Talia smiled as she sipped from her cup. Her chocolate shipment had finally arrived. At least something was going her way.

She glanced at her companion, who stared at his untouched cup. She was glad she had found him near the gazebo during her break—another thing going her way. Another meeting, another chance to break through his shields.

“It’s hot chocolate.” She took another sip. “I heard it’s pretty popular on Earth.” She nudged her cup toward him, motioning to his abandoned drink. “Why not try it? I promise it’s harmless.” She laughed lightly.

He smiled and finally took a sip of the heavenly drink. Talia watched him like a Hydra, cataloging his reaction. One should never regard any kind of information with contempt. A soul’s manners spoke louder than words.

From how he drank, Talia ruled out any link to a noble upbringing. He was neither a nobility nor someone used to a life of luxury. And certainly not a royalty.

“Is it to your liking?” she asked, still smiling.

He paused. “A bit bitter.”

“Ah, a sweet tooth. I’ll make sure to bring a sweetener next time.”

He gave her an awkward smile that she returned a hundred times fold.

He was not getting away from her grasp, not when she finally found him. She was already making a list of snacks to feast upon while listening to the delicious tale he carried. She could feel the strangeness of his soul, something she hadn’t felt for hundreds of years.

She took another sip, savoring the rich flavor. Verily, Earth was quickly becoming one of her favorite worlds. Quite sad that humans were quite clumsy with their lives. Adventurous spirits, they called themselves. She snorted—more like careless.

She brought the cup to her lips, smiling at Weylin’s raised eyebrow.

“Such a nice weather today.”

It was always nice in Idir, always the pinnacle of spring. The elements never strayed far from their appointed script. A change of weather was never good. A storm here differed from a storm in any other world. A storm here meant the start of a calamity. The last time Talia witnessed a storm in Idir was over a thousand years ago—a lucky streak she wanted uninterrupted, which meant she would have to deal with whoever was parading as a god.

Weylin cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to their little picnic.

“I’m a bit curious,” he said. “Why the sudden interest?”

Her smile was thin as she regarded him. “Why not?”

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They stared at each other, silent, till broken by Aseel’s arrival. Talia silently groaned. Was Aseel trying to get in the way of her fun?

“See you tomorrow.” She smiled at Weylin, ignoring Aseel’s raised eyebrow.

Tomorrow, she was going to bring lunch.

She stopped next to a gathering of red camellias.“Ah, another thing.” She plucked a flower and infused some of her life force into its petals.

Weylin glanced at her, then back at the presented flower. “You said you liked Camellia.” She smiled. “Like this, it wouldn’t wither, not as long as I reign over this place.”

She returned back to her jail, ignoring Aseel’s pointed stare.

What did he know about souls and how to ensnare them?

Ilya, to her surprise, was back before his two days ended. Talia watched him as he fidgeted, thinking about the words that could grant him his desired chance.

“What do you have for me?”

“Well… I remembered something in the holy creed written by the high priest.” He paused, hesitating.

She leaned forward—as if the hall wasn’t built in such a manner to ensure the sound was carried to all its corners.

“What does it say?” she asked when he failed to elaborate further. She had to remind herself that getting angry at him would serve nothing.

“It spoke about the ethereal beauty of Nuneyar and how he was like a ray of sun in the brightest of days.”

Golden hair, silver locks? How did this description translate to normal colors?

She sighed. “Any other description?”

He hesitated before shaking his head.

She leveled him with a look.

“That was everything the high priest said about him,” he hastily added, his frightened eyes widening further as she reached her hand towards the twin seals. “I swear I didn’t lie.”

“I know,” she said calmly.

“Then why…?”

She waved her hand, cutting him off. His mouth closed with a click. He stood, waiting for her verdict.

She let out a deep breath, closed her eyes, and leaned back against her chair. The hall was silent, not even Ilya’s breaths could be heard. She glanced at Aseel, and he glanced back at her, shrugging.

It was her call. She could deny his request and find him here again in five years’ time, like clockwork. Or she could approve it, pass the judgment of scales upon his soul, and send him back to his world, were the scales in his favor—there was a limit to how many times she could overlook a judgment, and it always came with a price if things went south after the soul’s return to their world. If not, if the scales judged him unworthy, she had the authority to forbid him any future requests—a soul’s judgment rarely differed from its first, if ever.

Or…

She glanced at him. He shied away from her gaze.

She was a busy person. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t be in two places simultaneously. And seeing him once a day, for merely a couple of minutes, wasn’t helping.

She blinked, seeing the soul in front of her in a new light,

Ilya was once part of a cult, a temple. Surely, he knew a thing or two about persuading people to do their bidding, no matter how opposed to it they first were.

She fixed her stare on Ilya’s quivering soul. “How about a deal?”

This, this was something she was willing to bet on.

Her satisfied grin chased her till she closed her eyes in sleep. Sometimes, important tasks required the attention of more than one person. And two was always better than one.