A Fire in the Flesh

“With my sword and my life. I shall honor you. In blood and in ash, forevermore.”

“Only a union formed out of love can be blessed. You love him.”

“It’s said that when the Arae look upon the threads of fate and see all the many different possibilities of one’s life, they can sometimes see what may come of the love between two or more souls. And in that union, they see possibilities that can reshape the realms by either creating something never seen before or ushering in great change. And when they see that one thread, they are forbidden to intervene in the affairs of those souls, as they believe the bond between them cannot be circumvented. So, not even death of the body or the heart and soul—the kardia—can break such a connection. And the joining of our souls has brought up something never seen before. A Queen of the Gods.”

“I’m loyal only to the true Primal of Life. That was Eythos, and now it is you. Yes, you only have two Primal embers, but that still makes you, for all intents and purposes, the true Primal of Life, as long as those embers remain inside you.”

“I’m nothing without you, liessa. And there will be nothing without you.”

“So, there must always be the Primal of Death and the Primal of Life, even if nothing more than a spark of embers remains in them. Even if they are in stasis or…Or hidden within a mortal bloodline. As long as the embers exist in some fashion, and life is created and taken, the balance is maintained.”

“She was never yours, nephew. She has always been mine.”

“What truly ails you goes deeper than blood loss and cannot be circumvented, Consort. It can only be delayed, no matter how steep the price or how often it is paid.”

“The embers are bonding with you, allowing you to access more of the essence. It happens when gods near their Ascension, just as it does with Primals.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner, but I’ve got you now, liessa, and I won’t let go. I’ll never let go again.”

“I am the first.”

“Liessa. I’ve got you. Everything will be all right now. I’ve got you.”

“Your life could’ve been so fucking different. Your family never would’ve punished you. You wouldn’t have had to feel as if you were alone—never allowed to experience what most take for granted. You wouldn’t have felt like a monster. My apologies were and will never be enough. I could’ve—”

“You were afraid of me before, when I first lost you and brought you back. It wasn’t until the end of our time together that it changed. But this time, you’ve shown very little fear of me, even if you’ve felt it. That’s changed.”

“I’ve never stood with Kolis. Not truly.”

“Sotoria’s soul is in you, but you’re not her. And even if Kolis never realizes that, it means you’re not the weapon Eythos believed he created.”

“So, Sotoria’s name could be translated into my pretty…My pretty poppy?”

“But if you handling it doesn’t actually handle it? And they still show you disrespect? I will fucking destroy them.”