Okay. Sunyoung had to hand it to Aron. He certainly had a mind for magic. Or at least creating things from magic. The ship they were in now was a far cry from what she’d envisioned initially. He had taken her design and morphed it into something more akin to an actual sci-fi cruiser, almost like something out of Star Trek or Star Wars. She wasn’t sure as she hadn’t really followed either all that much, but it was far more efficient than her design and… he’d added cloaking. With that, they didn’t even need to use magic to hide themselves.

                Well… the ship at least. She herself was still using magic to track Amber down, so Wonshik and Jackson were taking turns running a low key shield. Whether it was working or not was debatable but no one had shown up on their screens yet so they all assumed it was. Sunyoung had taken her initial compass idea and translated it into a handheld device more akin to a tablet. Right now, they were apparently on course to find wherever Amber was being held. Provided the magic was working the way it was supposed to and nothing was throwing them off.

                She could only hope that they weren’t too late or that nothing really bad had happened in the meantime and that Ren was okay too. There were just too many things she didn’t know. And they had tried looking in on them, but something had kept them from getting through. Sunyoung figured they either had magic blocking them out or that Amber and Ren were under magic lock and key. Either were possible… Though it did make her worry about how accurate her tracker as if they couldn’t even get a picture of Amber by magical means.

                “There’s movement ahead,” Aron warned softly as he pulled up on the controls of the ship and slowed them down initially, giving them time to turn their attention outward.

                “Wow…” Jackson and Wonshik murmured nearly together as they laid eyes on the floating city ahead of them. When they were falling out of whatever Metropolis they’d entered, no one had really had much opportunity to look around. Neither had they headed towards any other Metropolises when they fled under Sunyoung’s direction previously so this was their first time actually getting a good look at one. Like any standard city, it spread out before them with obvious tiers in the society. The outermost rim held lower quality establishments and smaller spaces. It did not resemble a slum by any means, but it was clear those on the outskirts were not particularly favored. Further in, Sunyoung noticed the peculiar circular structure that all Imagos helped maintain to keep humans like them out. There was a divide for this one though – the outskirts separated from the middle tier. And beyond the middle tier, there were rising towers that must have been for the upper echelons of society: aka – Royals.

                “It’s enormous,” Aron blinked in surprise, brows furrowed as he turned his head from side to side to better take in the size.

                Sunyoung had to agree. This one – Metropolis 1 by all accounts – was larger than Metropolis 3. Considerably so. “I think it’s so big because it’s the first Metropolis,” she commented, blinking as she frowned at the floating crystal beneath. It was massive…

                Almost echoing her thoughts, Wonshik pointed and asked, “Is that purple thing a magic crystal?”

                “Yep,” she answered without looking away, though she saw Wonshik reach into his pocket to look at his own crystal again in her periphery. Theirs were quite tiny in comparison. She wondered how many Royals had gone into making it the size it was.

                “Can you see any guards or defenses?” Jackson asked, coming close to lean against the seat Aron was in.

                Aron’s hands moved across the console and he did… something to get a reaction. “Can’t tell about defenses but it does look like there might be guards around the perimeter. At least if those hoverboard people are guards anyway.”

                “They are,” Sunyoung confirmed with a grimace, annoyed they were here too. She turned her attention back to the tracker in her hands and bit her lip. This was where it was leading them but she didn’t know where Amber was and she didn’t know what they were going to be up against.

                “Hmm,” Wonshik hummed as he moved to bracket Aron, all three men staring at their objective.

                Looking up to stare at their backs, Sunyoung suddenly had second thoughts. Not that she doubted them, but about them going into danger. She was glad they’d believed her enough to try but this was… dangerous. This might end very poorly. And if it did… it felt like it might be her fault. She had brought them here after all. “Umm…” she started to say, not sure how to voice her concerns.

                “Uh uh,” Aron stated immediately, shaking his head. “We’re not staying behind,” he countered, as if he could read her thoughts. Given that magic was involved, it was possible, but Sunyoung didn’t think that was it.

