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"A farewell is necessary before we can meet again, and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." - Richard Bach, b. 1936

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A large crowd filled the great hall, the excited chatter of the many individuals contributing to a rather clamorous ambiance. Hushed whispers were shared scatteredly among the present, and laughter could be heard dotted amongst every corner.

"Excuse me!" a voice yelled, which everyone quickly identified as the leader of the Circle. "I know you're all dying to get on with this, but I must ask our special seven to come and speak with me." He spoke over the remaining noise. 

The small group in the corner known to us as our protagonists came to attention, awkwardly shuffling their way towards the grand leader– followed by two other boys, of course.

Upon finishing the small trek across the hall, they stood silently, awaiting the words that were to be said to them.

"Nice to see you all. So, do any of you actually know what's happening?" the leader broke the ice, scanning the young faces surrounding him. Lucien put his hand up, only for it to be promptly yanked down by Siwa. Utter silence stayed among the boys.

"Thought so. I assume you've been briefed on... the accident?" the man spoke, almost wincing at the words. "I don't think they've been told, sir." Siwa replied, glancing between the Chosen Seven and the leader. "What have you been doing this whole time?" the elder jabbed, more amused than exasperated. "We've been busy fightin' crime and gettin' stabbed" Baumé spoke nonchalantly, directly looking at the leader, who smirked at the remark.

"Anyways. Long story short, a while ago eight people were on a plane. Seven were our Chosen, your predecessors, the other a close friend of the Seven. Their plane, unfortunately, crashed due to unknown reasons, and all of the Seven passed away, bless their souls." the leader told, a grim expression evident.

"The only survivor, Alexei Seol, as you may have heard of him, was riddled with trauma due to the event, and has been undergoing extensive therapy back home to return him to wellbeing. However, what we didn't expect is that it'd work so well. One thing led to another, and next thing we know he's been released." the elder finished, his sullen demeanor transformed into one of cheer, and possibly hope.

"Alexei's back?" Lucien asked, giddy at the prospect. Siwa sighed as his friend hopped up and down like an excited child.

"That's right. But, even better, he's going to be helping our new Seven to harness their powers and train." the leader stated. 

"Excuse me, but... he was with the other Seven when they died. Are you sure seeing us is a good idea?" Jihyun spoke up, worried at the prospect. In reply came a nod and an "Of course it's fine," which wasn't very convincing. 

"Any questions?" the elder asked, wanting to cover any missed territory. Danjong's hand shot up in the air. "How did Alexei survive the plane crash?" he inquired, Baumé smirking at the Danjong's bluntness. "Actually we don't know, you'll have to ask." was the response. 

"Can someone kick Minwoo? He turned into a chicken and he's kinda scaring me..." Koushi spoke up, voice wary as he eyed the feathery friend at his feet. 

"Um, Koushi, that's not me." Minwoo spoke, all eyes turning to him as he stood next to Baumé. 

"Then who..." Koushi trailed off, looking among the faces of all of the others. Upon realizing that all were present, his face went pale with dread. "S-someone move it" he started. Lucien rushed over to shoo the chicken away, and Koushi breathed a sigh of relief. "You afraid of chickens or som–" Baumé was cut off by the chicken releasing a shrill squawk directly at him as it walked away, silencing the boy. 

"Don't mind it, we have a Chicken Whisperer here. She lets 'em loose sometimes." the leader laughed. A few snickers and murmurs arose at the prospect of having a Chicken Whisperer, but quickly died down.

"I like fried chicken." Haru stated, smiling, causing Danjong to bust into giggles. "Yeah but have you ever BEEN the fried chicken?" Kyungjin spoke, the only person to reply being Baumé with an "Are you high?"

A sudden silence fell over the room as one of the large doors slowly opened. In stepped a young man in his early twenties, draped in a society robe much too large for him, and wearing a shy smile. All eyes trained on him, not a sound was made.

"Hi guys." he said quietly.

Then the shrieks of joy erupted. A stampede-like wave of people stormed towards the poor boy, clamor arising from the mob. It seemed to be almost enough people to drown the kid. 

