by Graci Kim
She opens an app that looks a lot like Google Drive but is called Campus Drive, and selects a folder called Project Prophecy. She scrolls down the files and clicks on a JPEG.
The photo that opens shows me the man I’d seen in the Haetae’s vision—the man who’d had the onyx stone. Here he’s gazing at the woman next to him with utter admiration. She’s smiling broadly at the camera, her hand draped lovingly over her pregnant belly. When I see her face, my heart stops. We have the same eyes, the same angled cheekbones, the same sprinkling of sesame-seed freckles across the nose. I know without a semblance of doubt who she is.
“It’s them,” I whisper, reaching out to touch the screen. “My birth parents.”
“Yes,” Sora says softly. “It is.”
Tears well in my eyes, and suddenly I don’t care that they were cursed or that they were power-obsessed or that they were outcast from the community. For a moment, I just miss them with all my heart. I know it sounds weird to miss people I don’t remember, but right now, I wish for nothing more than to be held in their arms.
Taeyo hands me a tissue, and Sora opens another photo. This one is of Mina and Yoon sitting side by side in front of their computers, working intently. Lines of concentration mask their faces.
“Your biological parents were some of the first scholars to use complex algorithms to decrypt our oldest, most indecipherable sacred texts,” she explains. “And before they died, they made an incredible discovery.”
I lean into the photo, wishing I could jump into the scene and ask them about their discovery myself.
“They decrypted one of our oldest prophecies,” Sora continues. “One that we believe predicts a frightening future.”
She opens a third document—this time an encrypted file that she runs through a program called Decryptonite. The loading bar boots into action, and when it reaches 100 percent, a simple text file opens with the following words:
When the blood moon and black sun appear to the gaze
To mark the start of the end of all days,
In the one last divine, a weapon shall rise;
Unless the gold-destroyer ends the soul who lies.
I read the prophecy over and over and feel my head go light as I digest the first two lines.
“A lunar and solar eclipse recently happened on the same day,” I say, frowning hard. “Do you think that was the blood moon and black sun?”
Sora’s mouth tightens as she nods. “We don’t know what the second couplet means yet. But if we don’t locate the eighth artifact—which we believe is the one last divine weapon—and destroy it, our days may be numbered.”
My heart races. Were Sora and Taeyo telling the truth about the council, my biological parents, and this prophecy? Could the entire Mortalrealm actually be at risk if I don’t find this star?
I grip Hattie’s heart vial through my top. Maybe the Horangi aren’t the villainous clan I always believed them to be. Maybe the bearded man at the temple was right and there really are two sides to every story.
There’s a thundering crash down the hall, and I jolt out of my chair and out of my thoughts. “What was that?!”
Taeyo and Sora look at each other with worried expressions.
“Was it you? Did you kill my mom?” I hear someone scream in the distance.
“Emmett,” I explain in a rush. “We need to get to him now.”
WHEN SORA, TAEYO, AND I rush over to where the sound came from, my worst fears are realized. Emmett has cornered a bunch of scholars and is having a one-sided screaming match with them. Broken cups and dismembered laptops litter the floor next to Boris, and Emmett is holding a jar of multicolored jelly beans over his head.
“Why won’t any of you talk?! Tell me, which one of you killed my mom?!”
The scholars are holding out their wrists, ready to attack if provoked. But Emmett’s clearly not scared of them. I see sheer desperation in his eyes, and it’s like something in him has snapped. As if he’s decided he’s got nothing to lose.
“Em, please, stop!” I cry, taking the jar from him before he smashes that on the ground, too. “I know you’re mad, but this is not the way to deal with it.”
He swivels around to face me, and there is venom in his eyes. “And why should I listen to you? You’re just as bad as them. Power-hungry and magic-obsessed, using your loved ones for your own gain.”
The accusation cuts through me like a knife. He’s right. I dragged him to the clan that made him motherless, only for him to find out I’m one of them…. I’m the definition of selfish.
