“You can trust them,” Dahyun said. “I know my judgment has been proven wrong before,” her expression didn’t change, “but the ones coming now have no reason to work with the fae.” If Sana wasn’t imagining it, she looked even more tired. At least she'd been sleeping. Not much, but it was a start.

“And what about working with you?” Mina asked. 

The response wasn’t immediate. It was another deliberation where Sana felt her hesitance and her doubt. Was she thinking about Rila? She wasn’t even angry about the betrayal, only sad and confused. 

“They were the ones I went to after my capture,” Dahyun finally said. 

Sana felt a distant gratitude, as well as love. Then hope. It was a hope Sana had felt before. One that had been falsely placed at the time. Sana hoped it wasn’t this time. 

“They were the ones who helped me even be in this world. Their ability to integrate and disappear has been exceptional. At least that applies to a few."  

So they’d gotten her a place to live, go to school, and built some sort of identity for her. One that had worked. 

“And Etera is also one I trust more than some in my own clan.” Dahyun smiled then. “Compared to me, she’s far from,” she trailed off, “what was the word you used—a robot?”

Nayeon bounded over. “You were never robotic,” she said. “Maybe a little like Spock, but not bad at all.”

Dahyun nodded. “Regardless, it is time for you to see them. They’re old, so do excuse how they might sometimes be.” She went to the door. She was excited. Sana could see short threads of yellow if she closed her eyes. These were people where Dahyun felt safe. That counted for a lot. 

Sana followed first. She heard them as they drove down the dirt road. It was already weird that they were driving a car. 

“Where are they coming from?” Sana asked. 

Dahyun looked up at her. In the light from the house, her eyes looked sunken. “I cannot tell you where.” A pause. “Their locations are hidden from all those tied to potential enemies.” Her hand slipped into Sana’s. While her skin was still cold, she was getting so much more comfortable with them now. “And if your mind is permeable in any way, you’ll have such a tie.”

It was subtle, but another jab that told Sana that she was out of her depth. And maybe she was, but she'd probably be finding out why later. 

She wished she hadn’t snapped earlier. She’d felt Dahyun’s shock. It had been the same surprise when Dahyun’s voice had been nearing a shout. She’d felt Dahyun's anger, but also the fear that was attached to it. It was the same thing that Sana had been feeling. It’d reminded her that they were both coming from the same place, but both of them believed they were right. Both of them had known how much the other believed that fact as well.

Sane took a deep breath. She could smell the fuel of the car, the leather of the seats, as well as the car's inhabitants. There was Gerst’s icy scent, a strong one of flowers, Etera, and several others that seemed to be purely that of nature. There was something else. Something that made Sana uneasy, but she couldn’t figure it out. Maybe she was just wary of meeting elves again. The few they had encountered weren't terrible, but there'd been something about them that was off. 

The car they drove was an old timer. Nayeon had bought one just like it seventy years ago. 

“They’re a little dated,” Momo whispered. 

“They are,” Dahyun said. “Their visits to the mortal world are far more frequent than ours, but some go every hundred years, others with even larger intervals.” A small smile. "They're always in for a shock with each visit." 

The car came to a halt, squeaking as it did. The lights were on in the car, illuminating five faces. She saw the driver first, a girl with black hair and eyes. Her skin almost seemed to glow. 

Then she saw Gerst. He looked sick. He was also the first one out and sunk to his knees once his feet met the ground. 

“You will think me weak,” he sighed, “but your natural is far from my idea of it.” His eyes were silvery-grey. He was sweating. 

Then Jihyo was in front of him, a glass of water in her hands.  “We know,” she said. 

And they really did. They’d had to practically drag Dahyun into a car during one outing. She’d avoided it afterwards, also going on and on about how machines like that were ‘highly unnatural’ for the fae. 

The doors of the car closed and things seemed to brighten. It was then that Sana realised that the light within the car wasn’t actually from the car. 

Three girls, two with black hair and one with hair that was almost auburn. In the light, Sana could pinpoint the differences. That light came from their skin. It was a warm shade of white and silver. A very familiar light, but far brighter than normal. Moonlight. And it came from their skin. 

