"WOULD you repeat that?" Winchell asked the woman who introduced herself as the 'Mistress of Fate.' "Why can't we kill Auro Moonchester again."

"As I said, Soleil Rosenberg will die if you kill Auro Moonchester," the Mistress said. "Do you know why Auro Moonchester and Soleil Rosenberg were born the same year in this lifetime?"

​​

"How would I know that?" he snapped at her. "I was doing god works in the heavens when my sister was reincarnated."

"That only means that the Moon God successfully distracted you during that time.

"What?"

"Listen carefully, Red Phoenix," she said seriously. "I don't know the exact details. But as far as I know, Soleil Rosenberg's soul was put in the same "womb" as Auro Moonchester when the two of them were in the Plane while waiting to be reborn. Using some forbidden spell, Kyro tied Auro Moonchester's soul with Soleil Rosenberg's. Thus, those two were born the same year. As far as I know, Auro was "released" first upon Kyro's command."

"Kyro is a main god and while he is powerful as the Moon God, I don't think he has the right to do whatever he wants in the Plane," he snarled. "Who's the god in charge of the Plane and why are they letting Kyro run it as if it's his, huh?"

"That's what I want to know too," she said in a melancholic voice. "Unfortunately, ever since I witnessed the "womb" return Soleil Rosenberg back to earth, a strong yet unseen force has locked me up in this room."

That made him nervous. "Does it mean I'm also locked up here now?"

"You fell into their trap, apparently."

He excused himself and ran towards the door to try and open it. Much to his shock, he realized that it was locked from the outside. He tried to use force, it didn't work. As a last resort, he used his flame to burn down the door. When it didn't work, he tried melting it with the heat of his Mana. Still, it was a futile attempt.

He shut his eyes tight. "Shit," he said under his breath, then he opened his eyes and turned around to face the lady. "Should I blow up this place?"

"You don't have to do that," she said with a soft laugh. "I can help you."

He raised a brow at that. "No offense but how can you do that when you can't even escape from here?"

"This room is specifically made to confine me," she said. "Others can find a way to get out of here."

"And what do you want in return?"

She looked surprised by his question, then she laughed. "Entertain me, Red Phoenix," she said, her eyes glowing like crazy. "I've been bored out of mind from being locked up in this room for a long time. If you entertain me enough, I promise that I will get you out of here."

To be honest, he didn't like that condition.

Unfortunately, he wasn't in the position to be a chooser. Moreover, he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Blowing up the entire place wasn't a good idea.

After all, Luna was also there and he didn't want to accidentally hurt her.

"What kind of entertainment are we talking about here?" he asked her. "Do you want me to sing or dance?"

"No need to be sarcastic, Red Phoenix," she scolded him, then she crossed her arms over her chest. "All you have to do is choose."

"I don't like the sound of it."

"I can change your fate," the Mistress said seriously. "I can make it like you never had a son with the former Sun Priestess of your clan."

To say that he was shocked to hear that would be an understatement.

"Are you insane?" he asked her. "Solaris is my heir and he's the backbone of our clan. What benefit would I get if you make it like I never had a son?"

"Do you know why most Moon Priestesses don't get married?"

"I wouldn't know," he said. "We only have Sun Priestesses in our clan, and every Fire Mage is wary of children of the moon."

She raised a brow at him. "You seem pretty close to the Moon Priestess that you brought with you, Red Phoenix."

That implication on the lady's words wasn't missed.

He hoped his face didn't turn red.

"Give up on her, Red Phoenix," the lady said while shaking her head. "If you marry her and consummate your marriage with her, you'll kill her."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"A Moon Priestess can't marry a man who already has a kid with another woman," the Mistress explained. "To be precise, a Moon Priestess can only marry a man whose body is still pure."

"That's ridiculous," he insisted. "Why can Moon Priestesses only marry virgin men?"

"What's so ridiculous about it?" the lady said with a huff. "Don't men value women's worth based on their virginity? Isn't it men like you who think that women who are no longer virgins aren't worth marrying?"

"Not all men are like that."

"But the majority are, and the remaining men who think otherwise don't have the guts to call out their fellow men," she reminded him with a laugh. "Anyway, I'm telling the truth. The Moon Priestesses have to find a man with a pure body. If Miss Luna marries you and she consummates her marriage with you, the "impure" energy of a non-virgin like you will enter her body. Then, she'll die right away."

He couldn't help but snarl at that, but he couldn't say anything.

"It's a punishment for all the Moon Priestesses because of the sin of their ancestor," the Mistress explained. "A century ago, Moon Priestesses were maidens who vowed chastity to the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess was a proud lady who somewhat hated men. She believed that her servants must feel the same way that she did. So when a Moon Priestess was seduced by a man and broke her vow of chastity as a result, the Moon Goddes was livid. Especially when she learned that the man who seduced her naïve servant was already married and had several children."

That was the first time he heard that story.

He didn't even know that there used to be a Moon Goddess. When he was born, Kyro, the Moon God was already the one who ruled the night sky.

"The Moon Goddess cursed all the Moon Priestesses, present and future, to die if they make love with a man who had already been married or fathered a child with another woman," the lady continued with her ridiculous story. "As old-fashioned as it may sound, the Moon Goddess believed that a man and a woman should be both pure or else, the woman should just remain a virgin forever."

"That's bulllshit."

"The Moon Goddess used up her entire life force to put the curse on effect," the Mistress said, ignoring his outburst. "When she died, her younger brother Kyro took her place. That's how he became the Moon God."

"I knew there's a reason why I hate the Moon God and his clan," he said. "They're full of bullshit."

