Immortality was an aspiration. Humanity even exalted the very languor they possessed. Then what kind of existence was mortality to the Ketons?
It must be trivial, right?
A bothersome and annoying existence, not even worth a second glance? They might find it grating just to have such beings flickering in and out of their sight. They might even feel disgusted by the sight of them groveling and trembling.
"I have never thought about it."
Kalian's answer poured cold water on her eyes, which had been sparkling with expectation.
"Whether human, flora and fauna, or spirit... A Keton's interest and curiosity are not easily provoked."
It was a crueler response than she had imagined. The Ketons with their thoroughly individualistic tendencies. Even among them, Kalian felt like someone who had built exceptionally high walls around himself.
"Are you asking why you were different?"
Asteril nodded quietly. Kalian rested his chin on his hand and cast his gaze.
Well, why was it?
As if he didn't even know that himself, he stared blankly anew. Furrowing his brow and half-closing his eyelids, he made an expression as if he had reached his own conclusion, but he didn't open his mouth to tell her.
Instead, he took something out of his hand and hung it around her neck. The crystal of a Himeros petal, swaying and hanging right between her collarbones and the center of her neckline.
"Huh? Where did you find this? I thought I'd lost it..."
It was the petal she had first received from him. The fallen petal crystallized and transformed like crystal, and because it was so unique and pretty, she had tied it with a string and worn it around her neck.
It was the first thing she had ever felt attached to, as she had never worn an accessory of her own accord in her entire life.
"The color changed?"
"It was rolling on the ground where you lost consciousness and collapsed. It was stained with blood and turned red."
It must have snapped when she fell, pierced by Nyx's spear. The outer surface, which had crystallized into glass, sparkled with a subtle crimson.
Kalian wounded his hand and dropped his blood onto the petal. Darker, denser blood seeped drop by drop into the crystal stained with her blood. A crystal where their blood mingled. It felt just like the Anteros ceremony.
"What is that?"
"It is a silver thread made from the scales of the carp raised by Pontos. His Anteros, Thalassa, makes the clan's accessories with this."
He said as he threaded the Himeros crystal onto the silver thread, white as snow powder. Soon, a new necklace was completed.
"Pontos..."
Sometimes it took a while to understand Kalian's words. Not only did the names of the great principal gods pop out casually, but the stories conveyed made it seem as if he was looking into the daily lives of those gods, bringing about a cognitive dissonance like a bolt of lightning.
So right now, around her neck hung a silver thread made from the scales of a carp raised by Pontos, the principal god of Poseidonia. And the one who made it was Thalassa, the mother of the sea, whose very existence she hadn't even been sure of.
"Do not be so moved, you."
"Why? Pontos... I just can't believe it right now..."
Kalian hesitated for a moment. Should he tell her that the child of that Pontos and Thalassa was Aris? No, he decided against it.
There was a possibility that the value of the necklace he gave her would plummet as if falling off a cliff. To her, Aris was such a trivial and foolish existence. So much so that she had already excluded him from the category of Ketons...
"Oh, I have some sad news."
Asteril fiddled with the necklace Kalian gave her and opened her mouth with difficulty, wearing a weak expression.
"The North Wind has perished."
"Nodos?"
"The day Nyx came, while trying to protect me, he..."
The voice of the North Wind, clinging to the top of her head and telling her to run to the very end, was still vivid in her ears. The energy that vanished like an explosion when hit by the black orb Nyx threw.
"Why is he so vicious? What did the North Wind do wrong? Poor Lady Metea..."
Asteril covered her face. A sob leaked through her bitten lips.
It was all her fault. Metea's death, the North Wind's extinction—all because Nyx's hook, aimed at her, had clawed them.
"Do not blame yourself, it is not your fault."
"..."
"Ketons are beings who overcome their lethargy by indulging in destruction. The order, conscience, and ethics that you so desperately wish to protect... Such things hold no value or meaning to us. Even if you cry and resent us, we don't even know what being cruel means."
"But you know."
If I am only pretending to know... Will you despise even me and push me away? Eyes containing a pure question quietly gazed at her.
Asteril flinched. His back came to mind as he executed female court officials by throwing them alive into a pit of fire.
She had forgotten for a moment.
That Ketons—and Kalian as well—were a part of ruthless nature. Nature is great, yet harsh. It suddenly becomes a tidal wave that sweeps everything away, a downpour that pours down. Even if it takes thousands of lives, it does not explain the reason.
Humans, bowing in awe, began to desperately interpret the insurmountable fear. It became God's stern punishment. Or God's mercy.
Ketons became gods.
Her lover, a god in love, softly hinted at the truth with his low voice.
My heart, my Anteros. Do not be deceived by the halo of omnipotence and turn a blind eye to the darkness of the Ketons. We are children of chaos. Born from puddles of blood and groans.
Cruelty and indifference are our indelible innate nature, and depending on the case, we also display a viscous obsession. Chaos endowed us with too many skills and talents. Even though we are beings who do not have the slightest intention of contributing anywhere.
Thus, we expend considerable effort and emotion into finding our one and only companion. That is our only outlet. It is the same context as an obsession where we entwine with each other so much that we become a single body, like intertwined branches.
But unfortunately, those who connect and bond through mutual understanding are extremely rare. The madness on the verge of explosion boils over with nowhere to go.
"Nyx is the symbol of that dreary outcome. It is a manifestation of contradiction, showing what happens when the light, which darkness trails, is lost."
Kalian raised his arm and stirred up the wind.
