Alarm shattered any aplomb I had gathered. Furious, I pretended that a steel curtain had crashed into place in between us. My heart was beating as quickly as my thoughts were darting across my chaotic mind. He was supposed to be invisible. I refused to see the judgment and disapproval written all over his body—it was better when he was invisible. I worked on controlling my panic. It helped that I had my own table to focus on. I resolutely kept my attention contained to a three-feet circumference for the rest of the dinner. I thought I felt Kyrian's gaze on me periodically.

When dessert arrived—a large slice of black forest cake—the table's discussion and focus turned to me. It was only a matter of time (and alcohol), as my face had been plastered across the mortal news stations, before the mortals had enough courage to breach the subject.

"So, Sebastien," Ana started, clearly believing they were equals, and it wasn't necessary to use titles. "What's the story behind you aiding someone who has been accused of these massacres?" She gestured towards me.

I froze, and next to me, Jay stiffened in his seat. A couple of tables over, Kyrian's head tilted as if he had heard the raised question and was curious as to what the answer would be. I didn't doubt that seraphim could hear amazingly well. The rest of the table continued shifting pieces of cake to their mouths as if all of this was normal. I supposed it was for them. There had to be a class instructing how to dine while navigating landmines as part of political appointment. I had my hand laying flat on the table and Sebastien covered it with his own, possessive. Kyrian caught the movement. His lips formed a narrow line. "Briara is a mage," Sebastien declared proudly.

Ana's expression flickered with anger before she could recover her poise. "Then it seems like you are enabling her murderous whirlwinds."

Sebastien shocked us by throwing his head backwards and laughing. This was in complete contradiction with the way his hand pressed down harder against mine until his fingernails were digging into my skin. "Quite the contrary, Ana," Sebastien said with a forced smile. "You see, Briara did not know she was a mage, and we had no indication she was running around with this massive amount of power. It was brewing inside of her for several decades until, finally, it exploded. In a way, that was fortunate, if only because it let us know that she existed. I allowed the Americans to seek their justice with Briara until she was sentenced. Afterwards, I organized her escape from the American jail."

Ana's eyes narrowed. "That would be romantic and everything, if not for the fact that the massacres continue."

"The last one was only this morning!" exclaimed Chile's President Rafael, waving his fork around in the air. My stare landed hard on my plate as the flashes of the incident replayed in my head. I could still feel the elated weightlessness as I levitated over Beijing. The imagery of all those bodies falling was only a thought away. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly to cancel out the visual. My fork slipped out of my hand and landed on my barely consumed cake. I forced myself to exhale and open my eyes. An internal heat burned my cheeks. I stared hard at the table's surface, unwilling to give into the desire to check on Kyrian's reaction. My fingernails were digging into my palms.

"I have Briara working with one of our best professors to control her ability," Sebastien asserted boldly. "I know people are dying the longer it takes her to learn, but I can assure you, the means justify the ends. There is a reason for everything that happens in the universe. We still aren't sure what Briara’s magic is attempting to communicate right now. I believe that this will all become clearer in the future, and we just need to be patient."

Rafael tapped the tabletop. "How do we know she won't attack our cities, hurt our people?"

"We were willing to meet with you to discuss a potential treaty. Now, it makes me uneasy to be sitting here. If you can't leash this wild animal, I'm not sure I can continue to negotiate with you," Ana declared, her eyes flashing. "I am not willing to jeopardize my citizens' lives."

Sebastien took a deep breath. There was an intensity around him. "I assure you that if you sign the treaty, your countries will remain unharmed." Shocked, I could not keep myself from checking Sebastien's expression. It was determined, and I blinked in confusion. He couldn't promise anything like that. As far as we knew, the massacre locations had been completely random. When I checked on Kyrian discreetly, I saw that he was rigid with his stare was focused on his untouched cake. He had disengaged from his table's conversation, whereas Evangeline was laughing over something her father had said.

"She must be someone pretty special if you are willing to give her chance after chance." Ana observed with an eyebrow raise.

Sebastien glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "She is."

The comment prompted me to blush, and bashfully, I glanced down at my massive piece of chocolate cake. Fidgeting with my fork, I separated a sliver of miniature chocolate chips acting as a component of the crust and brought it up to my mouth. "So, Briara, what do you think about the unified world your chancellor is about to implement?" The question, posed by Miroslav, made me look up. I swallowed the chocolate chips, which was suddenly difficult due to how dry my mouth became. My thoughts raced in search of the perfect answer. How would Sebastien want me to answer this? A look at his face failed to provide me with any answers.

