"Death?" Phanes presses her lips tightly.
The memories of Kyrie talking about Ian flash in Phanes's mind. He carries a sweet smile whenever Ian's name comes out of his mouth. The image breaks Phanes's heart, and her chest feels stuffy for Kyrie and Ian. They are fated not to be together.
"What about the other kid?" asks Erebus, breaking his silence.
From their interaction, Erebus is sure that Kyrie is not just any ordinary human being. To know so much of the god realm, Kyrie should at least have some connection with it.
"That kid… His fate threads are anything but common. He only has three gold threads. All of them are filled with essence. The lingering essence is an indication that maybe someone has created them. Aside from that, he possesses no red threads like he is a ghost or worse; it's as if he has not been recorded in the scroll of life."
"Gold?" Phanes raises one of her eyebrows. She knows one being that has gold fate threads.
"The First. Only the first god had gold fate threads. The First bound himself to his creations before he passed away," Erebus puts the point upfront that he shared with Phanes.
Since Erebus is close to the king of gods, and Phanes is one of the candidates to become the king's successor, they have access to the records about the First.
"But who could have the power to manipulate someone else's fate threads? Even gods can't control theirs!" Phanes throws out the question that Karta feared the most to hear.
"That is right. No one can change other people's fates. Nobody can, but me," Karta shakes just with the thought that she is the only one who could have altered those mortals' fate.
She knows that despite her status and power, she is a coward inside. She could never be the one who would do it - not when punishment is worse than death.
Phanes holds her breath when her sister reveals that she is the only one who could.
"But you will face punishment if you do! Even if you…"
"Phanes," Karta shakes, "I would never do it. I could never be able to bear the consequences."
Phanes knows. The punishment is to be absorbed by fate. The process of becoming part of fate could break even the most formidable beings. Slowly, they lose themselves. First will be physical sensations, second emotions, and lastly, thoughts. Most want to die once they lose their physical sensations entirely because they broke contact with the world. Loneliness drives anyone mad.
"Then… How could they face their fates? Their fates are so cruel…"
"There is something that I have learned throughout the time I have served fate. Fate is biased to the weak, and mortals are weak. They can change their fate with their own hands despite how little power and time they possess. Unlike us, gods have great power and longevity, but that also came with a downfall. We cannot change our fates, but instead, we can greatly influence other people's fate with just a lift of a finger."
----
As Kyrie walks in the time portal, his surroundings' muted sound suddenly has sounds of trickling water. His step sinks into the ground, and when he looks down, the ground is no longer the monotonous white path he was walking. Instead, he is walking in the spongy soil of a forest. The shift of lighting tells him that he is around the early time of dawn. The white mist covers his surroundings, only giving him peeks of green once he is close enough to avoid running at the trees and bushes on his path. The clean, fresh air wafts into his nostrils, bringing him the clarity of an awakened mind.
Gold threads softly float in the air. Where are they tied to? Maybe somewhere on the horizon where the forest ends.
He gets pulled back when he steps forward. Ian and Maya look at the horizon without taking away their stare.
"Ian?" Kyrie calls.
However, Ian does not react. He keeps his eyes staring far away, without blinking.
Kyrie turns towards Maya, and she is the same.
As if both got frozen in time, they stand like statues. Their steps are not even entirely into the ground.
Trying not to jump to conclusions, Kyrie nervously touches Ian's shoulder. He quickly removes his hands. His hand does not register the feeling of flesh and bones. Instead, Kyrie feels like he has touched a block of ice - cold, stiff, and lifeless.
[Did… did something go wrong?]
The thought that they are stuck in a time portal is gripping Kyrie with fear. He starts to ventilate from his growing anxiety.
"Kyrie."
A mature soft voice calls him from behind. Kyrie quickly turns around.
"Phanes…"
Phanes stands in front of him. She gives him a bright smile that calmed all the building anxiety inside.
"Phanes… Why did you follow us? We can't stay..."
Kyrie realizes the subtle difference with the Phanes in front of him. Taking a closer look, Phanes looks more mature. Her facial features are sharper, rid of all the baby fat that gives her an immature look. She dresses in a long white dress like how she was sculpted in the stone doors before they got ruined. Her voice rings deeper, and her eyes more settled.
"I understand. I will return you on time, I promise," says Phanes.
Phanes looks at the confused Kyrie, and her smile widens. She is glad to see him.
"I have been waiting for you for almost two thousand years now… You took a long time, Kyrie."
"Waiting for me? Two thousand years? Why were you waiting for me?"
"A lot of things happened after we met. The me that you are seeing is now just a sliver of my consciousness," Phanes says as she brushes her hair to the back of her ear, "I am here because I want you to be the successor of my essence reserves."
"Wait… why? I can?"
"Yes. I found a way with Karta."
"Why do you want me to inherit your essence?" asks Kyrie.
[Essence is everything for a god, so to give it away, there must be something that has happened for Phanes to do so.]
"Kyrie. Would you believe me if I tell you that I am giving it to you so that you could escape your fate and also Ian's?"
"What? My fate and Ian's?"
"Yes. You are facing something far stronger than you, am I right?"
[Is she talking about Erebus?]
"Who are you talking about?"
"I don't know who that god is. I just know that I am being chased for my essence. That god already took my powers."
Kyrie gulps.
[Don't tell me…]
"Is it your sister, Phanes? Is the deity chasing you, Vita?"