Page 39

SORA

THE SACRED WOODS, GAYA

W e rise after a restless night. I slept in a tent with Mikail, or at least I tried to as he tossed and turned.

I’d lay a hand on his shoulder, and he’d still, but not long after that, he’d be thrashing around again.

I’m not sure if it was dehydration or emotional pain disturbing him, but I’m glad he wasn’t alone.

I sigh and stretch by the campfire. Even if I’d been on a feather bed, I wouldn’t have rested much. We’ll sleep better tonight after we find the temple.

At least, I hope.

It’s still foggy—I assume it always is in these woods, but it’s light enough to be morning. Mikail makes a delicious-smelling tea over the fire, and Aeri passes out red bean buns she picked up yesterday. They’re a little stale, but not with the hot tea. It was kind of her to think of us all.

We eat our breakfast and drink our tea in the eerily silent woods, then pack up camp and start walking again.

We travel for bells through monotonous woods and thick fog, following as Mikail leads the way. I stopped trying to lift my dress long ago, accepting the ruin. Aeri still sighs at her shoes.

Every now and then, Mikail’s body goes rigid, like he senses danger, but I look around and find nothing. He then continues on like it didn’t happen. I think this is part of the toll, but I’m not sure.

I’m glad he allowed himself to cry, to be comforted, last night.

As he tossed around in the tent, I lay there and tried to search for the same well of emotion.

I came up dry, and it doesn’t make sense.

I loved my sister with all of my being, so it’s not a lack of emotion.

I tried everything I could to save her, so it’s not a lack of caring.

Maybe I’m simply exhausted from what I’ve been through.

I did everything I could, and I still failed.

I hate having to carry on, having to live in a world without Daysum.

I hate being the survivor again. I suppose my one comfort is that once Seok is dead and Aeri is on the throne, I won’t have to carry on anymore.

My business in this world and life will be done.

I’ll go to a secluded cottage somewhere and wait for the Kingdom of Hells. Or maybe I’ll run to it.

I glance over at Aeri as she brushes hands with Royo. They smile and blush. Gentle happiness ripples across my chest. It feels like watching the children chase butterflies in the meadow in Gain. A fleeting, feathery joy. A moment over too soon but never forgotten.

She has all she needs in him, and he, even more so. Love was never all I needed—not once Seok invaded my life.

We pass around dried meat, nuts, and berries as we continue walking into the afternoon. We brought plenty of provisions for meals, but it looks like finding fresh water will be a struggle. It’s a good thing Mikail has the water bladder.

“Okay, how do we know the temple is on this path?” Royo asks. “We can’t see for shit.”

My hope is being tested, too. I don’t tend to question Mikail’s skills, but we can only see three or four trees away with the fog.

Mikail pulls out a folded piece of paper. “I charted the dead center of the sacred woods from an old map I saw at the Canopy Inn. This is where I think the last temple stood. It shouldn’t be too much longer. We should reach it by sunset.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief. At least that will give us a starting point. I ignore the fact that something in his voice sounded uncertain.

We continue on.

“Can’t Royo use the key to find the temple door?” Aeri asks.

“It’s probably underground now, but once we get there, we can try that,” Mikail says. “It’s a good idea, Aeri.”

Royo grins down at her. She looks at him like she’s soaking up the sun.

“Sora,” Aeri says in a singsong way. She caught me staring at them.

I flip my hair and pretend to be looking up at the sky. But then I see something. There, towering into the mist, maybe fifty feet away, is a black wall. But it has…branches.

My breath catches, and I place a hand over my heart.

“That’s it,” I say. “It has to be.”

I point to the northwest. There, beyond two more trees, is the sacred tree of Alta. Nothing else could be this large.

The three of them follow my arm.

“Ten Hells,” Royo whispers.

Aeri’s mouth drops open. “Is that even a tree? How is that possible?”

“It was,” Mikail says with a sigh. “The first grown by the goddess Alta. She’s only worshipped as an earth god on Gaya. Yusan doesn’t have an equivalent. We believe she was the lover of the God of Knowledge, hence the temple being in the tree. She’s also known as the lover of the God of the Seas.”

The religions of the four realms are a little different. Sometimes they overlap—like we all have sun and sea gods. Other times, they don’t. We unite in prayer but diverge on why.

We approach the tree with slower, more hesitant steps than we’ve taken since we entered the woods.

Although the tree stands, it’s burned to a crisp like all the others.

But I can still make out the marble lintel of the door, see the grooves where there used to be fountains.

I assume inside there were domes and mosaics.

But these doors haven’t been opened since before the fire.

The way this is charred, they spent extra time burning this down.

The four of us genuflect to what used to be. This ground is holy, and Yusan burned it out of spite. The temple and the forest posed no danger to them. They wanted to erase the history of the island and take away their gods. I grip a fistful of ash as I kneel. I know what that feels like.

Yet despite all the brutality and the horrors, somewhere, the temple survives. Now the question is where.

“Royo, maybe it’s time to use your key,” Aeri says.

Mikail stays down on one knee while the rest of us stand.

Royo sighs, looking skeptical, but he pulls out the key.

He strikes the ground with the key in his fist just like he hit the ice in Khitan.

We look around for any change as he strikes again.

I assume the ash will move just as the snow did.

Aeri eyes the nearby trees. He hits it to the ground a third time, and this time holds it down.

“Nothing?” Mikail asks. He’s still staring at the old temple.

“Not yet,” I say.

Royo stands and slips the key back into his pocket.

Aeri has wandered a little bit away, looking at the trees.

“It has to be around here somewhere,” she says.

Mikail sighs. He puts his hands to his forehead to salute the temple and then stands. “It doesn’t, though. We were hoping it was still in the same location, but we didn’t know for certain.”

“But what better place to disguise a temple than by the one that used to exist?” Aeri asks.

“Knowledge is power, and that’s why these temples are hard to get to.

It’s why the temple in Yusan is carved into a sheer mountain face and Khitan’s is under a lake.

They’re not supposed to be interfered with.

Plus, if the Gayans rebuilt anywhere else, Yusan would’ve noticed. It’s in the woods…somewhere.”

I look at Mikail. Aeri is right.

“Okay, let’s search,” Mikail says. “We already came from the south, so let’s go east and swing north, keeping the tree in sight. Royo, continue to hit the key on the trees and the ground in case it helps.”

We start moving in a circle around the temple. With a little hesitation, Royo strikes the key against a tree. He braces himself as if tapping the key on the trunk will make these enormous trees fall.

Nothing happens. He breathes out a sigh of relief. Mikail arches an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.

We keep moving to the north.

“I can’t believe these trees can just stand, dead like this,” Aeri says. “It’s unnatural.”

“Nothing about this place is normal,” Royo says.

“They’re so large, though, you almost have to wonder if—” Aeri stops mid-thought.

I wait for her to finish, but a sharp scream pierces the quiet.

The three of us grab our weapons, and Mikail’s sword flames to life. He and I look for threats, but I don’t see anything.

“Aeri? Aeri!” Royo yells. His pained voice rings into the air.

There’s no response.

She was standing by that tree, and now she’s just…gone.