Aeis smiles at the girl. She reminds him of a certain someone. She's afraid and she knows that he can sense it easily, but she doesn't care about it. She's bravely looking at him. "You aren't answering my question."

"Does it make sense that the harbinger is the renasir?" He swirls the red wine in the cup.

"Honestly, I don't care." She lets out a tired sigh. "Whether I am the renasir or the harbinger, I have no intention of taking care of the problems created by you and the other gods. It should be the gods who should be bearing the responsibility."

Aeis chuckles sarcastically. This girl has no knowledge about the old war. She's not a full renasir yet. The previous renasir is still alive. That must be the reason. "Do you know what you truly are?"

"Why don't you tell me about it?" She rests her elbows on the table and leans forward. "I also heard things about you. You betrayed the Dark God. That's why he lost the war. I heard that you were his friend. I don't know the circumstances that led you to betray him, but I think that he doesn't consider you as a friend. Why did you send your son to serve him and invite him here? Are you planning to betray him again?"

"Am I supposed to get angry for this?" She kicks his leg. "There, happy? That's my reaction for bathing me with wine."

If it was somebody else, he would have shredded that person's soul. "Are you close to him?"

He leans closer to inhale her scent. Adira's scent is lingering on her body. She shifts in the chair, uncomfortable because of the closing distance between their faces. "I am not close to the Dark God."

He clasps her throat with his claw. "Then, why you are still alive?"

She scratches the claw. Her face turns blue because of the force. Aeis knows that she won't die. Not until the core is taken from that chest. Not until she fulfills one of her destinies. Not until the word is spoken and her body is erased along with her soul.

His silver eyes are glowing with hatred. He pushes his claw in her chest. He grabs the core inside her. Before he could push it out, his wrist is grabbed by someone. He looks up and finds his friend looking down at him with deep loathing.

Aeis releases the core and backs away. The Dark God takes her unconscious blood-soaked body in his arm protectively. The Dark God glances at her bloodless face.

"Take your core back." Aeis spits out the words. "She's the forbidden spell. After she becomes the full renasir, you won't be able to take it back."

The Dark God stares at Aeis. "Why did you give that spell away?"

The Dark God has given a lot of thought. Only the main gods know the knowledge of the forbidden spell. The 11 gods are asleep. This dragon god is insane enough to give the spell to the creator of that body despite knowing about the forbidden sin and manipulating that creator to let the Harbinger live and free the Dark God. The previous Renasir must have been aware.

"The previous Renasir struck a deal with me." Aeis lets out an exasperated sigh. "In return of the spell, she will let the harbinger live and release you. She was afraid that the next Renasir won't turn up. She wanted to create one by herself. She didn't care about committing the forbidden sin. I did it because I wanted to you to be released from your wrongful imprisonment. I didn't know that she would do this."

The Dark God doesn't say anything. Aeis frowns when he notices his gaze on the Harbinger. He asks him quietly, "Do you love her?"

"No." His reply is short. "I pity her."

Aeis' eyes turn dark. "Then, why keep her alive for more than 3 years?"

The Dark God sighs. During the first year, he was too weak. During the second year, he was being suppressed by his other-self. During the third year, he tried to kill her and she managed to change his mind. He decided to let her live for a while.

He doesn't love her. Just pity. That's it.

He breaks the chain tied to her ankle. "As my harbinger, she deserves respect."

"As the Renasir who might imprison you again, she deserves this." Aeis' voice is calmer, but anger isn't gone. "Tch! The ten thousands of imprisonment didn't improve your head."

***

I wake up to find myself in warm water. I look up at him. "Kyo?"

"Wife, you are awake." He grins at me brightly. "I am giving you a bath. Your body was sticky."

"..."

He is washing my hair. I feel warm and weird at the same time. It makes me feel warm that he is washing my hair like the way I used to do it to him. I feel weird because there is no piece of clothing on me.

"Ahem." I cover my chest. The hot water pool is surrounded by large locks. I get the idea that we aren't back. "Kyo, how did you come here? Did the dragon god do anything to you?"

"They had a talk, my wife." Kyo slips into the water, fully clothed. "It's all fine now."

I am? I nearly died again. "The Dark God is fine with the dragon god? They didn't fight about betrayal?"

"Don't worry about them, Wife. It's fine." Kyo sniffs my hair. "Your hair doesn't smell of wine anymore."

"Why are you calling me wife?" I frown at him.

"Wife should be called wife." He tells me with a straightforward voice. "I thought about it while washing your hair."

He is close and I am fully naked. I have experienced his crazy hormone moments. I push him away. "Stop sniffing me. How long have I been in the water?"

He doesn't answer my question. "Why do you love me?"

That... The Dark God also asked the same question once. Why is he asking me this question now? He comes closer and gazes into my eyes deeply. My heart skips a beat when I notice the intensity in those dark eyes. My Kyo is changing bit by bit ever since he became aware of the Dark God. I realize that he is growing up, shredding his innocence bit by bit. I don't know who he will become.

"Tell me." He implores me. "I want to know why."

I lean on him, resting my head on his chest. He has no heartbeat. But, my heart is beating fast.

"When I came to this world for the first time, I was afraid of everything. I was alone and I had no one to trust. When I saw you for the first time, you looked up at me. At first, it was about taking care of you because you couldn't take care of yourself. You became someone I wanted to protect at any cost. Your innocence. Your pure heart. Your way of looking up at me. You wanting me to take care of you. You needing me. I think that I was someone who wanted to be needed by someone else."

I pause and wait for him to say something. He probably can't even understand what I am saying. I hug him tighter. "Those might have been my initial reasons. You are growing up. You might not need me in the future. Even if all of those reasons are taken away and you are no longer the same Kyo, I will still love you. Whether you want me to become your wife or your sister, I am going to take any role to stay beside you. If you don't exist, I don't think that I can exist either."