The silence after Vex's departure felt heavier than his presence. Azrael stared at the space where the emissary had vanished, the frost on his windows already beginning to melt and streak down the glass like tears. The apartment's temperature was returning to normal, but the chill in his bones remained.

"He's lying." The words came out harder than he intended, as if saying them forcefully enough would make them true. "The Goddess... she wouldn't... It's impossible."

But even as he spoke, ...