Page 38 of The Gods Order

“What’s that sound for?” I ask.

“I don’t know exactly,” she says, squinting like she’s trying really hard to figure something out. “You made the Binding take the form of the lamp and vice versa, and it held. We could touch it. Other people could touch it. I don’t understand why you can’t do that now with the fake people you formed.”

I shrug and sigh. It is baffling.

“Not sure, truthfully, angel. Same power. Same process. Different result.”

“Perhaps not.”

I glance over to find Amick watching the fake Mellcom flee from a herd of furious undead creatures.

“What do you mean, perhaps not?” I ask.

He hums. “You assume you’re doing the same thing.”

“I am doing the same thing.”

“Are you?”

I groan. “I hate when you answer a question with a question.”

“I’m aware.”

Thayla, Kyzen, and Creed snort. I sneer.

Amick folds his hands behind his back as we continue our stroll.

“A lamp is simple. A sword is simple. Most objects are. They have a shape, a purpose, and little else. Convincing reality they exist is likely far easier than convincing it a person exists. A person isn’t merely a shape.”

“That sounded profound in your head, didn’t it?” I ask.

“It did.”

“Unfortunately, it sounds stupid out loud.”

He ignores me.

“A lamp is a lamp. It doesn’t think, choose, or change. A person is far more complicated. Memories, instincts, fears, desires, habits, preferences. Thousands of details layered atop one another. You warp reality and form the outline of a person. It’s convincing to look at, but perhaps your Chaos cannot sustain everything required to make the form complete.”

“Perhaps?” I ask.

“Yes, perhaps. This is just speculation. My theory is that your Chaos can imitate the shape of a person, but not the complexity that makes them whole.”

I make a face at him. My sweet, precious Chaos shouldn’t have such limitations.

“Regardless, this is impressive and quite a distraction,” Thayla says with a smile as she bumps me with her hip.

I preen. I am impressive. Always have been.

“Thank you for the compliment, my sweet angel. My ego appreciates it.”

“I bet it does,” she snorts, then frowns. “I can’t believe Otiero and Evani created this place, though.”

Kyzen, Creed, and I grunt.

“What choice did they truly have?” Amick asks. “It’s not like now, when they have hope of change. Back then, they would’ve been killed for disobeying the Beginning Gods.”

She hums as she runs her hand over a tree.