Julian walked along the stone path along the bank of the river, breathing in the fresh air and letting the sun warm his skin. The ride in hadn’t taken more than an hour, but his whole body felt stiff and sore. He chalked it up to having slept poorly the last few days, and the lack of real rest between the job he had just been on and this one. He felt bad for having missed his siblings, but there was no way he could remain at Helman Court. He could feel the tension thicken in the air around the castle, sensed the growing hostility between his parents, and he wanted no part of it.

He pulled out his phone and took a few more pictures, sending them to Tanya who sent one back of her and Tristan making faces with Sun. He smiled and tapped out a quick message, telling them they all looked like dorks, especially Sun.

He pocketed the phone and looked back over the rolling hills of Kanaki Valley and the residents that populated it. Just like Ryu had said, the purpose of the area really had changed since the Reconstruction. It felt more relaxed, more at peace than the last time he was here.

“There’s somewhere I’d like to take you after we’re done,” he said. Ren glanced over at him and gave him a crooked grin, his mutilated ear twitching.

“Yeah?”

Julian grinned back, poking at the dying fire. “Yeah, it’s a valley my family found a long time ago. It’s kind of an army base in a way, but there’s a lot of cool people there, too. It’s beautiful, especially at night.”

“What makes it so special you’d want me to see it?”

Julian laughed, leaning back on his hands and tilting his face back to the starry night sky. “You can see the Wandering River from there.”

Ren snorted. “You mean the Milky Way?”

Julian shook his head, a playful smile on his lips. “Nope, a completely different set of galaxies and stars. It looks like a river cut into the sky and you can’t really see it as well anywhere else.”

Ren’s cosmic eyes danced over his face for a minute, shifting from laughter to something softer, yet more intense. Julian’s own expression changed, his heartbeat loud in his ears. 

“It’s…really pretty,” he said, his voice dropping below a whisper. Ren was sitting so close, his fingertips just near his own. “There’s a s-story about it, too, um…I read it in a book once.” His face flushed and he sat forward, running his hand through his hair. 

Ren chuckled. “As opposed to reading it on a leaf?”

“Shut up,” Julian muttered, drawing out more laughter. He grinned in response, shaking his head. “It’s a cool story, I just…can’t really think about it right now.”

“Tell me later, then,” Ren said, bumping Julian’s shoulder lightly with his own. He took hold of Julian’s gaze, his brilliant smile lighting up the night. “When you take me to this special valley of yours.”

Julian’s hands fidgeted between his knees. “Okay,” he said softly. “It’s a deal.”

Julian frowned, the memory warming his core, but making his chest hurt at the same time. “You’re supposed to be here with me right now, dammit,” he said softly. He glanced up at the afternoon sky, hating that it was still so bright out. He wanted it to be night time, wanted to see the Wandering River, if only to imagine Ren was looking for it wherever he was right then. “We made a deal…”

“Hey, stranger,” a light voice called to him. He turned to see Ynda Helman Chang heading his way, her blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, a chunk of it styled over her right eye. She waved to him, her smile bright.

“Hey,” he responded, turning sideways as she reached him. He gave her a side-hug, rubbing her back once before releasing her. “Good to see you, Yin.”

“Same,” she said. “It’s been a while, what brings you out this way?”

“A job.”

“Of course,” she replied with a good-natured roll of her eye. “I forgot, social calls aren’t your thing.”

He shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Eh, don’t be,” she said. “I’m just glad to see you.” She nodded in the direction of the eastern caves. “Come on, I’ll get you something to eat and you can fill me in on this new job of yours.”

He followed her through the weaving tunnels and caverns, chatting easily as they went. He didn’t want to go into the details on the new job in case someone he didn’t need listening in was nearby. When they made it to her and Mei’s living quarters, she raised a barrier and led them into the kitchen area, pointing at the table where he was to sit.

“Where’s Mei?” he asked, noticing her wife’s lack of presence.

“Out,” she said simply and without annoyance. She opened the fridge and pulled out a tray of cut up meats and cheeses. “She’ll be back before too long, though, don’t worry.”

She set the tray on the table and gave him a smile. “I’m not closing her off, you can trust her.”

He grinned. “I know, thanks.” He picked up a piece of sliced salami and bit into it. “I’m here because Hawk and Hero sent me.”

“Still not calling them Grandad and Grandpa, huh?”

He shook his head. “Never.”

She chuckled. “Good. They didn’t mind when you three were kids, but now it makes them feel old. They are only in their twenties, you know.”

He snorted. “Yeah, okay,” he laughed.

“What do they have you looking for?”

“Hawk’s box.”

