Page 14 of The Other Side

“We all were. For thirteen years, Cypress has kept a close eye on you, allowing you to break the rules and perform such miracles, all in the hopes that you would someday catch Ozias’eye. Did you really think a human conjuring souls from the Underworld would have no consequences?”

“Consequences? What consequences?”

Tuft sighed heavily. “I swear, you humans can be so thick-skulled. Gods, such as Ozias and Cypress, cannot simply gift their powers to humans. It goes against everything in nature and sets things out of balance, disrupting the natural order of things, if you would. By giving you even a drop of her power, Cypress has sent all of the fates and scales into absolute chaos, unpredictable and unstable chaos. And while Cypress may thrive in chaos, I assure you, the other celestials do not. You see, Cypress is not only one of the strongest and smartest of celestials, but she is the oldest in existence, followed by her little brother, Ozias—”

“Wait, little? No, Ozias is the ruler of the heavens. He is the firstborn, everyone knows this.”

Tuft shook his head. “Once again, you are wrong. The gods and celestials have purposely rewritten history, spreading lies to hide the truth of their past. Cypress is the firstborn and oldest of the celestials. And being the firstborn, she is the rightful heir to the heavens.”

Cypress, the same queen of darkness and death itself, was the rightful ruler of the heavens? What an impossible thing to imagine.

“But—”

“Let me explain.” Tuft cleared his throat as he cut me off. “In the beginning, Cypress was the sole heir to the heavens. She was a formidable child, learning all there was to know of everything, making her the most skilled, intelligent, unmatched celestial in existence. That is, until Ozias. The second Ozias was born, their father abandoned Cypress to be raised by others. He longed for a male heir, believing females were unfit to rule. Once he had his son, that was all he cared for—making him the nextgod of the heavens. Their whole upbringing consisted of Cypress surpassing Ozias in every way, but no matter how powerful or intelligent she was, her father turned a cheek. He cared only for Ozias, and where he showed love to his son, he showed distaste towards his daughter.”

Tuft shook his head in distaste. “When the time came for the heir of the heavens to take the throne, it was Ozias who was chosen, not Cypress. News of his crowning shook our existence as celestials began to argue, eventually choosing sides. Half sided with Cypress, recognizing her as the legitimate heir, whereas the other half only recognized Ozias, the firstborn male. This rift caused the heavens to split, dividing celestials for over a century. Friends turning on friends, siblings on siblings, it was madness, absolute madness, resulting in an all-out battle amongst the stars. The two gods fought for their right to rule. Celestials on both sides were erased from existence in the vilest of ways, depleting our numbers. Ozias knew if Cypress wasn’t stopped, it would mean the end to not just celestials, but all mankind. War, famine, disease, and death broke out on Earth, nearly destroying it, forsaken by the heavens. It was only then Ozias and his son decided to stop Cypress, eventually condemning her to the Underworld and taking the throne himself. With Cypress subdued to the Abyss, there remained no choice but to end the war and work together for peace in the heavens. Since then, Ozias has ruled above, creating peace and harmony as Cypress continuously sought to retake her throne, using helpless humans to help her take her revenge.”

“Why humans? Why doesn’t she just take it back herself?” I asked.

“Well, Ozias, like any celestial, has a sense of…humor. Cypress may be the keeper of souls but, ironically enough, she does not possess one herself.”

“What? How is that even possible?” A god without a soul. What a fucking terrifying thought.

“Ozias, with the help of his son, ripped her soul from her body. Stole it. And now, he keeps it hidden away somewhere where only he knows. As long as Ozias has Cypress’ soul, she can’t hurt him. At least, not by her own hand.” I stared at Tuft, finally understanding the meaning of it all.

“Cypress is using humans—usingmeto somehow help her seek revenge on Ozias, isn’t she?” He nodded. “But how? Wait.” I searched a nearby cabinet, retrieving the dainty glass bottle I was given. My body turned towards Tuft as his eyes widened, confirming my suspicions. “I’m assumingthishas something to do with whatever she has planned for him, doesn’t it?” Tuft carefully took the bottle from my hand and held it, examining the liquid closely.

“Do you realize what this is?” he breathed in disbelief. I shook my head.

“All I was told is that I would know what to do with it when the time came.” Which ironically, I guess I did, in a way.

“This, Iris-Marie, is a very special, very dangerous potion. It has no effect on humans but a substantial effect on celestials. Specifically gods.”

A potion for gods? But why—

“Tuft,” I breathed. “You said Cypress knew Ozias would notice me—my power. Does that mean Cypress—” I swallowed, struggling to ask the question. “Does Cypress expect me to somehow use this potion on him? On Ozias?” Tuft stared at me, his gold irises swirling as dread and fear plastered his pale and scared face. I felt sick to my stomach. “Tuft? What does it do?”

“This potion does the very thing Cypress needs to defeat Ozias. It turns any god human, stripping them of their true and ethereal forms, leaving nothing but their mortal form.” I could hear my heartbeat throbbing within my ears as I beganto hyperventilate. “I’m afraidyou, Iris-Marie, are tasked with defeating the great god Ozias, or you will face the goddess Cypress and pray her only punishment is that your soul shall be damned to the Abyss for all eternity.”

No. No, no, no!The sick reality of my situation began to weigh heavily on my shoulders, pulling me towards the floor.

“Tuft,” I breathed, the room beginning to spin. “I—I—” My legs fell limp as I fell to my knees, clutching my chest. “She—she knew. She knew! All this time!” Of course. It all made sense. I was a pawn, nothing more.

“Iris!” He crouched, trying to help me as Bastien grumbled and watched. “Are you alright?”

“Am I alright? No!” I snapped at him as he flinched. “I’m fucked. I’m stuck in a centuries-long war between siblings—two gods—and there is no way out for me! I should’ve known. I should’ve known she would do this!” Tears began to burn my eyes as I grabbed his arms, shaking. “Her deal was too good, and I was an ignorant fool. They all said not to trust her, to never make a deal with the goddess of death, but I did. I made a deal with the devil herself!”

“Shhhh!” Tuft tried to calm me as I leaned my head against his chest, sobbing into his shirt. He hesitated, eventually wrapping his arms around me, comforting me the best he could as I cried into him. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“How?” I wheezed quietly against his shirt.

“I don’t know, but it can’t get worse.” I gently pulled back and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. He offered me a soft smile that, for some reason, eased my fears.

“No, I guess it can’t.” I wiped my face, attempting to dry my tears.

“Regardless of the outcome or how this all came to be, we are in this together. We will figure this out together, Iris-Marie.” I nodded at him as he stood and gently helped me to my feet.“There’s nothing more we can do today. Let’s take a breath and look at it with fresh eyes in due time.”

Tuft was surprisingly sweet, his soft side now on full display. It was a pleasant change.

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