Page 359 of The Gods Order

“You have spent your life doing exactly what this role requires,” I say. “Leading without demanding power. Protecting without needing recognition. Carrying the weight of others because you believed it was the right thing to do.”

I glance toward the parchment, and he slowly passes it to me, asking with his eyes rather than words for me to open it.

I do.

Lambrit Armend, God of Legacy, High Chancellor of the Godsdawn.

A laugh laced with pride, and honestly…relief spills through my lips as I snatch him into a hug.

“You weren’t guided here because you can become this. You were guided and chosen because you already are. You’ve always had your own path, Lambrit.”

A startled chuckle leaves him, but his arms wrap around me just as tightly. Before we know it, we’re surrounded. Congratulations, words of praise, and tears are shed for a few blissful moments.

“Hell yeah, Lam-the-man. You keep surprising us,” Riven cheers, and Lambrit shakes his head as he cuddles Rose into his side.

I pass Lambrit his parchment, and he stares down at it with a massive smile.

“God of Legacy…I guess the L on our wrists didn’t mean Lambrit after all. L for Legacy. A for Affection. Makes sense.” He chuckles low, winking at Rose. “I suppose this means I have a few more responsibilities now.”

Ellian laughs humbly.

“Only a few.”

I step out of their space, giving them a second to enjoy this moment together. Ellian has been guiding him from the very first day he took this position. It is so much more fitting that he passes this mantle to him rather than me.

My attention shifts to Thayla and my brothers. The relief that washes over them steals the breath from my lungs. Riven immediately ruins the moment by grinning.

“I was so not emotionally prepared to start calling you High Chancellor. Thank fuck this didn’t work out how you planned.”

Creed shoves him, Kyzen elbows him, and Thayla laughs.

Perfection.

I wouldn’t have this moment any other way.

Creed

46

20 years later

Today was the first day in many years that I rushed out of Hell as fast as I could.

I had already warned Sevryn, Phoelius, Zareb, and Faron not to expect me there all day. I was coming in to release some souls, then I had plans.

I didn’t even go fuck with Delun or Mellcom like I usually do.

Needless to say, Delun took the reversal of being the judger to the judged hard. He spent years hiding from us, but we found him and brought him home. He’ll live out his days in the lower level.

Mellcom…his ass is still a miserable piece of shit. He refuses every opportunity to reflect, heal, or even speak to Meridamus. I know that hurts the ol’ God of Consequence, but he’s learning to let it go. One thousand, four hundred and thirty years are still left on Mellcom’s sentence.

Maybe something will change. Maybe it won’t.

Either way, I wasn’t about to spend my morning listening to him bitch about it.

Today is far too special for that.

Today is my endling’s one hundredth birthday.