Seolhyun didn’t know how long she sat there, but when she opened her eyes again, the sky was still dark and Jimin’s presence was gone. At some point, she’d felt her ease away. She thought Jimin had whispered something before the connection faded, but she had to be hearing things, because it couldn’t be right.

Seolhyun’d thought she’d heard Jimin say she was sorry.

Obviously she was losing her mind. Jimin rarely apologized, and given her needs for power and acceptance that had driven her toward this end game, Seolhyun doubted she felt remorse.

Taking a deep breath, she knew what she needed to do; pick herself up and get moving. Sitting out here in the open land, waiting for more automatons to come along, wasn’t safe.

She stood and turned, brushing the dirt off her pants. The group was still around Rose’s body. Lisa was sitting beside the fallen Myx, her head in her hands. Jisoo dropped next to her, Jennie cradling her injured arm.

Wiping her hands across her cheeks, Seolhyun stopped beside Hyejeong.

Lisa looked up, eyes shiny in the moonlight. “She didn’t feel it, right?”

Seolhyun shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

Lisa nodded, and then picked up Rose’s blade, holding it close as she stood. “What do we… what do we do from here?”

It was Yuna who spoke. “We need to move quickly. There’s no telling if more will come along.”

“Do you still think the University is a safe place?” Heechul asked, rubbing his chin. The palm of his hand came back red. Seolhyun realized then he was bleeding. “How do we know that the University is still standing? The automatons could’ve torched it and…”

And all those people. Seolhyun’s head swam as she glanced down at Rose. Someone had closed her eyes.

“We have to find out.” Hyejeong a hand through her hair. “We’re about a mile from the campus.”

Jennie shook her head. “There could be more of them. Really, there could be a dozen or more over the next damn hill and we’d be walking into that blind.”

“Or there could be nothing but open land and the damn University,” Hyejeong countered, her jaw set hard. “As far as we know, these automatons may’ve been here to stop anyone from reaching the campus… or to stop people from leaving.”

“Or the campus could be gone.” Jisoo backed up, hands down her sides.

Yuna stepped forward, clapping a hand on Jisoo’s shoulder. “I cannot believe the whole campus is gone, dear.”

“With all those automatons, anything is possible.” Jennie straightened her injured arm as she stared in the general direction of where Seolhyun assumed the campus was. “But we have to see. We’ve come this–”

“Wait!” Lisa’s voice rose above. “I wasn’t asking about going to the University or not. I was talking about what we were going to do with Rose.”

Silence fell again and Seolhyun turned to Hyejeong.

Pain flickered in those eyes. She reached out, extending her hand, and Seolhyun went, pressing herself against her side. Fingers dug into the singed shirt, finding tiny burnt holes in the material. “We can’t leave her here,” she whispered.

Hyejeong’s arm tightened around her. “I know.”

“We can’t… take her with us,” Jennie said. “We have no idea what we’ll be facing.”

Lisa went off like a nuclear bomb, holding that dagger like she was considering impaling it between Jennie’s eyes. “We can’t leave her here like this! That’s so wrong I don’t even need to explain.”

Sympathy shone in Heechul’s face. “I understand, but we–”

“We bury our dead warriors.” Lisa’s lower lip trembled. “We don’t just leave them here to rot.”

Yuna placed a pale hand on Lisa’s arm, but Lisa was beyond consoling. “I don’t care what we have to face or what is waiting for us! We can’t just leave her here.” Her gaze swung to Seolhyun. “We need to bury her.”

“With what?” Yuna asked gently. “We don’t have shovels and this ground is rock hard.”

Lisa in a sharp breath and turned. Her slim shoulders shook as Yuna wrapped her comforting arms around her.

“Hyejeong, we have to do something,” Jisoo pleaded. “I don’t know what, but something.”

Pulling away from Hyejeong, Seolhyun glanced down at her hands. She wasn’t sure how much strength she had left in her, or even if she could use the Earth element to create… to create a grave, but she would try. There was no way they could leave Rose out here.

“I don’t know if this will work.” She tucked her hair back, having no idea what’d happened to her ponytail.

Hyejeong’s brows slammed down as concern flared. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

She nodded. “Where do you think we should do it, Lisa?”

