Around dawn, the High Priest woke with a start. The attending priests and court ladies were all collapsed on the floor, and Asteril, who should have been lying in bed, was standing vacantly by the chilly window with bare shoulders.
"What are you doing there? The wind is cold."
The High Priest hurriedly approached and draped a woolen shawl over her shoulders.
What could have happened?
The princess's unfocused eyes were shadowed like the bottom of a lake.
Asteril gazed endlessly out the window, unaware that tears were falling onto the back of her hand gripping the windowsill.
"Lady Asteril?"
Asteril turned and leaned into the High Priest's embrace without a word.
She had been listening.
Out of pity, the old priest held her close. Her sobbing back was so thin that her shoulder blades protruded sharply.
"It is a relief that you have awakened."
Asteril, clutching his crumpled robes, requested in a hoarse voice.
"To the Queen..."
"Yes."
"Please do not tell her yet."
The old priest quietly patted her back.
"The sighs of dawn are long. Eos still lies face down in the heavens... Do not worry."
You have plenty of time left to cry.
The princess, having returned from the crossroads of life and death, seemed to bear deeper wounds in her heart than her body. However, it was not something the old priest could heal.
The news of Asteril's awakening did not reach Amphitrite's ears until the next morning.
"Ril!"
Amphitrite appeared, accompanied by Cyane. The Queen was in a disheveled state. Her folded chiton dress with a loose belt was wrinkled just as it had been while sitting on the throne, and there were even stains on the back.
It was the mark of staying up four days and nights straight.
The fatigue pressing down on her shoulders vanished like a feather the moment she saw her daughter safe.
The High Priest knelt and paid his respects. The other priests also bowed, covering their yawning mouths.
"Mother."
Asteril greeted the Queen with a gaunt face. Even on Cyane's lips, who rarely showed changes in expression, a small smile appeared.
"Yes, you've awakened. This is something to be deeply grateful to the gods for..."
Amphitrite carefully embraced Asteril's body with tear-filled eyes.
After sharing their heartfelt reunion, the three mother and daughters dismissed everyone else and began to converse comfortably.
"Still, it's such a blessing that you survived like this, isn't it? It must be the protection of the Mother Goddess; she has watched over you."
"The Queen hasn't slept a wink all this time. Her heart must have been burning with anxiety."
Amphitrite quickly wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand.
She felt a strange sensation.
She hadn't known the Queen would worry this much. Even when she was caring for the plague victims in Cocytus, she had shown no particular concern other than a short letter.
Cyane, who had been examining Asteril's complexion, hesitated before speaking.
"I am sorry to ask you this when your body has not fully recovered yet, but you are the only one who can confirm something for me."
"What do you mean?"
"While you were bedridden, I searched for the unidentified man who brought you here."
The Queen had said he would be inside the palace, but his figure could not be found anywhere. Nor were there any reports of him escaping the palace.
"He appeared like the wind and vanished like the wind. Like seeing a ghost, like being robbed right under my nose... I was dazed."
That night, on her way back to her quarters after hearing about Pandora from the Queen.
The ground was damp from a downpour that fell at dawn. The sound of crickets seeping through the moisture-laden weeds embroidered the silence.
The King's Garden, located between the main palace and the annex, was only accessible to the current Anasain, Amphitrite, and the heir, Cyane. Unlike Amphitrite, who had frequently visited the temple here lately, Cyane would cool her head here whenever she had worries.
"It's a black rose."
"Pardon?"
The court ladies' eyes widened at Cyane's murmur. Looking around, they sighed in relief and laughed.
"Look, Lady Cyane! It only looks that way because of the shadows; it's a red rose, no different from usual."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Something so hideous couldn't possibly bloom in the King's Garden."
"Then is it the darkness that is different?"
The court ladies scratched their heads.
Why does she keep saying incomprehensible things? How should we answer?
Exchanging glances, they forced a smile and blustered, "I-is that so?"
If Lady Asteril were here at a time like this, she would have given an interesting interpretation, saying the goddess of dawn had cast a veil with her hair, or the moon god had turned away, casting a shadow on the ground...
For lowly beings like them to say such things would only be tantamount to disrespecting royalty.
"The night is thick. Unusually thick."
"Well... it's because it's just before dawn. It will brighten up soon."
People walk carefully like kittens when there is mist or thick fog on a bright day. Fearing they might step into a puddle of muddy water, they clench their sphincters, only to end up soiling their own clothes more often than not.
But at night, it is not so.
Regardless of age or gender, there was no one who was more wary. They believed the night could not get any darker or any blacker.
Whether the moon hid or fog rolled in, they relied solely on a torch that illuminated only an inch ahead, trudging along no differently from a blind person with their eyes wide open.
Unaware they were plunging straight into the gaping maw of darkness.
"The moon is so bright, so why is it so dark? It's as if the wind..."
As if the wind is bringing the darkness.
Can fog be black? Some old priest said that in the faraway land where the gods live, the moment moonlight touches the ground, it turns into pitch-black ashes...
*Crunch.*
The sound of footsteps stepping on dirt sounded unusually loud. Cyane stared into the darkness with her eyes wide open.
Someone is there.
Between the branches intertwined as if casting a net, a figure standing with arms crossed was visible. The man stood waiting for her, leaning against a five-hundred-year-old willow tree.
She inhaled sharply. Their eyes met. His magenta eyes captured her gaze like a trap.
—Are you Princess Cyane?
He really was inside the palace. How could they not have known? This was the King's Garden, the most heavily guarded place in the palace.
"I am, but..."
Her back was quiet. Glancing back, Cyane hesitated in surprise. The court ladies had collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
They didn't seem dead. Had they just fainted?
He stared at her for a moment. He merely gazed without a single word.
Soon, his eyes lost focus and grew distant as if he had lost interest. If one were to impose an arbitrary interpretation, he looked a bit disappointed.
Only then did Cyane realize that he had been trying to find someone in her facial features.
