Chapter 85 The First Fracture
Morning came too quickly. Mara had not slept well after the goddess's visit. Her mind raced. Planning. Worrying. Calculating odds.
Three months until divine retribution. Three months to prepare. To grow stronger. To find allies. To survive the impossible.
"You are thinking too hard," Valdris said in her mind. "I can feel your stress. Your fear. It is... distracting."
"Get used to it. Stress is my permanent state now."
"Then learn to manage it. Channel it. Use it. Fear makes you sloppy. Makes you weak. I did not bond with you to watch you crumble under pressure."
"I am not crumbling. I am strategizing."
"You are panicking. There is a difference. Now breathe. Focus. What is the immediate threat? Not the goddess three months away. Not Demetrius who may or may not return. What threatens us today? Right now?"
Mara thought about it. "Nothing. Today is peaceful. Quiet. Safe."
"Then enjoy it. Experience it. Because tomorrow might be different. Might be terrible. But today is good. Do not waste it worrying about maybes."
"That is surprisingly wise advice from an ancient entity of darkness."
"I have had a thousand years to think. To learn. To grow. Wisdom comes with time. With suffering. With perspective. You are still young. Still learning. Still growing. Let me teach you. Let me help you become what you need to be."
"And what is that?"
"Someone who survives. No matter what. No matter the cost. No matter the changes required. Survival is not pretty. Not heroic. But it is necessary. It is everything."
Mara left her chambers. Walked through the palace. Through the city. Observing. Noting. Planning.
The repairs were progressing well. Buildings being rebuilt. Walls reinforced. Weapons stockpiled. The city was becoming a fortress. Strong. Defensible. Ready.
But was it ready enough? Could any preparation be enough against gods? Against armies? Against the combined might of heaven and earth?
"You need more than walls," Ash said. "You need magic. Real magic. Ancient magic. The kind that challenges gods. Makes them fear you. Makes them negotiate instead of dictate."
"Where do I find such magic?"
"You do not find it. You make it. By combining our powers. Mine and Valdris's. Together we create something new. Something neither light nor dark. Something in between. Something gods do not understand. Cannot control. Cannot stop."
"You want me to experiment with fragment fusion? That sounds incredibly dangerous."
"Everything is dangerous. Walking is dangerous. Breathing is dangerous. Living is dangerous. You need to stop fearing danger and start using it. Weaponizing it. Making it serve you instead of controlling you."
"I will think about it."
"Do not think too long. Three months passes quickly. Very quickly."
Mara reached the gardens. Found them peaceful. Restored after the battle. Flowers blooming again. Trees swaying. Birds singing. Normal. Beautiful. Hopeful.
She sat beside the pond. Watched her reflection. Saw her face. Her eyes. But behind them, two shadows. Valdris and Ash. Both present. Both aware. Both watching.
"This is what I am now," she whispered. "Three people in one body. Three voices in one mind. Three souls fighting for one existence. How do I live like this? How do I stay sane?"
"You accept it," Luna said. She had appeared quietly. Sat beside Mara. "You stop fighting what you are. Stop wishing for what you were. You embrace the present. The reality. The now. That is how you stay sane. How you stay functional. How you survive."
"I am tired of surviving. I want to live. Want peace. Want normal."
"Normal is overrated. Normal is boring. Normal never changed kingdoms. Never saved lives. Never mattered. You are extraordinary. Accept that. Own that. Use that."
"Being extraordinary is exhausting."
"So is being alive. But we do it anyway. Because the alternative is worse."
They sat in silence. Comfortable silence. Companionable silence.
Then the ground shook. Trembled. Split. A crack opened in the garden. Glowing. Pulsing. Wrong.
"What is that?" Mara jumped up.
"Portal. Magical. Divine. Someone is coming through."
A figure emerged from the crack. Tall. Golden. Radiating sunlight. Male. Beautiful. Terrifying.
"Greetings, Moon Wolf," he said. His voice warm. Friendly. Deceptive. "I am Solarius. The Sun God. I have come to talk."
Mara felt both fragments recoil. Retreat. Hide. Gods terrified even ancient darkness.
"Why?" she asked. "Why would a god visit me? Talk to me?"
