She first became aware of quiet voices murmuring nearby. They seemed calm and peaceful even. Just a normal conversation between several people. There was nothing wrong with that but it felt strange given the last thing she remembered. Taking a slightly deeper breath, Sunyoung convinced her eyes to flutter open so she could see where she was. It definitely wasn’t in that container she last recalled.

                “Hey. She’s coming around,” she heard in her periphery, the voice familiar and happy.

                “Sunyoung?” Now she knew who that voice belonged to, and she turned her head to see Amber’s old face looking down at her as she approached.

                “Hey,” she murmured, the word strangely difficult to push past reluctant lips.

                Warm hands grabbed hers and Amber smiled. “Hey yourself,” she responded, moving to take a seat on the edge of the bed Sunyoung was resting in.

                “We knew you’d come back to us,” another familiar voice spoke, the sound followed closely by an older Wonshik easing into view. Jackson and Aron – also aged – were right there as well, and Ren wasn’t far behind either.

                “You’re okay,” Sunyoung laughed once, swallowing and reaching her free hand towards them. “I thought…” she trailed off, not even wanting to voice the words out loud.

                “We thought we were done for too,” Jackson admitted ruefully, glancing at his hand once, new wrinkles and age spots evident.

                “The main thing now is that you’re okay,” Aron gestured, his voice very much the same despite his wrinkled face and graying hair.

                “Yeah. Sounds like you took the brunt of everything,” Wonshik added, sitting down at the foot of the bed. “We got trapped in those tube things but we were spared the lightning.”

                Sunyoung grimaced and Amber’s grip on her hand tightened. “Sorry about that,” the other woman apologized, bringing Sunyoung’s hand to her chest. Sunyoung shook her head and squeezed the hands that held hers tighter. She knew there hadn’t been much choice. She wasn’t sure about what had happened after she passed out, but obviously it had been worth it.

                “I take it we won?” she asked, glancing around the room and then focusing on Ren who had yet to speak. He seemed oddly quiet and almost guilty.

                “Yeah. The Royals have been temporarily detained and we have taken over their accommodations for the time being,” he explained quickly. “No one knew about the energy draining capsules they’ve been using and we’re not sure how long it’s been going on so a lot’s been happening behind the scenes recently.”

                “So many questions,” Jackson scowled as he raised his hands with crooked fingers.

                “We’re picking up the pieces though. It’s just gonna take some time,” Amber admitted softly, reaching down to brush the hair out of Sunyoung’s face, tracing a strand behind her ear.

                “I see,” she murmured thoughtfully, chewing on her lip as she took in the sight of her friends once again. It was a lot to wake up to and she was already tired again. And sore. But she needed to know more. Grimacing as she struggled to sit up – with Amber and then Wonshik’s immediate help – she exhaled and asked, “So. What else did I miss?”

                A fair bit apparently. They’d all been out for at least several hours, though Sunyoung herself was the last to wake about a half day after the fact. Per Ren’s explanation, when the barrier had broken, he and those who had been trying to get in to rescue Amber were finally able to act. None of them had counted on a magical barrier – another infraction the Royals had not informed them of as they kept traffic into and out of the center strictly regulated. Though the contacts hadn’t been great in number, their enthusiasm had managed to snag a few other Imagos and that ended up having a waterfall effect. A great number of Imagos had ended up flooding the interior and were able to bear witness to what had happened.

                Though Jessica, Heechul, and Taehyung were the primary Royals responsible for the incarceration of Amber and subsequent attempted murder of the ‘visiting’ humans, others had been deemed accomplices to the acts and had been… detained. Metropolis 1 had the oldest Royals and was apparently a bit of an anomaly when it came to how they’d evolved. So far, none of the other eight had reported back any unusual barriers or strange devices. It was possible that they’d been warned ahead of time, but as it stood, only the powerful Royals of Metropolis 1 were being questioned. Their fate had yet to be decided. For the time being, the only regular activity was the maintenance of the mirror roles. And even that was under review, given what Amber had learned about the history of Royals.

                “Not only did the Royals have relations, but they originally got the crystal from your world too. That’s why it works so well in your hands and why Royals in particular are able to utilize them so effectively,” Amber explained matter of factly.

                “You mean the giant crystals came from our world?” Wonshik blinked in surprise. Obviously that part was news to him too.

