Page 26 of Claimed By the Depths

“I wish I believed you,” I whispered, sorrow slipping from my lash line. “Gods, I wish I believed you.”

“You don’t have to.” They smiled as they slowly drew back, thumb trailing along my jaw before their touch vanished entirely. “I can remind you.”

There was something in their genuineness that awakened a part of me I’d buried. It cracked open like a hairline fracture, yearning to be understood. It was the aspect that had always felt out of place, no matter how desperately I tried to align with others' expectations. A piece that survived on the very need to return to where it belonged⁠—

My thoughts became audible. “You said I tapped into a power beyond this realm. That I do not belong here.”

Parran’s expression shifted to surprise. “Well, that was quite the change of topic.”

“I’m sorry, I just⁠—”

“What did I say about apologizing?” When I didn’t respond, Parran hummed in satisfaction. “Yes. I did say that, for it is the truth. You, Prince, have ties to lands beyond these. Bonds with beings who do not walk the continent of Wraelira, but the one I belong to.”

“Wait, what?”

Their lilac tongue swept across their matching lips. “I fear I cannot share more aside from this—the only reason I can use my abilities in a realm as polluted as this, without the repercussions you experienced, is because I have been blessed in a way humans cannot be. A certain god requested my protection, and as a being of mythical existence, I obliged. Their essence and mine have fused, as the Children of the Damned—Divari—mesh with their bloodline once they recognize their potential. But, in return, it means my voice is bound, just like the gods Sorva wishes to control.” They offered me a half-hearted smile. “That is all I can offer you.”

Bound?

“Like Caspian Vayne?” I prodded, my mind weaving together pieces of a story that felt just out of reach. “He is bound to her, yes?”

Parran nodded.

“And the gods are silenced similarly?”

Another nod.

“The Son of Elaros—the God of Death. But then there is Rohen…” Thoughts formed faster than I could understand as I continued speaking to myself. “Why would Sorva bind Caspian and not Rohen as well? Is one more powerful than the other?”

Parran shook their head.

“Two sides of the same coin?”

A nod again.

“The bind… Does it prevent Caspian from speaking truths? Like it does you?”

With the dip of their chin, Parran’s lips curled into a state of satisfaction.

Placing my hands on the railing, I inhaled. “Sorva silenced the Damned to ensure she could reign without their intervention, using the Divari as leverage to keep them under control. Over time, Sorva became convinced that her reign had grown in strength, further complicating the gods’ ability to break free, but she’s been wrong…” I lifted my head, meeting Parran’s stare once more. “The only reason the gods haven’t escaped her hold is that they need a host to do so. Don’t they?”

Parran nodded.

“And, like you, their inability to communicate freely with their descendants is keeping them imprisoned…” Reeling over the possibility that I’d uncovered something, no matter how small, had me near breathless. “The relationship between the God of Death and the Goddess of the Sea is irrefutably strong, according to the tomes I studied throughout my childhood. Are those pieces of lore truthful?”

Another movement of confirmation.

“So Rohen and Caspian are… They belong together, and if that link solidifies, then two of the five gods are freed.” Tapping the stretch of the sun-soaked gunwale with my thumb, a grin slowly painted my features. “And Sorva isn’t strong enough to face two of them, which means Rohen and Caspian could serve as her eradication, hence the bind. It keeps Caspian not only tied to the Other, but it silences his expression. He has never loathed Rohen; he’s been controlled to ensure they do not join sides.”

White brows lifting, Parran didn’t need to confirm any further. Not when everything was beginning to make sense.

“The other three descendants… Are they among us?”

They smirked, and I joined them.

“Holy shit…” I mumbled, my eyes widening. “Did I just… uncover the depth of the prophecy?”

“Some would say so-so,” Parran answered with a wince, their utterance harboring punishment.