"In all honesty, I’m not sure. I am still trying to get adjusted to all this splendor." I went for the truth, and they seemed to accept my answer. Fortunately, at that moment, the spotlight was taken off me and the same question was presented to Jay.

"Sergeant Britton is one of our messengers in the military," Sebastien introduced before Jay could answer. Jay straightened with importance.

"I believe it is long overdue," Jay declared boldly. He settled his fork beside his plate. Unlike Kyrian and me, he had obliterated his dessert.

Ana blinked at him. "Oh really? And how long have you been a part of the mage community, Sergeant?"

A muscle in Jay's jaw twitched over her challenge. His steely gaze met hers across the table. "I was born in the fifteenth ring and grew up in squalor. I was trapped in that place until I was sent to the mage reformatory when I was ten." Jay, realizing he had the table's full attention, continued. "It was like I was a forgotten child growing up. The Republic didn't know I existed, except on paper, and as long as my family was still alive, I was their responsibility. Thus, the Republic didn't care about me. I feel like that is true for millions of children in the world, and that is because the government's focus is elsewhere. If it had time to focus on other matters—the ones that matter—maybe so many children would not be forgotten." My hands were clenched in my lap over how pompous Jay sounded. As a child, his family was slightly better off than Cassiah's, who had truly lived in squalor for all his life.

"Well, you seem to be doing well for yourself as an adult," Miroslav pointed out with a nod. "Look at where you're at!"

Jay's lips thinned as he considered the man. "That's because I got out of that hellhole when I was ten and sent to a reformatory for uncontrollable brats for two years. I was whisked away and raised by someone who actually cared about me and who had the means to make sure my every need was taken care of. Not every child is afforded that opportunity, and I was lucky that once upon a time, when I was twelve years old, I was in the right place at the right time. But yes, I should be proud that I am here at this table with you fine folk and sitting next to this beautiful woman."

Dinner ended soon after that. The attendants removed most of the round tables, except for the ones on the perimeter of room. The orchestra altered their music from curating a fine dining experience to melodies that induced dancing. Conversation circles formed; couples disappeared out to the veranda for privacy. The available attendants were whisking around the guests, proffering more glasses of champagne. Jay was awkward at first and hovered by my side as we wandered around. We had attended formal functions together before; though we usually had a mission to keep us focused. Now we were left with nothing to do except to enjoy the masquerade until the ceremonial performances, which were scheduled to occur at midnight. It was an unusual predicament.

As we wandered, we came across several people whom I knew. The Master Librarian, Desirae, was there, dressed in a beautiful violet kimono and armed with several fans. Her intelligence sparkled in her eyes. She assessed my costume and commented, "Is that why you wanted to do some research on Adriana Penderyn the other day?" I confirmed her suspicions, and she complimented that the costume was well done. Her gaze narrowed with a little suspicion at the sapphire warming my chest. Politely, I asked her whom she was representing. A small smile graced her face as she responded, "Andralyn, the Goddess of Knowledge." She tilted her head as her eyes flickered around to search the surrounding area. Seeing that no one was paying attention to us, she approached closer. Her palm landed on my upper arm. Her voice was hushed as she questioned, "Are you still looking into Zane Konstantinos?"

Shocked, I nodded. Had she overheard Cassiah and me in the library?

"There may be books on him down in the royal castle."

My mouth dropped open. "It's underwater," I protested.

Desirae's eyebrows shifted upwards in nuance suggestion. Her eyes twinkled with possibility. "True." She took a step back. "Come to me if you need any more help with your research," she invited before pivoting and going to talk to someone else. I was left staring after her. My mind immediately went to the night of the Amherst family dinner. It was the same night that strange male had detonated fireworks before jumping into the sea right over the underwater castle. Had Desirae just been confirming my suspicions that it was still inhabited? Had some spell protected its interior?

I couldn't follow through with that thought because Jay placed a hand on my shoulder to grab my attention. "Who's this Konstantinos guy?" he questioned. I frowned and shook my head.

Cynthia, the evaluator director, was the next to stumble across our path. She had kept her outfit simple. It consisted of a toga and a wreath of lavender crowning her head. Her diction was eloquent as ever as she asked me about my progress with my magic. I frowned and was forced to admit that it had been lacking. "You have magic, I'm sure of it. It popped up on your charts. You just have to learn how to navigate to it."

"At this point, it seems as if Professor Leander and I have tried everything."

