"Who are we visiting next?" Hoseok asked, looking to Changkyun, and Hyunwoo followed his gaze.

"Lee Minhyuk," Changkyun answered back, still staring out the window.

"Lee Minhyuk?" Hoseok echoed in confusion. "He's not a very powerful witch, though."

"Which is why I waited to visit him until I had you two and Jooheon with me for sure," Changkyun replied.

"But why him?" Hoseok asked.

"Because he wants to make use of Minhyuk's unique power," Hyunwoo said, watching Changkyun's body language to see if he'd confirm his guess, but Changkyun gave away nothing.

"Which is?" Hoseok asked. Since he traveled between remote villages, he was largely out of touch with the witch community. There wasn't an overwhelming number of witches, necessarily, but there were still far too many for him to keep track of.

"It's easier seen than explained," Changkyun answered after a moment, giving a final look towards the mountains before turning to the group. "Let's go." He hesitated before putting a hand on Taehyung's shoulder, and then they were teleporting again.

They ended up in whatever appeared to Taehyung to be a fairly normal apartment. Out the window, he could see city streets. Seoul, maybe, or another busy metropolis. The only reason he was able to enjoy the view at all was because his body had seemed to adjust to all the teleporting.

"Minhyuk's still trying to live as a human, is he," Jooheon commented quietly, looking around the room with indifferent eyes.

"It would seem so," Hyunwoo answered just as the door opened.

"Who's in my-" The voice cut off as a man entered the now-cramped bedroom. Fear flitted across his face once he took in the four faces he knew, but Changkyun stepped forward before he could flee.

"We're here because we need your help," Changkyun said before correcting, "I need your help."

Minhyuk bit his lower lip uncertainly, eyes jumping from face to face before hesitating on Taehyung's. Then his eyes jumped back to Changkyun. "Why? With what?" He sank a little in his posture. "I'm trying to live a normal life here and-"

"I'm sorry," Changykun cut off. "I really am. I wouldn't have come if it weren't important."

"Shin Hoseok, the healer," Minhyuk recited softly. "Son Hyunwoo, the manipulator. Lee Jooheon, the protector. And you. Im Changkyun." His face grew paler, if that was possible. "What are four of the most powerful witches doing in my apartment?"

"I thought you said you were weak," Taehyung whispered to Jooheon, who just winked.

"Relatively speaking, compared to Changkyun."

"It seems that Seungcheol and I can no longer coexist peacefully," Changkyun said to Minhyuk, his eyes darkening at the name before the black wave receded and his eyes returned to normal. "So I have created a coven of my own."

"And?" Minhyuk asked, his voice shaking.

"And I want you in it," Changkyun said.

Minhyuk shook his head, slowly at first but then more aggressively. "I told you, I'm trying to live a normal-"

"So was I," Changkyun interrupted, a slight growl in his voice. "I thought that if I stayed to myself, if I didn't interact with others, that I would be left alone. For the past hundred years, I have tried to forsake my origins and focus on other things instead. But Seungcheol has destroyed my normal. He can destroy yours, too."

"He wouldn't," Minhyuk denied weakly, leaning back on the wall. "I'm nobody. Why would he bother with me?"

"Because he will have heard that I paid you a visit," Changkyun answered unapologetically. "And if you do not join my coven, you will have no protection against him. The normal that you have created for yourself will turn to ash only to be ripped away by the wind."

Minhyuk stared at Changkyun in horror. "By coming here, you've already ruined it. But you knew that, didn't you?"

"I knew that you were a coward," Changkyun answered, his face cold. "I knew that there was no chance that you would join me unless you had no other option." He paused, and his cold exterior melted a bit as his vulnerability showed. "My humanity, my empathy, my compassion - all of that has been stolen along with that which Sungcheol has taken from me. I will resort to crueler methods yet to fulfill my mission. Once I have succeeded, you can hate me. You can curse my name then, but please, for now, join me."

Minhyuk gaze over at Changkyun with pain obscuring his eyes. "You would ruin my life simply so that you could fix yours? Your selfishness knows no bounds, does it not?"

"It does not," Changkyun said, looking down.

Minhyuk laughed sharply. "Even you would not want to help yourself."

