“She could only share the memories you needed to remember who you are and to fulfill your destiny,” his aunt explains. “Your mother was over two hundred fifty years old when she had you. As powerful as she was, there was only so much she could imbue into the stone of tears.”
“W-wait. Is this why the shinbiins are nearly immortal?” My voice breaks as the horrifying realization dawns on me. I glare at every shinbiin in the room. “And all of you are okay with this? Bleeding nature dry for your own gain?”
“Our predecessors who chose this path are long gone, but we were complicit in it,” Taeyoung owns. “Your friends, on the other hand, only learned of this mere hours before you. Do not blame them—or the people of the Realm of Four Kingdoms—for the sins of their rulers.”
“You’re right.” Ethan narrows his eyes at the three monarchs. “The blame lies solely on you, and those who came before you. How could—”
“Please stop fighting. All of you,” Minju interjects, raising her voice. “We can’t change the past, and we are running out of time to protect our future. Besides, it would not have been enough. Even if the realm hadn’t stolen nature’s life force, it would not have been enough to defeat the Amheuk.”
“Then ... what?” I am so fucking tired. “How am I supposed tobecomethe Cheon’gwang?”
Because Ethan is right. My Yeoiju and I cannot be separated. If the Yeoiju becomes the true force of light, I become the light too.
“You have to ...” Minju fists her hands on her lap. “You have to absorb thegiof the sleeping gods.”
I burst into unhinged laughter. “How the fuck am I supposed to do that?”
“Shhh. It’s okay, Sunny.” Ethan pulls my head onto his shoulder and kisses my forehead. “We’ll figure it out together.”
My laugh sputters, and I swallow the sob that follows it.What use is falling apart?It’s not like I can stand back and watch the Amheuk destroy the Realm of Four Kingdoms. I’ll never stop fighting for Ethan and my friends.
“We know the locations of three of the gods—Hwanin, the god of Heavens, Yongwang, the god of Water, and Yeomla, the god of Underworld.” Taeyoung clears his throat, guilt still shadowing his face. “However, no one knows where Dangun, the god of Mountains, has gone.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” I sigh and raise my head from Ethan’s shoulder. Minju is right. We’re running out of time. “So how do we get to Hwanin, Yongwang, and Yeomla?”
There has to be more to it than just finding the gods—I doubt they’ll just hand over their life forces—but one step at a time.
“That’s where I come in,” the Judge of Tenth Hell says. “I can teleport you there.”
Twin grooves form between my brows. “The gods are in hell?”
“No.” Gyun chuckles. “They’re not in the Ten Hells.”
“They are in purgatory,” Taeyoung supplies unhelpfully.
“Uh-huh.” I nod and keep nodding. “That makes much more sense.”
“It doesn’t matter where they are.” Ethan’s voice dares anyone to disagree with him. “I’m going with her.”
“Aww.” My wonky sense of humor kicks in full throttle. “I guess we’re honeymooning in purgatory.”
“I am coming as well,” Jihun adds, crossing his arms.
“On our honeymoon?” Ethan digs a playful elbow into the seonnam’s side, and the stoic male deigns to roll his eyes.
The hysterical edge of my laugh smooths out, and genuine amusement takes its place. This is the only way we’ll get through this—by giving one another shit. But more importantly, with shared laughter.
“I’m afraid I cannot carry a third,” Gyun says to Jihun, raising his arms as though demonstrating he only has two.
“Then I’ll come. I’m ajeoseungsaja.” Hailey juts her chin. “I can travel to purgatory without anyone carrying me.”
“Very well.” The judge tips his head at Hailey, his expression appraising. “I have a feeling you will have no trouble keeping up.”
We all get to our feet as though everything is set. I don’t ask when we need to leave.One step at a time.Ethan helps me up, then he immediately gets pulled into a conversation with the Queen of Sky, Taeyoung, and Bora. And I sigh wistfully.
Our wedding day is officially over.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
