Page 145 of Hell Fae Commander

When she nodded, I knew she understood.

So I continued.

But they’re ancient beings. And many of them were bored. That’s why Shifter Fae and a few other species were made—to amuse the Virtuous Fae. But all those species were seen as lesser beings. Their purpose was essentially to worship their betters.

Cami lifted her mug to her lips, and I suspected it was to cover up a frown.

I couldn’t blame her—the whole concept of making a life as a diversion didn’t sit well with me either. And I’d lived through that era of history.

As you can imagine, the “lesser” beings started confiding in one another. That led to relationships and the eventual creation of more life, as well as the development of new powers and fae types. The Virtuous Fae allowed it, partly because they were too arrogant to see the potential for rebellion.

They’d also been too entertained by their pet projects to notice much else.

I guess it might be similar to how humans disregard animal behaviors, but imagine the animals were actually fae with growing powers, and you might see how that could become a conflict.

Cami snorted, her mind telling me she could definitely visualize that potential outcome.

My kind was one of the original creations,I went on.My mother was a Black Phoenix. There are not many in existence, similar to a handful of other shifter types. So my mother’s mate wasn’t a Black Phoenix. He was a combination of several fae breeds.

Which would today be referred to as an abomination.

Or a Hell Fae.

He had Paradox Fae, Death Fae, and Morpheus Fae in him,I went on.But the type really isn’t important. What you need to understand is that all of these fae—theseamusementscreated by the Virtuous Fae—were part of the original Virtuous Fae Source. Because it was that magic that was used to manufacture all these fae breeds.

So when Lucifer fell…She trailed off.

When he fell, the Virtuous Fae Source shattered into all those pieces, giving the new fae breeds their own beacons of power,I finished for her.But the largest piece remained with Typhos. And that piece is now the Hell Fae Source.

Her eyes widened as if she was finally starting to understand the full extent of Typhos’s power.

But it’s part of him,she said slowly.Right?

Yes. Because he’s a Virtuous Fae. As is Melek.Perhaps that last bit wasn’t mine to share. But Melek was the cause for this entire conversation. So he could fucking deal with me spoiling his surprise.

However, Typhos isn’t just any Virtuous Fae. He’s one of the strongest in existence. His light energized the original source. That’s why such a large section of it broke off into his spirit when he fell. Unlike Melek, for example, who has no connection to a source at all anymore—because the Virtuous Fae Source no longer exists. It’s scattered among the faedoms as each realm’s unique source of power now.

So what happened to all the other Virtuous Fae?

I shrugged.We don’t really know. Typhos’s fall came with a blinding light. And we woke up in the pits of Hell—a realm the Virtuous Fae had created for their unwanted or imperfect pets.

The Nightmare Fae,she realized, a memory of Melek talking to her about Typhos’s fall trickling through her mind. She hadn’t understood much of Melek’s story at the time, but now it was beginning to make sense to her.

Typhos took that Hell and made it his own, creating a variety of kingdoms for the Nightmare Fae and weaving magic into the atmospheres to make them hospitable enough for them to thrive.

This part she seemed to understand because of Melek’s previous lesson. Perhaps that was what he’d meant when he’d said he’d been trying to teach her—he’d attempted to explain the Hell Fae Realm, but he’d left out the important details about how any of it even existed.

I filled those gaps now by showing her bits and pieces of my memories. But it was a careful dance, one that required me to watch my mental steps.

Because the last thing I wanted was to introduce her to the horrors of my youth.

It wasn’t out of shame or fear so much as an intrinsic need to ensure she never experienced that kind of pain. Especially not through me.

The reason I’m telling you all of this is so you understand the impact of what I’m about to share. Because while Typhos’s fall resulted in the establishment of all fae kind, it was never his intention for that to happen.

Of course, he certainly didn’t regret any of it now. If anything, he was quite proud of how everything had come to fruition.

But his intentions and how everything played out was a conversation for another day. What mattered today was the answer to the question Cami had originally asked me—Who’s Vivaxia?