[Ten Years Ago]

While Aren and Ai look for Renasir Ari in the fae realms and the adjacent pocket dimensions, Adira has been looking for Ari in the lower worlds.

No matter how far he goes, he can't find her essence at all. It's like she's gone from this world.

To make it worse, her essence in the soil that he took from the ground where she did the true-naming has also disappeared.

He keeps looking for her. Even if it takes all the eternity, he will look for her.

Just like that, eight years are spent in the lower realms but he doesn't find her.

After reaching the last of the lower realm, he is surrounded by darkness. He wonders where she could be. If she has died, she could have taken rebirth. Which world would she go to?

"Rebirth." He mumbles to himself, "Where do the souls go after death in this world?"

He's been in contact with Cina and Ai. She hasn't returned home yet. Ai hasn't heard about her in the fae realms. Then, there's only one possibility: she must have died.

Though he wants it to be the last possibility, it could be true. Ari would never stay far away from him or her children.

She loves children. If she could go that far for Ai, what would she do for Misaki and Misumi? She would have found some way to return to them. Even if it means reincarnation, she would do that.

Adira takes the key out of his sleeve and speaks to it. "Ai."

[Lord, I am listening.]

"How does Ari's world works? Where do the souls go after their death?"

[The system is different here. The souls cross some bridge and reach purgatory. It's decided by their karma if they will be born in this world or another world. Some of them even go to hell before they are allowed to be reborn again. Time flows differently on the other side of the river.]

River… was it that river? Adira narrows his eyes. "Is it that river that was flowing between the mortal world and the world where you found Misaki?"

[That's a small stream that ends in the river of death.]

Back then, he heard Ari's voice there. However, he didn't hear it again. Noras told him that the forsaken creatures often imitate people's voices. "Have you heard about her? She might have crossed that bridge."

[i went back a few times. I couldn't find any of her traces on that bridge. But I will go back to other locations again. Someone might have heard or seen something if she did cross the river.]

"Does forsaken creatures imitate the living?" Adira questions doubtfully.

[Lord, they often do it to tempt the soul into jumping into the river. They are quite cunning.]

Could Ari have jumped into the river? She might have been fooled by those creatures. Adira closes his eyes. He should have looked when he heard the voice. What could those creatures do to him? "Ai, go to the river. See if there's any trace of her in the river. I heard her voice once."

There's a long silence.

"Ai, I am coming to the mortal world." Adira looks ahead in the darkness. "I know she's not here."

[My lord, I will look for her. If she has crossed to the afterlife, I will follow her there. I will find her trace before you arrive here.]

Adira closes his eyes, inhaling the cold air. It's better if she's reincarnated. A new life is a hope indeed. "Ai, she's your mother, isn't she? Then, I am your father. Don't call me Lord."

Another long silence.

"I will leave it as a choice for you." Adira gets on his feet. "Let's find your mother."

[You will be my father only if you marry her.] Ai's calm voice rings out of the key. [Mother and Sister will be found. I have faith in them.]

There's been no news of Misaki either. Noras is looking for Misaki in the realms of gods.

"Yes, I have faith in them." That's all Adira can say.

***

Ai puts the key in his pocket as he turns to face his elder brother. "Brother, we must go to the river of death."

"Could Ari be there?" Aren frowns at the idea. "That river is dangerous."

"We can be sure only if we go there." Ai looks around. They are in the ruins of the spring court. There's been a war here recently. The ground is slathered with blood and limbs of the dead. Only the broken walls of a palace remain. Someone must have rained fire here.

Ai lets out a sigh. There's no sign of living as far as he could see.

"Don't think about it much." Aren pats his brother's back. "I believe that the culprit would pay for his crime someday."

"I think that there's something…" Ai glances at the pile of charred corpses above a fallen wall. There's been a slight movement underneath the remains of the wall. He could hear faint breathing.

"Someone is alive." Aren also notices the fading energy under the pile of the corpses.

The brothers go to the corpses and remove them one by one. After that, they remove the wall. There's more concrete beneath them. Ai uses his branches to dig the ground until he finds a cellar.

He glances at his brother. Aren gives him a nod. Ai takes a breath before he breaks open the ground. There's a piercing scream.

In the dark corner, there's a boy. His clothes are covered with splashes of blood. There are dried blood drops on his face. The boy's dark hair is matted with blood and dirt. He places his hands in front of his face, terrified.

"We aren't here to hurt you." Ai retracts his branches. "You can come out now."

The boy shakes his head, huddling in the corner as if he would push through the walls if he could.

Aren scrutinizes the boy. It seems that the boy is also hurt: his left ankle is broken. There's a wet knife wound on his back. The right leg is half burnt. What could have happened here? There's no time to waste. Aren jumps into the cellar and grabs the screaming child. He lifts him up toward Ai. "He's wounded. We can try to win his trust later. First, we should heal him."

"That's what we should do," Ai exhales as he takes the boy and walks toward a half-broken wall. He puts down the quivering boy on the ground and checks his wound. When the boy wouldn't stop sobbing with his mouth closed, AI looks at him and says, "I swear that I won't hurt you. You are a fae, right? You know the meaning of an oath."

The boy has vivid green eyes. So vibrant and alive. The boy doesn't utter a word. His breathing is ragged and shoulders are tensed. Ai looks over his shoulder. "Brother, can you heal him?"

"I am coming." Aren runs toward them. He bends down on his knees and checks the half-burnt leg. "Who did this to you?"

"My mother locked me there," The boy whispers. "There was an evil sorcerer."

"Don't worry. Nobody will touch you now." Aren heals the boy's body. "I am afraid that your body will have some scars."

"I also have one on my back." Ai grins at the boy. "Tell me your name."

"Faes shouldn't say their true names," The boy tells him sullenly. The pain in his body is receding. These men are better than his brothers.

"That's true." Ai chuckles. "What is your calling name then?"

"Jun," The boy utters hesitantly. "My mother was a human. So, my human name is Li Jun."