by Graci Kim
“So I’m a piece of the dark sun that fell to Earth, and you hid me in my Horangi mother?”
“That’s correct,” he confirms. “You now know the full truth. And like I said, you performed your prescribed duty beautifully. But listen well, because you must remain vigilant. You may have destroyed the Cave Bear Goddess today, as the prophecy predicted, but there are five more goddesses in the Godrealm who crave access to the three realms. Now that one of their sisters has fallen, there is no knowing if, or how, they may retaliate.”
“But, Haetae, my families don’t remember me anymore. What do I do now? I have nowhere to go. I’m all alone.”
“Do not despair, fallen star. There are ways lost memories can be recovered. Nothing is ever truly lost, after all. And as for being alone, I think you already know how wrong you are.”
He removes a marble from his pocket and holds it up to me. I immediately take a step back, remembering the blue-and-purple gas that knocked Emmett and me unconscious.
The Haetae smiles sheepishly. “There is no need to be afraid. Biting the dark sun and dark moon burdened me with many troubles. But it did provide me one gift, and that is the ability to manipulate time. Now that you have successfully completed your journey, I would like to grant you one divine favor. By turning back time, I can restore one thing of your choosing to its original form. But choose wisely, fallen star, for you may use this once and for one thing only.”
I open the sanctuary door slightly and peek inside. My parents are grieving over Hattie’s still body. But I also see Austin showing Jennie how his biochip works. Cosette and Emmett are giving each other cheesy salutes, and Noah and David are asking Taeyo to do another water trick. Auntie Okja is speaking with Sora, and at one point, they share a warm handshake. This must be the first time in a long time the Horangi are standing as equals among fellow gifteds, and in the temple at that.
I imagine being there with my families, being remembered by them, and being welcomed home. My heart physically aches to be a part of that picture.
I know more than anything what I want to reverse.
“Haetae,” I start, removing the vial from around my neck that now contains nothing but a charred remainder of my sister’s heart, “I want you to restore this.”
The Haetae takes the vial but lets it hang like a comma between us. Areum coos from her perch on my shoulder.
“Are you sure that is what you desire?” the Haetae asks. “You could ask me to restore what the dokkaebi took from you.”
I shake my head. “I’m sure. Like you said, there are other ways to recover lost memories.”
“As you wish, fallen star.”
The Haetae makes his way into the Gi sanctuary, and Areum and I follow.
Everyone starts whispering as he gets near. I’m sure they’re wondering who this strange man is. But no one bothers to ask. I guess after everything they’ve seen today, there isn’t much that will surprise them anymore.
The Haetae takes the vial over to Hattie’s lifeless body, and Eomma and Appa look uncertain. But I nod to them, and they silently move aside, allowing him to get close to her.
He puts the vial on top of her chest, above her heart, and steps back. Holding his marble in his open palm, he starts chanting ancient words under his breath, and blue-and-purple smoke wafts from the sphere, swirling like a small tornado in his hand. He blows on the storm as if wishing on a dandelion, and the clouds fly obediently toward Hattie, enveloping her entire body in the colors of the divine.
Suddenly I feel a bit nauseated, as if I’m on a rocky boat ride. The ground seems to be slipping under my feet, as if we’re literally moving back in time.
Then, just as quickly as the feeling came, it’s gone.
And the Haetae with it.
I rush over to Hattie, who remains still and unmoving. The vial on her chest is now empty—no red, no black, no nothing. I shake her shoulders.
“Hattie, wake up, wake up! Come back to us.”
Emmett and Auntie Okja join me at Hattie’s side, with Eomma and Appa opposite me. Taeyo, Sora, Austin, and the rest of my friends surround us in a circle. And together we repeat Hattie’s name over and over again like a prayer.
Then, like a miracle, her eyes flicker open. And this time they’re not pitch-black. They are warm brown—the color of healing-spell training sessions, the color of Saturday night tteokbokki and K-drama marathons, the color of late night gossip-a-thons under the covers…. They are the eyes of my sister.
“Oh my Mago,” she croaks, coughing and spluttering as she comes to. “Where am I?”
We all cheer—the witches and the fallen piece of the divine, together as one.
