Chapter 41: Red Embers of the Past
The fires had long died, but the weight of what had happened still clung to the night air. The group returned to the sanctuary within Ikemba Corporation's inner complex—its walls infused with spiritual wards and anti-scrying barriers powerful enough to confuse even an Overgod's gaze.
Everyone had earned their rest. Karen had fallen asleep first, curled beside Leslie and Marie on the wide couch, her breath calm for the first time in days. Jim sat by the window, eyes scanning the city skyline with a quiet alertness. Cassandra leaned back in a chair, her legs pulled up beneath her, and for once, she didn't speak. Sia lingered nearby, silent, professional—but listening.
Joshua stood alone on the balcony.
That was where Rose found him.
She didn't announce her presence—she never needed to.
"I know that look," she said, stepping beside him. "Your flames still burn too wild."
Joshua glanced her way, the heat in his gaze tempered by reverence. "I didn't expect you to intervene."
"You weren't going to win that," Rose said plainly. "Not yet."
He didn't argue. "Thank you."
She nodded once, then leaned her elbows against the railing, watching the moonlit skyline. "You should know something," she said. "About the being I killed."
Joshua tensed. "Cirth?"
She scoffed. "No. Cirth was just a shadow of something worse. I'm talking about Arun. Son of Iku, the Orisha of Death. One of the Elder Race. A god."
Joshua's heart dropped.
"You killed… a god?"
Rose gave a small, almost bitter smile. "I killed him because no one else would. Arun came down into the Ethereal Plane centuries ago, during one of my pilgrimages—long before I ever returned to the Ikemba name. There was a small village of Soulbornes there. Low-tiered, humble, but proud. They refused to bow to Arun. Called him a false god."
Her eyes hardened.
"So he slaughtered them. Personally. There were a few Master Soulbornes there… and one High Soulborne. They tried. They failed."
Joshua remained silent.
"I arrived too late," she continued. "But not too late to make him bleed. His arrogance was his undoing. I killed him. Utterly. No resurrection. No soul echo. Nothing left to summon."
A gust of wind passed over them.
"But you already knew there'd be consequences," Joshua said.
"Yes." Her voice dropped. "Iku—his father—knows he can't kill me. I've been… marked. Touched by the Absolute. He can't breach that protection. But he's still a god. And gods are nothing if not vindictive."
Joshua frowned. "So you stayed distant from the family all this time because—"
"To keep them safe," she cut in gently. "They would've been targeted. I made sure to tie no strings they could follow. Even now, I don't stay here long. But lately…" She looked over her shoulder, toward the room where Karen slept, "…I've been watching your group. Watching her."
"Karen?"
Rose nodded. "I've seen how much she's changed. How much she needs… guidance."
Joshua turned toward her fully. "You want to train her?"
"Yes," Rose said without hesitation. "She's raw. Unrefined. But I see something in her. Strength, yes—but also clarity. She doesn't even realize the weight she's carrying. Let me hone that."
Joshua exhaled in relief. "Good. That's what I was hoping for."
Rose blinked. "You were?"
"She trusts you," he said. "Even when she's scared. And… she's safer here, under your eye. Especially now that the Veil knows we're in play. Cirth's death won't go unnoticed, and Iku… he'll find ways to hurt you."
She turned back to the city. "I know."
"You think he'll come after Karen?"
"No," Rose said slowly. "But he'll come after the idea of hope. Anything you're building. Anything you love. He'll target it—not through brute force, but whispers, traps, suffering. Arun was a rabid dog. Iku… is a reaper of inevitability."
Joshua felt a chill not even his Black Flames could warm.
They stood in silence for a while.
Finally, Rose pushed off the railing and walked back toward the door.
"I'll start training her tomorrow," she said. "Don't wake her. She'll need her rest."
She paused at the doorway. "And Joshua…"
He looked up.
"Don't forget—your flames are wild, but they're yours. Stop fearing them."
With that, she disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.
Joshua stood there, long after she left, staring into the horizon. Behind him, Karen stirred softly in her sleep—unaware that a god had taken interest in her world.
And that Rose Ikemba, the Red Sovereign, had just become her mentor.