The morning was soft and quiet, touched by golden light slipping between Arbor's enormous curtains. The world had shifted in some unspoken way since their candlelit dance, but neither of them dared to put it into words. Instead, they let the comfort settle into their bones.
Malvor handed Annie her mocha, chocolate, cream, half coffee, just how she liked it, before flopping onto the couch beside her with exaggerated grace. She curled into his side, still in her pajamas, her hair a tangled halo.
"This is the best part of the day," she murmured, sipping.
Malvor hummed in agreement. "My favorite time. You. Me. Coffee. No gods to ruin it yet. No horse pranks. No parties. Just us."
She smiled into her cup. "You sound like a retired villain."
"Only semi-retired," he said with a wink. "I'm still wildly attractive and capable of chaos."
She gave him a look.
"…And I am very humble."
That earned a snort.
After a few quiet moments of shared warmth, Malvor sat up straighter. His expression brightened. "Get dressed, my flame-haired goddess of barely contained snark. I am taking you on a tour."
"A tour?" she echoed.
"Of my realm. Not the Carnival. Not the chaos. The rest of it. The places no one ever sees."
She tilted her head. "You have never shown anyone?"
"Never." He offered his hand dramatically. "Consider this an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience hosted by yours truly, Malvor the Magnificent, God of Mischief, First of His Name, Lord of Snacks."
"Stop."
"Too late. Arbor, outfit me!"
With a dramatic flash, he was suddenly in fitted black slacks, boots that defied logic by being both practical and stylish, and a deep blue tunic embroidered with silver constellations that shifted as he moved.
Annie blinked. "That's… hot."
"I know," he said, smug. "Now hurry, Whimsical Wondercake. Time to go."
She rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her.
With a snap of his fingers, the world shifted.
They reappeared at the edge of a cliff so surreal, it took Annie's breath away. The jagged stone beneath their feet was cool and steady, but everything beyond felt like a dream.
The sky above was a swirl of purples, blues, and golds, soft and fluid, as if painted in real time by invisible hands. Below them stretched a surreal expanse of floating islands. Some were made of clouds that shimmered like spun glass. Others looked like crystals, fracturing the light into thousands of rainbows. Gravity did not seem to apply. The islands hung in space, drifting lazily like forgotten thoughts.
And drifting among them were bubbles.
Hundreds of them.
Some small, others as big as her head. Each one floated gracefully through the air, and inside swam bright, glittering fish. Their scales flashed turquoise, magenta, and molten gold. They drifted as if through invisible currents, swirling around the floating islands and past the cliff where they stood.
Annie stared, speechless.
"Welcome," Malvor said, gesturing grandly with one arm, "to the Edge of Chaos."
Her mouth parted slightly as she turned slowly in place, taking it all in. "It is… beautiful."
He looked pleased. "It is, isn't it? No one ever asks me about this part of my realm. Too busy with the laughter and mayhem."
A bubble drifted past, and one of the fish inside blinked at her. She blinked back.
"What are they?" she asked.
"Dream fish," Malvor said, slipping behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Each one lives in someone's unspoken wish. They only exist if someone wants them to."
She leaned into him. "That sounds like something you made up on the spot."
"Would it matter?"
"No," she admitted, smiling. "It's poetic. And weird. Like you."
He kissed her hair. "I have missed the poetic weirdness of life for so long, Annie. I forgot how good it feels to share it."
She tilted her head back against him, eyes still wide.
Another bubble floated past. Inside, a fish shaped like a tiny phoenix winked at them both.
"Sweet goddess of sarcasm," he whispered, brushing a knuckle down her arm, "will you take a walk with me through the most private corners of my soul?"
She turned her head slightly. "Are you saying this is your soul?"
"Yes," he said simply. "Chaotic. Beautiful. A little floaty. Possibly filled with fish."
Annie reached out, fingertips brushing the edge of a drifting bubble. It wobbled slightly, but didn't burst, just lazily floated past her like it was bored of her curiosity.
"They don't pop?" she asked, glancing at Malvor.
"Of course not. They are emotionally stable."
She gave him a side eye.
He grinned. "Also because they are magic."
She raised an eyebrow, and he caved instantly.
"Fine. You want the real story?" he said, slipping his hand into hers as they began walking along the cliff's edge, the wind tugging gently at their clothes.
She smirked. "I assume 'real' is relative."
"Of course. But this one is true." He leaned in close, voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "These fish? They are all the ones people flushed down toilets."
Annie stopped mid-step. "What."
"Yep," he said solemnly. "Every goldfish, betta, guppy, you name it. Every single one flushed away by a crying child or a guilty parent, they didn't die. They came here."
He gestured at the bubbles drifting through the sky, utterly sincere. "This is the afterlife for all abandoned toilet fish. And look at them now. Reincarnated as magical dreamfish. Swimming around in glamorous, bubble-chic real estate."
Annie stared at him, eyes narrowing. "You are the absolute worst."
He beamed. "I know. Isn't it wonderful?"
"But you also believe that."
"I do believe it. Somewhere in the multiverse, it must be true. And therefore, it is."
She shook her head, laughing as they kept walking, bubbles swirling around them. "So… you are telling me we're surrounded by thousands of resurrected fish who were tragically betrayed by household plumbing."
"Exactly." He looked around proudly. "And now they live better lives than most mortals. They're peaceful. Fancy. Enlightened."
Annie leaned into him, voice dry. "Do they get revenge?"
"Oh, of course," he said. "They swim into people's dreams at night. Guilt trip flashbacks. Very cinematic. Lots of dramatic fish eye closeups."
She snorted so hard she nearly doubled over.
Malvor tugged her hand, twirling her beneath a floating cluster of golden bubbles. "I brought you here to show you the beauty of my soul, Annie, not to impress you with my accuracy."
"I'm very impressed," she said between laughs. "With how committed you are to this nonsense."
He stopped walking and looked at her seriously.
"No nonsense," he said, reaching up to brush a curl of hair from her face. "Just you. Me. The edge of my realm. The edge of myself."
She felt his emotions in full then, mischief, yes, but warmth too. Something deeper. Something that scared her.
Something that didn't feel like nonsense at all.
But Malvor smiled again, softer this time, and whispered, "Now come, my fish whispering flamelet. There is still so much more to see."