AIA SMILED.

She had seen in his eyes that Klaus was only doing his tasks. He only fetched the souls of those who died. But Klaus had nothing to do with the war that transpired. Klaus wanted to be in the otherworld, for he, too, was tired of meddling with human affairs.

He is also a changed god. He no longer finds it offensive when she addresses the goddess of life as his equal. It was remarkable how Klaus used to hate her sister.

“You used to kill all the plants she made. And you used to hunt every animal she created. But now, you seem different.”

“I love her.”

“Does she know?”

“We intend to marry as soon as she sees you again.”

“I see. So you are only here to fetch me. You do not need to lure me with the possible favors I could get from you, Klaus. Tell Aea you can both marry anytime you want. No need to wait for me.”

Marriage, for them, is a simple statement. It is possible without any witnesses. The deities involved needed to agree and notify the other gods and goddesses. Love is an emotion they can feel and declare with anyone they like. In the older days, it resulted in a lot of demihumans. But now, with the declaration of the Departure of Deities, it goes without saying that they are no longer allowed to mate with humans. It made sense that their kind would be more encourage to marry one another. But Aia doubted if they were capable of being faithful to their spouse.

“Will this be your first marriage?”

Klaus stared at her. The intensity of his response was eminent.

“I vow to be her only lover.”

“And I assume she would do the same. Does she know you will kill anyone who dares to take her from you?”

“Of course. It is in my nature to kill anyone who displeases me.”

“She will make sure to bring back to life anyone you killed then.”

“Our marriage will not end like the ones you have seen.”

Aia looks at him calmly despite being aware of his temper rising again.

“Are you certain? Our brothers and sisters could also marry each other just because they can. We do inhuman things because that is what we are. Not human. We, as the higher beings, can do whatever we want.”

“Except to die.”

“Except to die,” she agreed.

“Well, not I,” Klaus replied with such dignity that Aia could not help but look into his eyes again. “I'm doing the honor of fetching you because I am also trying to offer you another humble abode.”

“Having a kingdom of your own is not considered a humble abode, Klaus.”

“Then what do you intend to do now? You are already bored living with these weaklings. Why have you returned to being a goddess?”

“I was disturbed. I am supposed to meet your brother,” she corrected him. “And then you happened to find me, or rather Hroc did,” she addressed the crow who still listens to them. “But that is expected since many people died here. Go ahead. Collect their souls. I will not bother you if you do the same.”

She turned away from him and prepared to leave.

“Dominique already dragged my brother to the otherworld. You know Cimon had it coming.”

Aia sighed. Challenges and disappointments kept coming to her. It looks like the goddess of desire found Cimon and intends to torture him.

“Your pet is also suffering. It was why Hroc insists on finding you,” Klaus added.

Aia returned her gaze to Klaus. She was stunned.

“Your pet refuses to eat or die. But if you like to send your pet to my kingdom, I won't mind. Our pets can live for hundreds of years, but they will die without us nearby. Raven is weak. Other beasts might kill him soon. He resides in the forest near the Kingdom of Knaves. You can end his suffering.”

“You want me to kill Raven?”

“That. Or take Raven with you and go to the otherworld.”

“I still do not understand why he was suffering. I set him free.”

“Aia… to live for nothing is a death sentence to yourself.”

Aia looks at the crow in the form of half-bird, half-man. It was not a coincidence that he spotted her.

Hroc was searching for her. And he was pleading with the goddess to save his friend Raven.

Shapeshifters owned by the gods and goddesses act like pets. But the shapeshifters treated each other as friends and family. The rarity of their kind made the shapeshifters choose to treat each other that way.

“Can you take me with him?” she asked Hroc while she was a few steps away.

Hroc nods.

“I'm the one whom you should be asking that question,” Klaus said while trying to get back her attention.

“I did not expect you to offer me to ride on your back. Or is that another request from my sister? To accompany me until I decided to visit her?” she asked while looking at the god.

“No. Aea did not ask me to accompany you. But—”

“Did she also state that I must see her?”

“No.”

“Then go back to her, Klaus. You are not here because she needed to see me. She wanted me to see you.”

“I don't understand.”

The god is genuinely confused.

“I see the truth through the eyes of anyone. My sister wanted to know if I would refuse to support your marriage with her. If I visit Aea, that only means there is a truth she needs to hear from me that involves you.”

“But if you don’t come with me?” he asked. He was intrigued by the ability of Aia to understand his wife even without seeing her for a while.

“Then you were sincere.”

“About me loving her?”

“And about your vows that you are so willing to take.”

Klaus seemed unsatisfied.

“My offer still stands,” Klaus says. He held her hand and put a necklace made of black string with a pendant. It was a round black obsidian. “Break it once you already held your equal on his neck. It will open a portal to the otherworld.”

Aia left Klaus standing behind her. She walks towards Hroc as he changes his form again.

“Why did you want to die?”

Aia stopped walking. She did not return his gaze.

Klaus did not ask for her reason before.

“It’s not because people stop worshiping you.”

“I felt trapped with our existence,” she answered so Klaus would stop analyzing her.

She change her form and let herself shrink so she can ride the crow and leave. Before Hroc flew, Aia heard what Klaus said.

“But we can now do whatever we like in the otherworld. Was that not enough, Aia?”