‘Hi!’

Yoongi doesn’t heed his greeting. He simply takes another turn to walk through the massive storage units built especially for the nesting Beings inside their specialized tubes. These tubes are different from the ones at base. The fluid they float in is strangely opaque and white, yet with a transparency and fluidity that likens it to mist rather than something liquid.

‘Wait up!’

Yoongi doesn’t wait and quick light footsteps approach him and he hears a rush of noisy breathing and it’s like he can hear this Being smile without having to see it.

‘I wanted to ask a question!’ he declares, putting himself in front of Yoongi.

In the past 3 months, Yoongi has not spoken to anyone inside the Dock. Only sending messages to Amme, replying to K’mara’s inquiries on his health and wellbeing, and sending instructions regarding the processes surrounding the extraction of the Beings inside the Akramanese ship.

‘So I heard that this is the last bunch of them!’ he exclaims. ‘All of my babies are headed off now! I was wondering if I could catch a ride back with them? I want to see them get there safe and sound!’

‘Who is your commanding officer?’ Yoongi asks, his voice lower than usual from continuous disuse.

‘Oh-‘ the Being frowns. ‘I don’t have one? I mean, I’m kinda free-lancing this.’

‘…I don’t understand.’

‘I mean they know I’m here! I am assisting the Yishengs you see!’ he explains looking proud of himself.

‘I will contact Yisheng Amme and reserve a seat for you in the final shuttle.’ Yoongi replies, hoping that answer would suffice as he extracts his screen to look up this stranger’s records.

‘I’m so grateful! I’m Taeh’yung by the way,’ he introduces himself with a bright smile before looking around the large capsule. ‘You’re like one of them aren’t you?’

Yoongi goes back to staring into the strangely opaque white liquid and replies, ‘I don’t know. I have no memory of it. There are no records.’

Taeh’yung is unperturbed by his reply and continues addressing him as though this was an entirely normal conversation to have. Instead he extends his hand towards Yoongi, palm up. Yoongi notes the faint rings of copper etched into his palm. He can’t be sure if they’re natural or painted on. In the very center of his palm is an incomplete triangle, glowing a little almost. Yoongi doesn’t know what possesses him but his entire body just acts out of accordance and he places his gloved hand over Taeh’yung’s.

Taeh’yung takes off his glove and places his tanned hands over Yoongi’s incredibly pale and scarred ones.

‘You have Memory,’ Taeh’yung says simply. ‘You are Memory. You are in my memory.’ He glances over at the capsules, lightly brushing his hand over the surface.

‘They are all Memory.’

This was unlike any pain he’s experienced.

It went beyond anything physical. Beyond anything he could describe of this universe, of this reality.

But it’s not exactly a new one.

He was familiar with it. Since the moment he removed his helmet with the Android chip in it. Since the moment he felt the rain on his skin.

Living is so much more than a heartbeat.

He had thought, for so long, that living meant being familiar with this pain. And maybe it was. Maybe existence as a whole was always enthralled with pain regardless of who you were and where you came from and which lifetime you were now living.

And ever since then, he’s been living.

And it was now reaching the height of its crescendo- the final pitch before the fall, the frail lingering note before it fades away into silence.

As Yoongi watches the sky tear apart through the opening of the doorway in the transporter, glitching as it reveals the chaos beyond Megibīya’s atmosphere, he wonders if maybe he wasn’t even quite a fading note. An echo of what once was- a shadow of a thought: a memory living and existing beyond its time and space.

‘How’s Yoongi’s condition?’

‘Stabilized for now. Uh-,’ Hoseok is responding to Namjoon and though Yoongi hears them speak, he’s not quite able to properly take in their conversation, ‘We might need to knock him out.’

He’s half aware that he’s struggling- a part of him struggling, desperate, and so so tired. But maybe it’s not a part of him- maybe he was, one and whole of it- because he’s desperate too.

He’s tired too.

There’s a horrible sound- a cry of pain, of anger, of hatred. It yanks deep within him- tugs him hard at the hollow in his chest, the cavity there twinging with pain that wasn’t his.

The pain intensifies and he feels himself fall over- a few others in the Transporter fall over too. Nineti who was close by drops to his knees as well.

‘What the -?!’ Hoseok appears at the doorway, eyes wide in confusion and fear. ‘Namjoon what’s going on? Something’s going on- can you hear it?’

‘It’s Tsirin,’ Sk’jin tells them.

‘,’ Hoseok mutters under his breath, glancing back around as he adds, ‘I can see them in the distance. Everyone let’s get ready to go-!’

Strangely, beyond his pain, Yoongi feels a warmth expanding from above him. Before he can fully sink into the feeling, a silver light erupts and Yoongi knows this light- he knows this-!

‘Okay what the was that-?’ Hoseok asks no one in particular, gesturing even more for everyone to get into the Transporters.

Suddenly, loud sounds flare up in warning and through the opening of the doorway, Yoongi spots whizzing missiles and projectiles tearing through the air.

‘EVERYONE UP AND OUT NOW!’ Hoseok roars as he leaps into the transporter himself, ‘Rendezvous with Namjoon!’

The pain suddenly and instantly vanishes, and Yoongi is helplessly light. He gasps- loudly- making Hoseok turn around to stare at him.

‘Something’s happening-!’ he manages to choke out to the Ngfy’widan before a horrible sharp sound blares through all of their Comm Devices.

‘Change of plans-!’ Sk’jin yells.

‘-! Namjoon, get going now, we’re taking off too! We will follow right behind you!’ Hoseok replies back before starting up the Transporter. The channels abruptly cut off once more and there’s a bright light from somewhere- followed by an overwhelming explosion that deafens Yoongi for a moment, staring hopelessly at the back of Hoseok’s head. ‘ing- Comms are down again.’

He feels the transporter lifting off, there’s another bright light, highlighting the interior of the cockpit. He turns his head over- he’s not sure on purpose or by the motion of the transporter as a whole, and he comes face to face with Nineti. He can’t hear him, but Yoongi knows what he’s saying.

‘We are found.’

‘Ho-Hoseok-,’ Yoongi tries to call for the Ngfy’widan, he knows that light, that warmth. But how-

In his strange state of lightness, Yoongi manages to sit up. He’s immediately supported up by one of the GI behind him.

‘Hobi-.’

Hoseok turns around briefly as he speeds above the forests around Udāvana, gaining momentum and height with every fraction of a second.

‘There’s-,’ he swallows. His words are heavy, thick and slow on his tongue though his body is afloat. ‘Something has come. Someone-.’

‘Yeah,’ Hoseok nods inexplicably, ‘It’s Amme.’

Yoongi is not expecting this answer but he’s not exactly surprised either. They turn sharply in the air- Nineti flails for a moment before he’s steadied. Hoseok glances back at him.

‘Are you all right?’ he asks, ‘What’s going on?’

‘We’re losing time,’ Dehin softly croaks from the back. But Hoseok doesn’t hear him and Yoongi doesn’t relay the message. Now was not the time.

‘I’m feeling better.’ He manages to get out, ‘How is she here?’

‘I called her here- I told her,’ Hoseok pauses just a little, almost hesitant. ‘I told her to find and bring the Omhlophe here.’

What?

‘I always thought something felt odd- well, off, about the Omhlophe,’ Hoseok is telling him as he tries his best to navigate through the strange sky Yoongi can barely comprehend. ‘Not just the way they were it’s just-…some weird gut instinct, when I was captured by them, and then later on, their behavior in Grisial.’

‘We won’t be found,’ one of the Omhlophe tells him, voice uncannily conversational as it had been when they had contacted them to discuss Hoseok when they had abducted him. ‘We will not be found.’ 

‘I couldn’t understand it. So I asked Amme to look into it when she found us in Grisial.’ Hoseok tells him.

‘You didn’t tell us.’

Hoseok glances back for a moment again before looking ahead.

‘Because I didn’t know how to explain my thoughts in this,’ Hoseok explains, ‘I just thought- I just thought, that in some way, beyond what Amme told us, the Omhlophe were too much like the GI, too much like you. I wanted to understand their actions. I didn’t understand.’

But there was a difference between them. A clear one. And that’s what Hoseok saw but couldn’t understand. That’s what drove him to ask Amme to investigate the matter.

‘I think you know now.’

Hoseok doesn’t reply.

‘Why is the sky falling apart?’ Dehin asks behind him. Yoongi focuses his eyes past Hoseok and leans down a little to stare at the strange sky. Yoongi is reminded of jigsaw puzzles. Several jigsaw puzzles, all combined, showing different images, different pictures, forcefully mashed up together creating a chaotic final piece.

And through the darkest jigsaw pieces, Yoongi spots an all too familiar ship approaching – no, falling through. The puzzle pieces change and the rosy serene sky with symmetrically scattered pointy stars flicker all over the sky instead.

‘They’re here-,’ Hoseok says, turning his head about as he pulls down a surveillance screen, ‘Are we being followed?’

‘Yes Head Pilot.’

‘All right then, we keep heading upwards- we’re almost at the point of breach- if we can make it past then-‘

The communication lines ring sharply for a second before abruptly fading out again before it flares back on, causing everyone to flinch at the high pitch shrilly sound.

‘Comms are back online!’ Hoseok exclaims, ‘I think we’ve managed to bring down enough of the-‘

Something huge appears and plummets at incredible speed ahead of them, crashing straight down into the mountain side.

‘Head Pilot-‘

‘Hoseok-!’

The puzzle pieces contract and reappear in a myriad of images and a horrifying picture of a massive white ship preceded by what appeared to be a massive meteor shower makes up the majority of the sky.

‘- Namjoon is right under the fall radius!’ Hoseok curses as he jerks the ship, turning at horrifying speeds. ‘Namjoon! Can you hear me? Namjoon!’

The meteor shower of broken ships and transporters behind them, Yoongi once again looks upon the black and pulsing void but something is different. A strange light seems to shine all around it- almost as though the void was eclipsing a powerful source of light.

‘Spaces you’re right-?’ Namjoon’s voice crackles over, mid-talk.

For a moment, they’re high enough to see the curvature of the planet. The light of Yino stretches, stretches of light unchanged, unmoved, for decades and centuries and many millennia over the terrain of Megibīya in a steady flow. Long shadows formed from mountains and valleys and canyons unchanging since their creation cast a permanent design that will reflect far beyond this time and space into a future beyond comprehension.

And Yoongi watches as that future is rippled, watches the change of an endless present to that of a past that once was. The mountains below crumble as craters are suddenly formed in their place. The land of day beyond the crescent seems to rise in waves of light as dark shapes rain down all over it. It’s almost beautiful- high arches and waves forming soundlessly, crashing into each other- a light so bright it’s overwhelming to even look upon.

The light of Yino spreads and reaches over this strange new land, a new pattern, a new design that will be looked upon by the future, watching their present unfold in the future.

Yoongi wonders how long this light will shine upon him.

‘We won’t make it,’ Hoseok curses as the plummet back down. ‘-‘

One of the GI quietly hands him 2 pairs of cuffs before calmly approaching Hoseok and handing the Head Pilot 2 pairs as well.

Webbings.

‘Please ready yourself for an emergency,’ they tell him.

Hoseok stares at the cuffs with confusion for a moment before the GI puts it on him.

‘Wait-! I’m flying this ship-?’ Hoseok jumps a little, not having noticed another GI approaching him from the back, easily balancing and engaging the steering. Yoongi looks down at his hands for a moment, mind blank as he automatically moves to apply the cuffs midway through his forearms and then just below his knees.

‘We will need to get ready to jump.’

Yoongi unstraps himself from his stretcher as Hoseok makes protesting sounds but it’s quickly muted when a helmet is pulled over his head.

‘What the -?’

Even more large objects whizz past them and a few of the GI are already readying to jump.

‘Yoongi-?!’ Hoseok gasps out, visor folding up to reveal a very confused face.

‘Probability of survival in this ship is lower than if we jump,’ Yoongi explains to him.

Hoseok splutters but then something falls and chips at the smallest edge of their wing, causing alarms to blare all around them.

‘Follow Unit 95 Captain,’ one of the GI tells him as Dehin is attached to said Unit 95 Captain before they jump off, causing Hoseok to actually squeak out in shock.