It took her a couple of seconds to pull away from Yuna and process what Seolhyun was asking. She looked around and seemed to recognize that there really wasn’t a suitable place. She headed off and Seolhyun followed her. They stopped near two trees that had remained unscathed from the fire and battle, their sweet scent so at odds with the lingering acidic and metallic smells.

“This should work,” Lisa said, clearing . “It’s not much, but the trees… she’d like the trees.”

Seolhyun looked at her.

Lisa slowly turned to her, letting out a choked, hoarse laugh. “Okay. Rose really wasn’t big on nature or trees.”

“No.” Seolhyun smiled and it hurt. “She’s probably thinking what the hell right now.”

Lisa blinked. “You think?”

“Yeah, I mean, when I was down there waiting, I couldn’t tell what was going on up here, but maybe it’s different for her.” Seolhyun thought of the Oracle she had met, and then the old woman. “It seemed different for everyone, but I know she’s not in pain.”

Lisa nodded slowly. “That’s the thing about death, I’ve realized. They’re gone to us, but not really, you know? There is life after death, just a different kind of life.” There was a pause. “I wish we all had become friends before all of this crap. Rose… she was pretty cool if you got past the iness.”

Seolhyun rubbed her temple, feeling an incredible empty place in her chest. “She’ll see her family again.”

“Yeah, she wanted that.”

Seolhyun’s eyes were starting to burn again and she knew, if she let the tears fall once more, they wouldn’t stop and she’d be utterly useless. “Okay. I can do this.”

Taking a deep breath, Seolhyun got down on her knees and placed her hands on the dirt. She closed her eyes, wiggling her fingers into the leaves until she found the topsoil. She pictured the soil loosening and giving way under her fingertips. The ground trembled slightly. She created an image of the ground cracking open, deep… deep enough for a decent burial. In her head, the soil was darker, the deeper she went. Inhaling, she caught the damp, earthy scent of disturbed soil.

When she opened her eyes, the ground really was split open. Mounds of fresh dirt lay on either side of the circular six-foot hole. Seeing that it was deep enough, she sat back and wiped her shaking hands along her thighs. She felt dry inside. And she was definitely not going to stand anytime soon.

Everyone started doing their own part. Someone found a blanket in one of their backpacks and Rose was wrapped in it. When her body was lowered into the grave, Heechul helped Seolhyun up. He handed her a bottle of water, along with the daggers she’d dropped.

“Thanks,” she murmured, gulping the water down before sheathing the daggers. And then something struck her. “Wait. Does anyone have any coins?”

Hyejeong patted her pockets, as did the rest of them. They came up empty and Seolhyun’s stomach sank. “Burying her doesn’t really make a difference,” she said again. “That’s for us. But she needs passage for Hades’ ferryman, or she’ll be stuck there.”

“We can bring back coins,” Jennie suggested.

“No.” Panic bubbled. “We have to have something. Trust me, she needs the coins now.”

Yuna stepped forward, reaching behind her neck. “I have this,” she said, unclasping a necklace and pulling it from underneath her shirt. “The embellishments are gold coins, ancient ones. They will be worth more than enough.”

Seolhyun’s muscles relaxed, full of relief. “Thank you.”

Yuna smiled as she handed the necklace to Heechul, who then snapped off two of the gold coins. Parting the blanket, he placed them in Rose’s hands.

Seolhyun took a breath, trying to ease the burning and the ever-increasing knot in . Hyejeong came to her side, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Seolhyun turned into her, resting her cheek against her chest. The steady rise and fall of Hyejeong’s breathing soothed her unease away.

Heechul had found two thick branches, and shoved them into the ground above the disturbed earth after Yuna had used air element to push the dirt back into the grave. Jisoo and Jennie had gathered up a few rocks, which they placed around the branches. It wasn’t much of a tombstone, but it would have to do for now.

They stood around Rose’s grave as Yuna murmured a prayer in the old language. Seolhyun didn’t realize she was crying until she felt Hyejeong’s thumb brushing the tears away. She couldn’t help but wonder how many more times they would be doing this before it was over.

And who would brush Hyejeong’s tears away, if it were her grave they ended up standing over.

