So, everything that she did… Hot tears drop on the floor one by one. Kresi slowly blinks her eyes. Her mother. Jase. Everyone else…
"Can I speak now?" Ari raises her hand. "God Noras?"
It's not like she won't speak if he says no. God Noras gives her a nod. Ari takes a step forward with Ai. "Why didn't you tell her that Jase was reincarnated before she seduced God Adira?"
Why is she saying it like that? The Dark God exhales. He wasn't seduced. She is making him sound so easy.
"Because I had no idea who was Adira's wife until he started the rampage." Noras sighs. "Usually, the gods do not reveal where the soul is reincarnated, especially to the mortals. If I had told her, there would be others who would have demanded to know where their relatives were reborn. It's not fair to the reincarnated ones. Everyone has to go through the grief of losing someone. I revealed it today because of the special circumstances."
"Then, you should have apologized to her." Ari tilts her head. Her tone is rather empty of emotions. "She was there for days. You could have met her once and explained the circumstances. At least, you should have apologized for your mistakes."
"I wasn't informed that she came to see me." Noras replies to her calmly, "Besides, I compensated Jase's family. She was not his wife."
"Alright." Ari gives him an understanding nod. "Apologize now."
"What?" Noras frowns at her. "Why should I apologize to someone who kept making the same mistake? She destroyed the world. Even I had to pay along with all the other gods. We couldn't die, but we had to sleep for thousands of years."
"That's why we should all apologize to each other." Ari glances at Kresi. "I am sure that she's feeling regretful about all the things that she did. God Noras, you aren't exactly godly here. It was your mistake though. Don't give me the crap that it was meant to be. So, Kresi isn't like Parisa… but her love wasn't anything less. To be honest, if my lover was killed in such a manner. I might have visited you at night and slit your throat."
"..."
"Or incinerate you." Ari scratches her chin. "You are immortal, aren't you? It would have been fun watching you burn for eternity."
"..."
"How about maiming?" Ari turns to Kresi and says to her. "You should have commanded the Dark God to maim his dick."
Kresi raises her head and stares at her with a dumb expression. What is this Renasir saying?
"You have been giving a long speech about how she's wrong and how I am the kindhearted saint who saved the world." Ari wrinkles her nose. "Has anything changed though? Why didn't you leave some commands on how to conduct this world after you have gone to sleep? Say, the cursed children were killed because there was a chance that the twisted dark ehr would control them. Then, you should have come up with a rule that they would be killed only if they showed signs of possession by the corrupted ehr. However, the holy knights, the vessel, and the renasirs have been killing them whether they become crazy creatures or not."
To be honest, Noras and the other gods had never left any command to kill the cursed children at sight. They left the holy fire with the vessel and made the Renasir for keeping the world going in their absence.
"Mirai and Pebby were cursed children. They had to go to Andrareanesi and become slaves for protection." Ari continues, "Then again, the children were living well in the Belan forest until Aeline decided to kill them. Those children were in a contract with Belan Spirit and it was Belan spirit who broke it first. You, gods, left a cruel spirit like that behind. You also deserve the blame."
"We didn't know that it was going to be like this." Eshyal says to her, "There wasn't enough time to make guidelines for the new world. We left our powers to the mortals and they did what they have to survive. Why are you asking us questions for something that mortals did?"
"It was just not your priority." Ari smiles at the god of the sun. "It's more like you didn't care what would happen to the mortals. You didn't care how would Amara feel after Jase's death. All of you are blaming her. Even her mother who stabbed her like that… How would Kresi know what was going inside her mother's mind? Did She choose the path of hatred? Was she given any other path? Was she taught to take another path? When she was stuck in the cycle of hate, did anyone try to take her out of it? Just giving her a chance is enough? It's more like you threw her in a cycle of self-torture."
"Are you siding with her after what she did?" Cina eyes her darkly. "The nameless creature beside you is her sin. That creature killed my daughter."
"Your daughter killed many other children," She retorts back. "She broke the contract, helped Aeline in killing those kids, and she even manipulated this kid into killing her. She did it because she was afraid of loving him and dying at his hands. She chose to die like that instead of waiting for you. Don't blame other people for your daughter's choice. She was an adult there."
Cina purses his lips, not able to find any word to say back to her. His daughter did commit a crime. Breaking the contract is a big sin. Still, he doesn't think that she deserved complete destruction of her essence.
"I want to say something." Aren raises his arm. He's been listening to everything. It's the right time to do what he came here for.
"Go ahead," Noras gives him a quiet command.
"I want to free Ari of the debt that she owes me." Aren looks at Ari and smirks at her, "If she accepts to be freed, then I am fine with it. Because of her, I was able to find my brother again."
"I totally accept." Ari gives him a thumbs up. "Thank you for freeing me from the debt."
"I am glad." Aren chuckles. He turns to face the gods. "Also, I don't have any ill feelings toward Kresi Mirin. Kresi's mother, Mayaeira Mirin, helped me live by fixing my broken vessel when the holy fire left my mother and entered my body. I have come to accept that my mother committed a lot of sins in her life. I am partly responsible. My mother was chasing the harbinger because she didn't want me to suffer later. Thanks to the Renasir, I was able to change before it was too late."
After he finishes, Gabriel Grey stands up. "I release Ari of any obligation that she has toward me. Because of her, I found out that I have a son. I don't have any hatred toward Kresi, regardless of who she was in her past life. For me, she's is only Kresi. I have always thought of her as my daughter, just like the other children were. As a parent, I failed to protect them. I am responsible for everything that happened to them that night. Ai, my son, is alive because of my daughter, Kresi. Please don't blame her anymore."
He was wrong. Noras gazes at Ari. So, she took Kresi's sins to give a new beginning to Kresi. "Ari is free of the debts that she owes to Gabriel Grey and Arenyr Starfire. There's still one more person."
"It's fine." Ari grins at the child. "Child, don't release me from the debt."
"Pretty Sister, is that okay?" Ai asks her slowly. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
"Don't worry. I am going to handle this." Ari winks at him. She takes a deep breath. Everything is going well so far. "As the last renasir of Iravan, I request the gods to make me, Ai, and Kresi the citizens of Iravan."
All the gods have expected to hear something like that. But they don't understand why she's asking for Kresi too. Noras shares a look with the Dark God who gives him a nod. The god of light speaks with a distant tone, "We can't accept a nameless creature as the citizen of this world. He will be killed after this trial is over. Kresi is free of all the debts that she owed this world. So, it is up to her whether she wants to continue living in this world or reincarnate in a different world. As for you…"
He pauses for a moment. Whether she was the dark god's bride or not, she deserves this. Having her in this world won't be bad. Maybe the gods of Iravan also need someone who can question them loudly like this. "If you return that sin back to Kresi, we will gladly accept you as a permanent citizen of this world."