"Because you intrigue me. You defied the Moon Goddess. Broke her blessing. Absorbed two fragments. Became something new. Something unexpected. I want to understand you. Want to see if we can work together."
"Work together? You and me? Why?"
"Because we have a common enemy. The Moon Goddess. She wants us both controlled. Both diminished. Both subservient. I say we work together. Combine forces. Challenge her dominance. Change the divine order. What do you say?"
"I say this sounds like a trap. Like manipulation. Like another god trying to use me for their own purposes."
Solarius laughed. Warm. Genuine. Charming. "Smart girl. You are right to be suspicious. Gods lie. Gods manipulate. Gods use mortals. That is our nature. Our function. Our purpose. But sometimes gods also tell truth. Offer real alliances. Real partnerships. This is one of those times."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because I have nothing to gain by lying. If I wanted you dead, I would send Demetrius. Send armies. Send overwhelming force. But I am here. Alone. Vulnerable. Talking. Offering partnership. That means something. That means I see value in you. Power in you. Potential in you."
"What do you want in exchange?"
"Simple. When you challenge the Moon Goddess. When you fight her. When you try to kill her. I want you to succeed. Want her diminished. Want her power distributed. Shared. Among those who deserve it. Like me. Like you. Like all who refuse to bow to her tyranny."
"You want me to kill a goddess for you?"
"I want you to kill a goddess for everyone. For all who suffer under her manipulation. For all who are used and discarded. For all who deserve better. And yes. I benefit too. But so do you. So does everyone. That is how good deals work. Everyone gains. Everyone wins."
Mara felt torn. The Sun God made sense. His logic was sound. His offer tempting. But trusting gods had never ended well. Never been safe. Never been wise.
"I need time to think. To consider. To consult allies."
"Of course. I would not expect immediate answer. But know this. Time is limited. The Moon Goddess moves against you. Gathers power. Plans retribution. Three months you said. She gave you three months. That is accurate. She will strike at the end. With everything she has. And if you face her alone, you die. Badly. Painfully. Completely. But with my help? With my support? You have a chance. A real chance. Maybe even a good chance."
"And if I refuse? If I tell you no?"
"Then I wish you luck. And I wait. Because when you fall, when the Moon Goddess reclaims the fragments, someone needs to stop her. Someone needs to prevent her from becoming absolute. That someone is me. So either we work together now. Or I clean up after she destroys you. Your choice."
Solarius turned. Walked back toward the portal. Stopped. Looked back.
"Three months, Mara. Three months to decide. To prepare. To choose. Choose wisely. Choose survival. Choose power. Or choose death. Those are your only options. The Moon Goddess made sure of that."
He stepped through the portal. It closed. Disappeared. Left only scorched earth where it had been.
Luna stood. "That was unexpected. The Sun God himself. Here. Talking to you. Offering alliance. What will you do?"
"I have no idea. Absolutely no idea. Both gods are manipulative. Both serve themselves. Both will sacrifice me without hesitation. How do I choose between them?"
"You do not choose gods. You choose yourself. Your people. Your kingdom. Whichever god serves that goal best, that is the one you work with. Temporarily. Carefully. With full awareness they will betray you eventually. But sometimes temporary allies are enough. Sometimes they help you survive long enough to find better solutions."
"That is cynical."
"That is realistic. Gods are not friends. Not allies. Not partners. They are forces of nature. Powerful. Dangerous. Unstoppable. You do not fight nature. You work with it. Redirect it. Channel it. Use it. Same with gods. You use them before they use you. That is the only way mortals survive divine attention."
Mara felt sick. Felt trapped. Felt overwhelmed. Three months. Two gods. Multiple fragments. Impossible choices. Terrible odds.
"I need to talk to Zevran. To Isla. To everyone. We decide this together. Not just me. Not just my choice. Everyone's choice. Everyone's risk. Everyone's consequence."
"Good. That is leadership. That is wisdom. That is survival. Now come. We call another council meeting. We discuss divine politics. We prepare for the impossible. Again."
They walked back to the palace. Behind them, the scorched earth where the portal had been began to smoke.
And from that smoke, golden eyes watched.
The Sun God had not left completely. He remained. Observing. Waiting. Making sure Mara made the right choice.
His choice.