It hurt to speak. It hurt to breath. It hurt to even just exist...

But the pain was all but forgotten when Wooyoung's eyes opened to see San gazing down at him with eyes overflowing with worry and fear and... love. So much love.

Wooyoung's weak heart beat just a little faster and he managed to smile just a little. "S-Sannie." He sighed.

"I'm here. You're safe now baby." His human sobbed, bending over to kiss his forehead. "You're safe."

"Where..."

"Don't try to speak." San shook his head and cupped Wooyoung's cheeks. "We are headed back to the ocean. You get to go h-home."

Wooyoung didn't miss how San's voice cracked on the last word. He wanted to ask him about it, but his concentration was broken when two sobs came from next to him.

Slowly, he turned his head to follow the sound, then everything stopped.

"M-Mingi? Yunho? What..." He couldn't believe his eyes.

They were here? And human??

Yunho was the first to react, dropping to his knees and placing a hand over Wooyoung's heart in way of greeting. "San's right, don't talk Youngie. You need to focus on regaining your strength."

"Here." Mingi said, and Wooyoung took note of how weak his voice was.

There were so many questions bouncing around in his mind, he didn't even know where to begin.

But he didn't get the chance to even try.

A sudden warmth radiated in front of his prince as Mingi held up a necklace with a teardrop pendant. Wooyoung knew it was full of magic. So did his body.

Every part of him begged for the healing power inside that tiny pendant. He needed it, even with the fairies we was just starting to register were on his tail, he needed it to survive.

When he tried to reach for it, his arm only twitched uselessly at his side, showing just how weak he really was.

Jongho was the first to react, holding out his hand for the pendant and nodding when Mingi relinquished it to him. Then he set it down directly over Wooyoung's heart.

The pendant flashed bright blue at the contact, so fast it was hard to register, right before it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

He heard a few surprised gasps coming from somewhere in the truck, but he couldn't focus on that right now.

Through weak, fluttering eyelids, Wooyoung watched as the tiny, glowing, blue shards spun impossibly fast in the air. They spread out so that once they stopped, they pierced every inch of his body they could.

It should have been painful. He even thought he noticed San flinch in out of the corner of his eyes. Yet... it didn't.

Instead of pain, the magic filled his body with a rush of tingles that felt a lot like bubbles bursting against his skin. Only they were also bursting inside of him.

The magic had detected how dire his situation was and had chosen the fastest way to distribute itself throughout his body.

With each burst. Beneath his skin and scales, Wooyoung felt more and more of his magic, his power, his strength, his very lift coming back to him.

"Woo..." San whispered next to him, although it was really more of a gasp.

Now that he was slowly coming back, Wooyoung was able to open his eyes more. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the holes in his tail filling in again, along with the color returning to it's beautiful, vibrant purple and red.

It took a few minutes, but when Wooyoung felt like he was strong enough, he propped himself up on his elbows and turned his head to look at San.

Lips slammed into his before he could even see his human, while desperate hands clutched to his cheek and neck.

Wooyoung shifted his weight onto one arm so he could throw the other one around San's neck and full him closer.

They kissed and kissed, as if they were scared they'd never be able to again.

"I thought I'd lost you." San finally whispered, pressing their foreheads together. "Why did you do that? Why would you sacrifice yourself like that?"

"Because I didn't want them to hurt you. I... I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if those men..." Wooyoung closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Yeosang's voice came from the front of the truck. Wooyoung was quick to look at him, then Jongho, then back to Yeosang. "Yes, we are fine. We are just worried about you. So is someone else."

Wooyoung blinked once, then twisted around to look at the two other people he missed most in the world.

Yet again they knew exactly what he wanted and both were already on their knees to pull him into a hug.

Being enveloped in their warm embraces had Wooyoung bursting into tears. "I'm s-s-s-so s-s-sorry!" He sobbed with horrendous gusto. It would have been impossible for him to speak any more after that with switching between coughing and trying not to choke.

Mingi and Yunho placed their hands on the back of his head and shushed them gently.

A true connection passed through them, circling around and around in the form of their magic melding. They were able to exchange all their thoughts and emotions through it.

They were even able to share flashes of their lives with each other.

Wooyoung showed them pieces of the attack on their pod, accompanied by the pain he felt and the anguish they all shared.

He showed them how he was capture and taken to the aquarium, how he'd felt so lost and scared and alone.

He showed them San. All the things San San did to rescue him and protect him.

He showed them how much San meant to him... Their time in the forest, with Yeosang and Jongho... All of it.

Most importantly, he showed them love.

Mingi was the first to react. He pulled back slowly, his eyes downcast and so very hurt. "So... That really is your choice." He exchanged a look with Yunho, and they both nodded. "I don't know how you will be able to say with him... but..."

"We know he will be good for you." Yunho finished. "I'm just so glad you're safe."

Too many emotions flew through Wooyoung at once and he suddenly felt so overwhelmed. He started crying again, throwing both arms around Mingi and clinging to his friend as if his life depended on it.

And in a way, it did.

Mingi had somehow brought enough magic to keep two of them human and bring him back from the brink of death.

Before he could say anything more, a bubble of water floated out from behind Yunho, and Wooyoung's hand flew to his mouth as he gasped. "You're alive!"

He watched his octopus friend twirl around in her protective bubble, arms wriggling and dancing with her joy to see him alive.

Wooyoung cupped his hands together and her bubble drifted over until it floated within them and he brought it closer to his face. "I'm so happy to see you my friend. Are you alright?"

