"I am sure that the Dark God would return to the world after hearing…" Cina stops talking when she shakes her head at him.

"Things aren't that simple." Kresi says to him, "Make me the key now. I will go to her world."

"I can't send you there like that." Cina frowns at her. "I also need to…"

"Make the seeker gate." She tells him, "If you must choose between Renasir and the child, choose the child. You might find her first."

"What are you trying to say?" Cina scrunches his brows. "Renasir must have found the child by now. She's a true-name shaper."

"You don't understand." Kresi gives him a long look. "The goal was never the child. It was Renasir herself."

Cina's face turns white when he hears that. "Renasir? Who?"

"The same one who brought her to this world." Kresi sits down on the steps, feeling tired. "It could be someone else. All we know is that she's in a mess. From the beginning, it was odd that she transmigrated into this world in such a way."

After a pause, Kresi continues, "You know, Iravan is different from all the worlds. Not everyone can enter the karma system of this world, and it's not easy to leave the karma system of this world either, especially during the time when the cursed ehr was flowing in this world. Same people died and reborn again. No external soul was able to take birth in this world."

"That… why didn't we think of that?" Cina blinks his eyes. "Even if it was transmigration…"

"And it was an artificial body." Kresi explains, "My mother created that body. Shayera thought that she took my soul away and sent someone else in that body. But Shayera shouldn't be stronger than my mother who was a Renasir at that time. The forbidden runes in that body aren't something that Shayera could handle. So, it must be something else."

She takes a breath. "Ari was able to enter it smoothly and leave without any hurdle. After her soul was erased, it was another oddity that Mirinae was able to find the fragments of her soul. The rune [Kres] could erase the corruption completely. Shouldn't Ari already become part of the ehr? Recreating her soul shouldn't be possible even if a primordial god was wishing for it… unless…"

"Someone was protecting her soul from the beginning," Cina chimes in.

"Parisa was also involved." She pauses for a moment. "Of all the futures that Parisa could see, why did she believe in certain futures? She told Rilyah about Ai, Renasir, and Adira. I was also a pawn. Whoever it was, it started creating small unnoticeable chaos and it turned into the great war. The first unnoticeable chaos was Jase's death that prompted me to seek revenge. This world could have ended without Renasir's interference."

Cina inhales sharply. "That's ridiculous. You are thinking too much. In the end, you were the one who started the chaotic war."

"True." She slumps her shoulders. "It is also a fact that I shouldn't have died back then. My mother would have been the last Renasir. Anyway, Parisa's last prophecy didn't come true. Then again, she made another prophecy that made Noras believe that the world could be saved."

In this long game, she was nothing but a small pawn that made big movements against the world. Kresi brushes her hair back. "Make me the key to Earth. I have nothing to do in this world anyway. There's no harm. Besides, Dark God's priority will be his daughter and Ari. Everyone will forget about Ai. If he's not with Ari, he might never return to this world. I will look for him and find another way to send him back to this world."

After some thoughts, Cina gives her a nod. It's true that everyone's priority will be Ari and her daughter, Misaki. Especially, after they hear this theory, they will try to find her. "It will take a few minutes to make the key. Wait for a while."

****

Adira lays her daughter on the bed. His daughter has a slight fever. Her eyes are in a daze. He wonders if she's dreaming about something.

The flow of ehr is mild inside the castle, just enough to keep her warm and safe. Her channels are healing slowly. Since he brought her here in time, she might be able to channel ehr someday. She's a halfling -- half-god and half-human. He doesn't know what's her abilities are. He can tell that she's comfortable around him.

"You must have dark ehr in you." He strokes her forehead gently. "Do you feel unhappy without your mother?"

The child closes her eyes, falling deep into slumber. He sighs and covers her with a light blanket. Her fever should subside after a while.

"You will grow strong." He kisses her forehead. "Misumi, sleep well."

After making sure about her comforts, he walks out of the room, heading toward the sitting room where Noras is waiting for him.

"Why are you here?" Adira scowls at Noras. "My daughter isn't strong enough to endure a primordial god's aura."

"My apologies." Noras says to him, "Rilyah has been punished."

Adira takes a seat. "Is that why Qeshaya was summoned in my realm?"

"Yes." Noras takes a seat opposite him. "There is something that you need to know."

Adira senses that it's something grave from the look in Noras' eyes. "Go ahead."

High King Noras reveals everything that has happened: the prophecies, why Renasir chose to leave this world, Rilyah's lies, and what happened to Adira's second daughter. "She didn't abandon your first child. She went after the people who kidnapped your second child."

The Dark God is still. Completely still. An ominous feeling grows in his chest, enveloping him into a cold bottom of the fear. "My second child must be…"

"Cina is creating a seeker gate." Noras tells him, "That gate will lead us to Renasir and Misaki."

"I misunderstood her." Adira holds his head. "If I had found them in time…"

"You have done your best." The god of light sighs. "You did right by bringing Cina here. After his body heals, he will be able to create the seeker's gate easily. Meanwhile, you should concentrate on recuperating. Your daughter also needs a lot of care."

"Renasir Ari… I need to find them." Adira utters with a frantic voice, "Noras, what is happening to Misaki? She needs to return to this world. Otherwise..."

"We will go back in past if we must." Noras pauses for a moment. "Do you feel that?"

Adira creases his forehead. Universal gate? Who is summoning that?

***

Aren has been on his way to see High King Noras and Adira when he realizes that something is amiss.

Why did she smile? He halts in his track.

Kresi smiling at him? That kind of smile? It felt like a goodbye.

And why does he need to see High King Noras anyway?

"I was manipulated." He lets out a curse and spins around. "That girl… she convinced me quickly that I am needed here."

He runs toward the arena where he left her.

As he nears the arena, he sees the colossal gate appearing in the midst of Arena. She's standing right in front of it. He watches her putting in the key.

"Kresi!" He screams but the girl doesn't look behind. The gate opens slowly and she walks in, disappearing into the light as the gate closes and vanishes from everyone's sight.

Adira and Noras reappear in the Arena right after the gate is gone. Cina looks at them, being aware of the reason why they are here.

"Adira, before you say anything…" Cina sits down on his knees. "I want to apologize for lying to you. I shouldn't have done that."

"Stand up." Adira commands him, "What happened here?"

"Kresi wanted to go back to Renasir's world and...," Cina tells him Kresi's speculations about Renasir Ari and Misaki in details. "It might be true, considering that Renasir disappeared during the true-naming."

But there are two primordial gods. Who could fool both of them? Adira glances at the spot where the universal gate appeared a moment ago. "Can she find Renasir Ari?"

"I am not sure." Cina sighs. "Renasir Ari is not in that world. But she was determined to go there. I had a feeling that she would have done something dangerous if I hadn't given her the keys. She has the key to Iravan. In the future, she can come back if she succeeds."

"Let her be." Adira decides not to pursue that matter. "Seeker gate should take us directly to Ari and Misaki. Start working on the seeker gate."

After hearing everything, Aren exhales.

Nobody cares about Kresi.