She blinks once, as if to clear her vision. A pause. Then her blank look disappears and is replaced by one of puzzlement. “Uh, Rye, why in the three realms wouldn’t I remember you?” She breaks into a wide, toothy grin. “But thanks for the nice words. You’re the best sister I could ever have dreamed of, too.”

My heart stops, and I clutch my chest with both hands. “Wait, you remember me?! Do you really remember me?!” I pull her into a bear hug and I hold her so tight, she coughs a few times.

“Whoa, easy does it!” she croaks, smiling. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I don’t know how, but against all odds, my sister remembers me. I wonder if the Haetae had something to do with it. Or if it’s because she wasn’t technically in the Mortalrealm when the dokkaebi and I made the deal. But Areum offers her own theory from my shoulder.

“It is a well-known fact,” she says into my ear, “that true love conquers all.”

Hattie squeezes my arm, and I feel the weight of the last few days melt off me. With Hattie by my side, there’s nothing we can’t do.

“So, it’s Riley, right?” Taeyo asks, adjusting his purple bow tie. “Maybe at some point you could give us a blow-by-blow of everything that happened today? It was, well, out of this realm.”

Emmett nods, hugging Boris close and tickling behind his ears. “Yeah, what he said! Also, has anyone ever told you you’re a badass?”

I chuckle as a new warmth fills my chest. There is definitely hope. And, as always, it tastes ever so sweet on my tongue.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get my elemental magic back, or whether everyone will remember me again. I don’t know what it means to be a fragment of the Godrealm’s dark sun, and I definitely don’t know what the rest of the goddesses might do now that I’ve destroyed one of their sisters.

But the truth is, right here, right now, none of that matters. Looking around at the diverse group of people surrounding me—the people who fought for me and stood with me—I understand just how right the Haetae was.

Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I’m not alone. I am surrounded by people I love and who love me.

I belong.

Despite everything that’s happened, my heart has never felt so full.

“BTW, I had a premonition dream this morning,” Jennie starts.

“Wow! Go on,” Taeyo encourages earnestly. “Tell us. Knowledge is best shared.”

“OMG, isn’t that totally the type of cheesy thing Professor Ryu would say?” Jennie says, smirking at Taeyo.

Noah and David nod in agreement.

“Totally.”

“Absolutely.”

Cosette stands up for Taeyo. “Hey, let the dude be cheesy if that’s his jam.”