Somewhere else, a giant flower squirts out Aren's drenched body on the ground and retches. Aren inhales the warm air filled with the scent of Torsha. There's only one place on Iravan where these flowers grow. That place is Sviesal, the capital of the Kingdom of God Noras.

He struggles to get up. His joints are in pain. The poison of the flower is not going to kill him, but it's slowing his movements. He grits his teeth and reaches for the fragile Torsha flower on the ground.

As the flower is crushed in his hand, he mumbles weakly, "I, a descendant of the Abe, the chosen one to carry the holy fire, call the patron and protector of my bloodline."

In the palace, God Noras opens his eyes. How long has it been since a mortal called him for protection? He looks toward the window. The sky is dark. What must have happened?

Lying beside him, Ea raises her head. "What's wrong?"

"I need to go." He casts a spell to change his clothes. "My son is hurt."

Ea sighs. It must be one of his worshippers. Usually, they can't ignore the deep call of an ardent worshipper, especially if the gods have promised them protection. Whether their voices can reach them or not, it depends on their faiths. "I am going to sleep while I can."

Who knows when one of her children calls her?

God Noras sighs. He wishes that he could be as easy going as his wife is. But then, she's the goddess of the wind. She's free as the wind. Now, who caused trouble for his son?

He materializes in front of Arenyr Starfire. When he sees his condition, he frowns darkly. Who did this to him? This boy is not only from the Starfire bloodline, but he's also the chosen one. He is still a prince, although it's no longer a formal title. Noras removes the poison from Arenyr's body and walks to him. He helps him sit up. "Tell me who did this to you."

The god's voice is calm, but the underlying anger is evident.

"Lord, help her," Arenyr utters the words with urgency. "God Cina is going to kill Kresi."

So, it's Cina. Noras understands the situation. Cina is unlikely to let go of his grudge. If Arenyr had tried to save Kresi, Cina must have sent this boy here.

God Noras raises his brow. "You called me here to help her?"

"Yes," Arenyr replies to him. "She's a citizen of Iravan. Killing her like this is wrong. She has paid for her crimes. Please, stop him. I want to see her living a happy life."

Though Cina's actions are not a surprise to him, Arenyr's words sound puzzling Noras asks him to reconfirm his words, "You want to see her happy?"

"Yes." Arenyr looks at him with conviction. "I am going to change her beliefs about this world and change her ways."

A faint smile appears on God Noras' lips. Mortals are rather strange.

***

Cina stretches his neck. The Serpent's Sting is in his hand. The girl is on her knees in front of him. Her left shoulder is dislocated. Knees and arms are full of wounds. All of her tricks have failed. In the end, there's a limit to what a mortal can do against a god.

He grabs her hair and lifts her head to meet his eyes. "Who taught you the forbidden magic?"

What a petty god! She chuckles, not bothering to answer.

"You stole magic from other people." He glances at the empty vials on the ground. "I never thought that the first wife of the dark god would stoop this low."

"I am not his wife anymore." Kresi glowers at him. "I died. All relationships end with death. I also died as Kresi Mirin. I am nobody's daughter -- not even Mayaeira Mirin. I am only Kresi now. A god should know that much."

"In our eyes, you are Amara." His nail digs into her cheek, tearing her skin as he moves his finger toward her jaw. "The woman who challenged the gods."

"If you want to eat me, go ahead." Her breathing is erratic. Her legs are numb. There's only a little magic left inside her. Poison won't affect this god. Ice can do little to him. However, the runes are inscribed on his skin. All she needs to do is…

"Beg me." With a smile, he leans closer and holds her arm, twisting it backwards. She pinches her lips together to hold back her scream. This pain is nothing. It's truly nothing. She has been through worse. It's nothing compared to the pain of watching her friends' deaths that night. She reaches for something in her inner pocket. One moment. That's all she needs. But is it enough?

Her left arm is misshapen. Cina glances at her pale and sweaty face. Instead of misery, he only sees mocking laughter in her eyes. This woman shouldn't be allowed to exist in this world. Not just this world, she should be wiped away. The god of light is too soft. Cina's eyes turn bloodthirsty. "How many lives were lost because of you? After you got a chance to change your ways, you still took Belan's life. You know what? After taking care of you, I am going to kill that nameless child, even if Renasir succeeds in giving him a true name."

"Why do you want to kill him?" She shouts at him. "He did nothing wrong."

"He was your tool." Cina's fingers curl around her neck. "You used him to kill my Belan."

"She broke the contract," Kresi chokes out the words. "I should have killed her with my own hands that night."

Having heard that, the string of rationality breaks inside Cina's mind. He pushes her on the ground, strangling her. "What does it feel like to die, Amara? I opposed Noras. I told him that he should have erased your soul. If he had done it that day, Belan wouldn't have died. I am going to do it today. You will lose your essence along with your true name to me. Whether it's Kresi or Amara, you would be gone for once and all."

Kresi opens her mouth to breathe. Her face becomes ghostly pale. She looks at Cina's chest. The core. It has to be there. She raises her hand and slams the talisman paper on his chest. The rune burns under her palm. She injects all the ehr magic in it. The runes on Cina's flesh comes in contact with the final rune on his chest. A stifling feeling emerges from his chest as his fingers loosen around her throat. Cina looks down at her hand pressed against his chest.

"This seal…" He murmurs. The runes turn flaming red, burning his skin. His body grows sluggish as he feels chains of runes wrap around his core. This seal is the same one that they did on Adira. How did this woman learn that rune formation?

Kresi feels the talisman draining her blood after all the magic of the enhancers is drained. The talisman is too strong. She realizes that she can't stop it. Her entire body along with her soul will be converted into ehr at this rate. She meets Cina's eyes. He's watching her in horror. The forest around them is changing into a prison. It must be stopped before it's too late. But she can't stop the talisman.

Vapours arise from her body. Her sight is darkening. If death must happen, then she's going to punish this god. A thousand or ten thousands? She has no idea how long her life can keep this god sealed inside this prison. After this god is gone, Ai will be safe. Ari will be able to find some way to give a name to that child. She trusts Renasir.

She closes her eyes and stops struggling, feeling her life source becoming ehr. Her consciousness fades. However, her hand is still glued to Cina's chest. Unmoving at his spot, Cina looks at the walls growing around him. The ground is turning black.

"No! Stop this. Noras, help me." Cina's screams echo in the forest.