---

At some point, once Minseok and Luhan have passed through the forest and made it to the sight of Ekinmar's large entrance gates, Minseok feels Luhan's hand squeeze his just a bit tighter. And as they walk towards the entrance that's guarded by an android dressed in a heavy blue armor, Minseok glances up at Luhan for what must be the hundredth time this evening.

Worry, excitement, anticipation, and dread all seemed to be mixed together in his expression. And so, as Luhan and the guard converse for a moment (at a surprisingly rapid speed--too rapid for Minseok to comprehend), Minseok stands beside him and slightly rubs Luhan's hand with his thumb.

Then, the other two abruptly stop talking and the android guard gives a small, robotic smile and gestures for the two of them to enter Ekinmar. Luhan quickly says Thank you and before Minseok can even say the same, Luhan's running again and quickly drags Minseok with him.

Minseok swiftly tries to take in all the sights of this side of Ekinmar, and marvels over how grand and technologically advanced this place really is as he runs. Blue lights swivel here and there at the corners of practically every door and window while some trees are decorated with strings of blue numbers and such before everything smudges to a blur as Luhan suddenly turns and runs even faster.

Fortunately, once he hears Minseok panting and gasping for air does he slow down, and Minseok takes the time to bend over and catch his breath.

"Oh Min, I'm so sorry!" Luhan starts. "I just--I-I'm finally home and my mother is practically within arm's reach and--"

Minseok just waves him off while still panting before he slowly bends back up and puffs up his cheeks as he exhales.

"Would you like to take a break for a moment?" Luhan then asks, biting his bottom lip.

Again, Minseok waves his hand dismissively before he finally feels able to talk again. "No-no, I'm good--I just...can we slow down a bit?" He lets out another big exhale. "..., remind me to never race against you in anything, Lu."

Luhan lets out a relieved chuckle at that before he extends his hand out for him to hold onto again. And so, at a slower but still brisk pace, they continue on.

---

As they basically jog on, Minseok looks on with awe as he can see more of this city's architecture and agriculture. A lot of things seem way more pristine and wondrous than other parts of Skyrim, but somehow Minseok gets a strong feeling of home as he looks around. They pass by a lot of natural streams and bodies of water intersected between homes, and tall electric street lamps illuminate their way as they jog on a more pebble-stoned pavement now.

Minseok then glances up at Luhan to see the latter with his eyes looking wistful and worried as he looks straight on ahead. A feeling of worry then bubbles up in Minseok's stomach, and he looks back at the scenery, trying to think of a way to assure Luhan that everything will be alright but coming up empty.

Then, his eyebrows raise for a second as he takes in the sight of a fancy-looking home in the near distance with a young woman sitting outside on the porch of it. Her coily black hair's extended out in what looks like a big cloud and her brown skin seems to glow as the yellow lantern beside her illuminates her light-blue chemise and the book in her hands. Her head's currently down as she reads, but as they near her, Luhan slows down and surprises Minseok by loudly calling out the woman's name.

"Naroa!" Luhan exclaims, a grin growing on his face.

And the woman named Naroa drops her book and looks up at them with wide eyes before she brings a hand to cover and jumps off of the porch to hug Luhan.

"Lulu?! Oh my--you're back!" she responds before squeezing a grinning Luhan tighter. She then pulls back a bit. "Did you get it? Did you get the eternal flower petal?!"

After he nods, she cheers and then looks down at Minseok, and Minseok's eyebrows raise a bit when he realizes that she's an android (artificial lights in her eyes and all).

She then properly greets him and vice versa before turning back to Luhan and lowering her voice a bit. "Is he your partner? Also, why are you two glowing right now--" She gasps. "--did you eat one of the mushrooms down there?!"

Luhan and Minseok both laugh at that before Luhan tells her that he can't answer all of her questions right now but that they'll come back when they can to answer everything. She pouts a bit at that and lets out an Aw, alright before her expression turns kinda sad after Luhan asks if his mother's at home nearby.

"Oh, um about that, Lulu...Um, a few days ago, Lady Dagny and Sir Hugleikr took her into their home for the time-being."

And at that, Luhan lets out the weariest sigh that Minseok's heard from him yet, and Minseok moves to reach for Luhan's hand again while Naroa places a comforting hand on Luhan's shoulder.

"...I guess Lao Gao already told you everything in his letter, huh?" she asks.

Luhan closes his eyes and nods his head, looking like he might tear up, and Naroa just gives him a sympathetic frown before she steps back and says, Well, let me not keep you then. You're almost there, okay? So, don't give up now, Lulu.

"...I never said that I was giving up," Luhan replies with a slight pout, and Naroa and Minseok smile a bit at that.

"Good. So, go on then!" she responds before giving him a gentle slap on the arm.

