Page 36 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor’s Destiny (Time for Monsters)

H ow long had she lain there, still and lifeless? I didn't know. I was rooted to my spot, watching her, waiting. Waiting and praying and forcing myself not to interfere with her will. I had to trust her.

This was the test.

One that, strangely, I didn't strive to pass any longer. I didn't agonize over who would return to me, Vaelora or Roweena, I accepted that the outcome was out of my control. This was Vaelora's will, and I would bend to it. I would honor it. I would honor her .

As hard as it was to stand aside and watch her battle, I accepted that this was what I had to do. It was true, Vaelora had turned me into a god, but my mind had always stayed that of a mortal. A mortal who loved and protected. It had been ingrained in me. But a god could not always choose love. A god had to be willing to sacrifice for the greater good, even if it meant losing what was most precious to him. This was the lesson Vaelora had tried to teach me. The lesson I had failed to learn. Not again. Not ever again.

I would accept whatever happened and live with the outcome. No matter how much it hurt—and pain was guaranteed. I would lose one of them, Vaelora or Roweena. Only one of them would step off that altar.

It was a choice I could have never made, and Vaelora, in her infinite wisdom, had foreseen that. She was willing to sacrifice herself for me. To end her life as a goddess if needed be. The realization that she had loved me all along was powerful; I just wished sacrificing Roweena hadn’t been the price of discovery.

I didn't know how I would survive without Roweena, just as barely, I supposed, as I would without Vaelora. But that was what being a god was all about. You had to move on. Even with a broken heart.

A battle was coming. A battle far greater than any I had ever fought. A battle I knew I wouldn't be allowed to fight. Just like I was cursed to be the bystander here, unable to save the woman I loved, I would also be forced to be the bystander of this great battle. I would be an observer.

The form on the altar moved. Sat up. I held my breath.

A light golden glow emanated from her. Her eyes opened, shone in an intensity that only a goddess’s eyes could shine with. Vaelora, my heart sang. She was back. At the same time, my heart broke into a million pieces at the realization that Roweena was gone. Blood wept from my eyes, because gods can't cry.

Slowly, reverently, I made my way up the stony steps. Vaelora sat up and held out her hand for me, and I took it. Jolts of lightning rushed through me, but no amount of happiness could light up the darkness of mourning inside me.

"Vardor." Her voice was filled with wonder.

"Vaelora." Unable to resist a moment longer, I pulled her against my chest and held her tight. My goddess had returned to me. I was the happiest god alive. The mortal in me wept. I had lost the woman I loved and the family I had been given a small glimpse of.

I had won and lost everything in the blink of an eye.

I was a victor once again.

I had been vanquished.

"Vardor, I missed you so. I love you." Her words penetrated my mind and hitched my heart. Did I dare hope?

"Roweena?" My voice broke. Had I lost Vaelora? My mind and my heart, my body and my soul were at war. Hope was despair, and despair was love.

She smiled her sweet smile at me, not the all-knowing, all-powerful smile of a goddess but that of a mortal. But her eyes shone with the eternal light of a goddess. I was confused.

"I am her, and she is me." Roweena/Vaelora said.

"You are one?" I swallowed.

"We've always been one," she responded, making my heart sing with a never before experienced pleasure. I hadn't lost either one of them. They were both here. They were both one.

Her hand cupped my cheek, cradling it. "Oh, Vardor. I'm sorry. I didn't understand what you did until now. I didn't understand how much anguish love can bring."

Joy laced through me, but also humility, as I sank to my knees, holding her hands. "I am the one who needs to seek your forgiveness, oh great one." I had never asked for forgiveness in my life. It was humbling but also raising.

"We will be better now," she lowered herself next to me, holding me as I embraced her. "So much better, you and I. Our sons will free this Earth of Maezharr forever."

"We will," I vowed. But then I startled. "But... how?"

"I will remain in this frail mortal body for a little while longer. Four sons are what we need, and four sons we will bring forth. Now come, meet your new domain, our domain."

Asharat, who had stayed in the shadows, followed us back through the temple until we reached the large terrace overlooking the sprawling city. A city of white marble, limestone, and gold. More people than before had flocked into the courtyard, shouting our names. Flowers and petals were thrown into the air as the atmosphere of a triumphal feast rose.

"They've waited for your return for a long time," Vaelora/Roweena said, snuggling into my side.

I raised my hand, and the shouts gained in intensity. My entire being strengthened and power surged through me, coupled with happiness. I would have burst with emotions had I not been a god.

"My love," she said, looking up at me with the glow of a goddess and the adoration and love I had come accustomed to from Roweena. I bent lower and pressed my lips to hers. Incredibly, the shouts and cheers erupted even more, but they were far, far away. Because here in my arms was the only thing that mattered to me—that had ever or would ever matter to me— My love, my destiny, my goddess.