They stay by the dock. It is too narrow for more than two people to stand side by side comfortably, and neither wants to hinder the Souls' journey. TaeYeon seems more drawn than before, but MiYoung has only known her for a short time, and it's possible that she's projecting her own insecurity. She is a bit nervous, if she were to be honest with herself. Her mother is the major god of agriculture. Humans' invocations aim at her for the most part, ranging from plentiful harvest to easy pregnancy. MiYoung, on the other hand, has never materialized in front of any human. Her mother did inform her that every mortal, as long as they have faith, will recognize their godhood like an innate knowledge. But would their Souls do the same?

Unsure of the proper conduct as a guest in another realm, MiYoung glances at TaeYeon for guidance, but the other god is looking the other way, her jaw sets. Not that any of the Souls will notice. They are bowing so low, bending in half at the waist. Some even tremble, tears dripping as they scurry away in the direction of the palace.

Their palpable fear shocks MiYoung, until she remembers that there is a guise in place for all gods. Since it is humans' wishes for there to be gods, their appearance varies from person to person. Their names too. It all depends on an individual's perception of each god. The god of love is well known to appear as a person's most beloved—parental figures, offspring, best friends, lovers, even as pets. MiYoung feels a surge of righteous annoyance when she realizes that these Souls must have such a terrible idea of TaeYeon as the god of death that for them, she is the embodiment of their most frightening terror.

The only thing that stops MiYoung from yelling at the Souls for their prejudice is the last passengers of the boat making their way down from the dock: children. A handful of them. All too thin. Their tattered clothes hang on their skinny frames, and their eyes seem too big for their faces. They are braver, though. Or just not acquainted with the proper etiquette of being in the presence of gods. A couple of girls are staring, while the boys only dare to steal glances before smiling shyly.

MiYoung's chest clenches in sympathy, but she offers her best smile at them. The boys, cheeks heavy with red, run off after the adults. The older girl bows again, rolling her eyes at the boys as she goes after them at a more sedate pace. The younger one remains, looking quite lost on her own. She can't be older than three and probably doesn't understand the concept of death.

Crouching to put herself eye-to-eye with the girl, MiYoung plucks a yellow daisy by her feet and charms it to stay fresh before handing it to the little girl. "It's alright," she says. From her peripheral, she notices TaeYeon is watching them. She chooses her words wisely, unwilling to overstep her position as a guest. "You can play with your friends all the time now."

Subtly, she nudges the girl in the direction of the retreating figures of the other young Souls. They are playing a small game of tag while they bring up the end of the queue. The girl looks at them, at the bright yellow flower in her hand, and then beams up at MiYoung.

"Thank you!"

Instead of bowing, she pounches into a hug, wrapping MiYoung as best as her small arms will allow. It ends as fast as it started, and to both gods' surprise, the girl does the same with TaeYeon. But because she is still standing, the girl ends up hugging her legs, almost obscured by her dark cloak. She doesn't say anything, only grins toothily at TaeYeon, probably seeing her for how she really is. TaeYeon, stunned at first, can't help her own grin from forming. Finally the girl hurries after her fellow Souls, the single daisy clutched protectively against her chest.

When they climb up the dock, TaeYeon stops MiYoung with a touch on her arm. "Thank you," she says.

TaeYeon's smile is wider than any MiYoung has witnessed on her before. She is beautiful like that, in an ethereal kind of way. MiYoung wants to see her smile like that more often. "You're welcome," she replies.

The dock, despite its age and wooden structure, is sturdier than it looks. MiYoung takes cautious steps forward, TaeYeon slightly behind her. When they come to its very edge, a simple yet sizeable boat harbors itself. Standing in the middle of it is a woman, dressed in a cloak that's darker than TaeYeon's. The ferrywoman, MiYoung assumes, The Underworld certainly has a way of keeping her on her toes with the unexpected.

"SoonKyu," TaeYeon calls out. "This is MiYoung. She got here by accident. She needs to leave."

"Have you tried?"

