Prologue

It should've hurt.

Or, maybe it shouldn't have.

Slowly, Zee opened their eyes. They were hardly surprised when they were met by darkness. Was this what the afterlife was? Floating alone in the abyss?

"CHILD OF SOL."

They stared around the darkness wildly. Still nothing. "God?" they asked no one.

"I AM ALL. I AM NOTHING."

"Where am I? Am... Am I dead?"

"CHILD OF SOL, YOU HAVE BEEN FORSAKEN." Zee unconsciously rubbed at their neck. They winced at the memory of the ash filling their lungs. Bile rose in their throat. The voice continued, "YOU ARE ALONE. YOU HAVE NOTHING."

Zee swallowed the sour taste in their mouth. "Thanks for the reminder," they muttered.

"I CAN GIVE YOU EVERYTHING."

"I don't want everything. I just want to be happy."

The voice remained silent a long moment. Zee was unsure if they'd caught it off guard. It sounded unfazed when it spoke again. "I CAN MAKE YOU A GOD."

Zee looked down at their hands, only to avert their gaze when they caught sight of the ugly burns. "I'm... I'm not worthy of godhood. A god should be perfect, and I'm..." They bit their lip. "I'm not. I'm broken."

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PERFECTION. YOU ARE A DROP OF WATER IN AN ENDLESS SEA. A SINGLE HYDROGEN ATOM IN A NEBULA."

"Why me?" they asked. "What makes me special then?"

"YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL. YOU ARE A PAWN."

"Oh." They tugged their tattered jacket tighter around themself. "Same as always then."

"CLOSE YOUR EYES, CHILD OF SOL." Zee did as instructed. Warmth spread through their chest—not the heat of the flame, but the warmth of a gentle touch.

A air hit their lungs hard. It tasted like charcoal and fresh dirt. Zee opened their eyes once again. A full moon was high in the sky. They laid in an open pit, staring up at the starry sky.

The effort of climbing out of that hole made Zee want to throw up. Exhaustion was already setting in. They shuffled their way out of the woods, following the flickering bonfire and sounds of laughter.

They were celebrating.

How dare they.

Rage bubbled in their chest. The ground began to shake. The world blurred through their tears, but their tears couldn't block out the screams. Their body was moving of its own accord. Their gaze only began to focus when it landed on the Minister. They shambled toward him.

"Zuriel, stop this," he ordered. "You've ought to be ashamed of yourself. You're killing these people, and now you turn on me, after everything I've done for you."

"No. You burned that bridge when you tried to kill me," they croaked.

"I made you a god!"

"And now you'll burn."