Kaname dusted her hands, looking pleased herself despite having not done anything to help. A multitude of gods with a thousand faces and a thousand different voices and personalities milled around Kai-Se. Some patted their hands and face, like they couldn't believe they weren't stuck as figurines anymore. Others just stood on the sides, blinking at the hall's meager lighting, just amazed at the sensation.

"Alright, thank you everyone for your cooperation!" Kaname's voice rang across the horde like it didn't come from a girl as tiny as her. Was it the hall's doing? "Gather around. We have news for you."

Clothes rustled and weapons clinked as the crowd converged around Kaname. Kai-Se remained on the sidelines, searching the horde for the familiar faces of the Dansarun council. There was Nora and Kande, the gods of water and currency respectively, huddled beside a tall god with bright yellow hair and mustache. Zumiko and Yuride were on the opposite side of the audience, both with curious expressions on their faces. The others were either on their own, scattered in random places and already chatting with the other gods Kai-Se hadn't ever seen before.

Then, his gaze landed on a muscular god with massive, dual swords strapped against his back. Gansai. The god of war. The one responsible for An-Ri's death.

Kai-Se cursed. If it wasn't for him, they all wouldn't be in this mess. Just how twisted his fate could be now that he needed the help of the ones who started all of this in the first place? Besides, why would he risk everything for Gansai? Was there some way to remove him from this meeting?

Kaname tucked her hands behind her, much like the Emperor of the Xuijae Empire was known to do. "Friends and family," she started pacing. Her matted hair and dusty and bloody fenhai did nothing to make her an appealing speaker. "You all have me to thank for your freedom today. But," she held a finger up. "It doesn't come without a price."

A series of groans erupted from the back of the crowd. With Kai-Se near them, he could hear it at full blast. Kaname didn't seem to mind. "We are on a mission, me and the mortal piper over there," she pointed to Kai-Se, making all the other gods swivel towards him.

Heat rose to his cheeks, recalling all the other times he had found himself in front of an unfamiliar audience of a different species. He either got mocked or punished soon after. What's so different now?

Kaname continued. "We are looking to liberate Shaoryeong from Amatesu's rule and have found a way to do it," her grin widened as she paused for effect. "We'll be reviving the ancestral spirit, An-Ri. The Immortal Fox."

Silence. Kai-Se glanced at the god beside him. She had pure indigo hair and lips painted with the same color, complimenting her pale skin. Her fenhai was simple, light fabric decorated with prints of pink flowers and green leaves, making her appear more docile. She had a contemplative look on her face as she chewed on the hem of her narrow sleeves. Now that Kai-Se noticed it, none of them really did have flaring ones. The privilege seemed to have been reserved to people still on Amatesu's good books.

"How can you do that without a remnant?" another god, a man with flames for hair, asked.

Kaname's smile didn't fade. If it was Kai-Se, such a question would have decimated him on the spot, even if he knew the answer. "We have it with the mortal," she jerked her chin in Kai-Se's general direction. "Come here."

Noting how Kaname was taking great measures in making sure to never say his name aloud, he stalked to her side, muttering his excuse-me's and sorry's as he slid past other gods in the crowd. When he got to her side, Kaname patted him in the shoulder. "This mortal here is our ticket to freedom," she said. There was that word again. It did nothing but induce dread in Kai-S's gut at this point. After all, it was his desire for one that ultimately brought him here, into the heart of these things. "He has the remnant of An-Ri."

"Which we wouldn't even need had a certain someone not killed her," the words flew out of Kai-Se's mouth before he could stop it. More silence rolled in waves across the crowd.

Kaname turned to Kai-Se but he didn't let his gaze stray from Gansai. The rest of the Dansarun council who knew what he was referring to all turned to their comrade. Nishi, after Kai-Se finally spotted his messy green hair amongst the sea of color, had a despondent look on his face.

"We had an ancestral spirit in the mortal realm all this time," Kai-Se narrowed his eyes at Nishi. Surprisingly, the god held it, albeit with his eyes bearing more sadness and regret. "And what did these gods do? They killed her."

"We didn't kill her," Misaki, the god of rain, said. Her hair had come off from the elaborate braids she had once worn during her council days, instead spilling past her shoulders and her back like a waterfall. "Her connection to the mortal realm was severed the moment she overexerted her magic. She could only do so much of that while remaining in the mortal realm."

Kai-Se crossed his arms. "And who do you think forced her to do that?" he said. "She never would have needed to if you just let me go. Instead, you hurt a lot of people."

He blew a breath, brushing the fallen strands of hair off his face. Kaname was looking between him and the Dansarun council, knowing full well she missed something juicy. A look of betrayal she kept flashing Kai-Se told him enough. "I understand your reasoning for treating Shencai and Xuijae the way you did," he continued. "But that doesn't excuse you from the lasting impact of your actions to the lives of many."

"So I'm never going to apologize for ruining your empire," Kai-Se said. "But I'm moving past that because we have a bigger issue at hand."

