San was never talkative, but Morana could tell he wasn't as attentive in his silence as usual. Though he stood with them, his mind was elsewhere. Saw the elf he wanted back in his arms while thinking of his unborn child.

The others were a mixture of nervous and excited. Wooyoung bit at his nails until Yeosang slapped his fingers away, and Yunho and Aodhán gathered more gems to help Hongjoong, just to distract their minds.

Their sorcerer was well-rested and ready. When he stepped up to the diamond this time, he would finish his task.

Everyone peered at the dragon when Hongjoong splayed his fingers over Jongho's side. The beast hadn't stirred, and perhaps they were much too small to even tickle its ears. With everyone at the ready, they didn't wait around to find out what would wake it.

"I'm doing it," Hongjoong warned, them, himself, Jongho; who even knew at this point?

Morana clutched Mingi's hand with her left, her right held on to Aodhán. Despite her struggle with Seonghwa, Morana wanted a happy ending for everyone. She wanted her uncles to be successful, and she wanted to leave this place. If taking Seonghwa along was the only option to succeed in that, she would take that. Perhaps he also deserved peace.

Just as the day prior, Hongjoong poured his magic into the rock. This time, he didn't stop to feel around its insides. The stream of energy shrouded him like a cloud and Morana heard the melody in her ears sweeten when it subconsciously recognised him. Soon, the glow of Hongjoong's gold surrounded the entire diamond and made it shine like the greatest of goods. 

Pebble stretched crookedly formed paws towards the glow, but Yeosang held onto her as if she was his anchor against his fear.

"Take it slow," Hongjoong muttered as he drifted the wand, helping the diamond soften. It moved like a thick goo, shifting slowly to change its shape with the help of the magic. The translucent hue of it clouded over, becoming darker like a cloudy sky and then like granite. A moment later, Morana couldn't see Seonghwa anymore. The rippling rock moved and crunched when it gained shape. It towered over Hongjoong on sturdy legs, forming a head upon broad shoulders. Crystals poked from its surface to decorate the figure in the same colour as the diamond had been. Some swirls patterning over its arms were etched into the stone like a relief.

A voice Morana hadn't heard before spoke. Not rumbling and scary as she expected, but surprisingly melodious and smooth.

"Ah. This is what it feels like to stretch my legs after a long period of sitting."

Yeosang lit up next to Mingi. They stared full of hope as Hongjoong took a step back and the stone giant turned, much bigger than Pebble was.

Twin flames glowed in a round face to match the crystals. This golem knew how to copy the shape of a man, the wide chest and narrow waist. 

This was the last uncle in the bunch. The most durable one, Jongho. 

A pale body rested on his sturdy arm. When Jongho carefully angled it, black hair fell over glittering skin like a night sky. 

The spell was reversed. Nothing kept Seonghwa from the real world anymore.

Yeosang stormed forward first, while most others were enraptured with the beauty of the glowing elf. His soul sang its song, and the others heard it only now, after ten long years. 

Tears streamed down Yeosang's face when he spread the blanket he had been holding over Seonghwa's delicate body to keep him warm. His mossy hands cradled that face of timeless beauty as he pressed their foreheads together, kissed Seonghwa's unmoving lips.

Morana was frozen in her spot. The others rushed in, assured themselves of Seonghwa's realness with gentle touches to his skin and listening to his song. They cried once more, so many tears for him. Aodhán also cried. Her father cried.

Morana had tears in her eyes she couldn't comprehend.

Her chest ached again, but it wasn't painful. This was a good ache. An ache that made her so happy she wanted to cry.

Her emmya was incredibly beautiful. 

"Seonghwa," Yeosang sobbed, torn how he had never been torn. Morana imagined them to be this out of their minds after losing their emperor, but this time, the tears mixed with smiles.

"You're back," Wooyoung also wailed, only holding himself up on the sturdy golem. 

Yunho also breathed a kiss to Seonghwa's cheek before he hugged Jongho with all his might. Aodhán held a limp hand and pressed it to his chest.

Morana stood by Hongjoong's side. The mage calmed the quickest, but Morana suspected he was just like her. With many thoughts. Preferring to catch up during the night when he was at peace. He grinned up at Jongho while everyone else gushed about Seonghwa, making sure he was comfortable and taken care of.

He was still asleep, but he would probably wake soon. Suddenly, everything needed to be perfect.

Morana couldn't take her eyes off him. Hurt so deeply in her soul, but she felt undeserving to approach him. Not after all the contempt she cursed him with. Not when everyone else thanked whatever gods in the skies for bringing him back. 

She tried to glance away. The marks on Jongho's surface told a story. Of a gleaming moon looming over a castle. Of dark wings spreading over a lone star.

"It's good to see you again, old friend," Hongjoong told him and though he sounded drained from his spell, his joy lightened his tone.

"Likewise," Jongho rumbled. He was scary in the way Mingi was, so rough, but Morana doubted he would hurt anyone. Not after holding on to Seonghwa for ten years.

"I was glad you noticed it was me before you could have burst me to bits."

"We never found you anywhere else. Thank you for taking care of him. Thank you so much," Hongjoong whispered and cast his face away to the side when his voice broke.

