Helena raised her hand. “Ong.”

The Demon flipped Seolhyun around. She kicked and threatened every possible method of death and dismemberment, but it didn’t stop him. The Demon smiled at her, fingers squeezed, and in a nanosecond, his teeth sank through the soft flesh of Seolhyun’s arm.

Red-hot fire shot through her. She reared back, trying to escape the burning, but it followed her movements. Over her screams, she could hear Chanmi yelling and begging for them to stop. Neither her Mom nor the Demon paid any attention to her. The pain slithered through every part of Seolhyun’s body as Ong continued to drain.

“Enough,” she finally murmured.

The Demon lifted its face. “She tastes divine.”

“It’s the Alch. She has more in her than a Genuine does.”

Ong let go of Seolhyun then, and she fell to her knees, shaking. There was nothing… absolutely nothing that felt like that.

Gasping for air, Seolhyun stayed there until the fire dulled to nothing more than an ache.

Only then did she realize Chanmi was silent. Seolhyun lifted her head and saw her staring at her. There was a dazed look to her friend’s eyes, as if somehow she’d managed to remove herself from this place, left her body or something. Seolhyun wanted to be wherever she was.

“Now, that wasn’t too bad?” Helena grasped her shoulders and forced her back against the wall.

“Don’t touch me.” Seolhyun’s words came out weak and slurred.

She gave her a cold smile. “I know you’re upset, but you’ll see. We’ll change the world together.”

Daniel returned to Chanmi’s side, but he didn’t move. The way Daniel looked at her made Seolhyun think he wanted to do bad things to Chanmi. Abruptly, the Oracle’s words came back to her.

One with a bright and short future?

Sickened, Seolhyun pushed down her own pain and fear. “Mom… please let Chanmi go. Please. I’ll do anything.” And she meant it. There was no way she was going to let Chanmi die in this godforsaken place. “Please, just let her go.”

Helena studied her silently. “What would you do?”

Seolhyun’s voice broke. “Anything. Just let her go.”

“Would you promise not to fight me or run?”

Grandma Choa’s words kept replaying over and over, like some sick chant. There was no telling how much more of this Chanmi could take. Her color was chalky, sickly. What was about to happen was fated, wasn’t it? Had the Gods already seen this?

Seolhyun swallowed down the taste of anger. “Yes. I promise.”

Helena’s gaze flickered over Chanmi and the Demon. She sighed. “She stays, but since you made a promise, I’ll make you one. They will not touch her again, but her presence will make sure you keep your promise.”

Snapping out of her daze, Chanmi frantically shook her head at Seolhyun, but Seolhyun agreed again. She wanted her out of here, but for now, this was the best she could do.

Daniel turned from Chanmi and stared at the fresh tag on Seolhyun’s arm. She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head. Next was Daniel’s turn, and she had a feeling he was going to make it as painful as possible.

There was no way to prepare for this, and when Ong placed his hand over , Daniel bit into her wrist.

Like clockwork, Daniel and Ong took turns tagging her. Helena blabbed on and on about how they would eradicate the Council members, starting first with Jonghyun. They would then sit on the thrones, and even the Gods would bow before them. The tables would turn, she said, and the Demons would rule over not just the Genuines, but the Mortal world, too.

“We’ll have to take down the First, but when you’re a Demon Elpis, you’ll be stronger than her… better than her.”

Her mom was really, absolutely, nuts.

Seolhyun learned about their draining. Genuines kept them wired for days, Myxs only for a few hours, and Mortals, well, they killed them for the fun of it.

The draining continued. Pieces of who Seolhyun was disappeared with each tag. She no longer pressed away when Daniel dipped down or Ong leaned over. She didn’t even scream. And the whole time, she stood by and watched it all. She was losing herself to this sick, sick madness, and her soul turned dark and desperate.

Eventually, Helena left to go check the roads. With her gone, Daniel got bold, and though it made Seolhyun want to vomit, she let him get close. Every so often, he would run the tips of his fingers over her arms, around the bite marks. At least it kept his attention off of Chanmi.

“I can already feel it,” murmured Ong.

Seolhyun’d forgotten he was still there. Even though he was tagging the hell out of her, she preferred him to Daniel. “Feel what?” Her voice sounded sleepy.

“The Alch, I’m buzzing from it. Almost like I could do anything.” He reached over and poked one of the bites, causing Seolhyun to wince. “Do you feel it leaving you? Going into me?”

Refusing to answer him, Seolhyun lowered her head to her bent knees. Chanmi hadn’t moved in a while, and Ong didn’t need to cover anymore. His thumb tracing the wild pounding of her pulse. “It’ll be over soon. Just a couple more tags, and it will be over. A whole new world is waiting for you.”