Emmett turns toward the scholars again. “Which one of you killed my mom?”
“What are you talking about?” Sora asks. She disarms the scholars and sends them away. “Why would you think we killed your mother? We don’t even know who she is.”
Emmett storms up to Sora and points his finger in her face. “But you did know her! And yet, you killed her anyway. Do you know how much my dad is still hurting? You stole the love of his life from him! You ruined both our lives, and you don’t even know it.”
With that he bursts into tears, and I immediately feel tears welling in my eyes, too. Emmett never cries. But today, his carefully built shell is cracking.
Sora and Taeyo look at me for answers. “Emmett’s mom used to be the Gom elder on the LA council,” I explain. “She died in the attack you guys orchestrated.”
Sora gasps. “Sookhee Harrison was your mother?”
Emmett nods and clutches his head in his hands. I run over to him and hug him hard, and he must be exhausted, because he doesn’t push me away. He just sniffles into my shoulder.
Sora sighs deeply and holds her chest. “I’m sorry for your loss, Emmett. And I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. Sookhee was a good colleague and friend of mine.”
He angrily wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. “Then why did you do it? Why?”
She massages her temples and pauses as if trying to choose her words carefully. “Sookhee wasn’t…herself near the end. She was obsessed with the sunstone ax, and when we tried to protect her from it, she turned violent. It was almost like she became someone else. She fought anyone who stood in her way, and innocent lives were lost at her hands.” She glances at me and at Taeyo, and something in her eyes makes me feel uneasy. “So we had no choice but to defend ourselves. I’m sorry, Emmett. I really am.”
Emmett sobs harder, and I pull him closer to me. Could the person who gave birth to my best friend really have been corrupted by an artifact and driven mad with greed? I don’t know what to believe anymore.
Sora comes over and puts a hand on Emmett’s shoulder. “But the thing is, I don’t believe Sookhee meant for any of that to happen. I’ve been thinking about that day for a long time now, and something she said before she passed has stayed with me.”
“What was it?” I ask, and Emmett looks up, too.
“She said, ‘She made me do it—I thought she was my friend.’” Sora pauses thoughtfully. “The council pulled the strings—there’s no doubt about that. But I believe someone else was involved. Someone close to her, whom she thought she could trust.”
A shiver runs through my body. Emmett’s mom and Auntie Okja used to be best friends. And Auntie Okja took over as Gom elder after Mrs. Harrison died….
I quickly push the thought away. This is my auntie, the gracious, selfless healer we’re talking about. She would never. Not in a million years!
Eventually, Emmett pulls himself together. “I’ve heard enough. The only person who could clear this up is my mom, and she’s not here anymore. That leaves us with one option: Find the last artifact and destroy it ourselves.” He wipes his face and sniffles away his last tears. “Regardless of whether your story or the council’s is true, a fallen star is the reason for my mom’s death. So I will destroy the last one before it can ruin anyone else’s life. I won’t let her death be in vain.”
I squeeze his shoulder. Yes. Finding and destroying the last fallen star is our solution to
everything. The Cave Bear Goddess will be pleased, we’ll get Hattie back, and Emmett will have avenged his mother’s death. And if the prophecy’s to be believed, we’ll have saved the entire world from the end of days.
“He’s right,” I declare to Sora and Taeyo. “Let’s work together. Let’s find the eighth artifact so we can destroy it.”
A part of me still wonders if the Horangi have fabricated this entire story in order to get their own hands on the last artifact. But time is running out. We have to take the risk.
Emmett turns to me. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you—you realize that, right?”
I lower my eyes and nod.
He clenches his jaw. “But Hattie needs us, and this is finally something I can do to make my mom’s death meaningful. So for now I’m gonna pretend things are okay. For them.”
I nod again. It’s a start, and I’m willing to work with that.
Emmett turns to Sora. “How do we find the last artifact? What do you know?”