‘Right now?!’ Hoseok splutters as he’s pushed out of the cockpit. Yoongi stands, following after Nineti who seemed more or less in the same condition as himself.

‘More will fall.’

It’s probably very ominous sounding to Hoseok who doesn’t have any response to that. Yoongi reaches behind him as he accepts the helmet being pushed over his head without flinching. The visor closes and Yoongi pulls Hoseok’s visor down again before reaching for his hand.

Nineti has already jumped out, making Hoseok flinch again.

‘Should probably confess that I’m actually scared of heights and jumping off of high places.’

‘You can do it,’ the GI behind him intones flatly.

Yoongi pulls him out of the open doorway mid hysterical laugh.

Hoseok’s scream echoes all around his helmet.

A part of him is panicking- alongside Hoseok whose grip on his hand is painful. But he needed to get this done. They needed to get through this.

It’s okay, he tells himself.

I know.

Falling, Yoongi strangely feels at peace. He doesn’t even feel as though gravity was dragging him down with the rest of the ships and transporters, whizzing past him as they hurtle down to Megibīya. Falling like this, Yoongi feels as though he’s where he’s meant to be- where he was always meant to be. Or maybe rather, this felt exactly like it was supposed to. Neither here nor there- simply in between two points, in the unknown middle of it all.

It’s also oddly quiet and pleasant in a sense.

Their transporter behind them explodes into smithereens, and Yoongi tugs at Hoseok’s hand and they fall head first, careening hard to the right. Hoseok is cursing colourfully in his ear but he’s overcoming his shock, his movements contained and no longer flailing.

Someone dives past them, arms extended forward. Further down, the Unit Captain activates the Webbings.

You should warn him.

Yoongi quickly drags Hoseok under him, tapping his cuff and rotating the outer seamless ring sharply to activate in quick succession.

‘You could have warned me!’

‘Sorry.’

Yoongi feels them slow down significantly as thin but impossibly strong webbing extends to connect and attach through the cuffs over Hoseok’s clothing. The more friction caused by their fall, the stronger and tighter the webbing became.

‘I’m letting go.’

‘What?! Yoongi no-!’ Hoseok shrieks as Yoongi rolls off, shoving him to the side to realign him with the trajectory laid out by the Unit Captain. The GI in front of them slows his fall, allowing Hoseok to go straight before tailing right behind him.

He falls faster than Hoseok and quickly steadies himself. Something significantly large crashes past him and his helmet visor alerts him of things approaching him very quickly.

Yoongi flips over to his back, turning to look at the sky he was falling through. The sky is torn, the puzzle piece now spreading to form one image- chaos, destruction. The Omhlophe ship is crashing down far beneath them to one side of the crescent. The breach it made, tearing through the frozen stars all lined up like a net and the strange disc-shaped ships, spreads far and wide. The GI still up in the air are taking advantage of this, bringing more of the network that stitched together a false tapestry that surrounded the whole planet. Massive structures with orbiting rings gleam down like strange moons- 3 are in complete disarray, their destruction still ongoing in the vacuum of space. Those parts would soon fall down upon them too.

But at this moment, speeding down straight towards him are the remains of a large ship.

He tucks his legs to his chest, rolling through the air, narrowly slipping in between the two crashing turbines that hurtle past him. Something cuts through his suit, simultaneously hot and cold. He notes Hoseok above him, he was dodging the falling shrapnel expertly despite the colourful and breathless cursing streaming through his Comm. The GI behind him is doing the same though without the cursing and with added Heliords.

Scanning around him, Yoongi enables his own webbing as he turns back in the air, facing the planet he was plummeting down into. His descend slows down significantly and he adjusts his trajectory to curve back to the line up to his side.

The eclipsed void pulses horrifically, causing his to convulse slightly, throwing him off track as he flails a little.

‘Yoongi-?! Yoongi what’s wrong?’

Once whatever strange pain ebbs away enough for Yoongi to regain his balance and focus, he knows Jimin is somehow here. He doesn’t understand what that meant, or how Jimin was elsewhere; but somehow he just knew.

He holds his hand out and gives Hoseok a thumb’s up.

‘Are you serious?!’ Hoseok yells.

Across all of Megibīya, Yoongi watches as more mountain-like ships rise, breaking through the planet- appearing slow due to the vastness of their size.

The visor quietly signals for him to prepare for landing.

‘HOW DO I LAND?’ Hoseok pants out.

‘Bring your feet together and tilt back,’ he replies, alongside 4 other voices.

Hoseok curses again.

But it’s not a simple fall without incident. By steering away from the main radius of fallout caused by the Omhlophe ship, they were clearly beyond the main crescent- descending into a land of twilight and dusk, a land quiet in the shadow of the mountains that blocked the light of Yino. They would need to curve the angle of their flight- and further down below, Yoongi spots the Unit Captain maneuvering himself, turning as they change paths.

‘Follow the Unit Captain.’ Yoongi tells Hoseok.

‘Oh ing Spaces.’

The moment they reach the highest summit, the light of Yino cutting off abruptly, Yoongi notices two things:

The structure of the mountains that shielded the crescent from potential frigid winds and storms reminded him of volcanic waves- except larger than any he’s seen in his existence. It builds up high, fragmenting and parting in its steep descent towards the crescent. However, the side facing this eternal twilight was like a massive immeasurable wall that sank deep into trenches and canyons unfathomable. And attached onto the walls, like tiny insects scurrying over their hive, are more Transporters than Yoongi has ever seen before.

‘Yoongi do you see this-?’

Second, beyond them, further below, further behind, sunken strangely over the harsh and cold mountainous range, was a structure and shape that reminded him uncannily of a ship; red, larger than a moon, and within it the manifestation of the Red Evil. But this structure is not red- it seemed carved out of the mountain side except for a strange and clearly unnatural opening at the top. It reminds Yoongi of the mouth of a volcano. Jimin hadn’t mentioned this to them- was this new? Or was this some damaged structure- clearly that gaping whole was not part of the original architecture if there was any at all. Or was this something that slipped Jimin’s mind. They were certainly much further than the area they selected to work in.

‘We will not be able to scale through the mountains safely- we need to land and regroup on the ground.’ The Unit Captain calls out. ‘Head Pilot Hoseok, do you agree?’

‘- yes. Yeah, let’s land.’ Hoseok sounds a tad hysterical but the sight of the approaching Transporters was clearly motivation enough to land all the way below.

From here, Yoongi can’t see the black void, but he’s aware of it- a weight in his mind. And from somewhere here a quiet and frightened pulse echoes within his chest.

The Axudarian transporters don’t even get the chance to try and shoot them when sleek and quiet GI transporters fly out of the dark beneath them and Omhlophe transporters from high above. Yoongi braces himself for a landing- the Unit Captain has already landed below him and Yoongi momentarily drops down, arms on his side, so as to not stray off too far. Breaking his momentum, Yoongi glides down to land.

He breaks his fall on dense frosty and sandy soil. He still remains strangely light- strangely afloat. A part of him thought he would weigh heavily back on the ground but he doesn’t. Yoongi wonders if this had anything to do with the fact that he couldn’t quite feel much of anything. However, kneeling on the ground, down here, the chill in the air is very noticeable.

But beyond that- something in the soil shifts; there’s a strange warm moistness beneath the frosty sand that comes and goes. Yoongi blinks several times, focusing his sight as he stares up at the mountains, beyond the chaos taking place by the mountain side and further beyond in the skies.

This was Amme- she was doing something.

‘ -!’

Hoseok skids to a stop, frost and black gritty sand rushing around his legs as he lands right next to Yoongi. They both stare up at the onslaught of Omhlophe transporters pouring out from the night sky, weaving through the high peaks and swarming down the dark lofty heights meeting head on with the Axudarians.

‘I can’t believe we just did that,’ Hoseok gets out breathlessly, knees shaking a moment before he takes a moment to also kneel next to Yoongi. ‘,- are you hurt? Injured? Where are the others?’

‘I’m okay- they’re further ahead,’ Yoongi replies- his voice involuntarily muted and weak. He’s surprised at himself, and clearly so is Hoseok who reaches forward and pushes up Yoongi’s visors.

The blast of cold air is strangely refreshing, his breath coming out in small huffs of white. Hoseok pushes his own visor up, concern clearly etched all over his face. The air smells like growth and decomposition and stillness and chaos.

‘Yoongi-,’ Hoseok looks scared.

‘I’m okay,’ Yoongi tells him as firmly as his weak voice allowed him to.

‘Unit Captain- we need a transporter asap- we need to get out, take the uh, Regurgitated out of here as quickly as possible,’ Hoseok says a bit more loudly before taking Yoongi’s hand and pulling him closer as though to somehow bodily protect him. It’s touching. Even if there was no point anymore.

Both of their Comm Devices click back online and Hoseok is quick to speak out as they quickly make their way towards the Unit Captain’s location some ways ahead.

‘Namjoon? Namjoon!’

‘We’re here-!’ Namjoon sounds beyond himself- Hoseok’s grip tightens in Yoongi’s hand. ‘We’re- I don’t know- Hoseok the Omhlophe-.’

‘I know. I asked Amme to bring them here!’ Hoseok replies as they flinch as a transporter, Yoongi’s not sure if it’s Axudarian, GI, or from the Omhlophe, lands far (but still too close for comfort) from their position in a cloud of fire and smoke.

‘That’s-‘

‘What?!’

‘Oh that explains why he was so secretive about something.’

Sk’jin sounds awful.

‘Does that mean Amme is here?’

‘I think so-‘ Hoseok stares at the ground that occasionally erupts in weeds and grass and roots before rotting away and vanishing to dust.

A sound, louder and deeper than thunder, as dense and unpredictable as an earthquake, erupts all around them.

‘What the -?’ Hoseok mutters.

‘I think it’s the Omhlophe mothership.’

‘Then how do they plan on getting out?!’ Hoseok demands incredulously as they approach the Unit Captain. The GI don’t flinch when a piece of wing skids across the black frosty sand just feet from where they stood before it embeds itself into side of a sandy knoll.

‘I don’t think they intend on getting out.’ Yoongi tells Hoseok quietly.

‘Yeah well,’ Hoseok looks back at him, ‘We’re getting out.’

But the fear in his eyes tell him otherwise. And Yoongi wants to tell Hoseok it’s okay. He knows they will.

‘Head Pilot Hoseok is this a new alliance?’ the Unit Captain asks as another huge chunk of transporter falls a little too close for Hoseok’s comfort who keeps looking about as though hoping to find some sort of shelter in this barren wasteland.

‘Yes,’ Hoseok nods, ‘The Omhlophe are working for Yisheng Amme- they will work to uh…- actually I’m not sure what they’re planning on doing but they’re here to help us in some form. Our priority is getting out. We will need to regroup first- let me check in on what’s happening with the others.’

Jimin.

Yoongi turns his head- he stares at the great mountains, towards where he knows Jimin was.

‘Our Transporter has sustained damages- while that stunt was effective in bringing back communications- it’s only strengthening their efforts.’ Hoseok quickly summarizes.

‘How do you plan on getting us out?’ they hear Sk’jin ask. Probably one of the Omhlophe.

‘Together!’

Sk’jin laughs.

The landscape erupts in the strange rushed cycle of growth and death again. Hoseok stares around before nodding at the strange structure carved into the mountain.

‘What do you think that is?’

‘We are detecting activity from within the mountain,’ the Unit Captain tells them.

‘It’s the southern facilitator,’ Dehin answers quietly. ‘It regulates and tracks all of the charges within Megibīya. But reports from Megibīya had told us all of the facilitators were going through extensive renovations as the planet was no longer being shielded by Yino. It’s function is simply to keep track of all the charges.’

‘Well- it’s probably functioning now,’ Hoseok studies the strange structure, ‘I guess this is where they hid- or well, something like that. , none of this really makes sense.’

But in a twisted way that did not follow the rhythms and tangents of Time and Space, all of this really did make sense- the Universe was born and was still expanding beyond their understanding in pure chaos.

‘Has that always been there?’ Hoseok mimes the opening.

Both Nineti and Dehin shake their heads.

