With ease, Gain, Gunwoo, and Insoo spiraled into the Trance space. The gold sighted on Taekwoon and Jinki first, standing shoulder to shoulder with joined hands, their fingers interlaced. It was one thing to hear them, another entirely to see them in person. Relieved joy suffused her being and she landed quickly to scoop the pair into her dragon arms and hold them close. She ducked head to smell at them, confirming for herself they were everything she thought they were, and then wrapped her wings tight, as if she could somehow keep them from anything else that might happen.

            I had hoped, but wasn’t sure I could believe… she trailed off, her voice just loud enough to wash over them and catch Insoo’s ears.

            “We are alive,” Taekwoon promised, his free hand rising to rub at Gain’s nose in a familiar, tender gesture. “As alive as we all can be anyway,” he amended softly, the whistle of his sigh more than loud in Gain’s hearing.

            It is enough, she assured him, taking another deep inhale and crooning softly. Gain almost felt as if she’d gotten her children back. She knew it was in part because she had been playing mother and caretaker to so many recently, but this time… the tug at her heart was a little bit stronger. Especially because I know what you did, Taekwoon, she murmured, the warm and proud smile shining in her voice. And Jonghyun, she added when a questing rumble emerged from the human that harbored his dragon’s spirit.

            “Huh? What did they do?” Insoo asked from behind Gain’s wings, clearly curious and getting slightly impatient.

            With some reluctance, Gain unfurled her wings and carefully set the two humans down before shifting into her human form. Out of habit, she conjured clothing for herself, but kept her own counsel when she realized that both Taekwoon and Jinki seemed quite comfortable without any. She hid her smile and then turned to address a modestly covered Insoo, “They saved us.”

            Insoo glanced around as he nodded in agreement at the obvious and made a hesitant sound of acknowledgement. “I think they saved everyone,” he added appreciatively.

            “No,” Gain laughed once with a nod towards the outside world. “The lightning.”

            It took a moment for the comment to register and then Insoo blinked in surprise with a quick inhale. “Really?!”

            Taekwoon tried to wave off Insoo’s wide eyed stare while Jinki shrugged in mild confusion. But Gain simply smiled and nodded. “I’m not sure how, but I smelled you in the char,” she murmured, reaching out to brush the backs of her fingers against Taekwoon’s cheek.

            A copper outline rose up and preened under the attention. I protect home and rider protect friends.

            Gain noticed Taekwoon’s hand tighten on Jinki’s but she kept her attention settled on his face instead. “Tiamat… let us go,” he started to say before his brows furrowed and he shook his head. It wasn’t quite right. “No. I think… she pushed us to go.”

            The copper head tilted and Jonghyun grumbled softly. Father wanted to kill everyone. Mother wanted to save. She… tried to help everyone.

            “How… did this happen? I mean, what happened?” Insoo asked, stepping a little closer with obvious awe and concern on his face. It was clear he was happy to see his friends, but it was also apparent that things were a little overwhelming.

            “A lot,” Jinki spoke up, clasping Taekwoon’s hand in both of his. “We’re still trying to get everything sorted,” he shrugged with a helpless look.

            I try explain, but no have all the words, Jongup admitted as he rose up from Jinki’s body, his head like an extension of the human’s.

            “And why are Jonghyun and Jongup in you?” the wing leader couldn’t help but ask, brows scrunched together in confusion.

            “Well…” Taekwoon trailed off hesitantly, glancing at Jinki and then looking away.

            Gain took a quiet breath and shook her head before she motioned for Gunwoo to come closer. “Why don’t you talk to Insoo and we’ll speak with Jonghyun and Jongup to help get things sorted.”

            “Good idea,” Jinki smiled, reaching up to brush at Jongup’s ghostly form as if giving permission for the blue to step outside. Jonghyun did the same with Taekwoon, though they both remained connected with their tails apparently acting as anchors. Nor did they solidify when they stepped free. The pair were still very much translucent.

            With a quick breath, Gain shifted back into her dragon form and stood shoulder to shoulder with Gunwoo. While the humans recounted what they knew, the dragons spoke with all the tools of communication at their disposal, allowing the two experienced dragons to piece things together bit by bit. Between the combination of draconic sounds, Trance speak, and body language, their stories were not unlike riding the winds during a storm: she felt all manner of positive and negative emotions and had to work to keep them separate from simply listening.

            They had all gone through so much. She’d thought the dragons at Tiamat’s Aerie had been hurting. And they had, but this… When the copper and blue were finally finished, both the gold and bronze moved close to nuzzle the pair, offering what wordless support they could. I’m proud of both of you, she murmured for their hearing only.