***

The sun had begun to rise by the time they reached the outer wall of the University campus, casting an orangey light that stretched across the mountain meadow. They’d spent the last mile of the trip in solemn silence. There was no conversation, no joking or laughter. Talking seemed inappropriate after the loss they’d all suffered.

Seolhyun knew she wasn’t alone in convincing herself that Rose was, or would be, in a much better place… a place where the fighting could no longer reach her, where the future was no longer precarious, and where she was reunited with her loved ones.

It helped a little.

But when the outer stone wall came into view, they pretty much knew things were going to Demon .

Entire sections of the marble-encased outer structure were either gone completely or in the process of crumbling down. It looked like someone had brought in a wrecking ball and played yo-yo with it.

“Gods,” Heechul muttered. “This could be a problem.”

Seolhyun arched a brow at her uncle. “Really?”

The eeriest part of it all was the hundreds of trees just inside the outer wall. They were all tipped over at the trunks, the limbs reaching the ground, roots exposed and ash-white, like they had succumbed to a powerful wind.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Heechul said, his head moving slowly from side to side. “It’s like a great unseen hand forced them all to the ground.”

Seolhyun walked up to one, placing her hand on it. She half-expected the tree to fall over, but it was stable. “So weird,” she turned to Hyejeong. “Any idea what could’ve done this?”

“No clue.” She frowned at the rising sun. “But hopefully we’ll get an answer to this. We need to move on.”

They continued on, the seven of them weary and desperately hoping that the University was safe and in one piece. It almost seemed like too much to ask for.

The second wall looked better. Damage showed in places, but the gate was still standing and locked. Kind of good news, Seolhyun guessed. But how in the hell were they supposed to get over a twenty-foot wall?

Seolhyun folded her aching arms. “Before anyone gets any ideas, I am so not knocking a hole through this.”

Hyejeong sent a wry grin over her shoulder as she joined Heechul and Yuna approaching the titanium gates. The sharp spikes along the top caught Seolhyun’s eye, and her imagination placed decapitated heads on the things.

She shuddered.

From the gate, Heechul raised his hand. Seolhyun’s heart sped up as she grabbed the daggers strapped to her thighs. Yuna moved Jennie and Jisoo behind her as she inched forward.

“What’s going on?” Jisoo asked in a low voice.

Dawn had yet to crack the darkness beyond the gate, and all Seolhyun could see were the shadows of more twisted trees.

Heechul cleared his throat. “Hello!” He called out, and his voice echoed on for what seemed like forever. “We… we come in peace.”

Seolhyun rolled her eyes and muttered, “Wow.”

Her uncle shot her a dark look and then continued. “I am Heechul Kim, the Dean of the Busan Ephensy. I have Linuses with me and the–”

The sound of guns being locked into place was a rat-tat-tat-tat that shut Heechul up and probably stopped everyone’s hearts. Not a single shadow had moved beyond the gate.

“Turn around and lower your weapons now,” came a dark voice from behind them.

Crap.

Two Linuses stood behind Jisoo and Jennie, guns pressed against their cheeks. But there were more than two Linuses. Over a dozen surrounded them, forming a half-circle. They all held Glocks and looked more than ready to use them.

They were surrounded.

“Lower your weapons,” the one Linus said again. He was tall and older, maybe in his late thirties, and apparently was used to being listened to.

Gods, it was truly possible for a crappy situation to get even crappier.

Hyejeong was the first to lower her daggers, placing them on the ground beside her feet. Then she rose slowly, lifting her hands. Seolhyun knew she carried more weapons on her, hoping the other men didn’t realize that. Following suit, she got rid of her daggers, but left the gun shoved in the back of her waistband just in case.

The Linus in charge stalked forward, keeping his gun leveled on Jisoo, which Seolhyun thought was kind of funny. Out of the four of them, he really should’ve had that gun pointed on her.

Heechul prepared to speak again, but the Linus’ eyes narrowed in warning. “I heard where you said you were from and that you mean no harm, but please tell me how we’re supposed to believe that.”

Good question. Seolhyun glanced at her uncle, brows raised.

“We were a part of the group that escaped Ephti Island,” Heechul said.

