Note: content warning for violence. I tried to make it so that it was not explicitly gruesome, but there are moments where actions are not brushed over. There are occurrences and discussion on self-sacrifice, as well as torture. If you are sensitive to this, then feel free to brush over those parts. 

_____

Sana didn’t know if she should let the man go or not. They’d let the girls know, now they were here with them. He hadn’t tried anything. She didn’t feel any of her fear or anger fade. There wasn’t even calm. He wasn’t trying to placate them. 

Another thought needled at her mind. This was Teresa’s father. He’d lost his daughter to these people. If the hair wasn’t an illusion, he was deep in his grief. Had he not separated from it? 

Tzuyu’s eyes glowed blue. “Do you want revenge?” The question still had to be asked. Compulsion was in her words. Why was Dahyun immune and not him? Was it a trick? 

His brow furrowed. “No.”

“But she blames herself,” Momo said. “Why would she?” 

Dahyun had gone to her people, tried everything to save Teresa, given up a lot of herself. It hung around her. Why hadn’t Gerst relieved that guilt? 

“It wasn’t Dahyun’s fault" he said. "She tried to save her. I know who's actually responsible for her death.”

Sana let him go. He stumbled. As he straightened, his eyes cleared. They flickered red, but soon turned bright gold. Anger. Then confusion.

“I understand your fears,” he said. “Do not feel guilty for not trusting me.” 

Right. He would also be able to read emotions. Unlike Dahyun, he probably lacked a filter. 

“Why are you here? We’ve already been told about whatever treaties were signed between your people,” Jihyo said. “Dahyun included.” 

“And the fact that you can’t stop them from chasing her,” Nayeon said.

His eyes turned pale, but they were a number of colours. “Was it someone from our clan?”

“Rila,” Momo said. “Red hair.”

“I know who she is.” He looked around. “Might we go somewhere less close to your civilisation?” His brow furrowed. “I can feel much of their many emotions from here.” He closed his eyes. “It is too much.” 

The way he spoke. It reminded Sana too much of her. Even if it was in a different language, the phrasing, the observation, even the expressions. All were so familiar. She felt tighten. 

She looked away, only to see Momo looking at her. The girl just nodded. She’d picked up on the same thing. Her eyes were already glassy. 

“We’ll go further into the forest,” Chaeyoung said. 

They began walking. Sana noted he was barefoot, his clothes were that same strange material, but a pale green. Did that mean anything? She hadn’t thought of that before. Had Dahyun surrounded herself in fear, hoping to be more resistant to it? Or was this just a coincidence? 

“Do you know what Dahyun meant to our clan?” Gerst looked around at them. “By your curiosity, I’ll assume she never told you what that was.” 

The comment stung. She hadn’t.

“She was right to. Even that gives too much away,” a sigh, “though now we are meant to be more transparent. It is only right that I be so with the people who love her.” Then he looked up and smiled. It was another very slow gesture, but his eyes glowed slightly green. His hand rose and the air shimmered blue around it. “Core emotions are a disputed subject, their greater significance is still joined with great uncertainty.” His eyes began to turn deep blue. “I tell you this because there have been correlations between those emotions and the people who they make up. They are either self-fulfilling prophecies or truly emblematic of how one’s life will go.” 

“What's yours?” Mina asked.

“Curiosity. The sort that is widespread, though not as foundational.” His eyes became distant—also something thing that reminded her of another person. “Rila possesses a far deeper side of it. Mine is more akin to confusion than what she holds.” 

One smelled like ice. The other one like a thunderstorm. Sana wondered why those associations existed. Why vampires were the ones who could sense it. 

“Dahyun’s core emotions are calm and sadness. When the latter first expressed itself in her, she withdrew completely from the emotional world.” He looked down at his palms. “I only know that it gave her great melancholy. She did not speak of that time.” Two shards of blue appeared in both of his hands. One was light. The other was dark. “In those years, she discovered how to make emotions physical.” Both disappeared. His eyes were filled with the same colours. “She returned to us and taught us how to do so, as well as one of the languages she had learned in that time.”

“Was she the only one to ever do that?” Mina asked. “Pull away from the other world?”

“Not the only one. Great pain would always require some distance,” said Gerst. “It will help the mind in the moment, but there are other times where no change can be reached.” 

