Page 322 of The Gods Order

“Correct. Whether you chose to guide the realm or return to it, I would have restored your souls. You were harmed before you understood the cost. That burden was never yours to carry, and you will carry it no more.”

My fingers tighten in Creed’s shirt as I close my eyes and let the words settle. I thought I knew what it meant to love them. I thought I knew what connection meant.

I was wrong.

This is knowing them without anything between us. Feeling every heartbeat, fear, devotion.

This is home.

A quiet laugh leaves Riven.

“You all know what I just thought about…”

My eyes open. His glitter with mischief.

“Please don’t say it,” Kyzen warns.

“I kinda forgot we were made in here and now we just got remade in here.”

Kyzen releases a breath that resembles a laugh. Amick stares. Creed glares. I die laughing.

It’s kind of true…

As the amusement fades, a long sigh replaces it. I look toward the endless light.

“We need to get back,” I say softly. “They’re probably losing their minds, and we’ve got a lot to clean up.”

“Time moves differently here,” Kyzen says, eyes glowing. “To them, we’ve only been gone maybe three minutes.”

“What?”

“The God of Time is correct. But it is time for you to go. I have one more thing to address before you leave.”

The warmth and lights shift above us, spinning faster and faster until they form a perfect sphere of power across from us.

“You have accepted a responsibility once carried through control. You will carry it differently. You will not be given power because you stand above those you guide. You will be given power because you have chosen to stand beside them.”

My breath catches as the air shifts and the entire space begins to glow.

“Remember this. A mantle is not a crown. It is a promise.”

Riven gasps as essence races across his skin.

The rest of us startle when light explodes behind him.

He stumbles forward with a startled laugh as power surges through him.

Then—

His wings unfurl.

I cover my mouth, gawking. Burgundy feathers spread wide, each tipped with brilliant blue.

Chaos and Harmony. Wildness and balance.

Two forces that should never coexist, yet they fit him perfectly.

Before he can do more than smirk, Creed sucks in a breath.