                “Well, the first one did. The other crystals were apparently created from fragments of the first, after it had gotten a bit larger. I imagine it’s not unlike what you guys did when Sunyoung found a piece,” she laughed, winking at the still bedridden woman.

                “Ah,” Wonshik nodded in understanding, patting his pocket where the crystal he had been holding used to be. Of course, they’d all been confiscated for the time being, but as of right now, there was peace in Metropolis 1.

                “So now the Council is trying to figure out how to address the whole situation,” Ren added, finally looking a bit more like his old self. It was easy to see that he felt guilty about their aged appearances and his initial inability to do anything to help. The Council didn’t normally get involved as the Royals on it often brushed things under the rug, but since they were caught red handed, they were having to work with Standards this time.

                “Do we know when they’ll come to a decision?” Aron asked, arms crossed over his chest with a pensive expression on his face.

                “No telling,” Amber shook her head and snorted. “Like on your side, the bureaucracy can drag their feet with the best of em,” she added, rolling her eyes.

                It made Sunyoung laugh. They all looked quite different but they acted very much the same. She opened to say something but was caught unawares by a surprise yawn that made her flush in mild embarrassment. “Sorry,” she laughed, covering with her free hand. Her other was still held gently in one of Amber’s, a fact she was not upset about in the slightest.

                “Someone’s tired,” Jackson laughed lightly with a gentle shake of his head.

                “Well I am getting old,” she shot back, the words meant to be light but turning a little bitter before she knew it. Immediately she forced a laugh and a smile she didn’t feel, but the words were already spoken.

                Ren ducked his head reflexively and Sunyoung winced at the reminder. She was more than grateful to Aron for standing up and slinging his arm over Ren’s shoulders. “None of that, now. We’ve already gone over this, jerk,” he snorted, shaking the Imago firmly and nudging him towards the door. “But we should probably let grandma,” he teased with a sidelong look, ”get some more rest.”

                “Sounds good, grandpa,” Jackson added as he came up behind them.

                “You’re one to talk,” Wonshik snorted when he moved from the bed to join the others, lightly ribbing Jackson with his elbow.

                “Abuse!” he wailed plaintively, pretending to be grievously hurt.

                They were noisy but their efforts did lighten the mood and made both Sunyoung and Amber smile. “Idiots,” the latter laughed once, shaking her head.

                “Yeah,” Sunyoung agreed quietly, guilt still weighing on her. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault that she was old… that they were all old… but it felt like it was her fault for convincing them to come along.

                “You know,” Amber started quietly, playing with Sunyoung’s hand as she looked down at it. “Recently, I had been kind of wondering what it might be like to grow old with you, but this was not quite what I was thinking.”

                Sunyoung’s cheeks grew warm at the… confession? Definitely the admittance of something. “Yeah?” she asked shyly, pursing her lips as Amber raised her eyes to meet the other woman’s gaze.

                “Yeah,” she answered simply, a quiet nod backing the response. She raised Sunyoung’s hand to her lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I still think you were foolish to come back, but… I’m glad you did,” she murmured against the still smooth skin.

                A quiet shiver of delight raced up Sunyoung’s spine and she blushed harder. “Well… you don’t leave friends behind,” she stated firmly with an emphatic nod. “And… after that kiss in the forest,” she added, speaking slowly and uncertainly, “you had me wondering.”

                “Right. That,” Amber laughed once, ducking her head in mild embarrassment. “Sorry about that,” she chuckled, a wry grin plastered on her face.

                “I’m not,” Sunyoung promised, using her other hand to grab the collar of Amber’s shirt so she could gently pull her closer. The other woman looked surprised for just a moment before she followed along willingly. Her lips were soft and tender when they kissed, hinting at a world of wonders beyond if they but opened that door.

                Amber raised one hand to cup Sunyoung’s cheek and then shifted to rest their foreheads together. Nose to nose, she smiled and intertwined the fingers of their other hands. “It seems a bit late at this point, but… do you wanna go out with me?” she asked, laughing at how cheesy it sounded.

                Sunyoung giggled in response and turned her face up just enough to steal a quick kiss. “Yes. I do.”

                “Yes!” Amber cheered softly, smiling harder.

                “You’re a mess,” Sunyoung laughed, content to just stay in that moment.

                “Never said I wasn’t,” the other woman winked, rising up to press another kiss on her forehead before coming back down to eye level.

