Two pairs of hands were clamped on either of Palya's arms. One set belonged to a god with a round, angelic face and short, curly hair. A god with a narrow jaw and a cleft on his chin owned the other.
Their grips were firm but not bruising, a consideration that Palya was thankful for. But it didn't make up for the fact that they were holding her captive like a wanted criminal. To make matters worse, some people had noticed the commotion in the alley and had begun to make their way in.
Palya's throat constricted as she tried to process what was going on.
"What's happening?" she asked, fighting to break free. However, she couldn't shake the gods off even after using all her strength. "Why are you restraining me?"
Her struggling increased when Iloyu, who had paused in surprise, finally sprung into action. He rushed forward and pulled a dagger from somewhere beneath his robe. But before he could raise the weapon and aim it at anybody's throat, the god with the cleft chin had already reached out and grabbed his wrist, earning a gasp from the onlookers.
This did not deter Iloyu. His jaw tensed. His nostrils flared as he breathed.
"Let her go."
The god he'd tried to threaten raised one eyebrow. The corner of his mouth rose, proving just how unbothered he was by Iloyu's simmering anger. Perhaps as a deity, he found the threats of mortal men hilarious more than anything else.
"And who are you?" the god asked.
"Me?" Iloyu retorted. He kept his dagger raised high, something that Palya preferred he remedy immediately. "I didn't hear you introducing yourself."
The goddess, who'd ordered her capture, huffed. When Palya turned to her, she saw that the female deity was equally amused by Iloyu's chivalrous display. However, and maybe because of the growing crowd at the alley entrance, she also seemed a tad more irritated than her two companions.
"How insolent," she said, her eyes darting to the fearful onlookers before returning to the task at hand. She focused on Iloyu, who responded to her attention with a glare that would make weaker men piss in their loose pants.
That's when Palya decided to intervene before things got out of hand.
"He's a visitor, nothing more," she said, interrupting whatever Iloyu had planned to retaliate with. "The long journey must have tested his temper. Please be lenient with him."
Despite her own fear, Palya was determined to get Iloyu home alive at all costs. She'd already offended him and his family by dissolving their engagement, even though she couldn't do anything about it. Getting him killed after becoming a goddess would surely cause a war between their villages.
Perhaps sensing that she, too, wished to avoid chaos and bloodshed in front of other people, the goddess relented. She gestured for her fellow god to release Iloyu, which drew a sigh of relief from Palya and the crowd. Iloyu wrenched his hand away as soon as it was free, but he didn't step back.
"To answer his question," the goddess said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I am Magulana, the sky-goddess, keeper of flames, and high queen of the seasons. The man to your right is Tungi, the earth-god, bringer of good harvests, and guardian of all fauna. The man on your left is Ugut, the water-god, creator of storms, and prince of the hundred seas."
Around three dozen people had gathered near the alley now, but none dared venture beyond three feet of the entrance. And now that they knew they were in the presence of gods, they even retreated. Those in front bowed their heads out of fear and reverence, influencing those behind them to do the same.
Palya ignored them as she was still thinking of how to break free from the gods.
"Why are you holding me captive?"
This time around, it was God Ugut—the deity with the cleft chin—who answered her.
"It's not so much holding you captive as making sure you don't do anything reckless," he said, his voice as clear as the waters he claimed to command.
"What?" Palya's eyebrows furrowed. His words didn't make sense, as she'd had no plans of doing anything aside from figuring out what would happen to her.
The other god, Tungi, chimed in with a more informative response. Unlike the other deities, he held no trace of irritation at all. He did, however, hold her arm more firmly, demonstrating that he was just as serious as his comrades about keeping her in place.
"Most void-deities tend to cause unintentional harm when they first harness their power," Tungi said.
"Is that what I am?" Palya asked. She paused her fussing, sensing that the gods must not mean to hurt her in front of those who worshipped them.
Goddess Magulana nodded.
"A void-goddess, mistress of destruction, and maiden of the silent night," she said as she approached. Palya could only angle her head away as the goddess leaned forward to study her. "A deity who can undo the blessings we bestow upon human lands. You can destroy my warm days by making them colder, for example, or chase away the nourishing rain by Ugut."
The deity's inspection was cut short when Iloyu spoke again.
"That's stupid," he said, but not with the disdain he previously held. His face revealed that he simply thought the idea impossible. "I've never heard of any void-deities misusing their power before."
By then, the onlookers had raised their heads halfway. Some even dared to stand straight, too curious about the situation and perhaps emboldened by Iloyu's brash refusal to genuflect to the gods. Palya couldn't believe how he could interact with these powerful beings so candidly.
Thankfully, the gods seemed to be taking his behavior in stride. After all, there was nothing Iloyu could do that would genuinely threaten them. The sky-goddess could summon lightning to strike him down if she wished, but she luckily didn't.
Goddess Magulana turned to Iloyu instead, more than willing to answer now that she didn't have to worry about the new goddess escaping them.
