Sovereign [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczN_YKfmLPVlKFHFNnHyPYI4w3X_Swy64hrQzMnJyO7cGUkHpCVQ4Pj_L4QH6U0WALLX4NZs4QtYYjaZ10jrPmohp1BnTn_uGKGhl5GVMb85P5GClNk85nYPC5CaAH7uB_FTe1cARH4HkE9wdCUBsl6v=w639-h958-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
“You impossibly greedy little thing,” Dazien muttered at Tala as he sat on the couch, combing a hand through mussed hair. He was now fully clothed with Uriel, who was sitting beside him and sipping the hot cider that Phoenix had provided them in recompense.
“How is she possibly a match for you, who balks at shiny things?” Daze asked, still glaring at the preening bird. Tala was enjoying herself by showing off her new necklace to all who gazed upon her. “Not to mention that peacocking behavior that begs for attention,” he continued, pointing a finger towards Phoenix, “That’s completely opposite to you.”
“Well, it sounds pretty similar to you, and you get along better with me than with her,” Phoenix pointed out, thoroughly enjoying the shock on his face at the subtle jab as she added, “In my world, they called it ‘opposites attracting’ or something like that. Basically, the differences complement each other.”
Dazien glanced at his partner before muttering, “I guess there’s something to that.” He turned back to her and asked, “So, what exactly did you want to talk about? Did something terrible happen after we left?”
Phoenix flushed in embarrassment, taking a sip of her own cider before murmuring into the cup, “It seems silly now… definitely not worth interrupting you two for.”
“While I appreciate the remorse since I was rather looking forward to that,” Dazien said with an amused smile, “You have our attention now, so out with it. What happened?”
“I just… I don’t know,” she scrunched her nose at her own confused thoughts before saying in a rush, “I guess I just want reassurance that I’m not… Well, that I’m not a terrible person for going on a date with Po even though I didn’t have those kinds of feelings for her… She asked, and Mo and Ray said I should at least try, and even you have said I won’t know what I like if I don’t try something first, but I just feel… I feel like it’s somehow my fault for not wanting to touch or be touched by her…”
As they both stared at her in blank surprise, she felt those traitorous tears form again and struggled to explain, “Like, I don’t know what to do to fix that broken piece inside of me that’s supposed to love like that… the way you two do…”
Dazien’s expression softened into one of sympathy as he said, “Oh, Princess.” Then he moved the short distance from sofa to chair and pulled her into a hug, “That’s not something you should ever think of as broken. Sometimes, people just don’t feel that, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Nobody can control how they feel. I’ve struggled for a long time with that fact. All we can attempt to control is our reaction to those feelings, and I would never suggest faking love or forcing yourself into a physical relationship.”
Uriel spoke up then as he tried to reassure her as well, “I know the group talks about our relationships from time to time, but it’s okay to not be ready for that. You shouldn’t feel like you have to… be physical with someone just to be a good partner.”
“But that’s what’s expected, right?” she asked through held-back tears, “Isn’t that why people, you know, date or court or whatever?”
He nodded in acquiescence, “Maybe, but that’s not the only reason…” He paused, then asked hesitantly, “If that’s what you thought was expected, why did you even go?”
She felt a bit lost for words at first, pulling away from her brother before confessing, “I… I just wanted to be normal… it’s normal for people to do that kind of stuff, right?” She looked between the two partners, searching for the answer to all the questions she had. They must know the answers, after all, since they obviously felt what she didn’t seem to be capable of.
Dazien gave her a soft smile and said with amusement, “Phoenix… I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention, but you’re not —nor will you ever be— normal. Normal’s not really your thing, nor mine for that matter.”
He gently cupped her face in his hands, wiping the now-falling tears with his thumbs, and added with a grin, “Besides, you are so much more than just normal. You are literally from out of this world.”
Phoenix let out a laugh that released the pent-up tension in her body as it mixed with her tears. She pulled back slightly to wipe her eyes with her sleeves, trying to get herself back under control.
“Sure, but I thought maybe this part was something I could change, you know? Maybe if I just tried and actually thought about it more…”
“Love doesn’t work like that, Princess,” Uriel said quietly, “If anything, I feel like it sneaks up to surprise us when we least expect it, whether we want it to or not.”