Cynthia pursed her lips. "There may be something else we can try. It's something I'll have to look into, though."

I also saw Meira, who was floating around the ballroom in a costume inspired by a peacock. Despite the full peacock tail fanned out behind her, her confidence radiated off her. She had removed most of her body piercings for the night. Her companion, the black man, accompanied her. He had chosen to go bare chested, and leather shorts covered his groin area. Leather bands and straps were accessories on his arms and chest. Meira noticed me and made her way over to speak to me, the man in tow. Jay, who remained my ever-present shadow, groaned. "Please, go away," he muttered underneath his breath.

"How's your first masquerade?" Meira questioned, swirling around the contents of her champagne flute.

I gave her a neutral answer.

Meira's consort encroached on the neutral space between us and grabbed my hand. Before I could pull it away, he brought it up to his mouth and deposited a small peck on it. I then recognized him: he was the man from my first time at Hellions and Halos, the bachelor whom Reagan and the other girls played with on the bar top. Behind me, Jay gripped my shoulder tightly. I thought he would yank me backwards and jump in front of me like a ferocious guard dog. "I don't think we've ever met before. My name is Calais Dresden." Calais said smoothly. The charm was oozing off his voice. His eyes examined my costume slowly, appreciatively.

"I've seen you at Hellions and Halos," I commented in return, coolly. "Weren't you supposed to be getting married?" I scanned his and Meira's fingers for rings. Meira was the only one wearing a ring. It was that starburst one I'd seen on other senators.

At my muted confrontation, Calais's head bounced backwards, and he laughed. "Oh, you just reminded me of that drama!" At my stare, Calais explained, "I'm not married. The girl left me as soon as I presented her with a prenup. I only wanted to protect my caelsphaera team and my family's business from her influence. She showed she wanted her talons deeply entrenched in both! She ripped up the prenup, threw the pieces in my face, spat at me, and slammed the door behind her as she left. Good riddance," Calais chuckled.

"You don't sound like you were very much in love with her," I accused.

Calais shrugged. "She revealed the true bitch she was and saved me from a lot of sorrow down the road. I've heard everything about you," he returned with an eyebrow shift. "I can't believe we've never had the opportunity to meet before tonight. Then again, I've been quite busy!"

"Oh?"

Calais nodded energetically. "On top of the family's clock business, I manage a caelsphaera team, the Astraera Kelpies."

I stared at him and politely nodded.

Calais seemed disappointed by my lack of enthusiasm; he probably got women who were so impressed with him they practically ripped off their shirts for him. "You haven't been to a game, have you?" I shook my head. "We'll have to change that! I want you to attend a game on my behalf! I'll have some tickets sent to you. The team's amazing. We're about a game or two from making it to playoffs! You need to go; it's kind of a mage's rite of passage. I'll even throw in backstage access so you can meet the players." I graciously accepted the tickets, though I doubted Calais would send them my way. He would forget in the morning when I didn’t show up in his bed.

"Condescending, arrogant fuckturd," Jay insulted when Meira finally pulled Calais away.

I frowned. "Do you not like him because he's competition at Hellions?"

"No, I don't like him because he never earned that spot as the Kelpies' manager! He walks around here like his cock is larger than everyone else's, and for what? Just because he was born into the right family with a father who became a successful entrepreneur? He thinks he can fuck any woman just because most of the upper class wears his father's watches. It's pathetic," Jay ranted. He seized champagne from a passing tray and consumed the glass's contents in its entirety in one gulp. "You better watch out because you are on his radar now."

I gazed after Calais. His leather shorts accentuated his ass, and as he went shirtless, he was showing off his eight-pack abs and sculpted legs. He reminded me of a black Statue of David. I wondered if he worked out with his players. "He wouldn't be the worse person to fuck," I mused.

"Bria!" Jay snapped. "I don't want you with him at all."

"I don't think you can dictate whom I decide to have sex with." A growl encroached into my tone. "Especially since you've practically been with every girl at Hellions."

"It's different," Jay sputtered. I lifted my eyebrows. Whatever expression I had on my face encouraged him to explain, "Whether you like it or not, you're at an elevated position. People are going to be critiquing everything you do. Maybe not now, but once you're trained, you’re going to be high profile. No one cares what I do," Jay grumbled.

I bit my bottom lip as Jay grabbed for another champagne. I sensed jealously radiating from him, and as much as I wanted to criticize his sexism, I refused to argue in public.