Great pain. And that had led to Dahyun not wanting to be a part of that world. One she had devoted her entire life to. Yet that distance had led to her having this discovery, but where had it all gone wrong?

“From there, our studies led to a great expansion of our knowledge. We found which emotions were cold, which could energise, which could subdue.” A sigh. “And that is where the seeds of conflict were sown,” he said. “There were always slow exchanges between clans. Those aligned with fire or emotion cannot heal, while those who heal cannot properly defend themselves. We were not completely isolated from this trade, but we were not as dependent on most elemental fae.”

“So you didn’t give them much,” Tzuyu said. “They didn’t like that.” 

“We still contributed,” Gerst replied. “Though not enough. There were some decisions made that came from a place of arrogance, we know that now, but the others still stand. There are emotions that, if not handled by one of my clan, can be abused in ways that should never be.” His mouth twitched. “In the last years, we were accused of being selfish for each decision. There were wishes to combine the different forms of magic. There were also wishes to break out of our isolation, utilising all mental fae in the process.” 

“To control the minds of humans and other supernaturals?” Tzuyu asked. “Make them more accepting of you?”

“You can warp minds as well.” Gerst looked at them all pointedly. "Has that not been beneficial when a mistake is made or a misunderstanding occurs?” When they did not reply, he continued. “Those disagreements led to fighting, as well as attempts to break the boundaries between the worlds through other means. Our abilities were seen as a fusion between the mental and the physical magics. They tried and failed. Several times. They attempted to employ members of our own clan. They failed to do so. So they resorted to true violence.” His eyes shuttered. “And they did not fail.” 

“We,” Jihyo looked at them each, “we know the rest. Why are they targeting Dahyun? Your whole clan knows how to use emotions that way.”

“Dahyun was the most adamant that the other fae would not know how to use the magic in the way they wished to.” A pause. “She was also the only one that was truly unreachable in terms of what she knew. No mental fae could touch her mind, as they were able to read ours. That meant she kept her new findings from all of us unless it was absolutely necessary to tell us. Rightly so, I believed, as did many others in our clan.”

A part of Sana felt very cold then. “But they were able to at one point.” And not all of them had agreed with Dahyun's decision. 

His eyes fell. “They told us they knew of the benefits of sadness. That was after they had found the two.” 

He didn’t need to say more. His eyes were red and black. 

Sana looked away. Her eyes burned. 

"I more than understand your anger," Gerst said. "Perhaps the only consolation is that most are dead."

“So what is your warning?” Tzuyu asked. Her voice was softer now. She was beginning to trust him. 

“Someone used our knowledge to create the devices that drain emotions and,” his words faltered, “those that turn them against others.” 

Sana had a strong idea about who. She glanced at Tzuyu. was set in a line and her eyes glowed their deep blue. Tzuyu didn’t just have a suspicion. She knew.

“And the person who didn’t think Dahyun was right to keep secrets,” Tzuyu began, “you think they went as far to tell the others how to extract emotions?” 

His voice suddenly took on greater fervour. “I do not believe she knew what she was doing.” 

“You mean Rila.” Momo was exceptionally quiet. Sana wanted to reach out to her.

Instead she looked at the fairy in front of them. His expression was pained. 

“I had one daughter,” he said. “And two others who I love just as dearly.” 

“But if it’s her, then she ruined their lives,” Nayeon snapped. “And got one of them killed.” 

The red was overcome by black. “In what state was Rila when she was here?”

“Pretty in control of herself,” Chaeyoung said. Her eyes started to glow red. “How did you know we were here?” 

His eyes didn’t glaze over. “They told me where I could find you.”

“They?” Sana repeated. “You mean they knew she was here the entire time?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. They only said that Dahyun had found refuge among vampires. We decided that she could stay with you. The only term was that she could not live among us.” 

That she could stay.

The words tore at Sana. 

“And what Rila said made her leave,” Tzuyu said. “She wants her alone. They want her alone.” 

Sana felt like her airways were narrowing. They had no way to find her. 

“What did she tell you?” Gerst tilted his head. Another familiar gesture.

“That Dahyun’s supposed to be banished, but someone called Yrest is hunting her,” Chaeyoung said. “Who’s Yrest?”

“Next to Dahyun, she has had the most to do with your world.” 

“We figured,” Tzuyu said. 

His brow furrowed. Then it rose. Just like hers did. “How would you know? Did Dahyun tell you?” 

