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Irritation courses through me, and my words come out clipped. “He was light on the details.”

“Let me illuminate them.” Rivlan drifts across the room. “There is indeed a war among the gods. Two factions. One I call ‘the traditionalists,’ led by Zeru.”

I listen carefully, analyzing each word, each nuance. Gods are notoriously selective with the truth.

“They believe gods should rule absolutely. That we are inherently better than mortals, and mortals are growing too powerful.” His form darkens. “Lark’s destruction of Narc rather proved their point.”

“Our destruction of Narc,” I correct, steel in my voice. Lark will not be isolated or targeted. If they need a scapegoat, I’ll take the blame. “We had to work together to craft a power strong enough to destroy the god’s corpse. And it still took everything we had.”

Rivlan smiles. Or at least, I think he does. His mouth doesn’t move in the way a human’s would. Instead, his lips pull straight back, reminding me of a shark. “However you categorize it, the action sparked their fear. They want to reassert their divine dominance. They would rather break the world than share it.” His essence becomes almost opaque. “My faction believes differently. Gods must evolve with mortals or become irrelevant.”

I take a minute to process his words.

Two factions.

Traditionalists who want to dominate mortals, and…what? Progressives? Reformers? Whatever they call themselves, my skepticism runs deep. Gods are gods, after all.

Power corrupts, and they’ve claimed power longer than a mortal mind can comprehend. “And you just let it all happen? Left mortals to fend for ourselves?”

The temperature drops a few degrees. “You do not understand the situation. Or the gods.”

I cross my arms, unmoved by his display of power. “So explain.”

“We have fought back. We tried to communicate.” Rivlan’s form expands, filling more of the space between us. “Cyphero, aided by my waters, placed stains on Viridian’s temple. Warnings. Directions.”

“That was you?” I raise an eyebrow and snort a derisive laugh. “Maybe you should work on your skills. They weren’t exactly clear.”

The temperature plummets again. “Zeru’s gods twisted the messages. Used their Devoted to spread fear instead of truth.”

“I think it worked.” I remember the panic after the temple incident, how the rumors spread like wildfire through Tirene. “The Devoted have been more active than ever.”

“The God of Lost Things returned hundreds of missing items to mortals, accompanied by truths.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “And that backfired spectacularly. Now people toss heirlooms into wells hoping to get godly dispatches back. Theft has run rampant. There’s a thriving black market for lost-then-stolen items.”

Rivlan’s form bubbles with what might be frustration. “They corrupt our every attempt at communication and twist the meaning. They use their Devoted, but they also make direct attacks on communications between us and mortals.” He pauses, studying me. “Did Lark not tell you?”

My spine stiffens as I glance at her sleeping form. “Tell me what?”

Uneasiness stirs in my chest. Has Lark been keeping secrets? The thought cuts deeper than I care to admit.

“Aletheia, the Goddess of Truth, tried sending Lark visions…warnings. But they were…contaminated. Degraded into confusing nightmares.”

White-hot anger flashes through me.

At Rivlan, at the gods who targeted Lark, at myself for not noticing the extent of her distress. She’s been having nightmares, waking in cold sweats, but she’s never elaborated. And I haven’t pushed. “So you gave up?”

Rivlan’s hardened presence becomes icy. “We did not give up. We changed tactics.” His voice gets lower. “Why do you think I’m here now, talking to you?”

I cross my arms, advancing a step toward him. “Why are you here?”

A beat of heavy silence fills the room.

“Because you could be a guardian, Knox. You could turn the tide.”

My head jerks. I have no fucking clue what being a guardian means, but the mere mention still turns my blood to ice. “What’s a guardian?”

Though I feign disinterest, I recall the Guardian from the portal. Remember the massive power radiating from him.