When Jay had calmed down, he invited me out onto the dance floor when the orchestra produced a romantic melody. At my weird glance directed towards him, he defended himself. "I know you like to dance, and it's better than just standing around doing nothing." Jay took my hand and led me out to mingle with the others. I searched the mass for Evangeline, hoping to use her as a buffer against the awkwardness forming between Jay and me. He had been unnaturally quiet and introverted ever since he retrieved me in my apartment, as well as quite possessive and protective. It was as if the one-sided sex last night and his drinking tonight had sent him spiraling into this strange behavior. At least Evangeline's hyper energy would ease some of that tension in between us, provide a welcome distraction. I even wished that Macaila or Cassiah would come by.

Once we were in the middle of other couples, Jay surprised me by snaking his arm around my waist and intertwining his fingers with mine. The front side of his body was pressed up against mine. Twice in the past twenty-four hours, we had been close in a way that we hadn't been since the night of the Union Station Massacre. Jay's arm twitched across my back, anxious. I averted my gaze to his chest, where all his rank metals were pinned to his uniform. They were accentuated by the costume medals. He had the rank of sergeant over his unit of recruited mortals. It was a rank he earned purely because of his mage heritage and circumstances. Whether or not he admitted it, he had received some opportunities from his blood, as Calais had.

Our first couple of steps were uncoordinated stumbles, and toes were stepped on. More musically inclined and fluid than Jay was, I fought for dominance. At first, he was reluctant, and then gradually, he relinquished control. There was a learning curve as he became more submissive. I attempted to cover the errors the best I could as we twirled around the floor. I kept my gaze turned towards the other couples and became distracted by the chaos of colors and designs whirling by me. One woman had a colorful patchwork dress containing bright pink, purple, blue, and orange. After another spin around, I saw that Sebastien and Emerson had removed themselves to a private area in the grand staircase’s shadow. From the intensity of their expressions and the way they were turned towards each other, I knew that whatever they were discussing was important. They were having another private meeting. I frowned, wondering what could be so important it couldn't wait until after the festivities.

"Will you look at me?" Jay snapped. "Pretend that I exist?"

Complying, I slowly shifted my gaze back to his. There was an intensity to his that made me want to look away. His lips opened as if he was going to start speaking whatever had been on his mind. Then they shut as if he had not quite mustered the courage to. Instead, when he spoke again, he said, "What did you think about the dinner conversation?"

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I blinked, knowing that the question was just a cover for what was really occurring in his mind. "It's just leaders behaving like leaders and just trying to expand their influence and power over the rest of the world," I declared with a shrug. "It was nothing new that history hasn't seen before. The balance of power is always shifting."

"This time, I think it will be an extreme change," Jay opined. "The chancellor and senators want to bring the entire universe together. They envision a world where daemeyri, mortals, seraphim, and mages can live with the knowledge of the other, and where your next-door neighbor could be a vampire. One massive empire to govern and ensure everyone is provided for."

"You sound like you are in full support of it." I commented on his dreamy voice. He had basically repeated the entire propaganda.

Jay nodded. "It's what I said before about making sure that a child doesn't have to grow up as I did. It shouldn't ever be that way. I want to do something about that, and I believe the government wants to, too, with this paradise. And then I have been thinking about our futures, our roles, in this new society more than ever. Have you?"

"I've been struggling and more focused on trying to control my magic to avoid shattering this entire universe, Jay. I really haven't had the chance to."

"Well, what do you think your role will be once you master your ability?"

I threw a look at Sebastien, who was still in the deep discussion with the archangel. Becoming frustrated, I shook my head and said, "I don't know, Jay. Where are you going with this?"

"I think the chancellor has plans for you once you have mastered your abilities. He's obviously keeping you close by his side for something, and he trusts you enough to assign you an undercover mission to infiltrate the Resistance—"

"Jay!" I hissed. Yet, it didn't matter. We were in the middle of the other dancers, all of who were focused on whatever intimate conversations they were having with their respective partners. No one was paying us any attention. The nearest attendant was on the corner of the dance floor, struggling to balance an arrangement of wineglasses on the serving tray.

Jay went on like he hadn't heard my admonishment. "I really think that he is thinking about shaping you to be his second-in-command or perhaps his understudy to be the next chancellor."

"Me?" I scoffed.