“Hattie!” Noah cries, kneeling down and hugging her tight. “You came back! I’m so glad you came back!”
He suddenly realizes everyone is watching him, and he quickly gets up and walks backward, step-by-step, until he’s completely out of the circle. “I mean, I’m pleased you’ve returned safely, just like everyone else is….”
Hattie smiles weakly, but I see some much-needed color flash on her cheeks. They are so getting together, Mr. and Mrs. Oh-Noh. I’d bet the Haetae’s bell on it.
“Thank you so much for bringing her back to us,” Eomma cries, looking at me the way people look at firefighters after a blaze. Grateful but respectfully distanced.
Appa says nothing but reaches over Hattie’s chest and takes my hands, resting his head on them. And that gesture says more than words ever could.
“Hat,” I whisper, tracing my finger along her pale, gaunt face.
She looks at me blankly, and a burning heat builds behind my eyes.
She has no idea who I am.
One lone fat tear falls from my face onto her heart vial. It splashes off the glass and drips down onto her chest.
“I know you don’t remember me,” I whisper, “but I just want you to know that I love you more than anything. And you are the best sister a girl could ever dream of.”
She blinks once, as if to clear her vision. A pause. Then her blank look disappears and is replaced by one of puzzlement. “Uh, Rye, why in the three realms wouldn’t I remember you?” She breaks into a wide, toothy grin. “But thanks for the nice words. You’re the best sister I could ever have dreamed of, too.”
My heart stops, and I clutch my chest with both hands. “Wait, you remember me?! Do you really remember me?!” I pull her into a bear hug and I hold her so tight, she coughs a few times.
“Whoa, easy does it!” she croaks, smiling. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I don’t know how, but against all odds, my sister remembers me. I wonder if the Haetae had something to do with it. Or if it’s because she wasn’t technically in the Mortalrealm when the dokkaebi and I made the deal. But Areum offers her own theory from my shoulder.
“It is a well-known fact,” she says into my ear, “that true love conquers all.”
Hattie squeezes my arm, and I feel the weight of the last few days melt off me. With Hattie by my side, there’s nothing we can’t do.
“So, it’s Riley, right?” Taeyo asks, adjusting his purple bow tie. “Maybe at some point you could give us a blow-by-blow of everything that happened today? It was, well, out of this realm.”
Emmett nods, hugging Boris close and tickling behind his ears. “Yeah, what he said! Also, has anyone ever told you you’re a badass?”
I chuckle as a new warmth fills my chest. There is definitely hope. And, as always, it tastes ever so sweet on my tongue.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get my elemental magic back, or whether everyone will remember me again. I don’t know what it means to be a fragment of the Godrealm’s dark sun, and I definitely don’t know what the rest of the goddesses might do now that I’ve destroyed one of their sisters.
But the truth is, right here, right now, none of that matters. Looking around at the diverse group of people surrounding me—the people who fought for me and stood with me—I understand just how right the Haetae was.
<
br /> Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I’m not alone. I am surrounded by people I love and who love me.
I belong.
Despite everything that’s happened, my heart has never felt so full.
“BTW, I had a premonition dream this morning,” Jennie starts.
“Wow! Go on,” Taeyo encourages earnestly. “Tell us. Knowledge is best shared.”
“OMG, isn’t that totally the type of cheesy thing Professor Ryu would say?” Jennie says, smirking at Taeyo.
Noah and David nod in agreement.
“Totally.”
“Absolutely.”
Cosette stands up for Taeyo. “Hey, let the dude be cheesy if that’s his jam.”
Jennie shrugs, but I see a small smile on the edges of her lips. “Whatever. Anyway, as I was saying, I had a premonition dream, and even you were in it, new kid.”
Taeyo beams, obviously chuffed he’s now part of this gang.
“We were on a mission to find the lost memories of Riley.”
Areum rustles her feathers and squawks. And I can guess what she’s thinking: This is proof.
This can’t be where the story ends. No way, not today, definitely not when there is hope on the horizon. I will restore my families’ lost memories, and it looks like I won’t have to do it alone.
“So,” Hattie says, pulling on my hand and searching my eyes. “Did I miss much?”
I lie down and rest my head in my sister’s lap. “Oh, you have no idea.”
