"Do you have kids of your own?" Y/n asked.
"Three," Kami replied. "Two of them are twins."
Y/n scratched his head. "Is taking care of Daehyun tedious? Four kids sounds like a lot to handle."
"I'm fine. I have Ji Hoon hyung's daughter too," Kami assured.
"Ah... Right," Y/n mumbled.
With a gentle smile, Kami patted Y/n's shoulder. "I have other people who take care of the children too. Don't worry."
Y/n extended Daehyun toward Kami, bowing to the god as he slipped into the shadows. With a soft smile, he placed a note on his pillow, pecking Minju's cheek. "I'll be back before you wake up."
Bae summoned a black bird underneath himself, rising into the air as it formed. Next to his mount, Gaeul, Rei and Yan each gave him a differing look with their eyes.
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Rei frowned.
A soft smile raised the corners of Bae's mouth. He slid down the bird, rubbing Rei's head. "I'm the only one who can go. Kami hyung only allows specific people into his home."
"Say hi to everyone there for me," Gaeul waved.
"And don't die," Yan added.
Bae climbed atop the shadowy bird, rolling his eyes. "Why do you guys always say that? You might jinx it."
"Then just don't," Yan snickered. "You're the base of our communications, so if you die then everything crumbles beneath us."
"Yeah, yeah." Bae lifted into the air, waving toward the three. "I'll be back within the next week or something. Depends on how long I stay at Hyung's place."
"Stay safe!!" Rei shouted.
Like an arrow tearing through the sky Bae flew over Starship's land with the wind roaring in his ears. He remained at top speed throughout a majority of his two-day travel to Kami's cave, slowing down only to eat and sleep. Inside the cave, Bae followed the given path explained by Kami revealing a large open cavern where the dwarven city resided. Bae followed the path around the perimeter of the cave until he crossed the stone bridge and entered the walls.
Jinju approached Bae with a blank expression. Her white hair swayed with her steps, contrasting with the black shoulderless top she wore. Despite her steps being light enough to not make a sound, her chest bounced with each step, beckoning Bae's eyes to observe the phenomena. With every bit of willpower, he resisted the urge out of respect for his brother, and fear she'd slap him.
"Woah..." Bae breathed.
"Your eyes are just as red as his," Jinju commented. "I'm Jinju, your brother's wife."
"H-Hello," Bae mumbled. "Where is Hyung right now?"
"Deeper in the cave. I'll take you to him," Jinju replied.
Before exiting through the walls, Bae took in the dwarven architecture throughout the city. Among the small buildings, a noticeably larger set of houses stood out in the back leading Bae to the assumption they were meant for its human residents.
While he walked, Bae stole glances from Jinju's figure. Compared to his peers she held an hourglass figure shaped from working out. Aside from the standard routines taught at the academy, none of the females in his batch actively worked out.
Maybe I should work out with Rei. See if she can be like that...
Grunts and the sound of metal clashing rang through the corridor, growing louder as the two stepped closer to the Dragonforge's entrance. Hayoung rushed Kami with a flurry of strikes yet the man danced around them with his arms behind his back. Hayoung panted as Bae and Jinju approached the training area prompting Kami to glance toward the visitors.
"Hey," Kami smiled.
Y/n skidded to a halt as he watched a lightning bolt strike in the nearby forest. The roars of a monster echoed through what should be a place completely empty of people. With a kunai planted next to his mount, Y/n snuck into the forest. A hooded figure blitzed around, darting along the ground and bouncing off trees with their katana brandished at a large beast.
Mixed between a bull and a gorilla, the beast bellowed. It stomped its hooves into the ground, raising its head toward the figure. Two sets of horns grew from its bull-like head, a pair pointing forward and a pair curling backward toward its ears. A black mane ran down its spine where it melded with the dark colors of its fur. White fur flowed from its limbs—hooves in the back and fists in the front—colliding with the black hues spreading from its back. The beast pounded on its chest, creating ripples throughout its chiseled body.
In a flash that caught Y/n off guard, the figure bounded off a tree, slicing through the beast's neck and air alike. The figure approached the beast's head, tearing its horns from its skull before whisking their head toward Y/n.
"Oppa? Y/n oppa?!" Riwon pulled her hood back, revealing her feline features and wide shock. She sprinted to Y/n, jumping into a hug that sent him stumbling backward. "It's really you!!"
Riwon hugged Y/n like a koala, locking her legs around his hips to level their eyes. With a wide smile, she slid down just enough to allow her to press her nose against Y/n's neck. Riwon took a deep breath, hugging Y/n with all of her strength. "Your wellspring's changed a lot."
"When did you grow so much...?" Y/n breathed. He felt Riwon's breasts press against his body, staining his cheeks with a pink tinge. Through habit, Y/n kneaded Riwon's ears causing her to flinch.
Riwon grabbed Y/n's wrist as he pulled his hand away. She placed it back on her head, guiding his other hand to her noticeably wider hips with her tail. "It's something to do with me being a demi-human. Something something, I aged forward."
"You look older," Y/n mumbled.
"Really?" Riwon pulled away with a wide smile. "Do I look prettier too?"
"You've always been pretty," Y/n said, recalling Minju's previous scoldings. In spite of his quick response, Y/n took the time to examine Riwon's new visage. His heart raced unlike anything it had before—except the first time he met Kim Minju.