"No, really. He's really drawn to you. You were literally a nobody, and he could have let you rot in that prison cell until you took your last breath. And don't look at me like that. You know it is true," Jay declared. "When we were with Galileo, it was impossible to imagine our future. If he was still alive, we would still be his puppets, because that was exactly what we were. He never let us in or told us any information unless it was important to the current mission. We could have tried to sit down and put the puzzle pieces together with everything we learned from the missions we went on. Who knows if we would have figured it out, though? He always separated us after the missions, as if he was trying to prevent us from ever piecing together his endgame. Our future with him was just going to be him telling us what we were doing next, yanking us out of our 'normal' lives no matter if we had more important shit to do there. We would never have had stability. You knew it, too, or else you wouldn't have quickly dismissed your ex-boyfriend's marriage proposal."

I bit my lip in disagreement. I had enjoyed my time as a part of Galileo's makeshift family up until the last minute. I wouldn't let Jay's opinion taint the memory of it.

"Here, though, with you as the chancellor's second and me as a messenger sergeant," Jay paused as he collected his thoughts. "There's stability here. You have your apartment at the castle. I can promote to lieutenant of the messenger core. And maybe we could explore what is between us, could see what it can become, what we can become. Together." An instantaneous panic suffocated my heart and strained my upper left chest muscles. For moments, I forgot how to breathe. Sweat formed between Jay's and my intertwined hands. I tensed as if I was going to flee. Yet, it all made sense. Jay's behavior throughout the night, his comments. My cynical side understood what he had seen tonight. He saw what he wanted the most in life in me, what had eluded him ever since he was a child. At his core, he wished for stability. Then he saw potential that I could rise to the top of the mage government. As a child who grew up in one of poorest sectors of the mage community, he was drawn to that potential power and influence, that potential wealth and notoriety. Jay squeezed my hand again to redirect my focus. "I'd like to take you out for dinner," Jay said.

Despite my mouth becoming parched, I forced out, "Back to Hellions and Halos?"

"No," Jay declared, almost offended. "There's an amazing Brazilian steakhouse in the fifth arrondissement we could go to. Alone. No distractions."

I hid my grimace. He had moved up from the fifteenth to the fifth ring. "Have you seen your parents since you returned?" I questioned instead. It was a curiosity I had been harboring since he had mentioned them over dinner.

I felt Jay's shoulders tense underneath my arms. "Why are you bringing them up?" His growl almost bit me.

"Curiosity."

"I don't even know if they are alive." Jay's lips pressed together.

"Don't you care to find out?"

"No. I don't know if they would like the strong person I've become. They always wanted me to follow the rules, to be weak. They lacked ambition; it was okay for them to stay where they were at, because they didn't want to face any confrontation. They were spineless cowards," Jay growled.

For a moment, I was left speechless over his attitude. "You're in a mood. Why? Is it the mission you've been assigned to?" I prodded. Jay blinked in confusion. "You said something about it last night. You are being sent to a place you don't want to go. Where is it?"

A dark awareness flickered to his expression from the reminder. He became even more distant and despondent with my questioning. He shook his head and was saved from answering when Milo popped up over Jay's shoulder. My feet halted, and I pulled partly out of Jay's embrace, secretly happy that Milo had appeared to extract me from this unhappy situation. "It's time," he advised. Time for the midnight ceremonies, he meant. A glance up at the balcony overlooking the ballroom revealed that the priestesses and priests were gathering in preparation for the performances.

"We'll meet up later," I promised Jay before I allowed Milo to lead me over to where the priestesses and priests were. Jay's face acquired a forlorn expression as we departed. He followed us to the foot of the staircase, where he was not permitted access beyond the priests waiting at the bottom. They acted as a gate severing Jay from me, and I breathed a sigh of relief, of freedom. That freedom was short-lived, however, and when I ascended the last step into the atrium, I suddenly felt alone. There were about fifty different young adults waiting in various states of anxiety. Sebastien had mentioned something about how the main performance honored the mage genesis and featured the Divine. The young adults were dressed up, reflecting these different characters. Some wore outfits denoting them as daemeyri characters.

There were a couple of priests in maroon robes posted at the staircase, gatekeepers for the ritualistic performance. Three other priests in navy robes were organizing the mass of the chosen ones. Me, they placed at the end of the line. I eyed the male in front of me with interest, wondering if he was to be my partner in the Sol and Luna dance. With his sandy blonde hair and broad, stocky body, he could play the part of the masculine sun well enough. Still, he didn't look like he could be older than eighteen. He gave me a nod of recognition when I lined up behind him, and then ignored me. My stomach sunk. Did Sebastien set me up for failure in pairing me with this eighteen-year-old when the chemistry between us was probably lacking? I had done enough partner work in the past to know that was the element that made a dance exceptional. My fingernails dug into my palms. I considered the possible ways of escaping the humiliation I would face from my part of the performance. I was a perfectionist; I usually practiced nonstop before a recital. The performance tonight was supposed to be organic, but I was not comfortable with it.