‘I’m gonna need some help,’ Hoseok quickly speaks into the Comm Device, ‘We’ve had the misfortune of landing uncomfortably close to what is clearly some sort of hidden base behind the mountains.’

‘All units return to current coordinates,’ Namjoon orders, ‘Units on site will head towards Head Pilot Hoseok’s location.’

‘Understood.’

The voices of the GI echo in his ears.

They were all truly found.

‘Coordinate with the Omhlophe to find the best escape route.’ Namjoon pauses, speaking specifically to someone, ‘If you guide me, I can make my way to the Sanctuary.’

Hoseok looks over at Yoongi with a frown, as though to ask what Namjoon meant. But he just shrugs. He feels something thrumming under his skin, crawling and tugging from his chest- at the hollow there that echoed quietly with a pulse faintly increasing in volume.

‘The GI are headed down- I think the Omhlophe are well enough capable of handling the rest,’ Hoseok remarks before he does a double take, ‘Spaces , I didn’t even see them.’

Yoongi glances over to where Hoseok was looking at and sees a trio of the Omhlophe walking towards them.

‘This is still very weird to me,’ Hoseok says under his breath as a few GI ships land as the Omhlophe approach them.

‘Greetings! Are there any injured that need treatment?’

Hoseok glances at Yoongi, opening his mouth but Yoongi speaks before he can.

‘Is Amme here?’

‘Yisheng Amme was indeed with us!’ they reply glibly, ‘She has gone to ensure that the Yemenifesi Ch’inik’eti will forever be broken!’

Hoseok looks horrified, instant regret clear in his expression, obviously thinking he allowed the Omhlophe to come here to try and kill Jimin. But Yoongi thinks it’s not as simple as that.

You are bound to me.

‘Many of the pure are here,’ Yoongi tells the Omhlophe, ‘They need your help.’

Hoseok stares at him, eyes narrowed, thinking hard and fast.

‘Yes we can hear them singing and screaming! They will soon be freed!’ they chorus before handing Hoseok a strange device. ‘Speak here clearly for a better communication experience!’

‘Hoseok? Yoongi?’

‘We’re here,’ Hoseok replies at once, staring down at the device in his palms. Yoongi is handed one too.

‘I’m coming over to you. Listen, Sk’jin’s injured.’

‘How injured?’ Hoseok asks immediately, eyes now following the battle high above.

‘It’s- it’s bad. Jungkook is with him. So are the Omhlophe. We need to destroy Sanctuary. Sk’jin says he can get us there. But we need a larger ship- something powerful enough to destroy it.’

‘You want to get our ship?’ Hoseok asks.

‘What news from you?’ one of the Omhlophe suddenly inquires over their own Comms.

‘Yes. I think our missiles should be able to do significant damage. But the unit team there aren’t responding to Comms.’ Namjoon tells them quietly before he exclaims out, ‘What-?’

‘What’s wrong?’ Hoseok asks at once when Jungkook’s voice carries in clearly.

‘I want to come.’

Namjoon is cursing under his breath when a clear voice calls through the new Comms.

‘Good day, we are here to connect you to your teammate and the Yemenifesi Ch’inik’eti!’

‘Jimin?!’

‘What-?’ Hoseok stares at him, eyes wider than they’ve ever been.

‘Princeling you took your time,’ Sk’jin sounds far and weak.

‘Is-,’ Jimin pauses, his voice breaking. ‘Is everyone okay?’

The hollow in his chest thuds a little harder, a little louder.

‘Sunshine?’

Dehin and Nineti step in closer as well, listening.

‘I- I need you all to listen to me,’ Jimin sounds strained. ‘Sk’jin, please prepare the Užkulisai-‘

‘-you disappear for hours and somehow you just know-‘ Sk’jin is wheezing and Yoongi doesn’t understand what the Khol’isa is talking about.

‘-for take off. All GI personnel please head straight towards Sk’jin. Namjoon, Jungkook, turn back and aid Sk’jin ready the Užkulisai. I am headed to where Yoongi and Hoseok are- you need to evacuate that area immediately. Their extraction is currently top priority alongside the Užkulisai.’

‘What’s happening?’ Jungkook demands, voice shaking, ‘What about Taeh’yung?’

Hoseok closes his eyes at the mention of Taeh’yung’s name, breathing out slowly and carefully.

‘I- I don’t know. Just, please,’ Jimin sounds broken, ‘We don’t have a lot of time-‘

‘-where’s Amme?’ Hoseok demands, staring at the structure built into the mountain.

‘She- she’s with Tsirin. She’s buying us time- Hoseok, Yoongi- you’re both near the facilitator- it’s what controls all of the Sanctuaries you see in the sky as well as the Breakers- it’s the Yisheng ship that was lost in Axudar. At the core, I need to shut it down.’

‘-that’s it?’ Sk’jin snorts. ‘Just an off button.’

‘I need you all to take the Užkulisai and destroy the real Sanctuary. And then I need you to move as far away as possible, as quickly as you can.’

‘Jimin-.’ Hoseok starts.

‘-wait Jimin-.’ Namjoon is quick to rebuke.

‘-we can’t do that-!’ Jungkook cries out.

‘Please.’

Yoongi remembers the last time Jimin had sounded like this. But unlike last time, Yoongi can’t hold him in his arms.

‘Please.’

Something in the air violently shudders- something Hoseok’s doesn’t quite notice, but something the GI, as well as the Omhlophe, clearly do.

Yoongi stares down at his hand, at the Comms that clearly rang out with Jimin’s soft and broken voice.

He had too much to lose.

‘We can close this.’

Yoongi glances around the massive room, unsure what Taeh’yung meant.

‘So- I think you’re supposed to be GI right? GI? IG?’ Taeh’yung looks confused.

‘GI.’

‘Ah! So- are all the GI Human?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Do you have a name?’ he asks instead now studying his hand intently.

His hands are warm, a strange buzzing energy exudes from this Being- Yoongi can only describe it as power. Power enough to collapse this entire facility if he chose. But Yoongi feels no fear inside him. The weight and pressure of another hand in his is foreign and strange.

‘Does it matter?’

Hoseok looks at him, studying him, asking him.

‘Sk’jin, we’re coming back.’ Namjoon says quickly, ‘Please get ready to-‘

‘Alas, what it be upon the heavens!’ the Omhlophe intone, gesturing to the sky.

Yoongi looks up the same time as Hoseok. It would seem that Namjoon and the others also noticed.

The huge mountain-like ships that had orbiting rings around them still completely. The rings are perfectly aligned and horizontal and the bottom of the huge ships seem to shiver before breaking apart. But it’s not breaking apart this was-

‘Spaces, this is over-kill,’ Sk’jin remarks with amusement. ‘Princeling, your princess sister really hates us all doesn’t she?’

But the ships don’t head towards them, they head up and beyond the sky, past the network of fake sanctuaries.

‘Are there more of you beyond the atmospheric barrier?’ Hoseok asks.

‘No! All of us came here at the same time!’

‘I-…I mean okay but-‘ Hoseok hesitates, clearly disapproving of this strategy.

‘We did go past the Great Network on our way here! It must be them!’

‘The Great Network?’ Namjoon repeats in confusion.

‘I think they’re talking about Ilya,’ Sk’jin says quietly.

Namjoon curses under his breath.

Yoongi turns away from the sky and looks back at the mountains, his gaze locking over the lofty horizons, edged in rosy gold above the dark mountain rocks.

‘Sunshine, are you almost here?’

‘Almost,’ Jimin replies before adding quietly, ‘I’m sorry.’

Hoseok glances at him- and Yoongi can’t quite look him in the eye properly.

‘I’m sorry for making you stay.’

‘It’s okay,’ Yoongi replies quietly as he watches a glint of white, bright and star like rising past the mountains. ‘You don’t hurt me.’

‘So the Yisheng ship is inside that uh- thing,’ Hoseok studies the structure carefully. ‘Jimin, we can do this together-‘

‘No,’ Jimin replies at once, ‘Everyone needs to leave as quickly as possible, please. I’m almost there, take this ship and leave.’

‘We will be your defense!’ the Omhlophe tell them, gesturing to their Transporter. ‘We will continue to engage the hateful forces here and lead you out!’

Yoongi watches as Jimin’s singular tiny transporter descends down the mountain side towards them.

‘I’ll be honest I don’t know how we’re going to go past that,’ Hoseok gestures the chaos not just above them but beyond in the sky.

‘We can use the sunny lands to deflect detection, create an opening, and exit the atmosphere!’

‘We can counter heat detection radars by using the eastern lands to our advantage and find a breaching point.’

Hoseok’s head snaps between the GI and the Omhlophe.

‘We’ll work on that right now,’ Namjoon reports, ‘- if the Užkulisai is still there, we just need to fly through the barrier, no problem- we have enough weapons on there to take out Sanctuary I’m sure.’

‘Your ship is still with us!’ the Omhlophe cheer.

‘Jimin’s here- we’ll come join you as quickly as we can,’ Hoseok replies as the transporter Jimin was in slows to land some ways ahead. Yoongi is already moving.

‘You said there was movement inside that place?’ Hoseok is asking no one in particular.

‘Heat signals and movement has been detected,’ the Unit Captain replies. ‘However, we cannot quantify their numbers. The signals on their devices and ships are not easily detectable.’

‘All right. I think we need to go with Jimin,’ Hoseok says to Yoongi quietly. ‘I don’t know what he’s planning but we don’t know what’s in there- what else is going to come after us.’

Yoongi nods to Hoseok’s words in agreement, eyes locked on Jimin’s approaching ship.

‘It would seem they have noticed him! Alas, a great wave is upon us!’

‘Get into defense formation,’ Hoseok orders at once, ‘Do we have contact with the transporters on air?’

Yoongi doesn’t listen on, feet moving faster as Jimin’s transporter lands, frost and sand blasting past him. His arms feel numb as he lifts his helmet off, eyes squinting automatically at the biting cold.

And Jimin steps out.

There are strange markings all over him. Almost welt-like, long, and faintly discoloured, roping around his visible skin.

He’s running before he knows it- unsure how he had the strength to do so, but his chest is tightening, a feeling returning there- warmth, a pulse-

Jimin rushes out as well, though his steps are unsteady, as though he were dizzy.

‘I’m sorry I’m so sorry I’m so sorry-!’

Yoongi hears Jimin cry out before they run into each other.

His heart pulses in his chest again as he engulfs himself within Jimin’s arms.

‘It’s okay- it’s okay, I’m still here-,’ Yoongi doesn’t know if he’s saying the words out but then suddenly Jimin is holding him at arms length, blinking away tears from his eyes. His eyes dart all over him, hands like claws digging into his arms. He’s shaking his head, looking at all of him.

‘You can’t go yet,’ he whispers, just for Yoongi to hear. ‘I’m so- I’m so sorry. But- please. Please don’t.’

And Yoongi knows what he’s talking about.

‘You know that if I could, I would stay here with you.’

Yoongi feels the way Jimin shakes.

‘Jimin!’ Hoseok is feet from them.

‘You need to leave now.’ Jimin says firmly, his eyes back on the ground.

‘Wait-!’ Hoseok exhales out, stopping by their side with a small huff. ‘They’ve detected movement- heat signals from within that uh, facilitator. You need back up to get inside- we need units and teams to enter-‘

‘No.’ Jimin shakes his head adamantly, staring down at the ground.

‘What’s going on-?’

Yoongi takes Jimin’s hands in his.

‘It’s okay. You should tell us.’

‘What?’ Hoseok steps in closer as though he was mishearing something. ‘What’s going on. Jimin? What is it- what’s happened, what about your sister-.’

‘They will all die.’

Hoseok leans back, as though physically pushed back by Jimin’s words.

‘What- what are you talking about, what do you mean?’ Hoseok asks carefully.

Jimin still doesn’t look up. His hands are shaking in Yoongi’s hold.

‘The New Borns- the eggs-’ Jimin takes a deep breath. ‘Nineti, Dehin, Amic- every other Regurgitated here, all of the New Borns- Jungkook. You will all die if you stay. You must leave.’

‘I don’t understand-.’