                “We knew it might be dangerous once we sorted out what was going on,” Jackson shrugged, giving her a lopsided grin over his shoulder.

                “But Amber’s our friend too and there’s no way we’re making you go in there alone,” Wonshik winked and laughed. “It’s not what friends do.”

                Sunyoung blinked in surprise as her chest suddenly grew tight. “You’re all a bunch of idiots,” she laughed once, sniffing as her eyes started to tear up.

                “Says the one who brought us along,” Aron snorted, looking over his seat at her. She should have been annoyed with the comment, but it wasn’t like she could fault him.

                “That tracker thing still pointing to the city?” Jackson asked, nodding towards the Metropolis.

                “Yeah,” Sunyoung answered as she wiped at one eye quickly. “I’ve got nothing about where Amber is but she should be there. Somewhere…”

                “Okay. We’ll just have to go in and search for her then. Can’t be that hard to find,” Aron murmured, turning his attention back to the screen as he pushed them ahead.

                “What if someone sees us?” Wonshik asked, shuffling over to his seat on the left side of the cockpit.

                “We get to try our defenses out,” Jackson reminded him as he split off to the right side of the cockpit. Both fell into the spinning chairs and activated what looked suspiciously like turrets.

                “Remember. We’re not trying to really hurt anybody,” Sunyoung reminded them carefully, not sure what they intended with their weapons.

                “We know,” Jackson and Wonshik answered in tandem, looking back at the same time to give her a reassuring wave. “They’re not lethal.”

                “Or ourselves,” Aron added with a thumbs up from where he was sitting.

                “You guys,” Sunyoung smiled, taking a breath and nodding determinedly. If they were ready, then so was she. “Okay then! Let’s go get Amber back!” she cheered, raising her fist up and pointing ahead as if she was suddenly the captain of the ship. All eyes turned to her in genuine amusement, Sunyoung flushed in sudden embarrassment, and then Aron shrugged in acceptance before throttling them forward.

                The nose of the ship turned upward and then leveled out to get them above the city so they could fly in from overhead. None of them really wanted to get too close to the crystal at the bottom. There was no telling what it would do to their own ship or magics. Though from above, the city looked very much like a metropolis back on their side. Something like Seoul or LA maybe. And there were so many… people? Imagos at any rate. They dotted the roads and paths and moved about like ants beneath floating disks and hoverboard using individuals. The sky above was still fairly light though it wouldn’t have mattered as the city below was teeming with it. Bright signs and overt illuminations seemed to be everywhere, making it hard to tell who was who amongst the faces below.

                Granted, that could have also been just because they were Imagos and subject to changing their appearances at will. Or not having any particular face at the moment. But for all that there were people below, no one seemed to notice them. Even the ones flying had no obvious idea Aron was steering around them with admirable ease. Unlike Metropolis 3, there were a lot more hoverboards in the air here. It made Sunyoung a little nervous since they were likely Royals of some kind. Magic users. People that might prove a challenge to handle if they had to fight.

                She still didn’t know what they were going to be up against, but a nervous feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach as they continued near the heart of the city. Taller buildings rose up like modern castles, overshadowing the rest of the city even as they surrounded the pulsing crystal heart. That had to be where she was, didn’t it? Higher and higher they rose, seeking to reach an altitude where they could pass over the buildings. They were nearly there when the ship seemed to hit something and everyone jolted forward.

                “Yah!” they yelped with Sunyoung actually falling out of her chair, the tracker hitting the ground as it flew out of her hands.

                “What happened?” Jackson asked, clinging to his controls with a panicked look in his eyes.

                “We hit something,” Aron answered in confusion, focusing ahead as he tried to see what it was. “Uh…” he trailed off, drawing their attention to the front.

                “What in the world…?” Wonshik whispered, partially standing up as he stared at the flickering barrier in front of them. The ship was still pressing against it, having stopped short, and the reaction of their conflicting powers revealed them to the denizens below.

                “Well that’s not good…” Aron murmured, frowning at the barrier before glancing down at his console to look at something that was more worrisome. “Trouble from… all sides,” he blinked quickly, looking at Jackson and Wonshik quickly.