“A vampire and a witch were sent after her.” 

His eyes turned a pale yellow. Not excitement, nor confusion. Surprise? “To kill her?” 

“The vampire talked about scouts,” Momo said. “The witch said she wasn’t hired to kill Dahyun.” 

“And Helen was the first one to give her fear,” Sana added. 

The man’s eyes slowly turned brown. He didn’t want them seeing his thought process? The fairy’s gaze had gone to the trees. He was silent. Like with Dahyun, Sana could watch as his thoughts progressed, even if she couldn't watch his eyes change colour.

“Do you have evidence?” 

Jihyo spoke again. “You’re telling me they didn’t tell you what they were doing? You had no idea any of this was happening?” Her voice was rising. “Don’t you have people to know all that?” 

“Minds are protected on either side,” he said. “Usually.” 

“So both sides can lie,” Mina noted. “Isn’t that the reason this started?” 

He nodded. “It is how the mental fae believe we ought to conduct ourselves. I would agree.” 

“It’s a flawed system,” Chaeyoung said. “Any verdict you reach can be justified or completely groundless.” 

“Conflict among our people is extraordinarily rare.” His voice grew sharper. “Do you have something to prove that Yrest employed others? Did you see these people?” 

“We have talismans they gave the witch,” she replied. “But whoever has to see that proof would have to come here.” Her fists were clenched. 

Gerst frowned. “Our elders have never encountered vampires.”

“It’s time they did,” Nayeon said. “Bring someone with them who can protect their minds, I don’t care.”  was set in a frown. “What happens then?” 

“We will put Yrest on trial, Rila as well."

“Like with the others?” Sana asked. “And what happens then, do they all get sent into exile? Where they can continue doing exactly what they’re wanting to do now?” 

He was silent for a moment. “Their memories are looked into. As are their emotions,” Gerst said. “Depending on what we see, they will either go into exile or be executed.” 

“Can you find Dahyun now?” Sana asked. “Warn her?” 

“I will try.” 

“That’s not good enough,” Momo hissed. “You have to be able to do something.” Her eyes glowed pink. Sana had only seen her so furious once before. 

“I understand that you fear for her,” he said. His words lacked all bite from before. “But you must understand that these times are extremely tumultuous. Many of those who were once against us have given up their aggressions, but we had to fight for Dahyun to be able to live. We cannot risk falling back into conflict through any mistakes on our part.” 

“Mistakes like what?” Chaeyoung took a step forward, but Mina caught her wrist. “Stopping her from walking into a trap?” 

“Giving away where she is,” Gerst replied. He looked at Chaeyoung wearily. Along with the red in her eyes, he would be seeing a lot of it in the air. “As you have seen, my mind is unprotected. If I contact her without having my memory and thoughts shielded, anyone would be able to find that location.” He closed his eyes. “It is no secret that I came to you today. If there are any still sympathetic to Yrest and I do not know, they will comb through my mind. And if they know exactly where Dahyun is. They will find her this time. All of them.” 

Silence fell. The only sounds were of their breathing, their hearts, the wind, and the distant noises of the town. Sana listened for Gerst’s heart. It was slow. Just as Dahyun's was. 

The tension in her own chest rose. It was reaching a breaking point. Like in the forest. It had been three weeks since they’d last seen her. Sana missed her as much as she had on the first day without her. 

Then the fairy took a breath, before he let it out again. The next words were said slowly. He hadn’t been speaking like that before. He had been certain about what to say then. Not now. “When Dahyun came to you. Why was she here? What–” His mouth parted, but nothing came out. He blinked twice.

“Distant at first,” Momo said. “I think she was overwhelmed by the amount of people here. Especially in school.” She bit her lip. “But even after Helen attacked her, she tried to avoid anyone else feeling those effects. We first found out that she was a fairy when the fear spiked. Then after a lot of back and forth,” the corner of tugged up, “she agreed to come live with us.” 

“In a house?” His eyes were wide. Sana remembered then how houses had made Dahyun feel. She was uneasy in them, but she’d still lived with them.

“She asked a lot of questions,” Sana told him. “About the technology in a house, food, our culture.” She recalled the first time Dahyun ever watched a movie. Her face had been a mixture of awe and confusion, her brow furrowed as she tried to understand every single second of the film. “And our stories.” 

