The morning sun was merciless. Heat shimmered off the road, buses honked in endless chorus, and the crowd pushed past like a living tide.
"WAIT!" Liora's voice cracked as she ran, arms aching, lungs burning from breathing heavily. A cab slipped through the traffic light ahead. She had waved for it, nearly touched the door, and still the driver sped off, dust and exhaust left as her consolation prize.
Her breath hitched as she slowed, hands on her knees. "Just great. Third time this week."
The city didn't care. Vendors shouted about bread and plantains, children in uniforms darted past, and above them all, billboards of powerful CEOs in suits smiled down as though mocking her failure.
She glanced at the clock on her phone. Ten minutes past her shift.
Her heart dropped.
By the time she reached the hotel gates, the guard didn't bother opening them with his usual lazy smile. He just gave her the look. That look that said: Again?
Inside, the head attendant stood with a clipboard, lips pursed.
"Late." One word, sharp enough to cut her in two.
"Please, Mrs Edna Coleman, the cab..."
"No excuses." The older woman's brows pinched tighter. "You've been warned. If you cannot keep time, you cannot stand behind the front desk."
Liora's mouth fell open. "But I...."
"Uniform off Join the cleaning crew."
The words stung more than a slap. The front desk was her pride, her chance to stand polished, smile at important guests, and maybe just maybe step out of invisibility. To be sent to clean was humiliation.
But one glare from Mrs Edna Coleman silenced her.
Minutes later, she was on her knees in the grand lobby, scrubbing marble floors that reflected golden chandeliers. Guests strolled past in suits that cost more than her monthly wage. Perfume clung to the air, clashing with the stench of bleach on her uniform.
By noon, sweat glued her shirt to her skin. Her fingers stung with raw blisters. And when a careless businessman spilled coffee right where she had scrubbed, she smiled through clenched teeth and cleaned it again.
Inside, her heart whispered what she never dared say aloud: Why does the world feel like it hates me?
---
Far above her misery, the heavens shook.
Clouds split apart as lightning ripped across the Celestial Hall. A thunderclap rolled for miles, silencing even the smallest bird. Upon his golden throne sat King Jard, god of Thunder, his beard like storm clouds, his crown forged from lightning itself.
"MY SONS!" His voice was a storm breaking mountains.
Four figures stepped forward, radiant as constellations.
The Sun God, firstborn, towered with a mane of golden fire, his eyes twin flames. Pride dripped from his every movement, his very presence heating the air.
Beside him stood the Ice God Malik, cold and sharp as the glaciers he commanded, his aura freezing marble beneath his boots. He did not blink, did not smile.
The Nature God Dae came next, vines trailing from his shoulders, flowers blooming in his wake, his aura a comforting warmth yet his eyes gleamed with hidden cunning.
And last, the Moon God Kael. His silver hair cascaded like liquid light, his skin pale as marble, and his eyes… blue wells that pulled and swallowed. He bowed, silent, unreadable, his beauty laced with something haunting.
"The Gem of Restoration has been stolen." Jard's voice cracked like thunder. "Without it, the balance of heaven and earth collapses. Shadows stir. The council trembles."
The hall darkened as he rose. "You four will descend to the mortal realm. Find the gem. At all costs."
The Sun God smirked, fire curling around his fists. "I will bring it back myself, Father. The mortals will worship me for it."
"Silence," Jard barked. "This is not for glory, this is survival."
At the chamber's edge, the Snow Princess stepped forward, her gown trailing frost. Her beauty was fragile, like glass about to shatter, yet her eyes glittered with cruelty.
"Father," she whispered, bowing low.
"Follow them, " Jard commanded. His thunderous gaze fell on Kael. "Make sure kael takes his elixir. Without it, his… fragile memories may return, We cannot allow that."
Kael's jaw tightened. He said nothing as the vial was placed into his hand. A shimmering liquid swirled inside, glowing faintly blue.
He tipped it back and swallowed.
Bitter. Metallic. A familiar ache spread through his chest, the same hollow numbness that always followed. With every drop, a part of him dimmed, though he could not remember what.
The Snow Princess's lips curved faintly. "Good...."
****
When they descended, mortals did not see gods. They saw power.
Gleaming cars rolled into the city. Cameras flashed as four new investors stepped from polished black doors, suits tailored to perfection. The Sun God's aura made journalists stammer. The Ice God's cold stare silenced entire boards. The Nature God's charm spread like vines through the crowd. And the Moon God… Kael stood apart, shadows clinging to him even beneath the noon sun.
Humans whispered in awe. "Top investors… foreign magnates… maybe princes." None guessed the truth.
And while mortals fawned, the gods scanned the city. Somewhere within, the Gem of Restoration pulsed like a heartbeat.
Somewhere close.
****
Meanwhile, Liora knelt in the hotel laundry room, scrubbing sheets while the other maids gossiped.
"Did you see the news? Four new CEOs arrived today. Rich like kings. I heard one of them bought half the city already."
"Ah, forget them," another said. "Men like that don't even look at girls like us."
Liora wrung out a sheet, her mind far away. The chatter barely touched her. A strange unease had followed her since morning, like someone watching from far, far above. Her heart thumped unevenly, as though calling out to someone she had never met.
She shook it off. Just exhaustion. Nothing more.