"That's because void-deities are kept in an eternal slumber, where they can't lose control or betray the other gods. Either of those can cause calamities and spell the world's end."
No sooner had she finished speaking when Palya's father came into view. Palya, who had been too distracted by the knowledge she was gleaning, failed to notice the man pushing his way through the crowd. His disappointed voice interrupted their discussion.
"Of course something like this would happen." He looked at her, and she could do nothing but duck her head in shame. "I thought you wouldn't be a disappointment for once, but clearly that's not the case. When it comes to you, nothing ever turns out the way I hope for."
"I'm sorry, father," she said, not wanting to vex him.
Unfortunately, her precaution proved futile as soon as Iloyu's uncle appeared too.
"So much for bragging, you bastard. Your daughter is a harbinger of doom." The old man then bowed as low as he could to the sky-goddess, who looked unimpressed by his pretentious display. "Lady Goddess, please do away with the girl before her calamities befall our villages."
The possibility that she might die or sleep eternally, as the gods had declared, induced Palya to struggle anew.
"You're wrong! I don't mean to cause any kind of doom. I don't even know how." This time around, she spoke louder and even looked towards Iloyu for help. The man tried to aid her a second time, but God Ugut pulled out his sword before anybody could blink. "Goddess Magulana, please reconsider. I'll try my best not to lose control. And I have no intention of betraying you or the other gods."
"We've heard that before," God Ugut said, not taking his eyes—and his weapon—away from Iloyu.
"I give you my word," Palya pleaded. There had to be something she could do to convince them that she didn't need to be contained in such a tragic manner. "What must I do to change your minds?"
To her right, God Tungi raised his hand and waited for anyone to acknowledge him.
"Should we tell her about the taming bond?" he asked once Goddess Magulana nodded.
The sky-goddess hummed after hearing his suggestion. She then resumed her perusal of Palya, who had started shivering from stress and dread. If this was how the deities affected her now, then she had no idea how she would deal with them daily if they allowed her to stay awake.
The thought of having to constantly live in terror and watch her back ate at Palya. This existence seemed more oppressive than the strict rules and constant reprimands from her father. Her eyes misted, and her lips quivered.
Alas, Goddess Magulana pulled back.
"Nobody has survived before, but perhaps you will be different," she said, her pupils following the tear that had escaped Palya's eye. "There is one way that we can guarantee your resolve, but you must submit to a taming bond, which might lead to equally tragic results."
"What do you mean?" Palya managed to ask despite the lump in her throat.
"A taming bond between a god and a mortal," the sky-goddess said. "Once you bind yourself to a mortal's soul, their very existence will force you to tame your power. His or her life will depend on how well you can control your ability."
God Tungi bobbed his head, satisfied with his fellow deity's explanation.
"As soon as you abuse or neglect your power, the mortal will die," he added, making the rules of the taming bond even clearer.
And to truly drill the seriousness of this bond into her, God Ugut ducked his head and looked her directly in the eye.
"Once the mortal dies, you will slumber until your own natural death, just as you were supposed to." The water-god held neither sorrow nor delight at delivering this last part of their explanation. Somehow, his detached attitude towards all this scared Palya even more.
"I can't possibly ask someone to do this," Palya whispered, even as her eyes drifted to her father and the spectators behind him. Nobody moved or spoke a word, although some seconds had elapsed.
The sky-goddess turned to the crowd.
"Surely your family or a close friend will be willing to make the sacrifice," she said in their direction. However, they withdrew by a significantly disheartening distance.
Even her father backed off, much to Palya's dismay. The sight of him leaving her to her fate caused more tears to splash onto her beautifully beaded shirt. A shirt she had bought and painstakingly embelished herself despite her impending loveless marriage.
"I'm too old to do something this dangerous." Her father rapped Iloyu's uncle on the back as if he didn't despise the man anymore. "What about you? Are there people under your influence who'll do this for the right price?"
"I'm not sacrificing my men for one slip of a girl." Iloyu's uncle pried himself from her father's hold and escaped from the situation.
Some onlookers followed his example out of fright. The others, especially the women that Palya recognized from her excursions through the village market, bit their lips in guilt. She could understand why they were hesitant.
For one, these people didn't know her too well. She'd been sheltered from the public for most of her life, her connections limited to those that her father allowed her to maintain. She had no close friends to speak of, even among the people of her village.
Even if she did, those friends would likely have families to take care of. Putting their lives at risk would be selfish. She did not wish to live the rest of her existence suspended between life and death, but perhaps it was for the best.
Except, Iloyu didn't think so.
"I'll do it," he said out of the blue, shocking Palya, the deities, and the people who'd chosen to stick around. Palya stared at him as he brushed aside God Ugut's slackened sword and approached her.
"But..." She didn't know how to protest his decision. And maybe deep inside, she was too afraid and hopeful to do so.
Iloyu rolled his eyes. Then, to her embarrassment, he wiped away some of her tears. She nearly squeaked, though, when he pinched her cheek just playfully enough to jolt her out of her miserable mood.
"Would you rather sleep eternally instead?"