“Like I said,” Dazien interjected, “You can’t control your feelings, but you can work to cultivate them too. Our actions and experiences constantly adjust our feelings and reactions.”
“To step away from the whole tangle of romance,” Uriel interjected, “Daze and I have worked together to help me change my reaction to certain fear triggers. I don’t fear being touched or tied up anymore, for example. We’re working on the ordering still,” he added with a smirk towards his partner.
He looked back to her then and pointed out, “You don’t hesitate in combat anymore like you used to once in a while. You talk with us all a lot more and trust us. Those are all feelings that were cultivated over time.”
“I believe if romance is something you truly want to experience someday, Phoenix, then it’s something you can achieve,” Dazien said as he leaned back in his seat and wrapped an arm around Uriel along the sofa back, “It might not look exactly like how others practice it, but you have an eternity to find the right person or people, after all. Someone who matches what you need and is willing to be patient and help work towards whatever level of intimacy you’re comfortable with.
“They should be willing to meet your pace instead of trying to force you to meet theirs. While I believe compromise is required for every type of relationship, everyone has their limits, and those boundaries should always be respected,” he finished firmly.
“So, your advice is to just be patient and hope I stumble into the person who can handle my mess?”
Both of them chuckled, and Uriel added, “I think that’s how it happens for most people,” he glanced towards his partner, “Some are just a bit more proactive in that stumbling part. They put themselves out there, run into more people, and take more risks to see if they’re a match, but it’s still all stumbling around and searching for someone compatible enough.”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“I will warn that more risks often result in more pain,” Dazien said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “The plus side of not jumping into potential relationships is less chance of a nasty breakup to deal with.” He shook his head at some hidden memories before adding with a smile, “But I’ve found the good times often outweigh those heartaches.”
“I know you’ve mentioned having exes before, but I think I just assumed you were the one to end all of those,” she murmured thoughtfully, wondering how much heartbreak someone as beautiful and coveted as him had actually experienced.
Her brother got a pained expression on his face and opened his mouth to respond when a heavy presence filled the room. A softly glowing man was lounging in what appeared to be an ornate, golden, plush throne across from them in front of the hearth, and a deep voice informed her, “Dazien has an excellent habit of never allowing others to dominate him. He may show a bit too much mercy and generosity at times, but he has never surrendered his rule.”
The stranger looked like an odd kind of cinderen at first glance. Instead of embers, his eyes looked like molten gold, and his hair was also a golden blonde. Atop his head was a large golden crown, and he was adorned in expensive-looking golden armor with black pants. He was shirtless, with glowing veins appearing all over his skin, much like she had noticed the cinderen in Tulimeir having on their arms, necks, and around their eyes, but not on their whole torsos like that. The other major difference was that his complexion was a dark purple rather than the different shades of coal she had usually seen.
The visage of him sitting there brought only a single comparison to her mind, though, as she blurted out, “Thanos?!”
The deity raised a brow at her in silent question, and Dazien spoke softly to her, “He’s appearing as a Volcanic Cinderen. They mostly live on eastern Vaara, the continent to the south of us.”
“They also have one of the most powerful rulers among the cinderen species at the moment,” the deity pointed out. “The Ashen Cinderen here have yet to truly impress me.”
“I’m going to go with the god of kings then?” Phoenix said, crossing her arms over her chest almost instinctively from being so near a deity again. She was definitely not in the mood for another visit from a divine being and added a bit flippantly, “I don’t remember what your name was, though.”
The god gave a slight smirk that unnerved her as he said, “So defiant in the face of power, yet we all know you’re willing to bow when it suits you.”
He then glanced over towards Uriel and a look of disdain settled onto his face, “And this one actually begs to bow. No desire for authority at all,” he added with a sniff before refocusing on Phoenix. “At least you finally decided to stop running from your position as a Saint. If you took more interest in leadership, you might be a bit more interesting to me.”
“I’m sorry, but did you need something?” she interrupted, not liking his dismissal of her best friend in the slightest, “Or did you just come here to tell us how not-interested you are, Mr. King God? Or should I call you Zeus? Odin, maybe?”
The glowing deity chuckled and gave the barest flex of his aura that caused all three of them to double over at the sheer weight of its power; all of them were reminded in an instant that the god of absolute authority was sitting before them. While the gods might not be able to touch physical reality outside their sanctuaries, the pressure on their souls was suffocating.