Unfortunately, she and Asteril had nothing in common, from their looks to their personalities. One could argue that the second daughter, Penelope, and Asteril shared some similarities in being bright and lovable, but...
—Tell the King of Demeter. The Persephone Treaty is voided as of today. Demeter no longer needs to offer a princess.
Just like before, the man's voice echoed in her head.
To suddenly void the Persephone Treaty... rather than feeling welcoming, doubt arose first.
"Why? Is it compensation for Asteril's body being so harmed? Or are there other conditions or demands?"
—Must there be such a thing?
She was speechless.
The King of Hades was supposed to be cruel and selfish. He was supposed to possess all sorts of terrifying traits.
Like this... He shouldn't be someone who gave off this kind of feeling.
The darkness stepped on her instep and crawled up to her chin. It felt like it was choking her neck and kissing her lips.
Clutching her chest in a defensive posture, she threw out a question that suddenly came to mind.
"Do you happen to know the name Pandora?"
—I do not.
Cyane felt panic for the first time in her life since being designated as the next Anasain.
It was strange. The man standing leisurely looked as if he would vanish like the wind at any moment. She also had a premonition that if she missed him, she would never get the chance to see him again.
Then this vague awe and curiosity would never be resolved.
"Just one... May I ask just one more thing?"
—If I say no, will you not ask?
"That is..."
It sounded like he was telling her to go ahead since he knew she would ask anyway. Just like an unpredictable man.
"Are you perhaps... of the bloodline of the gods?"
Callian silently gazed at Cyane.
"O King, are you... a descendant of the gods?"
Asteril's face asking with tense, round eyes, and Cyane's expression as she gripped her dress hem and waited, overlapped.
That day, Asteril had suddenly gotten angry, saying her name was not Persephone, and demanded to know why she wasn't being sent back to her homeland despite having made a pact.
It was from then.
That the small, black-haired princess kept haunting his thoughts, leaving him completely at a loss as to what to do...
—Why are you curious about such things?
'You all'...
"Did Asteril ask a similar question by any chance?"
For a child as curious as her, it was entirely possible. If they were talking about fearlessness, she'd be the best among the three of them.
She was also the best when it came to intuition. It would be an innate ability, not something honed over decades like herself.
—Princess Cyane.
"I am listening."
—This is not the first time your sister's life has been threatened.
Right now, she was just crying because her body and mind were exhausted, but once she recovered her strength, it was obvious how she would act.
She was a woman who would not easily submit until she was convinced. Whether the opponent was mortal, immortal, or even fate...
She was a master at extracting the answers she wanted from her opponents.
—We are not friendly toward you. Most of our kind have no interest in the life and death of humans, nor do they feel any compassion.
Cyane wore a confused expression.
That was understandable; it must be hard to comprehend. These people had no knowledge of Keton. They merely lumped together all omnipotent beings and worshipped them as gods.
"Did the one who made Asteril like that... happen to be one of that kind?"
She was a quick-witted princess. Callian pondered for a moment before answering indirectly.
—It means that gods... are not beings worthy of such blind faith and obedience.
While she was standing absent-mindedly, wondering what that meant, the branches made a swishing sound as they swayed in the wind.
He focused for a moment as if listening to the wind. The flower petals scattering in the air were shining, reflecting the moonlight.
It seemed as if the petals were whispering. That couldn't be... Could they be spirits? But she didn't have the ability to hear spirits like Asteril did.
—Do not send Ril... Do not send her to Hades.
Cyane chased the sound of the wind and turned her gaze into the shadowed darkness.
She knew it.
She had expected it when she felt the moonlight disappearing as it passed through the gaps between the leaves, but the place where the man had been standing was already empty.
Having finished her story, Cyane let out a sigh, struggling to contain her unresolved feelings.
"I thought you would know, Ril."
Among the priests, there were those born with special abilities. Their power was referred to as a natural force, but in Demeter, it was called the blessing of the Mother Goddess.
She had heard that even in other countries, this was referred to as the favor of the gods. Regardless, it meant they were the chosen ones.
"He is indeed the King of Hades."
"What is your relationship with him?"
Seeing Asteril unable to answer readily, the crease between Cyane's brows only deepened.
He was a man who made her mouth feel cold just looking at him, like the white breath spreading in a snowfield. Throughout the conversation, she felt dizzy, as if walking on thin ice.
She was looking at a magnificent view, but felt anxious that the ground might crumble beneath her feet at any moment.
"If you let your heart be stolen by such a man, you will die without even realizing your body is rotting away."
Her spiritless shoulders slumped even further. Asteril only looked down at the back of her hand without giving any answer. Tears gathered in her shadowed eyelashes.
"I know..."
"He told me to never send you to Hades."
"Who did? That man?"
"He said you would die if you went."
Amphitrite, who had been listening quietly beside them, furrowed her brow. Her eyes seemed to say, 'What, is he planning to kill her with his own hands?'
"He seemed... very worried about you."
And he called you Ril. The pet name only the Queen and our sisters use.
Asteril, who had been crying while biting her lip hard, raised her head. Cyane stared silently out the window.
"He was standing under the shade of that willow tree over there, endlessly looking at this window. From here, that side looks as small as a fingernail, but with his eyes, even a distance this far must have looked as close as the tip of his nose."
"..."
“He stared intently at my face. As if looking for some resemblance to his lover. I don’t know if he was conscious of it, but he even played word games with me. As if recalling a conversation with you….”
For a brief moment, he looked happy. Then, unconsciously, he glanced toward the detached palace again.
“So what exactly is his identity?”
“Pardon?”
“Keep such trivial answers to yourself, saying he’s the King of Hades. I have eyes and ears too.”
Asteril stared at Kiane in silence for a moment. She seemed unable to open her mouth.
“Asteril.”
Amphita, who had been watching quietly, called her name as if urging her. Her expression was solemn.
“Before that… Please answer me first, Mother.”
