"It's his duty. If your husband was executed, he must have done something bad..."

"You want to know why Azerius killed him? Because he refused to marry the chit the Supremes commanded him to. Because he chose me. That is why he had to die."

"I... I'm sorry. But your gripe is with the Supremes, not with Ze. He only enforces the rules. He doesn't make them," I say as I try to escape her hold.

"And yet, you remain by his side while knowing he is a cold-blooded killer?"

"I don't understand why you're telling me this. I have nothing to do with it."

"You don't? Think better." She smirks. "I am doing you a favor, little human, because it seems the unfeeling commander has finally caught feelings. But his ability for empathy continues to be nonexistent."

"I don't⁠—"

She cuts me off.

"Tell me you haven't wondered about the coincidence of it all. Your husband dies and you magically get an invitation to The Wishing Game. And if that wasn't enough, you suddenly get a team of the most powerful gods in existence aiding you win trial after trial. Do you think everything was by chance?"

"What are you talking about?" My lashes flutter in confusion.

"Are you not curious how you got your invite to the Game?"

"I was desperate to get my husband back and⁠—"

She laughs. She throws her head back and laughs at me.

"If only it were that simple." She shakes her head, her tone mocking. "When I saw him save your life after you fell from that bridge, I was intrigued. It was completely antithetical to the cold, emotionless Azerius I knew. He does not help people. He kills them. So if he went out of his way to save you, what else was he willing to do? Had I actually stumbled upon the one weakness the great Azerius had?"

My eyes widen. Ze saved me? He was the one who...

I swallow hard, my throat dry. One by one, her words start to make sense. It had been a coincidence that I got the invite, and soon after, three powerful gods teamed up with me and helped me pass the first two trials.

"You gave me the invite?" I ask in a tremulous voice.

She nods, a smug smile on her face.

"It confirmed to me that Azerius was in deep—far too deep. He was breaking rules right and left for you. So I just watched, collecting all the evidence I needed to end him. And oh my." She laughs. "Initially, I thought about reporting him to the Supremes so he could get the same treatment he doled out to others. But I think I have a far better punishment for him. One that will finally make him understand how I, and all the other people he hurt, feel."

A shiver goes down my back.

"You're going to kill me?" I whisper in horror.