Sora considers her words carefully. “I respect your bravery in coming here for answers, and your courage in telling me your truth. We Horangi uphold knowledge and truth above all else.” She raises her wrist to me. “But we have suffered too much to enter into new partnerships lightly. Unless you are willing to officially initiate into our clan, Riley, I am afraid we will not be joining hands with you or your friend.”
“Me?” I point to my chest.
“You are of Horangi blood, and you were taken from us,” says Sora. “It is time for you to return to your rightful clan.”
I am stunned into disbelief. “But we’re after the same thing!” I say. “We both want to find the last artifact and destroy it. You don’t need me to become a scholar to do that.”
Sora shakes her head. “Oh, but we do. We lost too many of our own during the last conflict. We can’t take any more chances. You are either one of us and we work together as a team, or you’re on your own.”
Emmett fidgets with the hem of his black T-shirt. “And what exactly would she have to do? To initiate into the clan?”
I glare at Emmett, but he avoids my gaze. I think of Hattie’s initiation and how long she had to train for it. There’s no way I’d be able to prepare for one in a short amount of time. Especially without a Gi.
“When we were excommunicated, we lost our ability to initiate our witches in the traditional way,” Sora says. “But we have adapted. In fact, with our biochip discovery, we’ve found that a successful initiation isn’t about the magic—we already have that. What we’re looking for is commitment and loyalty.”
“Okay…” I say, feeling uneasy. “And what does that mean?”
“It means that, if you were to accept the challenge, you would agree to have a biochip inserted into your wrist. Then we will give you a specific task of our choosing. If we deem your conduct in the task worthy of initiation, we will invite you to pledge your allegiance to the Horangi clan. If you accept, you will leave your old clan behind and officially become a scholar—for now, and for all time.”
As Sora’s words sink in, I touch my wrist. I think of Mina and Yoon. And for a moment, I admit I am tempted by the prospect. In another life, I could have been raised in this clan. And having seen Sora, Austin, and Taeyo wield the sacred elements, I am curious about my own potential. For once, I could have magic at my fingertips. I could belong.
But then I remember who I am. I think of the parents who raised me, and the sister who put herself at risk so I could earn my gift. I recall our clinic, my healer clan, and the promise the goddess made to turn me into a Gom when I complete my job. I remember where my loyalties lie.
I am not a Horangi, despite what my blood may say.
“No way,” I say. “Nope, never, won’t do it. Not in a million years. I know who I am. And I am not one of you.”
Taeyo’s face falls, but Sora simply nods. “We may be firm, but we are fair. If that is your wish, we will respect it.”
IT’S ONLY BEEN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS since the summoning spell went south, but it feels like years have passed since this madness started. I am so tired.
Sora lets us sleep in the dorms for the night so Emmett and I can recharge before we go off on our own. And I’m grateful for it. I still don’t trust her, but when the night passes without a hitch, I do start to wonder if there’s some truth to her stories. If they really were the dangerous and power-crazed people I was told they were, wouldn’t they try to keep us hostage and use us to get back at the council or something?
The bed is super comfortable, but my sleep is plagued by nightmares, and I toss and turn all night. In some, I’m lost and looking for my family, but I have no facial features, so no one knows who I am. In others, my parents find me, but they don’t want me anymore. I wake several times hiccuping and drenched in sweat. I do eventually find sleep, but it feels like only five sweet minutes before it’s morning and we have to get up.
As Emmett and I walk to the campus HQ to find Sora, I consider our options. There’s only one day left before, as I agreed, Emmett will get the adults involved. But a part of me wonders if we should go to them sooner. They won’t understand why we had to seek out the Horangi clan, but at least we learned about the prophecy. Maybe my parents and Auntie Okja will know what we should do next? Then again, if what Sora said was true, the council might not be as trustworthy as I once thought….
Our farewell to the scholars is short—Taeyo doesn’t even show up. Sora offers us two black-market boba teas before seeing us off. She looks a little disappointed, but she doesn’t try to convince me to stay.