‘They’re all bound to me- you’re all bound to me,’ Jimin explains in an almost flat tone, ‘I can stop Tsirin, but I cannot stop- I cannot stop what might happen once I break the promise. But they’re all all bound to me- and I cannot predict what will happen to them once- once I completely break Yino’s promise. So please-.’

‘Then I’ll come,’ Hoseok states simply, ‘I’ll come with you, with the Omhlophe, we send back- we send back Yoongi and the other GI out.’

‘I’m ordering all of the GI to leave. We leave the rest of the fight to the Omhlophe and we go to that Sanctuary and-.’

‘Hoseok-.’ Jimin begins to refute but then he stops, head snapping up, eyes wide.

The hair on the back of Yoongi’s neck rises and they all turn to look up at the mountains just in time to see it implode.

‘HOSEOK WHAT’S HAPPENING-?!’

The Comms immediately die as the mountain crumbles down within itself- causing a massive chain reaction of landslides and avalanches all around it. The ground beneath them tilts and waves horribly and as the mountains come down in a strangely slow manner, the void that it had been previously covering appears and-

‘What the -?’ Hoseok gasps out, taking some steps back, ‘All available transporters come down to our location we need to get moving-‘

It’s erratic and out of shape, violently stretching and pulling in a horrible manner. The light of Yino is screaming past it- her light barely able to make it past the horrible darkness before it’s consumed.

Jimin turns away, the eclipses in his eyes burning and shifting, sometimes entirely disappearing.

‘Jimin let’s go,’ Hoseok calls as 2 transporters- 1 from the GI, and the other from the Omhlophe land close by. ‘The Axudarians are headed down-!’

‘Yoongi-,’ Jimin whispers.

Everyone starts to run around them, heading over towards their respective transporters.

‘It’s okay,’ Yoongi tells him. He smiles.

For a moment, there is no heart break- there is no inevitable goodbye, there is no pain. It’s just them, side by side, the sun warm all around them, the sound of the sea at their feet. And when Jimin turns to look at him-

‘I know you’ll find me again.’

‘Yoongi-’

The void vanishes and a sound that overwhelms the planet, that rings through the sky- birth and death chase after each other, a wild forest erupts around them in this frigid desert and crumbles into dust in an instance. A scream tears through the air and a horrible light replaces the void instead.

Yoongi can barely open his eyes as the elements around them dance in a volatile orchestra of sounds never heard before- sounds Yoongi knows harkens a horrible end.

Something impossibly heavy lands incredibly softly and slowly, the weight of its substance is overwhelming and density of its presence crushing. He hears Jimin- he’s either singing or screaming or whispering- Yoongi cannot tell the difference.

Abruptly everything stops and the only sound Yoongi registers is of the mountains crumbling away.

He’s rooted in his spot- having been unable to move. Clearly, everyone is in a similar state- everyone except the new figure standing right at the edge of their gathered group.

Yoongi doesn’t need to be told who this was. She looks- she’s wrong. A strange malformed bend to her entire being- her eyes, burning and smoldering even from this distance, is horrible to look at. She’s breathing harshly, her whole body moving in the process, as though she found it difficult to main a rhythm. The air around her seems to ripple- horrible movement that writhes around her, snapping and pulling and curling and expanding- pulsing all around her.

She screams.

He sees the similarities immediately- similarities that did nothing but set out a horrifying contrast between the siblings.

‘-at’s going on, Hoseok, Yoongi- what’s happening-?!’ Namjoon’s voice suddenly crackles through.

‘Tsirin is here.’

Yoongi wonders at his own name. He wonders why it’s so important to really have a name.

‘Well- I guess it doesn’t- it’s nice to have one though,’ Taeh’yung grins, and he sits down, still holding onto Yoongi’s hand. ‘I like my name- I chose it for my own.’

‘You had another name?’ Yoongi sits down as well, unsure why he was doing any of this.

‘Many,’ Taeh’yung waves his free hand a bit. ‘Sometimes they get confused- but I’m sticking with this name, so that later, when the others who come after me, will recognize me through this name.’

Yoongi doesn’t know how to respond to this statement. But Taeh’yung doesn’t seem to mind; he unabashedly stares at Yoongi as though reading him.

‘You’re like one of them- but different,’ Taeh’yung quirks his head, his hand holding Yoongi’s with a firm grip.

‘I’ve heard that before.’

‘Really? From who?’

Yoongi thinks back to the neon-red eyes and shadowy figure, and how Taeh’yung had been speaking to it back at the Court.

‘I don’t know.’

‘No-!’

Jimin springs into action, running straight for his sister. But Tsirin, who barely glances at him, lifts a hand up, breathing out a word.

Sk’jin had always said Jimin’s abilities lacked the “showmanship” and “display” of the power he possessed. But Yoongi thinks it befitting of him- and in a sense, finds the lack of display more terrifying and unsettling than if it had some form of gimmicky quality. And Yoongi knows the main reason why Sk’jin pointed that out was because he too felt strangely uncomfortable because of it.

But unlike Jimin, Tsirin’s abilities, or at least from what Yoongi sees of it now, it was clearly much different from how Jimin’s rarely used abilities appeared.

Carved into their time and space, deformations that warped the very fabric of matter all around them bends with the authority of the Heart. Her pulse threads through this planet- through the charges, through the Verktaë.

And this stretches out, shooting right through Jimin before he takes a single step.

He stumbles, his foot slipping and his head snapping back.

Yoongi lunges forward, catching Jimin before he can fall back completely just as he hears Hoseok’s roar to fire and the air lights up with the ignition of TeorSers and other explosives.

‘Jimin-!’

Yoongi slowly and carefully settles back down on the floor, gently placing Jimin down, leaning back against his chest. Jimin shakes, his breath coming out in strange heavy wheezes that get sharper with each exhale.

‘Sunshine- breathe with me,’ Yoongi holds his hand over Jimin’s chest. ‘Breathe with me!’

The veins around Jimin’s eyes darken and bulge out, his hands gripping over Yoongi’s forearm in a vice-like grip. Yoongi barely pays attention to what was happening around them- lights and sounds erupting all around them.

But even if he was, he doubts he would have been able to track Tsirin’s movements as she appears before them, as though she opened a door through the space and mass to step right here before them.

Yoongi moves before he can even think, pulling out the Heliord still in his pocket and igniting it, holding it before himself and Jimin.

Tsirin actually pauses, blinking a but before looking away from Jimin who was convulsing, trying to break out of whatever strange bond Tsirin wove around him. She looks surprised to see Yoongi there.

‘You-,’ her voice echoes like thunder but it’s barely louder than a whisper, ‘I didn’t sense you.’

Jimin holds both of his hands out, mouth desperately trying to open, trying to speak-

‘You’re not even alive, are you?’ she laughs before looking at Jimin. TeorSer fire rains down on her but nothing really touches her, ‘I guess this is sad.’

Hoseok appears out of nowhere, sliding down on his knees, swinging a blade in a precise and calculated manner just above her knees. Tsirin looks down for a moment, a little surprised. And that’s when Yoongi lets go of Jimin, rolling over him as he tosses his Heliord to the other hand, allowing him to swing it harshly as he comes back around, kneeling right before Tsirin.

His blade doesn’t even brush past her. She just looks over at him, as though offended that Yoongi would try such a thing. Several well aimed TeorSer blasts blink around her in wild succession and Hoseok is back.

Yoongi swings the Heliord upwards just as Hoseok brings his blade down from behind her. They continue to attack- but nothing lands on her. She laughs- the TeorSer fire blinking out all around her, Hoseok’s blade and Yoongi’s Heliord just glancing off of the space around her.

Casually, she shoves Hoseok off and he skids over the harsh frosty sand a good distance. Reaching past the blinking TeorSer shots, Tsirin’s hand wraps around Yoongi’s throat.

She’s just a little shorter than him, than Jimin. She she easily lifts him from the ground.

‘What a sad sad life you’ve lived,’ she hums out. ‘But it’s all right, none of it will matter any more. Nothing will hurt you anymore. Or Jimin. Isn’t that nice? It is, isn’t it?’

Horrible weight returns back to Yoongi, tugging at his throat and filling it up, forcing its way down to his stomach, to his gut, all over his body.

‘I’ve seen all you’ve lived through. Don’t worry, Min Yoongi, none of this will matter soon. I just need my brother for one more moment.’

A blade pierces swings down, cleanly swiping through her wrist and Yoongi drops down.

Tsirin stares at the stump at the end of her arm.

Hoseok takes a step back, raising the bloody dagger up in a defensive stance, eyes wide as though he hadn’t thought that would actually happen. Tsirin turns her head slightly to look at Hoseok.

Tsirin takes a step towards Hoseok as Yoongi desperately tries to regain control over his painfully heavy limbs when a sudden meadow surges through the ground- trees shooting upwards in burst of petals and leaves, the dim but rosy light that was breaching past the falling mountains casting a mosaic of light over them.

Hoseok quickly takes a few steps backwards as Yoongi feels himself being pushed out of the way as massive coils of roots wrap around Tsirin.

‘-hat’s happening-?!’

A shock of warmth bursts through Yoongi, tearing off the weight on him and he turns abruptly, searching for Jimin but he’s not there.

‘Jimin-!’

Yoongi feels himself being pulled up and dragged before he regains his legs and feet and he’s running as the forest grows denser and wider, running by Hoseok’s side. Turning briefly he spots Amme.

The Yisheng is pushing through the ground, the red of her skin too vibrant too bright amidst the chaos unfolding in this twilight. All of her hands touch the ground and the intensity of the growth around them accelerates. When she stands, she is taller than she already is- her shape is unnatural, strange- converged in the strength of her life-force, she emanates light, brighter than that of Yino, younger, older- it fractures around her, crippling the strange pulsing that stiffens and constricts at the presence of a power that sustained Continuum.

Tsirin screams at Amme, launching herself forward and light shatters like glass around them.

Hoseok reaches for him, pulling his hand, tugging him a different way as more trees- wild and horrible looking burst out through the soil.

‘Jimin-!’ Yoongi gasps out, desperately trying to locate him.

Suddenly, the forest sinks- decomposing and turning to dust and nothing in the blink of an eye. Yoongi hadn’t realized how far they had run off- but Amme and Tsirin stood in the middle of the dusty clearing, the light of Yino falling on them through the newly reshaped mountain range behind them.

‘Namjoon are you there?!’ Hoseok coughs out as he quickly observes their surrounding before pulling Yoongi and running with him to take temporary cover behind a piece of transporter wing. ‘Any unit members available?’ he speaks into the Comms the Omhlophe had given him. ‘Anyone here?!’

‘We are bringing a transporter to you as we speak!’

Amme and Tsirin don’t appear to be moving- though there is a clear and strange dissonance taking place around them- some strange force battling each other without having to move a single muscle.

‘Jimin- where is Jimin-?’ Yoongi squints, staring all around the place- unable to find Jimin in the clearing.

‘Where is Jimin- does anyone have eyes on Jimin?!’ Hoseok demands as he looks over the wing to stare around as well.

As though in response, over the Comms, over their own broken communication channel, a faint and quiet singing sounds through.

‘Above us!’

Hoseok and Yoongi both instantly look up.

High above, glowing faintly in a way that reminded Yoongi of Pompa, Jimin is afloat, bathed entirely in the light of Yino. The singing becomes clearer though it becomes softer – and just like that, the song fills the air all around them.

‘­-oseok- there’s issue-…too many are-…-!’

The singing stops.

‘Namjoon-? ,’ Hoseok tries to reconnect to Namjoon but Yoongi continues to stare up instead, watching as Jimin just- he’s afloat. He wasn’t unconscious- it was almost as though he was waiting.

And then, as though in response- the light of Yino flashes before it visibly starts to dim.

‘- okay I think I see the Omhlophe ship coming this way- I think I saw Nineti, or some of the GI, past over there- they’ve managed to take a transporter,’ Hoseok is saying, getting into position to start running, ‘Yoongi we’re going to-‘

‘-hey’re here-!...-can you hear me they’r-…owards you-!’

A horrifying cold blast past them- followed by a horribly anguished scream.

