Everything is ready, N thought, now all we need is for Mihyun to cast the spell. He remembered what the witch had said, about the originals had to decide if they wanted to return or not. A part of him was scared Bora wouldn’t want to come back, that she’d found happiness on the other side.

“When I cast the spell,” Mihyun instructed, “a portal will be opened to the other side. It will only be open for a short time, maybe half an hour at most. When the portal opens, I want three of you to pass through it. Once on the other side, you’ll have to be quick and find my children, talk them into coming back, and return. If the portal closes and you haven’t passed through, then you’ll be stuck on the other side. Knowing the risk, who wants to go?”

“I’ll go,” Nara volunteered.

“Me too,” Hongbin nodded. Luhan and N locked eyes and the younger nodded, signaling that N could go.

“And me,” N voiced.

Mihyun told the three where to stand before she started to chant. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, N watched as a portal of swirling blue and green light opened up before him.

“Take care of them,” N told Leo before stepping through. Take care of everyone if I don’t make it back.

--

N blinked in confusion, looking around. It felt like he’d stepped though the portal into another world. Everything reminded him of his dream, the one where Mihyun had told him to find her spell book. It was like being home, yet everything was older by about two thousand years.

N was about to turn to Hongbin and Nara, to give them orders about how they would find the originals, when Nara cried out in joy.

“Jiwook!” she shouted, rushing towards the vampire who was just stepping out of a hut.

“Nara?” he blinked, both happy and confused to see her there, “what are you doing here?” Nara didn’t answer, throwing her arms around his and beginning to cry in joy

“Your mother sent us,” N explained, knowing Nara was in no shape to talk at that moment, “we’re here to bring you back.”

“Our mother?” Suji asked, stepping out front the hut herself, “why would she want to bring us back?”

“It would seem that your mother has changed her views,” said a man N didn’t know, stepping out of the hut as well, followed by two young men.

“Who are you?” N asked. Something about the men reminded him of Bora, Suji, and Jiwook, making him wonder if they were related.

“Cha Hakyeon,” the man smiled, “it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Song Joowon and these are my oldest sons, Jihoon and Jihu. I’m Bora, Suji, and Jiwook’s father.”

“Sir,” N bowed, “it’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“Bora’s by the lake,” Jihoon pointed N in the right direction, “we’ll make sure Jiwookkie and Suji get back through the portal, along with Nara and Hongbin.”

“Thank you,” N bowed once more before taking off running in the direction he’d been told Bora was in.

“Come on,” Joowon smiled at his children and those who loved them, “let’s get you four back through that portal.”

“But,” Suji looked very unhappy with the thought of leaving her father and oldest brothers.

“No buts,” Joowon hugged her, “we’ll meet again one day, but for now I want you, Jiwook, and Bora to be happy.”

“Alright, father,” Jiwook nodded, just as sad as his sister. Waving one last goodbye to their dead family, the two originals passed through the portal, closely followed by Nara and Hongbin who bid farewell to their love’s family as well.

“Bora!” N yelled the moment he say her laying in the grass with Shin.

“N?” she blinked in confusion, getting up along with her brother.

“I think I’m just going to go,” Shin laughed, “let you two love birds work things out.” As he passed N, Shin called back that he was going to stay with their father and older brothers and that Bora should follow her heart. “Oh, and N? If you ever hurt my big sister, I’ll come back from the dead and rip out your heart.” N didn’t doubt that for a second.

“I’ve missed you so much,” N smiled, rushing over and hugging her tightly, “you have no idea how much I missed you.”

“N,” she whispered, still unable to believe he was there with her, “what are you doing here?”

“I’m bringing you home,” he explained, “please come home with me.”

“But,” Bora tried to find the right words, words that would explain to him why she’d sealed herself away. Did she even want to go back?

“Jiwook and Suji are already back home,” he smiled, “now I just need you there and everything will be perfect.”

“It wouldn’t be perfect,” she frowned, “nothing’s perfect.”

“You can’t stay here,” N frowned, “come back home. Please. I need you.”

“Why do you love me so much?” Bora asked, “I manipulate everything and everyone. I’m exactly what humans think our kid is like. A monster.”

“You aren’t a monster,” he hissed, “stop saying things like that, stop believing things like that. Whoever told you that was a fool and I hate how you’ve held onto it for so long.”

“I met him here,” she said, pulling away and looking out across the lake, “and we talked.”

“What?” N breathed, dreading what kind of conversation they had.

“Shiwoo told me how much he loved me,” she sighed, “that time here had made him realize he didn’t want me just for my witch bloodline.”

“What did you do?” N asked, walking to stand beside her. For ten thousand years this had been his position, the position of the right hand man and most trusted person. After so long apart, it felt good to be back at her side.

“I killed him,” she smirked, “assuming you can actually kill someone who’s already dead.” N tried not to smile upon hearing that.

“Does that mean you’ve faced your past?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she nodded, turning slightly to face N, “I no longer care about the past enough to let it hold me back.”

“Then come with me,” he said, turning to face her, “come home with me and we can look to the future together.”

“I’ve hurt so many people, Hakyeon,” Bora frowned, returning her gaze to the lake, “I’ve left so many people hurt because of my actions. If I go back home, I’ll have to face that. And I don’t think I’m strong enough to do that. I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to stop manipulating people, to break that habit.”

“You aren’t going to do it alone,” N smiled, “I’ll be by your side. I’ll be your source of strength.” She turned, looking him dead in the eye before she smiled.

“Alright,” she nodded, “I’ll go back with you.” the pair started walking back to the portal, only for N to start panicking about taking too long and run the rest of the way.

A/N: one more chapter to go