Jongho stood at the cliff with his padded jacket wrapped around his figure and looked out over the sea. It was stormy today as if the ocean tried to reach its angry waves at the airships that passed the grey skies. Their balloons floated unbothered on the turbulences of the icy wind. In the distance, Jongho spotted a ship that looked similar to the one in the near docks, Hongjoong's ship, that had suffered minor hull damage upon impact with the palace walls. Hidden well between countless other airships, it passed the eyes of the curious guards that patrolled Zey today to find the criminals that had damaged their castle and their king.

Multiple of them had needed to either back off or get help from the Spheres already. Like vultures, the westsiders spied upon them and pulled them in their dark alleys to stifle their screams as they did unspeakable acts of revenge to the unsuspecting humans. None of them looked too comfortable with the idea of searching Zey, and Jongho had to befriend the bitter thought that the king most likely was still alive if they had gotten such an order.

The storm harshly pulled and pushed on Jongho's firm figure as if it wanted to shove him down the deadly drop. As he stood firm, he scoffed at its vile acts against him. He had withstood the canyon already; he wouldn't find his end through a mere gust of wind. That would have been far too easy. Just one step and he would be gone for nobody ever to find, but Jongho had his duties here. Not yet. He couldn't get mother nature that satisfaction yet.

Underneath his mask, his lips had settled into a grim line that didn't lift even when his brother stepped up next to him. Pensive, Yunho took in the sight of the sea. No other coast was in sight from here, and the clouds blended with the endless ocean on the horizon. Thunderous, the waves crashed against the rocks far beneath them.

Yunho crossed his arms, copying Jongho's gesture. For a while, both of them shared the tranquillity of man while in the background, machines and motors and fabrics did their looping work. If that noise ended one day in Zey, then Zey would also end. No silence would be more telling than theirs.

"How's Mingi?" Jongho was the first to talk, indicating to Yunho that conversation was now welcomed. When he had parted from the group to get some free time in the afternoon and get a breath of air, nobody had resisted. They had only asked for him to stay around to find if they needed his assistance. He had done just that. And watched the wandering guards with narrow eyes as they searched the bustling city for them in a hopeless mission.

"Half rats again. The pain won't ease for a couple of days. I told him to wait for the boiler to be pressurised."

If he found the time, Jongho would pay a visit to the medicine lady later. She ought to sell a better pain killer than alcohol. They would mess up Mingi's organs if they continued like this.

"That will make him mad. He wants to help all the time. In case we leave without him, he might pout a lot." Finally, Jongho allowed himself a little smile. The tension that hardened his shoulders and fists had yet to lift from him. He felt watched, knew of the eyes all around. Like the starving dogs in the streets, they were waiting. And once the market people didn't look, they lunged to snatch some meat and ran off. Jongho had gotten a headache from watching his surroundings at any time. Latent hostility had enveloped Asora and Zey in a suffocating glove. The air crackled as if everybody just waited for an explosion to rip everything apart.

"I think we can deal with that." Yunho shifted on his feet as he glanced down at Jongho. Over his mask, his eyes crinkled to a sunny smile. As usual, he spent warmth, spent hope. Hope that Jongho couldn't muster, and a few of their teammates could neither.

They had yet to win. The core wasn't in its place, the guilds waited with their weapons in their hands, and the Spheres were extra sensitive. If anything, the political discord had gotten worse after their attempt to assassinate the king.

"Can you? Mingi's pouting can be quite convincing." Slightly awkward on his feet, Jongho turned to Yunho, too. He felt like a boy again. Like a boy who had rushed away from his parents to hide on the roofs after they had fought over some trivial matter. Every time, it had been Yunho who had come and gently joked and laughed with Jongho until his mood was good enough to return inside. And always, he felt embarrassed because Yunho had had to join him in the freezing cold and poisonous air only because Jongho was obstinate.

Today was no different. And Yunho had come, just as he had always done.

Gratitude flooded Jongho's heart. The need to talk once more threatened to bubble over. He had grown up too fast, and he wanted to share it all with Yunho, wanted him to praise him for how well he had done even when he and all of his support had disappeared so suddenly to rip deep wounds in their parents' hearts.

But they had no time. And judging by the fondness in Yunho's eyes, he knew exactly how Jongho had been and how sudden their parting had been. This was him making it up to Jongho.

"I might kiss him to make it better. If he's good, he can get more kisses once I return. I feel as if he likes me."

They giggled among themselves. When Jongho walked in his direction, Yunho joined him on the way back to the docks.

"You would kiss the chuckaboo of your little brother? Gross." Jongho pretended to gag into his metal sleeve. The theatrics pulled laughter from Yunho. Delighted and free as it shouldn't be in Zey. As usual, a few people nearby sent him wondrous and curious glances. At Jongho's glares, they quickly minded the grease.

"He's older than you, isn't he? I find him to be an attractive fellow."

They fit each other, yes. The countless times that Mingi had reminded Jongho of Yunho came together to create a deep bond between them.

"He is. A wonderful man. He makes every day a benjo."

Yunho led Jongho around the Puppeteer that sat on the ground like a large animal during its hibernation. Soon, it would soar through the air again to explore brilliant places and exotic folks. The crew members and a few dock workers were around to work on the damage sustained the day prior, and some of them recognised and greeted the brothers.