“Well, obviously,” replied the Linus.

A muscle flexed in Heechul’s jaw. “We are not working with Jonghyun or the First. I am not sure how to prove that to your standards, but we have traveled far to come here and have lost one of our own, courtesy of the automatons guarding this place. We are not your enemy here. We want the same thing, to stop Jonghyun and the First. Linus Chahun was on his way here. He should’ve arrived with news of our travels.”

“If this Linus was set to reach here within the last twenty-four hours, then he’s among the poor souls beyond the wall.” The leader’s gaze drifted over them. “No one has made it past them for over a day, which makes me curious how your group has.”

Seolhyun hadn’t met the Linus who’d arrived while Hyejeong and she had been in the Underworld, but it to hear that Chahun was now among the dead.

“They you then?” Hyejeong asked calmly. “They weren’t guarding the campus?”

At first Seolhyun didn’t think the Myx was going to answer, but he did. “The automatons were guarding the campus up until about a day ago, and then they started firing upon those seeking sanctuary here. We tried to stop them, and we ended losing half of the first wall and many lives. So again, I am curious to how a group consisting of teenagers and two untrained Genuines could’ve made it past them.”

Yuna somehow looked offended.

“I’m the Elpis,” Seolhyun said, squaring her shoulders. “That might have something to do with it.”

Every damn gun went straight to her, and she wondered if that’d been the best thing to say. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hyejeong start to move toward her.

“It’s okay,” she added quickly, keeping her hands out in front of her. “I’m the good Elpis, as in the one who doesn’t want to take out the Council and kill the Gods.”

The Linus in charge didn’t look relieved or awed. Instead, he appeared ticked off and like he really wanted to put a bullet between Seolhyun’s eyes. Which wasn’t good, because she was pretty sure Hyejeong was already calculating the time it would take for her to pull her gun and take out this Linus.

“Half of the Linuses and Guards who have sided with the First are looking for you, and you came here?” Anger flashed in the Linus’ eyes. “Do you have a death wish?”

Good thing Seolhyun hadn’t mentioned that Jimin and she were still sort of connected. “Actually, I don’t have a death wish. And you can shoot me if it makes you feel better, but it’s not going to kill me.”

He looked like he was seconds from finding out.

Seolhyun took a deep breath, trying to keep a grip on her temper. “Look, I get your unwillingness to house me. I understand that, but you need me– you need us, because we took out those automatons and we can protect you. Not to mention I’m the only one who can stop any of this. So if you throw us out to the wolves, you’re sealing your own fates.”

The Linus stiffened but said nothing.

“And you have to realize this isn’t about a Genuine’s thirst for power. This is bigger than that. Only a God could’ve turned those automatons. Not Jonghyun, and not the First. And that God is going to wipe out anyone who stands in his way.”

Seolhyun gave her best smile, the one that usually got her out of trouble or ticked off those on the receiving end of it.

“And that God isn’t the only one you’re going to have to worry about. There’s another one who goes by the name Apollo, and he’s going to be pretty pissed if you turn us away. See, we’re kind of related and he sort of likes me.”

Someone swore under his breath.

Seolhyun’s smile tipped higher. “Just one more thing. You hurt any of my friends, you’re going to seriously regret doing so. So let’s all play nice and become best friends forever.”

“I think we should let them in,” one of the Linuses said.

“Sounds like a smart idea.” Dark humor laced Hyejeong’s tone. “You might want to get your gun off my sister’s face while you’re at it.”

No one moved for a second, and Seolhyun seriously hoped this guy didn’t call her bluff. She wasn’t sure she could do much in terms of the Elpis thing, but luckily he raised a hand and the guns disappeared.

She let out a relieved breath.

“I hope I don’t regret this,” the Linus said, slipping his gun back into his holster. Then he extended a hand, much to Seolhyun’s surprise. “My name is Jungshin.”

Seolhyun’s brows rose as she took his hand. He had a firm shake.

Stalking past her, Jungshin stopped at the gate. “So you guys really took out the automatons?”

“Unless they send more, you should be free of them,” Jennie answered.

“That is good.” The Myx paused. “You say you lost one?”