TaeYeon nods. Her smile is thin, her lips pinch at the corners. A long time ago, when the human population was low and even fewer were dead, SoonKyu expressed her wish to see the world above. TaeYeon, not wanting to disappoint her first and only friend in the Underworld, tried everything she could. She failed. The Underworld saw it fit to punish SoonKyu. Now she can't even step away from her boat.

SoonKyu turns her attention to MiYoung, who can't help but shiver and duck her head. "Maybe the Underworld wants you to be here." She exchanges a look of understanding with TaeYeon. "It has a mind of its own," she says, an echo of TaeYeon's words earlier.

MiYoung opens then snaps shut. She has no response to that, but she's sure that she doesn't want to stay there. "I'd still like to cross and go home, ma'am."

"Cute." SoonKyu chuckles when MiYoung's cheeks pink. She sends a smirk at TaeYeon's unimpressed look. "But this blasted boat won't move unless you pay me the fare." She gestures at the dock. Nothing ties the boat to it, yet it remains steady. "You may try."

Much to SoonKyu's amazement, MiYoung does just that. She steps down into the boat and starts looking around to see if there was anything, perhaps an oar, that she can use to make it move. SoonKyu didn't expect her to take up the invite. She's used to Souls believing her every word, but MiYoung's skepticism and bravery are the breath of fresh air the Underworld, and dare she say, TaeYeon, needs. Up on the dock, TaeYeon's face is of clear amusement. It is something that used to be a constant back when she was new and SoonKyu showed her every little nook and cranny in the Underworld, but now only shows up when their three-headed dog does something silly.

After checking everything and finding nothing, MiYoung sits down with a defeated sigh. By doing so, she effectively hinders SoonKyu from continuing her endless toil. Not that she minds.

"A coin, that's all I need."

"I'll get one from earth."

SoonKyu stops TaeYeon before she can vanish in a puff of smoke. "TaeYeon, you know it doesn't work that way." She addresses MiYoung next. "You want to get out of here? You have to pay a fare with a coin that is already here."

"Where can I get such a thing?" MiYoung groans, looking at SoonKyu and then TaeYeon with imploring exasperation. The Underworld is keen on making her life hard.

"Some of the heroes came with two, and only used one," SoonKyu says. "But you must know that most of them cherish their coins. It is the last item they have of their family."

TaeYeon, not wanting to waste more time, is quick to offer, "I'll take you to Elysian Field."

-

They walk to Elysium, where the Souls of half-gods and heroes dwell. It's located farther east of the palace, on an island of its own. They must cross the river Lethe to reach it, and thankfully there is a bridge available. Despite the width, the stream is calm, not unlike a brook flowing down a hill on earth. Its water is a shimmering yellow of gold dust.

The first thing MiYoung notices about the Elysium, after the seemingly endless barren land along the way, is the trees. Many of them, dense by the river and thinning away from it, are scattered in an indecipherable pattern. Their silver-colored leaves and white bark make them seem eerie. MiYoung hesitates, keeping her arms close to herself. The elation she felt when she first saw them was dampened when none of them 'answered' her.

"Can I?" MiYoung asks.

TaeYeon nods. She touches the one next to her to show that it is safe to do so, unlike the water of the river that they just crossed over. MiYoung still considers finding some kind of tool to pick one of the coins, many amongst other forgotten knick-knacks making up the bottom of the Lethe, if she is unable to get it from the Souls in Elysium. TaeYeon wouldn't like that idea, though.

Looking back at the older god, MiYoung finds her looking pensive. "TaeYeon?"

Whatever that was in her mind, TaeYeon quickly covers it with a smile. "Will you be alright on your own?" she asks. "I'm sorry, I have a meeting I have to attend soon."

MiYoung understands that TaeYeon is the ruler of this realm and that she has duties. She's also used to going around on her own—the very reason she ends up in the Underworld in the first place. She doesn't need TaeYeon to accompany her everywhere, but at the same time, she isn't so sure that she'd be welcomed.

"Don't worry. The people of Elysian Field are all honorable. They would help you." TaeYeon quips with a smirk, "As long as you don't kick them."