Jongho looked unfazed, but in his way, he enjoyed having everyone around him. He earned more praises, hugs and kisses as everyone was glad to have him back. When he placed Seonghwa on their little campsite so they could check on his needs, Yeosang also hugged the golem, growing all over him in an affectionate embrace. 

Pleased crystals sparked in white to match Yeosang's blossoming moon flowers. Pebble stood by Jongho's side, staring up at him to learn.

"Athair," Aodhán sobbed, still crying like a waterfall, while the rest were ready to move on. Yunho and Mingi didn't let go of one another as the human hastily told Mingi every little detail about Seonghwa so he would know he was fine. 

"When will he wake up?" The boy asked, but everyone looked clueless. San felt Seonghwa's forehead with a careful palm before tucking the long hair behind his tall ears. Wooyoung looked close to collapsing from quivering so much, and no one dared leave even a step away from Seonghwa's side.

Until Mingi stretched out an arm behind him, feeling for the air.

"Come here, Morana," he pleaded, and she hesitantly stumbled closer. Her father looked so weak like this, with his mighty form curled over the lithe elf. She complied because she was awed by him, peering down at her creator from up close.

So that was what one of her kin looked like.

She resembled Seonghwa more than Aodhán did. In the hue of their skin and the darkness of their hair. Seonghwa was tall yet of a delicate built and his long lashes fanned over youthful features. They were soft, kind, probably. As Morana listened to his song, she believed to remember him hazily. A gentle smile and even gentler fingers. His voice singing her to sleep.

Oh, she wanted to hear his voice.

Scared by the wildly hammering heart in her chest, Morana pressed her hand to her body and ducked away in Mingi's shoulder. He tried to soothe her, but it was too much.

Morana couldn't concentrate. So many things going on, so many people and so many voices. So many feelings that made her nauseous when she didn't know what they meant.

She just wanted to rest. 

Mingi understood. He wrapped her in his strong arm where she could hide entirely. In his shadow, she could disappear and catch a breath. Calm down until she could think again.

"Let's get Hwa out of here before he wakes up. I don't want that dragon anywhere near him," Yunho suggested. There was only so much time for a reunion and if Seonghwa woke, he would need even more time to catch up with everyone.

As long as the song of his soul rang out, it wasn't safe to stay near the dragon.

"How are you?" Yeosang asked towards Hongjoong and he gave a grim nod.

"I'm too drained to teleport us out, but I can light the way for you."

"Perfect," Jongho's unfamiliar voice threw in. It was so fascinating to hear a golem talk, so Morana concentrated on him instead of the pale elf in their midst, outshining them all without a single piece of clothing on his body. "I missed the sun for a long while."

"Let's see it together once we are back up there," Yeosang suggested with a wobbly smile. Jongho patted his back, and they all gathered their breaths. 

There was time to weep later. For now, Seonghwa needed a safe place where no one would find him and that wasn't in a diamond.

"I want to carry him," Wooyoung squawked right away when they were about to pick Seonghwa up but Yunho pushed him back. 

"You concentrate on scouting out our path."

"And you concentrate on the kids," Hongjoong scowled at the two, not up for games anymore. His voice was crisp and the two sunk into each other as if about to hide behind Seonghwa.

"Could you carry him, Mingi?" Hongjoong asked, and Mingi's lips opened in surprise. The hammering of his hearts told Morana how much this meant to him.

"You are careful when you move and the rest of us can defend you," Hongjoong elaborated as he picked up a silver hair brooch from the mountains of treasure and tucked Seonghwa's blanket around him so it wouldn't fall off.

Mingi nodded hastily.

"Of course. If you could have an eye on my imp. Is that fine with you, Morana?" He only let go of her hesitantly, but Morana wasn't mad as she stepped from him. He already told her it would be like that.

"I'm fine," she whispered, about to pick up Pebble instead, since the golem knew neither loyalty nor disloyalty, but Aodhán caught her hand first. He grinned boyishly, always bright like the sun.

"We'll walk together," he promised the adults when they helped Mingi take Seonghwa into his arms. He made a noise at how small the elf felt in his grip, but Yunho assured him that Mingi had grown since their last meeting.

"Be careful, please," San whispered to him, making sure Seonghwa's head rested at ease. Mingi shyly nodded back.

"Of course."

He carried himself straighter with his purpose while the others hastily gathered their belongings. They didn't dare tempt their fate any longer. Jongho snatched up Pebble as if she were a cooking spoon and carried her in a fist as they turned to leave the site. Not one to slow down the group on an adventure, Morana hastened along. Aodhán's eyes glowed with the delight he wanted to share with her, but she was glad the adults talked over him. She didn't know how to tell him what she felt without ruining his joy. Aodhán was a sensitive soul and, as much as Morana liked to prank around, she felt it rained whenever her brother was sad.

At the highest speed possible on the slippery ground, they made it back to the tunnel entrance. They climbed up with some coordination back and forth about who lifted who, but they all made it from the treasure hoard without an issue.

Morana lost her crown somewhere, but she couldn't care about it. Her eyes were fixed on the pale feet dangling from her father's arm.

"Jongho and I will seal the tunnel behind us," Yeosang announced as Hongjoong stalked ahead with his light in his palm. He nodded, with angular shadows illuminating his face from below.

San and Yunho kept their hands on their weapons while Wooyoung guided Mingi along. 

As fast as they could, they fled from the cave and the slumbering beast, having stolen its most priced treasure.