The Last Fallen Star

by Graci Kim

  As Eomma attempts to heal Austin’s injuries, Sora rubs her wrists together and makes a lifting motion with her two open hands. One of the wooden pews in the front row of the Horangi section rises into the air. “Don’t you dare lay another finger on him!” she calls to the deity as the entire bench flies through the air and lands in her path.

  The goddess takes a step back in annoyance, but then she simply climbs over the pew. This time she starts coming for me.

  I gulp. I look down at my wrists and see the glaring absence of a Gi. I feel for the bump of the biochip, but thanks to the dokkaebi, that’s gone, too. I want to be able to do something to protect my families, but I’m powerless. Useless.

  “I am going to enjoy this,” the goddess coos in my auntie’s voice. “I’m going to enjoy this very much.” She lifts her hand as she nears, preparing to attack.

  I hold my breath. The fact of the matter is that I tried my best, but the goddess is right. We mortals are no match for divinity. Especially when she’s using a physical body. A body we don’t want to attack.

  “Feel my wrath, mortal child.” She locks her eyes on me and claps her hands together. I close my lids, ready to surrender to whatever comes next.

  Ca-caw! The sound of beating wings fills my ears as a full-size inmyeonjo blocks the goddess’s attack.

  A power surge hits the bird-woman, and she shrieks and falls to the floor, her right wing bent at an unnatural angle.

  “Areum!” I fall to my knees and hold her head. She shivers in pain. “Shh, it’s gonna be okay,” I soothe.

  “Incorrect,” the goddess declares, raising her hand once more. “Let this be a lesson to all of you. Never start a job you can’t finish.”

  She makes a scooping gesture, and I hunch over Areum’s body protectively. I won’t let her get hurt again.

  The marble floor in front me begins to curve upward like a stone wave, and I tense, waiting for it to swallow me whole.

  At that moment, a gust of wind sweeps me off my feet. For a second, I feel weightless. When I regain my footing, I’m somehow on the opposite side of the room with Areum at my side. And standing next to me are Noah Noh, Cosette Chung, David Kim, and Jennie Byun.

  I rub my eyes. Am I hallucinating?

  Noah regards me with concern. “I told you guys to be careful. And look where you are now.” His gaze flicks to Hattie’s body on the floor, and his chest hitches with a sob. Noah must have lifted Areum and me up and moved us out of the goddess’s path. And now that he’s seen what’s happened to Hattie, I can only imagine how he must be feeling.

  “How did you guys know to come here?” I ask, still not sure if I’m imagining them.

  Jennie shrugs. “I’m a seer, remember? I’m actually pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

  Cosette nods. “Jennie had a vision that you were in trouble—that all the gifted clans were in need of help. We came as quickly as we could.”

  I look between them and suddenly realize they remember me. They know who I am. A surge of gratitude washes over me, and I pull them into a group hug. “Thank you so much for coming, guys,” I say. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

  “Watch out!” David calls out as the goddess throws several candle stands at us. Each one is almost as tall as we are, and one of the bronze arms slices my leg as it clatters to the floor. I hiss in pain and clamp down on my thigh.

  Noah picks up two of the stands with ease, as if they’re made of cardboard. He leans back to throw them toward the goddess, and I shout, “Please don’t hurt my auntie’s body. She’s still in there somewhere!”

  The candle stands fall uselessly a few inches from the goddess’s feet.

  “We’re over here, bully!” Emmett taunts the goddess as he jumps onto Boris and starts to zoom around.

  Her lips tighten into a line and she makes her way toward us. Cosette glamours herself to look just like Auntie Okja, and for a second, the goddess stares at her mirror image with her mouth ajar, momentarily thrown. David takes a few vials from his pocket and tosses one to Jennie. As the goddess comes within arm’s reach, David and Jennie uncork the vials and throw the contents at her. Liquid splashes into her open mouth and she wobbles on her feet, trying to keep her balance.

