"ELIS RIPPERTON, don't you dare show your ugly face at my sister's clan."

Elis Ripperton turned to Winchell, then he let out a deep sigh.

After their meeting with the Moon God a while ago, he wanted to retire for the night and return to his room. He needed to gather his Mana and divine power anyway before they descended back to earth.

But now that he had to deal with Winchell, he knew that he would only get more exhausted from here on.

"Although I adore Soleil with all my heart and soul, I still haven't forgotten my duty as an Ancient Beast," Elis told Winchell. "I'm still the Blue Dragon after all."

"I'm glad to know that," Winchell said arrogantly. "Are you going to return to your clan?"

"Of course," he said dryly. He wasn't in the mood to entertain this annoying flaming bird but if he ignored him, he would just annoy him even more just to get his attention. Winchell was that kind of person. "Where else would I go once I descended back to earth?"

"Good question," the Red Phoenix said. "Where else would you go, Elis Ripperton?"

Now that made him flinch involuntarily.

Winchell, with the Black Serpent's absence, was arguably the strongest Ancient Beast among them. But he had an impression that the Red Phoenix was dumb and dense. Ah, it would be more appropriate to say that Winchell was selfish and immature.

He didn't expect that the Red Phoenix would notice his other movements.

Yes, one could argue that Winchell's question was harmless and random. But the blaze in the Red Phoenix's eyes said otherwise.

"I have nowhere else to go, Winchell," he said carefully. Of course, he didn't want the Red Phoenix to know that he was starting to feel pressured by his interrogation. "I don't even know where you're trying to get at."

The Red Phoenix shrugged. "I just want to make sure that you won't bother Soleil once we return back to earth."

"Soleil is my friend," he said. Well, a friend for now. He intended to change that later. "You can't stop me from visiting her, Winchell. Moreover, whether you like it or not, we're destined to work together for her."

After all, they were asked by the heavens to return to earth to help Soleil protect the human race from the monsters called Crades.

Well, the Crades had always been a problem even before they ascended the heavens. But apparently, the monster race had become more powerful the past years. Soleil, the child who had always been special, was prophecied to save the entire human race.

But of course, she needed help from the gods.

And thus, it was decided that the Ancient Beasts would descend and support her.

"Ah, that's right," he said, then he let out a deep sigh. "I don't know why the heavens suddenly decided that Soleil is going to be the Priestess that would bind the four of us together. My sister only needs me– she doesn't need anyone else." He raised a brow at that. "Especially not you, Blue Dragon."

He scoffed at that. "I'm not the only one you should be worried about, Winchell," he reminded him. "As you said, the "four" of us are bound to work together for Soleil. You haven't forgotten about the thief who stole your sister's heart, have you?"

"The Black Serpent didn't steal my sister's heart," Winchell hissed at him. "What Soleil may have felt for the Black Serpent back then was nothing but a silly crush. Now that she has been reborn, I'm certain that her feelings for the Black Serpent have changed."

"For the first time, I pray that you're correct," he said, then he turned his back on Winchell. "Have a good night, Red Phoenix."

He didn't hear Winchell respond, but he felt his presence disappear.

When he reached his room, he let out a deep sigh when he saw Kyro having tea in the lounge area. But of course, the Moon God wasn't in his god form. Instead, he was using the body of Drake– his spirit guardian.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the Moon God, then he sat on the seat opposite to him. "I thought you already left."

"I can't leave without talking to my disciple separately, can I?" Kyro, in Drake's body, said before he sipped his tea. "Don't worry, Elis Ripperton. I made sure that no one noticed that I borrowed your spirit guardian's body."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked while pouring himself some tea. "Winchell is on to something, you see."

"The Red Phoenix?" the Moon God asked. "Interesting. I thought he only cares about himself and his little sister."

"That's true," he agreed, then he sipped his tea. "But since the heavens has involved Soleil in our affairs, Winchell is being extra wary."

"The heavens didn't involve Soleil Rosenberg in their affairs, child."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Soleil Rosenberg has been the center of all of this ever since she swallowed the sun," Kyro said, then he smiled bitterly. "She's the mistake of the gods that we need to eliminate."

He had always meant to ask Kyro what he meant each time he said Soleil swallowed the sun. Well, he had a gist but until the Moon God confirmed it, his hunch would always remain a hunch.

The problem was it seemed like Kyro had no intention of telling him the truth.

