Gods' realm? A well? All that registered in Sota's mind was the fact that there was a solution to his problem.
There it was again – a promise of hope that encouraged him anew and let him draw strength.
Let those other gods be offended! Why should anyone else even care whom or what he loved here!
Still, his body language didn't appear quite as confident as the surge of motivation that had just flooded him.
"Okay! Show me the way!" Sota urged the fish with a smile on his lips, clutching the soul orb tightly in his hand.
Some of the fish swam closer, circling Sota in seemingly random patterns, making it hard for him to keep track of them with his eyes.
"Your Holiness, the key to the realm of the gods is yourself. You need only imagine it."
The same fish that had helped Sota before joined the commotion after saying this.
"You are mightier than most! Remember!"
Sota's eyes sparkled with fascination and with a feeling he didn't quite recognize.
It made his body tingle pleasantly, and for one fleeting moment he felt so good, as if Haruki were still by his side.
His gaze drifted to the orb he still held tightly, and he nodded.
Haruki was still there.
And he? He would create a new chance for them both.
For he himself was more than a useless omega that no one wanted, someone to be pushed around, ordered about, or even sacrificed.
He was Ebisu! He was a god of fortune!
And what was mightier than fortune itself?!
Sota didn't know what to do—he simply felt it.
Determined, he stepped forward, and suddenly a rift opened in the air.
The world beyond appeared mythical, surreal, like a blend of modernity and antiquity.
Colors he had never seen before shone toward him, and an uplifting feeling filled him as he left the sea behind and entered the realm of the gods.
Full of wonder, he looked around before his gaze once again settled, almost protectively, on what he held in his hand.
Haruki's soul was still there.
"Hold on, Haruki… I can do this… I promise.
And then I'll show you…" —his voice softened, almost as if Haruki could hear his words— "…my world…"
Sota tucked the soul orb away and began to look around.
He marveled at flowers that resembled lilies, their petals seemingly crystalline in nature.
For a moment, it felt as though the flowers turned toward him.
How much would Haruki like that?
He had just put the soul orb away and already considered touching it again, but before he could do so, a strange breeze brushed against his face, making him pause in alertness.
Okay… calm down… this is supposed to be the gods' realm, so everything here is unusual—even the wind…
He shook off the temptation to keep exploring.
He had to find that well!
Once Haruki was back, they could explore together.
But Sota froze as a cold voice suddenly rang out.
"Ebisu," said the stranger, and Sota turned toward him hesitantly.
Before him stood a tall, strikingly handsome man with pale skin and long black hair tied up.
His eyes were a deep wine-red, and his expression was so intense that Sota couldn't tell how to gauge him.
The man, however, strode toward Sota with purpose and seized his wrist firmly.
"You've kept me waiting for so long.
And now, at last, you return—only for me to see that you've decided to become my perfect counterpart."
Sota blinked in confusion, staring first at the hand gripping him before looking into the Alpha's eyes.
But what the man meant, he didn't know.
Not yet, at least.
"I heard that long ago you chose the path of an omega, accepting your fate to bear our children.
So why did you keep me waiting so long?"
The stranger's voice was calm, yet resolute.
And Sota?
When he realized what the man was implying, he flushed crimson and tried to wrench his hand free.
"You must be mistaken! I'm already promised to someone else! I… I'm sorry!"
When it took longer than expected to loosen the grip, the omega grew nervous; at the same time, the hold on his wrist became uncomfortably tight.
When he glanced again at the Alpha's face, he found himself staring into angry eyes.
Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything at all…
"What do you mean by that, Ebisu?" the stranger asked, his tone nearly a growl.
Sota flinched, then an idea came to him.
This god must have had a relationship with the original Ebisu!
So all of this was just one huge misunderstanding, wasn't it?
"L-look! You must be confusing me with—!"
He didn't get the chance to finish; the man yanked him closer with a sharp tug.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Has your time among mortals made you utterly foolish?
Or do you truly think I'll believe that? Ebisu…"
However agitated he seemed, his voice softened as he spoke the name.
Suddenly, he released Sota and fixed his gaze on the spot where the soul orb containing Haruki was hidden.
"Is it this mortal whose soul you carry with you?" he asked, his tone calm again, though an unmistakable note of disapproval lingered beneath the words.
With a simple wave of his hand, the orb was drawn to him as if by magic.
"What I see here is betrayal. Ebisu, you belong to me.
How could you even begin to think I'd allow you to betray me with a mortal?"
At first Sota didn't understand what had happened, but when he realized Haruki had been taken from him, he reached desperately for the orb, trying everything he could to snatch it back.