The barrier that had stood like an invisible wall began to collapse, melting away like pure white spring snow. Then, the hill the two were standing on also reverted to ordinary dirt.
The pink sky stained crimson again, and instead of fluttering petals, twilight crept in.
"The death of that princess, the extinction of the North Wind—they were supernatural flows that you had no power to change."
Kalian retraced his digressed point and continued speaking.
"Wherever light and darkness can cling together, monsters like Nyx can be born. It is a providence of nature and a law of destiny, like a pomegranate that falls to the ground and is crushed. Everything is written on the thread spun by chaos, and we are nothing but playthings dancing on its fingers."
Ψ
Zephyros, having noticed the barrier's disappearance, flew in like a streak. Behind him, Aris appeared, glaring. He looked surprised to see Kalian standing safely with Asteril.
As if he had pinned his last hope on her, but truly hadn't known she would pull it off.
Aris's gaze landed on Kalian's hand wrapped around Asteril's waist. The lower halves of the two, pressed tightly together without a sliver of space. His stiff brow furrowed even further.
Kalian's eyes narrowed as he saw the silence hanging on Aris's tightly pressed lips.
"Aris."
His startled shoulder straightened as he snapped to attention. "Uh, what?" Aris answered in a faltering tone and quickly averted his gaze, clenchching his lowered fist.
"I sense the energy of Hestia."
"Ah, I offered the sacred fire at the hearth. To disperse the gaze of those following Nyx a bit..."
Meanwhile, Zephyros was carefully observing the cold wind guarding Kalian's surroundings.
Truly bizarre and wondrous. An artificially created spirit. Is it really possible to grant a will to a natural body?
Zephyros looked at Kalian with a shuddering gaze.
Don't tell me the reverse is also possible?
Kalian, noticing Zephyros's sidelong glances, ordered in a condescending manner, as if commanding a servant.
"Zephyros, gather the fragments of Nodos."
Zephyros, bristling at his arrogant attitude, paused at Asteril's subsequent voice.
"Fragments of the North Wind? Do such things exist?"
"Spirits do not perish easily. It can be said that in the majority of cases, they lose their form or power and hide their presence."
"Then can he be revived?"
"I won't know without trying, but it is worth the attempt."
"Really...?"
Hope seeped from her faintly trembling voice. Zephyros sighed and turned around.
Right, my precious treasure... This is all for you.
He soon flew busily here and there in the palace of Lethe. Zephyros's movements were as light and soft as a feather. In contrast to the cold, biting breath of the North Wind, his gentle nature easily won the favor of the garden trees. Thanks to this, it wasn't too difficult to collect the fragments of the North Wind hanging from every branch.
Aris, who had little interest in the North Wind's life or death, said he would return to the hearth where Hestia was for now. Seeing the completely darkened sky, he noted that Uranos and the Five Thrones seemed to have mostly arrived.
As soon as Aris disappeared, Zephyros returned, panting heavily.
- I gathered them all.
He didn't forget to emphasize that he had caught every single breath, even those as small as dust.
Since Zephyros was impeccable when it came to being thorough, Asteril did not raise any objections. More than that, she was stomping her feet in urgency.
Kalian looked at the remnants of the North Wind floating in the air and reached out his hand. Within his grasp, the atmosphere began to swirl and circulate.
The shattered body of the North Wind was sucked into his grasp, and it could be seen forming into a sphere by centrifugal force.
Zephyros's eyes widened.
Soon, the North Wind, having coalesced with a small light in its center like a planet, exhaled with a "Pwah!" as if taking a deep breath, and popped its head out.
Asteril covered her mouth with both hands and burst into tears.
"Nodos!"
The North Wind looked bewildered. Looking around, he spotted Zephyros hovering above Asteril's head and let out a shriek.
- Who is that worn-out breath?
Zephyros glared at the North Wind with a displeased look. Not even knowing who he was revived thanks to...
Asteril tightly hugged Kalian's neck.
"Thank you! Really, thank you..."
As she rubbed her cheek against him and praised him, Kalian's gaze turned to the North Wind. It was a look that wondered if this was really such a great thing, a somewhat perplexed gaze on the other hand.
He had done it using a similar principle to when he first spiritized the cold wind, but he hadn't been sure if it would work.
It worked. Embarrassingly easily, at that.
However, he decided not to mention it out loud, as confessing it was that easy might disappoint her.
"You... were really a god?"
Asteril looked up at Kalian with renewed wonder and planted a smacking kiss on his lips. As if once wasn't enough, their lips touched multiple times with smack after smack.
Kalian looked down at Asteril doing so, then grabbed her chin and began to kiss her deeply.
"Mmph..."
After devouring her lips and tasting even her teeth and the roots of her tongue, Kalian's eyes slowly slid toward Zephyros. Unaware of his gaze, Zephyros was frowning and glaring intensely at his hand.
Her soft, swelling breast was held in his roundly clenched hand, looking as if it would burst. His other hand pushed between her legs, stroking her moist inner flesh with his index and middle fingers.
"K-Kalian... Ugh... W-wait a moment..."
It was obscene, so obscene that it was impossible to watch with eyes open. Had they been doing this the whole time? In front of everyone?
The garden trees, including the North Wind, seemed accustomed to this sight and kept their eyes closed, pretending not to see.
Lil, my Lil...
Zephyros sighed. He was so dumbfounded that his jaw dropped, eventually giving way to a surge of nausea.
"The breath of the West Heaven is severely overprotective."
