Ai stops his brother from touching the boy. "Don't."

"Can't you see that she's hurting him?" Aren pants. "What's wrong with Renasir Ari?"

Ari's eyes are also closed. Her thumb is still on the boy's head. The boy's eyes are rolled back. His voice is hoarse from screaming.

"Please trust her." Ai tells him quietly, "I heard about the forsaken ones. It's a punishment in this world for the creatures who are abandoned by all the gods of the realms. Whether it's darkness or light, they aren't part of it anymore. The boy might have turned into a forsaken one after we brought him back from the afterlife."

"Then, what about us?" Aren scowls at him. "We should become like him too."

"Brother, we are a part of Iravan." Ai reminds him, "Our souls don't follow the law of this world."

Aren understands his words now. "Then, we are the reasons why this boy became…"

"Yes." Ai takes a deep breath. "As much as I know, Forsaken ones are sent to the unbreakable prison or they are eaten by sweepers."

Sweepers? Aren knits his brows. He has never heard of them.

"I have only heard about them from some creatures in this world," Ai tells his brother. "All I know is that they aren't nice."

Ari removes her hand from the boy's forehead. She takes a step away from the child, cocking her head to observe him in silence. The boy opens his eyes. There's a chalky texture to his skin and his green eyes are now silver. He holds Ari's hand, no longer afraid or hesitant.

"Are you… okay?" Aren questions the boy with concern in his eyes.

"I am fine." The boy smiles at Aren. "I feel lighter now."

What does that mean? Aren looks at Ari. She shrugs and looks away. There's no explanation from her. It seems that there will never be any explanation from her.

"You aren't in any pain?" Aren asks the boy doubtfully.

"No." The boy grins at him. "I am as light as a feather."

What does that suppose to mean? Ai studies the boy. He can't quite say it. Something is different about the boy. Is it the air around the boy? What is his mother doing?

The boy turns to the woman. "How should I address you? I don't know your name, Lady."

"A long time ago, some called me Abyss," Ari replies in a melancholic tone. "I had many mortal names. I can't ever reveal my true name to you. You can call me anything you want."

"Mother, you are Takayama Ari." Ai stares at her. "Why do you need to change your name again?"

"I am no longer human." Ai takes Scias's hand and sighs. "We should leave before that bothersome man arrives here. I already have a headache… Oh --"

She squeezes her eyes shut, wincing in pain. "I guess I need to take care of my promise before I go and look for Misaki."

"Lady Ari." Scias looks up at her. "Who is Misaki?"

"Of all the names, you are choosing my old name." She looks down at the boy with silver eyes. "Alright, I will keep that calling name. It's better than being called something as boring as a goddess of forsaken ones."

"You still have people who call you that." Scias looks down at his feet. "Everyone who could call me by my old name is dead."

The boy is right. There are people who call her that. She doesn't have a reason to abandon this name. It's just a calling name anyway. Ari pats his head. "You won't be alone."

Scias is aware of that. There are others like him. The forsaken ones. He could feel their presence.

"Let's take you to a place where you could belong," Ari says to the boy before she turns her head toward Aren. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes," Aren answers her in a beat. It doesn't seem like he can keep her until the dark god arrives. Besides, they are away from the house where Cina is. It means that Cina had failed to stop her. His brother, Ai, is going to follow Ari -- and he would follow his brother without a doubt. He adds quickly, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know yet." Ari scratches her chin. She hasn't fully recovered yet. Then, she could have recovered fully if she had stayed with Nakashima Wakana for a longer time. But staying too long with that woman wasn't good for that woman. Nakashima Wakana might be a forsaken one, but she could still stay in this world because she's still a soul guardian. As for Scias and all the creatures inside her, it's impossible to remain in the human world without attracting the beings who would pick a fight with her.

She doesn't have time. Misaki is somewhere. She needs to find her daughter.

"I am sure that she won't be there." Ari bits her thumb. Dark purple blood oozes out of the bite mark. She outstretches her arm and draws a vertical line in the air. Strangely, there's a dark purple line in the air.

A buzzing sound is heard before space splits up where the purple line was a moment ago. It widens until it is big enough for Aren, who is the tallest one among them, to pass through. The tear in the space is black. There's nothing except a haunting silence.

"Beginning was always silent," Ari mutters. "I don't why they said that it was loud."

Is this a pocket dimension or a gate? Ai looks at his mother's back. What is his mother now? Is she truly a goddess of forsaken ones? First, Kresi turned out to be a primordial goddess. Now, his mother is also one. What about Misaki and Misumi? Why are they halflings? Was it because his mother was a mortal when they were born?

Then again, Misaki is a little different. Misaki's mother is alive.

"Is this going to be our new home?" Scias squeezes Ari's hand. "Lady Ari."

"No, we are visiting someone first." Ari walks toward the tear in space. "It won't stay open for long. So, those who want to follow me should come quickly."

Aren watches her walk into the dark space. Scias trods after her. His brother, Ai, doesn't even glance at him before he marches toward the gate. Aren looks up at the sky and lets out a heavy sigh. "How far did you go, Dark God? I am afraid that I couldn't stop Ari."

Maybe the Dark God will be able to find them. When Aren sees the space closing, he runs toward it.

As soon as he passes through it, space closes up.

He finds himself in eternal whiteness.

As far as he could see, there's nothing but whiteness. The roof is white. The ground is also white. The space is cold and dry.

However, there's a throne. An empty crib is lying next to it. Ari is standing near the throne. Her cold gaze is fixed on the crib.

Ai climbs the steps of the throne. He stops next to his mother. He glances at the crib. "Misaki was here."

"If I had known her true name, I would have broken her," Ari exhales. But Chaos is a primordial goddess.

Scias steps closer to Aren and nudges his hand. Aren looks down at him with knitted brows.

"Who is Misaki?" Scias whispers to him. He has been hearing that name frequently. All he knows is that Misaki is someone important. He wants to know why Lady Ari is so angry.

"She's her daughter," Aren tells him with a low voice. "She was stolen away by another god right after she was born."

Misaki is someone important to Lady Ari. Scias scrutinizes Lady Ari's face. He senses her wrath and agony. For some reasons, he feels envious of Misaki. That girl still has a mother who cares a lot about her.

At the same time, he pities her because the girl hasn't been with a mother who cares so much about her. If he could choose, he would always choose to be with his mother who sacrificed herself to save him.

In the end, he's a forsaken one. Lady Ari made it clear that he's deserted by all gods and entities except for her.

All of a sudden, Ari raises her chin and looks at Scias. "Scias, what do you think of this place?"

"It's cold and empty." Scias doesn't like this place much. "I can't sense any exit."

He can't sense anything other than them in this place. The emptiness is rather annoying.

"It's Oblivion." Ari smirks, "It's Chaos' home. We may come to this place on our will but we can't leave. All the creatures who disintegrated here cannot be recreated again. Are you afraid?"

Can't leave without Chaos' permission? The corner of Aren's lips twitches. Why did Ari bring them here if they can't leave?