Page 168 of Fate of the Sun King

“You are in the Evanescence,” they say, and that fires off every alarm bell in my head.

“Am I… dead?”

The last thing I remember is that putrid black smoke filling my lungs, Nadir yelling, and then Rion’s soldiers tying me up.

“No, you’re not dead,” the figure says. “We are the Empyrium.”

I must’ve hit my head, or Rion gave me hallucinogenic drugs to shut me up, and now I’m dreaming I’m in the Evanescence with some weird ghost or whatever this is.

“Um… okay?”

They smile patiently and then push up to stand, holding out a hand. “Come. We have things to show you.”

My nose wrinkles as I stare at their outstretched fingers, watching them transform from one hand to another’s. “Is this real?”

They nod. “This is real, Lor.”

Corralling my disbelief, I reach out and take their hand before they help pull me up.

We’re standing inside a circular room, the walls and floor covered with pale grey and white marble. Arched windows surround us, glowing with soft sunlight.

Seven people stand in a circle facing one another. I study them, noticing some bear a resemblance to people I’ve met before.

“What’s going on?” I ask. Something tells me this isn’t a dream.

“You are witnessing the Beginning of Days,” says the Empyrium at my side. “Who you see here are the human kings and queens who ruled over Ouranos at the end of the First Age.”

I wait for the Empyrium to continue explaining as they gesture for me to watch.

“Your lands were suffering,” they say. “Curses and plagues. Illnesses without explanation. They all tried to fight for the health of their people, but it was no use.”

I recall the story Nerissa recounted in the living room yesterday about magic going wild. At least, I think it was yesterday. It’s a little hard to tell right now.

“Because the magic was overflowing?” I ask.

The Empyrium nods. “Exactly. It had become too much, so we gathered the seven of them together.”

“And you are?”

“We are your gods,” they say.

“But isn’t Zerra our god?”

They shake their head. “Not exactly. No.”

I wait with my mouth open for more, but the Empyrium stares ahead.

“Look, I’m going to need something more here. What am I doing here? What’s going on? This is all very mysterious, but the last thing I remember is being kidnapped by my mortal enemy, and if I’m not dead, then I really need to get back and deal with that shi—stuff.”

I’m not sure why cursing next to these gods feels wrong, but I correct myself at the last moment.

Their gaze slides to me, and I swear they’re trying not to laugh.

“Understood,” they say. “We assure you that your visit here will be worth your time, Lor. Zerra is not a god in the way your people believe. She became our emissary. Your world is governed by us. We oversee hundreds of continents and worlds and galaxies beyond your wildest imaginings.”

They take my hand to pull me closer as I puzzle at those words. I guess they make sense? I’ve never heard of such a thing, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t common knowledge. What I know about the history of Ouranos could fit into a thimble, and that’s even after learning everything I have in the past few months.

“No, the people of Ouranos do not know who we are,” they say.