Suddenly finding the arrow pointed at her, Amphita’s eyebrows shot up in bewilderment.
“I need to know now.”
I have pretended not to know all along. Because sometimes, there are truths too terrifying to know.
“Who am I?”
“What are you talking about? Suddenly asking who you are?”
“Not the Third Princess of Demeter, the High Priestess of Cocytus, or the incarnation of Gaia. I… what is my existence?”
Asteril unclasped the gold bracelet on her wrist and held it out to the Queen Mother.
“I always thought this was yours, Mother. But it wasn’t. Whose bracelet is this? Why did you give it to me?”
“This…”
Amphita clamped her mouth shut as if choking up. Asteril swallowed dryly.
“Kore will protect you.”
At the time, I brushed off the Queen Mother’s words as nothing significant. Because the Queen Mother had a special faith in Kore.
But I remembered Nyx raising his voice upon seeing the gold bracelet. That eccentric man only fixated on one thing. How could the bracelet given by the Queen Mother be connected to him?
“It is Lady Pandora’s bracelet.”
The name of the virgin goddess, one of the Kore. She was the most widely known and highly worshipped Kore. Just looking at the sheer number of her statues erected in Demeter was overwhelming.
“Mother!”
“I am not joking.”
“Are you saying a priestess who worships the virgin goddess gave this to me?”
“It may sound preposterous, but it truly is the bracelet Lady Pandora used to wear.”
Asteril’s hand, which had been trying to snatch the bracelet back, faltered. Amphita was holding her wrist as if to calm her down.
“I didn’t intend to reveal it this way, but…”
Amphita took a deep breath.
“Ril, you are her daughter.”
“What? What do you…”
“The Great Temple of Cocytus. Lady Pandora gave birth to you there.”
Amphita swallowed dryly, looking tense.
“I know it’s hard to believe. Lady Pandora’s name was erased from the divine registry and strictly forbidden…”
“It shouldn’t have been a sin for a priestess to bear a child, so why was her name erased from the divine registry?”
“If receiving too much love was a sin, then it was a sin.”
Amphita muttered with a troubled voice.
“Her power increasingly caused conflict. Love comes with possessiveness, and possessiveness sometimes gives birth to destructive emotions. Lady Pandora asked my brother, who was the regent at the time, to hide herself deep within the temple. I was being educated as the next Anassa, and that was where I first met her. I admired and respected her. She was like a mother to me.”
However, peace did not last long. It wasn’t just humans who desired her.
- Pandora, where are you… Where on earth have you hidden?
The half-god searched for Pandora’s jar. Because he had placed his two eyes, which were no different from light, inside her jar.
The blind god, enveloped in darkness, lost his judgment. Enraged, he destroyed every place Pandora had visited. It was around that time that the army of death, Thanatos, appeared.
“The people considered Lady Pandora the cause of the war. I don’t know how such rumors spread… They called Thanatos the army of death and thought Hades was under the protection of the god of darkness.”
“Why did you keep it a secret until now? When were you planning to tell me the truth? Don’t tell me you were never going to tell me for the rest of my life?”
“Yes, if possible, I wanted you never to know.”
“Why…”
“Because Lady Pandora would have wanted it that way.”
Asteril stared silently out the window. Kiane was still waiting for her answer. Amphita opened her mouth with a guilty expression.
“Ril, the King of Hades…”
“Yes, he is not human.”
“Then, as expected, with Lady Pandora…”
“Not related. However, there is someone I suspect.”
“Who is that?”
The hand fidgeting with the gold bracelet stopped. Asteril bit her lower lip hard.
“Nyx.”
Both of them had looks in their eyes asking who that was. Asteril thought about where to begin.
Ceton, should I start from there.
“There is a clan called gods…”
Ψ
The nature of the clan could be called Erebus.
No one questioned that it was a darkness that swallowed even the dark.
Born in the gaps of the primordial darkness, Erebus, they opened their eyelids with the cruel breath of their father, Chaos, engraved in their souls.
Therefore, the pitch-black darkness of the universe, where countless stars scatter, is the breath that molded their souls and their cradle.
Among them, Nyx slept within Erebus the longest.
His nature was the sticky mire of darkness pooled at the very bottom of the dark, and behind the invisible retinas of his pupils always floated the gasps of souls that inflicted pain, like blood oozing from a wound.
Nyx always asked himself.
Why do we exist?
The sun exists to illuminate every corner of the earth, the clouds exist to gather and pour down rain, the wind exists to scatter seeds far and wide, and the earth exists to embrace and conceive life, but what do we Ceton exist for?
Everything is fleeting, and everything is tedious. The years flowing slower than the flutter of a dragonfly’s wings are cruel in their indifference.
Gazing blankly into the empty air not knowing what to do, and meaninglessly crushing a flower petal in one’s grasp, are all vain and futile.
I… we, the Ceton, what do we exist for?
“We exist for the sake of humanity.”
Squelching footsteps approached beside him as he sat hunched alone on the hill, watching the sunset.
Her large eyes were always the same color as the earth bathed in the sunset.
The owner of a soul infinitely warm, so deeply saturated with vitality that one could not fathom the depth of its abundance.
Ah, Pyra, my Pyra…
“We exist for such primitive things?”
“Primitive? Humans?”
Gaia laughed out loud. As lovely as wildflowers giggling as they poked their heads between the weeds bowing in the wind.
“Nyx, you’ve never been to where humans live, have you?”
“…”
“Want to go together?”
Gaia, brushing off her backside and standing up, held out her hand and said. Even those little actions were so human-like. Yet, it didn’t seem like she was mimicking humans. It was just natural.
She carried their scent.
The smell of earth, the smell of soft fabric, the smell of the food they ate, something freshly baked, fragrant and appetizing, yet alien.
Nyx looked at her with eyes full of suspicion and reluctantly took her hand. Then he flinched and quickly pulled his hand away. Her hand was as hot and dry as soil scorched by the midday sun.
“Ah, I was just firing a jar earlier.”
