[Present.]
Ai and Aren jump into the river with the boy who remains asleep. They swim across the river with the boy, not before they blast the damn bridge together.
"I am satisfied after seeing this gone." Aren lays down the boy. The spell is still keeping the boy asleep. Aren checks the boy's feet. Strangely, the boy's feet are also wounded. Aren ponders solemnly, "I carried him all the way. How could he get his feet wounded?"
"It must be symbolic." Ai's eyes dart to the left and the right. He scans the river. "Brother, I am going to look for my mother."
"I will be waiting here," Aren replies as he begins healing the boy.
The river is truly clean. As of now, it's free of the spirits, souls, or the forsaken ones. If there's no cleaning service, who did it? He walks into the river until the water reaches his chest and bends his knees. He keeps his eyes open. The water is slightly red but he can see things.
New ghosts are entering the river. Where did the old ones go?
He looks for any sign of his mother. He spreads his arms as his roots outstretch from his back. He releases his senses outward. As far as he could feel, there's no beating heart other than the ones that belong to his brother and the boy.
While looking for any trace of his mother, Ai finds the point where extreme energy is concentrated. He swims in that direction.
The area is extremely clean. The ground is deep. Ai stays still in the same spot where Ari was.
Mother has been here. Not too long ago.
Ai can't feel his mother here anymore. She must have left this place.
He returns to the shore where Aren and Li Jun is.
"She was here," Ai informs Aren as he steps out of the water. "She must have returned home."
"Cina hasn't said anything yet." Are takes his key out of his pocket. "Let's relay this information to others."
The key connects to Adira and Cina right away.
[She hasn't arrived here yet.]
They hear Cina's voice.
[I am about to reach the mortal realm.]
The Dark God announces.
"If she had been in the river for all these years, she must have been stuck here," Aren says. "We will search for her in the mortal realm. I am sure that she wouldn't have gone far."
Ai glances at the river. What did Mother do to those forsaken creatures? Was she here when they were crossing the bridge? Then, why didn't he sense her?
They head toward the mortal realms. After walking for half a day, they reach the cemetery that connects the mortal realm and the afterlife.
Nearly all the cemeteries connect the afterlife and the mortal realm.
***
Cina walks out of the house, hoping to see Renasir Ari.
It's been ten years. He's been waiting for her.
Is she going to appear here today?
"What's wrong?" Amami calls out for him from the house. "Who are you looking for?"
"We found the traces of Renasir Ari." He yells back with excitement, "I think that she will come back home today."
Amami walks out of the house. Thanks to Cina's spoiling, she has turned into a plump woman again. Every night, he would hug her to sleep. She has no idea why he wouldn't do anything more. Despite being married, he wouldn't do anything more than hugging or touching her. Maybe he's holding himself back because Renasir Ari hasn't returned. Maybe he thinks that she isn't in love with him yet.
She has given up on ever losing her virginity. For some reasons, she doesn't mind living this kind of life.
"Is it time for her arrival?" She stands next to her husband and holds her hand. "The clouds do speak of…"
"Mother, " Cina exclaims when he sees a familiar woman walking in their direction.
Ari looks at him. The boy hasn't changed. His memories haven't returned. It seems that he's living as an invisible God with the woman beside him. She glances at the goddess of rain before she turns her dark gaze toward the house.
"You are finally home." When Cina takes a step toward Ari, Amami grabs his wrist and pulls him back toward her.
"What are you doing?" Cina looks at her with confusion in his green eyes. "Amami, that's Renasir Ari."
"No." Amami drags him within the threshold of the gate. Her face is ghastly pale. She keeps her gaze fixed on the woman in a white dress. "She's not Renasir Ari anymore."
Cina doesn't understand why Amami is reacting that way. He doesn't think of it much either. He looks at Ari. "Mother, this is my wife. I was in a little hurry when I married her. But I was always waiting for you. I won't consummate our marriage without your blessing."
The woman is all things foul. Amami purses her lips. How could they let her out? No… just how did she become what she's today? Amami holds Cina's arm tightly, not letting him move toward the woman. As long as they are inside the threshold, the woman can't harm them. The house is old but it has protection from the foul creatures.
"Blessings," Ari mumbles as if it's a strange word. She steps toward them. "I can't bless you anymore, Cina."
Cina notices then. The woman is not Renasir Ari. There's not that warm look in her eyes anymore. Her eyes are dark and lifeless. Her lips are a dark shade of purple. Her nails are inky black; however, her skin is stark white. Though she looks like Renasir Ari, her aura has completely changed.
"Who are you?" He asks her gravely.
"I used to be Takayama Ari," She replies to him. "Then, I became Kresi Mirin. For a while, I was Ari Ashbourne. After that, I became Takayama Ari again. Right now, I am…"
She lets out a sigh. "I am many but I am one. I will stick with Ari to keep things simple."
"What happened to you?" His voice is barely a whisper. He could imagine the things that could have happened to her. "Are you human?"
"I had to survive." Ari stares at the house. "Where are Misaki and Misumi?"
"Misumi is in Iravan," Cina tells her hesitantly. "Kresi took Misaki with her."
Ari doesn't show any reaction. She clasps her hands behind her back. "Why would she do that?"
"In the last ten years, we heard a few things," Cina studies her quietly. If he continues to keep her busy, Ai and others will arrive here in time. "The false rain God was the face of another God."
"It was one of the faces of chaos," Ari glimpses at the rain goddess. "You married a rain goddess."
Amami bites her inner cheek, wondering if she can protect Cina from Ari if Ari decides to hurt Cina.
"Mother, I am sorry that I married her when you weren't here…" Cina falters. "I really like her."
"It's alright." Ari shrugs nonchalantly. "Life must carry on. You shouldn't hesitate when it comes to love."
Amami relaxes her shoulders a little when she hears those words. But she still can't trust this woman.
"About Misaki…" Cina puts his hand in his sleeve, pressing the key. "Mother, Noras is looking for her in the realms of Gods. It's just that we don't know which goddess Kresi is."
"She's Chaos." Ari closes her eyes and inhales. "It's been ten years…"
"Now that we know who she is, we will find her in no time." Cina smiles at her. "Mother, why are you standing outside? You should come --"
Amami covers his mouth. She widens her eyes as she warns him, "Don't say that word. If she comes inside, we might get hurt. She's something evil… too powerful for both of us. Because of the creature inside her, she can't come into the house."
He removes her hand. "Amami, don't call her evil."
"She might have been good in the past but we can't trust her blindly." Amami looks at Ari. "Why do I sense evil from you? It feels like you are carrying an eternity old evil inside you."
"Evil is inside everyone." Ari takes a breath. "Evil inside me is stronger than the necessary evil in this world. So what? I won't harm Cina or you."