Page 39 of The Gods Order

“Yeah, I suppose so. It’s still unsettling that Otiero brought creatures back from the dead, though. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but it obviously doesn’t work right.”

“And it never will,” Creed says. “His power has always been about commanding, calming, and connecting to creatures. He calls to these dead ones the same way he would with a living one, but a living creature has a mind, instinct, and a soul. A dead creature can only answer with instinct and leftover power embedded in the body.”

“So essentially he’s just forcing the body to respond to him even after death?” she asks.

“Yep.”

“If that’s the case, then…” she trails off, tilting her head. “Why did he and Vihaan attempt to bring the Veilatara in Hellveilious back?”

Creed lets out a long breath as he runs his hand down his face.

“Vihaan didn’t have power over souls to the extent I do, but he could control the ones in Hell. I can’t say for sure if this is what they did, but my assumption is that Vihaan attempted to take and heal a corrupt soul and attach it to the Veilatara once Otiero commanded it back to life. That wouldn’t work either, though. Once your soul has detached from your vessel, you can’t just…get a new one. That’s not how that works. Your soul was created specifically for you.”

“I understand the motive behind the method, although it was a massive failure,” Amick says and we whip our attention toward him. He shrugs. “Otiero had already experienced what he believed to be the extinction of a revered species. His power allows him to create new creatures but not recreate those who’ve already passed on. So in his mind, he was looking for a workaround to save another species before they became extinct as well.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Thayla whispers, then her lips flap together with her harsh exhale.

That is true madness, but I get it.

If something happened to Verlet, I’d be down to try some crazy-ass shit to bring him back to me.

Conversations carry on to lighter topics as we tramp our way through the rest of the forest. I rotate my Chaos between screaming Mellcoms, Gladdys, and our father. I allow the creatures to pounce, and I imitate what it’d be like if they actually caught them.

Ahh, if only this were reality and the creatures could tear them to shreds for real.

“Well, fuck me sideways.” I gasp as we step out of the tree line and my gaze falls on the sparkling white stone temple.

“Shit. I didn’t realize I fixed the outside too.” Thayla lets out a small chuckle. “I starshot out from inside, so I didn’t come back out here.”

“Damn, little goddess. If the outside looks this good, I can’t wait to see the inside,” Kyzen says, smiling beautifully from ear to ear.

I’m excited as shit.

The moonlight beams directly on the temple, highlighting every change for us to see. The vines that used to slither all over the walls are gone. The bushes lining the structure are full and bright green. The cracked and rickety old stone blocking the entry is now a proper entrance.

This is going to be great.

I race forward with a laugh pouring through my lips. The others’ footsteps echo right behind me and within seconds, I don’t hesitate to shove the double doors open wide. My steps stumble as I cross the threshold.

Holy shit.

Derivius’s full-body statue is the first thing to catch my attention. Especially his gorgeous glowing blue eyes.

Two of them like he had once upon a time.

Forget the marble everywhere.

She literally perfected this statue. It looks just like him.

“Damn, I did good.”

“Hell yeah you did,” I agree, smiling over at her.

“This most certainly exceeds what I had in mind,” Amick says, and she places her hands on her hips as she twirls toward him.

“I’m offended. Did you think I was overexaggerating on what I told you I did?”

“No. I just couldn’t picture this place as pristine and orderly. You did a truly remarkable job.”