Meat and politics surely didn’t work with one another.

“Heechul, things have changed, but in some aspect, things have not.” Jonghyun twirled a glass of wine between his elegant fingers. “Minister Hongki’s bearing on separation versus integration is gaining ground.”

“Only because he believes that the Gods are among us.” Heechul leaned forward, voice low. “Hongki’s a fanatic– always has been.”

Jonghyun sipped his wine. “I agree with you, but sadly, most do not.”

“I’d like to believe that most see the error in his thinking.” Yuna sat across from Seolhyun, her hair pulled up into an elegant twist. The silky, pale blue dress she wore was to die for. “We are on the verge of change. The God’s Order must also change.”

Seolhyun stabbed her steak, watching the juices run out of it. It to sit there and be expected not to say anything. She could only imagine the words coming out of Jimin’s mouth if she was there, but she was MIA.

Seolhyun kind of missed her.

A plate of tiramisu slid in front of her. Politics forgotten, Seolhyun glanced at the gray-eyed Genuine sitting beside her.

Whoever had designed the seating chart needed to be poked in the eye.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

Hyejeong nodded and went back to following the conversation. Seolhyun dug her spoon in the bowl and tried not to read too much into her gesture.

“Sooyoung and I will do everything to ensure that the God’s Order is changed,” said Jonghyun, “but I’m afraid there are many who plot against it, and will stop at nothing to see that things remain the same.”

Seolhyun choked on her dessert, and everyone stopped to look at her. “Sorry,” she gasped, waving her hand in front of her face.

Jonghyun frowned. “Are you all right, dear?”

“You… you want to see the God’s Order changed?”

“Of course,” he responded. “It is time that the Myxs have representation on the Council. Just a few short hours ago I was telling Jimin that with you two, we are closer to that change than ever before. It will not be us, the Genuines, who bring up such phenomenal things. It will be you and Jimin.”

Seolhyun’s brows inched up her forehead.

Jonghyun patted her hand. “Genuines like Hongki believe that the Gods would favor the road back to the old way.”

Seolhyun stared down at Jonghyun’s pale hand, unable to let go of the clear suspicion she felt when it came to him.

He patted her hand once more and smiled. “Dear, have you put any thoughts into what you will be wearing to The Ball next week?”

“What?” Seolhyun had no idea what he was talking about.

“The Annual Ball? You are invited, which is a great honor for you and Jimin. You two will be the first Myxs to be in attendance. You must find something decent to wear.” He glanced across the table. “Yuna, would you help her?”

Yuna nodded. “Of course.”

Ball, what ball? His balls?

“Then it is settled.” Jonghyun turned back to Heechul, already forgetting about Seolhyun. “Have you received any word from the Dean at Incheon?”

Heechul shook his head. “It was a student who’d been turned, a Myx. The Genuine wasn’t killed.”

How in the world did they just jump from politics, to a Ball, and now to Demon attacks?

Hyejeong leaned forward. “So each Ephensy has had an attack, but the Council believes that none of these events are related?”

Seolhyun picked up her spoon, pretending not to listen.

Jonghyun reclined back in his chair, studying Hyejeong. “We are not so foolish to believe that the Demons do not have something up their sleeves, but what? They cannot truly believe they can take on the Ephensys?”

Hyejeong’s fingers tensed around the stem of her glass. “Haven’t they already tried, Minister? The only things I’ve heard the Council discuss are what drinks will be served at The Ball, whether or not a new Ephensy should be opened in Daegu, and other insignificant things.”

Jonghyun eyed her. “For someone who shows no interest in her Council seat, you are very opinionated about how the sessions are proceeding.”

Two bright spots appeared on Hyejeong’s cheeks. Seolhyun felt the immediate urge to defend her. “She has a point, you know.” Four sets of eyes her immediately. Crap. “Look at what happened at home. They got past our Guards and killed people. They are planning something… something big. Shouldn’t the Council be concerned with that instead of a stupid dance?”

Heechul glared at her. “If you are finished with your dinner, you are excused.”

Seolhyun slammed her spoon down. “If you don’t want my opinion then maybe you shouldn’t talk about these things in front of me.”

“Point taken.” Heechul met her furious stare. “Good evening, Seolhyun.”

Embarrassed at being dismissed like that, Seolhyun jerked to her feet. None of the Genuines seated in the dining hall looked up as she passed them, and neither did the servants removing trays and refilling drinks. She roamed the halls aimlessly, as unnoticed as all Myxs were in that magnificent hell place.

