Unexpectedly, finding Misaki is not as easy as she has been expecting it to be.

They wander on the street, tracking down the fragments of chaos. But it seems like they are walking in a maze.

Ari feels that Misaki is in the capital. But the child is hidden neatly. It could be anyone around her. She eyes the little girls walking on the streets. When she hears the peals of laughter of the teen girls, she looks in their direction, trying to find the face that might belong to Misaki.

"She looks more like the Dark God." Ai tells her in a low tone, "She has a shadow of your face too."

She and her daughter are in the same world. But she still can't find her. Ari is frustrated. She inhales sharply, resisting the urge to destroy every nook and cranny of this world. "What about her scent?"

"None." He frowns a little. "The scent might have changed. She's no longer an infant."

It's been ten years. Misaki should be a ten-year-old girl now. Ari curls her fingers, looking around. She doesn't even know how Misaki looks. They keep walking around the city, trying to detect any strong magic.

By the time the night arrives, there's no sign of Misaki.

"Let's separate," Ari suggests. "We will meet in the city centre at dawn."

Ai doesn't like the idea of being separated from her. "Mother, let's look for her together."

"It will take too long." She is desperate to see her daughter again. They are in the same world. Her daughter must be somewhere close. "If you find her, you can find me easily."

Noticing the desperation in her eyes, Ai gives her a reluctant nod. "I will send a signal when I find her."

The two separate on their ways. Ari heads toward the area where she senses Chaos. She keeps walking until she reaches a mansion at the end of the road. There are guards at the gate. But they can't see her. Ari easily passes through the gate, and then she crosses the pathway to the door of the mansion.

There's thick pressure of raw power here.

However, she hesitates. What would she find inside the mansion? Is her daughter alright? Would her daughter hate her for not being able to protect her?

She's afraid. Her daughter might hate her for what happened. There are many ways that could go wrong. Ari takes a deep breath. A lot can happen. However, if she doesn't go in, she would never know.

Ari opens the door and walks into the hall. The lights are on. She looks around. Walls are covered with golden wallpaper. There are beautiful sculptures of common beasts standing next to the pillars. At the centre of the hall, a woman with silver hair is stretched out languidly.

"Mayhem," Ari utters her name quietly.

Chaos raises her head and looks at Ari. "You are the only one who calls me that."

"It means the same thing." Ari walks toward her. Her hands tremble to choke this woman. But she can't do it until she finds Misaki. She takes a seat opposite of Chaos. "Disorder. Pamonera. Maela. Different languages and cultures have different names for you. But you like to hear simple names."

"Then, how should I address you?" Chaos puts down the book on the table that is lying between them. "Abyss."

Ari doesn't answer her question. "Why did you take my child away?"

"She asked for it," Chaos replies calmly. "I know that you would blame me for everything that happened to you."

"I only blame you for taking away my child." Ari looks at her scornfully. "You should have kept Misaki out of it."

"I had no intention of mingling with your blood." Chaos sighs, shifting on the couch for comfort. Ari's gaze is heavy. She turns to her side, eyeing Ari with a smile. "Do you think that I played you?"

Ari is aware that Chaos is not completely at fault. The game began a long time ago. It's something that was meant to happen. Gods are merely different wills of the supreme ones. She isn't anything different. Sometimes, chaos is needed. Sometimes, the order is needed. It has always been between the two of them.

It became messy when others got involved.

The goddess of energy is formless but she has a consciousness. Atvi is strong but she's unstable.

"She manipulated Parisa's visions." Chaos yawns. "Then, Parisa manipulated Rilyah and others. Well, we can't say that she's at fault. She only did what she thought was right."

Because of Rilyah's words, Ari left Iravan. If she hadn't left Iravan, a lot could have been prevented. Her daughters would have grown up in the right environment.

"Rilyah wasn't at fault either." Chaos taps her chin, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Was she? Well, she did lie to Adira. Anyway, Rilyah won't survive Qeshaya."

"What do you mean?" Ari knits her brows. "Why is she in Qeshaya?"

"Iravan gods decided to punish her lies." Chaos informs her, "Until you go back to Iravan, she won't be released from Qeshaya. It's been too long. Do you think that Rilyah will live?"

She hasn't expected that Rilyah's punishments would be that harsh. Ari purses her lips. The Gods of Iravan are immortal. They can't die.

"Is it not death if there's barely anything left of her?" Chaos cocks her head. A cunning smile hangs on her red lips. "Do you think that you can bring her memories the same way you did with Cina?"

Everything has a true name. As long as the true name is intact, the person can be brought back. If the true name changes in some way, the core of the soul also changes. Ari looks at quietly, wondering what Chaos means.

"Qeshaya is a strange place." Chaos sits up and stretches her arms. "It's her favourite place."

"Atvi." Ari scowls at her. "Why are you letting her free?"

"She helped you in the past." Chaos puckers her lips. "Now, she's helping me. She said that she won't be partial anymore."

Ari snorts when she hears those words. "Atvi pretends to be the supreme one."

"So what if she does?" Chaos cracks her knuckles. "Maybe she's bored."

"I don't care anymore." Ari waves her hand, finding it all amusing. "Tell me where my daughter is."

"Ah, her…" Chaos hunches her shoulders, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know where she is."

"Don't know?" Ari jumps on her feet. Her silver eyes glimmer in rage. "You don't know?"

"Don't blame me," Chaos mutters. "She likes to play around a lot. That one is never still."

"Mayhem!" When Ari yells, the window shatters. The marble sculptures crack. The chandelier dangles above their head. "Do you want me to destroy you?"

Chaos is unperturbed by Ari's rage, not moving an inch. She lets out a sigh. "Say, Abyss, if you destroy me, can you also exist?"

She and Chaos complement each other. Even if she wipes out Chaos' consciousness, Chaos can't die. She will come back in the future. Maybe she won't. But it is also true that Abyss might go away with Chaos.

Ari inhales sharply. "Don't challenge me. I might take both of us down."

"I don't care if I am gone." Chaos clicks her tongue. "Even if we are gone, things will still happen. Right now, we can still control chaos and order to some extent. Balance is always sought. So, what if we are gone? Do you think that you are some big shot because you are the primordial abyss? Ha! You are a forsaken goddess now. Even Atvi won't go to you anymore."

"She can't control what I already have." Ari grimaces at her. "Chaos, one of your faces took my child away. Then, you took her away from her father. Because of your face, I became who I am today. Still, I am willing to let go of everything if you handover my daughter to me peacefully."

"Peacefully?" Chaos smirks at her, "Did Ai not tell you? Your daughter is one of my faces."

Ari creases her forehead when she hears those words. "A face of chaos?"

"Yes." Chaos chuckles when she sees Ari's face turn paler. "Isn't it better if she's with me instead of you? If you take her back to Iravan, she will be causing chaos on Iravan. Both of us know how unstable that world is."

What does she mean? Ari wrinkles her brows. Iravan is not unstable.