After Daniel was done, Seolhyun slumped to the side. The room spun, tilted. She had a hard time focusing on what Ong was talking about.

“We’re going to change the Myx first. They can’t be spotted like us. They don’t need elemental magic. All over the world, we will launch our attack. It will be beautiful.”

Daniel smirked at the thought. “The Ephensys will be infiltrated… Incheon, Busan, Seoul, the University… and then the Council.”

It was a good enough plan, one that could easily become a scary reality. Ong didn’t seem bothered by the lack of conversational input. He continued on, and Seolhyun found it hard to keep her eyes open. Fear and anxiety had ridden her hard. She dozed off. For how long, she didn’t know, but something jarred her awake.

“Daniel, it’s not time.”

“I don’t care. You’re getting more than I am. You’re practically glowing. Look at me!” Daniel scowled. “I don’t look like you.”

Ong wasn’t glowing, but his skin had taken on a healthy infusion. He looked… like a normal Genuine. Daniel, on the other hand, was still sheet-white.

Ong shook his head. “She’ll kil you.”

Daniel dropped down in front of Seolhyun and shoved a hand through her hair, wrenching her head back. “Not if she doesn’t know. How would she? I just want one more.”

Ong was concerned with Daniel’s fate, he sure didn’t show it or try to stop him.

There was a spare spot on Seolhyun’s neck still bite-free. She silently begged that he wouldn’t go for that.

“She probably likes it,” Daniel said. A stuttered heartbeat later, he sank his teeth into that one little spot and his lips moved against her skin. The pain shot through Seolhyun, causing her to go rigid. His one hand tightened in her hair and his other got friendly, slipping over her shoulder and down further.

“Hell!” Ong leapt to his feet and Seolhyun ate the floor.

She curled onto her side and into a fetal position. Above her, she felt Ong push Daniel back, yelling in his face, but she wasn’t listening. Something long and thin dug into her thigh. She slowly rolled over, inching her fingers down until they closed over the object hidden in the seam of her pants.

The knife… the retractable one.

Suddenly, Ong lifted Seolhyun up and straightened her so that she looked at him. Something wet and warm ran down the side of her face, dripping into her right eye. Blood.

Over his shoulder, Seolhyun saw that Chanmi was awake. She stared at her, and Seolhyun tried to send her a message, but as it was, Ong was doing a good job of blocking her.

From the front of the house, they heard the door open, and the click of her mom’s heels resonated through the cabin. Ong let go of Seolhyun and backed clear across the room.

She was going to be pissed when she got a look at Seolhyun’s face.

Helena stepped into the room, eyes narrowed on Seolhyun. In a second, she was kneeling in front of her, tipping her head back. “What has happened here?”

Blood loss and exhaustion infiltrated her thoughts. Moments went by as Seolhyun stared at her. “Mom? Look… look at what they’ve done to me.”

“Shh.” Helena smoothed Seolhyun’s hair back from her face.

“Please… please make him stop.” Seolhyun gripped her in a weak hug, wanting to climb into her arms, wanting her to hold her.

But Helena didn’t. As she turned away from her, Seolhyun cried out and reached for her.

She would’ve held her, comforted her, right?

“Who did this to her face?” Helena’s voice was so cold, so deadly and so unlike mother, but at the same time Seolhyun heard the edge in her words. Recognizing her tone from the many times she’d yelled at Seolhyun for getting in trouble… it was the tone that happened right before she launched into a major -mode.

Ong and Daniel didn’t know. They didn’t know her mother like she did.

“Who do you think?” Ong sneered.

Helena pressed cool lips against Seolhyun’s forehead, and Seolhyun squeezed her eyes shut. She is not my Mom. “I gave you both explicit orders.” She straightened, eyes falling to Daniel.

Reality settled around Seolhyun once more, and she came to her knees. She made her decision. Screw fate. Her eyes met Chanmi’s, and she nodded at Helena’s back and mouthed the words, “Get ready.”

“That is simply unacceptable.” That was the only warning Helena gave. She launched herself at Daniel, knocking him over Chanmi. The two Demons crashed to the floor, swinging and tearing at one another.

Seolhyun seized the opportunity. Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed for Chanmi.

Chanmi slid off the bed as Ong went after Daniel, too. Seolhyun staggered to her feet just as her mom pulled Daniel to his feet. He was a good foot taller than Seolhyun, but she threw him around the room like he was nothing. Her strength was shocking, unnatural.

