"What I call him," Lilyanna whispered quietly, "is Corruption Itself."
Quinlan felt a chill work its way up his spine for the second time despite the healing light.
"Corruption… Itself?" he repeated.
"Yes." Her voice steadied. "Just as I am 'a Goddess of Purity,' not 'the Goddess of Purity,' Sel'Ashra, Venthros, and the others are gods aligned to corruption. They embody aspects. Expressions. Limited authorities shaped by domains and rules."
Her hands shifted again, sealing the last remnants of backlash along his nerves.
"Xar'Zal is different."
Quinlan clenched his hands into fists. "Explain the difference."
"Purity, corruption, order, decay. These are not gods. They are conditions of existence. Forces that predate pantheons and outlast them. Gods align with them, borrow from them, filter them through identity and limitation."
Her fingers curled slightly against his back.
"Xar'Zal does not align with corruption. He is not borrowing it. He is not channeling it."
