The Unknown God

Lucas, the god of lie, sat on a high tree and watched as the sunlight faded on the horizon. Like the days that passed, his experience within the forest is peaceful and ordinary. No animals would dare harm him. And no humans would try to go on that route.

He had established a lot of rumors about that forest. Women often get lost and will never be found. Men who try to cut some trees or gather fruits would soon find themselves trapped within the forest. Unless they drop what they tried taking away, even if it was just a dried leaf.

No one could guess the source of danger within that forest. Some would say it was the home of a demon, or monsters were lurking within its caves. Some say that it was cursed. Men had fought for the ownership of lands before that it insulted the goddess of life. She owns every living thing, so none should claim its ownership.

Those who were wise sensed that a god was lingering within the forest. And he wishes not to be disturbed.

Only a few would believe this myth.

That a god decided not to show himself because he only wanted to be by himself. And so, most people would call him the unknown god. They would speak in whispers when they talk something related to him. Some were even afraid to address anything about this god.

But the fact remains a secret that the forest remained untouched because of the god of lie.

The god of lie protects that forest that he only wanted for himself. He was there for a few decades. And everything now felt mundane.

No other deity would visit him because, like the goddess of truth, the god of lie hid well. But, unlike the goddess, he was bored fooling the humans. So he took that opportunity to do other things that he had never done before.

And that is to sleep and be content with being alone.

But the problem with letting the god of sleep use his powers on him is that the goddess of dreams would often appear afterward and make him dream as he sleeps.

Dreams were nothing but illusions sent by a goddess. But for humans, it could be a warning or an omen.

The god of lie is used to casting illusions himself. It was fun to do until he experienced it himself. And the things he saw were the ones he was avoiding to addressed.

He would not only get angry when the goddess of dreams shows him the face of the goddess of truth. He would feel enraged when he thought that the scenes that the goddess of dreams showed him might be happening in reality.

Aia might be lonely.

Aia might have befriended or fallen in love with another human again. Or Aia had left him by going to the Otherworld. Whichever it was, those only lead to a conclusion that Aia no longer cared for him or where he was.

Her long disappearance and loss of contact with him also prove that.

(Will I be able to see her again?)

The god of lie shook his head and tried to ignore his thoughts. There was no point in seeing her again if she would not change her ways. She would end up hurt. And he would end up being angry at her and her concern for humankind.

(It was best this way.)

He would tell that to himself over and over.

He heard a carriage and was instantly on alert. No humans would go into the forest. And yet, they were trying to run their horses as fast as the wind. The sunlight was already fading. However, even if it is a sunny day, no one sane enough would take the risk of taking that road.

The god of lie observed from where he sat. It was no ordinary carriage. Based on its carvings, it came from the nearby kingdom. And the only possible passenger of that well-maintained carriage is royalties.

But he also sensed that they would not hurry passed him if they did not intend to do something inhumane.

(These petty humans. They thought they could get away from their crime.)

Two scenarios played on his mind. Either the carriage will throw a dead body and would hurry back to the kingdom. Or men are chasing the carriage. And the royal family were running for their life. They could be desperate enough that they already disregard the tales that most people say about the forest.

Still, the god of a lie does not want to deal with any human. So the earlier he chased them away, the better.

He jumped from one tree onto another and tried to hide as he chased the carriage. When it suddenly stopped, six bandits appeared from the trees below.

(Since when did they think they could linger in my forest?)

He must have been lazy lately to guard his territory. Or they were there for that particular moment.

The bandits receive a pouch filled with gold coins. Then, the two knights fled on their horses. They intended to abandon the carriage.

One of the tallest bandits opened the door of the carriage.

And chaos had begun.

Somebody had kicked the bandit from the inside of the carriage. It was a boy dressed in royalty as the god of lie expected.

But there was something else the god of lie sensed as he watched him fight the two bandits.

He was fighting as if he was untrained. He was only desperate enough to fight for his life.

When one of the men held their target on one arm, it was easier for the bandit to grab the other arm. The bandit immobilizes the boy by placing himself behind the lad. But still, the boy kicked the other bandit coming towards him by putting his weight on the man behind him.

And the god of lie almost applauded.

This boy is desperate to live.

But the boy is punched in the face and on the stomach. It was both a fatal blow that might cause instant dizziness or weakness.