“Darie!” The one with lighter hair rushed forward. She wore a smile that was somehow brighter than the light she exuded. 

Sana tensed, but Dahyun immediately squeezed her hand. A small rush of calm warmed Sana. 

Then the elf wrapped her arms around Dahyun. She was speaking in a different language, one where all the words blended together like some sort of song. 

The other two walked over. They were both Sana’s height, but carried themselves in a way just shy of intimidating. It seemed to be unintentional, as their expressions were gentle. Even so, Sana could feel their magic as thought it were a living thing that thrived in the air. 

And then there were their eyes. Like the emotional fae, they were colourful. Unlike them, their eyes were solidly one colour. Even more strange, it looked as if their eyes were made of gemstones. One of the elves had eyes of a dark ruby, while the other’s were of obsidian.

The girl hugging Dahyun broke away. Her eyes were a peach-colour, but they shone like diamonds. It made all of them look less human than even a vampire could with neon green eyes. 

“My name is Yves,” the one with red eyes said. Her accent was almost Irish. And yet, each of them looked Asian in all features save the colour of their eyes and the shape of their ears. “This’s Olivia, and that one’s Chuu.”

“That one?” The peach-eyed elf cocked an eyebrow. “What an introduction.” Even her voice seemed to brighten the early-morning darkness. 

And even if they hadn’t been glowing, all three looked as though they didn’t belong. It had to be the eyes. They wore modern clothes, up to date with the current fashion. 

Yves held out a hand. Sana let go of Dahyun’s hand and took it. Despite the light streaming out of her, the elf’s skin was only slightly warm. 

Etera had come to greet Dahyun. She’d pressed their foreheads together. She didn’t glow, save for bright yellow and green eyes. Her long hair was green and purple. A good sign. She didn’t look more than thirty. She smiled, an expression that seemed to come very easy. She murmured something in the cyclical-sounding fae language. Her eyes were a deep blue now. Sana could feel Dahyun’s relief, as well as a sort of anxiety. It wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. 

That was another thing. Sana could understand that element of emotions now as well. It was an implicit sense at whatever had caught the attention or focus of an emotion. Just like how you thought of something all of a sudden, not quite knowing from where the thought had come from. 

Then the fae pulled away. “I’m told the rest of you already know who I am,” Etera said. Her accent retained the hint of French, as Gerst’s did, but it was mostly Irish in how melodic it sounded. How long had she been among the elves? “I take it you’re Sana?” Her eyes had elements of gold now. 

“How do you know that?” Momo frowned. 

“Bit of scrying,” Olivia said. “Asked the wind too. Now we know all eight of the stories here.” Her face gave little away to suggest if she was serious or not. 

Now that they were closer, Sana could discern their scents. The elves smelled like the woods, but like other elves Sana had met before and not like Dahyun. What made these stand out were the faint scents of stone and caves, but also the strong smell of water. It was neither river water nor sea water, but Sana could pinpoint how it was otherwise a tasteless and scentless liquid. Somehow. 

There was another too, attached only to Olivia, but Sana couldn’t put her finger on what it was. It both unsettled and intrigued her. Her scent was dark, but also sweet. 

“Gerst would’ve told them,” Dahyun said, her voice almost chiding. In the moonlight, the black in her hair, eyes, and skin looked darker. 

Olivia’s expression softened. “A boring explanation, but it’s mostly true.” 

“But could you have found that stuff out?” Chaeyoung asked. “If you tried.” 

Chuu winked, another sort of sparkle in her eyes. “You’d have to be the judge of that.” 

“Where are we from then?” Mina smiled then. The peach-eyed girl's levity was contagious. 

“Four from this landmass, one from over there,” Yves pointed west, “and three from that island on the east.”

“That island,” Momo frowned, “is Japan.”

She shrugged. “Mortal names for the mortal constructs of countries.” A small smile. “Most don’t bother with such a thing.” 

“So we did glean a bit more than your names,” Olivia said. “It’s better to know what you can when meeting strangers.”

“Here they call that a breach of privacy.” Jeongyeon frowned. 

