Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

HANNA

When I was young, maybe eight years old, I visited my father in Finland during the height of summer. I remember the days were long and warm, and the woods held so much life, every day was an adventure to me. My father was happy to let me play by myself or with the kids who lived on the other side of the lake but, sometimes, he would take me on nature walks for hours at a time.

One day, the two of us had walked deep into the woods behind our house, where the pines grew so tall, they blocked out the sky. It was dark, strangely so, like I was seeing everything through a black veil. I remember being a little afraid, but my father held my hand and told me the woods were always looking out for me.

Eventually, he led me to a small clearing with a ring of moss-covered stones in the middle. There was a quiet stillness that suddenly fell around us, something so deep, it felt as if even the wind dared not enter the circle.

My father knelt, reaching into his pockets and spreading wild herbs across the stones, murmuring words in Finnish, words I should have understood but didn’t. I had always found his voice comforting, almost jolly, yet here, it carried a weight that made my chest tighten, as if his words had a power of their own. I felt something stir within myself, a feeling I couldn’t quite place—like a memory or a dream. Something old, maybe even something that didn’t belong to me.

“Close your eyes, Hanna,” he’d whispered, his voice reverent. “Feel the earth beneath you.”

I remember dropping to my knees beside him and pressing my small hands to the stones. I expected it to feel cool, but instead, it was slowly warming, like sunlight breaking through clouds. There was a pulse beneath my palms, as if energy was being pushed back into my skin, enough that I had to pull my hands away. When I opened my eyes, my father looked at me with an expression I didn’t understand—something like pride, sadness, and knowing all at once.

I never understood that moment, never understood what it meant. It had always stayed dormant in the back of my head, like a dream you forget upon waking.

But now, I know. I don’t remember anything else—if he said something, if he ever explained what the stones meant and why we were there, but it doesn’t matter. He was trying to see if I was a pure mortal or something more. He was trying to see how much of my mother—my real mother—I had in me.

The mother I’m staring at right now.

“Hanna, your mother is here,” the Goddess of the Sea says, but I know this without Vellamo’s announcement. I know it from the bone-warming heat, from the radiant light that fills the forest where we’re hunkering down for the night. I know it from this strange feeling of deep affection, something both beautiful and sad, a longing for something I never knew.

Something I had lost then found.

At first, my mother is just light. It’s like staring into the sun, but it doesn’t hurt your eyes, doesn’t make you squint. It’s powerful and gentle all at once.

Divine.

Then, the light begins to fade, and her outline slowly comes into view. It’s hard to focus on it clearly; her form keeps shifting, like rays of the sun bending shadows. She’s just like Ilmatar, Goddess of the Air, in that you see more of her when you view her in your peripheral.

“Hanna,” a voice says. It is rich yet feminine, primordial. It doesn’t seem to come from the light but from all around me, like it’s embedded in the air.

I can only stare dumbly at the glow as she slowly comes into focus, until, finally, I can see her clearly.

She’s so beautiful, it makes my chest ache.

My mother is at least a foot taller than me, close to seven feet, with long limbs and skin that hums a subtle golden hue, as if kissed by shimmering sunlight. Her hair cascades in waves of molten gold, streaked with fiery reds and soft, glowing ambers, constantly shifting as though alive with the sun’s flames. When she moves, her hair seems to emit a soft halo of light, casting a warm glow around her. Flowing robes of radiant silk envelop her body, the fabric almost weightless, moving like ripples of heat. Golden embroidery depicting solar flares and constellations adorns the edges.

Most striking are her eyes. They shift between molten amber and deep copper, burning with intensity. Looking into them feels like staring into the heart of the sun itself, an unstoppable force of life.

She is very much a God, her power and presence rendering me speechless. I can’t imagine there’s any way I could have possibly come from such a being. Maybe everyone was wrong about her being my mother. Me? A girl from North Hollywood who drank boba tea and worried about never owning a house?

We are not the same.

“You have nothing to say to me?” she says, her voice light and melodic now. “Because I have much I would like to say to you.”

“I—I’m sorry, I just…I never expected to…” My voice trails off as I struggle to find the words that could possibly convey the overwhelming mix of emotions swirling inside me. “It’s nice to finally meet you?” I finish dumbly.

There’s no way I’m about to start calling her mom.

Her gaze softens as she reaches out, fingers glowing softly with a warm light as she beckons me closer. Without a second thought, I step toward her, feeling a surge of warmth enveloping me. It’s like being wrapped in sunlight itself, full of life and power, something that sings a song deep inside my veins.

“My dear Hanna,” she whispers, her voice resonating within my soul, bringing with it an aching sense of familiarity. “You may feel small now, but you carry within you the spark of my divine essence. It slumbers, waiting for the right moment to awaken and illuminate the world. This is that moment, my child.”

Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes as I look up at her, overwhelmed by a sense of belonging I never knew was missing. All my life I felt like I didn’t fit in. I thought it was because I was the product of divorced parents, my love being split across two countries, never really belonging to either, but now I know that wasn’t it. I felt different because I was different and others knew it before I even did.

And now, with my real mother in front of me, I feel a deep sense of yes, this is it. This is who you are and who you were meant to be.

Fucking hell, I need to get a grip. I don’t even know her or what any of this means.

“You are destined for greatness,” she continues, her eyes alight with pride and a distant sort of affection. “But first, you must come with me to my realm on the sun. It is only there I can help you unlock the full extent of your powers and guide you on your path to embracing your true heritage.”

Right. Her realm.

On the fucking sun .

Vellamo clears her throat behind me, pulling me out of the trance my mother seems to have wrapped me in.

“You’re going to take her to the sun?” Vellamo asks in a stern voice.

