stock. I’ll give you the new bandage I’ve improved too, okay? It’s supposed to give a cooling sensation, so he won’t be too fussy about the wound.”
“Thank you. I’ll definitely tell Hansol to stop by to sometime,” Seungkwan nods, his gaze following Jisoo’s form as he rummaged through the cabinet. “By the way, where is Jeonghan?”
“At town.”
“Huh, and here I thought he won’t ever leave your side.”
The dragon slightly grimaced. Seungkwan is not wrong. Jeonghan as a child vehemently refuses to leave Jisoo’s side nor the forest for more than one second. The prospect of being away from Jisoo increases the chance of them separated forever, or so Jeonghan used to think.
Jisoo admitted he didn’t intend to keep Jeonghan here for this long.
Jeonghan is human and Jisoo wanted him to one day return to human society, to where he rightfully belongs. It’s not he wanted to get rid of Jeonghan. He simply wanted Jeonghan to live in a better place, surrounded by people of his own race who can relate with him better, for his own sake. Jeonghan bawled at the slightest thought of Jisoo throwing him away, so Jisoo quickly shut the idea down, cradling Jeonghan and let him cry to sleep.
The idea is never brought up again until Jeonghan is fourteen, much more stable and livelier. Jisoo had to spend an entire month thinking how to word it as gentle and as clear as possible, that Jeonghan needs to interact with humans and Jisoo isn’t throwing him away.
"Thrice a week, you'll head to town and study with a human teacher. He's a friend of mine. Then you can buy anything you want at town and come back here before sundown," Jisoo explained, and to his disbelief, Jeonghan agreed almost instantly.
It was a first step, Jisoo thought. His plan to slowly reintegrate Jeonghan to human society is progressing well, or so he thought. As of now, Jeonghan is used to going to town alone, but no matter how late it takes, he always returns home. This is easily becoming the first sign of Jisoo’s plan not going so well.
“He’s an adult now. He’s not as clingy as before,” Jisoo reassured, more for himself.
“In human age, I guess. How old is he?”
“Twenty. He just had his birthday last month,” he says in a heartbeat.
Seungkwan blinked, amused at how a three-hundred-year dragon is attentive to every passing year now because of a certain human. “Well, still barely an adult. But I must admit he has changed amazingly. He’s becoming good at taking care of you. I think your roles are getting reversed.”
Jisoo whipped his head, almost dropping the bottle of salve, eyes wide in disbelief. “… How so?”
The siren hummed, counting it with his fingers. “He started doing more chores, doing errands for you to town, as you said. Also, remember that one time you hurt your wings? Jeonghan nursed you back to health and he’s fussy, reminding you to take your meds and potions. When you’re getting engrossed in your research, he’ll tell you to sleep, brew you tea, and put out snacks for you.”
“How… how did you know all of this,” Jisoo looks scandalized.
“We talked, nothing more,” Seungkwan shrugged nonchalantly, keeping away the fact that him and Jeonghan contacted each other a lot.
Jeonghan had this fearsome dedication, completely devoting his time and attention for Jisoo, making it his life mission to know more about the dragon. He contacted a handful Jisoo’s closest friends, consisting of mythical beings, just to ask questions and listen to stories surrounding Jisoo. It is quite absurd from a normal human’s perspective. Imagine approaching a royalty or nobility to ask such trivial questions. It might be absurd for them, but not for Jeonghan. It’s as if he firmed himself in closing the three-hundred-years gap between them, sprinting with all his might.
For better or for worse, Seungkwan thinks the attachment isn’t one-sided.