Page 190 of Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

Feeling more foolish by the minute, Axel pressed on anyway. “The gods always feared their Legacy would become too powerful one day, so the Fae would have been created as a check against that power. Right?” Kat nodded. “But what if it was necessary because if they grew too powerful, it would fuck the balance or whatever?”

“That seems very plausible,” Katya mused, leaning back onto her hands. Amber eyes studied him, seeming to see through to his soul. “There’s more.”

“No. The rest is… There’s not more.”

“Tell me,” she insisted.

“There’s nothing to back it up. It’s just an idea.”

“I love ideas.” When he still didn’t say anything, she added, “Please tell me, Axel.”

Sighing, he broke her stare, fiddling with that loose thread once more. “It was what you said about the Fae being created to keep the balance. What if the Fates found the balance tipping,so an ultimatum was made and the Fae were the answer? What if the Fae actuallysavedthe Legacy?” He took another breath. It felt almost blasphemous to say the next words in Devram, and his tone was low as he said, “What if it was never supposed to be like this?”

“I guess…” Kat went quiet. They both did, until she said, “I guess we would never know because the gods agreed not to interfere here. Scarlett certainly seemed upset by the way of things here though.”

“Too bad we can’t communicate with her,” Axel scoffed.

Katya sat up straighter. “What if there was a way to communicate with her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t Theon see her in a mirror or something?”

Axel huffed a laugh. “Do you have any idea how much shit I gave him about that only to find out it had actually happened?”

“Do you think it was really her sister that tried to kill her?” Kat asked.

“Honestly? Yeah, I think I do believe that.”

Kat laughed, a real one that warmed something in his chest. “You believe her, but questioned Theon for years?”

“It’s a mirror, kitten,” he replied, leaning forward and tugging playfully on one of her curls. “Why would I think anything different?”

“Theon doesn’t seem like the type to joke about such matters,” she replied, shifting more so she was seated beside him against the headboard.

“It’s rare, but he has a bit of humor that manages to sneak out from time-to-time,” he answered. “He never really got to experience fun, though. I think that’s why he hates Chaosphere so much.”

“That’s logical,” Kat agreed.

“Did you play?”

“No.”

“What?” Axel asked, horrified at the thought. “Why not?”

“I have always preferred reading.”

“But… Do you watch it?”

“No, because I prefer reading.”

Axel was quiet for several moments before he said, “Is it because you’re not very good at it? Theon is terrible at Chaosphere.”

Then there was a pillow smacking him in the face, and she was laughing as he yanked the thing from her hands and hit her back before tossing it aside.

“Just for that, you must now become a default Everflames fan.”

Katya clicked her tongue. “That’s fine. I really don’t care.”

---