The octopus wiggled her body and nuzzled the side of the bubble.

"How is he doing?"

Wooyoung immediately tensed at the new voice. He sat up straight and looked at the opening where Yeosang was.

Only to see Hongjoong behind the wheel.

Anger and fear flared up within him and Wooyoung started trying to move away from the man while preparing to draw on the magic fueling his body.

"Don't! Youngie it's ok!" Yunho held up his hands and moved so he was blocking the window. "He helped us get you out. He's the one who gave you the first dose of magic while inside."

"What?" Wooyoung hesitated, then looked to San when his human started to nod.

"It's true." San said quickly. "He poured some kind of white liquid over you and I watched it absorb into your skin."

The merman relaxed, trusting San's word. After everything San had done to save him and protect him, Wooyoung knew he would have never let Hongjoong do anything to hurt him.

"Where is he?" Wooyoung asked, meeting Hongjoong's eyes in the reflective glass... a mirror he thought it was... hanging from the top of the car.

"I don't know. There was an explosion inside after they got you out." Hongjoong bit his lip.

"That was my fault." Mingi admitted. "I let my magic take over and ended up making one of the, the, the-"

"One of the machines exploded," Hongjoong said for him when Mingi couldn't come up with the word. "It sent all of us flying. Mingi was the furthest away, but I..."

Yunho's shoulders dipped a little and he smiled softly at the man. "Hongjoong and I were the closest, but I was able to protect him at the last second. Then all three of us started heading to the exit."

Hongjoong nodded a couple of times, then said, "I didn't get a chance to see what happened to Mr. Park. Everything happened so fast and he was near the machines too. But knowing him, he's just fine and probably already following us..."

Wooyoung's heart sank at the idea. There was still too much mystery around the powerful man and what he was wanting to do. If he really had achieved immortality... What came next?

"Hey." San said, reaching out to cup the merman's chin. A smile tugged at both of their lips when they made eye contact again and Wooyoung's heart beat like crazy. "Don't worry about it. Right now, let's just focus on the task at hand, which is getting you guys back to the ocean. Once you're there, you'll be able to protect yourselves better, right?" He looked to Mingi at the end, voice growing harder.

"Yes. At least, I'd like to think so." Mingi started fiddling with the pendant around his neck. "If this man is able to harness magic like that, pure magic even, then it makes me wonder what else he is capable of. But we will fight if we-"

"No." Hongjoong cut him off. "Don't fight. Once we get to the ocean you need to get as far away from here as you can. Run and hide. Build your defenses up at home. Create an invisibility shield or something, I don't care." Hongjoong's voice started to sake as he spoke. "But if he is alive, he will not give up until he finds you again, Wooyoung. Now that he knows you are the key to his immortality, he won't stop."

"Just because he can live forever, doesn't mean he can't be killed." Yunho said with a growl. "What if we stand firm and all of us confront him? With three of us being able to use magic, then-"

Hongjoong shook his head. "You don't know him. He... He takes magic on a daily basis. He's always fueled up and- and- and prepared and- even though h-he's never said it, I wouldn't be surprised if... if he knows some spells or something."

"I could still take him." Mingi narrowed his eyes. "I'm plenty strong enough on my own."

Wooyoung's gaze dropped down to the octopus and pressed his lips together when he saw her shaking a little bit. "Hongjoong is right." He said quietly. He could feel everyone look at him and the weight of their stares grew heavy. "I don't think we should fight him. There's something... dark... within him. I don't trust it."

"What can we do to help?" Jongho asked. "All this talk of magic and stuff, but Yeosang, San and I don't have anything."

"Which puts you at the most risk." Mingi said immediately. "If you know what's good for you, then you'll get as far away from us as possible."

"You know that won't happen." San warned, shifting closer to Wooyoung. "I'm never leaving his side for as long as he wants me."

"Neither are we." Yeosang and Jongho said at the same time.

As a heated debate started between everyone in the truck, Wooyoung forced himself to tune it all out. His eyes focused on San. Only on San. His human.

Wooyoung didn't want to part from him. It hurt too much to think about.

But if the choice came between protecting San by never being with him again and watching San die... He would choose the option where San lived every time, because to him, the world would not exist without his San.

"Sannie?" Wooyoung whispered, interrupting what his human was about to say.

"What is it baby?" San immediately leaned closer to him and cupped his cheek.

"I love you."

Confusion and happiness flashed across San's face before he spoke. "I love you too. That's why I won't leave you, so stop thinking about ways to sacrifice yourself again to protect me, alright?"

Wooyoung felt himself blush a little at being discovered so easily, but he forced himself to nod.

"How long until we get there?" Yeosang asked when the debating died down.

"At least six hours. More if we take side roads and we will need to stop for gas at some point." Hongjoong tapped on the steering wheel and sunk down in the seat a little. "But the most direct route will probably be best if we want to try and get there faster. Although he could work to set up blockades... in which case side routes may be better... but then again-" Hongjoong's voice grew quieter as he grumbled different scenarios to himself.

It was too much for Wooyoung to keep track of, especially when exhaustion started to take over his body again.

Yunho used his magic to get the octopus settled in a corner, then both he and San helped lower Wooyoung back to the bed of the truck. "Get some rest, Youngie. You're still healing."

The merman was too turned to argue. Plus San laid down next to him and wrapped an arm protectively around his waist and he instantly relaxed.

For now he would allow himself to enjoy this.

Six more hours... then they may all have to fight to survive.