Page 81 of Lost and Bound

“Hey, Orion, why doesn’t the history of Quin-state go back further than a few hundred years? It makes no sense.”

He hums, unwrapping his next muffin. “No one really talks about what happened before the Great War. Afterward, every fucking minute was documented by each of the five.”

“The Great War?”

“Yeah. It happened two or three hundred years ago.”

“How can you not know the exact date?”

“Easy. No one speaks about it, there’s a serious lack of literature from before the war, and it was a punishable offense for a long time to discuss it.”

“What? That’s censorship.”

“Yep, it is. The strategy worked. You won’t find any books on it because supposedly any references to the time before the Great War were destroyed. And there’s still a stigma attached to those who talk publicly about any time predating the formulation of Quin-state.”

“That’s horrible. No matter what happened in that war, those who lived before that time deserve to be remembered. There’s nothing left?”

“Not in Quin-state.”

I struggle to reconcile the consequences of their actions. For the life of me, I can’t fathom what they’ve done; turning their back on history and all that happened before the races united. It’s heartbreaking to think of the way they’ve disrespected all those who came before them.

“What could have been so horrific that the five basically restarted history?”

He leans so close that his breath warms my skin. I can barely catch the word he whispers. “Gods.”

I move slightly, confusion twisting my face, a hundred questions filling my brain.

“Once upon a time, they walked among us.”

“Seriously?”

“As serious as the Great War was deadly.”

“That war was against them?” My heart is racing as quickly as my thoughts.

Orion nods.

Holy shit. Literal gods? I’m shocked by that revelation in itself, but the way the others have eradicated any reference to them makes my breakfast sit like a block in my stomach. I close my eyes, inhaling slowly through the rising nausea as sadness takes root.

“Are you okay, Maya?” Orion asks after a few quiet minutes.

I shake my head. “I shouldn’t be surprised, given my own experience, but I am. No matter the reason, I feel terrible for all the culture, art, and history no one remembers. And for what?”

Orion doesn’t answer, and I’m not sure I want him to either. I don’t think there’s enough time in a week to unpack what the others did, but their actions are also not my burden.

I force myself to think of tonight’s party, which invariably makes my mind turn to Arlan, Emrys, Cane, and Bael, which then jumps to Magikster Ballin and Alpha Roberts’s rousing speech regarding alignments and their vehement ridicule of anything outside of that framework, like fate and destiny.

Huffing out a humorous laugh, I mutter, “Now it makes sense why they push alignment so hard. It’s Quin-state’s version of fate. It’s insane though, how egotistical would those in power have to be to think they can control destiny? No wonder the gods left. There are certain things in your life and mine that no one has the power to change. Surely, they know that? What’s next on their agenda? Love?”

“You can’t be surprised Council already tries to control matches, although love gets pushed to the wayside for stronger genetics. They’re building an army.”

“Against what?”

“Anyone or anything that doesn’t agree with their vision.”

I shake my head at the irony of escaping one controlling government for another.

“Enough talk about depressing shit,” Orion says as his arm snakes around my shoulder.