Kalian's voice deepened, resonating from deep within his throat. He sent a warning glare to the spectator glaring at the depraved act.
"To the point of fully revealing your displeasure in your gaze..."
How dare a mere wind spirit. How dare he, to the ruler of Lethe, the supreme of supremes.
They say spirits have no gender, but that one was undoubtedly male. What else could that entity's behavior be, filling the surrounding air with such intense rage, if not jealousy?
But Asteril had no leisure to listen to his annoyed murmuring. The moans leaking out like mucus, drawn out by his fingers, seemed to have reached their limit as she began to plead, calling his name, "Kalian... Kal!"
"Do you want me to put it in?"
"Hurry... Quickly..."
"Even with Zephyrus watching?"
The West Wind, wearing a foul expression like an old man, panted through clenched teeth. As if she would fly away if blown, or fall if let go—the girl raised more preciously than anything in the world couldn't possibly be like this, Demeter's greatest priestess couldn't possibly be so vulgar.
"Ah, that won't do..."
Asteril, who had arched her body trying desperately to endure, finally let out "Aht!" and sobbed, pulling Kallian's head into her embrace. He buried his face in her sweat-beaded cleavage and sucked hard on her slick skin. As if mocking her nipple, which grew larger the more he rolled it in his mouth, like fruit ripening.
"Then beg for it, you."
At the perverse yet heated whisper, Asteril twisted her body.
— Asteril!
Only after the West Wind shouted did Asteril lift her eyelids. Her clearing eyes looked up in surprise.
Her body was slick as if smeared with honey. Moist eyes, lips swollen with saliva, a nape branded red, cleavage slickened with sweat and tongue, even her soaked groin...
— This is, no. Asteril, I...
Will you say you didn't raise me like this? Do you intend to reveal such possessiveness? How dare you? To Lethe's Despoina? To my Anteros? Is that so, Zephyrus?
"I can tolerate this no longer."
Disgust filled Kallian's twisted, narrowed eyes. As he reached his hand into the air, a swirling air current appeared in his palm. It was similar to when he had resurrected the North Wind. However, the direction of the fierce swirling was the exact opposite of before.
Unlike gathering fragments and breathing life into them, this was a power that drew everything in, as if annihilating the surroundings.
The frightened West Wind backed away and coiled its tail among the branches of the tall trees. So this was why the trees of Lethe were so bent—they had been constantly cowering their branches at all hours.
"West Wind..."
Asteril called her companion with a sorrowful voice. Her eyes were still dazed. Her heated lips remained moist with gloss.
— Here... I shouldn't have followed you.
The West Wind, clenching his jaw and glaring, whirled around and took flight. It almost looked as though he were holding back tears. He vanished beyond the sky in an instant, before anyone could stop him.
Asteril let out a long sigh. Kallian looked down at her with an oblique gaze.
A fact he now realized: she was inherently a being who stole the hearts of those around her. The stronger the being, the more helplessly they fell. Attraction transcended longing, became affection, and then morphed into obsession. The reason all of Lethe's natural entities had fallen for her was along the same vein.
She was surrounded by suitors on all sides. From the troublesome ones to the annoying pests, there was quite a variety.
Kallian shifted his gaze to Asteril's back. He saw her dejected back of the head. It seemed she was genuinely upset about the conflict with the West Wind.
Naturally, to her, the West Wind must have been a closer presence than even siblings. That shrewd guardian of the western heavens knew exactly how to make her heart uneasy.
He had planned to capture that old geezer's tail at sunset and annihilate him. No, at the very least, he intended to intimidate him so he'd never appear before her again.
This is problematic.
The West Wind's annihilation would undoubtedly bring her great sorrow. Apart from the surging irritation, his heart softened.
Kallian's eyes grew complicated.
Wind spirits must be handled harshly to avoid trouble. They were inherently fickle, fluttering this way and that, making it nearly impossible to bind them to one place.
If he couldn't annihilate him, he would have to tame him...
But unlike the North Wind, the West Wind was not one to easily submit, no matter how formidable Keton was.
"Meet the one who cherishes you. When you wake from sleep... so that you may see descendants who resemble you."
He had said those words that day and immediately regretted it, coming to her bedside. He gazed down for a long time at her pale, clear face as she slept exhausted.
Just how much will you think of and long for me throughout your life?
They say human memory fades faster than the scent of flowers carried by a butterfly. And not just memory? Their fickleness is also famously extraordinary.
Human emotions and desires were so capricious, changing more unpredictably than the weather, that they were often compared to the rough waves or fierce storms wielded by Pontos. He thought it was treatment far too excessive for such fragile bodies, but nonetheless, that was how it was.
They even say the objects of their affection are easily swapped out; the youngest princess of Lethe had said that those called bards never even bother to count how many lovers they've loved in their entire lives.
Truly a cowardly creature, as much as they are frail, aren't they? Donning the armor of oblivion to avoid being hurt themselves, they swing their swords toward new love time and time again.
Asteril too was impulsively mortal-like. But it was somewhat different from others' ways of navigating the world. Clever but lonely. While her emotions were abundant, her lack of ups and downs was probably because she left no lingering attachment to anything.
She was a woman who seemed cold but was riddled with wounds. She must have lived without realizing her own body was breaking from embracing others' armor. Her ragged defense mechanisms seemed to have already reached their limit.
The lily crown she had to wear because she was a priestess, because she was a princess, was beautiful but agonizing shackles, a crown of thorns that bound her wind-light soul to the hill.