Lisa cleared . “Yes. She was only nineteen, training to be a Linus. Her name was Rose.”

Jungshin’s chin tipped down. “I am sorry for what you all have lost. The Gods know we can sympathize with what you’re feeling.” With that said, he turned back to the gate. “Please follow me.”

“So you really can stop the First?” another Linus asked. He was younger than Jungshin, around Hyejeong’s age. A certain gleam filled his eyes when Seolhyun nodded. “Well, I’m sure there are a lot of people beyond these gates who’ll be happy to hear that.”

“Do tell?” Asked Hyejeong, who suddenly was by Seolhyun’s side. She placed an arm over her shoulders, and Seolhyun sent her a curious look.

The Linus’ eyes about popped out of his face as they landed on the overly possessive arm of Hyejeong’s. “You’re a– and you are a–”

Oh, dear.

Hyejeong smiled, her eyes a dark gray. “We’re what?”

“No. No. It’s just…” The Linus looked back at equally flabbergasted Myxs. No one came to his aid. “It’s nothing. Never mind. Bigger problems, eh?”

“Yeah, bigger problems.” There was a clear, cold warning in Hyejeong’s voice as she steered Seolhyun around.

The gate was opening as Hyejeong’s arm slid off her shoulder, drifting across her back, leaving a wave of shivers in its wake. Jungshin went through first, followed by Heechul and then Yuna.

Seolhyun stopped, twisting back to the young Linus. “You said others would be happy to hear that I knew how to… stop the First? Who would that be?”

The guy looked at Hyejeong first before answering. “Before the automatons went crazy, a handful of groups made it in from other locations, including the Seoul Ephensy.”

“Council members and Linuses?”

He nodded, glancing at Yuna quickly. “She’s the Dean, right? Why is she coming along with the group of yours?”

Seolhyun didn’t know the answer. It was something, and that was better than nothing.

As dawn crept across the lush meadow, throwing light over the tiny blue wildflowers, they reached their destination. The University campus was large, spreading between two mountain peaks like its own little town in a hammock. Seolhyun imagined it was like any other college in size and atmosphere, but that was where the similarities ended.

Early-morning light reflected off the large sandstone buildings modeled after the ancient coloseums. Courtyards were filled with what seemed like every flower and tree known to man, scenting the air. Statues of the Muses guarded one academic building, while sculptures of the Olympian Twelve lined the road. Dorms that looked like mini-skyscrapers rose in the background, housing potentially thousands of students.

It was so like Ephti Island, but on a much larger scale, that there was a pang in her chest.

In the center of the campus was what she assumed was their Council building, and that was where they were heading. Muscles in her legs ached, and visions of beds were dancing in her head, but she forced herself to keep going instead of sitting down in the middle of the road and going to sleep.

Busts of the Olympian Twelve were carved into the marble and sandstone structure. It was circular, like an indoor amphitheater, and a cold shiver rolled down Seolhyun’s spine. She didn’t know what it was about the Council buildings that always freaked her out, but they did.

There seemed to be no one else moving around as they entered the brightly lit lobby. Students were probably still asleep, if they were even continuing with classes. Hell, Seolhyun didn’t even know what day it was. It might’ve been the weekend for all she knew.

Jungshin led them around another cluster of statues, and by then Seolhyun was so getting tired of seeing them and, of course, they headed up a never-ending flight of stairs. Not even the damn University could throw some money at an elevator.

It was when they were heading down a wide hallway, and she saw the Guards standing before double doors sheathed in titanium, that she knew where they were heading.

“The Dean’s office,” Seolhyun said.

Jungshin nodded at the Guards, and then they moved as a unit, opening the heavy doors. Seolhyun’s first glimpse of the office really struck home. It was nearly identical to Heechul’s. Lush. Spacious. Tons of expensive-looking leather furniture, including a big old desk that probably made someone feel powerful and all kinds of special. There was even an aquarium built into the wall behind the desk, with vibrant fish zooming back and forth.

She glanced at Heechul and saw that his face was impressively blank. Months ago she would’ve believed that Heechul just didn’t feel anything, but now she knew better. Seeing this office had to bring forth memories both good and bad, and Seolhyun sincerely felt for him.