For the first time in his existence, Gesar understood the meaning of the word terrified. That was how he felt when he looked down from the east tower and saw Nur standing still, while Mikal circled her menacingly. He didn't know what they talked about, but he could tell it was nothing good. And it scared him because he didn't know how he would help Nur.

He didn't think twice and jumped down from the tower. The fall wasn't going to kill him, but he hadn't anticipated the pain that went through his entire body as if multiple bones were breaking at once. Gritting his teeth, he reminded himself he was dead, and this pain wasn't real. Somehow, mustering up all his strength he stood up and ran toward them.

Gesar marveled at Nur's composure. She didn't even blink when he rushed to her side and demanded if everything was okay. Her gaze stayed trained on Mikal. Gesar understood then. She didn't want Mikal to know about his ghost.

"Oh, I don't know," she said to Mikal, trying to appear nonchalant. "Maybe he was reincarnated just like us."

"Impossible."

"Why?"

"Because my dear friend, to reincarnate you must die first. And Gesar never died."

"What?" Both Gesar and Nur exclaimed.

Of course, Mikal only heard Nur. He laughed as if it was the most amusing thing he had ever heard. "Shocking, isn't it? You know what the most disappointing thing of all?" When Nur said nothing, he continued, "It's that people have immortalized him in this ridiculous epic. He couldn't defeat me. Technically, he never succeeded in fulfilling his destiny. And yet, history remembers him. But no one has even heard my name. Me? I outwitted the great Gesar of Ling."

Gesar wanted to laugh at the comical picture that Mikal made, but he was too afraid for Nur to do anything other than stare. Since he returned from the Naga realm, he had been waiting for Nur. He needed her help to help him recall the circumstances of his death, and he wanted to share everything he learned from his mother.

Pieces were missing from his memory, but he knew Mikal was in his past. Yet, he didn't know what role he played. Nur's abilities as a seer were his last hope to fill the gaps in his memory and finally learn the truth behind his murder.

He looked at Nur and saw only impatience, not fear. That reassured him a little. But he could feel the menace in Mikal's stance, and the way he looked at her as if he wanted to wring her neck.

"Yes, well that's the thing about evil," she said shrugging. "People tend to forget it as soon as possible. And even when remembered, it's only as a shadow of the good. If Gesar had succeeded in defeating you, your name would have been mentioned in the epic. But only to make him shine brighter."

Gesar gave her an incredulous look. What was she doing? Provoking the villain like that. The woman has no sense of self-preservation.

"I liked you," Mikal said, unexpectedly. "In the past when you were Zhumu, and even now. But not enough to let you live. In fairness, killing you was never the plan. I just wanted you to forget Gesar and live your life as the queen. I mean, we might have become more than friends."

Nur made a disgusted face and Gesar clenched his fists. This man was getting on his nerves and he wondered what he could do to make him go away. Nothing came to mind, and once again, he was reminded of his helplessness. Being a ghost meant he could do nothing but observe.

"But no, you couldn't accept it and had to fight for your husband. Well, Maisa was your match. The two of you dying like that was a stroke of pure luck. It made it so much easier for me to entrap Gesar. Ah, and I even managed to evade destiny. He was supposed to defeat me and send me back to the mountain of the damned. When he failed, I lived a long life, and my soul simply returned to the underworld. From there, it was easy for me to reincarnate. A shame it has taken me so many centuries to return to earth, but no matter."

Listening to Mikal, Gesar pieced everything together. Mikal was the reincarnation of his half-brother Jiacha. But from what Yelga told him, Jiacha loved him. He wasn't the enemy. What was he missing?

"Thank you for the lovely story. It's nice catching up with you," Nur said. "But what do you want from me? Why have you followed me here?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel you might be able to help me. You see, I was not always human. Once, I was a demon god terrorizing the heavens. But then, for some reason, the gods decided to reincarnate my soul on earth. Here, I was born as a human and had to rely on others to get what I wanted. Maisa helped, in her way. And so did my human mother, who always had some evil up her sleeves.

"Unfortunately, when I died a human's death my soul didn't return to its original form. And here I am, born as a human again. Let's just say, I'm not entirely happy about this situation. I need my powers back, and I'm hoping you might help."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm also human."

"But you are a seer and a powerful one at that. When you went into that trance, you triggered our memories to return. I'm just wondering what more can you do."

Gesar's heart raced. The man would do anything to get what he wanted. Nur might not be able to help him, but what would he do when he realized she couldn't? In this life, they were friends. Would that matter to the demon god? Only if you could remember...

Gesar noticed Nur held something in her right hand and was trying to give it to him without getting Mikal's attention. He got closer to her and placed his hand over her fist. She opened it and an object fell into his hand. It was a bead of some kind. He brought his hand up to look at the tiny thing. As he looked at the bead, everything faded away. Nur and Mikal vanished from his sight.