  “It’s a disorientation potion,” David explains. “It won’t hurt her, but it will disable her for a while.”

  Noah takes the opportunity to push four wooden pews into a square around the weakened goddess, and she falls to her knees. Sora uses her magic to lattice some pews on top, forming a wooden cage.

  “How dare you try to imprison me?!” she shrieks.

  Having been healed by my parents, Areum flies above the cage, squawking and clawing at the goddess’s hands as they emerge through the gaps.

  I let out a breath of relief. We’ve contained our enemy for now. Now we just need to figure out how to get the goddess out of my auntie’s body.

  I look around to see that each of the six clans is represented here. The Gom, the Horangi, the Samjogo, the Tokki, the Gumiho, and the Miru. All the gifted clans are working together for the first time in over a decade, united in a common cause. And I’m at the center of it.

  I’ve spent my whole life thinking of myself as an outsider. I always kept my head down because I was different and never fit in. But as I look around now, something stirs inside me.

  Despite not having achieved my wish of becoming a healer, I have never felt more Gom in my life. At the same time, even without my Horangi elemental magic, I feel more like a scholar than I ever could have imagined. And though I no longer belong to either clan, I feel more gifted than I ever thought I’d be.

  It’s just like Hattie said. It’s all about choice. I don’t have to feel conflicted about being Gom or Horangi, gifted or saram, adopted or born into a family. Because my choice isn’t either-or. I can choose to be all of those things. It’s my actions that define who I am, not who I was born to, or what blood flows through my veins, or even what magic I can wield. And the fact of the matter is that I chose all these people, and these people chose me.

  Out of nowhere, the third line of the prophecy echoes in my ear.

  In the one last divine, a weapon shall rise.

  As the words wash over me, something ignites in the pit of my stomach. It’s a new kind of heat, but it’s not unwelcome. A pocket of warmth grows from my gut and spreads into my limbs and my chest, right up to the top of my head. It zings through me like pure energy—like something awakening after a long slumber.

  Do you see now? a voice whispers in my head. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it before, but I can’t quite put a finger on who it is. This is who you’ve been all along.

  I shake my head. But I was born Horangi, and I was raised Gom, I say to the voice in my head. It’s not possible that I—

  The mysterious voice answers the question in my mind before I can finish the thought. Mago Halmi did not build the world in singularity. She made us all in eum and yang—in contradiction and equilibrium. Each of us is capable of more than you can imagine.

  I think I see the flicker of something large and shiny in the opposite corner of the sanctuary. Then something weird happens. The Gi cauldron starts to tremble. It shakes and groans like it’s coming alive, and thick black fire erupts from its top. The hungry dark flames burn fiercely, like a bonfire made of night, and everyone stops to stare at it.

  “What’s happening?” Cosette says.

  “Is that supposed to be burning?” Emmett asks.

  A seed of understanding begins to sprout. The star compass wasn’t the Godrealm’s last fallen star. I’ve had it wrong all along.

  “Oh no,” Sora says, her eyes widening. “The goddess is too powerful. She’s escaping.”

  I turn to see that the deity has gotten a second wind. The potion must have worn off. “You will pay for this, you insolent mortals!” She throws up her arms in anger, and one of the latticing pews gets flung across the chamber.

  “It’s no use,” Emmett cries. �
��Nothing can stop her.”

  The goddess breaks another bench above her head and stands up. She locks her eyes on me, and her gaze is so icy, I swear my insides freeze on the spot.

  “Enough!” she yells. “Enough play. It is time to finish this.” She puts her hands together and releases them toward me in a forceful gesture.

  Eomma sees it coming and dives in front of me to block the attack. But it’s too late. The next thing I know, I am hurtling through the air. My back hits something hard, and I fall to the marble floor with a thud. Ugh. My chest feels like it’s full of rocks, and I can’t catch my breath. I clutch at my throat, trying to let the air in.

  Just breathe.

  Breathe.

  Breathe!

