Kai-Se dragged Nao-Zai through the chaos, ducking under swinging arms, screaming warriors, and blasts of magic that could have singed his hair to nothing. Nao-Zai followed in his footsteps, albeit a little slower. The soldier's eyes were sharp even with blood pouring from his side. Knowing him, he'd probably just want to collapse in a corner to at least let the bleeding stop but they didn't have the luxury for that. Not when there's a literal civil war happening around them and a fortress they needed to escape from.

The sky flashed with lights in colors whose names Kai-Se couldn't even think of at the top of his head. Thunder boomed. Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on a specific area of the wide, manicured courtyard, courtesy of the god of rain, Misaki.

Up ahead, columns of fire and water snaked through the battered army of creatures with animal heads and armored bodies. Yuride, the god of fire, and Nora, the god of water cackled in their equally horrifying, childish laughs as they attempted to torch the army with nothing but the unlimited vat of magic at their disposal.

Kai-Se's scream tore off his throat when a charred body slid into his way. Its eyes were still wide open even though life has faded from them. His heart sank. There's no way two humans such as him and Nao-Zai could fight the gods. He needed to get them out of here. Before they end up as one of the fried bodies littering the courtyard.

He looked forward, finding the gate creeping closer. That's good. Maybe they could hide in central Shencai at least until this whole fiasco dies down and Dansarun forgets about getting Xuijae in its hands. Sounds like a good plan. He turned and Nao-Zai gave him a quick nod.

Then, a column of fire hurtled closer to them.

It happened a bit too fast---just Kai-Se seeing a flicker of movement and feeling the air around him turn hot. The next thing he knew, his world was upended, limbs flying out in wild arcs as something heavy slammed against him. A hard, leathery surface pressed against his side.

"Ka-Ji," Nao-Zai's strained voice reached Kai-Se's ears. Slowly, Kai-Se planted his palms on the ground and hauled himself up. His ears were filled with sounds of chaos, of bones breaking, and of metal clanging against a concentrated force of nature.

Kai-Se turned to the direction Nao-Zai was facing and came face to face with a person with a snake head. Its frills were extended, making its shadow looing over Kai-Se larger. The slitted pupils and yellow irises introduced another kind of dread in Kai-Se's gut. Wait, did Nao-Zai just refer to it as Ka-Ji?

"It's okay," Nao-Zai met Kai-Se's eyes as the soldier sensed his apprehension. "I know him. He's a friend. Gang Sen is too, if I could just find him in this mess."

Kai-Se hauled himself to his feet. "Let's focus on running, shall we?" he said, scanning the next possible route across the courtyard that would run against the pandemonium the least. "Can you help us, Ka-Ji?"

The snake head bobbed, the narrow slits of its eyes narrowing even more. Then, a forked tongue slipped between its lips, a hiss resounding in the air. Nao-Zai grunted as he straightened, his back staying in a hunched position. Kai-Se's gut churned. The soldier might be in more pain than he let on.

Kai-Se pointed to the path he deemed the safest. "Can you lead us there?"

Ka-Ji nodded again and pushed past them. It seemed to be a sign for them to follow. Kai-Se drew nearer to Nao-Zai and took one of his arms. "What are you doing?" the soldier demanded as kai-Se swung Nao-Zai's arm across his shoulders.

Kai-Se resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm helping you run, genius," he said. "Because right now, that's the only thing we need to do."

Nao-Zai stared after the lone snake head weaving past screaming rebels and gods cackling in glee. "Okay," was all he said.

They ran.

Kai-Se kept his eyes on the familiar fenhais flitting past him. There was Misaki's and Yumiko's, looking bright against the glare of the morning sun. Nishi stood at the top of the one the sky bridge connected two lesser pagodas with his arms stretched forward, shooting gusts of strong winds to blow his enemies scaling the wall while trying to maintain the trapping web keeping them all inside the city.

The other gods were scattered around the flat expanse, casting their magic in a series of flashing lights, sparks, and elements of nature which should never be controlled, hissing past weapons and armor. Blood splattered against the once-pristine cobblestones, replacing the smell of incense which once wafted in the air. Boots crunched against broken bodies. Kai-Se and Nao-Zai crept closer to the gate.

A curse bubbled in Kai-Se's throat when he stretched his fingers to call for his magic and found almost none in his system. Like a dried up well, there wasn't a spark left. It seemed like with An-Ri gone, his connection to Shaoryeong and its energy has snapped. And it left him with nothing.