"What is it you want?" Changkyun asked, looking up. "Do you want me to beg?" Eyes locked on Minhyuk's alone, Changkyun slowly got down on his knees before bowing his head, his palms flat on the ground. "Please. Lend me your strength."

Minhyuk recoiled, clearly uncomfortable with the sight, but Changkyun was not finished.

"All that I have ever loved has been taken from me. I cannot go forward alone. I would not ask this of you if there were anyone else who could do what you can. Please, Lee Minhyuk. Help me now, and I will forever be in your debt."

"Get up," Minhyuk said, swallowing and looking away. "Please, stand."

Changkyun rose to his feet, ignoring the shocked faces of his companions. "Will you help me?"

"I don't have much choice," Minhyuk said before looking over at Changkyun. "You are not a witch meant for kneeling. Just what is it that you beg for? What could Sungcheol have possibly taken from you that would lower you to this point?"

Changkyun ignored the question. "Will you join my coven?"

"I said I would," Minhyuk said. "Now tell me what he has taken."

"My soul," Changkyun said softly. "Someone who is my everything, who I would protect with my life, for whom I would become a monster, if only I could get him back."

Minhyuk's eyes widened slightly, his eyes flitting to the others before looking back at Changkyun. "You don't associate with other witches. A human?"

"A cursed one," Jooheon said, stepping forward but remaining behind Changkyun, respecting his leadership.

Minhyuk looked over to Changkyun with curious but reluctant eyes. "But I thought...don't most witches hate humans? Or at the very least, disregard them?"

"You chose to live alongside them," Changkyun answered in a low voice. "Why can't I choose the same?"

"Because you're...your power is..."

"Hyungwon chose to accept me, despite what I am." Changkyun fell into silence. There were some witches who didn't accept his existence. They said he was an abomination. An unholy mistake. That he'd wrongly been granted a power that no one should possess.

And yet. The small boy with dark eyes and the quietest voice he'd ever heard had accepted him. Had trusted him, maybe because there had been no one else for him to trust, maybe because Changkyun had been the first in a long time to show him basic kindness.

Maybe simply because Changkyun had known what he was.

"You should have started with that," Minhyuk said, crossing his arms as the tension left the air. "I quite like humans, you know. That's what happens when you actually take the time and get to know them."

"So you'll help us?" Jooheon asked, unimpressed. He didn't have anything against humans. He was okay with them, certain ones more than others. But he didn't have to act all high and mighty about it, unlike Minhyuk.

"Yes," Minhyuk said, his voice firm. "Humans are not the enemy. Nor are they objects for witches to use, toys for them to play with and break as they please."

Changkyun winced at the thought of Hyungwon as a toy, being thrown away after he'd ceased to entertain. "Kneel," he commanded, gesturing for Minhyuk to get on with the ceremony. As with before, Changkyun traced the character on his hand with Minhyuk's blood before drawing the symbol on Minhyuk's forehead with his own. As with before, his hand remained normal, absent of magic.

"So, just how cursed is this human?" Minhyuk asked as he got up, appearing to not care about the significance of the ceremony. "If I'm going to have to do what I think you're going to ask me to do, I want to know what to expect up front."

"He's-" Taehyung went to answer, swallowing as all the witches turned to look at him but continuing with an encouraging smile from Minhyuk. "He's only a human on Amavasya. Otherwise, he's a cat. Sungcheol cursed him a long time ago."

"He's a kitty-cat?" Minhyuk asked in awe, looking over at Changkyun. "I've always wanted a cat! I was actually thinking about getting one because my apartment has always been a little too quiet but-"

"He's not a pet," Changkyun said, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"He basically is," Taehyung contradicted, earning a glare (which he ignored, although goosebumps slowly manifested on his arms anyway). "Um, M-Minhyuk-"

"Uh huh?" Minhyuk responded, grinning. "You're a human, right? What's your name?"

"I'm- uh, I'm Taehyung," he answered before taking a deep breath. "What exactly...what is your power?"

Minhyuk's eyes brightened as he gave a smile that seemed to brighten the entire room. "I call it Mirror. And if I'm reading Changkyun's intentions correctly, then you should be getting a firsthand demonstration."