Therefore, her coming to Lethe of her own accord could, in a way, be called the event of a lifetime. It could also be interpreted as showing that much strong possessiveness and obsession toward him.
It was truly satisfying. Being bound might be an inescapable mire, like soaking one's entire body in fragrant wine. Of course, the other party would have to be as lovely as she was.
She would do justice even if called the pit Chaos had dug for him... but who knows. It might be a poisoned vessel, or a pool that tightens around one's breath.
The very premise that he would go this mad for someone was absurd.
But even if it were a trap, he had no choice but to willingly step in. Don't the branches blooming at the edge of a cliff howl at the moonlight all the more?
Of course, he couldn't have ever imagined such a romantic side in himself.
Anyway, he thought that if he just made her Anteros, just that, then this burning thirst would all be resolved.
He truly believed so. The insidiousness of Eros was beyond words, yet having surrendered his bare heart to that invisible iron dart, he foolishly closed his eyes once more.
No, it was because he had gone blind. Who could have known such a dark and vicious swamp awaited?
Chaos spread ninety-nine hands and kneaded the night sky. His mischievous smile drew a crescent moon. The night, once calm as a quiet sea, poured down a torrential rain sparkling like light.
Fate, like birth and annihilation, is irreversible—that is why it becomes destiny.
Love was a song that began with distant ecstasy and ended in fear that suddenly seized the heart.
The rain striking from the crown of her head, mingling with the laughter that slipped through the hair tickling her cheek, made him lose his mind. The moment he dropped his arms with no idea what to do with his soaked body, he realized his heart had been stolen by her.
She was smiling, her eyes curving toward him. His heart lurched, and something became irreversible. To the extent that he could only watch helplessly as his heart, tethered in a pit, was dragged away.
You were such a being. The light pooled in that lofty peak that would finally melt this arrogant body and soul, ravish it, trample it, discard it, and then kiss it back to salvation.
Now he rests his chin in hand and ponders. How can I bind you to me forever?
Since you too are human, your fickleness might cause your heart to endlessly repeat cooling and heating, like the two rivers flowing in Hades. Or perhaps, like sandstone weathered by time, you might slowly erode your memories even without drinking the waters of oblivion.
Like a blind man, like a deaf mute, see nowhere, hear nothing—I imagine you in my mind, clinging only to my neck and begging to be loved.
It is quite satisfying.
Just imagining it once was enough to make the back of his neck heat up and his lower body surge. He wanted to grab her thighs right then and roughly thrust his maddening desire into her.
At that moment, he fell into self-loathing.
The title "Kallian of Judgment" felt nauseating. He also heard the sound of his reputation as the greatest self-control within his clan cracking. Self-control and patience—he felt like tearing them to pieces and throwing them down Erebus's gullet.
The mockery of the Creator Chaos could be heard. But it was obvious that even Chaos, if he tasted her sweetness just once, would come rushing with that hideous tongue sticking out.
An inelegant craving.
He admits it. The very conglomerate of the stickiness and softness of warmth he had so loathed had finally sprouted within him as well.
But there's no need for you to know this vile realization, is there? Nor do I wish to tell you. Being undiscovered was naturally a given.
Kallian quietly gazed at the nape of Asteril's neck. His deep gaze wavered as if hiding something.
He stepped behind her and embraced her hunched back. He rubbed and pressed his lips against the white back of her neck. A deep voice slipped out like a sigh.
"Ril..."
You who poured down upon my frostbitten soul—will you please turn a blind eye to this impure desire of mine?
You, whom I cannot even dare to whisper "I love you" to.
Ψ
Kwarrr!
Lightning struck fiercely from a clear sky. Asteril looked over her shoulder.
"Rian!"
Aris was rushing urgently through the bushes. His face pale white, he wore an expression suggesting he had caused some kind of accident.
"What is it?"
"Well..."
The western mountains burned with the sunset. Asteril frowned and pinched her nose with her fingers. An acrid smell of smoke wafted in. As if a fire had broken out somewhere.
"Don't you hear a strange sound?"
Faint screams entangled at the edge of her ears. Auditory hallucinations from drowsiness? Even the usual chatter of the whispering garden trees seemed swallowed by silence.
"Aris, I'm asking what happened."
"Th-that's..."
"..."
"First, let's go somewhere out of sight. We'll talk after that, Rian."
Asteril's eyes, which had been staring fixedly toward the detached palace, wavered greatly.
"...Asphodelos?"
Rumble, boom!
The second thunderclap was much larger than the first. It echoed, striking the ears like the sound of the thunder god's hammer crashing down from above.
"The Fifth Seat has arrived."
Aris muttered with a face full of despair. Kallian, who had been silently gazing at the detached palace, narrowed his brow as if sensing something.
"Is Hestia burning something?"
It was Kallian after all. To sense Hestia's energy even from this distance.
At that moment, Asteril screamed in terror.
"Asphodelos is... Asphodelos is burning, Kal! Asphodelos is..."
Her shoulder, about to run, was seized. Kallian turned Asteril around and stared at Aris. The gaze demanding an answer was sharp. Aris stammered with a flustered expression.
"No, that's... I mean, I didn't do it. I tried to put out the fire, but Hestia wouldn't listen, you see."
He rambled incoherently, then suddenly pointed somewhere with his hand.
"R-right! First, let's hide. Over there, what is it... The cave where the Cup of Oblivion was hidden. That should work. It should be fine there. Even you, Rian, couldn't find it..."