They stumbled away from the room with Chanmi in tow, racing through the cabin and out the front door. Rain pounded on the roof of the deck, almost but not quite silencing the wet, sloppy crunch from inside the house. The sound propelled both of them over the railing.

Forgetting how high the decks were, Seolhyun hit the ground hard, falling to her knees.

“Honey!”

Her mother’s voice pushed Seolhyun to her feet. Glancing beside her, she saw Chanmi do the same. They ran, half sliding and half falling down the muddy hill. Branches slapped her in the face, pulled on her clothing and hair, but they kept running. All that gym time paid off. Their muscles pushed past the pain and the lack of blood.

“Seolhyun Kim!”

They weren’t fast enough. Chanmi’s startled yelp spun Seolhyun around… Helena plucked her up from behind, tossing her sideways. Shock flickered over Chanmi’s face right before she slammed into a thick maple tree. Seolhyun screamed, backtracking to where Chanmi had fallen.

A barrier of flames went up, pushing her back. The fire destroyed everything in its path as it spread. Chanmi rolled to her side, barely escaping it. Seolhyun stumbled backward as the world burned in red and violet colored flames. The rain did nothing to beat down the unnatural fire.

And there her mother stood, tall and straight, like a terrible Goddess of Death.

“Honey, you promised me you wouldn’t run.” She sounded surprisingly calm.

Seolhyun’s hand slipped into the side pocket. “I lied.”

“I took care of Daniel. You won’t have to worry about him.” Her mom edged closer. “Everything is going to be okay now. Honey, you should sit down. You’re bleeding all over the place.”

Seolhyun glanced down at herself. Running had gotten her blood pulsing. She could feel it trickling down her arms and neck. She was kind of surprised she had any left in her. Out of the corner of her eye, a shot of dark blue darted between the flames.

“Just do it, Helena. She’s weak.” Fury and impatience colored Ong’s words. “Take care of it and let’s get the hell out of here!”

That was so true. “Don’t come any closer.”

Her mother laughed. “I know you’re scared, but you have nothing to worry about. I’m going to take care of everything. Don’t you trust me? I’m your mother.”

Seolhyun backed up, stopping when she felt the heat from the flames. “You’re not my mother.”

Helena moved forward. Somewhere in the distance, Seolhyun thought she heard her name being called.

The voice… Hyejeong’s?

It had to be a hallucination, because neither Ong nor her mom reacted to the sound, but even if it was just a sad hope, it gave her strength to keep standing.

Seolhyun’s fingers slid over the slender dagger. “You’re not my mother,” she said again, voice sounding hoarse.

“Baby, you’re confused. I’m your mother.”

Her thumb brushed over the release button. “You died in Jeju.”

Helena’s eyes held a dangerous glint. “Seolhyun… there is no other option.”

A voice suddenly whispered in her head, “Wait until her defenses are down, Seolhyun.” Yes, if she saw the blade, it would be over. She needed her to believe she’d won.

Though, the strange thing was, Seolhyun was almost a hundred percent certain the voice didn’t belong to her. But that really didn’t matter right now.

“There’s another option. You could just kill me.”

“No. You will join me.” Helena’s voice sounded like it had in the room, right before she’d killed Daniel for touching her. “And since you broke your promise, I will have to kill your best friend over there. That is, if she hasn’t been burned alive yet.”

Everything came down to this moment. Die, or kill her. Be turned into a monster, or kill her.

The breath Seolhyun drew in wasn’t enough. “You’re already dead,” she whispered, “and I’d rather be dead than become what you are.”

“You will thank me later.” Moving inhumanly fast, Helena wrapped her hand through Seolhyun’s hair and jerked her head back.

in air, Seolhyun pushed the little button of the dagger. There wasn’t a lot of space between them, but she still got her arm in between them. It wouldn’t be a precise hit, not at this angle, but it would kill.

“You will kill the ones you love…”

Grandma Choa had been right about that.

Her mother jerked back, mouth gaping open in surprise. She looked down. So did Seolhyun. Her hand was flush with her chest, and the blade had sunk through her skin like titanium did when it met the flesh of a Demon.

Helena stumbled backward as Seolhyun withdrew the dagger. Her face contorted and blurred. Bright, beautiful eyes met hers, and then they disappeared. Like a switch had been thrown, the fire circling them ceased to exist.

Her scream filled the forest, and Seolhyun’s screams overcame hers. She slumped just as her legs refused to cooperate.

There was a moment, it was quick… but Seolhyun saw the glimmer of relief cross her mom’s face. In that instant, she was her mom. She really was. And then she started to flake apart, fading until there was nothing left but a fine layer of blue dust.