            They responded in kind. Not sure what to say, Jonghyun shrugged first, glancing uncertainly at his wing leader.

            Happy but sad too, Jongup added, leaning against his mate for comfort.

            The gold bumped their heads again and exhaled. You have done enough, brave ones. I will explain from here.

            I can help too, Gunwoo offered, sitting on his haunches and looking between the three.

            It would help me if you could tell the others, Gain encouraged, swinging her head around to bump it against the bronze’s lightly.

            But I would have to go, he explained unhappily.

            Yes, but wouldn’t it be better if their wing leader could deliver the news? And your rider can tell the humans just as well, the Paramour reasoned evenly. They at least need to be told that Tiamat and Bahamut are no threat anymore.

            Gunwoo wrinkled his nose, the skin over his teeth pulling up just a touch at the end of his mouth. You’re not wrong there, he admitted with a sigh. Fine. But you had best look after my wing mates in my stead, he commanded, the effect slightly less serious when he huffed once in a weak laugh.

            At last, all four dragons turned to regard their humans. It wasn’t terribly surprising to see the three looking at them with curious interest. Have you learned the story? Gunwoo asked as he approached Insoo easily.

            “I think so,” the wing leader nodded. “Why?”

            Because we have an Aerie to inform, his dragon practically grinned, snatching up his rider and jumping out of Trance with all the haste he could muster. Insoo’s startled yelp lasted half a breath before they were gone and then Jinki and Taekwoon were left looking confused.

            When they looked back at Gain for answers, she took a breath and shifted back to her human form, her face carefully guarded as she approached them. Both Jonghyun and Jongup returned to settle at their rider’s sides, watching the Paramour expectantly. “It is probably best that we speak alone.” Taekwoon’s face darkened at the words and Jinki’s fell slightly. “I will tell you what your dragons have said, but you must listen in full.”

            Taekwoon wrinkled his nose, much like Gunwoo had a moment before, and exhaled once. “It’s not like there’s all that much we can do,” he muttered, expression softening when Jinki placed his hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze.

            “On the contrary,” Gain shook her head as she looked between the two humans. “That is where you are wrong.”

            Curiosity officially piqued, both Taekwoon and Jinki exchanged glances and then looked at the gold with wary wonder. “Why is that?” Jinki asked first, taking the lead this time.

            Gain smiled. “Because. At least for now. You are both gods.” The sheer dumbfounded surprises on both of their faces nearly made the Paramour laugh. But she didn’t. Not for this. Not when there was another side to the coin.

            “We’re listening,” Taekwoon promised, giving her a slow nod and his full attention. Jinki seemed as if he was still overwhelmed by the idea but the dragonrider may have been able to feel or sense that something else was there too.

            As it turned out, Jongup had been hiding a fair bit of information from his rider. Oh, he didn’t do it maliciously, but when it came to Tiamat, he hadn’t really had a chance to figure out the boundaries she wanted to set or not. Nor had he really been able to confirm if she’d had the humans’ best interest at heart either, so he didn’t want to seem as if he’d betrayed anyone by saying something he shouldn’t have at a bad time.

            She had told him first that their bodies had died. The silver dragon had perished with them when they crashed into the water and she had simply taken them into her, much like Jinki had been absorbed into Bahamut. Jongup thought it might have been part of her plan but she promised it was the only way to accomplish what needed to be done. And because she promised him that, if they succeeded, it would save his mate and his humans, he was happy to help, even if it meant not telling Taekwoon about what he was doing. Tiamat was probably right in that the rider would not trust her. She had told him not to anyway…

            So Tiamat had given Jongup a rune for hiding. Gain pointed out the hidden rune at the base of Jongup’s wing, much to Taekwoon’s irritation. Though he couldn’t argue against its effectiveness. It allowed them to sneak into Bahamut’s Trance space after all. As Tiamat had explained, she couldn’t enter on her own. Not without a great deal of struggle. Just like Bahamut could not enter her space on his own. Not without permission and that was something neither was likely to grant. Whichever space they entered, that dragon would have the advantage. And that was why Tiamat needed so much help. That was why she gambled that Bahamut’s arrogance would be enough to let them live. That their bonds would be strong enough to bring them together. That their desire to protect everyone they cared about would be powerful enough to bring the change that was necessary.

