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NATALIE
Cedric and I were standing in a meadow that stretched out in every direction. There were colorful flowers, a bright blue sky, and silence. The air was clean and pure, and the magic around us caressed my skin.
"Where are we?" I asked.
Cedric walked away, then turned to face me. “Can you hear it?”
“Hear what, Cedric? Where did you take me?”
“There is nothing but silence here. This is what I’ll create, Natalie. This will be the afterlife.”
I turned in a circle. It was beautiful, I’d give him that. It wasn’t the mountain of bodies I’d seen in my visions, but where was everything? Where was everyone? Sure, he wanted to create a beautiful world. But that didn’t mean he wasn't a shit person who'd killed millions.
He was the Dragon King, his territory easily the most stunning I'd seen since I’d arrived in the God Realm…and he was a maniac.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
A chilling roar filled the air just then, and I saw a red dragon fly over our heads. As the mighty beast flew on, I could sense the chaos in it.
“There won’t be any souls in the God Realm anymore,” Cedric explained. “When a life ends, it ends. That’s how it should have been from the start.”
"What are you talking about?" I held my hands out. "This isn't just the God Realm. It's the afterlife."
"It's only the afterlife, so gods can keep their hold on souls and remain alive!" Cedric shouted. "All life that ends on earth will cease to exist. That's true peace. When a god dies, they go on to nothingness. It was once that way for souls too. And it’s the way things should be again."
The meadow was blown away like dust in the wind, and suddenly we were standing in the middle of a busy street. Was this earth? There were towering buildings made of glass, but many had roots and vines. There were trees, flowers, a sunny sky—a beautiful world, but something was wrong.
Although the people lived and walked among each other in peace, they seemed robotic. Their conversations were hushed whispers, their smiles forced… It felt unnatural.
There was no laughter, no individuality, no charm, no differences that made everyone unique, even if those difference sometimes sparked issues. Nothing about this was right.
“So you want to create a world where no one is themselves?" I asked Cedric, who stepped out into traffic. But the cars only drove around him without issue.
“No,” Cedric answered. “Not a world where no one is themselves, but a world where everyone does as they’re told. No more wars, greed, hatred, and malice. In my world, everyone lives simple, peaceful lives.”
“Peaceful lives, under your rule, where there’s no free will?” I said with a light laugh. “Are you serious? So everyone will do as you tell them…while you do as you please? While the dragons in the God Realm do as they please?”
“Yes,” Cedric answered firmly. “Dragons were created as guardians of the realms. We'll do precisely that and guide all life. How can you prefer the world as it is, with wars, murder, violence, and a God Realm where souls live out their supposedly peaceful afterlife worshipping gods—gods who ignore their suffering on earth?”
I shook my head. "Even with all that, Cedric, the way the God and Mortal Realms are now, are better than this. Just because something's pretty, that doesn’t make it good. Beauty can hide the ugliness underneath. Look at the Dragon Territory? Look how you’ve turned out, how you’ve treated your daughter!”
Those words hit the mark, for his eyes flashed red for a second. This was the highest form of entitlement I’d ever seen. He truly believed his way was the only way. I could see that he genuinely believed it.
“This place…” I held my arms out. “This is no way to live. Souls are given a choice to worship the gods if they want. We exist, we expect, we lose hope and gain it, and from all that, we evolve. To exist is to experience growth, Cedric. Do you see anyone here doing that? No.”
I might have felt a little sorry for the guy if he hadn't been a monster. He was clearly delusional. “What you want to create is a sad world that’s like a wheel, rolling down an endless hill, never changing course. You want control over everything and everyone." I moved to stand in front of him. "We all have ideas about how life can be better, but that doesn't mean we're all right. So we make life the way we want it for ourselves. Our mistakes are our own, as our the consequences. Just l Like the consequences, you'll have to face for what you've done. You thought showing me this would do what, exactly?”
He didn’t say anything for a time.
"Order or bloodshed are the options, and you all seem to prefer bloodshed,” he laughed. “I thought you’d see reason. I thought you’d be happy to know no one in my world would ever be forced to do what you’ve been forced to do, what Elinor and Ruby had to do—sacrificing your lives to do the job of a god. Supernatural creatures won't be persecuted and killed, and humans won't be considered less." He smiled. “The loss of free will is a small price for peace."
“Like the free will you took from Rumir, when you turned your own son into a monster?” I swung at him, but Cedric grabbed my arm.
Like a knife, my chaos pierced his hand, and the sky turned red as he roared.
"There he is! The monster you are!" I shouted when his perfect little world started to look like the God Realm, covered in crimson. Suddenly, an arm impaled Cedric from behind.
He roared, the city evaporated, and I was thrown from his mind. Then we were back at the temple, where the Goddess’s arm was sticking out of Cedric’s chest from behind. Rumir moved to attack her, and I tackled him. The time for talking was over.