Yoongi pushes against the cold, horror flooding his body- he knows this, somehow, he knows this, he knows what this meant-

Tsirin is kneeling, arms extending out, screaming as all of Amme’s hands engulf her head. However the Yisheng is bent over- a great figure, frail now as the light she emanated is swallowed and eroded, the pulse around Tsirin expanding further down on her.

But Tsirin is writhing- the pulses crashing down upon in horrific waves, pummeling her and hollowing her.

‘Yoongi the Omhlophe are here, come on-!’ Hoseok is pulling him up once more.

‘Wait-!’

The wing they were hiding behind is flung away like it was nothing.

Tsirin screams as she crashes before them. There’s something wrong with her- the strange pulsing around her is compacted, spilling out unevenly. She looks strained and gaunt- a horrible indent forming on her forehead, her eyes unnaturally widened and large.

Hoseok tries to pull Yoongi behind him, curling in on himself as Tsirin flings her arms out- Yoongi hears no words but feels the force, the ancient command within it. Yoongi briefly wonders if Tsirin even realized she only had one hand. Hoseok goes flying, the ground around them carved away from the force of it all. But Yoongi is still there- still light, just barely lingering.

Tsirin suddenly starts to laugh- the sound of is causing waves to form all around her; Yoongi can feel it on his skin.

‘What you cling to is nothing more than a dream.’ She whispers to him though it’s as loud as a scream. ‘Let me free you of it.’

She extend a hand out slowly, her finger pointing out, reaching for his forehead.

The light of Yino shines all around them, coming from behind Yoongi. But that didn’t make sense- the east was to his left- a little ahead.

Jimin steps into his line of sight from behind him, hand reaching out to wrap over Tsirin’s wrist, gently pushing it down. Tsirin’s eyes widen in shock, turning to look at her brother, the writhing eclipses in her eyes shrinking from the force of the light.

Jimin’s eyes are no longer eclipsed- instead, a bright and primal and powerful light completely overwhelms what once was eclipsed.

‘You’re in my time,’ Jimin’s voice echoes, washing over them like a soft morning breeze.

Jimin’s strength, his power, like the gradual turn of day to night, held no specific showy display. The promise of his birth, his title- the legacy and the memories of those who came before him like a gentle source of light and comfort and warmth, spread through the softness of his words, his smile.

But this-

‘You’re still bound to my fate.’

One moment they’re there before him.

And the next thing Yoongi knows, the mountain peak he had fallen past during his descent breaks as a sizeable hole suddenly forms through its entirety.

The sound follows soon after, a thunderous noise that he feels deep in his bones.

‘­-ing Spaces-!’

Yoongi jolts, reality snapping back all around him.

‘Hoseok-!’

Turning, he finds that an Omhlophe transporter is there. As his ears clear, Yoongi notes how the sky above has completely changed, showing them the truth of what was happening.

What he guesses is Ilya’s ships and transporters, only faintly visible so far out of the atmosphere, lit up by Yino’s dimming light, were taking on the full capacity of the Verktaë’s forces as more and more pile out from the mountain-like ships that seemed to continue to rise up from within Megibīya.

Yoongi starts to run towards the Omhlophe transporter, feeling around himself for the Comms. His sense of hearing slowly returning, Yoongi finally looks all around him. Dotted and riddled all around, remains and pieces of ships and transporters and everything else in between are scattered across this wasteland, even on the mountains that were coming down slowly, causing the fighting that took place in that area to scatter.

Yoongi runs and he spots the Omhlophe waving at him, as though to hurry. A few are crouched over a figure and panic builds up deep within him.

He falls to his knees just feet from where Hoseok lay, clearly having difficulty breathing, shaking all over.

‘There is great internal damage!’ the Omhlophe tell him, ‘He will not survive!’

‘No- no no no-!’ Yoongi crawls the short distance between him and the Ngfy’widan.

Hoseok is trying to say something, inhaling but he coughs out blood instead. Yoongi takes his hand.

‘Hey come on-‘ Yoongi’s voice disappears in his throat as the Omhlophe scan Hoseok.

‘The damage he has taken is too much!’

‘What- what sort of medication-?’ Yoongi tries but he knows there’s no point, he knows there’s nothing any of them can do- he catches sight of the scan. Tsirin knew exactly what she was doing when she hit them.

An incredibly bright light erupts past the newly shortened mountains.

‘Nam-Namjoon!’ Yoongi calls out desperately before turning to the Omhlophe, ‘Can you contact them? Can you-‘

Singing fills the air.

The Omhlophe pause, as though to listen, their bodies swaying with the tune. Hoseok’s harsh and painful breathing quiets too, as though to listen, his eyes closing a little.

The light moves- the intensity of it overwhelming, as though the sun were descending upon them.

Yoongi has known its light to be soft- subdued and just a tiny fraction of the entirety of the spectrum. But now, the light of Yino now strong and aglow within Jimin, shoots past them, and vanishes into the night.

Taeh’yung’s expression takes on one of regretful disappointment, ‘Ah- I would have loved to meet them.’

They don’t say anything for a while and Yoongi stares at their hands. This Taeh’yung seems contemplative as his eyes flit between the tubes and then to Yoongi.

‘I’m sorry for what happened out there.’ Taeh’yung says out of nowhere.

‘Out there?’

‘Earth,’ Taeh’yung looks sad. ‘She was a survivor- her Soul expanded for much longer than she was supposed to you know? But I guess…she was tired in the end.’

‘Earth was destroyed.’ Yoongi states bluntly. ‘Earth is not a living Being. It did not choose death; the planet was destroyed.’

‘They’re all alive,’ Taeh’yung says with wide genuine eyes. ‘Earth lived, a precious Soul.’

He has peculiarly deep green eyes that glimmer, the copper tones in his eyes appeared to move.

‘But you’ll meet another lifetime.’

‘Another lifetime?’

‘Yeah!’ Taeh’yung nods enthusiastically. ‘Everything is Continuum!’

Taeh’yung says the word as though it’s the first time he’s spoken it, slowly, dragging it out. There’s a warm pulse that spreads from their connected palms.

The Omhlophe stop their swaying as the singing stops and Hoseok’s breaths come out harsher, more pained. Yoongi wishes he could at least stop the pain.

‘Don’t you have pain inhibitors or something-?’ Yoongi demands as he tries to connect to Namjoon again, ‘Namjoon, hey- Namjoon can you-!’

For the second time that day- or well, maybe it had been yesterday, last week, month- maybe in a different lifetime, but appearing and melting out of the air is a ship. This was-!

‘Khoi a gne an om?!’

Yisheng Lim appears, the clothes he’s wearing rippling with the same strange technology that cloaked their transporters and ships.

‘Yisheng!’ the Omhlophe chorus in awe.

Yisheng Lim doesn’t seem too bothered by this address of awe and amazement as he kneels down opposite Hoseok.

Loud sonic-like explosions ripples across the sky.

‘Tikhan min en soo,’ Lim tells him, ‘Mihring kan nei tam lo- kan lo loot thei lo trep, kan lo khlok loot khan kan himna a zo trep.’

‘-oseok?!-…heng Lim is here-!’

Yisheng Lim heals Hoseok in a way Yoongi has never witnessed a Yisheng heal before. Rather than channeling and using his own life-force as most Yishengs did, Lim draws from within and beneath the sandy soil. The frost melts off, the sand crushes into dust. The glow of life-force seeping from outside of Hoseok within him illuminates the whole place, forming and creating strange symbols and shapes.

‘Jimin! Jimin khoi a gne a om?’ Lim asks again, clearly he could multitask.

‘I don’t know – they just,’ Yoongi stammers, staring as Hoseok’s skin regains warmth and colour, his breathing is smooth though slightly erratic, and his eyes were regaining focus as was his mind, clearly, as he stares wide eyed at Lim, clearly confused and shocked. He points towards the night. ‘They disappeared into the night.’

‘Ka rilru a buia,’ Lim tells him, ‘Kan buia vek- kan khovel ho, Yino- kan nisa, kan kim to lo. Kan lo kal khan, thil a dik lo ti in ka hria ah, ni mase enge a ni ka hre lo ah- he hmun…he hmun a khlarao- a rilroo- kan kim to lo.’

‘Okay- ,’ Yoongi shakes his head before quickly adding as he points to the mountain, ‘We need to deactivate the facilitator.’

‘Ka hria- nang mani in thil in ti mon le kan tia-,’ Lim waves his hands over Hoseok’s body, dust that vanishes instantly billows around them, the pattern on light disappears and Yoongi realizes they’re in the middle of a huge and rather deep crater.

‘We need to destroy Sanctuary,’ Yoongi tells Lim, hoping beyond hope he would understand; he resorts to miming with his hands, ‘The- the one that’s here, connected to Megibīya.’

Lim looks up at him at that, eyes narrowed as he studies him.

Above them, an Axudarian transporter is blasted away before it can even attempt to fire at them. Yoongi glances about momentarily, noting strange mirage like ripples waving through the air and horizon, approaching them.

‘A olsam don lo- in thil nei a tok don lo. Menigišiti a siam a ni lo chuan, so mi Arsi so kan lo keng kla thei lo,’ Lim tells him as he helps Hoseok sit up, who despite clearly being all healed, was not quite over the trauma and shock of having his internal organs failing on him. Lim practically slaps a hand over Hoseok’s forehead and the Ngfy’widan shudders in a very unnatural manner before he regains full controls over himself.

‘You need better bed side manners-!’ is the first thing he gasps out.

Yoongi kneels closer to help him sit up properly, relief flooding him as he feels strength in Hoseok’s arms, the lines of his back. He’s not sure why- just extremely overwhelmed, he hugs the Ngfy’widan.

‘Oh-!’ Hoseok quietly gasps out before he hugs Yoongi back.

‘In thrian- Namjoon nen kan trong ah,’ Lim continues as he stands up, ‘In bul ah ka kal don.’

Yoongi pulls away from Hoseok, gripping onto his realness, his life, just for a moment, as though to savour it.

‘Chuan in-‘ Lim is pointing and-

‘Yoongi! Hoseok!’

Both Hoseok and Yoongi whip their heads around at the voice. Fear cripples the empty spaces within Yoongi as Jungkook appears, materializing from a transporter that ripples the air around it, light refracting a little oddly.

‘What-,’ Hoseok stands up, mirroring the same fear Yoongi was feeling.

Jungkook stares at them- more like he stares and stares at Yoongi. Jungkook’s eyes have always been very expressive; unable to hide his emotions. He’s shown distrust, apprehension, jealousy, envy, awe, and even respect when he looked at Yoongi. But right now-

‘Namjoon said he would go with Sk’jin to the Sanctuary- Lim has sent their most armed and powered fleet with them.’ Jungkook is panting as explains, pausing to a quick stop before them, eyes filling with tears as he tries to relay the message as quickly as he could with his voice breaking, ‘-and Namjoon said I would- I would be safer, with Lim, and with you guys, and to- to quickly go. He will- he’s going to Sk’jin, he should almost be there. So. Hi.’

Hoseok fiercely hugs the young Vicitra.

‘You did good- you’re doing so good,’ Hoseok whispers to the youngling as Jungkook inhales shakily, his whole body trembling.

‘Kan kal a gnai to,’ Lim says as he calls back behind him. One of the GI, someone else from Jimin’s guards, if Yoongi wasn’t mistaken appears. Lim quickly speaks to the GI and he translates a second later.

‘Yisheng Lim would like to know what your plans are, regarding the facilitator, and the immediate transportation for the remaining GI and New Borns.’

‘Yoongi and Jungkook will be leaving with the remaining GI,’ Hoseok says quickly as he pulls away from Jungkook who continues to stare at Yoongi with wide eyes, pausing only for a moment before he throws himself at Yoongi. ‘Are they here?’

Yoongi accepts the youngling’s embrace. His weight which had previously been sometimes too much was now nothing more than a light touch upon his being.

The GI translates and Lim replies.

‘Yoongi,’ Jungkook whispers quietly, fearfully, his arms around him tight. ‘I can’t see you. Why can’t I see you?’

‘The GI that were with Namjoon are already making their way towards the barrier Yisheng Lim created towards the eastern sky. Those who are able to leave have already been ordered by Captain Namjoon. A few have refused.’

