The Three-Day Agreement

Uranus raised his hand, golden light gathering into solid form in his palm as he aimed it at Nairmis.

That oppressive force froze all the air around them, leaving Nairmis unable to move. The God King's killing intent bore down on him like boundless darkness.

Before that power, the newly advanced flame divinity within him was utterly fragile.

But he did not shrink back. Nairmis spoke urgently, getting his words out before Uranus could strike.

"Great God King, Nairmis, God of Flames, deeply regrets his earlier offense. Please allow me, as the holder of the authority of prophecy, to offer you an important prophecy concerning the sky."

Uranus's hand stopped, and his eyes narrowed slightly with scrutiny and suspicion. His presence still pressed down on Nairmis until he could barely breathe, but a trace of interest entered his killing intent.

"Speak."

Nairmis swallowed. He could feel his heart pounding violently, but his emotion divinity and courage divinity were working at full strength, keeping his expression steady and steadying his voice as well.

"I wield the authority of prophecy. Through the cracks in the river of time, I glimpsed a fragment of the future. The Crown of the God King will eventually change hands."

At those words, the golden light around Uranus surged, and his presence became even more terrifying. His killing intent climbed back to its peak. Cold sweat beaded on Nairmis's forehead, but he did not avert his gaze.

"The divinities of courage and lies have given you courage," Uranus said coldly. "You think this will keep you alive? You dare toy with me? Prepare to face my wrath."

"I am not toying with you!" Nairmis immediately shouted, afraid Uranus might strike at the slightest disagreement.

"I swear on my emotion divinity: if I have deceived you, I am willing to cast myself into the Abyss and remain imprisoned in the deepest reaches of Tartarus for all eternity!"

Uranus stopped again. Nairmis seized the opening to continue, slowing his speech a little as his tone grew earnest and solemn.

He knew the position he was in. Uranus could kill him at any moment.

His only bargaining chip was the prophecy itself. Uranus knew he had made a prophecy before. Nairmis had to make this tyrant believe he was worth more alive than dead.

"Your Majesty, my divine power is exhausted, and I cannot present the complete prophecy to you immediately. But I beg you to wait a few more days for my divine power to recover. Let me delve into the source of the river of time and capture the face and name of the one who dares covet your throne."

"I will give everything to defend your rule. My flames will light the firmament for you, and my authority of emotion will cow all disloyal hearts for you. You are the ruler of the sky, the king of all gods, the supreme being ordained by the laws."

"And I, Nairmis, am willing to serve as your most loyal eyes, revealing every threat lurking in the shadows."

By the time he finished, he almost felt ready to collapse. His flattery had reached a point where even he found it a little nauseating.

But he had not lied. He had merely withheld the whole truth. This was the art of language.

Flattery never failed!

Uranus's expression eased slightly. He fell silent, studying Nairmis's face for a while. Nairmis could sense him weighing his options.

Killing an insubordinate god was effortless. Even though Nairmis had now advanced to a second-class god, he was still laughably fragile before a primordial god.

But compared with venting his anger for a moment, finding out who would usurp his position in the future was clearly more important.

Nothing in Uranus's life mattered to him more than his crown. He had suppressed Gaia, imprisoned the Titans, and placed himself above all gods, all to ensure that crown would belong to him forever.

If someone dared covet it, who was that person, when would they act, and by what means?

These questions churned in Uranus's mind, more enticing than the pleasure of killing Nairmis.

Besides, the God of the Sky lowered his head, sensing the cracks in his own body.

He was Gaia's husband and represented paternal authority, and he also had to abide by the law of life. Tonight's rain of fire had burned countless living beings to death. Weak as those creatures were, the law of life had still exacted the corresponding punishment upon him.

Combined with the backlash from extracting Nairmis's divinity, he was indeed carrying considerable injuries at that moment.

Even without those factors, forcibly killing a second-class god who held several important divinities in his current condition would only bring harsher punishment from the laws.

Three days. He needed three days to recover.

Uranus raised his head, his gaze returning to Nairmis's face.

The blond god hovered quietly in midair, his face pale and his divine power in disarray, but his eyes held earnestness and loyalty.

"Three days."

Uranus finally spoke.

Nairmis's heart suddenly settled, but he showed not the slightest relaxation on his face. He merely bowed his head solemnly. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."

Without giving him another glance, Uranus turned into golden light and shot straight into the sky.

Only when that golden light had vanished completely from sight, and the oppressive presence in the sky had fully receded, did Nairmis truly dare breathe a sigh of relief.

"...Phew."

He slowly descended to the ground. The moment his feet touched the scorched earth, his knees buckled, and he nearly fell to his knees.

After taking a moment to recover, Nairmis steadied himself and looked up at the devastation that filled Proeon.

Only a few lonely, broken columns remained of the unfinished palace. The homes they had so painstakingly built were all gone. The smell of burning filled the air, along with the grief of the surviving creatures upon the earth.

Nairmis's heart clenched as those painful emotions flooded his senses. What he found hardest to let go of was that one source of all this had been the flames he brought.

He walked over to a fallen stone column and bent down to pick up a charred piece of wood beside it. It was the remains of the lyre he had made with his own hands.

Nairmis crouched down and gently rested the remains on his knees. His fingertips brushed the blackened surface, and he remained silent for a long time.

He had previously relied on this lyre to convey the power of emotion, comforting those grieving lives through music. Now the lyre was gone. He could make another, but that would take time. There was nothing he could do now.

But in the end, he was partly responsible for this catastrophe. He could not simply stand by and wait for it to slowly pass.

Nairmis set the remains on the ground and slowly rose. He looked into the distance, toward the Sky Divine Domain.

Since this catastrophe had begun with his flames, he ought to do something to make amends. The best way was to accelerate the course of history, bring the tyrant down ahead of time, and make him get off the stage.

And at present, only one person could help him do that.

Nairmis's gaze fell toward the deeper reaches of the earth, where Gaia was.

But the problem was that he did not know Gaia.

Moreover, Gaia was a primordial god, a being even older than Uranus. Before her, Nairmis was merely an insignificant, newly advanced second-class god.

How could he contact her? How could he make her believe him? How could he work with her?

Nairmis frowned in thought, then suddenly remembered something. Hypnos, the God of Sleep-that fellow owed him a favor and had previously promised to do one thing for him.

Hypnos was the son of Nyx, Goddess of the Night, and Nyx had countless ties to Gaia. Through her, he should be able to establish a channel of communication with the earth.

But should he use up that favor? Hypnos's promise was precious. Would using it to deliver a message be too much of a waste?

Just as Nairmis was still hesitating, a voice came from the distant woods, filled with maternal warmth and serenity.