Chapter Text
Heat. That was the first thing Jimin registered when he opened his eyes. Heat of a sun on his face. Then sound. The sound of waves crashing against rocks and wind blowing. The smell of salt on the air, and a bird overhead, circling.
It took longer than Jimin would admit to later that he understood what he was seeing. So long it had been since he had seen anything other than the skies and the black of space. How long? It felt like an eternity. It could have been, but he doesn't think the Divine would be that cruel.
Slowly sitting up, Jimin looked down at his hands, flexing and stretching them as he remembered that he had a body again. He didn't think he looked any different, but it had been so long he didn't know anymore.
At the edge of his senses he felt a presence and he looked up to see a man, old by the silver hair and his wrinkled hand curled around a staff to lean into. It wasn't anyone Jimin recognized, but how many old men had he known?
"Hello, my lord," the man spoke, bowing low. "I've been waiting for you for a very long time. Welcome back Jimin, Beta God of the Stars."
Slowly and shakily getting to his feet, Jimin glanced down at the cloak he was wearing. The one an old man had given him in another lifetime. "Where am I?" he asked, slowly turning to look around. It was on the sea, that much he could figure out. The Father was a short distance away but his presence wasn't strong, his attention elsewhere.
"You are on the eastern shore," the man said, walking towards him slowly. "We were told this is where you would return to, though why here wasn't explained."
"Who told you?" Jimin asked, looking at the man again. He had a four pointed star branded into his forehead. "You… you're a beta?" he asked, in hopefulness.
"Yes, I am the High Priest of the Tower of the Stars," the man said. "My name is Yeonjun, and I'm to take you home."
There were a number of things Jimin wasn't sure of, but he knew he could trust this beta, this priest. He had many questions, but he doubted he would get the answers he needed here. So he followed the man as they walked a well worn path from the bluff to the safety of the forest.
The old priest said nothing, offering no new information for Jimin, nor questioned him on anything that had happened to him. Jimin didn't think he could properly explain it for a mortal if he tried.
They walked for a while, and Jimin was impressed the priest was in good enough shape to make the hike. Eventually the forest led out to a clearing where a very familiar building stood. Hoseok's mansion. Jimin's heart swelled and he thought about just moving inside on his own but he wouldn't abandon Yeonjun after all he had done for Jimin. So Jimin helped the old priest up the stairs to the front door and walked in with him. It was different walking in instead of appearing in the middle of the main room, but Jimin felt at home the moment he stepped through the doors.
"If you would like to rest, the bedroom upstairs is still yours to use," Yeonjun said. "I'm sure you must be tired after your journey."
"I am, but it can wait," Jimin said, looking around. The house was empty aside from them, that much he could tell. "Where are the others?"
"I think you know," Yeonjun said with a soft smile. "A lot has changed since you've been gone, and they didn't want to overwhelm you when you got back. You can go to them when you're ready."
Jimin laughed softly, shaking his head. "That doesn't sound like them."
"Like I said, a lot has changed," Yeonjun said. "Rest, my lord. They aren't going anywhere."
"I can't rest, not really," Jimin said, shaking his head. "I need them. I thank you for bringing me here. This would have been my first stop but I suppose there would be more appropriate."
"It's an honor, my lord," Yeonjun said, inclining his head. "I've been waiting for this moment my whole life. Ever since High Priest Soobin gave me this charge decades ago."
Jimin's eyes widened, and he touched the old man's arm. He didn't have to hear it, but he knew. "Did he have a happy life?"
"He had a fulfilled life," Yeonjun said with a smile. "He loved you, and always told us the story of the last time he saw you. It was his favorite story. Here, this is for you." He pulled a letter from the pocket of his cloak, the paper yellow with age and well worn in it's folds. Jimin took the letter with gentle hands, but didn't open it. He would read it later, when he was able to steel his heart.
"Thank you," Jimin said softly. "Will you be okay here by yourself?"
"Of course, there's a logger nearby that will take me back to the Towers," Yeonjun said. "I shall see you there."
"Yes, I will see you there," Jimin nodded. He stepped back, and thought of the place that he knew his mates would be. He could feel them at the edge of his mind, much stronger than before. Their love, their emotions were clearer than they had been in a very long time. He closed his eyes and moved.
When he opened his eyes again, he was staring into the wide eyes of Yoongi who dropped the cup he'd been holding. "Jimin." The cup splashed water onto the floor of the cabin. Yoongi's cabin. Of course this is where they would go to be alone. Their first memories of Jimin were held here."
"Yoongi?" Jimin felt the damn burst and he flung himself into the omega's arms. This was what coming home was, to the arms that had held him in love. It wasn't complete yet, but that could wait a second as he ground himself to one of his mates.