"Who are you?! And why are you doing this?! I'm not the Ebisu you think you know, and GIVE HARUKI BACK TO ME!"
Sota's words seemed only to sour the Alpha's mood further, and just as he was about to repeat himself more frantically, another voice echoed through the air.
It was softer, and when Sota looked up, the figure he saw made it obvious that the newcomer was an omega.
But was this one an ally?
And how did everyone seem to know where he was?!
"Aita, if you treat him so roughly, this will never work out.
You, of all people, know how impatient you've already become."
Sota furrowed his brows at being spoken about as if he weren't even present.
Aita, huh…
At least now he knew the Alpha's name.
The name suited him, Sota thought, but his heart still beat only for one—Haruki.
And Haruki needed his help!
As Aita turned toward the other omega, Sota seized the moment and bolted.
He could still hear the omega's amused chuckle behind him.
"Oh, let him go. Even if he's managed to snatch the soul orb back from you, it's not as though we can't find him again!"
Aita only scowled, wondering whether his future mate had truly chosen a human over him.
Sota ran as fast as he could and eventually hid, not very successfully, behind a tree further away.
Immediately he retrieved Haruki's soul orb and checked if it was unharmed.
"I'm sorry, Haruki, I should have been more careful… I…"
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he slid down against the tree until he sat on the ground, drawing his knees closer to his chest.
"Haruki… I'm scared… I don't want to be here… I just want…"
He sniffled softly and pressed the orb tightly against himself.
"I miss you so much… I don't even know where this well is, and I'm sure I'm being watched… I'm supposed to be a god of fortune—so why do I have everything but fortune…"
It took some time before Sota calmed down, and even longer before he felt safe enough to move again.
Aita's gaze kept haunting him, reminding him to stay focused.
For in an instant, this world had lost its wonder and turned into a threatening nightmare.
Slowly, Sota lowered his gaze to the shimmering orb.
Could Haruki sense any of this?
"Haruki…"
As the corners of Sota's mouth sank to their lowest point, he startled at the sound of approaching footsteps.
His heart began to pound wildly, urging his body to flee, but he first looked around carefully.
No one was there.
But he was sure he hadn't imagined it!
Whether real or not, he had to keep moving.
No sooner had he started walking again than the footsteps sounded once more.
Sota quickened his pace, eventually breaking into a run.
Aimlessly.
For he still had no idea where the well was located.
As he ran, he glanced back over his shoulder several times—until it happened.
He collided with something—or rather, someone—and fell straight onto his backside.
"Argh…"
When he looked up, he found himself facing a figure dressed in gold.
A young man, clearly a beta, with his hands clasped behind his back and a pleasant smile on his face.
"Ebisu. Long time no see," the man said with a smirk, leaning forward slightly but not offering Sota a hand to help him up.
"I've already heard that you decided to become an omega.
No wonder Aita is beside himself with excitement."
Still seated on the ground, Sota stared at the stranger, wondering if they were supposed to know each other.
"Well, that's not the only thing I've heard.
Not only have you chosen the path of the omega, but you've also given your heart to a mortal, haven't you?
I suppose what remains of him is right there with you."
Sota immediately patted himself down to make sure Haruki's soul orb was still with him and let out a relieved sigh when he felt it.
The stranger chuckled in amusement.
"Tell me, Ebisu—why do you seem so changed?
It's as if you've forgotten everything… well, at the very least you should have known that Aita, as a god of death, can track you anywhere because of that little soul you're carrying…"
It took a moment before Sota stood up, took a deep breath, and finally replied.
"I'm looking for a well… it's supposed to help bring Haruki back to life so he can stay with me…"
He had wanted to ask more about Aita or learn what to watch out for to escape, but he decided it was better to stay reserved and focus on what truly mattered.
The stranger chuckled again.
"A well? The Source of All Being?
Well then. I don't quite understand what you, great god of fortune, want there—but it's over that way."
He stretched out his arm, pointing to a place that looked incomplete compared to the rest of the realm.
Almost as if it had been neglected.
"Ebisu. Do you really want to do this?
Surely you, of all beings, know why we gods avoid it.
The well probably won't even grant your wish.
Besides, you're closer than ever to fulfilling your destiny of marrying Aita."
The stranger chuckled once more.
"Aita must be eager to start creating new gods with you.
And the rest of us can hardly imagine how powerful your children together would be.
So forget about that mortal…"
Sota clenched his hand into a fist and met the stranger's gaze with fierce resolve.
With every word spoken, not only did his sense of powerlessness grow—so too did his anger, and with it the certainty that there was no one he could trust.
There was only Haruki.
"I don't care what you have planned or not.
Thank you for your help, but I have to go now…!"