Before Aris, who was trying to push the two from behind, a bolt of lightning struck with a flash. The lightning rod fallen from the sky sizzled and charred the earth black.
— Stop.
The fierce wind brought dark clouds that covered them overhead. Flashes of light filled all directions as rain and wind lashed out.
The enraged Uranos leaped down riding the wind above the clouds. Lightning wreathing his entire body crackled and flashed with electricity.
Behind him stood Ananke and Pontos with solemn faces, having mounted the fierce wind.
The moment he saw Uranos's bright ash-grey hair, Rian's silver hair came to mind. He had an aristocratic appearance with a blunt impression. Perhaps because of his thick eyebrows, he also gave off the air of a resolute man. His firmly closed lips were rosy like a youth's, but paired with his characteristically stubborn gaze, he too appeared solemn.
"Kallian!"
Uranos shouted with a booming low voice. Aris startled, his shoulders jumping. His lips could be seen gnashing, muttering that they were doomed.
Asteril held her breath, observing the mood. Kalian pushed her out of his embrace and stood up facing Uranos.
Shadows lay deep over the land scorched by Uranos's lightning. The dark red sky gradually succumbed to the darkness, welcoming the goddess of night.
"Asphodelos has burned. It turned into pitch-black ash, didn't it? Did you invite the clan just to show them this absurd sight? Asphodelos burned by Hestia—if Gaia were here, she would have laughed herself insane."
Since both Hestia and Asphodelos were created from Gaia's flesh and blood, one could hardly even imagine how she would have reacted to see such a sight.
Fortunately, most of the clan had not yet arrived. Even so, Uranos's fury showed no signs of subsiding. His stern gaze turned to Aris.
"What was the Guardian of Hestia doing?"
"Ah, w-well..."
Aris squeezed his eyes shut. He was so humiliated that his lips trembled.
"Hestia... does not listen to me."
"What?"
At that moment, Nyx, who had emerged from the bushes, burst into laughter with a "Pfft!" Guffawing loudly, he stared at Aris with eyes curved like half-moons.
Aris furrowed his brow. Nyx of Harmony... he shouldn't dare say it to an Elder of the Five Seats, but he was truly an incomprehensible being. A Keton whose emotional fluctuations were so severe that it was difficult to even know how to react.
Having suppressed his laughter, Nyx saw Asteril tightly gripping the hem of Kalian's clothes and suddenly pointed at her face with his hand.
"I witnessed it. That woman did it."
Kalian retorted with a displeased expression.
"She is an ordinary human. How could a human possibly control the sacred fire, Hestia?"
Aris bit his lower lip and observed the situation out of the corner of his eye. He first checked Kalian's expression.
Kalian looked as calm as usual, but he felt completely on edge. This was only natural; the one pointing at his lover was the very person who had driven her to the brink of death just a few weeks ago. He must want to tear him apart right now. A fleeting hint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes before vanishing.
Nyx spoke mockingly.
"That child doesn't seem like an ordinary human, does she? Isn't she the one with the ability to revive Asphodelos and even make Ambrosia bloom? Why wouldn't she be able to control Hestia?"
"That is speculation."
"Then we can just test whether it's speculation or not. Or, Aris, how about you ask Hestia directly?"
Ask her what? It's practically like I don't even know Hestia at all.
When Aris clamped his mouth shut with an annoyed expression, Nyx smiled radiantly, as if he had expected it.
"That child stayed in Lethe for a while and seemed to have shared quite a bond with you. Even Kalian, who is famous for being cold within the clan. Well, you must have been deceived. With the ability to revive Asphodelos and make Ambrosia bloom, both Uranos's child and Pontos's child let their guard down. Cunningly, she took advantage of that."
"..."
"Am I wrong, child of Demeter? Why did you set fire to Asphodelos?"
Asteril answered, tightly pursing her lips.
"I did no such thing."
"Even though I saw it?"
"I believe I said she didn't do it."
When Kalian pointed it out once again in an annoyed tone, Nyx's lips curled up as if he had expected it.
"How can you be so certain? Weren't you putting up a barrier to go to sleep? Or did you perhaps stay inside the barrier with that child?"
Kalian gazed quietly at Nyx. His emotionless eyes were colder than usual. An invisible anger was layering itself deeply.
Nyx offered an ambiguous smile with eyes of unfathomable intent.
"As expected, testing it in front of everyone would be the fairest, right? Child of Demeter, command Hestia to withdraw its flames."
"Me...?"
At that moment, Ananke, who had been silent all along, descended from the whirlwind and spoke.
"Yes, give it a try."
The goddess of destiny, with black hair and purple eyes, had a voice that was both elegant and sharp.
"I, too, wish to see it clearly."
An irresistible atmosphere took shape.
Asteril stood before Asphodelos, which was engulfed in flames and turning into black ash. The sacred tree could no longer even emit a faint groan. It was merely waiting for death.
"Hestia."
In that instant, the flames flared up and wavered as if responding. The Ketons began to murmur.
"Please stop... the flames."
It was an uncertain voice, praying that nothing would happen.
*Whoosh.*
The soaring flames began to vanish as if sucked into somewhere. The extinguishment of the fireballs was instantaneous.
A solemn silence descended.
Asteril turned around with a frightened face. Kalian, who had been watching her with hardened eyes, parted his crushed lips.
"Hanpung."
The servant flew in instantly. Wrapping the wind around his hand, Kalian assumed an attack stance and stepped forward. Complex calculations were instantly taking place in his mind.