  As the deity turns her attention to the others, I slowly get to my knees. I turn and realize I was thrown into the statue of the Cave Bear Goddess. No wonder it was a rough landing. I use it as a prop to pull myself up to my feet, then quickly close my eyes. I’m woozy from the impact, and I hold on tight to the icon. As the dizziness subsides, I stare at the likeness of the goddess.

  That’s when it strikes me.

  The Cave Bear Goddess statue is made of gold.

  I run through the prophecy in my head once more:

  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.

  As the statue’s gilded eyes probe into my own, the last piece of the puzzle falls into place.

  “Goddess, I might still be in the running for employee of the century, after all,” I say, my voice deeper and surer than it has ever been before. I walk up to her, rubble trembling under my feet, and I feel only strength, not fear. “I have found what you’re looking for.”

  The goddess pauses her destruction to look at me.

  Well? her eyes demand.

  I look over at the cauldron and the pure power flowing from its black flames. The same power that flows from me.

  And for the first time in my life, instead of being ashamed of my four inner fires, I embrace them. I let the embers drift down over me, become part of me. And as the licks of power engulf me, I allow myself to accept it, and accept myself.

  Intertwined with these feelings is my love for both sets of parents, compassion for my sister, thankfulness for the companionship of my best friend, and gratitude for the unity of the Gom. I fuse it with my appreciation for the scholars’ bravery, the loyalty of the inmyeonjo, the support of my auntie, and the courage of my gifted friends.

  I have never felt more at home than here, right now, among all my people. So, using that feeling, I form a colorful patchwork of the diverse mortals who make me who I am. And I burn fiercely with pride.

  “Choose your next actions carefully,” the goddess warns as I take my final steps toward her.

  The dokkaebi may have been evil, but he was right. I was indeed in possession of the Godrealm’s last fallen star. I’ve had it with me—in me—all along.

  Because I am the weapon.

  I am the gold-destroyer.

  And I will end the soul who lies.

  “It is I that you seek,” I declare proudly, and I have never been surer of anything in my life. “I am the Godrealm’s last fallen star.”

  Shock reverberates through the sanctuary at my declaration, and the goddess’s skin shines a brilliant magenta.

  “Oh, how the Mother works in mysterious ways.” There is satisfaction and hunger in her eyes, both hands poised to destroy me. I am now her only target.

  But I know what’s coming.

  And I am prepared.

  Yes, the voice whispers in my ear. It’s time for you to shine, my little fallen star.

  I smile. I gather all the dark and light, love and hurt, good and bad from my life into one monumental ball of fire. Above all, I think of Hattie, the best sister anyone could have ever wished for.

  And as the goddess comes for me, I counter her with a unique cocktail of divinity and human experience. I release the inner heat from every pore of my body, and, in a blinding blaze, simultaneously let go of and embrace my potential, channeling it all toward the gold statue of the Cave Bear Goddess. The black flames explode out of the Gi cauldron and fly toward the statue, their sheer force shattering the sculpted gold into a thousand little pieces.

  “Nooo!” the goddess cries, as she is ripped out of my auntie’s body. She stands in her frumpy mortal guise once more, fear gripping her eyes. And as she looks at the shards of her statue littering the floor of the sanctuary, she, too, begins to shatter.

  The deity shrieks. And in that moment, the world seems to hold its breath and gasp at the same time. Time stands still and is simultaneously full of motion. It is thunderous and silent, chaotic and calm. The very fabric of the atmosphere rips open as the goddess explodes into a dazzling shower of light. And when our eyes finally recover, it all becomes ever so clear.

  I am the last divine star that fell from the Godrealm’s sky.

  I am the one who was destined to stop the end of all days.

  I have lost, but I have gained.

  Because I am strong. And I am brave.

  My name is Riley Oh, and I was born to shine.

  TO BE HONEST, EVERYTHING FEELS sort of anticlimactic after that. I find myself standing awkwardly among everyone, twiddling my thumbs and trying to find the right words to say.

