continuing my endless rereads of tlt but like. why did john say they only discovered the ressurection beast’s “revenge” after the price of lyctorhood had been paid? like yes of course john lies, but he says this to harrow. this is an established lie. he is establisbing the lie. he is telling her how the other lyctors understand the world.

what i mean by this is i dont think John lied about the time frame. i think the RB’s did in fact appear directly after the first lyctors ascended. and clearly the RBs arent actually so drawn to the stated sin of ascension, if we assume that John and Alecto ascended. bc john was hanging out at canaan house and the Dominicis system in general for a long time, maybe hundreds of years, before the RB’s started following them. not to mention cytherea hanging out at canaan for 2+ months in GtN without even making an RB turn in her direction.

im just struck by the thought that not only are the RB’s unable to hurt john, perhaps they are completely subservient to him. maybe he tells them where to go. maybe as God of the Nine Houses he is also God of the Nine House Planets, and thus, their angry revenents. we already know the RB’s cant hurt him. what is he doing, what is he planning, what has he done? who is he seeking revenge for? how is he enacting that revenge? i have so many questions but the overarching question over all of this is WHY. why does his empire exist and expand in the way it does? why does he send his lyctors to fight a threat that only exists because he allows it to? why does he pretend the RB’s are hunting them? what was the real reason he and his saints fled the nine house planets, and why does he uphold a lie that forbids them from returning?