Fighting a battle while protecting her would be impossible no matter what method he used. However, if it was about buying time to escape by entrusting her to Aris and Hanpung, there might be a chance of winning.
There was one truth that the entire clan, including the Five Seats, did not know: he had never fully unleashed his abilities even once.
Erebus did not know. How deep the abyss he embraced truly was. Not even his father, Chaos, had ever personally felt the breath of the darkness he himself lay upon.
It was something that had to stimulate unnecessary curiosity, like purposely peering beneath the surface of a mirror-clear lake.
Kalian, too, had never tested the limits of his own abilities. Because he had never felt the need to do so.
— Stop. Not here.
Ananke's mental voice suddenly pierced his mind. Kalian's pupils, which had been rapidly mapping out a mock battle, paused as he cast a sidelong glance.
Uranos and Pontos seemed to have not heard her voice, staring intently in this direction. Beyond their shoulders, Ananke's warning gaze could be seen.
— Not just the Five Seats, but the entire clan will descend upon you.
Sending a secret mental voice while avoiding the eyes of the other Ketons was one of Ananke's abilities.
— Leave this place to me.
Having read his mother's intentions, Kalian signaled Hanpung, who was readying an attack with his blade drawn, to stop.
Watching this, Ananke's eyes flickered with complicated emotions.
I had a feeling... Was he truly intending to take on the Five Seats?
The moment the child of Demeter looked back with a frightened face, Kalian's eyes, which had been standing calmly, wavered.
That sight bestowed upon her intuition—sharper than anyone in the clan—a chilling premonition like a lightning strike.
In fact, from the very first moment she saw her, she had a sinister feeling and couldn't take her eyes off her.
Why would a mere human carry Himeros petals on their person? And a necklace made from the grace extracted from Pontos's carp, no less! It was obvious without even needing to investigate who had made and put it around her neck.
Furthermore, the fact that the originally transparent petals were dyed dark red was absurd. Ananke, who had stared intently at that ominous color for a long time, eventually managed to perceive it.
That it was the blood of her child, Kalian.
Was it a silver lining that the other Five Seats weren't as sharp-eyed as she was? There wasn't even time to feel relieved at that thought. Ananke's heart pounded with anxiety.
Kalian, what on earth are you thinking?
Meanwhile, Nyx, unaware of the telepathic conversation between mother and son, drew the crowd's attention and walked out to the center.
"Now, have you all seen it? A mere mortal commanded Hestia and burned Asphodelos to death. This is the greatest of grave sins. What punishment should be inflicted upon this child?"
*Swooooosh.*
It was so quiet that the sound of the wind seemed to blanket their heads. However, mental voices carrying murderous intent began to exchange within the scattered air currents.
— She must be burned the same way.
— Tear her limbs apart.
— Pluck out her eyes, fry them in oil, and feed them to the beasts.
— Rip out her entrails, twist her neck, and tear out her tongue.
— Crush her skull until she draws her last breath.
The shadows of the clan surrounding the Star Palace garden whispered with murderous intent. The Five Seats calmly listened to their mental voices, and only Nyx smiled, reveling in the anger.
On the other hand, Asteril, who was eavesdropping on their voices, grew increasingly pale. Unable to contain herself any longer, she cried out in indignation.
"I... I truly did not do such a thing. I have cared for Asphodelos until now, even as it was dying of illness. I have looked after this child so devotedly. It is no different from my own flesh and blood. How could I commit such a horrific act against such a child?"
The Ketons raised their eyebrows in surprise. Some even wore expressions of admiration. None of them listened to her logic, but they were struck with a fresh shock in a different sense.
— Can she hear us?
— For a human to hear the mental voices of Ketons...
— Definitely a first.
— A woman with abilities worth noting in many ways.
Kalian stood to the side with his arms crossed, quietly observing the clan's reactions. His cool gaze seemed devoid of thought on the surface, but in reality, he was on the verge of exploding.
If anyone harbored unnecessary curiosity toward his Anteros and reached out without knowing their place, he would immediately mold them into a shape akin to a slab of meat hanging in a butcher's shop.
His left hand, hidden inside his coat, was already gripping a sharp weapon forged from sword-winds, aiming at the necks of a few candidates.
"Ananke, tell me. Is that child truly speaking the truth? Or is she telling a miserable lie to escape this situation?"
At her husband Uranos's question, Ananke narrowed her eyes.
A moment later, she delivered her verdict with a solemn voice.
"The words of the Demeter Princess, that she did not set fire to Asphodelos, are true."
"Then does that mean I am lying?"
Nyx retorted in a displeased tone. Ananke twisted her lips into a forced smile.
"Sadly, I cannot know. Nyx of Harmony, lately, I've even had such doubts. Has your tongue truly split in two like a snake's?"
"..."
"I confess it now, but it has been decades since I became unable to discern your truthfulness. Like footsteps wandering at the crossroads where light and darkness intersect, your soul wanders between truth and lies, becoming as murky and hazy as a moonless night. As everyone in the clan knows, I, Ananke, possess eyes that read the thread and destiny of souls bound to Erebus. This means that even if you weave lies and pretend otherwise, I cannot simply be deceived by them. Nyx of Harmony, tell me. What on earth has happened to you?"
Nyx's face gradually hardened at Ananke's words, and suddenly, with a hint of murderous intent, he muttered low.
"Are you mocking me right now for failing to attain a Divine Body?"
Ananke clicked her tongue as if frustrated.
"That cannot be... Children who have not reached a Divine Body cannot escape my eyes either. This is not a matter of that level."