The tension melts away as MiYoung puffs up, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm not a barbarian!"

"Well, if they were unwilling to give you a coin, you could always challenge them to a fight for it."

It's TaeYeon's comfort in teasing and her confidence that MiYoung could score a coin through winning a fight that put her at ease. Before she loses her nerves, she turns and makes her way into the white forest. The 'woods' aren't what she's used to on Earth, but they're still woods. She finds her way through by following the sound of upbeat music and peals of merry laughter.

Some safe metres away from the clearing, MiYoung halts. She wants to study the inhabitants of Elysium first, so she conceals herself behind a particularly thick poplar to watch. However, as though they sensed her, they too paused. The music stops and laughter falls off. The ones she can see from her position are exchanging looks before they perk up, turning to face in her direction with uncanny sync.

MiYoung feels her panic mounting. She walks as light as a cat because Yuri taught her well. She doesn't know what gives her away. The trees are eternal; no fallen leaves or branches. The forest floor is the same barren dirt as the rest of the Underworld. She didn't crunch any leaves, break any twigs, or kick any rocks. Yet somehow, her presence is exposed.

"Come out now," a boy, for he can't be older than fifteen, who is on the outermost part of the clearing, calls out.

His friend, an even younger girl with a ball on her hands, adds, "It's okay. We won't hurt you."

More and more Souls join the duo, but none move forward to approach MiYoung. For a moment, all she wants to do is turn back and run. Perhaps she can still catch up with TaeYeon. But that was never her. Smoothing the skirt of her dress, she takes a step forward. Another, and another, until she is a couple metres away from the gathering inhabitants of Elysium.

Under their collective appraising gazes, MiYoung feels self-conscious. She is considered young in the world of gods. Yuri nicknames her, jokingly, as the Maiden. These are half-gods and heroes who have won the favor of the gods, gone on epic journeys, and made valiant sacrifices. Compared to them, she feels irrationally powerless.

"My name is MiYoung." She doesn't have to add I am a god because she can recognize the half-gods in the crowd by the faint glow surrounding their bodies, in ordinant with the color of their godly parents. She must have looked at least the same to them, with a green glow about her. "I'd like to speak with the one in charge, please?"

The crowd parts, and a woman steps forward. She is familiar. MiYoung scrunches her brows, trying to recall where she had seen her before when it hits her: JuHyun's books, one that some humans had offered in her temple as a sacrifice.

"You are the first hero."

The woman smiles. "Dragon-slayer, city-founder, but you can call me SooYoung."

MiYoung is unsure of how to address her curiosity without sounding offensive. "But you are…" she trails off, staring pointedly at SooYoung's figure.

Despite the way the hero keeps her dress at knee-length in the fashion of working-men and the defined shape of her bare arms, the swell of her s and the flare of her hips, accentuated by the belt tightening her waist, are unmistakeable.

"A woman?" SooYoung chuckles. "I am. You see, the story about me is a bit false. There was no brother. I was just not very good at being abducted. " With that, she winks at MiYoung. "As are you."

MiYoung feels an odd sense of chamaraderie blooming, but still, she has to correct her. "TaeYeon didn't abduct me."

"Oh. Are you saying that you went with her willingly?"

"No." MiYoung huffs. TaeYeon has been nothing but kind to her. She doesn't want her name slandered over something she didn't actually do. "It was an accident."

"She abducted you by accident?"

MiYoung crosses her arms, ready to go through a detailed explanation of what happened, when SooYoung bursts out laughing.

"I know, I know. TaeYeon won't even go to the annual meeting the gods hold. There is no way she'd force someone to be her constant companion." She makes a show of looking around, as if to make sure that TaeYeon is nowhere nearby. "She's probably hiding in the palace right now," she deduces, confirming MiYoung's suspicion from earlier that TaeYeon simply fleed, not because she has something to attend. "She is not as bad as everyone up there makes her out to be."

"How do you see her?"

