The Ascended Quotes

“I’d carved into my skin to make sure she’d always be safe—so that I could always find her. She’d never know that my soul was tied to hers. That my heart bled for her, more and more every passing day.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“I’d wage wars for you," he murmured, his breathing ragged. "I won’t hide from it anymore. I’m done doing what everyone else requires of me. Done. I’m choosing me now. And I’m choosing you.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“Every part of me belongs to you, Thais. My body, my heart, my fucking soul—it's all yours.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“Every once in a while, you read a book that shifts something in you. Where the pages feel like they’re written for you - your soul, your mind, your tastes - and it’s impossible to articulate just how good it is without wildly gesturing and begging people to read it. That was The Ascended for me.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“Only you would face down a god of death at his most unhinged and complain about his emotional unavailability.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“I dont need anything from you." His voice was fierce. "I just need you to exist. To be here. To let me help carry this until you can carry it yourself again." "And if thats never?" "Then Ill carry it forever." He said it like a simple fact. Like the sun rising. "Thats what loving someone means." Love. What a cursed”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“That’s not the only problem, Thais. I don’t just want your body. I want all of you. Every single piece. If we go there, it will ruin me for the rest of my life.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“You think you could break me?" "Break you?" His laugh was cold. "Breaking would be such a waste. I'd much rather watch you bend.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“There's always a choice. But sometimes all the options are terrible." Marel sat beside me. "Then you choose the least terrible one. And you find ways to live with the consequences.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“He used to watch the sky for hours as a child”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“My heart will only ever beat for you." The words came out rough, edged with darkness. "You own me completely. You always will." I wanted to feel something at that confession. Wanted to tell him he deserved better than my emptiness. Wanted to care that he'd just married someone else an hour ago and here he was, holding me like I was his whole world.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“You taste like starlight and sin," he murmured against my throat.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“It had been like this since that night—every accidental touch charged with the memory of his hands in my hair and his eyes drinking me in.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“So they created the Trials of Ascension. Every decade, those with gifts were gathered, tested, broken down, and rebuilt in the gods' image. A few would ascend to join the pantheon. The rest would die, their power reclaimed by the Aesymar.”
― Parker Lennox, The Ascended

“setting down my goblet before I could throw it at his perfect fucking face.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“He steered us away from the lights and music, down a smaller canal that branched off to the east. We passed beneath a low stone bridge, emerging into a wider section of water bordered by weeping trees whose branches trailed in the canal, creating a natural archway. We drifted into the center, where the water opened up into a perfect circle surrounded by the graceful trees. Moonlight filtered through their branches, casting dappled patterns on the water's surface.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“The night had deepened, the sky above us a vast expanse of stars partially obscured by wisps of cloud. The only light came from the lanterns hung on our boats and from windows we passed. The entire place looked like something out of a dream.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“The night had deepened, the sky above us a vast expanse of stars partially obscured by wisps of cloud. The only light came from the lanterns hung on our boats and from windows we passed. The entire place looked”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“Several small boats had been decorated with flowers and lanterns, and villagers were climbing into them, laughing and calling to one another across the water. "The midnight boat procession," he said. "We float through the village, visiting springs at the heart of the oldest canals.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“the villagers were gathering in a circle around a shallow pool that had been constructed in the center of the square. Floating in the water were dozens of small clay bowls, each containing a candle surrounded by flower petals.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“The village center had been transformed—lanterns hung from every available surface, tables laden with food lined the edges of a central square, and musicians had set up near a wooden platform that served as a dance floor. The entire village seemed to be in attendance, from infants to elders, all dressed in their finest clothes and adorned with flowers and paint.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“Your hair needs attention." I let her work it into an elaborate style with small braids woven through the loose waves, adorned with white flowers from the garden.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“The garments were beautiful—a flowing dress with embroidery along the hem and sleeves, and a shawl of finely woven fabric that shimmered subtly in the light.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“rich blues and purples.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“faces painted with intricate designs, hair adorned with beads and tiny fresh flowers.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“He used to watch the sky for hours as a child, you know. Even in a domain like this, he always loved the stars.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“a narrower waterway lined with flowering bushes that trailed their branches into the canal. The water was so clear I could see tiny fish darting between water plants with trailing roots. I glanced up as we approached a large cottage set slightly back from the water on a small rise of land. Unlike the others, this home was surrounded by a garden—tall stalks with broad leaves, bushy herbs with tiny white flowers, vines climbing into crevices in the cottage’s exterior.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“a low-hanging branch covered in small white flowers.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“The Village of Mireen.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended

“gentle air that carried the scent of water and greenery. I blinked, momentarily forgetting my panic. Mist hung low over canals that stretched in every direction, their surfaces reflecting the golden afternoon light. As the haze thinned, it revealed buildings that seemed to float upon the water—cottages with steep thatched roofs, their walls painted in vivid colors that stood out against the brilliant green. Footbridges arched over narrow waterways, connecting homes that would otherwise be isolated islands. The world painted itself before my eyes: a child running along a narrow path, trailing a colorful kite; birds with over-stuffed plumage soaring between trees; flowers climbing trellises and spilling over window sills in cascades of purple and white.”
― Bree Grenwich, The Ascended