"I believe Sir Kim already told you that we would be meeting with you?" Karin asked, raising a brow.

She suspected that was the reason Kieran decided to follow them.

'Oh, so they're the ones he was talking about,' Kieran thought, keeping a calm expression.

He hated the origin families—especially the Nelkon family.

While he didn't like their company or want anything to do with them, Kieran's curiosity often got the better of him. He wanted to know what they had to say.

It wasn't any of the Nelkon family members, so it wasn't that bad. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given them even the slightest chance to speak. If anything, he might've provoked them into fighting—just to have an excuse to injure another one of their arrogant kin.

Kieran drew in a slow breath before replying to the young woman.

"Yes, he informed me about you... So, you want to help me deal with the Nelkon family? I believe that doesn't come without a price."

He assessed the situation carefully.

Even Kim couldn't do much now—they all knew how stubborn and violent the Nelkon family were. They would never let Kieran go, and if given the chance, they'd kill him without hesitation.

In a sense, since the origin families weren't bound by the AFO, Kim's authority was limited. And because Kieran was technically in the wrong, the help Kim could offer was minimal.

But the Ravenspare family was different.

They were considered the leaders among the origin families—the ones everyone else reluctantly followed.

That was why Kieran found it strange that they'd offer to help him at all. He wasn't one of them, and he knew better than to believe any help came without strings attached.

Even life was given with the requirements to die.

Karin's expression didn't waver after his question. She had clearly expected it.

"Nothing. The Ravenspare family has nothing to gain from this," she said evenly.

Kieran raised a brow, unconvinced.

He didn't trust words like that. Nothing in life was free. Even living demanded the price of death.

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" he asked dryly.

Karin closed her eyes for a moment, as if choosing her next words carefully.

"I'm sure you've already seen the notification from the system... haven't you?" she said, her cold stare locking on him.

Kieran's gaze hardened, matching hers.

"Yes. What does that have to do with any of this?"

Karin held his gaze, then said quietly, "It has everything to do with this. Our world is at stake."

"Our world?" Kieran repeated, frowning.

Karin didn't answer. Her eyes flicked toward her companions. She had already said all she could—leaving the rest to Vesha.

Galand didn't seem in any condition to speak, so the blind woman turned her head toward Kieran and began.

"The ancestral gates are opening. The second selection is about to begin. All the god candidates must enter the upper realm, or we'll all face the same calamity that destroyed the gods..."

Kieran stared at her blankly, trying to process what she just said.

He couldn't fully grasp what she meant, but he had a vague idea.

The system had mentioned something about him advancing to the second selection for the god candidates—he remembered that much.

But why did they have to go to these "ancestral gates"?

What even was an ancestral gate? And why was this the first time he was hearing about it?

Since Alexa didn't react much to their words, he could only assume she didn't know either.

Just as he was trying to piece things together, Alexa's thoughtful voice echoed in his mind.

"The upper realm… It's been a while since I heard of that place. Is it opening again?"

"Do you know about it?" Kieran immediately asked.

He'd rather get answers from someone he actually trusted. The families in front of him weren't exactly reliable.

How they even came to know something so obscure was a mystery in itself.

"It's been decades since I last heard that name," Alexa said, her tone distant. "After the disappearance of the gods… It was known as their playground—the Ancient Colosseum."

"Playground of gods?" Kieran's interest sharpened.

"Yes. But after the gods vanished… the realm was completely sealed away."

As Alexa's voice faded from his mind, Vesha continued aloud.

"The gates have been locked since the time of our ancestors, but they're opening again. According to the last records left by our forebears, all god candidates must enter that realm—or a great calamity will befall us all," Vesha explained.

Her words weren't much different from Alexa's, so Kieran didn't think she was lying. Still, it didn't explain how they knew all this.

He frowned slightly. "And how exactly do you know that?"

Vesha glanced toward Karin, seeking silent approval.

Karin met Kieran's gaze and gave a small nod.

"All four origin families possess gateways to the ancestral realm," she began. "Our ancestors once entered that place… but none of them ever returned to tell the tale. Only ours came back—barely alive—and left us a warning. We don't know what truly lies beyond, but he said ignoring the call of that realm would bring something far worse than death."

Kieran's brow arched.

"So let me get this straight," he said dryly. "I'm supposed to throw myself into some ancient death trap that your ancestors couldn't survive—just so I can get my ass handed to me and probably die?"

Vesha gave a faint, helpless smile.

"That's why you should join our family," Karin interjected, her tone calm yet firm. "The ancestor who returned shared many secrets in his letter. If you train under us, you'll grow stronger—strong enough to survive the realm."

Kieran stared at her for a long moment before standing abruptly.

"Yeah, you can keep that to yourself," he said flatly, turning toward the exit.

But before he could step out, Karin's voice stopped him.

"The ancestor also wrote that within those lands, one can meet the avatars of the previous gods," she said softly. "I don't know if this means anything to you, but I've always wondered what really happened to them… how beings that powerful could just vanish."

She rose from her chair, then bowed, kneeling on the floor.

"Young Princess!" Vesha gasped, stepping forward. But Karin silenced her with a sharp, cold glance.

"Please, Kieran Marcoth," she said, her tone trembling slightly for the first time. "Help me find out what happened."

For once, her usually blank expression cracked—melting away like a clay mask. Beneath it was the raw, unguarded beauty of a woman desperate for answers.

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