And so, the two of them bid her farewell, but right before they leave, Naroa tells Minseok that it was nice meeting him and Minseok smiles and says Likewise! before he and Luhan quickly head back towards the same direction that they were going in before.

Luhan's deeply frowning now so Minseok asks him where exactly that home that Naroa was talking about is at, to which Luhan replies that it's all the way at the other end of this city. And so, with frowns on both of their faces now, they continue on.

-------

Meanwhile, at a forest far away, Jongin and Kyungsoo are currently taking a break on a log while surrounded by the sounds of owls hooting and the crickets and buzzes of loud bugs and nocturnal critters.

Kyungsoo had been running so fast with Jongin earlier that he didn't notice a stick in his way and had accidentally tripped on it--causing his ankle to twist a bit. And Jongin had looked on with worry as Kyungsoo started to limp before he quickly helped support Kyungsoo's balance and guided him towards the nearest log to rest.

It's been a good few minutes of them sitting here now though and Kyungsoo finds that he can't take it anymore and so he turns to Jongin and tells him that his ankle feels fine now. Jongin just gives him a look and says, Then why's your foot still propped up right now, huh?

Kyungsoo discreetly lowers his propped up foot before wincing and sighing as he lifts it back up. And Jongin just gives him another look that says See? and Kyungsoo gestures out to the trees at that. "Ugh, baby, you know we can't just stay in this forest all night though. We gotta get home."

"I know," Jongin simply says before surprisingly shooting up to his feet. He then surprises Kyungsoo even more as he bends down to a squat in front of him and turns to look up at him with a grin. "Hop on."

A smile grows on Kyungsoo's face at this and he lets out an amused huff before he slowly moves towards the edge of the log and asks Jongin if he's sure that he'll be able to carry him the whole way. Jongin then makes some cheesy jest about the power of love giving him strength and Kyungsoo just laughs as he hobbles and settles around Jongin's back, before he and Jongin try to keep each others' balance as Jongin bends back up and holds onto him better.

And so, Jongin carries him the rest of the way to their home-village, and Kyungsoo ends up pocketing his glasses and resting his head on Jongin's left shoulder as he dozes off to sleep.

---

The sound of a door being unlocked suddenly wakes Kyungsoo up from his slumber and he jolts awake to find that he's thankfully still being carried by Jongin. Jongin jolts too at the sudden movement and almost drops him before he turns his head to smile at him and asks if he slept alright. Kyungsoo just squints and nods his head before Jongin opens their home's door and carries him inside.

It's just like they left it when they first went on this journey some weeks ago, with everything still in its place and currently being shined upon by Jongin's green aura. Jongin then walks towards their shared bed and bends down slightly to let Kyungsoo safely get off him, and Kyungsoo does just that and sits on the bed before Jongin moves to join him. With a tired smile, Kyungsoo then pecks Jongin's lips and Jongin smiles and kisses him back.

Then, Jongin lifts his arm to wrap around Kyungsoo's shoulders and Kyungsoo lets out a fond hum and rests his head on Jongin's right shoulder. For a comfortable moment, neither of them say anything but Kyungsoo already knows his husband's heart and vice versa.

There's still a lot to do, but for now...let's just stay like this.

-------

Back at Ekinmar, Luhan and Minseok are finally getting closer to the Dagny-Hugleikr home and Luhan finds himself getting kind of emotional the closer that they get. It's like all that he can see is his mother in a comatose state, and those buried down feelings of grief start to rise up to the surface again.

And he doesn't even realize that he's started crying until Minseok suggests that they stop for a bit. Luhan looks at him and stops jogging, and so the two of them stand there, with Minseok looking at him with worry and concern as Luhan wipes away his own tears.

"Luhan."

Luhan stops wiping his eyes for a moment to see Minseok with his arms wide open now, and without a word, Luhan rushes to him and wraps his arms tight around him while Minseok does the same.

"...I swear I can never really think of the best words to say in a situation like this but um, I'm here, okay? Anything that happens, I'll be here for you." He then slowly starts rubbing Luhan's back up and down and his voice softens. "It's okay...it'll be alright."

Luhan lets his tears fall at this and just nods his head against Minseok's shoulder before he squeezes tighter. And time seems to freeze for this moment as they stay like this, until Luhan finds himself feeling a little calmer and finally pulls away.

Minseok's still looking at him with worry though and reaches for his hand again before he cautiously asks if he's ready to keep going. And with a deep sigh, Luhan nods his head and says, Yes.

---

Some minutes later, the two of them finally reach the Dagny-Hugleikr home, and Luhan tries to take in deep breaths at Minseok's request before he knocks firmly on their front door. He can already hear noises inside, with someone snoring and what seems like another person simply breathing before sharply inhaling at the sounds of him knocking.