When Emmett and I rematerialize at the zoo, I take a nervous glance at my necklace. A quarter of Hattie’s heart has now shriveled, and I grip the vial hard. At this rate, we’re going to run out of time in two days. Maybe less.
“I don’t see why you couldn’t at least consider taking up Sora’s offer,” Emmett says, as we start walking away from the tiger enclosure. “I mean, beggars can’t be choosers, and we’re not exactly flush with leads.”
Heat alights in my gut and I feel like shouting at him, Don’t you understand? It doesn’t work like that! You can’t just choose a new family like choosing a new outfit. I’m a Gom. My entire family are healers. I can’t just betray them and join another clan. You can’t be both!
But of course, I keep my mouth shut. After everything I’ve put Emmett through, who am I to talk? Instead, I bite my tongue and rack my brain trying to figure out what to do next.
Emmett reads my mind. “So where do we go now?” He studies me, then looks down at my empty hands. “Wait, where’s Boris? I thought you had him!”
The last time I saw the dragon scooter was last night, lying next to my bed in the dorm. I groan loudly. “I must have totally forgotten him this morning. There was just so much on my mind….”
“How are we gonna get anywhere now?” Emmett moans. “And just when I was starting to bond with the dude…”
“Looking for something?” says a voice from behind us.
I get such a fright, I almost trip over my own feet. We swivel around to see Taeyo materializing from out of nowhere. He’s wearing yellow chinos, a bright pink shirt, and a purple blazer. Like yesterday, he’s sporting a bow tie, but today it’s purple to match his blazer. He looks like a human rainbow.
“Argh!” Emmett cries, shielding his face. “My poor eyes! It’s blinding!”
Taeyo looks up at the sky. “Is the sun too bright? Sorry, Emmett. I should have brought my sunglasses for you. I have two pairs, so I definitely could have given you one of them!”
He is completely oblivious to Emmett’s sarcasm, and for some reason, that makes me warm to him. Sure, Taeyo’s vibrant color palette is a world away from Emmett’s all-black uniform, but there’s an earnestness about the guy that makes him easy to be around. And anyway, I actually think his outfit’s kind of cool—even if he is a bit overdressed for the zoo.
He holds up what looks like Boris but also doesn’t quite look lik
e Boris. “I think you guys forgot your friend.”
He unfolds the scooter and wheels it toward us. Blue scales. Wagging tail. Cute little wings. It’s Boris, all right. But now he’s almost twice his original size, and he’s been souped up with fancy new wheels and some mysterious new toggles at the handlebars. It even looks like he’s had a good polish.
“Whoa!” Emmett exclaims. “What happened to him?”
Taeyo grins. “Our engineers gave him an upgrade this morning. He was returned to your room, but you must have missed him.”
Emmett pulls Boris protectively toward him and narrows his eyes at Taeyo. “Is this some kind of trick to bait us? Did your mom put you up to this?”
Taeyo frowns. “My mom?”
“Sora,” I say. “Did Sora tell you to follow us?”
Taeyo looks confused. “Sora’s not my mom. Not really.”
Not really? What kind of answer is that?
Taeyo glances at me. “My parents were killed in the conflict, too. Sora and Austin and some of the other adults took me in, so, in a way, they’re all my parents, I guess.”
Emmett and I exhale sharply. Yesterday, Sora had looked at me and Taeyo weirdly when she was talking about the innocent lives Sookhee had taken. Was this why?
“I made it clear I don’t want to join your clan, so if that’s why you’re here, you can go back to campus.” I feel bad speaking so bluntly, but there’s no time to beat around the bush. “Unless you can help find the last fallen star, you’re not much use to us. No offense.”
“Well, actually, I think I can help with that.”
Emmett and I look at him suspiciously. If he knew a way to find it, why was he telling us instead of his clan?
“Elaborate,” Emmett says.
Taeyo holds up his phone. “I’ve been working on an app. It’s still in beta phase, but if I’ve programmed it right, it should allow us to talk to gwisin.”