Caelus and Rin were in a bad mood. It was something that came across clearly, even when they were mad and keeping their distance.

Shuu did not want to assume things, but he also did not want the kids to feel like they could not talk to him about things. So he decided to be brave and ask the question first.

"Is something bothering you both? You can tell me about it."

Shuu assured the kids and at first, they both did not say anything.

Just when he thought he should try again, Rin spoke up first, surprising Shuu.

"You are not going to help this person. You are going to come back with us. You can leave this bastard to Kaiden."

"Rin, you should not be saying these words."

Shuu was so shocked by Rin’s strong language that he lost his thoughts for a moment and blurted these words out. He had not meant to say all this, but the words had left his mouth anyway.

Rin looked neither shocked nor startled by Shuu’s words. He seemed to have accepted Shuu’s criticism and decided he did not want to take his advice.

Shuu felt an incoming headache, but he tried to nurse it away quickly and turned toward Caelis instead.

"Do you have anything you want to add as well?"

Caelis shook his head, but his grip on Shuu’s clothes remained strong. Between the two kids, Shuu had no chance to escape and he was forced to follow them back to their rooms.

The kids held him tightly between themselves and went to sleep.

Shuu waited for the kids to fall asleep before he managed to pull himself away. He placed a pillow between the pair and waited until they accepted it before he decided to head to the bathroom to take care of his needs.

The world felt quieter during these early hours. Shuu felt like he could hear the silence. The cold and dark night made him miss Kaiden, who had yet to return.

"I wonder when Kaiden will be back-"

"It might take your partner some time to come back. Until then, shall we continue our talk?"

Loki’s voice startled Shuu enough for him to tighten his grip on the weapon he carried and take it out.

But Loki did not look afraid of the weapon. If anything, he walked toward Shuu and grabbed that weapon before he lowered it. The weapon failed to trigger, making Shuu have a bad feeling about this.

"I am afraid that such weapons are useless against someone like me. Despite how I behave, I am a god as well. Now, come and sit down. Let’s finish talking."

Loki said this with a straight face and pointed toward the sofa that had appeared out of thin air.

Shuu looked around and noticed that the world had melted into a shadowy layer and he had not even noticed it until now.

’Am I that unaware of my surroundings, or is he just that good?’

Shuu asked himself as he took his seat. His curiosity about this place showed on his face and Loki chuckled before he answered Shuu’s question.

"This place is made using my powers. Since most of your power is sealed, you cannot sense when I used my power and brought you here. There is no need to panic just yet. For now, just sit back and enjoy my hospitality."

Loki snapped his fingers and a cup of tea appeared in front of Shuu. He grabbed it but did not drink out of it.

Not taking things from a stranger was a lesson he had learned by now.

"Where is Kaiden."

This was Shuu’s first question. Thankfully, Loki did not beat around the bush.

"Your partner is having a small discussion with another part of me. I decided to let him be because I did not want him to come here and disturb our conversation. I have something important to talk to you about."

Loki confessed before he snapped his finger and the world changed color. The red behind him faded into black until scenes began to appear inside that space.

The first thing Shuu noticed was Goddess Astoria’s twisted face as she commanded her people to follow her words.

"As you can see, Goddess Astoria has begun her preparations to start her attack. It will be a disaster if we are not prepared for it. Luckily, she does not have most of her forces by her side, so we can handle her."

Loki continued speaking and Shuu looked at the screen and then at the god in front of him. He had a feeling he knew why Loki had approached him.

"You want Kaiden to back you during this war-?"

"No. I want you to back me during this war. If you back me up, then Kaiden automatically backs me up as well. It’ll be a win-win situation for me. Don’t you think so as well?"

Shuu did not like Loki’s confidence. But at the same time, he could see where Loki was coming from.

In the shadows, Goddess Astoria was commanding her people to do her bidding and everyone quickly got into formation. Her soldiers clearly did not lack discipline.

However...

"What if we choose not to participate in this war? I am no longer a god and Kaiden has no reason to join this war-"

"Are you underestimating Astoria’s desire for revenge? Don’t forget that this is the same person who forced you to become her weapon. Do you think she won’t come after you just because you told her ’no’ once?"

That made Shuu fall quiet.

His memories regarding the goddess were slowly returning and those memories told him that she was someone who was way too determined, and once she had something she wanted, there was no way to stop her.

She was also huge on revenge and getting back her things.

’Does she still consider me her property? I am opposing her and I am denying her as well. Don’t tell me-’

But she was exactly the kind of god who would not give up.

"Well, this is the part where I would like to tell you that you can take your time and think about it. But I am desperate here as well, so I won’t tell you that. Astoria is a problem for me as well because the first thing she will hit is this world. And then the one you came from as well."

Shuu had no affection for these two worlds. At least, not enough to put his family in danger. But he did feel sorry for all the innocent lives.

"Aren’t you a god? Can’t you do something about it?"

"I wish I could. But unlike your partner, I don’t have full control over the souls of this world. Most of them will die once the war begins. And not only my people. Those two kids with you are also in danger of dying."

Those words changed Shuu’s decision and made him consider taking part in this war. He was suddenly afraid that something would happen to Caelis or Rin.

But a war was a huge responsibility. He could not decide to join and abandon his family. He needed to have a talk with them first.

"Give me some time to discuss this with Kaiden and others."

Loki did not look happy with Shuu’s decision.

"I see. So the answer is a ’no’. Don’t bother trying to explain your logic to me. You will talk with Kaiden and he will convince you that fighting in the war is not a good idea. I’ll save myself the effort and leave you alone."

Loki sounded bitter, but he had no reason to. He was making Shuu out to be the bad guy.

Unfortunately, Shuu was not affected by his actions or words. His blank look made Loki realize that it was best to step away for now.

"I will let you think a little more about this. Please take a few more days to decide before you give me a decision. I know that it’s not easy for you to change your way of thinking, but if you find that you can try and give me a chance, let me know."

Loki’s voice and the domain around Shuu faded within seconds. He blinked and looked around before he sighed and went back to his room. But being alone made him feel lonely, so he decided to head toward the kids’ room instead.

They were still sleeping and clutching the pillow. Shuu decided to relieve himself and then come back and sneak between them.

Just for tonight, he would spend the night here and not think about anything. He wanted to be surrounded by his family all night.

He was half-aware of the fact that Kaiden came back sometime between Shuu falling asleep and being half-aware of what was happening. He tried to blink his eyes, but did not see anything except darkness and those glowing eyes.

But even that much was enough to make Shuu feel better and have a restful sleep.