            Five separate bodies would never be stronger than five wills together with one purpose. At least not in Trance. And that was why she had needed their will as much as she’d needed her own. But Tiamat also knew that even if she succeeded, it might not be enough to end things. So she needed Jongup again. She needed someone to stay on the outside, untouched by the magic she’d worked in that moment. The fact that he’d bonded with Jinki again hadn’t been planned for, but since he had, it made them both stronger in the wake of the final calm.

            “And so, her last gift to you was giving you the powers of their godhood. But,” Gain explained, holding up a single finger in warning. “It is also a test.” She winced slightly and took a small breath. “Tiamat was a dragon, first and foremost. You are both humans. If she’d had a choice, she would have bestowed her power to dragons instead.” Her golden eyes darted between Jonghyun and Jongup with a wry smile. “Your dragons said no.”

            Taekwoon literally swayed on his feet as he looked at his copper. “Jong…” he whispered, turning to look at the blue next.

            Mate’s idea, Jonghyun nodded with pride and satisfaction.

            No want to be gods. Just want mate. And rider, Jongup nodded, extending his head over Jinki and Taekwoon so that he could bump his nose against Jonghyun’s. The copper rumbled in a pleased response while the riders tried to accept what they’d heard.

            Jinki stepped closer to his other half and slipped his arm around the rider’s waist, holding him steady. “So what’s the test?” he asked, glancing at Taekwoon to make sure he wasn’t going to try and fall or anything.

            Gain grimaced and looked down slightly. “It’s not for me to say,” she admitted with a slight shake of her head. “Part of her final test is that you figure it out.”

            “But… what if we can’t?” Jinki wondered immediately, worry making his brow furrow.

            “I don’t know,” the Paramour shook her head again. “Tiamat did not say.”

            “Was there… did she… was there anything else she said?” Taekwoon stumbled, obviously trying to wrap his head around everything.

            Once more, Gain grimaced and scratched at her head. “Sort of. It wasn’t a spoken message so much, but more of a feeling or like an imprint,” she tried to explain. It wasn’t something she’d experienced before, but considering it had been shared from Jongup who had received it from Tiamat, she had no reason to doubt it. The dragon gods made many things possible. Especially in Trance. She waved her hands trying to recall the order of the meaning. “It roughly translates to something like, ‘You can’t recall or remake true life but the wonders of the world are otherwise yours to command.’”

            “That’s it?” Jinki asked, seeing the confusion on Taekwoon’s face.

            Gain nodded in confirmation and shrugged. “But… from what Jongup said about your last moments with her…” she started to say, face softening as she looked between the four and lingering just a touch long on Taekwoon when a pair of amber eyes gleamed briefly from within. “I do think she felt you might know what to do now.”

            “No,” Taekwoon shook his head with a worried look. “At least not yet.” He swallowed once and took a breath before meeting Jinki’s earnest eyes. “But I think we might be able to at least not make things worse.”

            “That would be a start,” Gain agreed, gesturing with her hand. “And you do have at least a little time to think about it,” she added, trying to give some kind of hint. By the way Taekwoon’s eyes focused on hers, she figured he might have caught it. Good. That was something at least.

            We have much to think about, Jonghyun offered from Taekwoon’s side.

            Much to do! Jongup echoed, body swaying in nervous excitement.

            “Yes, we do. But first,” Jinki called, drawing the gold’s attention to him. “What does the outside world look like?”

            “It might be better if you see for yourself. The battle of the dragon gods left many scars,” Gain shrugged with a pained look.

            Taekwoon glanced down at his free hand, the one that wasn’t still holding onto Jinki’s, and he made a loose fist. “If we have the power to remake certain things, perhaps those would be good places to start.”

            “I agree,” Gain smiled, the expression slightly sad but mostly proud. It filled her heart with joy that their first thought upon understanding the power they had was to help. Of course she had great faith in them anyway, but this moment encouraged her all the same.

            It was growing late when Gain left and allowed Taekwoon and Jinki to really begin settling into their new forms. Being a dragon wasn’t such a stretch for the rider, but for Jinki, who had never actually changed in Trance, it was… disorienting. At least Jongup was there to help, though the dragon god’s injuries did extend to the real world. Sight in his left eye was limited and his right wing was mostly immobile. Tiamat’s body had faired better but it was stiff and achy, reluctant to move. And so the first night was simply spent adjusting and climbing out of the depression they’d ended up in.

