Nancy had been under Krataigón’s relentless domination. His power was cruel, his whirlpool a cage—but amidst that cruelty, she had seen another side of him in these decades. The side that tried everything with persistence despite failing every time, just to see her face. The side that had made her fall in love.

  And now, she carried his child.

  “Nancy.”

  The voice of her Goddess, Catherina, cut through her thoughts like a bde through water. The Goddess of Mist stood before her, her lead-colored hair flowing in the ocean breeze, gray-blue eyes piercing and all-knowing.

  Nancy swallowed hard. Goddess Catherina was beautiful—beautiful and terrifying.

  Her heart raced. Had Catherina summoned her to bless the child? Or to take it away?

  “We need to talk about the child you are conceiving.”

  Nancy’s blood ran cold.

  “I—” She barely found her voice. “Yes, Your Highness. You are my better. You can decide as you see fit, my Goddess Catherina.”

  The Goddess smiled, a knowing, almost pyful smile.

  “Let’s be real, Nancy,” Catherina said, stepping closer. “You are a mortal being. Carrying the child of a god… could make you disappear.”

  Nancy froze.

  Disappear? Did that mean… death?

  Her body moved on its own, stepping back unconsciously. Fear curled in her stomach like a serpent. Did her Goddess want to take her child after killing her, just to be with Krataigón?

  Catherina continued, “Disappear, like my mother.”

  Then Nancy remembered the rumor circuting the Lost Isnd—that her Goddess Catherina was born from a nymph mother and a Titan father. Nancy had thought it was just some boring nymph nonsense gossip, but it seemed to be true.

  “But,” Nancy focused on Catherina again.

  Catherina continued smoothly, “Not if I grant you my blessing.”

  Nancy exhaled sharply. Her knees hit the ground before she could even think.

  “If—if that is real, my Goddess… thank you for your generosity, my Goddess Catherina. Lady of the Lost Isnd. Protector of the Ocean Nymphs.”

  Catherina chuckled softly, her lips curving in amusement.

  “Not so fast, dear Nancy.”

  A moment of silence stretched between them before Catherina spoke again, her voice cool, decisive, final.

  “You are right. I protect the Ocean Nymphs here. And because of that, you must swear something in return. You will never be with Krataigón again.”

  Nancy’s world tilted.

  Never?

  Tears welled in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks like beads of water. Her love, her pain, her devotion—all for nothing?

  She clutched her stomach. The child… his child… their child.

  But what choice did she have?

  She closed her eyes, trembling, before whispering, “I, Nancy, Ocean Nymph, hereby swear to Catherina, Goddess of Mist, that I shall never be with Krataigón again. If I break this oath, I shall return to my essence—water.”

  A gust of mist surrounded them, swirling around her body and sinking into her womb. Something changed.

  Nancy felt it.

  The child stirred inside her. Stronger. As if the mist had become part of its very being.

  Somewhere across the isnd, nymphs gasped as the ever-present mist surrounding the Lost Isnd shifted, thinned—just a little.

  ______

  Krataigón had been restless.

  For days, he had sensed something was off.

  Now, as he stood on the shore, he knew it.

  The mist—the cursed mist that had hidden this isnd for decades—was weakening.

  And if the mist was thinning, that meant…

  Nancy.

  With a surge of power, he dove into the sea, twisting whirlpools into existence as he cut through the water at blinding speed.

  When he reached the beach, there she was.

  His Nancy.

  His beloved.

  But beside her stood the enchanting, dangerous woman who had always provoked him—Catherina, the Goddess of Mist.

  “Nancy!” he called, his voice raw with longing.

  He ran to her, reaching out—only for her to dissolve into mist.

  He staggered back, his hands grasping at nothing. Another Nancy appeared—only to vanish as soon as he tried to hold her.

  Again.

  And again.

  And again.

  “What is the meaning of this?!” he roared, turning to Catherina.

  She ughed prettily, watching him in amusement.

  “Hold on now, lousy boy,” she teased. “I have news for you.”

  Krataigón didn’t wait.

  With a snarl, he raised his hand, summoning the fury of the ocean. A whirlpool roared to life, crashing toward Catherina—only for it to vanish into mist before it even touched her.

  “Not so fast, boy.”

  Her voice was silken, taunting.

  “Remember your lost oath.”

  Still, Krataigón fought her, his rage uncontrolble.

  And Catherina?

  She joined the fun.

  She ughed as she dodged his attacks, her mist wrapping around him like teasing fingers. She taunted, she danced, she provoked—and yet, never truly harmed him.

  The battle raged for a week.

  For seven days, Krataigón roared, his whirlpools shaking the isnd’s very foundations.

  For seven days, Catherina evaded, countered, and ughed, twisting the battle into a game.

  Until finally, she grew bored.

  And she dropped the final blow.

  “Your Nancy has already conceived your child.”

  Krataigón froze.

  His heart pounded.

  Catherina’s voice was soft now, almost… knowing.

  “I know men like you, Krataigón. You lose interest in women the moment they become vulnerable.”

  Her words were like poison.

  Krataigón clenched his fists. “Where is she? I will give her half of my divinity if it means she can safely give birth.”

  For the first time—Catherina was visibly shocked.

  “Why are you stunned, Catherina?” he demanded, his voice urgent. “Give me my woman.”

  Catherina’s lips parted—but then she schooled her features into a cruel smile.

  “You will never be with her, Krataigón.”

  Krataigón’s aura fred in rage.

  But Catherina continued mercilessly.

  “I made her swear an oath to me.”

  Krataigón’s breath hitched.

  “No…”

  “She loves you,” Catherina admitted, her voice edged with something unreadable. “But that love? It’s nothing more than her maternal instinct clouding her judgment. I only did what was best for my Ocean Nymphs.”

  Krataigón staggered, lifeless, hollowed out.

  “Why…?” His voice was hoarse. “Why are you stopping us, Catherina?”

  “You swore to Khaos to be my God-in-Waiting then i will let you see her.”

  Krataigón snapped his head up.

  “You bitter woman!” he roared. “I will never be a god beneath anyone! I am Krataigón, God of Whirlpools! I follow no one!”

  Catherina ughed—mocking, cruel, yet… almost sad.

  “Then you shall forget her.”

  She raised her hand.

  Mist surged, swallowing Krataigón whole.

  Before he could react—he was outside the Lost Isnd again.

  Banished.

  Again.

  He screamed, his fists pounding the earth.

  “I will find you, my love, Nancy.”

  But the mist ughed in reply.

  _____

  Nancy wept.

  Her tears fell endlessly, her body shaking.

  She had chosen what was best for her child.

  But it had cost her everything.

  The other nymphs whispered.

  Sidney frowned.

  And in the temple, Catherina fidgeted.

  Everything was according to her pn.

  And yet…

  She felt like she was losing control.