Alexei laughed awkwardly, quietly acknowledging his welcomers and conversing with whoever was to approach him. When the crowd started to thin, he managed to slip his way out of the center of attention and locate the leader where he was standing with the Seven.

Dodging people in the crowd, he managed to reach the group, and stood next to the leader. "So, everyone. This is Alexei. Alexei, this is... our Seven." the elder's voice quieted as he spoke, looking for any change in Alexei's expression. The small smile he wore didn't waver.

"Um. Hey. Nice to meet you all." he gave a small wave, glancing among the boys. His gaze landed on Siwa and Lucien, his expression turning to surprise. "Taetae, Ducky, you guys are leading them?" he spoke. An abrupt coughing noise came from Minwoo. "WHAT did you just call them?" he asked, holding back laughter.

"Ahahahaha, that's Siwa and Lucien to you, champ." Siwa fake-smiled, nudging Alexei in the side with a hint of annoyance. "Ow." Alexei joked, holding his side where he'd been so brutally nudged. 

"Leader said you're going to help us train. So, when's that gonna start?" Haru questioned, gaze on Alexei. "Ah, I... don't know?" the boy answered quietly. "At 4:20" Kyungjin stated, gaining a laugh from Lucien. 

"Since we were told to ask you... how DID you survive the plane crash?" Koushi asked warily, as if not sure he should be speaking. Alexei stared ahead silently, his expression empty, as if remembering something he wanted to forget.

"Well..." he took a moment to exhale. "I was saved. By Kattiya, our Discord" he explained, vacantly eyeing the floor. "How'd he save you?" Haru inquired, all eager for more details. Alexei closed his eyes, seemingly preparing to narrate the moment.

"As a Discord user, the most mysterious of powers, he had an interesting array of abilities. This one, however, I didn't know about," Alexei began. 

"He would've lived. I was on the brink of death, barely able to breathe. Kattiya had quite a few broken bones, but nothing serious. I knew he would be fine. I vividly remember during the fall to the ground, I thought, 'If anyone lives, it should be Kattiya.' I had accepted my demise. Later, in the wreckage, as I neared death, that boy just had to find me. And that idiot..." Alexei laughed sadly. 

"He told me he loved me. Then he took all of my wounds away... and put them upon himself. Knowing no man could survive my pain, he bore it instead, and paid with his life. I stayed with him until he passed. I hated myself, knowing there was nothing I could do to save him, knowing that I should have died. But I was the lone survivor." Alexei finished, still a calm smile on his face. Yet the smile was merely a mask, and obviously so.

"Uh– Lu... Lucien, what–" Siwa said, startled, looking down at Lucien, who had buried his face in Siwa's shirt. "I'm not crying fuck off" Lucien whined, every attempt to hide his face failing.

The boys stood speechless, most imagining the scene for themselves. "I'm so sorry." one, likely Danjong, said. "No, no. It's okay. I'm okay." Alexei reassured softly, although all knew he wasn't really okay.

In the midst of the moment, none had noticed that the leader had slipped away to speak to an acquaintance, leaving just the boys alone.

"So, onto a different topic. Alexei, what are your powers?" Jihyun asked. "Mine? Nothing as cool as Siwa or Lucien's powers." he replied bashfully. "They haven't even told us theirs yet." Kyungjin complained, pointing at the two leaders. 

"Don't mind them, they're just playing. My power is called Graphia, and obviously it has to do with writing. I can mimic any handwriting or forge any signature perfectly, and decipher illegible writing." he sheepishly smiled, listing his abilities. "Think of the crimes you could commit." Baumé commented, obviously having great priorities. A few of the others provided compliments or suggestions, and soon enough mild chatter started up.

Eventually the crowd in the large hall started to wear down, leaving only a few stragglers here and there. 

The leader, after confirming plans to have Alexei help the Seven, led the boys back to their rooms and castle area, after showing them where Alexei would be staying. It had become surprisingly late, and many of the group had decided to retire for the night (although a couple, namely Lucien and Baumé, stayed up to chat with Alexei).

Thus ended a day on which an ally has been regained.

(A/N: Wow this chapter was kinda bad sorry whoops,, but can we just appreciate that gif like omg? Alright okay bye bye)