Kai-Se's mind whirred. What could he do? He scanned the courtyard for anything or anyone that could help them. Ka-Ji's ultimate purpose was to slither through the chaos and clear out any incoming projectiles that Kai-Se might have missed. Carrying a man twice his weight and trying to run at the same time wasn't meant to be easy.

Nao-Zai did seem friendly with someone he called Gang-Sen. Perhaps, he was a prominent member in this army currently attacking the council? Maybe that person could figure out how to break Nishi's barrier?

Maybe?

Kai-Se was about to open his mouth to suggest his idea when a gust of wind slammed against Kai-Se's back, propelling him forward. Dust and fog erupted into a frenzied storm, cloaking the clashing weapons and slashing arcs of magic. Instinct flared. He extended his arm, barely stopping his body from catapulting straight against the wall. He rolled to a stop, with Nao-Zai dropping beside him with a strained groan. The soldier raised his head, a wince plastered across his face—the only indication he's still alive and kicking. They gave each other a quick look before scrambling to their feet.

The dust cleared. The fog pulled back its curtain. What greeted Kai-Se was a mess of fallen soldiers, broken weapons, and a council of disgruntled but otherwise totally fine gods. A severed snake head rolled to a stop by Kai-Se's feet. Bile rose from his throat and coated his tongue. No...

Nao-Zai's expression was a mixture of horrified, crushed, and disappointed. His eyes flitted through the landscape, past the lifeless body of his snake-headed friend slowly draining of blood, searching for something only he was familiar with. The barrier remained intact. The rebel army dwindled in number.

It's over.

Kai-Se stepped backward just as the first line of the gods' silhouettes appeared from the clearing smoke.

"You will not escape, young prince," Nishi dropped to the ground like a shooting star, only less fiery and definitely less awe-inspiring to join his god-mates. "There's nowhere you can go where you will be safe from us. We control all of Shinjien."

Kai-Se clenched his fists. Here he was, a human without anything, not even an ancestral spirit to protect him, and he thought it's a good idea to stand opposed to the gods who had the magic, the wealth, and the perfect complex to undermine the continent in a matter of minutes. This surely wasn't the trip his father promised he'd enjoy.

Nao-Zai started swaying as if his body decided now was the perfect time to let him down. Kai-Se's arm shot out to steady the soldier. "We'll get through this," he whispered more to himself than to Nao-Zai. "We'll get through this."

Kai-Se gritted his teeth, his mind whirling with all the possible ways he could die in this place. The gods seemed to read his mind or maybe they'd kill enough humans at this point to know what they're thinking in their final moments because of their slow approach, like a predator stalking their prey. Even Gansai, who was back to his feet as if An-Ri's sacrifice didn't do anything, hasn't even drawn one of his swords yet.

At this moment, Dansarun has won. But that didn't mean Kai-Se was going to admit it.

Nishi chuckled, his pale skin flashing against diminishing moonlight. "To think we'd be able to control a whole continent in just a thousand years," he said to which the other gods grinned, clapped their hands, and whistled. "We'd still be ignored midgets in Shaoryeong had we not opened the gates and started over."

The god of the wind turned to his council and raised his fist in the air. "Here's to us claiming the life we deserve and the world we have cultivated," he declared. "Glory to Dansarun!"

The whole council raised their fists in the air, repeating Nishi's proclamation. Something flashed in Kai-Se's mind. Shaoryeong. The spirit realm. Gates. An-Ri's essence.

A gasp filtered out of his lips as everything connected in Kai-Se's head. Nao-Zai heard it and whipped to him with a look of askance on his face. "Shaoryeong..." Kai-Se muttered under his breath, his hand closing around the necklace slung around his neck. It was just a slab of jade stone right now but when he felt around it, he could still feel the pulses of magic left inside it.

How did the shamans back home summon spirits? They use a bridge that a spirit could use to attain a form in the mortal realm. A bridge. Between worlds.

Bridge...

With a quick yank, the chain around his neck snapped and he held his necklace up in the air. "Hey, chalkheads!" he yelled. The gods turned with a collective annoyed expression across their faces. "You'd love this present from me!"

Nishi's face contorted from amusement to horror in a quick flash when he realized what Kai-Se was holding and what he planned to do with it. Kai-Se smiled, relishing this moment which might as well be his and the gods' last. "Say goodbye to your beloved Dansarun," he said.

Then, he threw the pendant into the ground.