                “Turret time!” Wonshik grinned, though it was a bit forced and his words were breathy.

                “Right,” Jackson echoed, jumping back into his seat as they activated their weapons.

                Sunyoung felt the ship hum beneath her as she carefully got up from the ground. The tracker was just ahead and she retrieved it with another look at the screen. It was still working and hadn’t changed. “Sunyoung?” she heard, drawing her attention to Aron who was looking at her from over his shoulder.

                She swallowed and looked at her companions. They were ready for whatever was coming. A quick glance out the nearest portal showed hoverboarders heading their way. Likely more too as soon as they could be summoned. Her dark eyes focused on the flickering barrier ahead of them and then at the screen in her hands. “We’ve gotta get in there,” she murmured determinedly, coming to stand abreast of Aron.

                “Understood,” he nodded once, taking a breath as he seemed to relax into his position. They both flinched when the ship jerked as Wonshik or Jackson fired something, but kept their attention focused on the way ahead. “Let’s see if we can punch through this thing,” Aron murmured with narrowed eyes. His hands reached forward and nudged at the controls. The ship hummed louder and the barrier hissed, but nothing happened. “Come on,” he whispered determinedly.

                Standing this close to him, Sunyoung could practically feel him trying to push magic into the effort. It made her skin tingle and sent a shiver up her spine. “It’s strong,” she breathed, glancing at their defenders. Both were focused wholly on their own screens, pivoting this way and that in their chairs as they followed something or other. The ship jumped in tiny motions when they fired, but for all their efforts, it was strangely quiet. Whatever they were doing though, it was working. No one had gotten through yet, but she had no doubt it would last forever. Nor did she want them having to worry about using too much magic in the meantime.

                “I’m punching it but nothing’s giving,” Aron commented in disgust, glancing at Sunyoung quickly. One hand reached into his pocket to retrieve the – larger – crystal piece, a frustrated grimace on his face.

                “Wait,” Sunyoung cautioned, pressing her hand against his to keep him from using it again. “I’ve got an idea,” she promised, setting the tracker aside and retrieving her own crystal. They’d let her rest for the time and it was her turn now. “Just be ready,” she whispered, giving him no chance to argue or dissuade her.

                Aron relented easily enough, shaking his head and shrugging once. “If you say so. Keep it up guys,” he called in encouragement with a glance at his screen, keeping tabs on movement around them.

                “We got this,” Wonshik snorted dismissively, even if he did sound a bit stressed.

                “Just do whatever it is you’re gonna do fast,” Jackson chimed in, adding a little more impetus to their efforts.

                ‘I can do this,’ Sunyoung told herself in her head, nodding once as she gripped her crystal tight. Focusing hard at the shimmering barrier in front of them, she narrowed her attention to one tiny spot – the point the noise of the ship was currently pressing up against. “There,” she growled, envisioning ephemeral hands jamming their fingertips into the space. For a moment, her envisioning flailed, scratching at the smooth, unbroken surface, and she felt frustration well up. Pushing that into the magic, the bite of her anger turned the fingers sharp and hard, snagging at the fabric of the barrier. For a second, she blinked in surprise and then doubled her efforts, leaning forward as she physically and mentally willed the space to rip open.

                “What the…?” Aron breathed in surprise, though Sunyoung dared not look at him to see.

                “You will let us through!” Sunyoung growled as her arms shook from fighting the invisible force. It was like pushing against a mountain. But one that inevitably, invariably, albeit slowly, moved.

                “Any minute now, guys!” Wonshik called, yelping when the ship jumped from something.

                “Aron,” Sunyoung whispered, feeling his presence nearby.

                “On it!” he called out, pushing them forward again.

                “Hah!” Jackson cheered as the ship started to move, the nose breaching the defensive wall. “!” he added just as quickly when the ship rocked once more, yet another something hitting them from the outside.

                Pressure pushed against her and Sunyoung’s vision suddenly zoomed in, turning black at the edges. "Dammit…” she growled, leaning against the chair as her knees grew weak.