Gaia’s specialty was molding and firing clay to create something. For a clan that mostly indulged in destruction, Gaia’s ability was very special and alien.
She created. Only she, solely Gaia out of the entire clan, did the work of creating something.
To such a her, Nyx was suddenly captivated as if he had yielded a corner of his soul to her at some point.
Gaia always went to live in the human villages. Dressed just like them, using similar speech and accents, she laughed out loud with a jar on her head and dirt on her cheeks.
As if humoring her, Nyx would dress like a village boy and sit near the well, observing and watching her. Sometimes hiding in the dark, sometimes leaning lazily in the light.
Then trouble broke out. To borrow a human expression, an atrocious incident occurred.
Among the shattered jars, Gaia was lying on the ground, clutching her face as if she had been struck. The large men surrounding her snickered and pulled down their trousers.
Gaia looked up at them with a sad expression. Seeing that sight, Nyx saw red.
“How dare you… How dare you lay a hand on someone with those filthy bodies!”
The sun had not yet fully set. The sky, which had been shrouded in low, red nacreous clouds, was instantly engulfed in darkness.
Crows cawed and swarmed in. The men panicked and looked up at the sky, while the villagers, terrified, scrambled into their homes and bolted their doors.
Gaia grabbed the back of Nyx’s neck and quickly dragged him up the hill.
“Let go! Why are you stopping me? Those lowly things tried to violate you without knowing their place!”
“It’s fine! I said I’m fine!”
Gaia hugged Nyx tightly and stroked his back as if to calm him down. Nyx’s golden hair brushed against her cheek and swayed. Just like his eyes that couldn’t understand it at all…
“Pyra.”
“Yeah?”
“No, don’t answer. You’re not the village maiden Pyra. Nor are you Pandora or whatever they call Kore. You are Gaia.”
“Nyx…”
“The greatest Ceton even among the clan, the Earth Mother worshipped by all humans, that is who you are.”
“I know, but here I am Pyra. Just an ordinary Kore!”
Nyx stared blankly at the oak tree standing tall on the hill and muttered.
“Uranus said so. The first Ceton is Gaia, which is you…”
“Uranus did?”
“Most of the clan believes that the first Ceton pulled out of Erebus by Father Chaos is me, Nyx… But in reality, that’s not true. I am rather the opposite, the Ceton who slept the longest inside Erebus. The very first Ceton to open its eyes was you, Gaia, right? The only Ceton directly brought out by Father Chaos. Uranus said so. He said it was you who pulled out the other siblings who woke up afterwards, one after another.”
She looked at Nyx without a word.
“From the first time I met you, Gaia, you had already reached your mature form. Did you choose one sex from a dual-sexed state, like I did? Or were you female from the start? Since when exactly did you…”
“Nyx.”
“…”
“Return to Oceanus. It’s almost time for you to reach your mature form. When that time comes, your whole body’s senses will become hypersensitive and your energy will become unstable. So it’ll be harder to control your power than usual. Outbursts like today will happen often.”
“I will stay with you.”
“I’ll come see you.”
“But…”
“Nyx, listen to me. I’ll come, I’ll come see you…”
Gaia hugged the hesitant Nyx tightly. His rigid shoulders slowly relaxed and released their tension. Burying his nose in Gaia’s hair, he opened his lips.
“Gaia.”
“Yeah.”
“I will become male. And as you wish, I will erase the darkness and live as Nyx of the light. Then you’ll be with me, right? For eternity… Until the breath of Erebus runs out.”
“Nyx…”
“You promise, right?”
Gaia raised her head and gazed at Nyx. Heavy emotions were carried in her complex eyes.
Nyx was exceptionally late in reaching his mature form. A period that barely arrived after waiting thousands of years. She was not unaware of what that meant to him.
Gaia took something out of her bosom and placed it in his hand. Nyx asked innocently.
“What’s this? A new vessel you fired?”
“It’s the Cup of Forgetfulness.”
“Cup of Forgetfulness?”
“I’m entrusting it to you. I made it over a very long time. For the clan who are wounded by fate.”
Nyx was so dumbfounded he lost his words. Now you even pity the clan? Is there nothing left in the world to sympathize with that you pity the Ceton who know only themselves? Gaia, why on earth are you so anxious to embrace everything?
He couldn’t understand it at all. His world only needed Gaia; she alone was enough.
“Especially you, Nyx… You’re so uniquely delicate and soft-hearted, I worry. So please keep this and protect it.”
Nyx stood blankly holding the Cup of Forgetfulness in his arms, looking down from the hill.
Waving her hand once, Gaia trudged down the hill. Her hair fluttering in the west wind was as beautiful as scattering sparks.
Nyx tilted his head. Then he looked down at the cup in his hand.
Cup of Oblivion.
The terracotta, molded and fired from red clay, was heavier and harder than the pottery she usually made. It certainly wasn't fired to help with human households.
She made it for the clan? They aren't the type to pour things into cups and drink.
As he looked down at the cup with a puzzled face, there was something inside. Nyx reached his hand in and felt around, furrowing his brow.
What is this?
It was a withered petal. Thin and transparent like a shard of glass, yet its shape looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Ah, he remembered.
It was a flower he had seen in Lethe. On nights steeped in moonlight, it hides its deadly poison and bewitches its opponent with a beautiful singing voice to play tricks...
Himeros, the flower nicknamed 'Moon's Madness'.
Gaia had been experimenting with those bizarre flowers.
Was this it? Only the very center of the transparent petal was dyed a vivid, blood-red. Pouting, he shoved the petal back into the cup without looking closely.
It did not take long for him to realize the meaning behind her giving him that cup.
His only world, Gaia, had vanished.
Ψ
"Have you arrived?"
Nyx took off his outer garment and untied his belt. The torches set up halfway up the mountain brightened, and the small candles placed on the stone stairs were also lit.
"It wasn't Gaia. She was just an ordinary human woman."
He muttered in a disappointed tone.