The lady laughed, then she gave him a sharp glare. "Choose, Red Phoenix," she said. "If you choose the current Moon Priestess, I will rewrite your fate. You'll ascend the heavens without leaving an heir. And once you return to earth, you'll meet Luna."

He clenched his fists tight. Whether he admitted it or not, the offer was very tempting. "But what will happen to Soleil if I leave without an heir?" he asked. "The only reason I decided to leave an heir was because I didn't want Soleil to carry that responsibility on her shoulders. I didn't want her to be forced to get married for the sake of our clan."

"You'll swap your fate with your little sister," she said nonchalantly. "Soleil Rosenberg will marry the Black Serpent earlier than what happened in this lifetime. Thus, they would conceive the Moon Serpent ahead of schedule as well."

His brows furrowed in confusion when he realized something. "Are you saying that all of it will happen while I'm in the heavens?"

"That is correct."

"Then, I won't be beside Soleil once she gave birth to the Moon Serpent," he said in a hiss. "No one will protect her from the Moon God!"

"Perhaps," she said vaguely. "So, what will be your choice then?"

He shut his eyes tight.

To be honest, the options he had were killing him.

Of course, he wanted to pursue a deeper relationship with Luna. The short time that they spent together was already enough for him to know that she was the one. In fact, he was ready to give up his divinity to marry her.

But he couldn't ruin Soleil's life for his selfishness.

And now that the threat towards his little sister and his unborn nephew was getting more dangerous, he couldn't simply lose his divine powers.

He knew in his heart that he was already in love with Luna.

But…

"I can't pass my responsibility as a clan leader to Soleil," Winchell said softly, then he opened his eyes and clenched his hands tighter until his nails dug deep into the palms of his hands. "And I can't lose my divine powers now."

"I understand your choice," the Mistress said with a sympathetic smile on her face. "As a consolation for the heartbreak I caused you, let me tell you a piece of information that you will definitely need before you leave the Plane." She suddenly turned serious, her eyes glowing menacingly. "Red Phoenix, if you kill Auro Moonchester now, Soleil Rosenberg will die as well."

"What?!"

***

"I WON our stupid bet," Luna said coldly to the woman who introduced herself as the Mistress of Fate. "Didn't I already tell you that Lord Winchell will choose his sister over me?"

The Mistress of Fate smiled sadly at her. "It seems like the curse that the former Moon Goddess cast upon the Moon Priestesses is quite strong. I have never met a Moon Priestess who managed to marry a man who didn't kill her."

She didn't give a damn about that.

All she wanted was to get out of that room.

Right now, she was in an empty room with the strange lady.

But the wall had turned into a huge "aquarium." There was no marine life in there. But the water was showing them what was happening to the room next door. But as soon as Winchell made a choice, she asked the Mistress to turn it off.

Anyway…

Winchell was locked up in the chamber next to hers. He was accompanied by the woman who also introduced herself to the Red Phoenix as the Mistress of Fate. Yes, the Mistress had two physical bodies.

It was hardly surprising though.

After all, it was a known fact that gods could be at two different places at the same time.

"It has nothing to do with my curse as a Moon Priestess," she told the Mistress. "I just know Lord Winchell very well. To him, nothing is more important than Soleil."

To say that her heart was broken would be an understatement.

But right now, her priority was to get out of the Plane. She realized that the Plane had no intention to take her or Winchell seriously. Thus, she'd rather get out of there and return to Soleil's side. She had a feeling that the Supreme Fire Mage needed her.

Fortunately, the Mistress of Fate asked her to play a game with her. If she won, the Mistress would return her to Solarium safely.

The game was to guess whether Winchell would choose her or not.

"I will return you back safely to Solarium as I promised," the Mistress said. "As an apology for breaking your heart, do you want me to tell you when you'll die?"

She was too shocked to give a response to that.

"You'll die early," the strange lady said casually. "Just like the other Moon Priestesses before you."

"Are you having fun?" she asked, her jaw clenched. "Do you enjoy making people suffer by playing with their pre-determined fate that you somehow got your hands on?"

"I can't deny that," the Mistress of Fate said nonchalantly. "Gods feel powerful when they can make humans like you dance on the palm of their hands."

Luna grabbed the Mistress by the collar which obviously surprised her. "I curse all of you," she said coldly. "I curse all of you to meet your end by the hands of the person I chose to serve." She smirked when she saw fear cross the Mistress's eyes for a second. "I will devote my life to Soleil Rosenberg– then I will help her ruin the heavens that you gods don't deserve any more."

***

"DON'T move," Kalel warned Auro who just got up from his bed when he probably felt his killing intent. "I'll kill you if you move."

His warning came with hundreds of ice daggers suspended in the air.

Yes, he returned to the Kale Kingdom and killed off all the guards in his brother's residence. And now, he finally reached Auro's room.

Auro looked up at the ice daggers above him, then he laughed before he turned to him with glowing red eyes. "Kill me, you say?" he asked, then he stood up. "Brother, you already know that you can't kill me without killing your precious wife, don't you?"

He snarled at his brother's casual reveal of his true colors. "Why are you doing this, Auro?!"

His brother just smiled at him.

He was about to attack Auro to make him talk when all of a sudden, the ice daggers that he prepared melted without his permission.

Then, he found himself being suffocated by a big white snake wrapped around his body.

"Mother!"

Yumi, his mother in her snake form, just hissed at his ear.

"Kalel, don't you dare raise your voice at your mother," his father, the Moon God himself, said sternly. He couldn't see Kyro, but his voice echoed in the room. "It looks like it's time for you to return to our side, son."

Kalel belatedly realized what just had transpired.

I fell into their trap!

***

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