"We've been too caught up in our fears and insecurities to realize the consequences of our actions," came Nishi's voice before Kai-Se could plunge on. "When we heard there was still an Ancestral Spirit of An-Ri's caliber wasting away in the mortal realm, we...no, I felt cheated. Shaoryeong was her home just like how it's ours. Why was she holing up in the mortal realm and leaving us to deal with Amatesu's crap? It just didn't make sense."

Zumiko bobbed her head, the movement catching Kai-Se's attention. "We kept questioning why An-Ri and all the other spirits would run when Amatesu showed signs of wanting to dispose of them," she said. "So, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We'd go to the mortal realm, find her, and drag her back to Shaoryeong, ourselves."

"Except you didn't," Kai-Se said. "Why?"

Gansai cleared his throat. When he spoke, it was like his voice was unfamiliar to Kai-Se. "She told us she couldn't go back," he said. "She needed to protect someone from falling into the wrong hands. That's why she was in the mortal realm. She and the other spirits hid something there. As an insurance, a back-up plan in case the other spirits failed to stop Amatesu."

"And as you can see, the other ancestral spirits did," Yuride added. "They're nowhere to be found so we can only assume they're dead."

"Which brings us to the main point of this conversation!" Kaname shoved Kai-Se to the side in a manner that was both gentle and firm, almost like setting him aside. "We have An-Ri's remnant with us, so we'll be dividing our ranks into two groups. One will be on the front lines, holding off Amatesu and her minions, whatever the bitch throws back at us. The other will be accompanying Kai-Se, guiding and aiding him in reviving An-Ri. All in favor?"

Most hands went up. It was a no-brainer, at this point. There was an opportunity presented to them at attaining freedom. Of course, they'd take it.

Kaname clasped her hands together. "Excellent," she said. "Now, I'll decide the groupings. The gods who knew the piper by name will be the ones aiding him. Everyone else, we'll be holding up the fort. That'll be all. Now, we must prepare."

Kai-Se was about to head off to his group when he realized what Kaname had just done. He whirled back to the god who now grinned at him with some sort of malicious twinkle in her eye. "That's just horrible," he said.

"That's for not telling me beforehand," Kaname was frowning but her tone suggested some sort of amusement. She was finding this whole thing funny. "Consider this my revenge."

Kai-Se frowned back. "Never pegged you to be a vengeful god."

At that, Kaname smirked. "I'm a god of nothing, piper. I can be whatever I want," she said. "Have fun with your group."

With that, she threw her hair over her shoulder and turned away, yelling at the other gods to gather around her. Despite not being blessed with a defined magic, she still had enough command to make the other gods listen. That or she had been the one who wasn't turned into a figurine for the longest time that they had just developed some sort of respect for her.

Kai-Se shook his head and stalked toward the small group made of none other than Nishi, Misaki, and Gansai. "Where are the others?" he asked, moving to tuck his hands inside his sleeves. Realizing it wasn't possible with how tight they were around his arms, he disguised the motion as rubbing his arms and dusting his clothes. "If I recall correctly, there's more than three."

Nishi looked like he was just about as thrilled by this whole arrangement as Kai-Se. "Three's enough," he said. "Misaki and I will be summoning the gate. Gansai will be our last line of defense should Amatesu arrive before we complete the revival."

"Would it take long?" Kai-Se shifted his weight from foot to foot, his mind already computing the possible scenarios they had to face once they pushed through this. None of them looked the least bit good.

The green-haired god smirked. "Why? Scared?"

Kai-Se rolled his eyes. "As if," he said. If this was how it's going to go, Kaname might have made the mistake of thinking he could work with the gods who caused him a ton of misery. Forgiveness could only work if he didn't have to see their faces again. "Just tell me what to do."

Nishi scoffed. "Like you are good at following orders," he brushed past Misaki and stepped further into the hall. Without the figurines in the niches, the whole space seemed lighter and more bearable. "Hold out the remnant."

Kai-Se scowled. "Why? So you could take it?"

"Kai-Se," Misaki sighed, her fingers massaging the bridge of her nose. "This would only work if we stop jabbing tirades at each other. We don't have much time. Amatesu will be here soon, and if she catches us red-handed, it wouldn't just be figurines this time around."

Nishi crossed his arms. "You heard her. We're all going to die here if you don't listen to what I say," he said. "Hold out the remnant."

Kai-Se pressed his lips into a thin, thin line as he unhooked the necklace from his neck. He stretched his arms, letting the chain spill from his fingers and the pendant dangle in the air. Nishi barely spared it a glance as he splayed his fingers in front of it. Misaki did the same, closing her eyes in the process.

"I will induce the gate," Nishi said. "Misaki will be drawing magic from the air and providing me with it so we don't both run out. Do me a favor and try to focus on An-Ri's remnant. Call the rest of her korza back. We can work with sealing her presence in the pendant once more."

"Ready?" Misaki asked. When Kai-Se bobbed his head, she exhaled through her mouth. "Then, let's begin."