“The one Opa gave him?”

He nodded as she placed two glasses of water in front of them before seating herself across from him. 

“I don’t know where it is, sorry.”

“That’s okay, I already know who has it.”

Her eyebrow ticked. “Nice. Job’s over then, well done.”

He chuckled. “Not exactly.” He picked up a piece of cheese and stuck it between his teeth. “It’s just the first in a series of steps I need to take in order to help put Hero on the Throne.”

She stared at him a minute, unpacking so much in the sentence he spoke and still finding a mess of questions to address. “Daddy’s going to be High Divine?”

He nodded. “It’s his birthright, actually. Given to him by Ynda.”

She sat back in her chair. “Huh. That’s news to me.”

“It’s news to everyone. It’ll be an even bigger newsflash when the rest of the Divine learn about it, too. I’m planning on having a barbeque for that, wanna come? Bring chips.”

“Ha ha.” She folded her arms under her breasts. “How do you know all this?”

“It’s my job to know,” he said with a sly grin.

Her eyelids fluttered closed and she breathed deeply, forcing herself to contain her irritation. It didn’t take a soul link to know she was fighting the urge to strangle him. 

“Look here, you little shit,” she muttered.

He laughed and sipped his water. “It’s going to be a little bit before I can see the keeper of the box anyway.” He filled her in on everything he had learned so far about the box, from the first translation Hawk had kept for over eight decades, to what he and Felix had learned from Ryu back at Helman Hall. He also told her about the conversation with Nora. He did his best to keep his expression neutral when discussing the demoness, but Ynda caught the change in his tone quickly and graciously ignored it. When he was done, she was leaning her elbows on the table, her fingers folded around her mouth, her brow furrowed in thought.

“Hm,” she said quietly, her mind picking through every piece of information, weighing each word against its importance and what she could add, if anything, to it. “Well,” she said with a sigh, “I do agree with Nora that you may be the only one who can break the seal.” Her eyebrow ticked. “Being special isn’t a blessing in this family, Juli, sorry.”

“I’m aware,” he said with an understanding grin. He twirled the empty glass lazily on the table. “I have Mo and Ruby looking into some lore and history regarding Sterjnasang and the Wanderers. If the Godheart is something that is unique to their culture, or unique to Hero alone, I need to know before going off to find the second piece.”

“You think only half of it is in the box?”

“That’s what it says,” he nodded. “‘Take this piece and bind it with the other.’ Pretty obvious clue to me that there’s a second piece to this thing. What it is exactly, and where I can find it, is another matter.”

“What if it’s not half an object, but a completely separate object altogether?”

“It’s definitely a theory worth considering. Best part of my job is gathering up all the ideas then putting a cherry bomb in the middle of them. When it pops, whatever is left intact is the most plausible to be pursued.”

Ynda nearly choked on her water, wiping her nose as she laughed. “That has to be the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

“You’re welcome.”

“In all seriousness, though, what do you think is actually inside?”

He ran a hand through his hair, locks of it springing back to fall in his eyes. Ynda had to swallow back a lump in her throat as she saw an image of Kas Strannick sitting in Julian’s place, their expressions and mannerisms linking up almost exactly.

“There’s a myth Ruby is chasing from India about a star that was running with a stone,” he said, bringing his aunt back to the present. “My current theory is that the Godheart is that stone. It’s possible Ynda took it from Hero and had to hide it for whatever reason, and in the process it either broke, or like you suggest, it was part of a set that needed to be kept separate in order to keep Hero safe until it was time for him to claim the Throne. Either way, we should be able to have a clearer idea once I actually get the box in my hands.”

Her eye narrowed and she tilted her head. “Have you ever touched it?” she asked, the question seemingly random.

His eyebrow ticked as he searched his memory for every time he ever came into close proximity to the box. Not one time could he recall ever laying a finger on it. He shook his head, tapping his finger on the table. “Now that you mention it,” he muttered.

“Uncle!” 

Julian turned and smiled as a little girl with blonde hair and amber eyes came racing up to meet him. He scooped her up and hugged her close, making her laugh as he kissed her face. “Hey, baby girl!” he laughed. Ynda got to her feet as Ava Graves joined them, a smile on the angel’s face.

“Hey, you,” she said to Julian, planting a kiss on his cheek. He gave her the same side hug as he had given Ynda.

“Hey,” he said, holding Cameo with one arm. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you just got off a job,” Ava said, her eyes bright with her joy at seeing her second cousin.

“I did, but Hero and Hawk needed me for another one right away.”

She nodded. “Gotcha,” she said. “I had a feeling that was why. You don’t make social calls.”