She blinked away the hot tears and stepped into a large, musty-smelling room… a library.

Strange that she would find herself in a library, since reading really wasn’t her thing. A few lonely chairs sat beside the antique lamps, but they looked like they were covered with dust. Seolhyun made her way through the stacks, trailing her fingers over the spines of books. Maybe she’d find one of those ty romance novels… the kind her mom used to read.

Uh, not likely.

Nothing in the room looked like it’d been in touched in years. Seolhyun couldn’t even begin to decipher most of the titles. She tried pronouncing them, but gave up after five. Sighing, she tucked back her hair and crouched down.

“Unpronounceable. Unpronounceable. Unpronounceable.” Seolhyun tipped her head to the side. “Really? This one can’t even be a real word. Oh, come on–” Her fingers stilled over a thick black book with gold lettering. She had no idea what the words were, but she recognized the symbol on the spine. “Downward torch…” She wiggled the book free.

A fine shiver coursed down her body. Her head jerked up as she scanned the library. There was no mistaking the feeling of being watched.

“Seolhyun, are you in here?”

Seolhyun let go of the book and straightened. “Yuna?”

She appeared at the edge of the stacks. In the dim light and pale dress, she looked ethereal. A tentative smile pulled at her full lips. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No. I was just looking for something to read, but everything is in ancient Greek.”

Her eyes dropped to the books. “I don’t know why Hongki stocks the library with books most of us can’t read.”

Seolhyun stepped closer, but keeping a decent distance between them. “I thought all of you Genuines read the old language.”

Yuna laughed softly. “All of us are taught it in school, but I forgot it. Most of us can’t.”

Except Hyejeong, Seolhyun thought. Thinking of her reminded Seolhyun of the first time she’d seen Yuna, standing beside Yonghwa and bargaining with Heechul to allow her to stay. “I never got a chance to thank you.”

“For what?”

“You convinced Heechul to give me a chance. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t think he would’ve allowed me back into the Ephensy.” Seolhyun bit her bottom lip and took another step toward the end of the stacks. “Why did you speak up for me? Did you know… what I was?”

Yuna smoothed her hands down the front of her dress as she glanced toward the door. “Did I know you would become an Elpis? No, but in a way, I did know you.”

More than just a little curious, Seolhyun walked out of the stacks.

“When I was your age, I attended the Ephensy in Busan. Your mother and I were very close. To this day, I wish we hadn’t grown apart, that I’d stayed in Busan. Maybe things would have turned out differently.”

Surprise left Seolhyun speechless.

Yuna smiled again. “You look so much like Helena did when she was your age. You’re a bit wilder, but I think that’s your father in you.”

Then her chest tightened. “You… you knew my father?”

“Yes.” She drifted closer, lowering her voice. “Much better choice and fit for Helena than Jonghyun, but your mother didn’t really have a choice. A lot of people will tell you that she met your father after marrying Jonghyun, but that wasn’t true. She knew your father first… she loved your father long before Jonghyun entered the picture.”

“But… I don’t understand. She married Jonghyun when she was young, and it was at least four of five years before I was born.”

There was a longing look in Yuna’s eyes as she recalled a past Seolhyun was not familiar with. “Then you can imagine the scandal when you were born, but don’t let that tarnish what your parents had. Their love was the kind written about in those silly books your mom used to read.” She smiled. “They started off as just friends, the three of us actually, but over the years their friendship grew into something much deeper.”

Learning this new knowledge about her dad felt strange and oddly wonderful, as if he was a real person who’d existed once upon a time.

“Helena tried to do the right thing. She stayed away from your father as long as she could after she married Jonghyun. She was determined to follow the rules of our society, but love like theirs can’t be denied for too long, no matter how wrong it is.” Yuna paused, eyes widening. “Seolhyun, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Seolhyun nodded. “I’m sorry. It’s just Mom never talked about him. Like ever. I had no idea it was this epic love affair.”

Yuna pressed her lips together and turned away. Walking off toward one of the lamps with green and gold stained glass, she shook her head. “I think it was too hard for your mother to talk about him after everything.”

Seolhyun followed her. “What was he like?”

“Your father?” Yuna glanced over her shoulder with a sad smile. “A good man, loyal, very handsome, and Helena was his entire world.” She turned around, folding slender arms across her waist. “You look so much like her, but you have his personality. When Heechul read off your files in his office that day, all I could think of was him. He’s incredibly strong-willed, a bit reckless, and wild.”