Some of my tension in my shoulders evaporated when the priests placed a short girl clad in black robes in between the male and me. The robe's cowl was pulled up to shield her hair and face. A delicate, jeweled crown wrapped around her skull and held the cowl in place. She shifted on her feet, anxious as the rest of us were.

The priests didn't put anyone else at the back of the line. It only made me wonder about my partner and where he was. Who he was.

It took quite some time for the priests in the ballroom to transform the guests into an audience. The orchestra alerted the maroon-robe clad priests at the top of the stairs of the performance’s beginning. The first three actors were directed to begin their descent. All were male. Their costumes lacked shirts, revealing well-toned torsos. One was manipulating a small flame in between his hands. Another had wings so realistic, I had to do a double take. The boy lacked the seraphim’s ethereal glow; I identified him as a mage. Had he then used magic to create his wings? The third was normal. From where I stood, I was able to lean over the balcony and view the performance from above. It distracted from me the anxiety quickening my blood.

I had never learned about the mage genesis; it wasn't deemed an important lesson. A priestess stood out of sight down in the ballroom and acted as the narrator for the performance. Her pleasant voice carried loudly over the soft, accompanying music. "Many, many, many millennia ago, in Anavrina, in our paradise, gods, seraphim, and mortals lived in unity. Every living thing blossomed in this paradise. Our gods reigned over it, governing the seraphim and mortals alike. They valued knowledge and omnipotence above everything else, understanding both the victories and consequences that knowledge could produce. To maintain a balance, they created the mortals, who were supposed to possess an innocent, kind nature. The mortals' only task was to live in innocence and ignorance, which would thus produce happiness. The seraphim were tasked to guard and protect the paradise from the evils outside of it.

"It's rumored that paradise was a land of ice and fire, a land where massive waterfalls and fields of wildflowers decorated the land. There were stunning vistas surrounding the city, and natural springs to soak in when the day's work was done. When night fell, the heavens put on a show for those down below. For many eras, the paradise breathed serenity and order.

"Until a sentient evil bypassed the seraphim and their security, infiltrating Anavrina secretly."

This time, the priests released two innocent-looking teenagers—one female, one male—to begin their descent. Efforts had been made to keep their beauty natural. The female had a sheen of shiny brunette hair cascading down her back. Her makeup was restricted; no eyeliner, mascara, or lipstick had been applied to her face. She wore a simple one-shoulder light blue dress. Her male companion was clad in a white shirt and tan pants. Both were barefoot. They were followed by a third individual. His outfit covered his entire body. Every inch of skin was concealed by the black material. A black mask completed the ensemble.

"It didn't take long for the evil to stumble upon its first opportunity to destroy the paradise," the narrator continued. "Two mortals, one female, one male, sat in the evil's path, enjoying an innocent picnic together. It is said that the picnic was enhanced by their flowing laughter. That laughter ended when the evil interrupted the picnic. It sat down with the two mortals and preached rhetoric to them. It didn't take long at all for it to convince the male and female of their god-induced ignorance, and how that kept them at a disadvantage as gods ruled over them. The two became enraged over the invisible chains the gods had restrained them with, and they started to lust for power. At the evil's encouragement, they sought the long-denied knowledge at the gods' compound. It was easy to locate and access, and for a night, they filled their heads with the knowledge of the gods. The night after that, they returned with a couple of their friends. This cycle continued for a week until the entire mortal population knew more than they should.

"This threw the entire paradise off balance.

"The gods noticed, for how could they not? The weather patterns were disrupted. For an entire month, it stormed and caused flooding throughout their paradise. After that, a volcano that was believed to be dormant erupted suddenly. Lava ran through their city, demolishing parts of it. The stars fell out of the sky, creating craters and disrupting the waterfalls. A plague threatened to destroy all life.