Seolhyun sagged forward, resting her head against the damp ground, vaguely aware of Ong running and the rain hammering her. Months of grief and loss swirled inside her, invading every cell, every pore. Nothing existed but the raw pain of a different kind of hurting. The tags and the bruises faded in comparison to it. Anguish consumed her. She’d killed her… her mother. Demon or not, she’d killed her.

Time stopped. It could’ve been minutes or hours, but eventually there were voices. People called her name, called Chanmi’s, but she couldn’t answer. Everything sounded far away and unreal.

Then strong hands surrounded her, lifting her up. Seolhyun’s head fell back and cool rain splattered off her cheeks. “Seolhyun, look at me. Please.”

Recognizing the voice, Seolhyun opened her eyes. Hyejeong stared down at her, face pale and drawn. She looked scared and vulnerable as her gaze roamed over the many bite marks.

“Hey,” Seolhyun murmured.

“It’s going to be okay.” Hyejeong’s voice held a panicked, desperate edge. She ran wet fingers over Seolhyun’s cheeks, catching her chin. “I need you to keep your eyes open and talk to me. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Seolhyun felt funny, so she doubted that. There were so many voices, some she recognized and some she didn’t. Somewhere she heard Jimin too. “Where’s… Chanmi?”

“She’s okay. We have her– Seolhyun, stay with me. Talk to me.”

Seolhyun swallowed, needing to tell someone. “I still feel like… I haven’t done anything… to make my mom proud.”

Hyejeong stood, cradling her to her chest, heart thundering under Seolhyun’s cheek. “And I still don’t agree.”

The Next Day

Seolhyun woke up, staring at the soft glow of fluorescent ceiling lights. She wasn’t sure what’d woken her or where she was.

“Hey.”

She turned her head and met a pair of pale gray eyes. Hyejeong sat on the edge of the bed, dark waves of hair fell over her forehead. Shadows bloomed under her eyes.

“Hey,” Seolhyun croaked.

Hyejeong smiled that wonderful smile that was so rare, so beautiful. She reached over and with just the tips of her fingers, she brushed a few strands of hair off Seolhyun’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. I’m… thirsty.” Seolhyun tried clearing again.

Hyejeong leaned over, the bed dipping slightly as she grabbed a glass off the bedside table. Helping her sit up, she waited while Seolhyun gulped the cool water. “More?”

Seolhyun shook her head. Sitting up, she got a better view of the unfamiliar room. “Where are we?”

“We’re at the Seoul Ephensy. We couldn’t risk the time it would’ve taken us to get you back to Busan.” Hyejeong paused, seeming to choose her next words. “Seolhyun, why did you do this?”

Seolhyun leaned back and closed her eyes. “I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I?”

“You stole a Linus uniform. You also stole weapons and left the grounds without permission. Untrained and unprepared, you left to hunt down your mother. What you did was so reckless, so dangerous. You could’ve been killed. So yes, you’re in trouble.”

“I kind of figured that.” Seolhyun sighed, opening her eyes. “Heechul is going to expel me now, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know. Heechul is very upset. He would’ve come here, but he’s been with the Council. Everyone’s in an uproar over what happened to Inseong and the implications.”

“Everything’s changed,” Seolhyun murmured to herself.

“Hmm?”

She took a deep breath. “Chanmi shouldn’t be in trouble. She tried to stop me, but… where is she?”

“She’s here, in a different room. And she’s been awake for the last day, asking for you. She’s going back later today but you’ll need to stay for a little while longer.”

Relief washed through Seolhyun. She relaxed back against the fluffy pillows. “How long have I been asleep?”

Hyejeong fiddled with the blankets, adjusting them around her. “Two days.”

“Whoa.”

“I thought you were…”

Seolhyun looked at her, eyes finding hers and remaining there. “Thought what?”

Hyejeong exhaled softly. “I thought– we thought we’d lost you. I’ve never seen so many tags on a person still… living.” Her eyes fell shut briefly. They were a startling color when they reopened. “You scared me. You really did.”

There was an odd pain in Seolhyun’s chest. “I didn’t mean to.”

Hyejeong lowered her chin. “It doesn’t matter now. Chanmi told us everything.”

“Chanmi shouldn’t be punished. She really did try to stop me.”

Hyejeong faced her again. “I know.”

“I had to do it. I couldn’t stand around and wait for the Linuses to find her. Yeah, it was stupid. Look at me,” she lifted her bandaged arms. “I know it was stupid, but she was my mother. I had to do it.”

Hyejeong was quiet as she stared at her. “Why didn’t you come to me instead of running off and doing this