Then, he hears the sounds of someone getting up from a rickety old chair and walking towards the door, and judging by the heavy footsteps, it must be none other than Aunt Dagny. Then, once he hears her call out a Who goes there at this time?, he finds himself crying all over again and says, Aunt Dagny, it's me, Luhan.

She then lets out a stuttery gasp and he hears the sounds of locks being unlocked before she s the door open and brings her pale, freckled hands to cover as her eyes brim with tears. And instead of her usual armor, she's dressed in a white nightgown with her long orange and rosy-blonde hair pulled back into a braid.

This is his mother's best friend of many years who'd come over to their home every other day with her husband just to chat with them and such. She's someone who helped his mother teach Luhan how to read, how to speak with pause fillers, helped inspire his sense of humor, and basically just been another supportive parental figure in his life.

Immediately, the two of them hug and he continues crying while telling her that he's alright and got an eternal flower petal (after she asks why he's glowing right now). She then pulls back and looks down at him with shock, and he quickly digs through his pack to show her his shimmering, black petal.

"Oh my--I-I'd have never imagined it to be true...The legends were real?" she says in awe, her husky voice bringing such nostalgia to Luhan. He simply nods his head before she turns to look at Minseok and her eyes widen. "Oh! I'm sorry I never greeted you properly--um, I assume you're one of Luhan's companions from his journey?"

"Um, yeah. I-I wanted to be here to support him," Minseok responds.

She half-smiles at that and then properly introduces herself to Minseok and vice versa before Luhan asks if he can see his mother. Her smile then instantly disappears at that and he feels a pit of dread appear in his stomach as she says Yes, of course and leads them towards her bedroom.

And there, lying on the bed is his frail mother, with a small, black portal hovering above her stomach and a breathing mechanism with a tube poking out surrounding the lower half of her face.

Immediately, Luhan rushes over to her and moves to feel her hand before crying with relief when he feels a slight warmth and a pulse coming from her. And sitting at the opposite side of the bed on his wheel-chair, lies Uncle Hugleikr who's currently asleep and snoring loudly (his technomagic still seeming to work while he's asleep). With a thankful expression directed towards his sleeping form, Luhan then looks back at his mother and feels himself getting choked up again before he has to look away.

Suddenly, a hand rests on his shoulder and he looks up to see his Aunt Dagny who frowns and informs him of how long she's been like this since he left for his journey.

"But with your petal, dear, I think our Li Yin can finally wake up again and this nightmare can finally, finally end," she then says before letting out a sigh. "Now, how do we go about doing this, hm?"

And so, Luhan tells her about what has to be done with the petal (according to the eternal flower herself) and Aunt Dagny quickly leads them towards her cooking spit before she goes to fetch a bucket of water to dump into the pot and let it boil.

The three of them then just anxiously watch as the water boils before Aunt Dagny hurriedly grabs for a lidded tea bowl, and Luhan tears off a piece of the shimmering eternal flower petal and places it at the bottom of said tea bowl. She then scoops up some hot water and carefully pours it into the tea bowl, and all three of them watch in amazement as swirls of black fog mixed with twinkling golden specks rise from the tea before dissipating into the air.

Luhan then feels a sense of calm wash over him after inhaling said air, and with gentler and more careful movements, Aunt Dagny brings the bowl of tea over to Luhan's mother and more specifically, the portal resting above his mother's stomach. She then looks at him and Minseok with worried eyes and says, By the Nine, I hope this works before she scrunches up her face and pours the hot tea into the portal.

Nothing seems to happen for a good moment before Luhan sees his mother's eyebrows twitch and he cries all over again.

"Li Yin!" Aunt Dagny cries, lifting the now empty bowl and quickly setting it on the bed. She then reaches for her best friend's hand. "Wake up, dear. Please."

Luhan then quickly moves closer to scan his mother's vitals while Minseok tightly holds onto his hand again. And as he looks up and down his mother's body, he senses a state of rapid healing running throughout her body in what can only be best described as a tree growing new branches and leaves.

Muscles and bones that have become used to disuse start to gain revitalization, and her lungs which contained that mysterious disease that led to her comatose state quickly get repaired by the eternal flower's magic...and with a gasp, his mother opens her eyes and finally, finally wakes up again.

Luhan cries the hardest at this and rushes to feel her hand as she slowly looks around the room and blinks in confusion.

"Lu...lu?" she then says, her usually soft, soothing voice sounding raspy from disuse and slightly muffled by the breathing mechanism.

Luhan gently squeezes her hand while still crying. "Yes, mother, it's me."

Her eyes slowly crinkle at that, and so the three of them end up talking to her some more, with Luhan introducing Minseok to her, her asking about their journey after she and Luhan hug for a long moment, her chatting with Aunt Dagny and Uncle Hugleikr after Aunt Dagny nudges him awake etc. And