"So, you say you saw him leave the labs shortly after Didreus' sons had a problem on the underground floor."

Marina nodded to the goddess of love, "Exactly."

"A coincidence?" Lyceum asked, rubbing his chin.

Aena glanced at the window, "I have reason to doubt that."

That morning too, Marina had gone to Mr. D'Agostini's office to disclose the details of Shirei's movements. Cragar's son was extremely suspicious and, in order to find out something about him, the girl had been willing to reveal everything she had done the previous day. The demigod was too mysterious and that only fueled her curiosity and her innate thirst for knowledge. She listened in silence, hoping to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"What could he have done?"

"Who knows," replied the masked goddess, "Cragar's children would be capable of anything."

Lyceum turned, "Marina," he called, "Your head is going to start smoking at this rate, you'd better ask your questions."

Ien's daughter smiled guiltily, "More than questions, I just want answers..." she realized she had said it out loud and turned pale, "Sorry! I did not mean-"

"You have every right to think whatever you want," Aena reassured her, "Please continue."

"Without information I cannot be of use to you and I would end up stumbling in the dark" she then hastened to ask "Is he perhaps a god in disguise? Is he in exile?"

"Absolutely not."

The demigoddess grimaced, "I don't understand, are you keeping an eye on him as a candidate for his father's mask?"

The gentle expression faded from the deity's face, "Never."

"So..." she looked for other alternatives but nothing came to mind, "Please tell me, what makes him so special?"

Aena turned in the direction of Lyceum D'Agostini and asked kindly, "Can you leave us alone?"

"Of course, I'll wait outside."

The park's executive director reached the door and, after turning the knob, simply smiled friendly before exiting the room. As soon as they were alone, the goddess of love invited Marina to sit down and began her explanation.

"All demigods born in this world have powers determined at their birth by fate. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to change them simply by training or believing in yourself."

"But Shirei is different."

"That boy has no limits," the goddess confirmed, "If he could reach his true potential... we would no longer be able to stop him."

Marina reflected on that information and decided to try a 'leap into the void', hoping that Aena would not react to the provocation.

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"Is that why you erased his memory?"

"No", replied the woman, sitting down on one of the armchairs "He did it himself, a gift that fate wanted to allow us."

For a few seconds silence reigned. Marina was looking for a solution and, although she didn't want to admit it, there was an unpleasant doubt that was constantly buzzing in her head.

"Can I ask another question?"

"Of course."

"If he's so dangerous, why is he still alive?"

"Killing him would unleash Cragar's wrath and lead to a war between the gods," Aena replied with a grimace, "If that were to happen..."

"The mortal world would become the battleground and no one would be safe."

The goddess of love nodded, "Like I said, you are definitely your mother's daughter."

Those words made Marina waver. Every time she had a conversation with her, and the latter mentioned her mother, the girl couldn't help but imagine the features of the goddess of wisdom. Her thoughts, besides still being fixed on that comment, wandered until she had Shirei's face in front of him. Cragar's son was dangerous, his every move and word proved it. Marina, however, was attracted to him, as if a magnetic aura swirled around him that pushed her to get closer.

Mr. D'Agostini knocked on the door to attract attention, then said, "Marina, you should go if you don't want to be late for class."

The demigoddess looked at her phone. He was right.

"You can go, we will resume our conversation when you are free from commitments" Aena dismissed her.

"Sure, with permission."

Marina left the office and headed towards the exit of the Great Mansion. Coincidentally, he hit a demigod. The boy, by mistake, slammed his hip into her back, almost making her fall forward. Before he could even ask for an explanation, the demigod apologized with a bow and ran away.

Look at that, it always happens only to me, she thought before crossing the exit.

Marina left the Great Mansion, crossing the external path towards the thirteenth house, determined to quickly recover both Shirei and Dalia. As she made her way down, she met some of her companions, with whom she exchanged brief greetings. However, an unusual laugh behind her caught her attention, causing a sense of uneasiness.

Although she was late, she remained for a few minutes contemplating the temples of the gods present on the promontory where the Great Mansion was located.

Maybe one day… she said to herself to try not to fantasize. She would have really liked to complete that project that she had had in her drawer for a long time.

The demigoddess continued and reached the home of Cragar's children. She was still resentful towards Shirei for the events of the previous day but, when she saw him sitting on the steps of his house, intent on tying his shoes, her anger eased. She couldn't help but notice the looks of some daughters of Ognia, the goddess of beauty, who were observing him with palpable interest, not far from him. Having reached the demigod, Marina greeted him with the intention of not seeming too hostile to him.

"Oh! Who's back!" She let out a hint of annoyance, remembering the events at the laboratory, "Hello, Shirei."

"Good morning," the boy replied without showing the slightest emotion, "Dalia has specified that she will join us shortly, so we can start going."

"Okay, perfect!" She smiled and stared at him in an attempt to make him uncomfortable.

Cragar's son tied his shoes and stood up as if nothing had happened.

"Lead the way, I'll follow you."

Marina blinked rapidly and nodded her head, she felt like an idiot.

Come on, Marina, she said to herself, He's just a boy, come to your senses!

The two walked towards the training arena. Ien's daughter was considering using that moment alone to ask the demigod about the previous day, however Shirei walked behind her in silence. In an attempt to break some of the tension between them, she turned to give him a friendly smile, but caught him staring straight at her. Cragar's son raised his eyes and met Marina's, then immediately moved them elsewhere.

The blonde turned away again in dead silence. She was confused.

Why was he staring at me? His gaze was directed... she realized and blushed.

To make sure she wasn't misunderstanding, Marina slowed her pace and looked at Shirei. The boy still had his head turned away, as if he was doing his best not to observe her. The demigoddess gave a nervous laugh. She would never have expected it from a guy like him, but she couldn't let it go.

"Shirei," she called timidly.

Cragar's son stared at her again, and it nearly startled her.

"Yes?"

"Wer-" she swallowed, "Were you, by any chance, looking at my butt?"