Beyond the dock was a staircase that led up to the lounge area. As they climbed the stairs, Jongho already heard Hongjoong's voice from upstairs.

They had brought Mingi, Yeosang, Seonghwa, and Wooyoung to Mingi's bunker. When night fell, and they rested for a while, Jongho and Yeosang would spend the time in his home while the two injured men and the palace boy clouded their identities in the hideout. The guards only searched for the faces they knew, and nobody had bothered to remember the rest of them.

San sat on the couch behind the pilot in a crew member's uniform and stared at the ceiling. He had spread out comfortably on the flaking leather and lost himself in thought as Hongjoong discussed with some merchant he had demanded. Jongho believed to hear something about the outrageous prices of canvas in this modern day and age.

When San noticed the two brothers coming closer, he perked up. Like a dog that had been abandoned for too long, he jumped from his seat to join them with a big smile on his face. Hongjoong also settled for a deal and waved the nitpicky merchant off to talk to them.

"We'll check on the others. Can we leave San in your care?"

Splitting up made it easier to hide away in Zey. Groups of people were uncommon, and while they had to tend to their friends, they wouldn't risk getting caught over staying together. They had to trust in even those they barely knew.

Hongjoong nodded quickly as he fetched his bag. He pulled a book from it and handed it to Jongho.

"For Seonghwa. Make sure that Wooyoung takes care of him."

With a gentle hand, Yunho patted Hongjoong's back. Despite them being no more than strangers to each other, Hongjoong relaxed at the friendly gesture.

"No worries, I'll be there, too. I know what to do. We'll take good care of him."

With that, they took off and left San to blend with the crew that Hongjoong ordered around. Swiftly, he disappeared between similarly dressed people and disguised himself as one of them. Nobody suspected a thing when Yunho and Jongho swung up the roofs of Zey and began the game of skipping houses.

"You still have lots to recount. Don't think I will forget until we get out of this mess." To Jongho's immense surprise, Yunho had no issues at all with the difficult maze. He trusted his feet with the gaps and drops between the roofs as if he had grown up here and kept up with Jongho without issues.

"Fear not, I don't. I would also love to explain."

Jongho glanced in the direction of Asora and the path they still had in front of them. Then, over the hisses of his steadily working gadgets, he called out to Yunho.

"Then tell me what happened in the war. How did you survive? I can figure out the time afterwards, but that question is a big mystery."

They ran on both sides of a peaked roof. Next to Jongho was the drop leading towards the cliff, while Yunho passed along the main street.

"A group of soldiers from Gizfall took me in. They had more mercy than our troops, especially given the needless massacre the king asked of us." Yunho jumped simultaneously as Jongho and rolled off the flat roof of the next house a second later. Careful of his gadgets, Jongho came to his feet while Yunho glanced at his ankle as if surprised it had cooperated so well.

"They asked us to blast a hole in the barricade of the enemies. Since I was from Zey, I was part of the squad that got explosives tied to them and got sent out over the field. If we didn't run, we either got shot in the backs from our companions, or the enemy took us down before we reached there. Nobody made it through. Gizfall has rapid-fire guns that we didn't have."

Hence the new weaponry of the Bishops. They caught up on the enemy.

Jongho kept quiet even during the part of the story he knew. The strain in Yunho's voice didn't come from their hazardous sprint but painful memories. As much as he wished that they didn't weigh Yunho's mind, however, they would remain there like an ugly scar until all eternity.

"Something wasn't wired correctly. The others got shot down and exploded upon impact, but when they shot me, it didn't work. But I had come far. Two of their soldiers dashed out in the open danger to retrieve me. They dragged me into their garrison to patch me up and gave me better food than I had eaten in weeks out there."

He brushed past the remark of being shot quickly, but Jongho couldn't help the alarmed glance he sent him. So far, he hadn't spotted a scar on Yunho, and he moved just fine, so they truly had taken care of him well.

"Asora had to retreat soon, but I stayed. And there, I met Yongguk."

The mention of the man pulled a surprised gasp from Jongho. For a second, he forgot the worries about bullet wounds and the harsh temperatures biting at his face.

He had remembered the name of the hermit, despite his warning not to.

"Yongguk! I know him!"

Now it was Yunho's turn to look surprised.

"You do? How can that be? He disappeared after the war..."

"We met him in the canyon when we got the core, but that is another story! What did he do?"

Eager, Jongho listened as they swung from the rooftops, and Jongho led him over to the house that led to Mingi's cave.

"He was also from Zey, and he suggestionised to me to form a group against the king and his tyranny. We scraped together a few survivors and healed in Gizfall before we returned to work here. And Yongguk went to the canyon to keep away from struggles, I presume."

Jongho pulled the key from his pocket to lead the two inside and lock the entry once they passed.

"So that was why he agreed to help us. He had already taken a party back then," Jongho muttered mostly to himself as he ducked into the tunnel. Behind him, Yunho hit his head on the low ceiling. He grumbled.

"Yeah. And from then on, we stayed mostly hidden to attack at the right moment. Which happened to be triggered by your appearance in the castle."

Nodding, Jongho stepped into the hideout to find their friends assembled there. Mingi slept deeply while Wooyoung and Seonghwa played a round of chess. Yeosang had rolled up in a corner drawing and scribbling in his book.

The pat Yunho delivered on Jongho's shoulder meant that they would talk later. Then, they focused on updating their friends of the recent developments.