"Children whose time to attain a Divine Body has not yet come cannot be the same as me, who missed the time to attain one. I am an imperfect being created by Chaos's mistake. But isn't it your problem, Ananke, that you can no longer read my soul? Tell me, Ananke of Destiny. Am I truly the first being your eyes do not work on?"
A silence fell. Ananke said nothing for a moment. Instead, she lowered her eyes and spoke quietly.
"I did not intend to insult you, Nyx."
"Your skill at dodging the issue is top-notch. The title of the Eye of the Clan has become a mockery."
Nyx scoffed, and Ananke took a step back and fell silent. The dispute between them seemed to reach a lull.
However, Ananke did not waver in her stance regarding Asteril. She announced to the entire clan, shouting loudly.
"I, Ananke of Destiny, will decide the disposition of this child."
Nyx tried to object again with dissatisfaction, but Uranos, who had been watching all along, raised his hand and stopped him.Asteril held her breath, observing the mood. Kalian pushed her out of his embrace and stood up facing Uranos.
Shadows lay deep over the land scorched by Uranos's lightning. The dark red sky gradually succumbed to darkness, welcoming the goddess of night.
"Asphodelos has burned. It turned into pitch-black ash, didn't it? Did you invite the clan just to show them this absurd sight? Asphodelos burned by Hestia—if Gaia were here, she would have laughed herself insane."
Since both Hestia and Asphodelos were created from Gaia's flesh and blood, one could hardly even imagine how she would have reacted to see such a sight.
Fortunately, most of the clan had not yet arrived. Even so, Uranos's fury showed no signs of subsiding. His stern gaze turned to Aris.
"What was the Guardian of Hestia doing?"
"Ah, w-well..."
Aris squeezed his eyes shut. He was so humiliated that his lips trembled.
"Hestia... does not listen to me."
"What?"
At that moment, Nyx, who had emerged from the bushes, burst into laughter with a "Pfft!" Guffawing loudly, he stared at Aris with eyes curved like half-moons.
Aris furrowed his brow. Nyx of Harmony... he shouldn't dare say it to an Elder of the Five Seats, but he was truly an incomprehensible being. A Keton whose emotional fluctuations were so severe that it was difficult to even know how to react.
Having suppressed his laughter, Nyx saw Asteril tightly gripping the hem of Kalian's clothes and suddenly pointed at her face with his hand.
"I witnessed it. That woman did it."
Kalian retorted with a displeased expression.
"She is an ordinary human. How could a human possibly control the sacred fire, Hestia?"
Aris bit his lower lip and observed the situation out of the corner of his eye. He first checked Kalian's expression.
Kalian looked as calm as usual, but he felt completely on edge. This was only natural; the one pointing at his lover was the very person who had driven her to the brink of death just a few weeks ago. He must want to tear him apart right now. A fleeting hint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes before vanishing.
Nyx spoke mockingly.
"That child doesn't seem like an ordinary human, does she? Isn't she the one with the ability to revive Asphodelos and even make Ambrosia bloom? Why wouldn't she be able to control Hestia?"
"That is speculation."
"Then we can just test whether it's speculation or not. Or, Aris, how about you ask Hestia directly?"
Ask her what? It's practically like I don't even know Hestia at all.
When Aris clamped his mouth shut with an annoyed expression, Nyx smiled radiantly, as if he had expected it.
"That child stayed in Lethe for a while and seemed to have shared quite a bond with you. Even Kalian, who is famous for being cold within the clan. Well, you must have been deceived. With the ability to revive Asphodelos and make Ambrosia bloom, both Uranos's child and Pontos's child let their guard down. Cunningly, she took advantage of that."
"..."
"Am I wrong, child of Demeter? Why did you set fire to Asphodelos?"
Asteril answered, tightly pursing her lips.
"I did no such thing."
"Even though I saw it?"
"I believe I said she didn't do it."
When Kalian pointed it out once again in an annoyed tone, Nyx's lips curled up as if he had expected it.
"How can you be so certain? Weren't you putting up a barrier to go to sleep? Or did you perhaps stay inside the barrier with that child?"
Kalian gazed quietly at Nyx. His emotionless eyes were colder than usual. An invisible anger was layering itself deeply.
Nyx offered an ambiguous smile with eyes of unfathomable intent.
"As expected, testing it in front of everyone would be the fairest, right? Child of Demeter, command Hestia to withdraw its flames."
"Me...?"
At that moment, Ananke, who had been silent all along, descended from the whirlwind and spoke.
"Yes, give it a try."
The goddess of destiny, with black hair and purple eyes, had a voice that was both elegant and sharp.
"I, too, wish to see it clearly."
An irresistible atmosphere took shape.
Asteril stood before Asphodelos, which was engulfed in flames and turning into black ash. The sacred tree could no longer even emit a faint groan. It was merely waiting for death.
"Hestia."
In that instant, the flames flared up and wavered as if responding. The Ketons began to murmur.
"Please stop... the flames."
It was an uncertain voice, praying that nothing would happen.
*Whoosh.*
The soaring flames began to vanish as if sucked into somewhere. The extinguishment of the fireballs was instantaneous.
A solemn silence descended.
Asteril turned around with a frightened face. Kalian, who had been watching her with hardened eyes, parted his crushed lips.
"Hanpung."
The servant flew in instantly. Wrapping the wind around his hand, Kalian assumed an attack stance and stepped forward. Complex calculations were instantly taking place in his mind.