                “Sunyoung?” she heard, figuring it to be Aron’s voice but it sounded so faint.

                Fighting against the seemingly insurmountable force, she closed her eyes and breathed deep. “For Amber,” she exhaled, making one more push. Her hands stalled but the pressure felt like it eased a bit. “Go!” she commanded, lurching back when Aron joined her in pressing forward. Her face contorted as the ship squeezed past the hands, driving through the breach like a metal baby being birthed.

                “Yes!” Aron crowed, alerting Sunyoung that they had made it through. Weak with relief and exhaustion, she abruptly collapsed to the floor, her legs buckling under her. “Sunyoung!” Aron yelped in surprise.

                “Huh?” Wonshik and Jackson chirped at the same time.

                Coming around just enough, she waved off their concern with a weak hand. “I’m okay. Just drained,” she explained, her lips and blinking hard. There were now spots in her vision but at least she could breathe normally again. “What’s it look like inside?” she asked breathily, forcing her head up though she did not attempt to stand yet.

                “Well…” Aron trailed off, head turning from side to side as he stared at the screen before him.

                “I don’t even know how to explain it,” Jackson added, getting out of his seat and wandering closer to help Sunyoung up while he stared out the front portal.

                “Like something out of a movie,” Wonshik added, drifting closer in turn.

                With nothing pressing on them from outside and a strange feeling of tranquility now that they were inside the barrier, Sunyoung stood up amidst the three men and they all stared at the scene before them. Surrounded by high rise buildings, the center of the Metropolis was easily the size of an entire football stadium. The open circle yawned before them with the purple crystal pulsing beneath it, a giant gemstone heart hovering below. Immediately around the innermost ring was empty space and curious devices that seemed to stand like pillars at set points around it. Beyond them were the occasional figure and towards the buildings were spaces more akin to mansion yards, complete with extravagant settings and pools and manicured gardens featuring all manner of trimmed bushes and hedges.

                “Are we dreaming?” Wonshik asked as he leaned forward and blinked hard at the strange shift in the landscape. It was like Beverly Hills but fantasy while the other side was very much the sprawling downtown of Seoul or New York…

                “No. I don’t think we are,” Jackson whispered, pointing down near the crystal where, at the edge of the ring, an Imago was standing. They were quite close to one of those pillar things.

                Taking a shaky step forward, Sunyoung was drawn by the pillar. There was something… She paused and blinked when the figure beside it reached out and placed their hand on the surface. In a flash, it went from opaque to translucent and they all gasped. “Amber…” Sunyoung whispered, seeing the young woman trapped within. From this distance, she shouldn’t have been able to tell it was her. Not with her head bowed as she sat huddled in the interior, not looking up. But everything in her screamed that it was.

                The figure beside her, definitely more of a masculine persona, smiled, the expression chilling rather than reassuring. He dropped his gaze to the crystal and everyone in the ship jumped when lightning sparked. It arced up and struck the container Amber was in, jolting her sharply. They couldn’t hear her, but her scream was obvious.

                “No!” they all shouted in unison, lunging forward as if they could reach her through the ship.

                When the lightning subsided, Amber turned an icy glare at the figure next to her. She didn’t see them yet. Not until he nodded once in their direction. Then, as if pulled by a magnet, her eyes drifted up to the ship and her jaw dropped open in dumbfounded surprise. Her brows dipped in confusion and she squinted, trying to figure out who they were. She looked so tired… and older.

                “Hold on, Amber,” Sunyoung whispered, nearly pressed up against the front portal. “We’re coming for you,” she promised, turning an angry glare on the figure beside her best friend. “And you,” she growled, meeting his eyes like he could actually see them.

(a/n: Okay. So finishing this story has certainly been a challenge and I don't know why. :/ We are getting to the endgame though and if all goes well, we should have two more chapters from here. I'm hoping to finish them this weekend but definitely by the November 2nd deadline. Thank you for being patient with me and I hope you enjoyed this update. Please look forward to the next!)