  Just to recap, I’ve found out I’m a piece of the divine—the Godrealm’s last fallen star (which is kind of awesome), and I’ve managed to vanquish the Cave Bear Goddess (which is also kind of awesome, since I pretty much saved the world).

  But as the excitement dies down, I realize my two families still have no memory of who I really am. And, more important, Hattie is still gone. Her body remains lifeless on the floor, surrounded by my crying parents. Nothing I can do or say will change that. And despite my having stopped the end of all days, it hurts deeply to know that I failed her.

  I drop my head into my hands as my leaky-bladder eyes make their appearance. I miss Hattie so much.

  “Thank you for all that you have done for us,” Appa says to me between tears, a weird sense of formality clipping his tone. “For stopping the goddess, and for trying to save our daughter…I mean, your sister…uh…” He trails off and gives me this awkward half hug, half pat on the back. Auntie Okja, who is now recovering, also gives me a small grateful smile.

  “Yes, the Horangi thank you, too,” Sora agrees, calm but solemn. “You showed great courage today, and we will always remember that.”

  Jennie, Cosette, David, and Noah try to comfort me, banding around me in a circle of friendship I never thought I’d have.

  “Don’t worry, star girl,” Jennie says. “We still remember you, and there’ll be a way to restore their memories of you, I’m sure of it.”

  Cosette and David nod. “We’ll help you. You won’t have to do it alone.”

  Noah nudges his fogged-up glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Hattie would have wanted us to help you,” he says quietly. “I know it.”

  Emmett and Taeyo consider me from afar, probably curious but also cautious, considering I just destroyed a goddess. It’s not every day you see that happen.

  Areum calls for me from outside the sanctuary. And since I don’t really know what else to say or do right now anyway, I pretend I need to visit the restroom and take my leave.

  I find the inmyeonjo by the elevator. But she’s not alone.

  Next to her is a statuesque creature with a great mane, a single blunt horn, and red eyes that shine like rubies. His bioluminescent scales glisten as he nods toward me, the bell around his neck jingling a sweet melody.

  “Haetae?” I ask in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “You have done well, fallen star.”

  I blink, and suddenly I see the bearded man standing before me. He’s just as I remember him—well dressed
and well built with an impressively bushy beard. But now, his eyes shine ruby red.

  I blink again, and he’s the Haetae again.

  Blink.

  Bearded man.

  Blink.

  Haetae.

  “Wait, you’re the bearded man?” I ask, starting to understand. “You were pretending to be a guard at the laundromat? You’re actually the Haetae?”

  He tips his head. “At your service.”

  “It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one talking to me today. In my mind.”

  A warm smile spreads across his face. “Indeed it was.”

  “But why?” I rub the back of my neck. “Why did you help me?”

  “I am Mago Halmi’s guardian. I made a grave mistake when I bit the dark sun and the dark moon at the goddesses’ request. I have been roaming the Mortalrealm since the pieces fell here, to ensure that the remaining stars do not get into the goddesses’ hands. Something at which I admit I have not been very successful.”

  I frown. “But why didn’t you just tell me you were the Haetae when we were at the library? You knew what I was looking for. Why not tell me the truth about who I really was? You could have saved me so much time. I could have saved my sist…” I trail off, choked by my tears.

  His ruby eyes soften. “Mago Halmi wanted you to discover the truth for yourself. This was your journey to take. I was just here to guide you in the right direction.”

  He solidifies in Haetae form, and my eyes lower to the shiny bell around his neck. A scene materializes in its reflection like it did at the library, and I recognize it like I remember an old dream—hazy and fragile, drifting just beyond my grasp.

  I’m falling from the sky—a screaming ball of pure, divine heat. A piece of the Godrealm’s dark sun. I burn through the Earth’s atmosphere and, as the Haetae’s voice guides me, I fall into the Mortalrealm.

  The Haetae flickers back into his human form, and I blink a few times, the scene receding back into the cloudiness of my memory.