“We stopped at the personal personal details,” Chuu cut in, “promise.”

Then Yves looked at Dahyun, as though only now seeing her. Sana saw the way her expression transformed from gentle humour to something else. She turned away from Sana and hesitantly lifted a hand to Dahyun’s cheek. Her thumb brushed across the skin. She murmured something, sounding both like comforting words and something else. 

Sana wished it wouldn’t happen, but she felt a wave of jealousy take hold of her. With garnet eyes that held a quiet understanding and full lips that parted to a voice of song, Sana couldn’t help but wonder how long Yves had known Dahyun. Definitely longer than Sana had. 

Then she looked away, meeting peach-coloured eyes instead. The elf gave her one of her bright smiles, this one softened by reassurance. Dahyun had said they couldn’t read minds or emotions. Was Sana that obvious? 

“Do you want to come in?” Jihyo asked. “We’ve got leftovers I can heat up if you want.”

Chuu’s eyes lit up even more. “A wave micro?”

Before anyone could correct her, Dahyun nodded. “They have a great deal of technology here,” she said, going inside. There was a spring in her step. “It’s actually called a microwave.” 

Sana could feel a small amount of pride within Dahyun. She’d learned that the colour for that was white. 

Gerst trudged into the house, his feet dragging. The other elves and vampires followed, but Etera lingered. So Sana stayed, as did Momo. 

“You’re aware that you can give emotions as well?” the fairy asked. She didn’t deliberate over her words. 

Sana could only nod. Had she—

“The one I love can do the same,” Etera said. “So I knew of it already.” She looked at Sana, her eyes once again gold. 

“Does it work then?” Momo asked. “The plan?”

Etera’s gaze did not leave Sana’s. Was she already searching Sana’s emotions? She couldn’t feel a presence in her head, but maybe it was because Etera and Dahyun's magic was different? Or could Etera just get a lot from Sana’s expression? 

Whatever the case, Sana wanted to look away, but she didn’t. 

“How far are you willing to go for her?” Etera's eyes had turned a deeper gold. “Would you let them find the memories of your family? Would you let them take the love you felt for them?” Etera held up a sphere of purple. 

She’d taken it from her? How had she found that without Sana noticing? Had it been that easy?

Sana took it. The moment she took hold of it, the scent of flowers and fruit flooded her mind. She saw their faces. She saw them, smiling and alive. She remembered being engulfed by the warmth of her parents' arms. 

Sana dropped the emotion and looked away. She felt at ease now, almost cozy, yet the air was freezing. Seeing her family again had filled her with a potent homesickness, one she’d only felt occasionally in the past years. 

She looked at Etera whose eyes were not unkind, but they were still questioning. 

“Because they could take that from you,” the fairy said. "It would be very easy.”

Sana didn’t doubt that. Sana remembered when Momo and her had first followed her into the forest. It had arguably been at one of Dahyun's weakest points, but she’d wrapped two ropes of calm around their throats and they’d been incapacitated. She could have done whatever she wanted with them at that moment. Vampires were completely weak against them. 

Then a sharp voice struck the air. “Food’s ready.” Olivia stood at the door, her face once again unreadable. Her skin wasn’t glowing anymore, but her black eyes were no less bright. They were locked on Etera’s and Sana was relieved not to be on the receiving end. “You can come back to this when all are listening.” She stepped away from the front door, waiting. Surprisingly, her posture wasn’t perfect. She slouched. Her lips were slightly parted, as if ready to say something if they wouldn’t move. 

And Etera didn’t move. “I don’t mean to scare you,” she said. “But I had to show you what you could lose.” Then she went into the house. 

Momo was moving before Sana could move a muscle.

“Wait,” Olivia said. In Japanese. “I’d like to speak to the both of you first.” She walked over to them. She moved with a lazy grace, her feet falling gently on the floor. The further away she got from the house, the brighter she glowed. Yet she did not glow like the rest had. Hers was a harsher white.

Sana could feel the magic radiating from the elf. Now that she was away from the rest, her strange scent was more pronounced. Elves had to at least rival the power of fairies. Sana had only felt so weak once before. The day of her death. 

