“It is not particularly sinister either.” Gyun shrugs his big shoulders, his tailored suit jacket shifting fluidly with his motion. “You will see when we get there.”
While I mutter grumpily under my breath where the judge can shove his enigmatic reply, the Queen of Sky, Bora, Minju, Jaeseok, and Cheyun join us.
“When do we leave?” Ethan asks.
“Soon,” Jihun says grimly, even for him. “Every shinbiin willing and ready to fight has been dispatched to protect the perimeter of the Kingdom of Sky. But once the Amheuk forces its way inside, we won’t be able to hold it off for long.”
“We’ll be back in time,” I assure him—a bold statement, considering I have no idea what awaits us in purgatory.But in for a penny, in for a pound, and all that.“With reinforcements.”
“Sunny.” Minju steps hesitantly to my side and whispers, “There is more you need to know.”
“Of course there is.” I force a wry chuckle. “I don’t suppose this can wait ...”
“No, I must tell you before you leave,” she insists, then turns to the others. “I need to borrow Sunny for five minutes. We will not be long.”
Too many pairs of eyes turn toward us, and I’m suddenly desperate for air.
“I guess we’re doing this now.” With a resigned sigh, I tuck her hand in the crook of my elbow and head toward the doors. “Let’s talk outside.”
Ethan raises his head from his conversation with Taeyoung, and I mouth,Be right back.
We stroll to the pond in the courtyard in subdued silence. I stare out at the water, trying to give Minju time to work up the courage to tell me whatever it is she needs to tell me. But my heart trips and stumbles in my chest, and my stomach wraps itself into an anxious knot.
“Let me guess,” I blurt.How bad can it be?“If I absorb the life force of the gods, I might die?”
“Yes.” Minju flaps her hand like that’s a foregone conclusion. “But it can be so much worse.”
“So much ... worse?” I gulp.Worse than dying?
“No mortal being, even one nearly immortal, can absorb thegiof a god and survive.” The historian taps her chin in full nerd mode. She doesn’t realize she’s telling me—her dear friend—that I’mfor suregoing to die. “Never mind thegiof allfourgods.”
“Interesting.” I copy her chin tapping, but she doesn’t even catch my teasing.Well, that’s no fun.I can’t even rely on my snark to distract me from the blood-draining sense of doom. “But that just means I’ll die, like we already discussed. What do you meanit can be so much worse?”
“The thing is you mightnotdie,” she continues, making that sound like a bad thing. “At least, not until you destroy the worlds.”
“Until I dowhat?” My knees go weak.
“Because of the Yeoiju, you might be the one mortal being in all the worlds who can absorb thegiof the four gods.” She paces back and forth, gesturing with her hands. “But controlling such power is an entirely different matter. And if you lose control ...”
My breath comes in rough pants.Oh gods.I need to know, but I don’t want to know.
Minju stops pacing and meets my eyes, finally seeing me. “Oh, Sunny.”
“Tell me.” I dig my nails into my palms, clenching my back teeth.
“You might burn down the Realm of Four Kingdoms,” she whispers, “andthe Mortal Realm. You will be ... unstoppable.”
Now I understand what can be worse than dying.That.Stopping the Amheuk will be meaningless ifIbring about the end of the worlds.
And everything comes full circle.
“I want to hear the prophecy of the End of Days,” I rasp.
“Prophecies don’t have to come true—”
“Whatdoes it say?” She backs away at my tone, and I bite my lip.Get your shit together, Sunny.“I’m sorry, Minju. Please tell me. I need to know.”
My friend takes a shuddering breath and recites:
