The blade sits silent against the stone. White bone catching the last of the light.
I don't have anything to say to that. And honestly, I'm not sure if I should be concerned that he's having a conversation with a dead woman's spine, or if this is just... what grief looks like when you've been carrying it for so long.
So I move. Crawl forward on tired legs, over cold stone, until I'm next to him. At the edge.
I sit down.
My legs dangle over nothing. The city sprawls below—lights, smoke, a thousand lives unfolding in the dark. Wind pulls at my hair, my clothes, the ash still on my skin, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
Koshin goes still beside me.
"You should be running." His voice is barely audible. "I just told you I'm older than every god in this city. That I've killed more people than I can count. That I've been lying about what I am since before your grandmother's grandmother was born."
"Yup"
"Why aren't you?"
Good question. I think about it. Really think, for the first time since I got dragged into his world.
"Because you told me anyway." I look at him—his profile against the darkening sky. "You didn't have to. No one was forcing you. You just brought me here. To the one place no one's ever been. And you told me the truth. That’s all you have done since I’ve been here. Told the truth. And that means more to me than…well anything really."
His hand is shaking. I can see it—the tremor in his fingers where they grip the stone.
"That's not—"
"You're the Titan of Truth." I cut him off. "You literally can't lie. And you just gave me the biggest secret you have. Voluntarily. Without asking for anything." A pause. "That means something."
He doesn't respond.
"I'm tired," I say. Because it's true, and I don't have energy to be anything other than honest. "I'm so fucking tired. And I just found out you are an ancient cosmic entity who carries his dead companion's spine as a weapon. So I'm going to sit here for a while. And you're going to sit here with me. And we're not going to talk about it. For a minute. Okay?"
…
Then, very quietly: "Okay."
Koshin the Titan. Renan the hidden god. Discord built on lies that run in both directions.
CHAPTER 23 — THE LIE COLLAPSES
The door slams open and I'm on my feet before I've finished processing the sound, knife in hand, ribs screaming. When did I fall asleep? Doesn't matter. Renan's face tells me everything I need to know before he opens his mouth.
"Faith. Judgment proceeding. Central plaza." He's already moving, grabbing weapons from the rack by the door. "One of the survivors from the explosion—they're calling him a Discord sympathizer. Public execution. Now."
Cold floods my chest.
"He's not a sympathizer." The words come out flat. "He's a witness. He saw what Faith did."
Renan stops. Koshin unfolds from somewhere behind me—I don't have time to think about how long he's been watching me sleep—and his smile flickers on and off in that way that never stops being wrong.
"They're executing him to shut him up." I shove my feet into boots, ignoring the way my hands shake. "If he dies, their version becomes truth. If he lives—if he talks—"
"He corroborates everything." Renan's jaw tightens. "Fuck."
Koshin's laugh spills out, delighted. "Oh, that's beautiful."
"The exposure." I'm already moving toward the door. "Is it ready?"
"Close enough."
