Chapter 69

Orin's control over his shadows was commendable. The ground nearly rattled, and the darkness within him showed on his face, but still, he took my hand in his, even as Ezra remained hanging in the air, and dropped to a knee, bowing his head.

Paesha and I were different. With balled fists and heavy glares, we reluctantly followed suit, but only for a second, before I exploded. "If you don't?—"

Orin's shadows wrapped around my mouth, the bond at my wrist humming with fear. Fear. My head snapped to his as I saw it mirrored in his eyes and then to Ro, who matched him.

"Forgive her, Keeper of Realms," Orin said, far wiser than I had been. "We are still learning."

Ezra dropped to the ground with a thud, scrambling backward before taking a knee, his eyes squeezed shut and hands trembling—whether with fear or fury, I wasn't sure. The searing light radiating off the figure stole my ability to discern his features. Whatever he'd looked like, whomever he'd been, he hovered like a shining star in the pitch-black night.

The great voice of the sovereign lingered with an echo as he spoke. "Rise, Orin Aurelius Faber. In this name, I grant you not merely a designation but a profound responsibility. ‘Aurelius' signifies the golden path of wisdom, the radiant thread of divine duty, and the sacred trust of maintaining order.

"With this name, I mark a new beginning of your eternity, entrusting you to wield your power wisely and to keep yourself in perfect order. You are a guardian of the delicate balance between life and death, a sentinel of transitions and endings, and a steward of the realms.

"Consider your role in this world as paramount. You stand at the crossroads of existence. Guard well the boundaries of your duties. You are now tasked with upholding the eternal balance, ensuring that all things flow according to the grand design.

"May the name ‘Aurelius' serve as a constant reminder of the luminous path you are entrusted to tread, and may you embrace this divine duty with unwavering resolve. Through your actions and judgments, may you illuminate the way for all souls, guiding them on their journey with wisdom and compassion."

Ro clasped her hands together, a bright smile beaming. "With this gift, Reverius, Keeper of Realms, imparts not just a name but a sacred charge, a reminder of your pivotal role in the cosmic order, and the immense trust placed upon your shoulders."

"The final gift is a portal without the restrictions of your father's. This gift shall be marked in Etherium, the Realm of Gods, as the Aurelian Gate."

The Keeper, still glowing so bright I couldn't make out the edges of his form, swiped a giant arm through the air, and a large door appeared in the forest, so big, Ezra, Paesha, Orin, and I could have walked through it shoulder to shoulder. The void between the frame of the intricate iron weavings rippled, revealing a glimpse into Requiem. "This is the world from which you come." With another wave, the vision rippled, and a different world appeared. One steeped in night and lit by stars, though only a great body of water covered the ground. "This is another of your charges. The Astral Seal is a world with great order and balance far vaster than your Requiem." Again, the picture changed, one of mountains and forests and winding rivers and lakes so still, they looked like mirrors. "Starforge is a dangerous realm. Take care when you carry the spirits from this world, Orin Aurelius Faber. They do not leave with ease."

I grew tired, shifting from foot to foot as Orin took in his role and our future. Realm by realm flashed by until the reflection turned dark and then faded completely. Paesha, though? She watched those worlds pass by in fervor. She seemed to take in every detail and every name. Every picture burning into her memory, each sound of crashing waves and singing birds, of dry desert wind, and the fury of a blizzard captured her.

Paesha cleared her throat. "Reverius, Keeper of Realms and Sovereign of Sovereignty things, can we please see Requiem again?"

"Unerring Arbiter of Beginnings and Endings, Supreme Sovereign," Ro corrected her.

"That's what I said."

"These other worlds are not for you, Huntress," the gleaming god answered. "But this one is, and I can see your heart's desire."

The Syndicate house appeared before us, more specifically, the backs of Elowen and Althea as they held hands, staring into Quill's tidy bedroom. The little girl lay in her bed, with Boo snuggled in a tiny circle beside her as she shook with tears.

"Oh, gods," Paesha breathed, stepping forward to reach a hand toward Quill.

"Your realm has fallen," Reverius said quietly. "With no present ruler and your Fera in distress, there can be no peace."

"Fera?" I asked, stepping forward to stand beside Paesha.

Ro answered. "Quill is rare. Special. She is known as a Fera, which means the bearer. At a baser level, her unique power allows her to bear the emotions of others, sometimes carry them when they grow too heavy, and ultimately manipulate them, should she choose it. Her power has been lost for a millennium. And with eternal mourning, she will bring down that world, and the rest will follow. Because sadness is only a root to which anger grows."