"Jimin?" Hoseok was there, a pattering of feet on the wood and then arms were being thrown around them both. Jimin turned his head to see the smiling alpha who was lighting up the room with how happy his smile was. "Oh, I thought… we had hoped but we were so nervous…"
"I'm back," Jimin said, understanding that they hadn't wanted to get their hopes up. They felt him come back, felt he was closer but they hadn't been sure.
"Oh, oh Jimin, we missed you so much," Yoongi whispered, tears freely flowing down his cheeks. "We didn't- we felt it happen, but we didn't know how long it was going to be if you were going to come back. Soobin was so adament that you were going to return but-"
"I told you I was coming back," Jimin said, touching Yoongi's cheek. "I just didn't know how long it would take."
"A hundred years," Yoongi said and Jimin sagged a little. "We felt the healing of the universe, all the stars lit up at once and even mortals could hear them sing. But that was only three days ago."
"We figured it would be another hundred years and Soobin had been wrong," Hoseok said. "But he was right and you're here. How did you get back so quickly?"
Jimin didn't answer right away, pulling away to drag them to the couch where he could sit with both of them pressed into his sides. He was so tired from his ordeal, but he had so much to tell them and so much to hear.
"When I left here, I was still unsure of my abilities, and what I could do," Jimin said, holding both of their hands in his lap. "It took me so long to get there because I was dragging the schism along with me. It fought me the entire time and it was… it was hard. But I couldn't let go, I couldn't give up. It would just come back. It was so painful being away from you both, even if I could feel you out there. I just wanted to see you again."
"After the universe was healed, we couldn't feel you," Yoongi said. "We thought the worst."
"Well, that's not entirely true," Hoseok countered and Yoongi made a face at him. "It felt like we could feel you at every point in the universe. Like you were everywhere and nowhere. We thought- we thought maybe in order to repair the damage you had to…. I don't know, bind the schism back together with yourself, like a suture."
"I did though," Jimin frowned. "I can't explain what exactly I had to do, but I had to fold myself into the tear and bind the schism back where it belonged. It was awful, and thankfully I couldn't hear it scream. That's the last thing I remember before waking up on the cliffs by Hoseok's manor."
"So you don't know how you got back?" Yoongi asked. "You just appeared here?"
"It's not that unbelievable is it?" Jimin shrugged. "I appeared on the steps of the Tower as a baby. Nothing about my life has ever made sense. All that matters is I'm back, and I'm never leaving again."
"Good, because we have had a very long time to get over being upset that you left," Yoongi said, squeezing Jimin's hands. "You should have told us, but we understood why."
"Took us a few decades," Hoseok admitted. "We would have stopped you if you had told us first. We would have done anything to keep you here. But you knew what needed to be done, and you did it to save us all. We're proud of you, and so grateful the Divine brought you back to us."
Jimin sighed in relief, leaning into Hoseok a little more. "It killed me inside not telling you, and wondering all the while if I had done the right thing."
"You did, of course you did," Yoongi said. "No one else would have been able to do it. Not even the Divine."
"The Divine could have if they really wanted to," Hoseok muttered.
"Taking direct action is against everything we know about the Divine," Yoongi said. "We didn't get it at first, but we do now. You did a good thing, Jimin. You, a beta who never believed you were important or special, saved the entirety of existence."
"And how the alphas howled in indignation when they found out," Hoseok snorted. "But it humbled them, and saw the betas as equals."
"Omegas too, but they were much more gracious about it," Yoongi said in amusement. "That one act changed everything. The alphas and omegas sat down with the betas, and they figured things out."
"How do you mean?" Jimin asked, looking between them.
"Perhaps we should show you," Yoongi said. "After you've slept. You look and feel so tired."
"I haven't slept in a hundred years, aparentely," Jimin chuckled. He could feel his eyes growing heavy, and wanted nothing more than to wrap himself up in his mate's arms and drift off.
"Let's sleep then," Yoongi said softly. They stripped him of his cloak and his clothes and lay down on the bed. Jimin closed his eyes, basking in the love of his mates and he fell asleep.
Jimin didn't ask how long he slept for when he roused alone in the bed. It was morning, but for all he knew he'd been there for a week. Yoongi and Hoseok were making breakfast, moving around each other in a well practiced dance. There were smiles, and kisses and soft touches between them. Jimin wondered how they had fared for a century without him. Perhaps they had fought, perhaps there had been nights were they didn't get along. But considering the last time they'd been left alone for a hundred years they'd nearly killed all the mortals in their world, this was infinitely better.
Hoseok was the first to notice Jimin sitting up and putting his clothes on. Hoseok's gaze was warm, and loving, and maybe a little heated but there was time for that later. Jimin knew they had a lot of time to make up for but Jimin was far more interested in what he had missed than reenacting their night of mating.