The boy was hurt. But he never begged for his life.

The boy was scared. But he tried to be brave.

It was a façade.

And the god of lie smiled.

One dagger appeared in his hand. And the god of lie targeted the one attacking the boy. He was down in an instant. As if a sharp claw appeared out of nowhere and sliced the man leaving him lifeless on the ground. The other men looked around to see who was the possible attacker or savior of the boy. But of course, they can never see him. Even if they look in his direction, what they will see is a red-eyed monster hungry for blood.

No one could recognize his face even if they saw him walking on the street. For whoever looks at him will only see what they want to see. Even his voice will always sound different because it would match based on the face others will see.

Only Aia knew his face. And the sound of his voice.

Another slice and another man was down. He kept slicing their bodies and see how terrified each of them looked. It was mere entertainment for the god of lie. Humans who would enjoy killing their kind are nothing more than playthings. Gods and goddesses could punish, torture, or kill the humans who insulted them. And their presence on his land is quite insulting enough.

All the bandits died on his hand. But no one will ever know it.

Lucas walked to the ground to check if the boy was still alive.

The boy was weak and mildly bleeding.

He might bruise a lot. But he will live.

When the boy tried to look at him, he smelled a scent that he could only smell when someone was lying.

"What are you?" the boy dared ask despite sounding weak.

The boy must have been seeing a monster staring down at him. So why was he not afraid?

"Why did you save me?"

"Save you? I am merely killing those who trespassed by property. Now, it's your turn to die."

He scoffed.

(How dare this boy scoff at a god!)

The god of lie wanted to strike him with his dagger if only he could ignore the scent he was smelling coming from the boy. Under normal circumstances, he would pay attention to it. But he was fed up with the lies humans come up with themselves that lead them to trouble or death.

So why pay attention to another dishonest human?

"My death is decided as soon as I was born. But I never let anyone decide on my fate."

(Ahh. I get it now,) the god of lie thought as he heard the response in a clear voice. This boy was never the prince that the nearby kingdom sent away. This boy was never a boy in the first place. She is a girl dressed up as a boy pretending to be the prince.

"What is your name?"

"I am the prince of—"

"Your real name."

She was stunned. It was clear for both of them that her disguise was useless to a god like him. Not that the girl knew what he was. But he knew she saw him as not human.

"I am Morgana."

(Hmm.)

"Why did you risk your life to save the prince?"

"My… my mother made me do this. I need to escape our kingdom to live. If I stayed, I would end up dead."

"So it was never to save the prince."

"No. The prince ordered to kill me and the rest of the women who will stay in his kingdom."

The god of lie almost reacted to what she said, for it was not a lie. But he stood there only staring at her.

It seemed the war between the kingdoms was getting worst. But deities are not allowed to offer aid. The god of lie turned back and walked away from the girl.

"Wait!"

He did not turn back. He walked on the path that showed the end of the forest. It is where humans can linger freely and safely away from the forest. As expected, the girl followed him despite being weak from her injuries.

The god of lie could not believe he was helping a human. He wanted to feel disgusted with himself. What he is doing is what Aia would do given the opportunity.

He also could not forget how the girl stared at him. It was as if she was not looking at a monster but another person.

"I know you will not admit it. But thank you for saving me," the girl said as she leaned on a nearby tree.

When the god of lie disappeared, he stood on the tallest tree and watched the girl slowly walk towards a house owned by an old couple. The man was carrying some chopped woods when he spotted the injured girl.

Those eyes. It was the same as hers.

(Aia.)

If only the goddess of truth was there, they could figure out a way to clean up the mess the humans had started with the god of war. And if Aia is there, she would instantly tell him who Morgana is.

(Ugh. Why is it so hard for me to stop thinking about Aia?)

The god of lie froze as soon as he thought of his last question to himself.

He missed Aia.

It is why he could never get her out of his mind.

He would think of her as soon as he saw something that could remind him of her. No. That is incorrect. He would think of her even if he saw things that got nothing to do with her. He would call out her name while hoping it would reach her. That by doing so, it would make her appear before him.

He wanted to be with her again but never knew how it could happen.

It was disconcerting. But Lucas realized he could never say what he felt.

He can only know the truth and keep it to himself.