I remember Ze telling me that although gods are forbidden from entering, others descended from deities or hybrids are not.

"That is reflected in the power signature. There is a level, but there is also a type of power that denotes whether someone is a god or not. The first thing that triggers the game is the level. If it's high, they look into the type of power used to determine if it belongs to a deity or not."

"And what happens if a deity is caught participating?"

She purses her lips.

"They're sent before the Supremes, who decide on a fitting punishment. The few times it's happened before, those deities barely got away with their lives."

I nod thoughtfully.

"I didn't realize it was this dangerous for you."

"I could get away through the loophole—technically." She forces a smile.

"It was Ze, wasn't it?" I ask softly. "The one who made you vow."

She purses her lips, yet her lack of answer is answer enough.

"I'm sorry. I cannot speak of it. I've already said more than I should have."

"It's fine," I assure her. "I do have one question, though."

She nods, urging me to speak.

"Do you know any god who would mark a human?" I say as I tug on my neckline so some of my marks are visible. She's seen them before, though, so she knows what I mean.

"No." She shakes her head. "Gods don't concern themselves with humans. They rarely leave Aperion. Why do you think a god had something to do with that?"

"Ze tried to heal them for me, but he couldn't."

She frowns, touching her chin with her forefinger as she thinks.

"You can ask my parents. They should know more. I am a youngling compared to them—and everyone else." She chuckles.

Our conversation is cut short as someone purposefully bumps into Thea, making her stumble forward and almost fall to the floor. I grab onto her, helping her balance on her feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" a fake voice calls from behind, followed by a crowd of laughter.

I look back and see a group of guys leering at us.

Thea's lips twitch with annoyance as she releases a loud huff.

"Don't mind them," she whispers. "It's not the time to get into a fight."

I nod, although I'm not so sure. She seems fine with it, but the more I hear them chuckle behind our backs and purposefully belittle us, the more I wish I could just tell them to shut it. No matter my impulses, though, I'm aware that Thea is right. This is not the place, nor the time.

We continue quietly toward the portal as our turn finally arrives.

Thea grabs my hand and gives me a smile as she urges me to follow her.

One moment we're in P'davi, surrounded by the complex and the other participants, the next we're in a foreign location.