Hoseok frowns at that. But Lim continues to talk.

‘Yisheng Lim states that you need to move fast. He will help you get to the facilitator.’

‘I will go to the facilitator, please help us shut it down,’ Hoseok says before pointing at Yoongi, ‘Can you please heal him first? There are a few other GI who are still here, we need to get them first.’

The GI translates but Lim is already moving towards Yoongi.

‘Don’t-,’ Yoongi begins but the Yisheng takes hold of his hand, the gritty sandy soil around them lifting a little, light illuminating from within but nothing happens.

‘Eng- enge ah-,’ Lim frowns, staring at their hands, and then back up at Yoongi, ‘Ka hre thiam lo- enge ah?’

Hoseok stares at him, eyes wide. Jungkook’s expression crumples, hands coming to cover his face.

‘There’s nothing you can do,’ Yoongi tells the Yisheng and Hoseok. ‘I’m not supposed to be here.’

Lim looks troubled and Yoongi finds his hand being pulled out from the Yisheng’s by Hoseok.

‘Yoongi-,’ he begins.

‘It won’t matter even if I leave,’ Yoongi tells him simply. ‘I could go to the opposite end of the universe from here- and it still wouldn’t matter.’

Hoseok still shakes his head.

‘You know it,’ Yoongi leans up against Hoseok, reaching up to tilt his head down a little so their foreheads touch. ‘You always knew it.’

‘It shouldn’t have been like this.’ Hoseok whispers, eyes screwed shut.

Yoongi just smiles, shaking his head. He looks over at Jungkook who finally looks at him- fear in his eyes, fear and resignation.

‘No. It was always supposed to be like this.’

Reluctantly, heavily, Hoseok nods.

‘Leave it to me.’ Yoongi tells him. ‘I will go to the facilitator. I need you all to leave- take the GI, take Jungkook- and leave. You will probably need to back Namjoon up.’

‘We still need to get the other GI first,’ Hoseok says shakily.

Far behind them, deep in the night, a miniscule sun erupts. Its light illuminates the countless mountain-like ships hovering high above, illuminates what appeared to be waves echoing from the birth of this tiny sun.

‘Kan kal a gnai- vatvat in,’ Lim says sharply, silver eyes narrowing over the sight in the far distance.

‘We have a head start on the facilitator! Behold!’ the Omhlophe points as the air ripples before it solidifies into ships and transporters all around them. Past the warping movement of the Menigišiti ships, far away within the sunken structure deep in the mountains, Yoongi notices a swarm of white transporters hovering over the facilitator. 

Lim looks around, surprise etched on his face.

‘While you were all talking dramatically! We were recalibrating and reorganizing!’

Hoseok gives the Omhlophe who spoke an annoyed glare.

‘I was dying, thanks.’

‘You’re welcome! Let us go!’

‘-oseok!’

They jump at Namjoon’s uncharacteristically hysterical voice breaking through the breaking Comms line.

‘It is Captain Namjoon!’ the Omhlophe supply unnecessarily.

‘He’s gone- he’s just- I couldn’t stop him I couldn’t stop him- he- he just…he stopped me.’

Namjoon sounds like he’s restrained- his voice his words, barely pushing out past his tongue. As though he was pushing past a barrier.

Something sinks in the pit of Yoongi’s stomach and he can’t help but glance at Jungkook. The young Vicitra is clearly confused, not quite understanding what Namjoon was talking about, but knowing something was very wrong.

‘Namjoon, what are you talking about, where are you?’ Hoseok asks quickly.

The line is filled with sharp white noise for a while, the sky above shakes and another sun erupts far in the distance. Then Namjoon’s breathing fills the Comms, clearly pushing very hard against his own mind, against his self.

‘He stopped me.’

Namjoon was clearly in shock, his speech slightly slurred, still forced as though fighting something- himself – just to speak. And Yoongi knows immediately that whatever happened was something Namjoon had no control or say over.

‘-and I let him.’

‘Do you see dreams?’ Taeh’yung asks out of the blue. Yoongi pauses a while, unsure how to respond for a while.

‘I do not have the memory to see dreams.’

Taeh’yung makes a thoughtful face before pointing around them.

‘They see dreams. Lots and lots of them.’

Had Yoongi seen dreams before? While he was being grown inside these tubes?

‘How do you know?’

‘Because I could hear it once- when I went inside their ship,’ Taeh’yung replies. ‘So many dreams. Past lives, Present lives, Future lives. All there.’

‘You need to go,’ Yoongi tells Hoseok at once, ‘You need to go to Namjoon.’

‘-I let him- I just- I let him go-!’

Hoseok is clearly torn, and for the first time, seems completely out of control.

‘We can divide the teams,’ the Omhlophe suggest, ‘Head Pilot will make his merry way to Captain Namjoon with a small protection unit, our new friends can guide the GI towards the breach, and we will remain here to help the Yisheng, and GI Yoongi infiltrate the facilitator!’

At his words, something in the facilitator explodes.

‘We will have to work quite hard!’

They all raise their gloved hands into a thumb’s/claws up.

‘What’s Sk’jin doing?!’ Jungkook demands at once,

‘He’s going to Sanctuary,’ Yoongi replies. ‘You’ll need to help him clear a path- try and connect with Ilya- concentrate your defenses and cause a distraction away from Sk’jin.’

‘Yoongi-,’ Hoseok shakes his head, understanding all too well, all too quickly exactly what Sk’jin was headed to do, and what in turn, Yoongi was about to tell him.

‘I will go to the facilitator.’ Yoongi says firmly and adds quickly, ‘Take Jungkook with you.’

‘Why won’t Sk’jin wait for Namjoon-?!’ Jungkook cries out, hands gripping at the top of his head, pulling at his hair.

Neither Yoongi nor Hoseok reply to that. Yoongi reaches forward and tugs Jungkook’s hands out of his hair.

‘Go with Hoseok- go and help Namjoon- go help Sk’jin.’

‘But-,’ Jungkook’s eyes well up with tears, teeth gnashing against each other.

Another sun erupts far within the night, and the ripples forming under it have grown in height- displaying the distance in the curvature of the horizon. The once still frigid desert now an ocean of movement beyond description.

‘We don’t have enough time- we need to- we need to do this much at least,’ Yoongi tells them, turning his back to the night and the suns.

‘Kan kal a gnai- Yoongi, lo kal ro!’ Lim calls as he hurries towards a small transporter that slides out from one of the larger ships.

Before Yoongi can turn to follow after the Yisheng Hoseok grabs his hand.

The Ngfy’widan seems to want to say something but he can’t seem to find the words.

‘It’s okay,’ Yoongi tells him again, sliding his arm a little to take Hoseok’s hand firmly in his own. ‘Thank you for drinking tea with me even when you knew it was poisoned.’

Hoseok laughs, short and laced with disbelief and-

‘Yoongi!’

He lets go and turns around.

It’s more difficult than he thought it would be.

He follows after Lim who is waiting for him at the entrance to the transporter. When he enters, Yoongi finally looks back.

Illuminated by the lights of the Menigišiti ship, Hoseok and Jungkook watch after him until he pulls away and the transporter speeds along the frigid sand, too fast and too far.

‘We will arrive shortly. What weapons would you like?’

Yoongi isn’t surprised to find Nineti there. Nor is he surprised to find Dehin, Amic, Saykahn, and nearly all of the remaining surviving Regurgitated. Lim seems to be studying them all, an expression that’s a cross between sorrow and frustration.

‘I would like a functioning Heliord,’ Yoongi replies, ‘And a TeorSer- not too large, if it is available.’

He’s handed both items.

Lim asks something and Nineti replies. Lim’s expression turns heavy, looking at them in turn before settling on Yoongi. He asks something else, and Dehin replies this time.

Lim looks slightly taken aback before he sighs, nodding once.

‘What is it?’ Yoongi asks.

‘Yisheng Lim wished to understand why we have all decided to stay,’ Dehin replies. He doesn’t look good- barely able to sit up even with support.

‘I said it’s because we have finally been found.’

‘And?’

Something crashes against their transporter, causing it to jolt.

It’s not a direct attack- rather, the transporter next to there’s had been hit, which caused it to bump up against them. As the transporter tilts, Yoongi looks down at the barren frozen wasteland overtaken by a sudden and strange growth of wild plants, their leaves and buds and flowers a familiar deep red.

‘Steady,’ Nineti calls, ‘They’re firing at us.’

Overhead, a new onslaught of Omhlophe transporters zoom past, twisting and turning in the air as they tear through the frigid landscape towards the base of the mountain. Even more arrive, swarming down towards the facilitator in drones.

‘Fear not- we will create a perfect diversion for you!’ the Omhlophe tell them cheerily.

‘Yoongi- Yoongi, I can’t find Nineti or Dehin.’ Hoseok’s voice cracks through the Comms.

‘They’re here- they’re all here.’

Hoseok doesn’t reply just yet.

‘Are you leaving?’

‘Yes…-yes. I’ve sent Jungkook ahead first.’ Hoseok replies, ‘We’re picking up all of the injured and strays in the area.’

There’s a pause.

‘Yoongi-…what did Jimin mean by saying he would completely break the promise?’

Yoongi glances up at Nineti and the other Regurgitated from Menigišiti.

Lim asks a question and Nineti replies. The look in Lim’s eyes harden but then he’s nodding before he speaks.

‘Yino’s promise was of hiding and safety- bound together unified under a Heart that would protect, going forward together under the same Fate,’ Dehin translates. ‘Tsirin broke her promise- the Heart, the mother, the core; it willfully and knowingly broke their end of the promise, and lead Menigišiti into a path beyond destruction – the Heart tore us out of the harmony and music of Yino’s song, disrupting our balance and destroying us nearly beyond compare.

However, we continued to move forward- because Fate somehow still guided us. Fate still tied us to the remnants of Yino’s promise.’

‘And now?’

There’s silence as another sun erupts- this time closer, mountain-like waves of frigid desert erupt high into the sky, past the thick dark clouds covering the area past the horizon.

‘If Jimin means to completely break the promise- then Menigišiti will cease to exist as it is, her people will be lost, no longer bound to safety and hiding.’

The light of the sun fades and if Yoongi listens hard enough, he can hear Jimin singing.

‘How can Jimin break the promise?’

Lim looks out, silvery eyes sharp and gleaming.

‘By killing the Heart.’

Taeh’yung looks at him thoughtfully before he raises his free hand, one long finger extended out.

‘What are you doing.’

‘Well.’ Taeh’yung frowns and it’s more comical than serious. ‘I’m not too sure. But he’s saying something.’

‘Who?’

‘The Second.’

Taeh’yung offers no other explanation but instead lightly taps Yoongi on his forehead, his eyes glowing a little in the process. A strange shiver runs down Yoongi’s back. Not one from cold or his sense reacting to something dangerous- this didn’t feel like that. It was different.

It’s louder as they approach the mountain base and like this, the facilitator is nearly just as big as the red moon-like ship that last rose in Earth’s skies.

All around the steep unnaturally smooth incline headed up towards the bottom of the structure that protrudes out just a little over a jutting lip of black mountainous rock is a low and wide entrance dotted with white unmoving forms and crashed transporters and ships.

‘Welcome! We have removed the outer guards! More are within!’

Lim doesn’t seem to be too put off by this, instead he says something and Nineti nods.

‘Yisheng Lim requests we guard him as we make our way in and to leave the remaining Verktaë to him.’

Yoongi nods before asking, ‘Have any of you sighted the Yisheng ship within?’

‘Yes we have. It appears to be blocking the way further inside and is also housing all remaining hostiles!’

Lim says something urgently as they stop right at the incline.

‘Yisheng says he’s unsure as to where to go within the facilitator- all those who might have known at one point no longer live today,’ Nineti translates.

‘Do you remember?’ Yoongi asks.

Nineti doesn’t reply for a moment before he nods.

‘But I would not be surprised if things were changed.’

Yoongi nods in agreement to that as they step out.

Something crashes down close by- a piece of wing still attached to its turbine, followed closely by half of another turbine that breaks into flying shrapnel. They pause, taking cover within the transporter before stepping out. They immediately form a defensive parameter around Lim; well, Yoongi tries, but he’s angled and replaced to walk right alongside the Yisheng.