"Their paradise crumbling around them, the gods were forced to end the mortal existence in the realm to rectify the damages. There were two options for the mortals: exile or extermination. These two options divided the gods into two fractions, two fractions that fought a war on paradise's soil. War raged for centuries, goaded on by the evil on the outside. The war eventually ended, as all wars do, without a clear victory. The gods who were proponents of the mortals' exile from paradise left in search of another world, a world where the mortals would be free to pursue knowledge and prosper from it. They called themselves the Divine. A line of supporters followed these gods and the remaining mortals to this new world, leaving the original gods, the Canon of Gods, to mend their damaged paradise alone. Some seraphim were loyal to the mortal sympathizers, and they too followed the path of exile, never looking back."

The priests gestured a sizable portion of the line before me forward to enter the ballroom. Soon, I was only a couple of people away from descending myself. As the new group entered the ballroom, I learned they were representing the mortal sympathizer gods, the gods whom the mages now worshipped and had entire priesthoods dedicated to. Asiasi led the procession, wearing a crown of silver and gold. The young boy representing him had his skin covered with temporary tattoos. The tattoos were a swirl of design on his limbs. "Each of the Divine acquired personalities to encourage the mortals towards enlightenment. There was Asiasi, the leader of the exile movement; Vollioppe, the god of battle; Andralyn, the goddess of knowledge; Zore, who became the god of love; Lexus, the seeker of justice and truth; Reynn, the Goddess of Luck; Sereniah, the keeper of light and serenity; Akureyri, the goddess of the stars; Aerie, the goddess of air; Hali, the goddess of the sea; Mica, the goddess of the earth; and finally, Pyra, the goddess of flame. They governed earth as well as they could for several millennia. Life was created and flourished in their wake as the gods constructed, as the mortals compiled as much knowledge as they could, and as the seraphim protected everyone from threats from hell."

Leaning over the balcony as much as I dared, I saw that the actors portraying these mortal-loving gods were distributing small tokens to the audience. The male playing Vollioppe handed out shiny arrowheads. The girl portraying Mica had small pebbles of gold in her basket, while Sereniah was bestowing threads of lavender upon the people she chose.

The gatekeeper priests beckoned four more actors down the staircase. These actors demonstrated their abilities as they descended. "The Divine formed relationships with the mortals, and as a result, children were born. These children had power to manipulate the earth's elements. They were classified as mages. The Divine separated these children from the mortals and taught them how to control their abilities and instilled their personal values into them. Armes took some and taught them everything he knew about warfare. Asiasi instructed his on leadership principles. Andralyn instilled her followers with a passion for knowledge. Together, they gave these children a new home: Astraera. The division between the mages and mortals broadened, as the Divine believed the mortals were better off without their constant interference. The mortals prospered: they built their own cities and inspired their own culture. New languages developed.

"Yet, even in this world, tiny remnants of evil slipped in. Demons roamed the land that the gods had conquered. These demons were clever and wore mortal faces to cloak themselves. Before the seraphim could discover and vanquish them, they mated with mages. Magic surrounded the mating and produced a different kind of offspring: daemeyri. The first faeries, vampires, lycans, mermaids, elves, and therianthropes were born. Not knowing what to do with them, the gods decided to leave them with the mortals. There was a lot of opposition to allowing them in Astraera, which had been constructed for the gods' pure offspring. The daemeyri were unnatural, unintentional. They were still too new to protest and learned how to build their own communities within the mortal world." The actors dressed up as the six different sects of daemeyri were next to enter the ballroom. The mermaid actor's skirt was constructed out of simmering sequins to represent a long tail. She had diamond starfish earrings in her ears. The vampire actor had charmed his irises into a reddish tint that was vivid enough to see across the room. For the lycan, the committee had chosen the eighteen-year-old I'd feared was Sol.

"For millennia, life flourished. Life flowed on, mimicking a river.

"Yet, even gods must move on, and the Divine, as one, decided it was time to return to their stars and extinguish their ties to the mortal land. When they had done enough to ensure the livelihood of the mages and the mortals, they disappeared without providing notice of their intent.

"Without that structure, the organized government the gods had created for the mages crumbled. For centuries afterwards, the mages lived without purpose. They fought amongst themselves and somewhat regretted their ancestors' decision to desert Anavrina. The mortals' progress halted as well, becoming stale without the gods' distant inspiration. The seraphim separated from the mages and retreated into their own territory. It wasn't until a hooded, mysterious female appeared in the chaos that they reacquired purpose." The girl in front of me, the one in the black cloak covering her face and the jewels crowning her head, was prompted to descend. As the only one left, I waited for my signal. I rolled my shoulders to relax. Breathe, I reminded myself.