"I want to see the Tower," Jimin said when he'd sat down with them at the table after kissing his mates good morning.
Yoongi and Hoseok exchanged looks that looked wary. "The Tower… isn't the Tower you remember," Yoongi said finally.
"Like we said, the disciplines started to get along and figured themselves out. That includes doing away with the government we had created," Hoseok said. "There are no Kings."
Jimin's mouth popped open in question. "What of Namjoon and Seokjin?"
"Abdicated the throne when the people decided on a form of government that represented them better," Yoongi said. "They were glad to do it, of course. It was what they had wanted in the first place. Alphas, Omegas, and Betas all having equal representation. They elect their leaders now."
Jimin was… happy. He was happy they had done what had seemed impossible and worked together. "Still, I would like to see the Tower," he said. "Is the Tower still standing?"
"Of course, but it has been expanded to fit the needs of the new priesthood," Yoongi said. "The priesthood council has been abolished. There is one High Priest for every discipline, to lead the congregation in prayer and rites. The priesthood has no say in the role of government, but the government has no role in the priesthood either."
"So no more power hungry priests," Jimin said. "But what of the others? Our pack?"
"Nearby," Hoseok said. "This cabin, and the forest that surrounds it is ours. The others have made their homes here as well. No one comes in and out of our forest unless we want them to. We are gods in reclusion at the moment."
"We were waiting for you to return," Yoongi said. "It didn't feel right to be out there without you. The others felt the same. The people know you of course, now that betas have affinity. They worship you, and they honor you for your sacrifice. The gods of the seasons were introduced, and they were accepted as if they had always been. But I think even the people knew it wasn't right, that we weren't a pack until you came back to us."
"We haven't even run since that day," Hoseok said, looking into Jimin's eyes.
Jimin's lips curled upwards and he knew what Hoseok was saying. "Perhaps we should go visit the others."
"After breakfast," Yoongi complained. "I did not spend all that time making Jimin's favorite foods for him not to eat."
Jimin grinned, but tucked in to his breakfast, giddy with excitement as he thought of seeing Taehyung and the others again. He could already hear the excited squeal.
Jimin hadn't expected them to look any different. But Jungkook's hair was long with feathers and acorns weaved through his braids. Taehyung had given up the heavy woolen robes of the priesthood for flowy robes and windswept hair. Namjoon hadn't changed, though he looked more regal and Jimin couldn't believe that was even possible. Seokjin's skin was sunkissed and his smile and laugh were always on.
They all seemed happier, a better version of themselves. They welcomed Jimin hole with hugs and Taehyung almost didn't give Jimin up.
"I want to see the land," Jimin said when they'd all gathered together on the porch of Namjoon and Seokjin's cabin. "I can't wait to see what all has changed."
"It is a good time to take a tour," Seokjin said, a little smug. "The flowers are in full bloom and the grasses are that perfect shade of green."
"A summer run sounds fun," Jimin said, glancing at each of them. "What do you think?"
Taehyung perked up, tapping Jungkook's shoulder. "A run? You mean it? Oh, we have wanted to go for ages. But those two-"
"It wouldn't have been right," Yoongi cut him off. "We're a pack, and a pack runs together."
"Still," Taehyung muttered to himself. Jimin smiled a little and reached over to pat Taehyung's knee.
"Then let's not delay, let's go now," Jimin said. "I want to see the villages, how they've grown. I want to visit the Mother and see how she is. I even want to see our brother gods and find out if Zhou Mi still has his human consort. I want to see everything."
"It would be good to get out and take stock of the world now that the universe has been healed," Yoongi nodded.
"Or we could just enjoy a run with our pack," Hoseok said, kissing Yoongi's cheek.
As seven, they stood on the ridgeline at the top of the mountain. Jimin breathed in the fresh air from the evergreen's below and the river threading it's way through the pass and down into the valley. He was home, and he didn't want to ever take this world for granted. He had thought so often of the hills and the trees and all the things that had made this world beautiful. It was the reason why he had been able to ignore the schism's conniving and temptation to let him go.
The thought that the schism could come back and destroy the beauty here was enough to push him forward on his journey. His mates and his pack were a part of that world. Jimin knew they weren't immortal, but they would live for as long as they were needed. As long as the Mother slept in her mountain bed and the Father watched from beneath the waves. As long as the Divine had need of them. They would protect the world, and their people.
But at that moment, the future was infinite and everlong. It stretched ahead of them much as the landscape did beneath their paws as they ran from shore to shore. Jimin felt the exhilaration of it all, the journey that had just started for all of them, together.