As the ruler of darkness returned, the shadows scattered here and there gathered one by one.
"Lord Nyx."
A young Keton walked over, stepping on an altar drenched in pig's blood. Nyx, who had been staring at the blood in his wine cup, looked up as if asking what it was.
"Kallian has sent a message to the entire clan."
"A message?"
"Yes, he says he will hold the Festival of Ambrosia in Lethe."
"…."
"What should we do?"
Nyx looked up at the crows sitting on the cedar branches and asked listlessly.
"The Festival of Ambrosia? Without Gaia?"
The clan had already forgotten Gaia's devotion. If the Ketons were like this, what of the humans?
Just then, a Keton jumped out of the bushes naked. Its androgynous face was terrified.
"What is it?"
"Lord Nyx, there's an intruder at the entrance of the altar..."
Instantly, a sharp wind flew from behind, slicing through the air like a scythe.
Thwack.
The arm and ear of the reporting Keton flew off, severed. The other Ketons flinched and turned around.
The gait stepping on the darkness was slow and elegant. A glossy sheen flowed from the black cloth draped over his shoulders. Only his eyes, suppressing emotion, were icy cold.
The smell of blood reverberated through the gaps in the shadows cast by the torches. On every branch, decapitated Ketons were groaning.
Kallian wiped the bloodstain on his cheek with his finger, then stared at Nyx. Nyx, who had been sitting leisurely, opened his mouth with a smile.
"Quite a flashy entrance."
Ananke had a nasty temper, but this bastard was worse. He committed atrocious acts with complete composure on a face that revealed no emotion whatsoever.
"They are still young, so they will have quite a hard time regenerating their bodies."
Kallian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why are you so angry, Ruler of Lethe? Surely you didn't come all the way here because of that Demeter princess?"
— I told you she is an important existence.
"Well, the Ambrosia has also bloomed... So doesn't she have no more use value?"
— She will be needed for the future as well.
"How long could a human possibly live anyway?
— That is none of your concern.
"Have you forgotten? I handed Lethe over to you. You are merely my proxy, Kallian."
— Then clearing up the mess made by the proxy is also your responsibility. Your followers fearlessly stood in my way as if they were part of the Five Seats... Considering that loyalty, shouldn't you at least look for their torn flesh?
Nyx's face twisted. Kallian's arrogant and insolent attitude had not improved; if anything, it had become even more spectacular.
Moreover, unlike himself who spoke directly by opening his mouth, Kallian was only speaking through voice transmission.
"Kallian, you are the one who has no qualms about what you say in front of me."
Nysa was his domain. Judging by his attitude of barging in without a message and his rough treatment of his followers, his premonition seemed roughly correct.
"Isn't it you who's acting like you've become a member of the Five Seats?"
He knew the Five Seats were looking for someone to fill Gaia's vacant seat. He had also somewhat expected that Kallian would be a candidate.
But this guy had only just reached maturity.
"Not just anyone can become one of the Five Seats. One must have abilities comparable to Gaia of the Earth, worthy of inheriting her name..."
— I don't know about Gaia, but my wind seems capable of erasing even your shadow... How about we test it?
As soon as the words ended, a gust of wind arose. A whirlwind that seemed to strike the top of his foot and rise up.
Shaking the meshed branches, a silhouette flashed by and instantly took control of his rear.
There was no time to even blink. Was this the reason the young Ketons were decapitated without a chance to react?
A mocking voice flowed from between Kallian's lips.
"Your shadow is fleeing from my hand. Like a snake slithering across the ground..."
The wind brushing his shoulder mocked his choked throat. Nyx stood rigid and looked down at the ground. Kallian's shadow overlapped his, making his own shadow invisible.
His ears burned.
How dare he... How dare he insult me?
But then,
— Uranus of the Azure Sky announces to the entire clan. The one to fill the vacant seat of the perished Gaia has been decided. We accept Kallian, Guardian of Asphodelos and Ruler of Hades, as a member of the Five Seats. Furthermore, the Five Seats officially bestow upon him the title, Kallian of Judgment.
Himeros petals fluttered in from somewhere, carrying Uranus's message. The messenger birds flapped their wings, rolling their blood-red eyes.
"You... are replacing Gaia?"
A night where the moon closed its eyes and smiled. Clouds became the moon's blindfold, drifting like a thin veil of mist.
The Darkness was enraged.
Gaia was an existence no one could replace. Even if Father Chaos were to appear, filling her vacancy would be impossible.
In a way, she was a mutant. For she was born bearing only things unseen in Erebus.
No one can replace her. No one can forget her. No one can deny her. Gaia, there does not exist a Keton more outstanding than her. Thus, he could not accept it. The likes of Gaia's demise.
"Kallian of Judgment?"
The very fact that he obtained such a title was entirely thanks to him. It started when the Ketons, who used to hover around drawn by the scent of blood in Lethe, were chased away by Kallian and came to look up to him. To the young Ketons, Kallian was like the next Uranus.
But to think the Five Seats would actually bestow the title of Judgment upon him.
Bestowing titles upon the Five Seats was Ananke's role. She even gave herself the title, Ananke of Destiny. Kallian's arrogance and insolence surely took after his mother.
However frustrating it was, her assessment and eye for talent were always flawlessly accurate. Outwardly, it was known that Kallian, upon becoming a male, inherited the abilities of his father, Uranus, but...
Could he possibly have something else beyond the ability to command the atmosphere? Don't tell me he even inherited the abilities of his mother, Ananke?
Nyx chewed on his fingernails with a crunch.
The abilities of Ananke of Destiny were still shrouded in a veil. She played a role similar to the clan's shaman, and it was no exaggeration to say she was a being that manipulated the clan's very minds.
No one could tell a lie before her eyes, evade answering her questions, or refuse the whispers that seeped into their minds.
Nyx had always been uncomfortable with Ananke.
He didn't like how she pointlessly built a close friendship with Gaia, but her arrogant attitude and way of speaking were even more grating.