Riwon resembled a fully grown woman, like Eunbi or Hyewon. Her face lost all of its baby fat, and the curves of her body bulged from her clothes. Had he not known Riwon before her change, he'd assume this was her older sister.
Riwon turned away, masking her blush. She pulled Y/n back into a hug, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Oppa. Come back to us. I've missed you a lot."
Y/n's breath hitched as he stopped kneading Riwon's ears. Though he couldn't connect to her wellspring, he felt her joy in the atmosphere—one he hated to ruin. "Riwon ah..."
She hummed, raising her head to meet Y/n's saddened gaze. Her eyes twinkled with passion and excitement while his looked for a way out without breaking her heart. Riwon clung to Y/n's frame wrapping her tail around his leg, yet Y/n loosely held onto her waist.
"What if you come with me?"
Silence pressed down on the forest. Wind rustled the nearby leaves, sweeping with it the rosy tint in the air. Riwon buried her face in Y/n's shirt mumbling, "You know I can't do that."
"Then I'm going to have to cut this short," Y/n sighed.
"Wait-!!" Riwon pulled Y/n closer before he could break their hug. She gripped the back of his shirt, pressing her forehead against Y/n's chest. "Is there some way I can convince you? Something I can say or do?"
Y/n tugged on Riwon's waist with a heavy frown as if his heart said no, but the rest of him invited her plea. A small fragment of him reached out to Riwon to get a reminder of his old life. One where he could see Yujin's blissful smile and the vibrant expressions of his peers. That world still existed, and Riwon was his bridge. All he had to do was say yes.
"I love you, Y/n oppa. I have ever since you saved me that one day, and will continue to forever." Riwon sniffled, raising her head once more, meeting Y/n with tearful, vulnerable eyes. "I can't stand everyone talking badly about you—saying all these things you've done. If you come back, I can help them forgive you. So please... don't leave again..."
"How do you know you love me?" Y/n questioned.
"I think about you all the time. I train to get stronger because of you. I'm growing stronger so I can stop some dragon guy who's trying to kill you. But most of all, I want to see you every day. I want to stand together like how we are and grow old together. I want to start a family together." Riwon cupped Y/n's face with a reinvigorated passion in her eyes. "You're the only person I've felt safe around, and I don't want to lose you."
Riwon unclipped her cloak, allowing it to drop to the ground. For the first time since Y/n left, she let the world see the entirety of her. Her ears stood tall, her tail swayed by her legs, and her eyes stared without inhibition. Sensing Y/n's loosened stance, Riwon pressed her body against Y/n's. She arched her back underneath his embrace, and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. "I can't promise I'll make you as happy as Minju unnie did, but I'll give you the world instead."
Y/n clutched his head, groaning as three different forces fought for control. An unknown voice commanded him to cut Riwon down while a softer, more benevolent voice pleaded with Y/n to come to his senses. The third voice, his own, questioned what he wanted.
Riwon sensed the discord bleeding into his wellspring. She pulled his face down with a resolute fire burning behind her wyrm-like pupils. Through his eyes, Riwon watched the chaos in Y/n's mind. Two evil forces brewed in Y/n's mind, a malevolent being and one based upon lies and deceit. The former glowed with a violet hue while the latter took the form of a shadowy humanoid. Y/n's conscience grasped in the darkness of his mind, stumbling with his eyes closed. In front of him, a being glowing with a soft golden light held its hand out toward the two opposing forces as if protecting Y/n.
"Oppa come back to us! We can help you!!" Riwon said frantically.
Y/n fell backward while his conscience fell to his knees. Riwon knelt next to his side, still peering into Y/n's psyche with unease. Malevolence pushed against his twin brother, forcing the golden figure backward. Benevolence reached out, shouting silently as the shadowy figure grabbed Y/n's arm. He grabbed Y/n's hand with his own causing the two forces to pull at Y/n's conscience.
"Oppa! Get a hold of yourself!" Riwon shook Y/n's shoulder, shaking the dark world of his psyche as well.
What is all of this?!
"Oppa it's me, Riwon. I can help you. Minho oppa and the others can help you too!" Riwon gripped Y/n's shoulders to shake him once more, but before she could follow through, Y/n shoved her away.
"Get away!" Y/n held his hands in front of him. He stared into his shaky palms, panting. "I don't know what's going on. I don't want to hurt you..."
Riwon pulled Y/n into a hug. "Tell me what's happening. I can help."
"No... No. No. No! No!! No!!!" Y/n broke free of Riwon's hug. He sprinted toward the main road, skidding to a stop as Riwon cut him off. "I don't want to hurt anyone!!"
With the kirin orb wrapped around his finger, Y/n turned deeper into the forest. He ran at full speed, but Riwon caught up with ease--overtaking him before he could gain any meaningful distance. Even in his state the speed difference between the two was obvious. Riwon traveled through the forest as if she were running on flat ground while Y/n zigzagged through the trees.
"Oppa! Just listen to me!!" Riwon shouted.
Slowly, Riwon's figure distorted in Y/n's eyes. Her face darkened until he couldn't see the passion in her eyes, and her form turned to a smoky figure that resembled the one in his head. He himself knew Riwon stood before him, but his instincts screamed she was a threat.
As he fought for control, time distorted in Y/n's mind until enough had passed to make him forget. Y/n summoned a quarterstaff to his hands, filling his mind with possible events within the following seconds.
Riwon mirrored her teacher's actions, spinning it around her body. "I'll bring you back by force if I have to!"
