Chapter 233: Fracture XXXIX
A flash of light and the scent of brimstone brought us back to the negotiation room. Somehow, the already gothic colors seemed more muted than before, almost desaturated. Maya's lingering gaze never left me, confirming that she'd pieced together the same revelation I had.
And she wasn't the only one with unspoken questions.
Ozra, Loria, and Vogrin all seemed unsettled by the revelation. It was obvious why—their discomfort entirely too similar to mine when I'd first discovered the cycle of life and rebirth had been hijacked, warped into something far different from what I'd believed. Ozra, specifically, seemed overly suspicious, watching all three of us intently, waiting for some sort of explanation or tell.
Slowly, my little sister's sobbing subsided, the perpetual cringe faded, and she grew rigid in my arms. The only remaining indication she'd lost her nerve, as she removed my arms and stepped forward, was the glistening tear-streaks on her face.
"I understand that something damaging was done to me, either through trickery or some other means. And now, thanks to your generosity, I understand the method—" Her voice caught, and she held a fist to her mouth, holding it there and gathering her wits before she dropped it. "What I cannot comprehend, whether the perpetrator is Thoth herself using some travesty of magic, or someone else using her likeness to inflict terror on me, is why. Why would anyone do such a thing? Why to me specifically? I have no enemies. Both my brother and sister stand out more and have greater value to the kingdom. I'm insignificant in the grand scheme of things compared to them. I'm—" She choked a little, then recovered. "I'm no one."
Vogrin crossed his arms and turned towards Ozra, waiting for the arch-fiend's permission. Reluctantly, Ozra slowly nodded. Vogrin cleared his throat and levitated forward, standing directly in front of Annette but addressing all three of us. "What I'm about to tell you is not common knowledge, even among demons. It is a relic of a more brutal, primitive time. There are aspects of it that are shameful. Some—the more fanciful and inventive among us—believe the discovery and the transgressions that followed are the reason the fae realms were sundered, struck down through direct intervention from the gods."
"Eventually repurposed into the hells." Maya's jaw dropped, her voice shaken with awe. "I thought that was nothing more than a fairy tale. A story infernal parents used to help children overcome their fear of demons."
"A misconception the conglomerate of disinformation has worked quite hard over the centuries to sustain." Vogrin grimaced, pausing to glance at each of us, imparting the emphasis. "We would not be speaking of this if the situation did not call for it. It has been so thoroughly obfuscated that even if you were to take leave from this meeting and rush back to the enclave and recount every detail to them directly, you would be laughed out of their chambers. Still, we would appreciate it if you did not."
"That depends. If it's truly ancient history with no bearing on the present, there's no need to wag tongues. But I refuse to play the part of an infernal turncoat and hide demonic transgressions from my people."