Page 24 of Goddess of the Broken

“I’m sorry, I need just a minute to rest.”

Sweat had broken out on Sylvia’s brow, and Tempest didn’t like how pale she looked.

“I can carry you if needed.”

“Not yet. I just need a moment.”

Tempest stood near Sylvia, watching her friend’s labored breathing and keeping an eye out for any threat. If this was the chaos portion of the maze, they couldn’t be too careful. Oh, how she wished they could just find the amulets of chaos and get out of there.

As if in answer to her thoughts, an older man hopped down from the top of the wall walked towards them.

Sylvia looked up, still leaning on the wall, whimpered. “No. Not you. Why are you here?”

As he approached, a wicked smirk spread on the man’s face. “You didn’t think you could avoid me, did you? Not even participating in the Dei Electi can save you. Do you really think being empress will let you escape?”

The man stopped in front of Sylvia and reached up to brush her cheek. “No, being empress just means you will be trapped here with me forever.”

Sylvia slid down the wall, covering her face with her hands.

Tempest’s fist connected with the man’s jaw. It sank into it as if she was hitting risen dough and came out cleanly on the other side. She retracted her arm in horror.

"What are you?" Tempest asked as she shielded Sylvia with her body.

“She knows who I am.”

Tempest snarled and threw a smidge of her power into her voice. “I doubt that. You’re not a mortal man. I’ll ask again, what are you?”

The man’s appearance rippled for a moment, revealing a small being made of a reflective material inside before becoming solid again.

“Ah, I see. You're an opprob.”

The man’s face shifted from a sneer to shock as her fist entered his chest and came in contact with the being inside. He completely disappeared as she wrapped her fingers around its body and squeezed, shattering its glass body into tiny mirror pieces that fell to the ground.

Tempest squatted down and faced Sylvia. “It’s all right now, he’s gone.”

Peeking between her fingers first, Sylvia slowly removed her still shaking hands from her face. “Where did he go?”

Pointing to the mirror shards behind her, Tempest replied, “He was never really here.”

Sylvia shifted to her knees and crawled over to the pieces. She hesitantly reached out to touch one. Tempest saw a flicker in the remnants of the mirror just before Sylvia’s finger came in contact with it and cried out, but she was too late. Sylvia was gone.

Tempest grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it at the shards in front of her.

“Why?!”

She allowed herself to fall on her rear and laid back on the ground. She allowed tears to roll down her face as she stared at the sky. Tempest had promised to protect Sylvia throughout this trial, and not only had killed her, but also lost her.

Tempest closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to accept that this was Fate. Not just fate as the mortals understood it; it was clear to her that Fate, the ambiguous entity, was involved, as well.

She was done.

She wouldn’t, and couldn’t, do this anymore. If Fate wanted something from her, they would need to either be more clear or find someone else.

Time dragged on as she lay there. She didn’t care. Too many minutes to track passed before she noticed a weight on her chest. Unwilling to open her eyes, she lifted her hand to investigate. Cold metal greeted her fingers.

She opened her eyes and lifted the object above her face. A silver amulet? She brought it closer and read the tiny inscription.

Only by understanding your fate and embracing chaos can you truly know what it is to rule.

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