            As much as they’d wanted to get started immediately, the reality of their situation quickly caught up to them. Gain stayed close to watch over the pair, but really, they found themselves to be… tired. Home called but they had no will to answer. The desire to see friends and make sure they were well hummed in the back of their mind, but after everything they’d been through, it wasn’t enough to rally them from a night of hard earned sleep. Once more, the black and silver dragons curled up together, wings overlapping and necks and tails intertwined, at peace now that their mates were with them once more. When dawn came again, finally they were ready. Still unsure about the nature of the test and worried they might fail, but ready for the day.

            After a quite conversation, the humans and their dragons decided to try something relatively small. Never mind that the depression they’d made was enormous, the thought of fixing it seemed doable. Relatively speaking anyway. With plenty of nervous energy, Taekwoon and Jinki moved to stand on the edge, their wings and tails touching.

            “So. How do we do this?” Jinki asked, the voice coming from Bahamut’s mouth very much not the human’s but the words were and that was all that mattered.

            Taekwoon took a breath and shrugged slightly before Jonghyun answered for him. “Will. You will it to happen.” The fact that they had a female voice in this body didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

            “Like Trance?” his rider asked with a sudden thought.

            “Yes.”

            “I see,” Taekwoon smiled, the expression translating to a strange almost grimace on the black dragon’s face. “Let me try,” he murmured, nodding at Jinki who simply shrugged in acceptance. Taking a breath and focusing on the hole, Taekwoon pushed the earth to move, imagining the soil rising up to even out the barren land. He flinched when he felt power stir, like he was a spider in the middle of an enormous web and the strands were each connected to every other part of the world.

            “Trance,” Jonghyun explained to him, the word carrying to Jinki but for his rider’s ears mostly.

            “Oh wow,” Taekwoon blinked, letting the unsettling feeling wash over him before he took another breath and sank into his thoughts once more. This time, he let the sensation flow through him, pouring out from a seemingly never empty vase as it filled the space he wanted to change and then… altered it. He felt Jinki’s surprised inhale and grinned as the ground rose up like water filling a void.

            “You did it!” Jinki beamed, a true smile somehow appearing on the silver dragon’s face. “Can you teach me?” he asked next, sidling even closer with a focused look at the still barren land.

            “I’ll try,” Taekwoon laughed once, wrapping a wing over the silver body like an arm holding his other half close. It was a blissfully normal feeling in an otherwise extraordinary moment, and it grounded him firmly in the now. Whether they failed or not, they still had each other for at least a little while.

            Under Taekwoon’s tutelage, and with some gentle nudging from Jongup, Jinki was able to bring growth back to the dead space. Grass and trees sprouted at impossibly fast speeds, returning it to a semblance of the way it had been. “It’s amazing,” he sighed, leaning hard against the black dragon’s body for close contact.

            “Yeah,” Taekwoon agreed, though his sights were set on the dragon himself, and the man within. He could feel Jonghyun’s quiet agreement as well and they both savored the shared knowledge of what they were truly focused on.

            Jinki looked up with wondrous hope in his silver eyes. “We really can fix things here can’t we?” he exclaimed, raising his head to bump it against Taekwoon’s.

            “Yeah,” the rider answered with a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. It was dampened only slightly when a familiar but unexpected voice emerged.

            Taekwoon. Must speak with dragons. Must ask what they want, his inner dragon pressed determinedly.

            The rider flinched at the reminder, and he shook himself quickly. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten but he knew the dragon had spoken because he’d immediately been thinking about the Aerie. But the Aerie he knew was not the one that everyone would need… You’re right, he reassured his inner dragon, soothing the creature quickly. He turned his focus back to Jinki and smiled. “Now that we know what we can do, we should probably meet everyone again.”

            “I agree,” his other half responded without hesitation. “Just because I don’t have my body doesn’t mean I shouldn’t still try to be at least something of an Aerie Master,” he explained with a forced laugh. Taekwoon knew it was supposed to be light and playful, but that was one change that was not so easy to simply brush off.

            “Come on, my heart,” he urged, giving the silver dragon a gentle shoulder shove before they started walking back towards the Aerie. Jinki couldn’t fly and Taekwoon didn’t mind the slow path anyway. It would give them more time to just be together and probably keep the dragons and humans at the Aerie from worrying too much when they did show up.

(a/n: So if I'm right, there should be two more chapters. I had intended for this to be the next to last but then a few more things came up and I figured I'd need to wrap a couple loose ends up that wouldn't have worked as well with ending here. So please sit tight and hopefully you'll look forward to the last little bits of the story. Thank you for reading! I'd love to know your thoughts at this point, but if not, I appreciate your staying with me on this journey all the same. ^_^)