Order and Chaos

IT'S COOL, THIS IS ACTUALLY FINE, PROBABLY

I mean, how old is that corpse? She's probably been dead the whole time you've known her, right? The person you fell in love with is still the same person you've been with this whole time, it's just that she may or may not have been, at some point, the corpse you're looking at.

I tried to calm myself.

Restless spirits were hardly unknown. Indeed, if anything they'd be more common now; most of the gods responsible for leading them to the underworld would have perished in Father's war. Not to mention most of the gods responsible for keeping them in the underworld once they were there.

The more disturbing question was how long she had been dead. I knew I could answer that if I really wanted to - I had been taught much about identifying the age of a corpse, as it was useful to know if whoever or whatever had killed it might still be around - but I did not dare. I didn't want to accept that the woman I loved had been dead since before I had met her.

Go downstairs and inform your definitely-now-a-ghost translucent girlfriend that she's dead and a ghost now, since she apparently hadn't noticed herself!

I considered telling her what I had seen, but I was terrified to. Perhaps it would be better to just go back and pretend I had never seen this. I could still love her.

But then, I shook my head. I was the daughter of Malcolm Vindictus, and I could not call myself his heir if I was afraid to face anything, least of all the truth. I would have to tell her what I had seen.

I summoned my courage, and climbed down the ladder. I wasn't sure exactly what I would say, but I had to tell her the truth.

But when I arrived and returned to the kitchen, it was not my love that I saw hunched over the stove, stirring the corn soup. It was Sir Nose, his grotesque face sewn onto a body that was otherwise identical to hers.

"You didn't finish feeding the camels," he - she? - said nonchalantly. "Well, I suppose that doesn't really matter. I still love you."

"What did you do to her?" I screamed.

"I didn't do anything. I am simply here to fill the gaping void in your heart. Your lady is dead, and so here I am, taking on her role."

"You didn't... Then how did she die?"

Sir Nose chuckled. "A very good question! Well, let me put it this way. Someone in this room killed her, and as I've already mentioned, it wasn't me."

"I've done no such thing!"

"Have you? Do you remember what Felus said to you?"

I'd forgotten, but the moment he asked, it came rushing back to me.

"He told me to kill all humans. But what does this have to do with that? I refused, and cut off his head!"

"Mary, Mary, Mary. You don't understand, do you? Gods don't make requests of mortals. They make prophecies. Whatever you may intend, it is foretold by the god Felus that you will kill all humans. It doesn't matter that he's dead, his divine decree persists. Only another god could annul it, and seeing as most of the others are just aching for another apocalypse, I doubt they'd be willing to do that."

"De," I said.

"Maybe she would. She was willing to sell out cats for humanity, or so the rumors go. But who knows? The gods are inscrutable, and can change their minds on the slightest of whims. And, of course, she might not have survived your father's purge."

He leaned in closer to me, and I felt my rage growing. He was using her body!

"But where De represents a mere possibility, I can offer you a guarantee. You see, my dear Mary, do you know what the difference between a celest and a god is? Faith, that's what. Get me enough worshippers, and I'll have the power to put a stop to this murderous destiny you've been saddled with. And I promise you, right now, that I will do exactly that. All you have to do is devote yourself to me and help me ascend. A small price to pay for the future of humanity, wouldn't you agree?"

So this was the choice I was faced with. I could ignore everything he was saying, and go on with my life, inexplicably leaving corpses in my wake wherever I went. I could desperately pursue the one goddess who might release me. Or I could make this horrible little monster, who had stolen my lover's beauty, into a new god.

What was I to do? Which of those unpleasant choices was I to make? Or, was there some other path open to me to end this madness?