"Kallian, what is your reason for coming here?"
He had so few words that he thought he only took after his father, Uranus, but look at those downcast eyes. It was as if Ananke's unpleasant face was right in front of him.
— It's a warning.
"A warning?"
— If you do not attend even the Festival of Ambrosia, you will no longer be able to attend the council of Olympus.
"Are you trying to oust me from the Five Seats? Do you think that's possible?"
As Nyx revealed his rebellious spirit, hostile glares emerged from between the bushes. They were the Ketons who followed Nyx.
The Fruit of Life, the Festival of Ambrosia.
Ketons originally disliked collective actions, but for Ambrosia, they all gathered and enjoyed it together.
This was also to keep an eye on each other. Most of the clan made Ambrosia their staple food according to Gaia's will, suppressing their impulses and destructive desires.
However, there were also those who rebelled against this method. Instead of eating Ambrosia, they wanted to satisfy their urges in a primal way.
Human blood.
For such individuals, Gaia's disappearance was an unexpected boon. When Ambrosia no longer bloomed, they started running wild like fish meeting water, openly coming down to the altars to receive living sacrifices.
The clan experienced unprecedented chaos.
The conflict erupted between the moderate faction, who wanted to somehow revive Asphodelos and continue using Ambrosia as their staple food, and the radical faction, who refused this and wanted to satisfy their desires from humans.
The center of the moderate faction was the chief, Uranus, and Ananke, while the axis of the radical faction was Nyx, holed up in Nysa.
Most of the established generation followed Uranus, but the young Ketons, unaccustomed to controlling their impulses, increasingly flocked to Nyx's feet.
They were trapped in the feast of pleasure that Nyx had let them taste, unable to escape. Their logic was that Ambrosia was merely a stopgap measure to suppress desires in the first place.
"Me dropping out of the Five Seats wouldn't be what you want either, would it?"
It was true that the radical faction was being controlled by Nyx's presence in the Five Seats. However, the fact that he was expanding the size of the radical faction was also a headache.
Kallian looked around with pathetic eyes, then turned away as if he had no interest.
— The festival is on this full moon. The young ones following you seem to need some discipline.
As he summoned the wind, the trees shook with a swoosh, spreading their arms and opening their branches.
From the thick, long branches, severed heads hung like apples, groaning in pain.
"L-Lord Nyx..."
"Ugh!"
"Uwueck!"
"Help... us..."
Nyx lost his words. Even with a rough glance, there were more than ten of them.
More than a dozen guys were slaughtered by just one guy?
Kallian stared at the blood dripping from the severed necks, then cast a glance into the bushes. The naked, crouching shadows held their breath in fright. Their gazes, glancing around and peeking at the situation, were filled with tension.
Kallian opened his mouth toward them with an irritated gaze.
"You'd better watch closely. If you put up useless bravado at the Festival of the Spirit Fruit, you won't just end up decapitated like them. If you want to regenerate your bodies for eons with even your heads split open, then go ahead and run wild. I'll even make you beg to be stabbed by Pontos's spear and dragged away instead."
Even the killing intent contained in his low voice was elegant. The young Ketons in the bushes ground their teeth.
Damn Kallian of Lethe! What a cursed bastard... What the hell is that monster-like ability when he's not even that much older than us?
"Answer."
The Ketons, who had flinched and prostrated themselves on the floor, answered as if in a chorus.
"We have received and engraved your will."
"We will keep it in mind."
"Y-Yes..."
Nyx couldn't bear to watch out of sheer pity. Why don't they just bow their heads completely? 'Y-Yes'... Ketons who call themselves supreme are treating their peer like an absolute master.
Kallian summoned a cold wind. The young Ketons stared at the sight, entranced.
Was that the familiar he had commanded even before reaching maturity?
Only after a gust of wind blew and his presence completely disappeared did the Ketons in the bushes crawl out one by one. They grumbled as if they had completely forgotten their humiliating attitude from just a moment ago.
"Show-off..."
"Endless regeneration? If we attacked in a swarm, would he still spout such relaxed nonsense?"
"We did attack in a swarm and got our heads hung up like that, didn't we?"
"Ah, right."
"He's doing that with Lord Uranus and Lady Ananke behind him, that's all."
"There are also rumors that he's stronger than those two?"
"Hmm..."
"Lord Nyx, will you simply stand by and watch?"
"They say Kallian is strong, but how could he show such insolent attitude to Lord Nyx, one of the Five Seats..."
"Kallian is one of the Five Seats now too."
"Quiet!"
Nyx shouted irritably.
The wind crushed the shadows. The moon clawed and tore at the darkness. To think my shadow was suppressed by his wind...
Kallian the Judge. Did the Five Seats bestow such a name upon him simply because of the reputation he earned in Lethe? Or...
"There's something there."
Nyx muttered sharply with a thin voice.
Otherwise, Ananke—that woman—would never have dared to bestow the title of Judge. A title that even Pontos, who oversees the clan's punishments, does not possess, given to a whelp who has barely reached maturity, even if he is her own child.
Nyx stood up as if having made a decision.
"I must go to Lethe."
Ψ
On the eighth day since Haesure crossed the sky and the goddess of dawn opened and closed the gates of heaven.
"I will go to Cocytus."
Asteril visited the Mother King's chambers and conveyed her decision. Amphita and Kyane were aghast. Though her wounds may have healed on the surface, Asteril's complexion was still poor.
"What good is there in staying alone in uninhabited Cocytus? Or are you saying this mother is no longer a mother? Though I did not bear you from my womb, I birthed and raised you with my heart. You were more than a child to me. If not that, then is it because the psychological shock was too great? If so, I'll give you the entire separate palace, so how about resting quietly?"
Asteril answered Amphita's dissuasion with a bitter smile.
"I've long known that the Mother King is not my birth mother, and I've also known that I am not ordinary, so it's nothing surprising. However, I am curious about what relationship Lady Pandora has with them."
