“Earlier that year,” Jang continues, but he barely hears her over the roaring in his head, “I’d visited the Magical Maternity Unit at Seoul’s Shamanic Hospital. My gumiho daughter-in-law was in labor, bless her, and needed an emergency C-section at the last minute. One of the doctors there, well, the eyes were a match, but I wasn’t sure. It was too…convenient. But when the red thread appeared, and Seokga confirmed it was leading him to Seoul, I didn’t see the point in wasting any more time. Reaching you before he did wasn’t much of a challenge as I had the precise directions rather than a fickle thread. From there, it was easy. All I had to do was kill you, confirm you had been stationed on the Flatliner, and manage to get Seokga on the boat, as well. The latter part took a bit of time—seven years, actually—since I had to wait for Seokga to truly run himself ragged. Every time I mentioned taking a break, he fled before I could even finish the sentence, scurrying off to Poland or Jamaica on yet another expedition. Finally—after Antarctica—Seokga was finally tired enough to come along without finding a way to squirm out of it…Although he did complain. A lot.”

Everything Seokga touches falls apart. Everything.

“I know how much that must hurt to hear.” Jang turns back to Seokga with a sympathetic half-smile. “I know, Seokga, that you’re blaming yourself, but you don’t need to. Mireuk has the power to create a new story for the both of you. Free him, and he’ll reward you. Even as heavenly emperor, there are things you cannot do for Kisa. You simply aren’t strong enough. But your father is the most powerful god there is. He might even be able to bring her back to life. Erase it all.”

Seokga inhales shakily, still fighting not to let his knees buckle beneath him. Even on the throne, with all the heavenly powers, he would not be able to bring Kisa back. No god can. He should turn away, but he still finds himself asking in a hoarse whisper: “My father. Has he…spoken about me?”

“Oh, yes,” says Jang, and Seokga slowly moves toward her, hanging on to her every word. His guilt and pain war with his insatiable curiosity. “He wants badly to start over. He wants to be a father. He wants his son.” Jang smiles as she stretches her hand out to Seokga, the other gesturing to Bound God’s Pass, looming in the distance. “I promise you, everything you have ever wanted is just beneath the surface. Will you join me? For yourself? For Kisa?”