‘You still need to complete your mission,’ Nineti tells him in answer.

They half-climb, half-crawl up the steep incline, slippery with ice, but Yoongi doesn’t quite feel the cold of it. The Omhlophe swarm around them, faster than them, seemingly unaffected by the ice or the cold- they form a swarming circling loop of defense around them during their ascent up to the entrance into the facilitator.

When they reach the top, the odour of blood is thick in the cold air. There’s a soft, almost apologetic huff of breath. They all stop.

Dehin is on his hands and knees, his breaths horribly shallow.

Yoongi had come across the GI in his trek through the forest. He had been kneeling, quite serenely, in a small meadow preserved in a strange dusty state. Yoongi had seen fragile dusty remains of grass, leaves, flowers. He had been injured then, but as they made their way forward back to Udāvana and were swarmed by the Verktaë, he had quietly moved to defend Yoongi, rather than attempt a more offensive stance towards their attackers.

Yoongi goes back immediately towards the GI, kneeling by him.

‘I cannot go any further,’ Dehin tells him.

Quickly, and quietly, they lift him up and make their way towards the entrance as half of the Omhlophe vanish down into the facilitator. Large sturdy pillars made of rock that transitioned smoothly to an almost transparent sort of crystal like metal supports the whole entrance that unnervingly slopes downwards at a steep angle.

Lim tries to reach forward but Nineti stops him, shaking his head. Lim is clearly upset and troubled, his hands forming fists. 

Nineti kneels before Dehin, speaking to him not quite in the language he spoke to Lim with. Dehin replies and then Nineti reaches inside his pockets, and to Yoongi’s confusion, produces a small torn piece of paper. Dehin takes it, and then offers him a smile.

With that, Nineti stands back up just as a transporter crashes against the jutting lip that was their ceiling. And without another word, Nineti leads them down the unsettling slope.

Yoongi pauses to look back at Dehin who, with slow hands, folds up the paper. Then he hums, softly, the same tune, the same melody.

Yoongi follows Nineti, Lim, and the other GI down the slope. Rather than attempt to walk down, they slide down, angling themselves as they smoothly land on surprisingly soft black sand. It’s just like the one outside, but finer and strangely much more compact.

Here and there, in this massive low ceiling chamber are bodies on the ground, white robes of the Verktaë, as well as the strange cloaks of the Verktaë.

‘The main facilitator controls room is at the center of the mainframe,’ Nineti tells them, ‘This structure is large- but it is simple in its architecture. We must continue to take the central path- and we should arrive there. There is no additional function in this place- all charges lead here, towards the center.’

Yoongi nods, holding onto the directions in his mind.

‘This chamber is always lit,’ Nineti suddenly tells him, his expression neutral though it’s obvious he’s stating something worrisome. ‘I believe the reason for crashing the Yisheng ship into the facilitator is to trigger a system shut down from within the central core.’

The chamber is massive. It’s also dark, so Yoongi can’t quite tell just where it ends, and the further they move inwards, loses where it even began. Yisheng Lim pauses a few times, listening intently though there’s nothing out of the ordinary that Yoongi or the other GI can here. He guesses it might not have to do with the actual sense of hearing, but rather something Lim was doing as a Yisheng.

He wonders what Amme would have thought of Lim; untrained Yishengs weren’t a rarity but a Yisheng born outside of the general idea and culture of the GLA was not only something new, but also something potentially dangerous.

With a strange pang of realization laced with sorrow and regret, Yoongi realizes Amme won’t be meeting Lim at all.

‘-an’t-…he’s-‘

Namjoon’s voice breaks over the Comm Device but it’s not stable enough to allow any form of cohesive flow.

Suddenly, Lim pauses.

He turns around, eyes wide. He whispers something.

‘Something is wrong,’ Nineti tells them. ‘Something-‘

The air shakes and vibrates and from behind them, the light of a sun- new and ancient alive and dead erupts violently. It’s followed by an overwhelming rushing sound, like some monstrous hurricane falling right above them. Yoongi ducks down, taking cover as he brings his arm over his eyes.

Yet, above the din, or maybe beneath it all, Yoongi hears singing. Soft, familiar- something he knows he’s heard in a dream a long long time ago.

The light abruptly disappears, and so does the sound. But the soft singing lingers, echoes of it brushing past moving onto starlight and spaces untouched and unknown.

But trying to overwhelm it, is a deep and resounding hum that rises far beneath their feet.

Lim says something hurriedly and he’s running.

‘What’s wrong-?’

‘Yoongi-!’ Hoseok’s voice is nearly inaudible over the white noise. ‘-that thing is back- that black void- we’re moving out right now- it’s bigger than before and I don’t know-‘

Yoongi and the rest of the GI all fall over, as though something within them is snipped off, cutting the motion of their limbs off.

Lim turns, shock all over his face. He hurries to kneel next to Nineti, clearly asking questions.

It was back- that strange pain- the pulling.

That meant-

‘No- no-,’ Yoongi grits his teeth, pushing past the pain, past the forceful tug, trying to hold onto the singing. ‘No-!’

Lim stills, silver eyes glowing in the dim.

The Omhlophe converge back towards them in a silent wave just as hundreds upon hundreds of Verktaë are made visible, the spears in their hands humming to life as they silently run over the soft sand towards them. They’re appearing from one side of the massive chamber- pouring out in numbers that is desperate as well as terrifying.

Lim whispers something, his voice laced in fear, and then Yoongi hears it too.

It’s the pulse- it was back again- but somehow here, in this facilitator, the sound is too close to his chest, pushing under his skin, as though to overwhelm and replace what was in there.

‘No,’ he repeats under his breath, shaking his head, he tries to concentrate on the faint humming, ‘No, no-.’

‘-oongi it’s spreading-!’ Hoseok’s voice cuts in sharply as a faint light starts to overtake Yoongi’s vision. For a moment, Yoongi wonders if he’s going to pass out, here, sprawled on the dusty floor.

Yisheng Lim is radiating a light- it’s a little unstable, but the force and power behind it reminds Yoongi of the older Yishengs; Yishengs who have trained long, lived long, studied and practiced for centuries and centuries. Lim’s control over life-force was clearly monumental though maybe unstable- and Yoongi watches, with something akin to horror, as someone born a Yisheng, but without the training or the laws reflected into each aspect of his movements, steal the life-force off of the Verktaë.

When Yishengs trained- this was one of the first things they were taught right after being taught how to not exhaust their own life-force.

The sand streaks, lines drawn deep as the unnatural and horrific display of how a Yisheng’s abilities could take away life if they wanted to.

And Lim clearly had every intention of doing so.

The Omhlophe don’t move, watching as waves and waves of approaching Verktaë collapse in heaps all around them. Lim’s eyes brighten even more, the air around him glowing.

Yoongi and the other GI suddenly snap out of the strange paralysis they were in- breathing heavily without realizing that they had been unable to breathe the whole time.

Lim shouts something and Nineti, with shaking legs that betrayed just how truly weak and unstable he was, gets up and trips over to Yoongi.

‘The Yisheng says he will contain the threat here,’ he slurs his words, pausing to kneel, closing his eyes as though dizzy. Yoongi feels hands pulling him up, and without looking, knows it’s Amic. ‘The Omhlophe will follow us.’

Taking a deep gasping breath, Yoongi tries his best to steady himself and nods. He loses it a few times, but when he reaches out, he hears the singing again. The Omhlophe drive through the bodies of the Verktaë piling in and continuously appearing from Spaces knows where. They’re just as efficient in driving their numbers back though not nearly as overwhelming as Lim, who when Yoongi turns back to look around, has a hardened expression on his face, but displayed no regret or hesitation in stripping the life out of the Beings who were still, in so many ways, from Menigišiti just like himself.

They try to push through- but Yoongi nor the GI are prepared in any way for the sheer number of Verktaë. It was almost as though two replaced the one that fell, and then their numbers doubled as well. And with the end of the chamber nowhere near in sight, Yoongi does not know how they’re going to push past this ocean of Beings, all trying to kill them.

It’s no surprise, when one of the Verktaë does push past- followed by another, and another, and Yoongi is quick to activate his Heliord, meeting the silent and dull-eyed Verktaë head on.

He had previously noted that the Verktaë weren’t particularly good fighters- but what you lacked in skill could very well be covered by numbers and that the Verktaë had plenty.

Before Yoongi and the GI can properly engage the Verktaë breaking past the protective wall of the Omhlophe, there’s another overwhelming bright light that strikes through the chamber. The song is clearer- louder in his heart, in his soul. And to Yoongi’s absolute relief, he spots the end of the chamber before him. But he also spots a complete breach through the mountain rock- something out of place has broken through in a huge area, torn apart metal piercing the black solid rocky mass- it’s wrong in every way. And behind it, just barely visible, is a long smooth black wall at the center of which a square opening lead out of this chamber. But between him and the square passageway were swarming masses of the Verktaë who didn’t seem to have a stop to their numbers, endlessly pouring out of the Yisheng ship that has crashed through the entire facilitator structure.

‘-oongi you nee-!’

Deep thudding sounds, sending horrible tremors all around them resound horribly. Yoongi’s not sure what was causing this- but he senses it can’t be any good.

When the light cuts off, it’s replaced by a sharp bright silver light from behind them- coming from Lim. There’s a strange surge of warmth that cuts through the cold and stillness lingering over Yoongi, over the GI. Whatever it was Lim was doing, not only was Yoongi sensing it, but so were the Omhlophe, and so were the Verktaë who stop completely in their tracks.

The Verktaë before him, who had raised her weapon to try and strike Yoongi, stares in the direction of Lim, eyes dull.

And Yoongi witnesses the strangest thing he’s ever seen.

Within the span of seconds, the Being before him, who was probably the same species and race as Dehin, age from no older than a youngling to that of a frail and then dead corpse.

The hollow ring left behind as a strangled collective breath is drawn is deafening and Yoongi is dizzy.

Lim yells something at them, and Nineti is struggling to move.

‘Complete the mission,’ he orders, kneeling and unable to move from that location. ‘We will continue to station ourselves here.’

Yoongi stands and just then, another light bursts through from the distant entryway into the facilitator and it’s followed by that horrible tugging in his chest, his body collapsing against his will.

He gasps, as the song cuts abruptly- and a horrible silence fills the air. Without thinking, Yoongi closes his eyes and  finds himself on a familiar carpet, the edges frayed just a little.

He can’t be here- not yet. Not yet. He knows that- but that’s not why he was here.

The door is open before him, and he knows he must walk through. But he was not here for that. Not yet.

Just wait. Just wait a little bit more.

The lights are switched off in the bedroom, in the living room, in the kitchen, in the hallway. The only light still left is the lamp by the doorway. It’s the last one, and Yoongi knows he will have to pass through the door – but not yet.

He can hear the ocean above though.        

It’s storming, lightning and thunder roaring over the sound of crashing waves.

Yoongi picks himself up from the carpeted hallway and quickly climbs up the stairs.

He’s met by a spray of water- the scene in this usually quaint and quiet open room a horrific twist of dark waters and heavy skies.

Carefully, he kneels by the edge. If he closes his eyes, his hands are grasping onto soft black sand, above and around him, missiles are detonating.

‘Sunshine,’ he breathes out.

The ocean roars.

He opens his eyes and looks down into an uncontrollable uncontainable fury and fear.

‘Jimin?’ he breathes out again.

Lightning slows down in its descent, igniting a bright light deep within the ocean.

At the very center of it, a shape, afloat in the water- curled in into itself.

‘Jimin,’ he calls quietly, holding out a hand, ‘I know you can hear me.’

Another lightning strikes down, slowly, breaking out of the sky and into the water, illuminating the depths.

‘Jimin.’

The figure turns, and Yoongi is kneeling by the OrTank once more, staring at the strange Being afloat within. He places his palm over the smooth surface. He watches, as the Being’s hand float up, and though not quite flat, curves over his own behind the glass.

‘I got you,’ he whispers.

The unknown Being, whose song sounds like what the stars look like, lets out a quiet sigh, hair swaying.

Yoongi closes his hand and intertwines their fingers as lightning strikes down right above them.