The way she talked about him, as if he were still here, made Seolhyun wonder if Yuna had had feelings for him. “I wonder what my father would think of me.” She laughed self-consciously.

“He’d be proud of you, Seolhyun. I hope you know that.”

“Well, I am an Elpis.”

Yuna reached out, patting Seolhyun’s arm. “Not because of what you’ll become, but because of who you already are.”

The sting of tears hit Seolhyun’s eyes, which seemed so weak. She pulled away, fiddling with the chain on the lamp. “I don’t know about that. I should’ve done something when Mom left the Ephensy. And I really shouldn’t have gone after her when she’d turned, or at least, when Chanmi happened, but I didn’t. I mean, what was I thinking?”

“You did what you believed was right.” Yuna drifted to Seolhyun’s side, resting her hands on her shoulder. “Helena probably would’ve smacked you for doing something so incredibly dangerous, but you made sure she had peace.”

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

A little bit of weight lifted off Seolhyun’s chest. “I’ve messed up, really bad, a lot of times. I don’t think he’d be so proud.”

Yuna placed her hand over Seolhyun’s. “He would be proud. You followed your heart when it came to Helena, and yes, sometimes the decisions you’ve made have not been the right ones, but you know that. You’ve learned from them. And standing up to Hongki about what happened to your friend? That was brave and mature.”

Seolhyun looked up at her. “How did my mom meet him?”

Yuna’s smile seemed off, nervous almost. She pushed away from the table, running her hands over her arms. “She met him in Busan.”

There was more to it than that, which filled Seolhyun with all the more curiosity. “What was he doing there? How did he die? And, on top of that… what’s his name?”

A loud crash caused them both to jump. Seolhyun whirled around, expecting to see a crap ton of books on the floor.

Yuna laughed nervously. “I forget that there are things here that move unseen.”

Seolhyun looked at her sharply. “What do you mean? Spirits?”

She blinked and laughed again. “Yes, spirits. I’m a bit superstitious. This library doesn’t help, creepy as it is. I think one of the shelves collapsed in the stack.” Yuna came to her side, scanning the rows quickly. “It happens from time to time. Anyway, if you are anything like Helena, you love ice cream.”

Seolhyun swung back to her. “Vanilla–”

“And matcha,” Yuna finished, smiling. “I know where we can get some. Interested?”

Seolhyun’s mouth watered. “I’m always interested in anything food related.”

“Good.” Yuna threaded her arm through Seolhyun’s. “Let’s go stuff ourselves until we swear off food.”

Her father would be proud of her, even after all the stupid things she’d done… and probably would still do? It seemed hard to believe, but Yuna had known him and she had no reason to lie to her.

***

“Seolhyun, are you even paying attention to me?”

“Huh?” Seolhyun blinked, glancing up. They were in a wooded area off of the labyrinth, a few hours into their afternoon practice a day later. “Yeah, I heard you. Dodge. Run. Jump.”

Jimin folded her arms.

“What?”

“I think you just fell asleep. That would hurt my feelings, if I had any.”

“Sorry. You’re kind of boring me.”

“Well, okay then. Let’s get to work.” Jimin held up her hand, like she was going to throw a baseball. A blue ball of flames formed in her open palm. She released the tiny ball, launching it straight at Seolhyun’s head.

She ducked easily. “Boring.”

Jimin let go of another ball, but this time she sent it at her feet. Seolhyun jumped onto the rock and yawned loudly.

A devilish grin pulled at her lips as she slowly approached Seolhyun. She sent two balls of flames, one at Seolhyun’s head and one at the legs. It took some fancy footwork to avoid them, but Seolhyun did and she still managed to stay atop the rock.

She stuck her tongue out. “You can do better than that.”

Jimin threw up her hands and a gust of wind hit Seolhyun square in the chest. There was nothing she could do to block something like that.

Jimin yawned. “Get up,” she ordered, standing above her.

Pinned to the dirty ground, Seolhyun glared up at her. “I can’t get up. And you know that.”

Jimin tilted her head to the side and sighed. “This is getting nowhere, Seolhyun. You excel at every aspect of fighting, well, not as good as me, but who am I kidding? No one is better than me.”

Seolhyun rolled her eyes. “You like to hear yourself talk, don’t you?”

“Why, yes. Yes I do.”

“That’s why you don’t have any friends.”

“And the last time I checked, I’m your only friend.”

Seolhyun’s jaw clicked shut. Score one for Jimin.

“But that’s not the topic of discussion. We are discussing that fact that you cannot break through the air element, and it’s the most common element Genuines and Demons can wield. That’s a problem.”

