Page 317 of The Gods Order

“You just said—”

“Welcome, Chosen Ones.”

The ancient voice doesn’t echo around us. It echoes within us. I hear it and feel it in my bones.

“That’s…” Amick swallows. “That’s the same voice I heard at the Chancellor’s Choosing.”

We stand still, waiting. For what, I have no idea. Nothing feels threatening. It feels sacred.

“What are we doing here?” I ask, careful to keep my tone curious, not accusatory.

“The realm stands at the beginning of its healing. The damage done was not created in a single moment. It will not be undone in one.”

I nod. That makes sense.

The realm has been wounded for over a thousand years.

“Chosen Ones,” Amick says, glancing around as though searching for someone to speak to. It’s clear the Gods Binding isn’t a someone. “That’s been evident since our birth, no matter how much we tried to deny it, but what exactly have we been chosen for now?”

The light shifts. It doesn’t grow brighter or dimmer, but closer.

“That is not for me to decide,” the Binding answers. “For generations, I revealed a path that would lead the realm toward balance. It was never the only path. It was merely one possibility among countless others.”

“Do you mean our path?” I ask.

“Yes. The Valories sought certainty where only guidance existed. They looked upon one possible future and, believing it superior, shaped decisions until that future became inevitable.”

My stomach knots.

“They curated our choices,” I say.

“Yes, and narrowed them significantly.”

Hearing it again pisses me off just as much as it did at the Stargate.

“The realm does not heal through control. It heals through choices. It has never required obedience. Only willing hearts. By the time the five of you came to be, there wasn’t a true choice. ‘Save the realm or watch it fall’ is not a choice. It is an ultimatum.”

I swallow hard.

“You always intended for us to choose,” I say.

“I intended for your choices to be clear and equal. To save the realm or not is not equal. No other path was presented. Therefore, what choice did you truly have?”

“So what choice do we have now?” Amick asks.

“You stand before me because the realm has reached the end of one age and the beginning of another. What comes next must begin differently. So I offer you what has always been denied. True choice.”

No command follows. No prophecy. No demand. Only stillness.

“You may guide this realm willingly, or you may return to it as you are. There will be no threats of punishment or worry of future failures and successes.”

My men and I share looks.

“Meaning we won’t have any responsibilities or have to worry about consequences that come from today?” Creed asks.

“All beings have personal responsibility and consequences for their actions. But I do not and will not impose any roles, responsibilities, or punishments on you personally if you choose to leave me as you came.”

“You’re…” I stop, shake my head, trying to wrap my mind around this. “Giving us permission to walk away? From everything?”