"Are you talking about that being called Keton you described?"
"There seems to be some connection... I need to investigate a bit."
"If this Keton called Nyx is as evil as you say, wouldn't it be better to hide somewhere quietly?"
"Sister Kyane, is there a place in this world where the sun cannot be seen? His shadow moves as if attached to the soles of the sun, so unless the sun falls, there would be no way to escape Nyx's gaze."
Asteril's resolve seemed firm. Amphita waved her hands, signaling her to leave. Disappointment welled up, but she couldn't show it.
Her eyes no longer held even a trace of reliance on her mother and sister. The youngest daughter who always wanted to stay far from the capital. Her eyes grew hot.
Just when had she known? What did that child think when she was sent to Hades as a princess? Did she think she was sent away because she wasn't her real daughter?
Kyane, who was watching from the side, patted Amphita's shoulder without a word.
"Don't be too upset."
"Even if I had ten mouths, I would have nothing to say, nothing to say..."
Amphita buried her face in her daughter's embrace and wept.
"It's true I feared Asteril's abilities. Unlike Lady Pandora, she was someone I had to protect. Foolishly and stupidly, I think I wanted her to become a second Lady Pandora. For me, and for Demeter..."
So even if her daughter left, she had nothing to say. She had no right or shamelessness to hold her back.
The fact that Princess Asteril was leaving Side was kept secret. It was Kyane's instruction in preparation for any unforeseen events. Asteril had said such measures were meaningless given the opponent was a Keton, but their overprotectiveness couldn't be stopped.
A morning full of the Mother Goddess's blessing.
Sunlight poured down as if shattering. Whose goddess's hem was torn and fluttering? The sun god's radiance reflected off the goddess's fabric, shimmering like a river.
The High Priestess's entourage from the South Gate temple came to see her off. They were the healing priests who had been in charge of Asteril's recovery and the Chief Priest.
They stood in two lines alongside the palanquin procession waiting in the inner courtyard, awaiting the princess.
Asteril, with her hair braided in a half-up style, wore an Ionian-style chiton dress and wrapped a twisted gold bracelet set with red gemstones around her wrist. A thin headband adorned with obsidian rested on her forehead.
For once, she looked befitting a princess.
Her slim waist belt was densely studded with oval-cut rubies, and the laces binding her ankles had pearls dangling like bells, producing a radiant sound with every step.
"The Sound of the Goddess's Footsteps! That's the name of these sandals. They will look enchantingly beautiful on the Princess's white ankles."
She recalled the royal footwear artisan, with his toothless face, passionately orating a few days ago. When she ordered just one pair, he repeatedly smacked his bare forehead against the floor, so overwhelmed with gratitude.
Gorgeous attire and accessories.
She knew it was the Mother King's consideration. But none of their beauty reached Asteril's hollow eyes.
A goddess is a dazzling existence even in nothing but her bare skin.
Looking down at the instep of her foot, she descended the combed steps and discovered the line of priests who had come to see her off.
The High Priestess smiled with her wrinkled face. Asteril smiled back as if in response. The old priestess nodded as if satisfied.
Yes, that's how you should smile.
"No one cares whether you are happy, sad, or angry. Smile gently. Priests are vessels of the gods. Vessels must not hold useless things. We must remember that to those who seek the gods, our smiles are no different from divine mercy."
A vessel. Yes, I was a vessel.
It felt like everything had returned to its proper place. What happened in Hades felt as distant as a dream.
Kallian—did he actually not exist? Was my love with him a delusion created by my madness? No, there were people who saw him in Side too.
Right, for instance, that blonde priest who was peeping into the bedroom.
Come to think of it, I had forgotten. The one wearing an Isaac brooch... What was the name?
"High Priestess, did a priest named Semele not come with you?"
It was just a question tossed out casually, but the atmosphere became turbulent. The murmuring priests' faces darkened.
"Well... Semele is missing."
"Missing?"
The High Priestess glanced sideways as if troubled. Then the Chief Priest, standing at the very back, stepped forward with a bowed head.
"Not missing, but deserted of their own accord. They were selected as personnel to accompany the High Priestess's entourage and sent to the palace, but the insolent wretch didn't return to the temple and fled secretly. Even stealing fellow priests' belongings, no less. The guards say they showed their pass, gave my name, and left the palace."
The Chief Priest stomped his foot as if the offense was outrageous.
"I did find them suspicious. They pleaded to be taken to the palace, saying they wanted to see Lady Asteril. They begged so subserviently... Ah, but how does Lady Asteril know Semele to ask about them? Did you perhaps meet that child?"
"I saw them once. They brought the clothes for the priests to change into."
"They got their wish before leaving. They kept singing 'Lady Asteril, Lady Asteril'... Did they not harass you? That one has quite the temper. I should have reported it after all. The High Priestess told me to overlook it since they were a child in difficult circumstances, but tsk..."
"They appeared to be a daughter of a noble house, but they were a ward priest... How unexpected."
"They must have been pretending to be a noble's daughter. Their acting was top-notch. The way they played deaf..."
"Chief Priest, that is enough."
When the High Priestess scolded, the Chief Priest clamped his mouth shut with a displeased expression.
Asteril looked at the High Priestess. She was rubbing her thumb and index finger together with her hand curled. Her anxious gaze fell downward as she pressed her elongated index fingernail into her thumb.
"The name Semele is not one a commoner would use. Whether it's their real name or an alias."
The High Priestess, whose brow had been furrowed, turned her gaze toward Asteril.
"What... do you mean by that?"
"They seemed like someone who had never knelt before. Their posture of bowing was quite awkward. It's just an observation, so don't read too much into it."
Asteril smiled quietly. The eyes of the High Priestess watching her back grew bloodshot and red.
You knew.
The sixty-year-old High Priestess was someone who had devoted her entire life to the gods. There had been many twists and turns from being a lay priest to reaching the position that all priests looked up to. For she was neither of noble birth nor the daughter of a wealthy landlord.