I turn around to look at the Sea Goddess standing beside the fire. Even next to my mother, she still looks regal and formidable, her damp body glowing in the light, though the sadness in her eyes runs deep.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Vellamo adds, raising her chin. “The world has dissolved into Kaaos, in case you haven’t noticed. My husband, Ahto, is dead. There are God-killers on the loose. This world will be lost to Oblivion in no time, and you think it’s best to take the Queen of Tuonela to your world to, what? Hide?”

My mother’s gaze flickers at Vellamo with a fierce determination, the light in her eyes blazing brighter.

“This is not about hiding, Vellamo,” she says. “This is about preparing my daughter for the challenges that lie ahead. The forces of Kaaos may be strong, but Hanna carries within her the legacy of the sun and the strength to face whatever darkness threatens our realms. She is key to all of this—she is the prophecy.”

“You know about the prophecy?” I ask her.

“Of course I do,” she says patiently. “I’m the one who ensured it would come to light. You were no accident, my child. Only light can fight darkness. I knew that the chances of you fulfilling the prophecy were high. Your father knew that too.”

My mouth drops. “My father knew?”

What the actual fuck? He’s the one who acted like he didn’t believe me when I told him I was the prophecy. It took Tuoni holding my bare hand to prove it.

“Your father knew you could become the prophecy,” my mother clarifies, clearly reading my thoughts. Not intrusive, or anything. “Doesn’t mean he believed it until you revealed the truth.” She gives me a small smile, her lips glittering like golden dust. “He had hopes, though. We both did. What if the blood of the sun was mixed with that of a mortal? Not just any mortal, but a descendant of a powerful shaman, one who wields magic? What if it produced a being who was the best of both worlds, tied to humanity, to the cycle of life and death, given the powers of a God and the restraint to use them?”

I blink at her, trying to wrap my head around all of this. It’s nice to know my existence wasn’t a whoops someone got pregnant out of wedlock scenario, but to know my birth was actually planned as some feeble attempt to save the Underworld one day is kind of a mind fuck.

I’m no longer the Chosen One. I’m the Planned One. No wonder my father went to such lengths to smuggle me into the real world and create Salainen as a decoy.

My dad is going to get a fucking earful when I see him again.

“Don’t be so hard on your father.” She answers my silent words. “He didn’t have much say in the matter.”

I raise my hand. “I’m gonna stop you right there,” I tell her. The last thing I need to hear is that my father was coerced into having me.

She nods. “I understand. We can speak more later. But the sooner we leave this realm, the faster your powers will evolve and the better it is for everyone.”

I look back at Vellamo for her input. Right now, I trust her more than my mother.

Vellamo narrows her eyes, wearing an expression of skepticism mixed with concern. “What if she is not ready?” Vellamo asks. “What if the power within her proves to be too much?” She pauses. “Or not enough.”

A flicker of uncertainty crosses my mother’s face before she squares her shoulders, regaining her composure. “Hanna has a strength and courage that surpasses even my expectations,” she says firmly. “I have seen my fair share of it. There isn’t much in this land my rays don’t touch. She will rise to meet the challenges ahead, guided by the light that burns within her.”

Vellamo grumbles something inaudible under her breath, something my mother ignores.

“Are you ready, my child?” my mother asks, her gaze searching mine for any sign of doubt.

And yet, all I have is doubt.

I look back at Vellamo, unsure of what to do.

Vellamo holds my gaze for a moment before she slowly nods.

“Very well,” Vellamo says stiffly. “I am not your mother, Hanna, merely a friend and advisor. I can’t prevent you from going if that’s what you wish. And if your mother says that’s where your powers will come to fruition, if that’s what we need to save us from Kaaos, then I can’t be the one to stand in your way. Who am I to stop the one who might save us all?”

I gulp. No pressure or anything.

“Can’t I just somehow get my powers down here?” I ask. They showed up before when Tuoni died. Isn’t there some way my mother can teach me, much like Vipunen did?

“I can’t stay here for long,” my mother says in a low voice. “The longer I’m here, the more I lose my strength, and the more mortal I become. You gather your strength from the sun, just as I do.”

“Yeah, but the sun…” I say warily. “Like the actual sun? Isn’t it a ball of gas? Won’t I just, you know, die?”

“It’s not what you think,” she says.

Uh huh. Very helpful.

“I will come back, won’t I?” I ask her.

“You will,” she assures me.

“You must,” Vellamo chimes in. “Otherwise, you might as well stay here.”

“She will be back,” my mother says sharply, her hair briefly turning into curling flames that rise like solar flares. “I will make sure she doesn’t forget.”

I frown. “Why would I forget?”

My mother’s gaze slides to mine, and she stares at me in such a way that I have a little Galadrial and Frodo moment. I would hate to see her angry.

Suddenly, I’m flooded with fear. I know she’s my mother and all, I know there’s so much I don’t understand and that there’s a fuckload of questions that need answering, but I really don’t know her at all. It’s not like she’s remotely personable. She even talks differently than the gods down here, as if she’s saying words she thinks are something a human would say.

I don’t even know if I should trust her.

What if Louhi has already gotten to her? The thought terrorizes me. What if this is a trap to take me out of the equation?

“You know what?” I say uneasily. “On second thought, maybe it’s better I stay here and help fight as I am. Vellamo and I just have to find the other Gods, the real ones, and Lovia and Tuonen, and then regroup. Tuoni and my father must be making their way through a portal somewhere, and honestly, I feel I should discuss this with him first before I?—”

But before I can finish my sentence, my mother reaches out and grabs my arm, plunging my world into blinding light and an electrifying hum that makes my ears feel as if they’re about to explode.

And then suddenly…darkness.