Jimin’s eyes open- brighter than a thousand stars.

The ocean crashes and falls away from all around them and Jimin is gasping for breath.

‘Yoongi-!'

Yoongi leans in, their foreheads touching.

He closes his eyes, and he finds himself being half carried, half dragged- sand erupting all over the place.

Opening his eyes, Jimin is standing above a calm and endless ocean.

Yoongi smiles at him as he lets go of their hands.

‘I got you.’

‘Don’t go,’ Jimin whispers tremulously.

Yoongi nods in reply.

Jimin smiles back, the tears that fall from his eyes lighting up the night that falls around them as the mood fades from the sky.

‘I love you.’

Yoongi falls onto hard mountain rock floors, smooth and polished, dark enough to be reflective. But that could be because of the water that was all around him, soaking him to his skin. Behind him, Amic is holding up his Heliord.

‘I had to borrow this.’

A few Verktaë corpses are strewn around him. He’s at the end of a long hallway that stretches out on either side of him, more doorways opening into this long space that seems to curve the further Yoongi looks into the depths, as though forming a massive ring.

‘It’s okay.’

Amic smiles at him, his eyes glossing over.

‘I can hear him singing again.’

Yoongi nods.

‘It’s nice.’

Yoongi turns away, breathing carefully and listening intently.

It’s quiet- he doesn’t know how far he’s gone in- or where exactly he was, but he can hear Jimin singing again. The strange tugging is still there, but he doesn’t think much of it.

Standing carefully, Yoongi closes his eyes and he’s at the bottom of the stairs, the light by the door the only point of illumination.

Go straight- that had been the directions. And so here he was. Every hallway or tunnel seemed to lead straight in here.  Towards the center, Yoongi spots a singular circular pillar that holds up the entire low ceiling.

There is no signal here but that’s not surprising to him. He doesn’t know how deep underground/mountain they were- what he could perceive of the facilitator from outside was huge, and the mountain that encased it even more so.

Passing through the low gateway, Yoongi steps out into massive circular chamber. The floor beneath his feet feel fragile, looking down, it’s almost as though he was walking on thing polished glass afloat dark and deep waters. Yoongi quietly drips water around himself, trailing behind him, illuminating his path with a light from a dream.

When he reaches the pillar- Yoongi realizes it’s a sort of lift. The doors automatically open, a soft light floods out, casting deep down through the ground to an ocean deep within the mountain.

Yoongi steps inside the lift and when turns to look out, finds gentle waves of water lapping up to the lip of the lift as the doors close.

There are no buttons, no screen, no panel. He feels a small tug in the lining of his stomach- like he did when entering warp, or when gravity was suddenly grasping onto his physical state. But he’s not sure if they were headed up or down.

Closing his eyes, he’s in the hallway once more, staring at the open door.

He opens his eyes when he feels the lift door open.

Again, he’s not sure if he’s further down deep in the mountains, or high above in its peak.

One thing he does know is that the singing is louder here. And it’s many many voices.

Voices long gone, voices yet to come. And they were all one in the same, entwined together.

The door opens to a narrow tunnel, carved out of the same mountain rock. He walks through, slower than he wishes, but unable to really be fast. It’s not dark anymore- rather, there’s a strange light that blinks rhythmically at him- strange static light, blinking at odds with the rest of light. As he steps out of the tunnel, Yoongi is met with the strangest sensation and sight.

It’s a massive dome- it’s so big that Yoongi cannot fathom its height.

And all around the dome, as though engraved and carved in, are circular outlines that seemed to be made of mountain rock but when they glow, appears thinner than glass, just as fragile. The pattern lights up, going high up, endlessly, overwhelmingly upwards, briefly illuminating massive and eerie globes high above, all dim and frozen in place.

The whole place ripples, sending strange patterns weaving through Yoongi’s clothes, through his hair, under his skin- it’s just barely detectable; the faintest touch of something ancient and powerful and dangerous and beautiful. This whole dome seemed to be full of it.

If Yoongi had to describe it, it would be like a sentient sort of gravity- if Yoongi allows it to, he could float within it. It wraps itself around him, studying him, reaching around and through him. Yoongi feels strangely very exposed, but at the same time, strangely protected.

The strange blinking light had been the engraved rings; some were completely dim, some were erratic, fading in and out. So this was the amount of charges around the planet- this room, this dome, contained the whereabouts of their status, overviewed them.

Looking down, Yoongi spots a small pedestal at the center.

This was it. This was where he could- where he could stop it all.

Something this small- seemingly insignificant in the face of everything happening right now.

‘Yoongi!’

The lights of the engraved rings immediately fade away completely, the song mutes, and the strange gravity abruptly vanishes and Yoongi’s stomach sinks as he spins around, disbelief as Jungkook runs towards him.

‘Yoongi!’

Jungkook exits the tunnel quite quickly. The young Vicitra stares around himself, shocked at what he was seeing but quickly looking away to concentrate on Yoongi.

‘Why are you here?!’ Yoongi demands, his throat closing up as Jungkook’s face falls, steps faltering.

‘I don’t know what to do!’ he cries out, completely pausing and falling to his knees as he steps into the dome, ‘Yoongi I don’t know what to do!’

He cries in earnest and the hollow in Yoongi’s chest aches from how it contracts. He approaches the youngling, his feet carrying him back faster than he anticipated, or did he simply not walk out that far?

‘He- he told me to protect Jimin. To protect all of you,’ he sobs, ‘But I don’t- I don’t know how!’

‘Who?’ Yoongi carefully kneels by Jungkook. He places his hand over Jungkook’s shaking shoulder.

‘Sk’jin.’ Jungkook sobs out.

Yoongi looks behind him, not surprised really, when he sees a huge slightly opaque dome was covering the center of this space.

‘Will- what is Sk’jin doing?’ Jungkook asks in a barely audible whisper.

‘He’s fulfilling his promise,’ Yoongi replies, breathing carefully through his nose. Jungkook looks up, eyes wide and filled with tears.

‘Does Hoseok know you’re here?’

Jungkook shakes his head.

‘Jungkook…-‘

‘I didn’t want to be alone- not without…-not without all of you,’ Jungkook tells him. ‘And I know- I know the risk. But it’s not-…let me stay here, with you.’

Yoongi just nods.

Jungkook reaches forward and hugs him hard.

‘We can do this together, right?’ Jungkook asks tremulously. ‘We can do this together.’

Yoongi hugs him back, his warmth, his strength, his life so out of place from this place. This place, a limbo between what once was and what is to come- this was no place for the present- for all of the life Jungkook brought with him.

‘Are- are we there?’ Jungkook asks, clearly looking at the shield.

‘We are.’ Yoongi replies.

‘I saw it moved when the doors opened,’ Jungkook slowly leans away, still holding onto Yoongi, as though afraid he would disappear. ‘Is it some kind of defense mechanism?’

‘It is,’ Yoongi nods.

‘But we haven’t tried to attack it- we’re not trying to attack it.’

‘Because it detects living Beings,’ Yoongi explains- it all made sense to him now. ‘It’s for our protection. Or well, it’s for our failure.’

‘What can we do?’ Jungkook asks desperately.

‘We need to break the shield,’ Yoongi lies easily, ‘I was able to shoot through it- but I think-‘

‘Did I trigger a secondary shield,’ Jungkook looks apologetic, eyes shining with hurt and regret.

‘It’s okay, it would have happened anyways.’ Yoongi tells him, ‘You should go back up, find some more TeorSers-‘

Jungkook shakes his head quickly.

‘No.’

He’s without a doubt, headstrong and determined. Yoongi knows this. He knows he won’t be able to deter him.

‘We both go,’ his hands are in fists. ‘Together.’

‘All right,’ Yoongi agrees easily, causing Jungkook to do a double-take. ‘We can carry more together.’

It’s strangely heartwarming, Yoongi thinks, because Jungkook is so trusting towards him now. Had this been just a month ago, the youngling would not have listened to Yoongi. But he does now.

It’s heartwarming, but it’s also heartbreaking.

Jungkook nods and turns at once, making his way back to the tunnel. Taking a quiet and deep breath, Yoongi raises his TeorSer and with the blunt heavy end, brings it down hard on the base of Jungkook’s head.

He instantly passes out.

He carefully half-lifts the Vicitra, tears pooling in his eyes. Spots appear in his vision. His breaths are loud and shallow in his own ears. Carefully, he sets Jungkook down on the floor by the entrance of the tunnel. He pauses a moment, kneeling by the youngling.

He doesn’t know what’s going to happen once he does-…well, what he needs to do.

Yoongi stands, supporting himself on the wall.

He leans down, and grabbing onto the back of Jungkook’s jacket, drags the Vicitra to the lift, all the way through the tunnel. And for a terrifying moment, he thinks he’s passed out. He’s on his hands and knees, Jungkook halfway through the lift doorway. He doesn’t remember how he got there but he’s nearly done with what he needed to do.

He wants to be more careful but Yoongi can only shove the youngling inside. He slumps down on one knee, hand reaching out automatically for Jungkook’s. Somehow he manages to raise his hand up and places a dry kiss over the youngling’s knuckles.

Yoongi manages to step out before the lift door closes.

He’s welcomed back to the loud silence of the dome as the lift door closes and the song comes back to him. Turning around, the shield is no longer there.

Closing his eyes he’s standing just some feet from the doorway.

But he was missing something.

He needed something. He walks into the kitchen, looking around.

No, not here.

He goes to the living room.

Not here either.

Back in the bedroom, he finds what he’s looking for.

When he opens his eyes, he’s standing before the pedestal. It opens up, a smooth display made of the same kind of metal he had seen on Lim’s ships.

When he closes his eyes, Yoongi picks up the soft yellow blanket from the chair in front of the desk.

‘I need to borrow this for a moment,’ he says to no one in specific. Then, checking on the line of ink around his ring finger, Yoongi turns away, walking towards the door.

The house is quiet, the moon has set outside.

‘The sun is almost out.’

He stops in front of the door.

He turns to the windows, looking out into the darkness.

Switching off the last lamp, Yoongi waits in the darkness by the open door for the sunrise.

Taeh’yung beams at him and then stands up.

‘Goodnight babies! Sweet dreams okay?’ then he looks down at Yoongi and says, ‘You too babe!’

He happily strides away, waving goodnight at the tubes, leaving behind a very stunned Yoongi.

After a while Yoongi too stands.

He approaches the tube, his nose an inch from the glass separating him from the floating dreaming Being inside.

‘Goodnight.’

Yoongi falls asleep later that night, and for the first time in his life, he dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is born from chaos- it’s always chaotic

It’s always loud

 

There’s always too much

 

 

 

In the beginning

He is too much

A thousand universes erupting within without wherever

Too bright too bold too strong

 

I cannot behold you

 

 

 

 

In the beginning

He is too little

Impossible small slipping between molecules atoms electrons

Too insignificant too faint too insignificant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that is what he is

That is who he was

That is who he always will be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The light of stars

And the darkness all around it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But now it’s different

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s quiet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s so blissfully quiet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s perfect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well.

Almost perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DON’T KILL ME

Also sorry at ppl who can actually speak and read and write mizo because my dudes I am not fluent and my spelling is atrocious if you cringed then please know SO DID I

Also love seeing bts meet up with the hot girl coach irl that was cute

Me, on any given day about the UN as someone who comes from a “developing nation”: boooooooooo get off the stage y’all

Me, when bts gives a speech at the UN and a performance: you’re doing great sweet heart I love you all

Im happy they’re traveling and doing cool thoughtful stuff but also CAN WE GET THEM BACK TO SK WHERE THEY’RE SAFE AND NOT IN A COUNTRY MAKING HEADLINES FOR HAVING FREE VACCINES BUT HALF OF THE PEOPLE DON’T WANT IT BECAUSE THEY THINK THEYRE GONNA GET MICROCHIPPED PLEASE I AM BEGGING

Am I generalizing? Yes. But considering the fact that I still can’t get vaccinated here in my country makes me bitter

Also here I am promoting my wonderful reader and artist who has made such beautiful pieces based on adegu on her IG!!! Please do give a like and follow!

https://www.instagram.com/fizzyxox/