Chapter 160

Shides could sense Iemis calling for him from the god's realm.

[ Come. ]

That single word played out in his mind as if an order echoing on repeat. Iemis had always been one who could easily communicate with telepathy.

Iemis was meant to return to the temple after dealing with Chynir. The fact that he was calling out to Shides to come to him instead gave him an uncomfortable feeling.

In the blink of an eye the world distorted around Shides. Shifting from the mortal realm to the god's realm near Iemis. The world seemed as if a large explosion had gone off causing Shides to freeze in place as soon as he arrived.

"Lord Iemis?" Shides called out for him as he looked around.

"You're slow." Iemis muttered out where he sat on the ground. His back leaning against a tree as one of the tree's branches slowly grew downward. A ripe apple growing ripe at the tip of the branch within seconds.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Iemis chewed on the ripe fruit of the tree he picked with his own hand. He looked tired. No there was no mistaking the heavy exhaustion on the god's face. Fruit grown within the god's realm was good at aiding in recovery.

"How could you be in such condition? Did anyone else see this?" Shides began to panic as he rushed over to Iemis's side and stood there with his hand stretched out. He could not determine whether or not he should help Iemis.

"No," Iemis paused for a moment. "Only that child is aware to some extent."

"Iemis!" Shides shouted at him. "How could you deplete yourself to this extent? What have you been doing? Is this because-"

"I am aware of my limits." Iemis cut him off knowing what Shides wanted to ask.

"Why go so far?" Shides sighed as he understood that Iemis was not someone who would speak honestly. There were many secrets that surrounded Iemis. Perhaps the only god closest to understanding Iemis was Chynir himself. The two of them were the eldest gods. Not even Chynir knew everything Iemis kept hidden.

"Consider it stalling for time." Iemis gave a simple response that was difficult to understand.

Stalling for time? Time for what? Shides wanted to ask but the question would not come out.

"Do you ever regret becoming a god?" Iemis's sudden question made Shides flinch.

"... Why are you asking this?" Shides felt uncomfortable with the drastic change in topic.

Staring at the apple in the palm of his hand he seemed lost in thought. His ability was really similar to the way people lived. It was another way of simply making choices. Once someone made a choice they would never be able to take that choice back. You could only find methods to try and fix the mistake. Yet the wrong choices you made would always be there.

"Becoming a god.. It is something each of us gods know clearly. There is almost no threat to our lives except ourselves. At the apex of creation. Can a god really avoid becoming lost over time?" Iemis spoke as if he was thinking out loud. He was aware that Shides was listening carefully while looking worried. Maybe the man thought Iemis had bumped his head while dealing with Chynir alone.

"Well, I doubt there would be many gods if any that would not regret some aspect of becoming a god eventually." Shides wondered how heavily Chynir really affected Iemis. "Did he say something to you?"

"Invalid." Iemis closed his eyes.

It did not matter what Chynir said to him. His mind was already made up a long time ago and he could not go back on his choice anymore. Feeling the condition inside his body he was aware of how weakened he was. After using his own abilities so often there was bound to be a toll on his body to pay for it. No, it was more then that but he could not allow it to show.

"You know this wont stop him from trying to kill them." Shides knew that this was exactly what Iemis was aware of. Yet he felt the need to make sure Iemis truly understood that it would not stop Chynir from going after them in other ways.

"I know that clearly," Iemis slowly stood up with the aid of Shide's pulling him up. "but life doesn't need to be perfect. It only needs to be lived perfectly in one's own manner."

Meanwhile at Theapan Palace.

Thud!

Chynir collapsed onto the sofa inside the King's Study. His presence was heavy causing the servants to collapse to their knees. The king was barely able to keep himself standing because the god was failing to control his aura. It was clear to him that Chynir was in a complicated state after returning. A part of him wished the god had not returned at all.

".... Temple.." Chynir muttered something under his breath.

"Yes?" King Luke asked.

"Attack that damned Temple! Burn it to the ground!" Chynir shouted out the words once more. It was clear to everyone present that something had happened. To declare war against the temple would be an insult to the gods.

"What happened to you-" King Luke was silenced by a cold glare in Chynir's eyes. Those black eyes were empty and filled with a red pupil that made him feel as though he was staring into a pitch dark hole. The god was cold and cruel just like his gaze. He could only accept the will of the god in the end. "Yes, my lord."

Why does he go so far for these damned mortals? Chynir asked himself as he watched the king begin to work right away on relaying orders to his men. In his eyes they were weak and useless. They would fear and obey him because he was stronger and they felt the need to live. Unable to fight back it was no different them communicating with pests.

Even if Chynir was wounded his influence over the mortals would not change. It would only slow down his work because he could not step forward personally again for a while. He had to be cautious as long as the other gods were watching him.

"I want any information on what gods have been around the temple recently. Quickly!" Chynir said bluntly. If others were going to get in his way he would not mind adding them to his list to take care of. He did not care if they were god or mortal. At the end of the day they were all the same to him. Wanting to erase them all from the world.

Shides.. That lower god was there as well. A gleam of something flashed in the god's eyes that made the room shudder. The first god he would visit after recovering would be Shides.

If the guardian can be killed once it can be killed again. Chynir sighed heavily and leaned back on the sofa. A maid rushing in to place a glass of wine in front of the god. Without casting her a glance he lifted the glass to his lips and slowly drank. The red wine warming him up.

CRASH!

Unable to control his emotions Chynir threw the wine glass against the wall of the room. The glass shattered everywhere. Red wine staining the wall and carpet.

"I wont allow that thing to live!" Chynir's voice was heavy. A weak, sarcastic, laugh echoing the room as if the man had gone insane. Nobody dared to utter a word as they rushed to complete their work. Exiting the room as if the plague had broken out.