The garden café still clung to me like a dream when I stumbled out onto the street, Jaerin's voice echoing in my ears—I'll come with you—and my own words burning in my throat—No, you can't. His warmth, his fingers still curled around mine when the phone had rung, the way we'd leaned in and stopped just short of something dangerous.
And then Cecil's voice breaking through, her words cutting clean: He's been poisoned.
Everything after blurred. I barely remembered grabbing my bag from the dorm. My braids snagged in the zipper, and I ripped them free with shaking hands. I didn't pack. Not really. Just threw clothes, chargers, makeup, the first pair of sneakers my hand landed on into a suitcase that thudded like thunder against the floor when I dragged it out. My groupmates were supportive, thank God. I couldn't explain—not with my throat thick and my chest tight like it was caged.
Dawn was pacing, claws raking at the inside of my ribs. We have to go. He needs us. Anubis is in pain. Dad's in pain. He's—
"Stop," I gasped out loud, pressing my palm hard over my sternum. My wolf quieted, but only just, humming with that raw, aching sound that felt like crying from the inside.
I kept seeing Jaerin in the hallway as I left, that torn look on his face like he wanted to follow. Dal, his wolf, brushed faintly against my consciousness even now—like he was pacing too, like he hated the distance as much as Dawn did.
The cab ride was a blur of streetlights and neon. Seoul moved fast outside my window, alive and glittering, but I felt like I was sinking. My phone buzzed and I scrambled to answer, Cecil's name lighting the screen.
"Mom?" My voice broke immediately.
"Baby," she said, and her steadiness cracked for the first time. "He's stable, but it's bad. The poison wasn't clean—it's interfering with his systems. They're doing everything they can."
The sob ripped out of me before I could stop it. I curled forward in the seat, my braids falling around my face like a curtain, my fingers shaking so hard I almost dropped the phone. "Please... please don't let him die. Not Papa."
"Dwyn." Her voice softened, broke. "He's fighting. But you need to come home. Your sisters need you. I need you."
"Put them on," I begged.
There was a shuffle, a clatter, and then three voices burst through at once, high and desperate.
"Dwyn!" Liora's cry was shrill, panicked. "Are you coming home? Papa fell down, and he wouldn't wake up, and Mom was crying, and—I'm scared"
"Don't scare her!" Viora scolded, her own voice trembling. "You're making it worse—"
Then Fiora's round little face appeared on the video, blotchy with tears. She pressed the phone too close so I could only see one eye and her messy hair. "Papa's gonna be okay, right? Say it, Dwyn. Say it right now."
My chest shattered. Tears slid hot and endless down my cheeks. "He's going to be okay," I whispered, even though I didn't know if it was true. "I'm on my way. I'll be there soon. You three take care of Mom for me, okay? Don't leave her side."
They all nodded, solemn and small, like little warriors trying to be brave. I bit my fist to keep from sobbing out loud.
The cab jolted to a stop at the airport, and I scrambled out, suitcase wheels rattling against the curb. The driver called something after me, but I shoved bills into his hand without looking. My vision blurred with tears as the automatic doors whooshed open, the rush of voices and echoing announcements slamming into me like a wave.
Dawn pressed forward, her voice ragged. Run. Move. Anubis needs us.
"I know," I whispered. My throat was raw.
Security was a nightmare. My hands shook so hard I dropped my passport twice, my boarding pass once, and I snapped at the guard who told me to take off my hoodie. My tears wouldn't stop, slipping down under my mask until the fabric clung wet against my mouth. People stared, whispered, but I couldn't care.
The intercom barked flight numbers. My gate felt a hundred miles away. My sneakers slapped against the tile, suitcase bouncing behind me, braids whipping across my face. Every step felt like a countdown.
I kept thinking of Jaerin. Of his fingers brushing mine, his pinkie curling like he couldn't help it. Of how close we'd come to something I wasn't ready for, and how badly I already missed it. Dawn whimpered at the thought of Dal, and I pressed a hand to my chest like I could soothe us both.
He'd come if we called, she whispered. Dal would come.
But I shook my head hard. "He can't. I told him not to. TROJAN needs him."
Still, the ache didn't fade. It only grew sharper as I stumbled into the boarding line, fumbling with my documents. The attendant scanned them with a look that was part pity, part hurry. I nodded like I was fine, like I wasn't falling apart in front of everyone.
The jet bridge smelled metallic, claustrophobic. My footsteps echoed too loud.
By the time I collapsed into my window seat, I couldn't hold back anymore. The sobs tore out, hot and ugly. I curled forward, hiding my face in my hands, my braids sliding down like a shield. The couple across the aisle pretended not to watch. A flight attendant crouched once, her hand light on my shoulder.
"My dad," I managed to choke out, voice breaking. "He's—he's sick."
She didn't press. Just handed me a small packet of tissues and left me to unravel.
As the engines roared and the plane lurched skyward, Seoul shrank beneath us—neon dissolving into night. The city I'd fought so hard to belong in became nothing but a scattering of stars under the clouds.
Dawn whimpered, curling small inside me. Dad is waiting. Hurry. Please hurry.
I pressed my forehead against the cold window, tears smearing the glass, breath fogging the pane.
"I'm coming, Papa," I whispered into the night. "Just hold on."
And in the low hum of the engines, like a ghost of comfort, I thought I felt Dal brush against my thoughts—warm, steady, a promise humming quiet in the dark.