Even though normal buildings and houses made of metal have already rusted to the point that they became dangerous, the castle walls are built differently.

They are made from the metal found on the third planet, which our ancestors conquered in the past. A metal that never rusts.

It is entirely different from stainless steel; stainless steel, despite being called stainless, is just corrosion-resistant. The metal we use, called Black Iron, is entirely immune to corrosion and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

The Temple of Igrus is also made of Black Iron; however, while this metal is durable, the temple itself is constructed to be fragile.

The temple is a seal that contains a god.

It wouldn't make sense if our ancestors built it to be breakable, but it is necessary since specific placements of minerals and items, the shape of space, and everything influence the flow of karma. The flow of karma is what kept the god, Magroth, sealed.

No metal can stop him. Manipulating the fundamental reason of cause and effect can.

The temple is breakable from the outside, yet not from the inside. That's why the king, my father, put a barrier that prevents anyone except the temple guards from entering it.

While manipulating the flow of karma helped us be lucky against Magroth, it is not without its consequences. Bad luck will still occur in other forms equivalent to the luck consumed in sealing a god.

That's why this floor is getting worse.

But this problem will end here.

Liareth and I are walking down a hallway to meet the king, as well as the elders of the round table. It is for me to propose a solution to this long-standing problem at hand.

"Princess, are you sure about this?" Liareth asked, and I am bound to nod.

"Yes. In order to save our last standing species from the wrath of the gods, we must seek help from other divinities. We have one weapon on our side."

"Princess, I think you are just misunderstanding things."

"Liareth, the right word is not misunderstanding. It's hope."

We've finally arrived in front of a gigantic metal door where the meeting will take place. I breathe in and prepare myself before using my weight to push the door open.

"You've finally arrived, my dear daughter," the king smiles at my presence, and I bow my head to his.

"I've arrived, your majesty."

"Shall we start our discussion regarding our mad god, Magroth?" The elders of the tables don't want time to go to waste. Or perhaps, they think that I'm still too young for them to give me ample time to speak.

That would be problematic; I need them to listen.

So I start by walking around and telling them a story.

"It all starts when our ancestors wanted to escape their world from the inevitable destruction. The Ruler God of Realms birthed salvation in the form of a leviathan that could open portals to another world, the Lesser God Magroth. We used an innocent child to travel beyond space and time, saving us and eventually leading us to a new planet that sustained our species for decades more. However..."

Did I manage to get their attention? I think I did... Stories are the best way to convey meaning.

"Because of that same power that granted us salvation, we are drowned by our own greed and fueled by our own unsatisfying desire to take. Our ancestor tried to conquer more planets, more realms, eventually making us a barbaric species, thirsty for unfulfilling desire for more knowledge, authority, and power. And it doesn't end there."

Though I want to capture their hearts, not just have them listen.

"We committed a grave sin that soiled our name and cursed our species until the day of judgment. We tried to kill the very same God who gave us power using his own son as a weapon. You already know what happened next... The lesser god Magroth became berserk and wiped out 90% of our brethren."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I need them to move and act.

For our future.

"While we managed to seal the influence of the god, the threat still lingers and ever grows, awaiting to explode from its seal. The god sealed in the Igrus Temple will soon gain its freedom, and eventually will lead us to an inevitable doom. And so, I propose a solution for our problem."

I bite my lips. I know my idea will be frowned upon by many. But still, I need to say it. The only one who could say it is me. As I am the next ruler of this kingdom.

"We must do what our ancestor already started. Bring down Magroth to his knees and cut off his head. That is the only way we could ever survive."

And as I expected, many grumbled at the idea. Their faces contorted in disagreement and such ridiculous noises emanate from their mouths. Yet I can't blame them; they have more experience than I do, so even I had second thoughts on my proposition.

An elder speaks with a disgruntled tone.

"You haven't learned the lessons here, have you? We learned in history that trying to overcome a god will yield nothing but disaster. Ever since we were children, we were taught by that crucial fact so that we won't repeat the same mistake our ancestor did, but you propose to go against it?"

"Then, would you rather do nothing than wait for an inevitable death? If I'm going to die in the first place, I want to die trying to fight our fate." I say it without batting an eye.

"But princess, do you have any sort of a plan for this?" another elder asked.