“You think so?”

“What did I tell you about the elements, Seolhyun?”

“Something about… magic being… all in the head,” Seolhyun gasped.

“No. The elements are very real. You have to force yourself through it. Push.”

Seolhyun still didn’t get what Jimin meant by push, but she kept telling her to do it every time this happened.

“If you can’t push through it than you’re going to be a Demon snack again. They’re going to smell that Alch in you and go crazy. You sure you want to be a Linus?”

Now she was just pissing her off. “Shut up, Jimin.”

Jimin stepped over her, planting her legs on either side of Seolhyun’s body. Crouching down, she brought her face close to hers. “Remember, you’re not fast food to them. You’re like the best steak of the continent.”

Seolhyun scowled. “I’m so flattered.”

“Concentrate. You need to concentrate on moving forward. Picture yourself sitting up, Seolhyun.”

Seolhyun stared at her.

Jimin sighed, rolling her eyes. “Close your eyes and picture yourself sitting up.”

Cursing under her breath, Seolhyun did as she asked. She closed her eyes and pictured herself sitting up. “Okay.”

“Focus on that image. Hold it in your mind. Focus.”

Seolhyun did as she asked, but all she managed was to get one leg to bend. And that exhausted her. “This is ridiculous. A Demon would’ve already killed me by now.”

“A Demon would’ve already bitten into your skin by now.”

A ragged breath leaked from Seolhyun’s tightly pressed lips. Her skin practically burned at the thought, and Jimin knew it.

“How many times were you tagged, Seolhyun?” Jimin reached down and brushed the hair off Seolhyun’s neck. “I can count at least three on this side of your neck.”

“Stop,” Seolhyun hissed. She tried, because she badly wanted to knock her trainer upside the head. Every muscle in her body tensed, but she still couldn’t break through the hold. “Stop it now.”

Frustration flared in Jimin’s eyes. “How many are there on your arms?”

“Stop it!” Something shifted in her, a sense of deep awareness. Suddenly, everything around her seemed acute and vivid. The overcast sky was more muddled, the cawing of the crows sounded closer, and the golden hue of Jimin’s skin became darkened.

“Then sit up! Break this hold, Seolhyun!”

A couple of things happened next.

Seolhyun felt the rage snap deep inside her core, a tightly coiled ball of energy unraveled. It was so strong, so vibrant, that she imagined it looked like the cord she’d seen wrap around Jimin and her the first time they’d touched.

Jimin leaned in, going for Seolhyun’s arm this time. Too close, she was way too close. The coil raised, her heart stopped, and something…

… the rock she’d stood on, blew up.

The shattering boulder startled Jimin enough that she let go of the crushing wind. Every muscle in Seolhyun’s body had been straining to sit up. So when Jimin let go, she flew up so fast she smashed right into her. The impact of her body knocked Jimin flat on her back.

They remained that way for a second, both of them struggling to breathe. Seolhyun couldn’t process it or even begin to understand what had happened.

“Seolhyun…?”

The marks of the Elpis shifted over Jimin’s skin crazy fast. She’d never seen them move quite like that before. “Um…”

Jimin’s eyes were wild, practically glowing. “I didn’t do that.”

“Me, neither.”

“Bull.” Her expression was full of amazement.

Seolhyun swallowed. “Okay. Maybe I did.”

“What did it feel like inside, when it happened?”

“I don’t know, kind of like a coiling feeling in my stomach.”

Jimin’s lips parted, working slowly. “This can’t be possible, but it is. You’re Awakening already! I don’t believe it, but it explains how you’ve been able to sense my emotions.”

“What?” Seolhyun started to sit up, but Jimin’s hands dropped to her hips, holding her in place. “What do you mean I’m Awakening? Am I like ahead of alarmed schedules or something?”

Jimin tried to laugh, but it came out more like a gasp. “No. I don’t know. I mean, who knows? Right? The other two Elpises were never around each other before Solaris got Awakened. Maybe… maybe this is what happens. Has anything like this happened before?”

“No.” Seolhyun started to move again. “Jimin, you can let go of me.”

Jimin smiled the kind of smile that warmed her features. “This isn’t a bad thing, Seolhyun. No, not at all. This is good. We can start working on your powers and…”

Seollhyun stared at the runes gliding down Jimin’s neck. When they reached her pulse they throbbed. A raw ache hit her hard. She wanted to touch them, needed to touch them. Something, she was sure, would happen if she did.

“Seolhyun, are you listening to me