                “So what happens now?” Sunyoung wondered quietly, not really wanting to break the mood but what was going to happen next was pretty important. They were both old and of two different worlds and she wasn’t sure how that was supposed to work out now.

                “Well,” Amber started, taking an uncertain breath. “I’m not actually sure yet. The Council has been working on something but as for you and I and the rest of us… I don’t know.”

                “Hmm,” Sunyoung hummed thoughtfully, running her thumb against Amber’s hand. “About that… I think I have an idea,” she continued with a shrug.

                “Oh?” That caught the other woman’s interest. “Do tell,” she grinned, leaning forward attentively. Taking a breath, Sunyoung nodded once and jumped into her idea.

                Amber liked her idea. The boys liked her idea. Ren was neutral on the idea but agreed it was good in the end. The Council on the other hand…

                After Sunyoung was recovered enough to get out and about, they’d all gone as a group to speak with the Council about their proposition. Initially, they were quite against it. Amber suspected it likely had a great deal to do with the fact they hadn’t thought of it and they weren’t super keen on changing the way their lives worked so immediately. On the other hand, it would address the need to constantly guard the portals into their world without cutting off the connection entirely. In short, it would simplify their lives considerably.

                After literal days of deliberation, the Council finally did come around to a general agreement. No, everyone was not happy, but in light of what had happened, they were at least willing to try a different approach. And since Sunyoung and company would be fronting the magic needed for it (they were already old, what else could happen?), they couldn’t complain about losing Royals. So it was decided.

                “Okay,” Sunyoung smiled, looking around at her three friends that would be helping her with this. They were still standing on the platform of Metropolis 1 but they’d be heading down to the heart crystal soon so they could at least utilize it for their magic. “Everyone know what they’re doing?” she asked, the question needless but a good reminder.

                “I’m closing the majority of portals connecting our worlds,” Wonshik raised his hand first. He and Aron had argued about who would do the heaviest lifting here and decided with rock, scissors, paper. Aron lost.

                “I’ve got Metropolis resettlement,” Aron shrugged, adding, “With the exception of Metropolis 1 of course.”

                As one that had used a great deal of sustained magic, Jackson’s task was smaller though far less guaranteed. “I’ve got physical appearance alteration. Maybe we can’t get the time back but at least we can look like ourselves again. Hopefully,” he added, clinging like they all were to the Royal scholar’s idea that the magic could reverse the physical effects of aging on their bodies. The wear and tear of the magic use was permanent, or so they all believed, but it was better than nothing. If it worked.

                Sunyoung nodded in confirmation and gripped Amber’s hand tighter in hers. “And I’m responsible for the establishment of the permanent gate between our worlds.” As they had discussed previously, they didn’t want to cut the worlds off entirely, but it would be much easier to limit access by having a guard at one station where they could still look into the human world – and cross over – if needed.

                “Sounds like we’re ready,” Aron encouraged with a nod, glancing down at the heart crystal below them. They were all a bit wary of it, considering what had happened the last time they’d been near the giant power structure.

                “You’ve got this,” Amber promised, raising Sunyoung’s hand to her lips again.

                “We’ll be back soon,” she grinned, reaching her free hand up to brush her fingers against Amber’s cheek fondly. “Wish us luck.”

                “Nah. You don’t need it,” Amber shot back with a wink.

                “I’m blaming you if anything happens,” Wonshik grumbled with a mock cross look at her.

                “Yeah, yeah,” she snorted, waving off his concern with a shake of her head.

                “Come on then,” Jackson urged, shuffling towards the edge. “Let’s get this over with and go home. No telling how things are gonna be like when we get back,” he added with a nonplussed look.

                “Don’t remind me,” Aron groaned, joining him on the edge.

                “It’ll be alright. Somehow,” Sunyoung promised determinedly, leaving Amber’s side with a quick wave so she could join them as well.

                “What she said,” Wonshik added and pointed at her, needing to say something. They all laughed at the response and then gasped slightly when Amber summoned the magic to send them down on flying discs.

                Together, they waited until they were directly next to the crystal. Hesitantly, they reached and placed their hands upon the warm, hard surface. “Good luck, guys,” Sunyoung encouraged, closing her eyes as she started to focus.

                “You too,” they added in near tandem.

                Power hummed and grew around them, enveloping them in energy. Sunyoung cleared her mind and focused on her one task, trusting the men to hold up their end of the plan.