It was probably because he wasn't a full-fledged god. After all, the Ancient Beasts were once humans, unlike the full-fledged gods who were born in the heavens. So even if he and the others had the "god" title, the Moon God and the others of his kind were still on a higher level.

"I will follow you as long as I can have Soleil in the end," Elis Ripperton said. "That's our deal, Kyro."

"And I haven't forgotten about it," Kyro assured him. "But you have to do your end of the bargain first: protect Auro Moonchester at all cost."

***

"IT SEEMS like Elis Ripperton is working for the Moon God," Winchell said while pouring some alcoholic drink in the Sky God's glass. They were in his shrine and to be honest, it was supposed to be off-limits to him. But who cares if the Sky God himself invited him in his shrine? "It was faint, but I'm certain that I felt Kyro's divine aura in the Blue Dragon's residence."

"It's no longer news for us," the Sky God, in his plain human form, said. When the Sky God was in that form, he was reminded of Alec Forrester– the current saint on the earth and one of his oldest friends and allies. "We already knew that the two are conniving to help Auro Moonchester win."

"That's the thing that I don't understand," he said, then he sipped his drink before he spoke again. "During the war among the seven moons, it was you who turned Aku Moonchester into a human. You even helped him kill the poor Moon Serpent. And now, you want Aku, who now goes by the name of Auro Moonchester, dead."

"It was a trap," the Sky God said with clenched teeth. "It was a trap that Kyro set for him. And I foolishly danced into the palm of his hand." He drank before he spoke angrily again. "Because of my foolishness, the Moon Serpent was banished from the heavens. And then, Kyro managed to trick me into helping the last moon finish off the poor Moon Serpent. It was a mistake that I need to correct at all cost."

"And how do you plan to correct that mistake?"

"I'm going to the Plane to meet the Mistress," the god said firmly. "I'm going to ask her to reincarnate the Moon Serpent. If we want to eliminate Auro Moonchester and stop Kyro from his plans, we need the Moon Serpent on our side."

To say that he was surprised to hear that would be an understatement. "You're going to the Plane yourself? Why didn't you just ask me to go in your place?"

"Who's going to protect Soleil Rosenberg if you to the Plane in my stead?"

That made him more serious. He always took things related to his precious little sister seriously. But the fact that the Sky God was willing to leave the heavens to go to the Plane made him feel the gravity of the situation.

"I don't understand what's going on anymore," he said, confused. "What would happen if we let Auro Moonchester and Kyro do whatever it is that they plan to do?"

"The line that separates gods from humans would disappear," the god said. "It almost happened when Soleil Rosenberg swallowed the sun."

Winchell let out a deep sigh. "So in the end, it begins and will revolve around my poor little sister."

"That's right," the Sky God said while nodding in agreement. "After all, Soleil Rosenberg unconsciously began this silent divine war."

***

"I THINK he's calling me," Soleil Rosenberg said while looking at the Royal Palace. To be precise, she was looking at the highest tower known as the 'Thorne Palace.' They could see it even while they were in the carriage. By 'they,' she meant herself and her aid. "The lonely prince of the Thorn Palace, I mean."

"What do you mean by 'lonely prince?'" Mola, her young maid, asked while shaking her head. "Lady Rosenberg, I heard that the prince of the tower is a monster."

She just laughed it off. "I bet he's handsome."

"Where did you get that, my lady?" the young maid asked curiously. "I heard from the people of the kingdom that no one has seen the prince yet."

"Because of his name," he said between giggles. "I heard he was called 'Kalel.' It sounds handsome."

Mola let out a sigh while shaking her head. "You and your obsession with good-looking people, my lady."

She smiled, then she turned outside the window to stare at the tower again. "Yes, I'm obsessed enough to save the handsome prince of the Thorne Palace."

"What do you mean to save?" the young maid asked nervously. "Lady Rosenberg, we didn't travel to this kingdom for the lonely prince, did we?"

She turned to her aid and smiled sweetly. "Mola, why do you think I begged the elders of our clan to let me travel here?"

"You said you wanted to learn other cultures, my lady."

"Exactly," she said cheerfully. "I want to learn how good-looking princes live."

"My lady!" Mola, now pale, looked at her with begging eyes. "The elders will kill me if you get into trouble!"

"Don't worry, Mola," Soleil assured her with a soft laugh. "Saving the handsome prince is easy for me."

***

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