Momo was at Sana’s side. Sana looked from the elf to the purple ball at her feet. It was perfectly round. Etera took greater care when creating her emotions than Dahyun did. That she knew how to do so at all—did that mean she’d left after Dahyun had discovered how to make emotions physical? Or had Dahyun gone to her and explained how? 

“Take this,” Olivia said. “It’s no emotion, but Darie said it’s got a nice effect on people.” She held out two white disks. “And with whatever thoughts are in your heads now, perhaps it might help.” 

Sana only looked at it. 

“Darie?” Momo repeated. 

Her black eyes softened a fraction. “A name we gave her. Etera’s Elarie.” A small pause. “Once trusted, we give the newcomer a name we can say with ease.” 

The object pulsed easily. The light surged and moved like slow-churning lava. It wasn’t pure white. 

“It’s not from me, as mine looks and feels different,” Olivia said. “But it’s just moonlight. Nothing dangerous.”

Sana laughed. “Just moonlight?”

Finally, a small smile appeared. It transformed the elf. Rather than a predator, she looked more human. “I know. A lot to take in at first.”

Sana took it. It was both warm and cool. It gave her focus, but also calm. She thought of Dahyun sitting by the window, bathed in a pale white light. Did she always think of these elves when she saw the moon?

"How do you know Japanese?" Momo asked. 

The elf smiled slightly. "Others more well versed about humans taught me."

Then Sana registered in Olivia’s words. At first. 

“Are you one of the elves who didn’t start out with this?”

Something in Olivia’s eyes shuttered. Not a topic she wanted to discuss. “You could say that.” 

Was that why she smelled strange?

Another pause. “Come on.” The elf’s voice was a lot gentler now, higher too. “Food’s ready.”

When they got inside, Dahyun was explaining something in the kitchen in the elven language. Her voice had transformed into a melody. Her eyes were somehow bright, yet still so tired. 

Then she saw them and Sana felt her confusion. She didn't know what Olivia had said. Had she listened to what Etera had said? Did she agree? 

____

It must’ve been the eyes, because watching the elves eat was a surreal experience. They ate very slowly, enjoying each and every bite as though it were something priceless. It was leftover rice. 

Momo had watched how Dahyun kept an eye on each of them, often murmuring something, as if to help them or make some sort of remark. The elf she addressed usually smiled or chuckled. 

“Some of ours are in this world a lot,” Chuu said. “They’ve repeatedly tried to convince us that we should actually get a house with lightning to power it.”

“Electricity,” the black-eyed Olivia said softly. 

Chuu grinned. She did it a lot, but each smile seemed genuine. “With electricity," she amended. 

“And why don’t you?” Tzuyu asked. “You have the means for that and you’d probably integrate alright?” 

She didn't mention that they were powerful enough to do that. 

“We could,” said Yves. “But most of us don’t want to.”

“And the people who come here?” Mina leaned forward. “Haven’t they showed you it’s possible?”

“Of course it’s possible.” She set down her spoon. “What you humans have succeeded in doing here is incredible, no doubt about that, but this is no place I’d like to be long term.”

“You humans?” Momo raised a brow. “We’re not human.”

The response was a smile. It was almost condescending. “You were all born into this world. No matter if witch, vampire, werewolf, or something else or in between, you’ll always have a large part of you that’s human.” 

“So what you’re saying is,” Nayeon frowned, “you don’t want to be outsiders? We've got plenty of experience with that.”

There was a slight shift in them. Only brief. 

“Hence the coven, or?” Chuu asked. “Be surrounded by the people who share your experience of your world without being stuck keeping secrets.”

Interestingly, Momo saw Olivia’s eyes lift then. She almost looked taken aback. 

“So yes,” Yves said. “There is the element that a large group of us would attract a great deal of unwanted attention.” She shrugged. “But most are content to stay where we are.”

“Then where'd you get the car?” Chaeyoung asked. “And learn how to drive it?”

“It’s mine,” Olivia said. “And I was taught.” She didn’t volunteer any more information. Momo was pretty sure they wouldn’t get such a thing out of her. Like before. 