She pouts. “Guess I missed out on all the fun then, huh?”
I chuckle. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. This is only the beginning.”
When the fragments of the dark sun and the dark moon fell from the Godrealm’s sky, the Haetae noticed they fell in pairs. One piece of the sun and one piece of the moon, falling together as one.
As the six goddesses became consumed with their desire to destroy the fallen pieces, Mago Halmi grew worried. “We must ensure my children do not destroy them all,” she said.
So she commanded the Haetae to find one of the fallen stars and separate it into its two parts. “Leave the dark-sun piece in the Mortalrealm,” she said. “But take the piece of the dark moon and hide it well, my loyal guardian. For when the day comes that the dark sun and moon are united, a new era will be born. They will call it the Age of the Final Eclipse. This is my prophecy.”
And so the Haetae did as Mago Halmi commanded.
He separated one of the fallen stars and left the piece of the dark sun in the Mortalrealm. Then he took the piece of the dark moon and hid it in the safest place he could find—the Spiritrealm.
aegi-ya (EH-ghee-yah) What my eomma calls me when she’s about to deliver bad news. Aegi is Korean for baby, and the ya on the end is what you add when you’re calling out to someone.
appa (AH-bbah) Korean for dad.
Areum (AH-rihm) A Korean name meaning beautiful.
bae (beh) a delicious Korean pear that’s big and round (sometimes as big as my face). It’s super crunchy and refreshing, and supposedly one of the Cave Bear Goddess’s favorite things to eat.
bangmangi (BAHNG-mahng-ee) a magical club covered with pointy black and red spikes that dokkaebis use to summon any item in the Mortalrealm.
Battle Galactic a video game that’s similar to Fortnite Battle Royale, but set in space. My BFF, Emmett, is obsessed with it.
bulgogi (BOOL-goh-ghee) a super-yummy marinated beef dish. David Kim’s family restaurant, Seoulful Tacos, makes the best bulgogi tacos in town.
Cave Bear Goddess the patron goddess of the Gom clan.
cheollima (CHOL-lee-mah) winged horses that are the preferred mode of transport for the goddesses in the Godrealm. Cheollimas are known for being too big, too swift, and too majestic to be mounted by any mortal being. Interesting fact: Ages ago, a cheollima who lost his wings and fell from the Godrealm became the first horse on Earth.
dojang (DOH-jahng) a formal training hall for Korean martial arts, like Taegwondo.
dokkaebi (DOH-ggeh-bee) really scary goblins that enter your dreams and make you live out your worst fears so they can eat them (literally). They have magical clubs called bangmangi that can summon any item in the Mortalrealm. Pro tip: Avoid them at all costs.
eomma (OM-mah) Korean for mom.
eum and yang (ihm) and (yahng) the Korean way of saying yin and yang, which is the idea that seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary and interconnected.
Gi (ghee) a cylindrical glass charm filled with one of the five sacred elements, worn as a bracelet by all initiated witches. When rubbed against the wrist, it activates a witch’s magic by channeling the divine power of that witch’s patron goddess.
gifted witches who are members of the six gifted clans and descendants of the six patron goddesses. Basically, those with magic in their blood.
gifted mark the symbol of the two suns and two moons that appears on a witch’s inner wrist when they do magic. It’s often used to prove one’s gifted identity—for example, to get into the temple for Saturday service, because it glows in the witch’s clan color.
gimbap (GHEEM-bahp) Korean sushi. Gimchi and cheese are the best combo for fillings, in case you’re wondering.
gimchi (GHEEM-chee) a spicy fermented cabbage side dish that makes whatever you’re eating infinitely tastier. The gimchi guacamole at Seoulful Tacos is my jam!
gimchi jjigae (GHEEM-chee JEE-geh) a hearty stew made with gimchi, which happens to be Eomma’s favorite meal.
glamour the type of magic that witches of the Gumiho clan (illusionists) practice. It allows people, places, and things to be hidden, transformed, or disguised. Pretty awesome.
gochujang (GOH-choo-jahng) A spicy-sweet chili sauce used in a lot of Korean cooking. Emmett loves it and puts obscene amounts on his tacos.
