"Ai," She mumbles the name. "The rune for love."
Her mirin magic might be gone, but the knowledge is still stuck inside her head. Kresi bound that child and the Belan Spirit with the rune of love. The Belan Spirit might not have fought back if the child tried to kill her. What has become of that child now?
"It's so complicated." Ari halts on her tracks and puts her hands on her hips. "Why did Kresi do this? She could have brought back the child when she left Belan. To make it worse, that child is Aren's half brother. The father is…"
Gabriel.
She has never met Gabriel. When she went to the underground city, Gabriel did send her a letter. She was supposed to meet Gabriel and Raye. However, she went to the Dema Kingdom before she could to that. Anyway, she wasn't interested in meeting Gabriel and Raye. From what she heard from Raye when she met him for the first time, they were planning to start a revolution with the Dark God.
If she had met them, she might have been tempted to start the revolution.
"The world is a better place for sure." She looks out of the window. "Nobody is cursed anymore."
Nothing can change history. Many innocent children died. Quinn was also killed. Mirai and Pebby had to become Lady Gianna's slaves for protection. An innocent child had to become a killer because of the previous harbinger, Kresi Mirin.
Now, Ari knows what are Kresi's last sins. She pities that girl a lot. At the age of thirteen, that girl had to see all of her friends die in front of her. All the cursed children depended on her. Until her last breath, Kresi didn't tell anyone that she was in pain.
Karma told her that Kresi is in a better place.
"Though you have done wrong, I understand why you did it." Ari sighs. "I will deal with this last mess for you. After all, I took your name and your destiny. I found precious people, thanks to you. If I can take all the good things that you left behind, I shouldn't hesitate to take care of the mess that you left behind."
So, should she start with Aren Starfire or Ai?
Should she discuss this with Adira? She could already imagine his reaction. He would insist on getting married and turning an immortal first. Then, he won't be happy if he hears about Aren. He doesn't even want to send her to Ilucia. She's sure that he won't let her leave the castle if he finds out about Kresi's last sins.
What should she do? The Belan Spirit was Cina's daughter. Cina is a freaking god. He must have come here today because of Kresi's last sins.
Realizing that the path has cleared away, Kresi heads toward the throne room. To her surprise, it's empty. Where did he go? "Adira?"
She calls his name a few times. When he doesn't appear after a while, she frowns. "Did he leave the castle for something?"
The time is right. If she finds Aren, she can talk to him about Ai. Should she take Mogrok with her? That disloyal beast! He's going to report to Adira that she met Aren. That God is so possessive.
She runs back to the place where she left Naughty. She finds him sitting on the floor and touching the floor with longing in his eyes.
"Karma, my love…"
Someone exists for everyone in the universe. Even Karma has a lover. She stands in front of Naughty. "Help me leave this castle."
"Already?" Naughty raises his head toward her. "Are you sure that you want to leave without the dark god?"
"If I don't leave before he comes back, I am sure that I won't be able to leave before the wedding." Ari slumps her shoulders. Sometimes, she misses the day when only a kiss could satisfy him. "It's better if I finish this before your Karma returns Bad Karma."
"That would be better indeed." The god wonders if Karma can really make her pay for someone else's sins. Bad Karma is such a beauty. She's such perfection. When can he get punished by her again? He lets out a sigh and takes Ari's hand. In a split second, they are standing in the midst of a green field. Small translucent spirits are flying in the sky. In the distant, she could see a lake.
She hasn't been to this place before. "Where is this?"
"Kingdom of Cina." The god looks around. "I followed Karma instinctively. She came here and stayed here for a moment."
And the energy is bad here. He wonders who made her angry.
"Cina's kingdom." Ari tsks. Of all the places, did she have to come to the place that is ruled by Cina? This god is so dumb. "We have to find Ai. That's his bound name. You should be able to find it."
"Ai." The god searches for the person's name. Ai. It's such a simple name. "I can't find anyone with that name."
"How is that possible?" She looks at him suspiciously. "Are you a god?"
"I am a god." He glances at her face. If she gets hurt, the dark god will destroy him. Still, he has to take this risk. She is his chance to see Karma again. "I might be weaker than the gods of this world. It doesn't mean that I can't find someone by name."
"That's his name." Ari clicks her tongue, frustrated. The world is definitely not the same. The realms have changed. The thirteen gods rule the thirteen regions. Belan doesn't exist anymore. The child was not born under any law of the god. Still, he has a name that was given by the previous harbinger. "Why can't you find him?"
"He must be hiding." The god scratches his chin. "Or he changed his name. It could be anything."
"Damn!" She stomps on the ground. He must be powerful if he can change his name or hide from a god. Why is he hiding though? "Can you find Aren Starfire?"
The god raises his brow. "I found him."
"That fast?" She blinks her eyes several times. Gods provide express services. "Take me to him."
Silently, the god holds her hand. Instantly, she finds herself standing in front of an inn. This city seems familiar. Lower realm?
"Raya rules this region," The god informs her. "It's been a while since you came to this world. Why do you not know anything?"
Is it her fault? The damn dark god won't let her leave the castle before the wedding. These days, he's afraid of everything. If she gets a scratch, he would freak out. She doesn't know what to do with him. She did die once. She won't die again. Dying isn't fun, okay?
"Is he in here?" She glances at the inn with a complicated gaze.
"He should be." The god looks for the traces of Karma. He can't sense her here. She didn't come here.
"Wait…" Ari realizes something. She turns around and points at him. "How do you know that I came to this world recently?"
"I am a god." Naughty turns his head to his right and coughs, "You are still a mortal."
How would he not know her? He and his friend suffer so much because of her and the Dark God. He's not an idiot. If he tells her who he is, she might never help him.
"Ah…" Ari nods her head. That's fair. Gods have some kind of special service in their brains. They can find out anything easily. It would have been fun if she was a god. Then, she shudders. Adira has to work a lot because he is the dark god. Maintaining the chaotic dark ehr is not easy.
Who is she kidding? It would be awesome. Somethings are impossible though. She doesn't even have enough magic. She can't absorb the ehr again. Ea is the goddess of the wind and she lives so far from the dark kingdom. If she meets Ea, maybe she can fix her ability.
As she walks into the inn, she slams into someone's chest. "Ugh."
"Miss, are you alright?" A pair of hands grab her shoulders to keep her from falling. She opens her eyes and looks at the man in front of her. Flaming red hair. Bright green eyes. He wears glasses now.
The boy has grown up into a man. She exclaims, pleasantly surprised. "Aren!"
He blinks his eyes. The girl is young and beautiful. He is sure that he has never seen her before. Maybe it's her tone or the way she's looking at him. He feels something familiar about her. "Do I know you?"
"I am--" Ari closes her mouth. Kresi is already dead. How is she going to introduce herself? "I am…"
"You are?" He looks straight into her dark eyes, trying to find out why he's finding her familiar. "Someone I know, right?"