Page 195 of Mayhem and Minnie

“We might get injured and we might lose our physical bodies, but our essence remains intact. Unless…” She closes her eyes briefly. “There’s only one being in the entire universe who has the power to vanquish a god’s essence—Commander Azerius.” She gives me a sad smile. “He is known as the God Killer.”

“Azerius… The one who’s after you?” I frown.

“Technically, he’s not yet personally after me. But he’s the one in charge of the hunt. He exterminates the deities who break the heavenly law,” she explains.

“I don’t get what it is that you did so badly. You got involved with a human, so what?”

“You don’t understand my world. We’re supposed to be paragons of perfection. Once we step out of line, it’s game over. So you see, gods might be immortal, but we’re certainly not eternal. In fact, we’re quite replaceable.”

“I see. And you risked it all knowing you’d get punished for it? You put your life on the line just to be with that Lucien of yours?”

“Marlowe, please. Let’s not talk about him again.”

“How can we not when it’s clear how much you loved him—enough to sacrifice your life for him.”

“Please…” she whispers.

I shake my head and pace around the room. There are so many questions going through my mind—even more than before, when I had no idea what she was.

“Explain something to me, Minnie,” I start.

She nods.

“You’ve already committed a crime. You’re already hunted for it. So why can’t we fuck?”

A small gasp leaves her lips.

“Marlowe—”

“What does one more broken rule matter when you’ve already been condemned? Your brother and everyone else think you’ve already broken that chastity rule or whatever. What difference would it make if you do it now?”

“It makes a difference for me,” she replies.

“Why? You’d be doing something everyone else expects you’ve already done before.”

“But I’d know.”

“Again, why is this so important to you? I want to understand you and so far, everything I learn about you makes me more and more confused.”

She stares at me for a moment before she goes around to the table resting against the wall. Her hands are enveloped in a blue shimmer that soon materializes into a book.

“What’s that?” I ask as I join her by the table.

I glance at the book, but it’s in a foreign language that I can’t decipher. But there’s a picture on the right page depicting a cave with an altar.

“What am I looking at?” I ask again.

“I stole this from the House of Moirai—that’s the house that controls fate. It’s an ancient text about the Primordial Goddess of Fate. This,” she says as she points to the illustration, “is purported to be her hidden sanctuary.”

“So? I don’t follow.”

“I suppose I should start from the beginning.” She gives me a brief look before averting her gaze. “The origins of the universe are somewhat similar to what you’ve been taught. It all began with chaos. And from that chaos, the Primordial Gods were born. There were twenty-one of them. Seven of light. Seven of darkness. And seven nether that served as the link in-between.

“Bored and with immense powers, they decided to create toys to entertain them—mortals. But soon it became clear that their creation far exceeded their expectations. Mortals might have limited lifespans, but their souls are immortal.

“Since mortal souls are the product of the combined forces of the twenty-one Primordials, they’re also the purest source of energy in the universe. Nothing has ever, or will ever compare. But soon, the Primordials realized that these souls had gained a free will of their own. Unable to control them anymore, they combined their forces again to infuse each soul with a thread of fate. Its master was to be the Primordial Goddess of Fate.”

“Okay…”

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