Gerst began to blink repeatedly then. There were tears in his eyes. 

“You do not know how important that is for me to hear. To learn.” His voice was thick. His gaze had warmed. “You are not lying to me, are you?” The look in his eyes was fragile. There was hope, but one that could be easily lost. 

They all nodded. 

“I will not tell you the entire reason why,” Gerst said. “With the connection you have to her, I do not believe you could bear to hear it.” He took another breath. “When I last saw her, she was in a state where little of her remained. Little good.” His eyes fell to the ground. “She told me that they would want revenge for what she did, that she had killed them all for what they had done. She knew they would try to find her and so she ran, to preserve the secrets until we found peace. She told me she would never come back, for my sake and that of the rest.” More tears fell. “I have lost my daughter, perhaps Rila as well, and I have lived believing I had lost Dahyun as well.” The words stopped. 

He looked up, meeting each of their eyes. The brown had disappeared. It was replaced by a gentle green. 

“But what you have told me, what you show me through the emotions I see in you,” a smile appeared, “it shows me that she has returned. And I thank you for that. That you fed that curiosity, that you loved her, and gave her something very close to a home.” 

He made it sound as though it were a beautiful thing. And it had been. She still remembered a wide-eyed gaze, a tilted head, and a furrowed brow. Her curiosity. It was a core part of her. Not like it was for Gerst or Rila, but something else fundamental to her. What Gerst had told them made that all the more clear. That part of her and other pieces of Dahyun had all been taken away. She’d started to build them up again. And now there was the risk that she’d lose them again. 

_____

Gerst left with one of the talismans. They kept the other two. It was a compromise. 

Momo was looking at Tzuyu’s list of events. Her finger traced the witch attack, the one that'd come after the werewolf. She remembered being overcome by emotions. Anger. It came from a talisman as well. 

Rila was responsible for that. Dahyun’s suffering. Teresa’s death. All that was her. 

And now Dahyun had left, still thinking the other fairy was a friend. She was alone for that reason. 

“Why couldn’t she have taken her phone?” she heard Chaeyoung say. “They don’t know how to use technology. They would’ve never linked it back to us.” There was a sharp crack, then the sound of pieces falling to the floor. Probably the phone. 

“She took no risks,” Jeongyeon said. “What if they can track objects or something like that.” 

“Read them,” Momo corrected. 

The other girl didn’t even look annoyed at it. She just sat down, her eyes downcast. “I feel so useless.”

Momo only nodded. 

“But if this pulls through,” Nayeon said. “If their society actually pays attention to what happened,” she shrugged, “Dahyun might be safe.” 

“Exactly,” Momo said. “She might be safe. He was two weeks too late. He has no idea where she is. Rila and the rest might.”

“But we saw that with Dahyun and Gerst said it again,” Mina said. “If they don’t want to be found. They won’t. And we’re no exception to that.” 

She remembered being in the forest. Dahyun had been close enough that she should have heard her heartbeat or caught her scent. There’d been nothing. Only when she’d wanted to be seen. 

"She's alive," Nayeon muttered. Her brow furrowed. "I don't know how I know, but she is. And she's okay." 

Momo closed her eyes. Maybe she was supposed to feel hopeful after Gerst had come, but she felt so much worse. The thought of Dahyun was at the forefront of her mind. The fear of her being alone had strengthened. It knotted her stomach. She felt sick. 

She wished Dahyun could come back. She’d been reminded of all the reasons why Dahyun should have stayed. Maybe they wouldn’t be much of a match for the other fae, but there’d be nine of them. 

Now they couldn’t do anything. They could only wait.

“Do you think he’s right?” Tzuyu asked. “Is Rila under their control?” 

“No,” Sana said. “There wouldn’t have been fighting if those other fae were that strong.” 

Maybe they had other ways of protecting their minds. Ones that didn't include sadness. 

“Then why?” The youngest looked lost. “Did she–” Tzuyu stopped talking. Was she going to breakdown?

Momo went to get up and go to her, but found she couldn’t move. 

Everything was silent. Looking at the rest, she saw that they were equally as immobile. 

Only Tzuyu moved. She was trembling.

The scent of fire filled the room. Momo recognised it from Dahyun’s apartment.

A boy appeared behind Tzuyu. He held a piece of wood. His ears were pointed, his eyes blue. He looked terrified. 