Godrealm the realm where Mago Halmi, the goddesses, and other divine creatures live.
Gom (gohm) Witches of the Gom clan, like my parents, my auntie Okja, and my sister, Hattie, are healers and descendants of the Cave Bear Goddess. Our clan color is gold, and our motto is Service and Sacrifice. Healers often run clinics hidden in plain sight, like holistic medicine centers, well-being retreats, or like my parents’ Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic.
Gumiho (GOO-mee-hoh) Witches of the Gumiho clan are illusionists and descendants of the Nine-Tailed Fox Goddess. Their clan color is silver, and their motto is Beauty and Influence. This may sound like a generalization, but their good looks often lead them to become K-pop and K-drama stars. True story.
gwisin (GWEE-sheen) hungry ghosts that haven’t been able to pass through to the Spiritrealm because of unfinished business on Earth.
Haetae (HEH-teh) a uni-horned lion-like beast, and Mago Halmi’s guardian pet. He’s known for his incredible loyalty, and his ability to manipulate time.
halmeoni (HAHL-mo-nee) Korean for grandma.
hanbok (HAHN-bohk) the traditional Korean dress or suit that witches wear in their clan colors for special occasions.
Horangi (HOH-rahng-ee) Witches of the Horangi clan are scholars and descendants of the Mountain Tiger Goddess. Their clan color is red, and their motto is Knowledge and Truth. They used to be the keepers of the sacred texts at the gifted library, but were cursed and excommunicated from the gifted community almost thirteen years ago.
hotteok (HOH-ddok) cinnamon-y sweet pancakes with a gooey brown-sugar center that Appa makes. Hands down, my favorite meal.
house-sin (house-sheen) spirits that protect the gifted’s homes. The door-sin, the kitchen-sin, and the toilet-sin are the main ones, but you can have others, too. You have to give them compliments every time you use them, or they might make your life miserable.
inmyeonjo (EEN-myon-joh) a wild creature with the body of a bird and the head of a woman. They can fly between the Godrealm and the Mortalrealm at will, and are obsessed with destroying mirrors because they hate their own reflections.
Joseon Chalice (JOH-son) a 6
00-year-old sacred artifact that belonged to King Sejong the Great, who ruled as the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty. He also happened to be gifted, but not many people know that.
K-drama the short way of saying Korean TV shows. Hattie, Emmett, and I have K-drama marathons every second Saturday.
K-fry a nickname for Korean fried chicken. If you haven’t tried it, you are totally missing out. Just saying.
Knock-Out Juice a sleep potion, infused by the Tokki witches, that my parents sometimes use at the clinic for saram patients (so they don’t realize they’re being healed with magic). A few drops in a cup of tea knocks you straight into a deep slumber. Useful stuff.
K-pop the short way of saying Korean pop music. Random fact: All but one of the BTS members are Gumiho. You heard it here first.
Mago Halmi (MAH-goh HAHL-mee) the mother of the three realms, mother of the six goddesses, mother of mortalkind, and mother of all creation. Basically, the head honcho who made the world.
Memoryhaze a potion, infused by the Tokki witches, that can wipe a saram’s mind of the magical things they’ve seen. It’s important for protecting the privacy and sanctity of the clans.
Miru (MEE-roo) Witches of the Miru clan are protectors and are descendants of the Water Dragon Goddess. Their clan color is blue, and their motto is Provide and Protect. Thanks to their superhuman speed and/or strength, they often guard our secret portals and entrances. They usually give off a jock-like vibe.
Moon Rabbit Goddess the patron goddess of the Tokki clan.
Mortalrealm the realm where we mortals live, aka Earth.
Mountain Tiger Goddess the patron goddess of the Horangi clan. She disowned the clan when the witches were excommunicated, though.
Nine-Tailed Fox Goddess the patron goddess of the Gumiho clan.
noraebang (NOH-reh-bahng) a Korean karaoke room. Norae is Korean for song, and bang means room.
nunchi (NOON-chee) the word you use to describe someone’s ability to pick up what’s going on or someone’s feelings without being told. Essentially, one’s ability to read a room. Surprisingly, despite his being allergic to emotions, Emmett has amazing nunchi.