“Why did you come?” Dahyun asked. To anyone else, it would’ve sounded accusatory, but her eyes didn’t suggest anything like that. They didn't suggest much of anything.

The elves didn’t seem shocked by how Dahyun spoke. They didn’t seem fazed at how blank her voice sounded. 

Momo remembered why then: they’d seen something like this before. They also knew how it really compared to what Dahyun had been like before. And they still treated Dahyun as an old friend.

“All of us wanted to come,” Chuu said. “But that would’ve taken too long, plus Elarie said we’d overwhelm you.” Her eyes went to the vampires. “As in, we might be a bit world-shattering?”

Momo could agree. Moonlight being made physical was weird, to say the least. And then there were the consistent reminders that these people knew Dahyun so well. These were people very well attuned to her. 

“It was good you didn’t,” Dahyun replied. “You’ve already unsettled some of them.” 

It was so blunt. Momo was surprised that she’d say it like that. Yet the elves nodded. Chuu had chuckled, murmuring a small apology. 

“That was also my fault in part,” Etera said. “I discussed what is to come next too soon.”

Momo saw Olivia smile. 

Dahyun raised a brow. Then her eyes went to Sana. “So what is the state of that?”

That was when Momo saw something strange. There was more grief in her skin than there was fear. The emotion that wrapped around was black rather than grey. Did that mean the fear was fading? Or that the grief was growing?

“Wait a second,” Chaeyoung frowned, “the state of what?”

Dahyun looked at Sana for a few seconds. There was a question in her eyes. Who would explain it?

Momo wondered what Sana was thinking. It had been the first time either of them had heard Dahyun raise her voice as she had. She wanted to hear how Dahyun would explain it, especially because she’d disagreed. 

“I believe it’s like the sadness I’d placed in your minds, only it’s a stronger connection, particularly yours,” Dahyun nodded at Nayeon and Tzuyu, “where you were able to feel what I felt from the grief and fear.” Something flashed across her eyes. Guilt. “And here it is Sana who can feel and see my emotions, as well as have some control over her own in that sense. As in, she can pass some of hers to me.” She looked to Sana then and Momo could see a tenderness in her black and grey eyes. Seeing it didn’t make Momo want to look away. She wanted to understand. 

Then she saw a surge of purple around Dahyun’s eyes. Beside her, she felt Sana tense. It didn’t take an emotional ability to know what had happened. Dahyun had given Sana back what she’d given her yesterday.

Momo glanced at Etera then. She looked between Sana and Dahyun. Her eyes were still gold, but green had creeped in. What was she happy about? That Dahyun wouldn’t keep what Sana had given her? How was that—

Unless selflessness was one of the most valued traits among the fae. From what Dahyun had told Momo about the spirits and how her parents had dealt with that, it seemed to be as such. 

These aren’t emotions that should be in the emotional world. 

Dahyun hadn’t gotten rid of her fear after Helen had come, nor had she done it when the witch had forced her to take it, nor after she’d nearly been lost forever because of it. Was it all because malevolent spirits were created that way? It didn’t make any sense. 

“There is the chance that memories can be read from emotions. So,” Dahyun paused, “one could utilise the connection between Sana and I to access my memories without me having to live through them myself.”

“Which works,” Etera said. “Kendra found it through Eroan.” 

It was only for a second, but Momo saw a flicker of purple in her eyes. This was the elf she’d fallen in love with. 

Then Sana spoke, her voice level. “But I can’t control what emotions Dahyun gets. What if I accidentally open the connection when they make me relive the memories?” 

Again, Momo saw grey skin in her mind. Again, she heard Dahyun’s screams. If that was the risk, they couldn't go through with it. She couldn’t let Dahyun fall into that state again. 

Dahyun’s eyes were on the floor. It was then that Momo realised that Dahyun would be seeing the pain Momo had felt that day. She’d see the pain that Sana had felt. She would see what all of them had felt that day. 

When Momo looked to Etera, she saw that the fairy's eyes had turned dark blue again. She was seeing that too. 