"The female was a prophet who had time traveled to their era, or so she claimed. She described a world in the far distant future where the entire universe was once again united: the Canon of the Gods, the mages, the mysterious seraphim, the mortals, and even the daemeyri. No one believed her, not until she produced proof in the form of visions. She took the mage elders, including the Sovereign, and showed them her visions, her memories of what paradise lingered in the mages' future. The elders were awestruck, enchanted even. She gave them several leather-bound books: her diaries, she claimed. In humble speech, she claimed the books were her instructions to utopia. The mortals were the only ones who could get everyone to paradise. Yet, they could be inspired towards that path by the mages. The instructions would describe how. She left the mages shocked and amazed. After her departure, it was decided amongst the mage elders that they would take the path to paradise's return. This prophet has since been known as Aurora in mage history, and whose accepted appearances lay scattered across history.

"A new government was soon established, following Aurora’s instructions. There was a royal family elected to maintain order; a chancellor and a board of senators were to act as checks and balances against the dynasty. The strongest of the mages were assigned to building a castle to manage mage affairs, which was called the Sistine. The most astute were sent to the mortal's world to learn of current affairs, while strategists were provided an airy chamber to plot their way to the paradise Aurora claimed was in their distant future. A select number of mages, called muses, were chosen to influence the mortals towards Aurora’s path. Wars broke out because of their influence, and from them, peace and treaties. Leaders were inspired to step into the spotlight. Artists were inspired to create. Mortal cities were established, and some of them fell. A muse convinced a select number of people that it was possible to travel to the moon. Another muse pointed scientists toward medical advancements to prolong mortal lives.

"Thus, the mages were born with a purpose, that which to unite the universe once more under a single paradise. Aurora had warned the path was long, very long, and that an end would not be in sight for what might seem like an infinity. Still, the mages were determined to reach it. Those first sets of mages were conquered by death. Their children, and then their children, took the burden of destiny upon their shoulders. Today, we are still searching for that promised paradise. It's closer than any of us really thought, and it might even arrive in our lifetime." The priestess's tone carried a finality with it. Her monologue was completed. If her tone had not conveyed that, then the music providing a background melody did. The orchestra ended on one final whole note.

Silence reigned downstairs after a small scattering of footsteps. The actors were vacating the spotlight.

I exhaled against my pounding heart. My gaze drifted towards the priests guarding the staircase. We waited.

"Yet, there is a story more ancient, and that's how magic came to be." A different voice echoed throughout the ballroom. It was a male one. The ballroom's acoustics made his voice sound majestic. My toes curled and my hands formed fists at my side from the anticipation. "Our storytellers claim that two forces were existent at the very beginning: one light, one dark. One quicksilver, one sulfur. One feminine, one masculine. It is believed that when these forces finally met and married, the first Divine was created. It is a union that is most revered today, and many scholars are in awe of the deep harmony between these two opposites. Yet, harmony was not there initially, despite the explosive chemistry. It was the eruption upon their union that led to the Divines' creation. We all now stand here, blessed, because of it."

The priest closest to me gave me the tiniest of nods just as the violins and pianos in the orchestra united to form a light melody. The MC priest down below stopped talking, his narrative finished. I took another deep breath and forced my legs into movement. Suddenly, I was unstable, certain that I would tumble down the staircase and crash at the very bottom in a pool of humiliation. I tried to focus on my posture and entrance, keeping my pace slow and steady. My stomach was in knots, and I regretted even taking a bite from the seven-course dinner I had hours ago. I regretted those two glasses of champagne I had, as my mind seemed addled because of them. I regretted agreeing to Sebastien's offer. I didn't want this spotlight.

At the bottom of the staircase, I hesitated. All the masquerade guests formed a human barrier around me. I was standing in a makeshift arena. If I wanted to escape, I would have to retreat the way I had come—if the priests had not blocked that way as well. Sebastien was standing near the staircase with Senator Alistair, Senator Wyn, and the mortal Rafael, the President of Chile. I sought encouragement from Sebastien. He gave me an acknowledging nod that failed to do anything to quell my nerves. Beyond him, I saw the seraphim. Evangeline was quite easy to spot in her rainbow outfit. She smiled at me, although she appeared both apprehensive and curious. Jay was further down, standing by himself. He had a grim expression on his face while his arms were crossed tightly over his chest. He didn't want me out here in the spotlight any more than I wanted to be. The attendants had faded to the back. I thought I could make out Macaila's messy hair from where I was.

My mouth suddenly parched and my vision blurry, I finally braved a glance at the only other person in the arena with me.

My heart stopped beating.