“Remind her who I am,” the god ordered with amusement.
“Sovereign,” Uriel replied instantly, bracing himself on his knees as he tried to remain sitting and bowed his head, refusing to look up at the divine being. Dazien, on the other hand, had remained silent and raised his head to glare at the god trying to impose his will upon them.
Phoenix followed her brother’s example as she glared up at the Sovereign, forcing herself to sit up straight. She wanted to chastise him for talking down to them, but the way he smirked at her killed the words before they left her lips.
Sovereign gave a deep chuckle and said, “That was a wonderful look, you two, and a valiant effort, but alas, the Princess here knows when to hold her tongue and let others walk all over her.”
“Is that what you’re doing?” she asked, antagonized by his words, “Showing how much better you are by walking over a pair of Sapphire Casters and a Crystal? I might hold my tongue at times, but I’ll never bow to someone like you.”
“I think you’re confusing tact with submission, Lord Sovereign,” Dazien added as he, too, sat straighter and smirked, “My sister has never bowed when her core values or the lives of others were at stake. I know you’ve seen her defiance—”
“Defiance is not dominance, young Dazien,” the god stated firmly, “You would be remiss to conflate the two.”
“I don’t want to dominate others,” Phoenix said, not liking the implications of the word. It also vaguely reminded her of the conversation she had with the Warrior so long ago about controlling her fate. She believed dominance meant taking control, and that wasn’t something she had ever thought about wanting.
He barked a laugh, startling her and diffusing the tension as he leaned back. His aura greatly diminished as he said, “I know, that’s why I’m here. While I admit my pleasure at seeing that Soul Tyrant Title of yours, I realize that it came more from necessity than desire. Still… it does show at least a willingness to rule when needed.”
“You want me to rule?” she asked in confusion.
The god chuckled again, “While that would be lovely and cause my sister much annoyance that I could revel in for millennia, that is not why I’m here. I’m here for a simple offer.”
Sovereign glanced towards the still submissive mage as though contemplating something, and Phoenix took the pause to clarify, “So, you want to trade, too?”
“Yes,” he stated, then turned back and gestured with a dismissive wave towards Uriel as he stated, “If he and you both join my clergy —make vows of a disciple’s dedication— then I can… fix the power that keeps that collar around his neck so that he won’t need it anymore.”
That made Uriel finally look up to join her and Dazien in staring at the god in utter shock and bewilderment.
So many questions flooded Phoenix’s mind again.
Sovereign could fix powers? What did he actually mean by “fix”? He didn’t want to mark her, just… recruit her? And Uriel? She thought he hadn’t been interested in either of them, but he was suddenly showing up in person to ask them to join his clergy?
She finally managed to ask, “So, you want both of us to literally bow to you?”
“You already bow to this one,” Sovereign pointed out, gesturing toward Dazien, then pointed at each of them in turn, “If Uriel Karislian and Phoenix Wayland dedicate yourselves to me, I can easily fix that pesky little transfigured aura problem.”
“You don’t want me, as well?” Dazien asked with a raised brow.
“You never bow, not like that, and I’d rather you keep that up than try to sacrifice that out of… love,” the god practically spat the last word as though it left a dirty taste in his mouth, “You really should let go of such a weakness. Though I doubt even my words will convince you of that.”
“Why do you want us?” Phoenix asked, hoping to get more information out of the deity. This particular god seemed to be more on the talkative side than most of the others… except maybe Scholar.
“Why do any of my siblings?” the kingly god retorted with a shrug as though it was of little concern, “You’re just another pawn in a game among the divine, and I’m taking a turn. They gave you gifts in exchange for marking your soul and accepting their quests,” then he added with a tone of innocence that was difficult for Phoenix to believe was genuine, “I merely want to help your friend and bring you into my temple.”
She narrowed her eyes at him skeptically, “You don’t want to mark my soul too?”
“I don’t think it would take,” he said with an annoyed look, then explained, “The type of soul my mark would need would be one that would never accept it. I have never been able to grant a Soul Mark because of this paradox.”
He leaned back in his chair with a reminiscent look and a smug smile, “No, I make my favorites known in other ways.” Then he asked nonchalantly, “Now, will you accept my offer?”