Page 330 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“Impossible…”

“Very much possible,” he interjects. “And given the illness he had, I would put his age at a minimum of seven thousand years old,” he adds pensively. “Most likely far older than that since he must have left Tartareia before it was sealed.”

My eyes widen in shock.

“What?” I blurt out. “What are you talking about?”

Mine, over seven thousand years old? No, I refuse to believe that would be the case. And yet…

“I have heard rumors of that illness, though it is now considered extinct. It ran rampant through Tartareia some seven-eight thousand years ago, targeting anyone with predominant Aperite blood. The disease died out once Tartareia was sealed off, but I have never heard of anyone surviving it or living with it.” He pauses. “There is no cure for it, so I would be curious how he managed to live with it for so long.”

Mine’s words echo in my head as he explained how the disease was made to target a certain bloodline. He mentioned his father’s bloodline specifically. Could Azerius be right?

“If this illness affects those with predominant Aperite blood, doesn’t that mean he’s one of ours? He’s not the enemy!”

“Perhaps in your skewed perception. However, Aperite law does not recognize half-bloods.”

“How could he be a half-blood? Aperites and Tartareians were once the same race…”

“Ah, but that is where you are wrong, Minerva. There might be similarities between Aperite deities and Tartareian Sons of Tenebreis, but they are not the same race. That is a common misconception. If that were the case, the disease could notonlytarget Aperite blood. It would inadvertently also affect Tartareian.”

“But—”

“Why do you think Sons of Tenebreis consume souls?”

“Because they are evil?” I snort at the obvious answer. “Because they always want more power?”

“Perhaps in the case of demons, yes. Their core is so corrupt, their only goal is to gain more power. But it is not the case for the Sons of Tenebreis.”

I frown. “What are you talking about? This is what we’ve always been taught. That the Sons of Tenebreis are born evil.”

“And of course you would never question the logic of it, would you?” he mutters under his breath.

Hands behind his back, he walks around the room, deep in thought. “Aperite deities were created by the combined efforts of the Seven of Light and Seven of Nether Primordials. The core of your souls, is as such, in harmony. There is a balance that is not present in the Sons of Tenebreis, whose creators were the Seven of Darkness. The Sons of Tenebreis consume souls in search of that harmony.”

“You may think of their soul as a mass of chaos that is one step away from imploding. The energy of a soul stabilizes that chaos, for a period. But soon that wears out and they need yet another soul, then another, in a never-ending cycle.”

“So it is their nature, not out of inherent evil but because their biology requires it. Why are they so reviled then?”

He claps at me. “Bravo, Minerva. It seems your intellect is only half-challenged.”

“Just get to the point,” I mumble.

“It is the way of nature. The Sons of Tenebreis are part of that nature. And all predators become prey eventually. It just so happens that Aperite deities and the Sons of Tenebreis are in a perpetual predator-prey relationship that swings like a pendulum.”

“Then by that logic it shouldn’t be possible for Aperite deities to consume souls, no? Yet we’re always reminded how forbidden that is. Why would we need the warning if that is not part of our biology?”

His lips tug up.

“Another brain cell has awoken, I see.”

I roll my eyes.

“You are correct in that assessment. Aperite deities’ souls are originally in harmony. If you were to consume a soul, your energy signature would change because your own soul would become pure chaos. You would be tainted. And to keep yourself from going mad—which, by the way, is what happens to the Sons of Tenebreis who do not consume souls regularly—you would have to continue consuming souls. You would, essentially, become the same as a Son of Tenebreis.” He pauses. “Well, in your case, a Daughter of Tenebreis.”

“Wait a moment!” I cry out. “What do you mean they go mad if they do not consume souls?”

“The chaos inside them eats at them until they go mad. When that happens, they usually self-destruct.”

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