"No," I answered, because Paesha fell quiet. "You said you were going to help her. That was our bargain."

"I've been called back to Etherium." Ro tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'll still help as I can, but my role is vast and demanding."

"You're such a liar. I did all of this for you, and you're just… leaving?"

"Such is the way of gods," Reverius said, deflating my anger with a pulse of his choking power.

"Tell me how to go back. Can't I just walk through this?" Paesha turned to Ezra. "I'm sorry, but I will come back to you. Wait for me here and I will come back. She needs me."

"Seventy years is nothing compared to an eternity together," Ezra answered, pulling her into his arms. "I would wait a thousand lifetimes."

"I've allowed the gods to return to Requiem. There is no immortality among humans anymore. No need for Maidens. Humans will live and die by fate alone, as it should be. There is no path back for you, Huntress."

Her spine straightened as she slowly faced the glowing entity. "What?"

"You stand in a realm of the dead, living. The Aurelian Gate is only for those touched by Death. Deyanira was marked by him at birth, but you cannot return to Requiem. Should you try to pass through, you will simply die and return here."

"That…" She glared. "You're supposed to be the supreme god of the fucking realms, and you're telling me that little girl is going to burn it all down, and there's nothing you can do because … why, exactly? You're the master of beginnings or whatever. You can create worlds, but you can't just send me back to save everyone? What the fuck?"

"Tongue," Ro snapped, to which Paesha extended a middle finger.

"There is a way," Reverius said, his authoritative tone consuming the air around him. "But all magic comes at a cost."

"Then pay it," she snapped.

"Why should I? Perhaps the Ether calls to me, Huntress."

"Bargain with me, then," she said, stepping toward him. "Let me try to save the worlds you damn so easily."

"Speak your terms, Huntress," the god said, the edges of his form darkening, if only slightly.

"Send me back and I will pay the cost. Whatever it is, I will pay it."

"Paesha," Ezra and Orin said in unison.

Ezra continued, "Absolutely not."

I moved carefully to her side. "You can't mean that, Paesha. It's too dangerous."

She spun with a glare. "Everyone dies, Maiden. Everyone. Not just dies; they cease to exist. You, me, Orin, Ezra, our family. The Syndicate, every soul across the realms if what he says is true. Tell me you wouldn't make the same deal, pay whatever the cost to save them."

She was right, of course.

Reverius's form waved, and Paesha's mismatched eyes glossed over until they glowed a golden hue.

"What the hell?" I waved my hand in front of Paesha's face, but she didn't move.

Ro stepped forward, her silk gown cascading along the decaying ground. "They're having a private conversation."

"No," Ezra breathed. "Don't let her agree to this, Goddess. Whatever the terms, let me go instead."

An eerie, unearthly smile played across Ro's lips as she shook her head. "That isn't our choice to make."

The Huntress gasped, stumbling back as the light faded from her eyes. She looked only at Ezra as she said, "I agree to your terms, Keeper."

"What terms?" Orin demanded, surging forward to grab Paesha's arms. "What did you do?"

But before he could get to her, before she could be stopped, she spun and took a single step backward, mouthed, "I'm sorry," and crossed through the Aurelian Gate, fading away.

"Tell me the terms," Ezra roared, fists at his side. "What the hell did she just do?"

But the Keeper didn't answer. Instead, his ethereal form flashed, and he vanished. Ro swept a hand through the pooling shadows on the ground before nodding once and disappearing, just as her beloved god had.

We stood stricken, each breath a chore as we stared at Requiem through the gate, wondering what had just happened and what Paesha had agreed to. And then, from one breath to the next, Ezra was running, crying out for his beloved as he, too, aimed for the threshold of the Aurelian Gate.

Orin lurched forward to stop him, calling out his name, but Ezra didn't fade away as Paesha had. He didn't spiral into an abyss or turn to embers on contact. He transformed, glowing brighter and brighter as he grew. Until he stood in a halo of golden light, just like Reverius had. I stumbled backward, eyes wide and skin turning ice cold.

"I… I remember," he said, studying his massive hands before lowering his chin to scowl. "I remember everything."

And then he vanished.

My mouth dropped open, staring in silence at Orin as realization hit me. Ezra was not just any soul. He was a god.