"What a peculiar thing to ask me. I have to say I'm quite flattered," The Forgotten One boasted. "Hmm, am I sensing a hint of jealousy over the possibility that another woman might steal me away from you?"

"I knew you were interested in me and wanted me all to yourself. I'm just that irresistible," The Forgotten One said, unable to hold back a wide grin from forming on his face. He continued flying in the southern direction with the wind goddess in hot pursuit.

"Jealousy, that's what you're calling it?!" Calista exclaimed. Calista instantly regretted asking him anything since doing so clearly gave him an unwanted ego boost.

"You couldn't be more wrong. Only you would come up with a crazy idea like that. I call it wanting to know who and what we're dealing with here," Calista said, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"If you must know so badly, and if it'll put your mind at ease, she's just some admirer I've already turned down ages ago. It looks like she still can't get over me. I can't say I can blame her, though," he said while shrugging his shoulders in indifference.

The Forgotten One paused momentarily before speaking more loudly so the wind goddess would hear everything. "I mean, I am pretty irresistible and unforgettable, wouldn't you say Dove? Unfortunately, she seems to have trouble accepting that no matter how hard she tries to win my heart, it'll never belong to her."

The wind goddess soon became consumed by a jealous rage when she overheard those words leave The Forgotten One's mouth. She also despised his refusal to give her the attention she craved.

Before Calista could say another word, her eyes widened as the wind goddess began to speak in a booming voice. The goddess sent another chilling gust of wind that seeped through their bones.

"Who's that woman you're holding so tenderly in your arms and speaking with as if I'm not even here? You're still as ignorant as you were back then since you already know I despise being disregarded!" the wind goddess angrily shouted. The surrounding air became more turbulent as if demanding that The Forgotten One acknowledge her.

"Is she the one who helped you get out? You don't have feelings for her, do you? Are you even aware of what the humans have just done?" the wind goddess demanded as she continued to follow them.

"Man, she's a pain in my ass just like she was then," The Forgotten One said in a tone full of exhaustion.

"I guess we'll just have to give her the slip, wouldn't you say, Dove?" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Calista could feel the wind beating against her eardrums as he began accelerating through the air to try and leave the wind goddess far behind them.

The wind goddess howled with laughter. "Do you honestly think you can escape me when I'm the one who rules these skies?"

"You can try to outmaneuver me however you want. I'll just end up closing the distance between us. You'll see one way or another that I'm the only one who's right for you," the wind goddess cried out.

"I think that you underestimate me a little too much, don't you think? You say that, yet I'm still in the lead while you're lagging behind me," The Forgotten One shouted behind him while looking over his shoulder at the wind goddess.

"Also, if you ask me, there are much better gods and goddesses that rule the sky. I bet they would've already caught me, but it's okay. You can try to prove me wrong by catching me, or maybe you're just too old for this."

"Are you out of your mind?! Why in the hell would you tell her that?!" Calista said, trying to conceal her internal panic.

"I'm truly touched that you've been thinking about me all these years. I thought I would be more impressed if I ever saw your face again. But, here I am, completely disappointed that you can't seem to knock us out of the sky, getting rusty?" The Forgotten One said mockingly.

The Forgotten One continued to taunt the wind goddess. "You're way too slow; you'll never catch us at this rate. We'll probably be long gone before you even catch up to us despite you claiming you could easily close the distance."

The wind goddess sent another burst of wind in their direction that was stronger than the last, which the Forgotten One effortlessly dodged.

"Is that all you've got? Come on, you can do much better than that. You'll have to try a lot harder than that. I dare you to give me your best shot, but I highly doubt you'll hit me," The Forgotten One said with a sly grin.

"What's with you? Are you trying to get us killed? The last thing I want to do is die of something that was caused by you when it could've been avoided," Calista said with an angry shout.

"It's all part of my plan, Dove. She's reacting exactly how I want her to," he said, radiating confidence.

"You truly haven't changed at all, have you? You're still as full of yourself as I remember you to be," the wind goddess said snarkily.

"You want me to give it my best shot, is that it?! Fine, let me give you exactly what you asked for. Just so you know, once my eyes are locked onto a target, I never miss," the wind goddess said, her eyes burning with fierce determination.

"I hope whatever was going on between you two was good while it lasted because I'm about to put an end to it. Let's all find out what length someone as self-centered as you will be willing to go to protect a mere human while your safety is jeopardized," the wind goddess cried out before laughing hysterically.

Calista was suddenly struck with a feeling of immobility that forced not a single word to leave her lips. It was as if the goddess's words were charged with electricity that sank itself into Calista's very being and left her utterly paralyzed on how to react at that moment.

Calista's mind was racing as various thoughts crossed her mind. Her heart pounded against her chest as she struggled to process the words the wind goddess had just spoken.

Calm down, Calista, and just focus. Calista tried to put her mind at ease as she watched the event continue to play out. There are only two ways this scenario can play out. Either he miraculously manages to get us both out of here unscathed, or he's more than willing to toss me aside to save himself and get rid of the extra weight slowing him down.

He did tell me earlier that I should only care about myself, so that must be how he thinks about my well-being, Calista thought to herself.

On second thought, what if the goddess suddenly decided to attack us? Wouldn't that force him to act rashly and possibly choose the best outcome to benefit himself? Calista frantically thought to herself. She gulped hard as the concerning thoughts consumed her mind.

"Don't listen to a thing she says, Dove, and worry your little heart out over all the nonsense she's spouting. I can handle a little gust of wind. I've got this under control. Trust me on this," he said as he briefly glanced down at her face.

It was like The Forgotten One had partially read her thoughts to some degree. Or maybe Calisa misjudged that her emotions might have been showing on her face despite her best efforts to hide them. If she was being honest, he couldn't actually expect her to believe him when all he's done so far is make the situation even worse than it needed to be.

I can't die here when I haven't fulfilled my goal of restoring the peace between the gods and humanity. My time is already limited with each tick of the clock. If I do that, then at least I'll die in a way where I'll be remembered rather than forgotten. Because in the end, no one can save me anymore, Calista thought to herself bitterly while a weak smile formed on her lips.

I can't trust someone I've barely known. Everything about The Forgotten One was questionable to begin with and littered with so many red flags that it was not even funny. But what other choice did I have? Calista continued to think to herself.

"I can't take any chances that risk me dying," she said, her voice low. She loosened the grip of her shaky right hand from around The Forgotten One's neck and raised it in front of herself while curling her fingers.

As soon as she did that, he scolded her, "Hey, what're you doing? You're supposed to be hanging onto me, not letting go of me at a time like this. It's dangerous!"

She then began reciting, "In front of my eyes, create a rift by slicing the sky open. Rip it apart to transport us somewhere else so we can kiss this wind goddess goodbye!"

As soon as Calista finished uttering those words, a circular portal opened in the air, swirling counterclockwise. With the Forgotten One's current speed, it was nearly impossible for him to avoid flying into the portal Calista had conjured up.