Page 5 of Aryn

That out-of-place helplessness spreads tenfold as Sovran stares at the ground, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. “After thousands of years in the same place, I had grown bored with the monotony. Our realm is not large. The weather is perfect, resources are plentiful, and since we are all evenly matched, there is no war. Disagreements are handled diplomatically. Violence isn’t tolerated.”

“Oh, yeah, sounds awful,” Cameron drawls. I fight back a snort, because he read my damn mind with that one. Complaining about literal paradise is a choice.

Bash shoots Cameron an annoyed side-eye before looking at Sovran again. “How many of your kind exist?”

“Last I knew, there were four hundred and seventy-one,” he answers. “We do not die or create offspring unless we choose to do so. We exist to be guardians of the lower realms. For centuries, I watched the inhabitants of these worlds learn and grow. I saw them wage wars, push the boundaries of innovation, and chase discoveries most other realities could scarcely imagine. There was so much passion in their lives. I admit I… wanted a taste of it.”

He pauses, then continues. “I traveled to Elyra, where my appearance wouldn’t draw as much attention. The variety of species there is vast enough that someone with my stature and coloring barely raises an eyebrow.”

“Can you imagine if he took his little vacation here?” Cameron whispers to August. “Some gold-winged fucker strolling down the street a thousand years ago?”

“It probably happened,” August whispers back. “Where else do you think the idea of angels came from?”

“Damn,” Cameron mutters, going wide-eyed.

Sovran only gives a small, private grin, which feels more like an admission than a denial. “While I was there, I…” He trails off and huffs a rueful laugh, throwing both arms out in a whole-body shrug. The action is more human than anything I’ve ever seen from him. “I met someone. Eventually, I fell in love. Despite my long life, love was something I had never experienced, and I admit it made me… foolish. I started spending far too much time there. I was distracted, and my responsibilities suffered. There was an anomaly that nearly destroyed another realm, and I missed it. My brethren were furious, and they forbade me from returning to Elyra.”

“So you just left?” Cameron demands. “No word, no explanation, just… poof?”

Sovran shakes his head, still staring at the two stones in the dirt. “No, I didn’t just leave him, Cameron. I convinced them to let me return one final time to explain. But that visit cost me.”

Ever the romantic, Bash’s feet move restlessly underneath him as he waits for more. “What did it cost?” he asks when Sovran takes too long to answer for his sappy impatience.

“First, you must understand I had no choice. I couldn’t just sneak away and expect to get away with it. My kind can combine our powers, which is why there is no violence in our realm. A group holds greater power than any single individual.”

Bash nods slowly as he processes. “So they could’ve made you do whatever they wanted, and you couldn’t resist.”

Sovran drags the toe of his shoe through the dirt, carving a small ditch. “Exactly. It’s intended to keep us true to our purpose, and they decided I had lost sight of mine. I was allowed to visit one final time, but with the understanding that if I ever left our realm again, I could not return.”

“They banned you from Heaven?” Cameron demands.

Another sad smile forms on Sovran’s lips. “Essentially, yes. It let me say my goodbyes while ensuring I didn’t make the same mistakes again.”

“So you went to find him?” Bash prompts, so caught up in the story he’s practically vibrating.

“I did,” Sovran says quietly. “He was heartbroken, of course. He begged me to stay, but the threats were too fresh, and the guilt of forsaking my responsibilities felt like failure. I chose duty over happiness.” For a moment, his eyes go distant, then he shakes his head and continues. “But I couldn’t just walk away. I left a piece of myself with him.”

“A… piece of yourself?” Bash asks, nose wrinkling.

Sovran nods. “We made love one last time—”

“Can we hear more about that?” Ego whispers to Sprocket, who chortles beside her.

“—and afterward, I took his hands and willed a fraction of my power into his body.”

“You can do that?” Bash asks, eyes wide.

“It had never been done before, and if the others had any idea what I was planning…” He trails off, before taking a long, deep breath. “I wasn’t even sure it would work when I tried it. But it did. A small piece of my power transferred to him. It was meant to protect him, to keep him safe when I no longer could. He wasn’t evil then, he was good,” Sovran insists, voice rising with agitation. He repeats it softer, almost a footnote to himself. “He was good.”

Cameron hums and takes Ronan’s hand. “Let me guess. He didn’t stay that way.”

“No,” Sovran confirms. “He did not. Over time, bitterness replaced the gentle spirit I once knew. Power changes people. It corrupts. I thought he was different, that he understood, but he never got over what I did to him. That power... he learned to harness it, then turned it into a weapon, and I never told my kind what I’d done. I was too ashamed, and far too proud. None of them understood why he rose to power.”

“They didn’t want to intervene?” Ronan asks.

Sovran shifts uncomfortably. “They believed it was the natural order. They thought it was his fate to be so powerful, and we do not interfere with fate.”

“Except you did,” Bash counters.