"Short—" SooYoung gestures next to her neck with a hand, a bit of an exaggeration because TaeYeon is only slightly shorter than MiYoung and SooYoung isn't much taller than her "—pale, dark hair, uh, pretty?"

"You see her real self…" MiYoung sees the hero in a new light. Then again, she is the first ever hero humanity has had and the first allowed to be in the Elysian field along with the half-gods. "Since when?"

"Forever?" SooYoung shrugs. "Never really scared of death." Then she asks, "So, what does the fair lady of the sky want to do with us?"

In spite of being used to the many flatteries bestowed upon her, being the only child of her mother, MiYoung flushes. "I wish to cross the Styx, but to do so, I have to pay the fare." SooYoung and some of the other heroes nod along in understanding. A rule is a rule. "I'm here to see if anyone is willing to give me their coin."

As soon as MiYoung states her intention, the group of heroes and half-gods begin whispering among themselves. Those who don't own any declare so before they take their leave. She bites her lip while more and more of the ones who remain shake their heads at her, giving her apologetic smiles and empty encouraging words in parting. MiYoung deflates and is really considering dipping her hand into the Lethe, consequences be damned, when SooYoung, who stays, pats her shoulder.

"Cheer up!" SooYoung digs into her belt and takes out a couple of coins. "Luckily for you, I have two."

MiYoung never thought she would find coins to be so beautiful, but still, she doesn't dare to hope. "Will you?"

"Of course." There is an intentional pause. SooYoung watches MiYoung's face light up with a grin that reaches her eyes, before she says, "For a price."

"I have nothing valuable on me." MiYoung pouts, looking down at herself.

All she has is her plain linen dress, dirt marring the hem around her ankles, a simple pair of sandals, and a wide belt that sits just under her s—a perfect outfit when one spends most of their time in the wilderness. Had she lived with her father, she would have dressed more like the god of love, in soft silk and a golden wreath sat upon the crown of her head. But then again, unlike Yoona, who can fuel passion as easily as draining it away, and thus is feared by a womanizer like her father, she has no protection against him. He would probably have made her his by now. She shudders. No amount of riches equals to freedom.

"I can ask TaeYeon, maybe." She considers that perhaps it is better to challenge SooYoung for the coin. A look at the hero's strong arms and calves is enough to shut the idea down. "What would you like?"

SooYoung waves a hand as though to dispel the notion. "It's nothing like that. Her Majesty made sure none of us would want for anything in Elysium. It's just… You're a god of vegetation, right?" She eyes the grass growing around MiYoung's feet and the ivy climbing on her ankle like a snake. Her face is struck with pure wonderment.

"I am. I share most of my mother's power."

SooYoung then gestures at their surroundings by making a circle with her forefinger. "We have the trees. It's one type only and ghostly white, but still, trees. I didn't even expect to ever see any plants again after my death."

MiYoung nods along with her but waits for her to continue.

"We have the flowers."

"We do?"

"Yeah. It's in the meadow, the other field for the common people," SooYoung informs. She points somewhere beyond MiYoung's shoulder, but the trees obstruct the view. "It's the most populated area here. You should ask TaeYeon to take you there."

"What kind of flower is it?"

"Um… Asphodel? It looks like a torch."

"It probably is. And? What would you want me to do?" Because by now, MiYoung guesses that SooYoung will ask for a favor related to her power, and that is something she is at least confident in.

"Ah, right. We have the trees and the flowers. I want a plant that bears fruit."

"What kind of fruit?"

Again, SooYoung shrugs. "Anything. We don't need to eat out here, but it will be nice."

MiYoung understands. It is less about the fruit itself and more about the experience and the fulfilling happiness it brings. Gathering ripened crops is a very human thing to do. They even hold many celebrations around harvest time in her mother's name. However, growing a tree from scratch in the poor dirt of the Underworld is a different matter altogether. There are poplar trees and asphodel flowers. Looking back at where she has come from, patches of dead grass mark her every step. It is possible to fulfill SooYoung's request. She only has to find a way to make the plant last without her constant interference. She is sure that it is doable.

Grinning at the hero, MiYoung says, "You have a deal."