Not a single day was peaceful.
Not only did she receive backdoor money from nobles to benefit their businesses and politics, but she also had to take in their troublemaking offspring to cleanse their sins at the temple, and even deliver false blessings upon false divinations.
Yet she felt no pangs of conscience whatsoever. Rather, she strictly disciplined the lower priests who indulged in such illicit practices.
Asteril did not condemn such a High Priestess.
The bribes and wealth she received went to orphans and the sick. It was fitting of one who believed that was precisely the place the gods should watch over.
Asteril agreed as well. So she had no intention of digging further into the matter of Semele. Just as she had always done, this time too she would pretend not to see the old priestess's hands hidden behind her back.
Even the Mother Goddess's blessing cannot reach shadowed lands.
When someone steps forward to water abandoned soil, it was only natural that shadows would fall upon their wrists.
Those who condemned this were the ones who truly deserved divine punishment.
Ψ
The small city at the western edge of Demeter's domain was abuzz with excitement.
For days, a strange rumor had been circulating—that Princess Asteril, who had been sent to Persephone, had appeared in the capital, Side.
"The King of Hades brought her, right?"
"Who?"
"Lady Asteril! They say he appeared right inside the palace wearing the magical helm Kyene."
"I heard that too. They say he came with a cart full of wealth that only an underworld god could possess? He must greatly admire our princess."
"But isn't the King of Hades a monster? A monster who killed and devoured eight Persephones... For such a monster to admire our princess, isn't that a horrifying tale?"
"It is, a devastating tale..."
"Lady Asteril is the incarnation of Gaia, so perhaps she's trying to reform the King of Hades?"
"Oh my! That could indeed be true. Our Lady Asteril is compassionate and wise, after all."
Cocytus means lamentation. Since ancient times, this place was considered the land closest to death and the underworld.
Elderly people left their homes to gather here, not wanting to be a burden to their families when they died. As their numbers grew and those who supported them came to live alongside, it gradually took on the appearance of a city.
Taking pity on this place where wailing never ceased day after day, the Mother Goddess sent them the red-headed Kore.
Cocytus was where Pandora first appeared, and where she bestowed the most jars.
Wise men often referred to the round hills as places where the Mother Goddess's jars were buried. This was said to be the reason why Cocytus had so many gentle, rounded ridges.
The villagers looked upon the gently rising hills and thought of the Mother Goddess's bosom, and the farmers in the fields straightened their bent backs and hummed toward the hills.
O ridges of Gaia laid upon the broad bosom
The heavenly god, unable to contain his lust, embraced the earth
O Gaia who groaned for nine days, gave birth to long, long mountains
The faithful, following the ridges that embraced the horizon like a serpent, paused their steps, planting their walking sticks for a moment at the sound of singing echoing from the rice paddies.
As the Mother Goddess poured forth her fluids in the pleasure and pain of their union
That place which became the seas and rivers is called Oceanus
The gods sat with their chins propped above the waters of Oceanus, looking down at worldly affairs with boredom, and it was so tedious that they often dozed off. Eventually, they would yawn greatly, teeter, and plunge into the lake with a splash, which was no ordinary occurrence.
The lake they fell into would overflow and pour out water as if it had swallowed boulders, causing floods and torrential rain in the lower realms, and the overflowing rivers and landslides would sweep through villages with a rumble, killing innocent people.
So, do not doze off, O God. Listen to our song and cease your long yawn. Clap and laugh at our joyful roundelay. Thus, bestow your blessings upon us.
The Great Temple of Cocytus, said to have been painstakingly built by the late king during his short reign.
The temple atop the cliff was a breathtaking sight at sunrise and sunset; one look would flush the face, and a second would bring one to their knees in worship.
The Ionian-style columns, said to embody the form of a kneeling goddess, were both sturdy and elegant.
The pediment roof, carved with the image of Gaia bearing an urn upon her head, took on an amber hue from the rosestone mixed within. According to the priests, this was meant to depict the crimson hair of the Mother Goddess.
In short, the Great Temple of Cocytus was an architectural embodiment of the Mother Goddess's very form.
Beyond the ridge overlooking the city, a meadow stretched out, meeting the temple grounds. At the edge of the meadow stood a birch forest, its bark as white as an old man's beard.
Asteril kicked off her sandals—whether they were the footsteps of the goddess or her shackles, she could not tell. As a pearl slipped from the sandals and rolled through the soil, the black panther, guardian beast of the temple, tilted its head and gave it a few taps with its front paw.
Barefoot, she ran freely across the meadow. She tore off the obsidian headband bobbing on her forehead and loosened the waist sash cinched tightly around her.
"West Wind!"
With every breath she drew, the refreshing fragrance of Cocytus filled her lungs.
"It's me, West Wind!"
—Ril...?
"West Wind!"
As Asteril spread her arms wide toward the open sky, a fierce wind swept out from the forest.
—Asteril!
The breath of the West Heaven, rushing forth as if in joyful welcome, enveloped her like an embrace. The thin, white fabrics draping her body fluttered wildly in the wind.
Gentle breeze, the gatekeeper of the forest who was my only companion.
"I... have returned."
The West Wind descended upon her shoulders as she whispered with closed eyes, resting against her as if pressing a cheek to her.
—Welcome back, Ril...
Meanwhile, Aris, who stood leaning against a temple pillar with her arms crossed, found herself staring at them in a daze, entirely captivated.
Standing at the edge of the forest, Asteril's long hair fluttered in the wind, its dark strands stark against the white birch trees.
At her feet, wildflowers and blades of grass swirled in a vortex, looking ecstatic, like devotees reaching out both arms to praise a god.
An old willow swayed its branches gently, casting a shade over her as if attempting to stroke her hair.
A mere human.
Aris scowled in utter disbelief.
"Is she the master of the forest, or what..."
Yet she could not tear her eyes away. It was a scene that seemed to carve itself into her mind like a painting.