Then Etera said something in the fae language. Her tone was questioning. The accent wasn’t like that of Dahyun or Gerst. It had adopted the extremely song-like nature of the elves. How long had it been since she’d left?

“We’re speaking English,” Olivia cut in. “Remember?” Her voice bordered on harsh again. Though she seemed to respect and care for both the fairies, both seemed to be stepping on thin ice with her. Especially Etera. 

“She suggested a few options,” Dahyun replied. “Either I give you the emotions they want the day we get there, or I separate myself from the emotional world on that day, as it might shut off the connection in the other direction.” Her expression darkened. “Or someone closes it off from the outside.”

Somehow, Dahyun wasn’t showing that she didn’t like the plan. It almost sounded as if she approved. 

“Is it guaranteed that those options work?” Yves looked to each of the fairies. “Or are you just going to take the chance?” Her deep red eyes were filled with a degree of anger. Momo recognised it. Like them, she didn’t want to take that risk. 

“No chance will be taken,” Dahyun replied swiftly. “Even without the risk to myself, it’s too dangerous.” Her shoulders were drooped, as though the conversation had drained her. 

“But is that part really for you to decide?” Etera asked. 

Silence followed. Dahyun’s black and grey eyes went to Sana. They were unreadable again. Distant. Momo looked to see that Sana’s expression was less impassive. It held a question, one that Momo could almost hear. 

“That’s the other reason you three came,” Dahyun finally said, not looking away from Sana. “What has the light told you?”

The words were fully nonsense to most of them, but the elves looked at her in silence. Even the fairies who had come with them didn’t look like they’d understood. 

Dahyun clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. "What has it shown you?" The scent of mountain air rose, but there was a small edge of smoke. Not anger, necessarily, but frustration. 

“Can someone explain this to the uninformed?” Jeongyeon asked, trying to make her voice light. 

“The moon doesn’t tell the future,” Chuu said. “But it does give us senses of what may come.”

“Key word is may,” Etera said. 

Yves raised an eyebrow. “Let’s not have this debate.”

“It’s one to mention if you want to make a point,” Dahyun retorted. 

“The future's fluid, but it’s not impossible to predict,” Chuu said. “And because of the doubt around us,” she glanced at Etera, “I have to say that the may means we expect correctly more than half of the time."

“Like how one knows throwing this would lead to it breaking,” Olivia lifted her glass, “and that money will be spent if you wanted the glass replaced.” She set it down again. “But I don’t know the state of your cupboards, nor how much you value such a thing. So I don't know the specific outcome.” 

“So how does that relate to this?” Chaeyoung asked. “You looked into the future?”

“We used the light to see what we could about your futures,” Chuu explained. “And if you’re united in those key moments, it becomes less muddled to see who lies where.”

Momo could’ve sworn the elf looked at her then.

Who lies where. Could they see Momo’s doubts? The specific ones?

She felt uneasy. Even though they didn’t have any psychic magic, they could still know a lot about someone, things the person couldn’t know themselves, because it hadn’t happened yet. They could still see things they probably had no right seeing, but they still could. 

“Satisfied?” Yves looked at Dahyun, a teasingly inquisitive look on her face. 

Dahyun sighed, but smiled as she did. The air had grown more comfortable. “More than half,” she said. “But that doesn't mean there’ll be less doubt in what you say next.”

Yves rolled her eyes, but she matched Dahyun’s smile. This was a conversation they’d had before, probably at length. The two sat closely together, but didn’t touch. Not like they had when the elves had first arrived. 

Momo brushed away the image. She thought instead about how long Dahyun could deliberate over fictional magic. How often had she gotten into a questioning cycle with the elves about their magic? 

The thought gave her a mixed set of feelings. On the one hand, it made her want to know more about the elves’ magic and Dahyun’s thoughts about it. On the other, it made her envious of that multitude of discussions they would've had. She knew how much Dahyun loved those conversations. She knew how it made her eyes light up. How were they supposed to compare to that?

“Not that we’ve sorted that out,” Olivia said, her dark eyes also brighter. “The light shines in your favour,” she spoke to Dahyun, “and the decisio