"Master, he's back!" Mogrok jumps in joy. "Our Lord has returned from Qeshaya."

Having heard Mogrok's words, Ari rushes out of her room. She runs through the corridors, looking for him everywhere. Where the heck did he go? She stops running and looks at Mogrok. "Where is he?"

"Our Dark God..." Mogrok frowns. "He is in Lady Amara's room."

That room? Ari scrunches her brows. Why would he go there? She heads toward Amara's room. Did something happen between Kresi and Adira? That's impossible.

Adira lays Kresi on the bed. He glances at her missing right hand. Holding her wrist, he tries to rebuild her right hand. However, the ehr keeps getting rejected. Adira exhales. It's impossible now.

"Adira!"

He turns around and looks at the woman standing at the doorway. She dashes in his direction and wraps her arms around him, bursting into sobs. "I was scared. I thought that I might not be able to see you again."

See him? He pushes the woman away from him, scrutinizing her face. She has dark eyes and long dark hair. He realizes that the mortal is young, not older than sixteen. The ehr seems to be in tune with her soul. Even the dark ehr favours this woman. Strange! Only gods should have this kind of affinity with the ehr.

Regardless of who or what she is, what is she doing in his castle? Why did she hug him like that? Even going as far as calling him by his name? She has some guts.

"Who are you?" He asks with a solemn voice.

Ari stares at him. There's no familiarity in his eyes. He's watching her as if he has seen her for the first time. She laughs awkwardly, suppressing the dread in her heart. "Adira, I know that you are mad at me because I rejected the idea of marriage. But isn't this too much? Alright! I will marry you now. You can use any method to make me immortal. However, you must not do a dangerous thing."

"Marry me?" Adira snorts at her, giving her a dark look. "Mortal, don't you know your place?"

He did marry a mortal once. That person betrayed him. How could he ever marry a mortal again? He would rather go back to Qeshaya and spend eternity in that prison.

"Why are you not calling me by my name?" Ari blinks at him, curling her fingers.

"I don't know your name, Mortal." Adira glares at her. "And I don't care who you are. Tell me how you enter my castle. Did they send you here to keep a watch on me?"

He's acting differently. Does he truly not remember her? When she freed him for the first time, he did lose all of his memories. Ari takes a step toward him. "Adira, do you not remember me?"

"You are still calling me by my name." He grasps her chin, looking into her dark eyes. A heavy pressure descends in the room. She feels her blood turning cold, sweating under his chilling gaze. Such unfamiliarity and coldness... He has never looked at her like this -- not even when he wanted to kill her in the cursed sea.

Sensing her fear, Adira laughs at her. "Then again, this is not the first time when a woman entered my castle like this. However, you are the first mortal who came here without my permission."

Now, she's sure that he truly doesn't remember her. Qeshaya has taken away his memories of her. He remembered everything last time. He would remember again. She moves closer to him, raising her hand to touch his face. "I am Ari -- your Ari."

He slaps her hand away and wrinkles his nose in disgust. "Step back, Mortal."

Her heart wrenches in pain. Ari purses her lips. It's temporary. She shouldn't let this get to her. He's acting like this because he doesn't remember. Didn't she do the same when she was in his place? "Adira, you forgot everything. That's why you are like this. I will tell you everything that has happened. You will remember in time."

However, Adira is not paying attention to her. He glances at Kresi who is deep in sleep. The soul has taken damage and the body is not doing well. Did the other gods do this to Amara's reincarnation? There's no reason why Amara should be in prison. His heart was taken away before the imprisonment, but it's back in his body now. Surely, Noras must have returned it. The condition of the world is better. How long has passed?

Cina was also there in Qeshaya. The other gods must have sent Cina for another crime. But why did they send Amara there? Why did Noras release them? Did Amara try to release him and that forced Noras to come?

He clenches his fists when he recalls the betrayal. Amara did it to him because she wanted to avenge the gods. He trusted her so much… A mortal tricked a god. It's ridiculous.

"Adira," Ari calls his name with a frantic voice, shaking him awake from his thoughts. "Are you listening to me? Your name was Kyo once. I gave you that name. Remember me, please."

"Annoying," He mutters under his breath as he raises his hand to slap her face for touching him. Why is this mortal still here? Maybe he should kill her now.

She widens her eyes, freezing in her spot. His hand stops only a few inches away from her cheek. He fists his hand and moves away from her. He comments with a low dark voice, "You are carrying a child."

"Your child," Her voice breaks. "I am carrying your child."

"Mortal, you are testing my patience." Adira resists the urge to wipe her out. He doesn't want to kill an unborn life. "I am sure that you know who I am. I came out of imprisonment after a long time. When did I sleep with you? I am sure that I didn't grant any boon to any strange woman."

And then, she loses her temper. Strange woman? Who is he calling strange? "I am going easy on you because you had a hard time, but you keep talking shit to me. Do you know how many times you have slept with me?" She grimaces at him. "We kept fucking like rabbits. You even said that you were going to do this to me until I reached immortality. You lustful god! You dare to act like a saint now. You better remember everything before tomorrow comes or I will--"

Fucking like rabbits? He crosses his arms, wondering whether he should laugh or pull her tongue out. She must have been sent by other gods. Whose child is she carrying? It's certainly a halfling. He can't endure her lies.

"I will smack your head." Ari finishes her words. "I promise you! I will hit your head until you remember everything."

"You really have a death wish." He grabs her arm and drags her out of Amara's room. The girl is resting. This time is crucial. If this woman continues to scream, the girl might wake up. He closes the door and turns to face the strange woman. "I don't know who sent you here, but I will ignore it since you are carrying a child. Leave the castle now. I don't want to harm you or your child."

"I can't leave." She scowls at him. "I am telling you. This is your baby. I can prove it. Is there DNA testing here?"

What is DNA testing? Adira frowns at her. Is it some new magic? "Do you know the girl who is lying unconscious on the bed?"

"Yes." She knits her brows. He even forgot about Kresi?

"That's my wife's reincarnation, Amara." He informs her, "I killed her, but that doesn't change anything. I love her and only her, and I also hate her. Nobody else will take her place in my heart. I will wait for her to wake up. You should return to the man who is the father of your child. At this time, you should be staying with him since you are carrying a halfling. The halfling would be born weak if you don't stay with him."

After hearing that, she doesn't know what to say. To see that kind of look in his eyes for another woman… Did he go through this pain when she was crying for Tristan? The relationship between her and Tristan was different from the relationship between him and Amara. Does he love her again? But even when she didn't remember him, she still felt something for him. Ari places her hand on her belly, staring at him calmly. "You are wrong. Your heart has only me. There's no place for her. You made love to me and this child is yours. You don't love her. You love me."

Her stubborn declaration makes his heart skip. He narrows his gaze on her. Who is this woman?