When Noras takes a step in the hall, a strong sweet smell hits him. The hall is filled with intoxicating smoke. He scrunches his nose, annoyed. The smoke is produced from the Torsha flowers. For the halflings and spirits, the saccharine smoke is blissful. It makes them stronger. However, it has an opposite effect on humans. Humans get addicted to this smoke that is poisonous for their bodies.
The shady underworld under the rule of the beggar king is not a secret to him or any other god. But it is a fact that evil will exist in this world in one or another form. It's a part of the balance. Something that can't be avoided. Humans and other creatures will always get tempted by evil.
If he didn't need the universal key, he wouldn't have come here.
He waves his hand and the smoke is gone from the hall. Naked entangled bodies are lying here and there. Most of them are human females lying with halflings or spirit beasts. Most halflings are from the middle realm. Now, he knows why. He walks past them, resisting the urge to incinerate them all into ashes. He stops in front of a pair of halfling man and a human female. The woman is sitting on the top of the halfling man, lost in ecstasy. Her loud moans make him sigh louder. How shameless these creatures can be?
Noras grabs the woman's shoulder and pulls her away from the man, tossing her on another pair of male and female who are preoccupied with mating. The woman screams when her body hits the male. The male spirit beast is already high on the Torsha's smoke. He pulls it out of the exhausted human female. Numb to the pain on his back, he grabs the woman and forces his enlarged penis into her.
"Gianna!" Andareanesi widens his eyes, shocked to see her being fucked by a spirit beast. He clenches his teeth and looks at the man before him. How dare--? His eyes meet the thunderous gaze of God Noras. Andareanesi Bagoodi lowers his head right away, looking for anything to hide his body with. Unfortunately, there's nothing around. Why is a God here?
"Bagoodi's son." Noras grabs his hair, raising his head to look into his eyes. "Where's the universal key?"
The universal key? Andareanesi swallows. He got the universal key from Renasir. Since that day, he has used the key to open a gate to any realm. Since the gates are still not fixed, a lot of passengers pass through his city and pay for the passage. "My lord, I don't have that key."
Andareanesi's loud screams penetrate the air. No one bats an eye. Everyone except for Noras and Andareanesi is still lost in the effect of the smoke. It will take a few hours for it to be gone. Even if Andareanesi is skinned alive, no one will come to save him.
"I-I h-have the key." Andareanesi utters in pain, "My lord, please forgive me. I have committed a huge crime. I should have returned the key to you after your return, but I was blinded by greed. Mercy, my lord, mercy. I will repent for my sins."
A god can tell whether someone is being sincere or not. Anyway, he has bigger issues than dealing with this halfling. Noras releases Andareneasi's head. With an eerie voice, he commands him, "Give me the key."
Andareanesi summons the universal key in his hand. He raises it toward Noras, trembling in fear and pain. Noras takes it and leaves the underground city in the next instant.
He goes straight to the realm of three moons. The three sisters are playing in the meadow in front of their parents' house. He walks to them and asks, "Can you increase the speed and make that day come sooner?"
The three girls look at him with expressionless faces. Noras sighs. Why does he feel dumber whenever he's talking to kids? Maybe he should say it in another way.
"You know what happened." He bends down on his knees. Being on the same eye level relieves his nervousness. "The talisman doesn't have any power source. It wasn't done by the gods. If they stay in that place for long, they will have adverse effects."
Last time, it took twelve gods to seal the dark god in that place. They were already weak after the war. That rune took the rest of their strength. After sealing was done, they had to leave the world to take rest. Even then, the Dark God was reduced to his child form.
A mortal strength isn't enough for that rune. The rune would eat the strengths of the imprisoned gods in order to keep the seal. Both gods have their cores with them. They won't die, but there's no telling what would happen to them.
"The gate of Qeshaya can be opened only on the day of union." Noras continues with a light tone, "I know that the night of union already happened in the past and the hundred years aren't over yet. If you move faster…"
"God Noras, the sun also needs to move fast with us." Ril'Yah replies to him, "The entire day will move fast. Will it be fine?"
They are not talking about one or two days. The night of union happens after a hundred years. The previous night of union was around thirty years ago. Seventy years are long. The lives of mortals would turn upside down. It will affect every living creature of this world. Time will also flow in Qeshaya.
"God Noras, Renasir is with the child. If you play with time, it will affect her too." Riha reveals to him, "It's just not her. Other lives will be affected if the balance is lost. Your method is too dangerous."
They are right, but the gods need to be brought back. If two gods are gone from this world, it will be chaotic soon. Noras lets out an exasperated sigh.
"Why don't we disappear like Ril'Yah did?" Raya taps her chin, pulling her little brows together. "Isn't it the same as the night of union? We will only disappear from the sky for some time. We only need to go to Ril'Yah's hiding place."
Ril'Yah stares at her sister. "You are taking advantage of this situation."
"I am only trying to help." Raya raises her chin and crosses her arms. If she doesn't take advantage of this situation to find out Ril' Yah's secret place, she would rename herself an idiot. Whenever they are playing hide and seek or they tease Ril'Yah, she would always hide in that secret place. They would never be able to find her. Then, their mother would always scold them or punish them. Their father would get mad at their mother. Then, Mother would become angrier and leave home. Then, Father would also leave home to chase their mother. It happens once a month.
"Ril'Yah, you are wise." Noras gives a long glance to the third moon. "Your help is needed at this moment. I promise that I will return this favour."
The corner of her lips curls up into a smile. Her eyes hold a faint mischievous glimmer. Riha and Raya blink their eyes, surprised.
"God Noras, I will help only after you help the Renasir draw the true name of that child."
He scowls at her darkly. "Child, do you know who are you talking to? Freeing Adira and Cina is more important than naming that child."
"Each passing minute is bad for him. You already know how to draw a true name, but you lost that power to renasir." Ril'Yah crosses her arms, watching him with a solemn gaze. "After God Adira and God Cina return, I am sure that you won't be interested in naming that child. Why? It's because that child is no longer a human or a spirit. He is a good candidate to become a god. The true name will decide which god he will be."
That's something he's trying to avoid. "Iravan doesn't need more gods."
"That's what you think, God Noras." Ril'Yah smiles at him.
"You are going to make me an enemy for that child?" Noras narrows his eyes dangerously. "Why are you going this far for him?"
He knows that she was the one who met with Renasir and told her everything about the gods' plans regarding the nameless creature. This moon is the one who amplified the wish of the dark god to save Renasir's soul. She's been manipulating everything in the background ever since she came back to this world.
"God Noras, you aren't the only one who talked to Oracle Parisa." Ril'Yah speaks with a steady voice and a grim look in her eyes, "She also spoke to me. That child is someone I must save. And my reason? I don't want to tell you. Unless you help Renasir Ari, I won't return to this world."
And Ril'Yah disappears from the world.