This is the worst part; I knew that my words will ignite the flame that will never stop with just mere acceptance of the majority. But this must be done.

"It's simple. We must seek the help of other divinities to fight against the divine."

"Other divinities...?"

I can see in the elder's eyes the distress as they gulp. They knew what I'm about to say yet afraid to realize it, so they need me to voice this idea out.

"In the last few years, I've been praying and hoping that the God of Realms will forgive us. But I already gave up on that when my prayers are left unanswered. My faith wavers, and then it completely vanished as if a fragile bubble. And that made me lost in life, my heart felt empty and disoriented. Until, I found this small statue."

I show them the statue that I am hiding all this time... The statue of the smiling god. It is made from white marble carved into the shape of a happy man with a wide smile that extends from ear to ear. The smile is exaggerated in a creepy way that when I first saw this, I thought it was cursed or possessed by an evil spirit.

In fact, the elders are so afraid, even Liareth, when they lay their eyes upon it. I understand; everybody will mistake it as evil with the paint of blood that bleeds out of its eyes and mouth.

I learned my lesson that judging a book by its cover is truly a bad idea. And I am not mistaken, as Rwesly, our prophet, told me it was the statue of the God of Happiness... Hielfritz of the Eternal Joy.

"What is the meaning of this, Princess Senazwein!?" an elder shouts.

"It is exactly what you think it is... I've prayed to a different god. This is the statue of the Smiling God, the God of Happiness. I've sought his help and I finally expanded my consciousness to other possibilities. I, instead of begging to the God of Realm, will rebel against his wrath. This is the path of true *happiness*."

"Do you know the consequences of serving a different god? According to our law, you shall be immediately executed regardless of your status. Anyone who will try to stop it will be beheaded as well. Princess, you are a heretic and shall be punished under the name of our god."

"The god you are referring to already abandoned us a long time ago. Thus, it is incorrect to punish someone under his name when we don't have a god in the first place. But fine, please cut my head and bury me under the soil of the damned with the last of our remaining hope. And see for yourself the destruction of our species with your close-fitting perception of an eye."

The law made by our ancestor prevented us from repeating the same mistake done in the past, that is, rebelling against the will of the god. But that was just ignorance; the will of the gods is never absolute. If that's the case, then our free will would be meaningless if our fate is determined by their whim.

"The lesser god Magroth is not our only problem. Its guardian as well is on the move to hunt our heads and serve them on a platter. However, the God of Happiness answered my heed, and he gave me answers through a revelation... that the potential hope will be found on the river in the form of a mystical fish-tailed creature."

I am proud to have found her holiness. The divine weapon bestowed by the God of Happiness.

"The mermaid will guide us to salvation... The God of Happiness answered me when it started dripping tears of blood. At first, I did not believe that mermaids are real; however, I saw it with my own eyes. In fact, the anti-speciesism propaganda that saved us from starvation came from her mouth."

"What!? Is this true?"

"I could not believe this."

The elders seem so shocked by the revelation. The Holy Mermaid saved us from starvation by preventing discrimination against the Mellow-men. It was just that when we realized that taking the mellow as a pet and feeding them a small fish per day multiplied the amount of food we have by them defecating several large mushrooms that could feed a whole family.

In fact, the mushrooms that came from them are healthier than the fish.

"But, it is true. I've sent Regul to observe her movement, but I have a feeling he will bring us good news... No... I misspoke. He will bring us a message from the heaven... A miracle!"

It is just when I said that when the door hurled open with a soldier standing at the entrance.

"Your Majesty! Forgive my impudence! I have an urgent message from Master Regulia."

"Rudeness of him! If he wants to tell us an important message, why doesn't he show himself in front of us rather than sending a proxy?" an elder stated.

"I sincerely apologize, but Master Regulia was feeling unwell. When I saw him, he was as pale as snow."

"Why? I can't believe that self-proclaimed strongest Homorotabi could catch a cold."

*Did something happen to Regul?*

He is the strongest Homorotabi there is who could manipulate barrier magic, a defensive magic as a weapon.

The soldier catches his breath before speaking... "The only thing he said to me is that the hero has returned." He stopped for a moment before reiterating, "The Hero Fielma came back."