That was when she saw it. A grey coil was wrapped around Tzuyu’s neck, another around her arms. Fear.

Momo watched as some fae came in, while others appeared in her view. Their scents filled the room. 

Ice, fire, dirt, and thunderstorms.

She still couldn’t move. She tried to make something from ice. There was a sharp pain in her mind. 

Sana hissed. They were doing the same thing to her. 

“You have magic?” a strongly accented voice asked. She was tall and beautiful. Her features were soft. Her bright green eyes bored into Momo’s. Then they flickered to Sana. “I thought that was impossible.” 

Another voice spoke then, but in another language. It was familiar. 

Momo felt her heart pounding in her ears. She strained against whatever held her. The pain just strengthened. 

“Do not struggle,” Rila said. “We only need to get you out of the house and somewhere else.” The red-haired fae stepped further into the room. Her eyes flickered around the house, meeting Momo’s for a moment, before she whipped her head away. Momo felt a small amount of satisfaction then. 

“You won’t have control over your muscles,” the green-eyed woman said. “As we cannot risk your vocal magic seeping through. Though you will not be hurt.” Then her eyes twitched. Sana fell like a stone.

Momo didn’t feel any different, but her knees buckled as well. Her vision went black before she hit the floor. 

_____

Dahyun had been feeling faint thrums of anger and whispers of fear. They felt far more like worry and outrage. It was felt by all eight of them. She wondered what could cause that. It was in no quantity that was worrying, so she hadn’t done anything. 

She had slowed her progress, begun taking longer stays in forests or by rivers. It was difficult to believe, but she couldn’t sense anyone pursuing her. She retraced her route and the ones beside it, but there had not been a wisp of predatory emotions. What had changed? Would they send another witch or vampire to her? Was there a supernatural being she had yet to encounter? She wished she would not have to fight. She was content to keep running. There was no telling for how long their emotions drove them. If it were only revenge, perhaps Dahyun would accept the fate they had planned for her. Yet it was unlikely to be. If they had her, they would attempt to draw out the knowledge she still possessed. They would know which emotions were best to influence, which were most easily used to sway humans, or even other supernatural beings. 

She’d managed to get her hands on a slice of pizza. It lacked the flavour of the ones she had shared with the other girls, but she still felt some happiness as she ate. Her memories were full of those emotions. While they brought with them sadness, she felt the love, happiness, and humour as well. That made remembering worthwhile. 

She looked up at the sky. The moon would be full soon. She knew of a people who'd become most active by then. They wouldn't know what'd happened. She'd barely gone to them and they wouldn't know what'd followed after last visit. She missed them too. 

That was when she felt it. Fear. 

All eight of them felt it, but the one that came from Tzuyu—it was not her own. 

They’d found them. Had the witch actually had something the fae could track? Had they missed any possessions that still carried an enchantment? 

Dahyun stood. She had to go to them. 

The fear came in waves. She siphoned some of it away. It did not sicken her, but its very presence terrified her.

If they had known where the vampires were, why had they waited two weeks? If they wanted Dahyun back, why make her journey back longer?

How they knew about the connection she had to them in the first place, she could only conclude that there was an emotional fae on their side—or one who was forced to help them. There was no doubt in her mind. They were luring her there. 

Was this her mistake? Or had they always planned to use the girls? Had they just needed to find a fae who could identify the ties between them? Whichever the case, she would have to face them. 

Dahyun kept walking. While it was a wretched form of travel, flying would be the quickest way back. She had enough money for a plane, but it was not the right currency. She would have to convert it. She hadn’t used the crystals Rila had given her yet. If money was lost during the conversion, then she might have to sell them. She was grateful to have a failsafe. 

She couldn’t let Tzuyu feel this fear longer than she needed to. 

She had to get there before they gave the same treatment to the rest. 

____

When Sana came to, her mind ached. Thinking hurt. It wasn’t agony, but it also wasn’t anything she’d ever felt before. Not even when she had cast a spell that demanded too much of her. Not even when she’d fought and failed to save her family and friends. Not even when she was dying. 

She could move, but every movement was slowed. She could see, but there was some kind of filter on her eyes. She tried to summon electricity, but that just made the pain worse. 

Most of the rest were asleep, but she saw that Mina was awake. Her eyes were locked someplace else. 

Sana took in their surroundings. They were in some type of cage. If she were able to move properly, she could break it easily. But s