Fighting a battle while protecting her would be impossible no matter what method he used. However, if it was about buying time to escape by entrusting her to Aris and Hanpung, there might be a chance of winning.
There was one truth that the entire clan, including the Five Seats, did not know: he had never fully unleashed his abilities even once.
Erebus did not know. How deep the abyss he embraced truly was. Not even his father, Chaos, had ever personally felt the breath of the darkness he himself lay upon.
It was something that had to stimulate unnecessary curiosity, like purposely peering beneath the surface of a mirror-clear lake.
Kalian, too, had never tested the limits of his own abilities. Because he had never felt the need to do so.
— Stop. Not here.
Ananke's mental voice suddenly pierced his mind. Kalian's pupils, which had been rapidly mapping out a mock battle, paused as he cast a sidelong glance.
Uranos and Pontos seemed to have not heard her voice, staring intently in this direction. Beyond their shoulders, Ananke's warning gaze could be seen.
— Not just the Five Seats, but the entire clan will descend upon you.
Sending a secret mental voice while avoiding the eyes of the other Ketons was one of Ananke's abilities.
— Leave this place to me.
Having read his mother's intentions, Kalian signaled Hanpung, who was readying an attack with his blade drawn, to stop.
Watching this, Ananke's eyes flickered with complicated emotions.
I had a feeling... Was he truly intending to take on the Five Seats?
The moment the child of Demeter looked back with a frightened face, Kalian's eyes, which had been standing calmly, wavered.
That sight bestowed upon her intuition—sharper than anyone in the clan—a chilling premonition like a lightning strike.
In fact, from the very first moment she saw her, she had a sinister feeling and couldn't take her eyes off her.
Why would a mere human carry Himeros petals on their person? And a necklace made from the grace extracted from Pontos's carp, no less! It was obvious without even needing to investigate who had made and put it around her neck.
Furthermore, the fact that the originally transparent petals were dyed dark red was absurd. Ananke, who had stared intently at that ominous color for a long time, eventually managed to perceive it.
That it was the blood of her child, Kalian.
Was it a silver lining that the other Five Seats weren't as sharp-eyed as she was? There wasn't even time to feel relieved at that thought. Ananke's heart pounded with anxiety.
Kalian, what on earth are you thinking?
Meanwhile, Nyx, unaware of the telepathic conversation between mother and son, drew the crowd's attention and walked out to the center.
"Now, have you all seen it? A mere mortal commanded Hestia and burned Asphodelos to death. This is the greatest of grave sins. What punishment should be inflicted upon this child?"
*Swooooosh.*
It was so quiet that the sound of the wind seemed to blanket their heads. However, mental voices carrying murderous intent began to exchange within the scattered air currents.
— She must be burned the same way.
— Tear her limbs apart.
— Pluck out her eyes, fry them in oil, and feed them to the beasts.
— Rip out her entrails, twist her neck, and tear out her tongue.
— Crush her skull until she draws her last breath.
The shadows of the clan surrounding the Star Palace garden whispered with murderous intent. The Five Seats calmly listened to their mental voices, and only Nyx smiled, reveling in the anger.
On the other hand, Asteril, who was eavesdropping on their voices, grew increasingly pale. Unable to contain herself any longer, she cried out in indignation.
"I... I truly did not do such a thing. I have cared for Asphodelos until now, even as it was dying of illness. I have looked after this child so devotedly. It is no different from my own flesh and blood. How could I commit such a horrific act against such a child?"
The Ketons raised their eyebrows in surprise. Some even wore expressions of admiration. None of them listened to her logic, but they were struck with a fresh shock in a different sense.
— Can she hear us?
— For a human to hear the mental voices of Ketons...
— Definitely a first.
— A woman with abilities worth noting in many ways.
Kalian stood to the side with his arms crossed, quietly observing the clan's reactions. His cool gaze seemed devoid of thought on the surface, but in reality, he was on the verge of exploding.
If anyone harbored unnecessary curiosity toward his Anteros and reached out without knowing their place, he would immediately mold them into a shape akin to a slab of meat hanging in a butcher's shop.
His left hand, hidden inside his coat, was already gripping a sharp weapon forged from sword-winds, aiming at the necks of a few candidates.
"Ananke, tell me. Is that child truly speaking the truth? Or is she telling a miserable lie to escape this situation?"
At her husband Uranos's question, Ananke narrowed her eyes.
A moment later, she delivered her verdict with a solemn voice.
"The words of the Demeter Princess, that she did not set fire to Asphodelos, are true."
"Then does that mean I am lying?"
Nyx retorted in a displeased tone. Ananke twisted her lips into a forced smile.
"Sadly, I cannot know. Nyx of Harmony, lately, I've even had such doubts. Has your tongue truly split in two like a snake's?"
"..."
"I confess it now, but it has been decades since I became unable to discern your truthfulness. Like footsteps wandering at the crossroads where light and darkness intersect, your soul wanders between truth and lies, becoming as murky and hazy as a moonless night. As everyone in the clan knows, I, Ananke, possess eyes that read the thread and destiny of souls bound to Erebus. This means that even if you weave lies and pretend otherwise, I cannot simply be deceived by them. Nyx of Harmony, tell me. What on earth has happened to you?"
Nyx's face gradually hardened at Ananke's words, and suddenly, with a hint of murderous intent, he muttered low.
"Are you mocking me right now for failing to attain a Divine Body?"
Ananke clicked her tongue as if frustrated.
"That cannot be... Children who have not reached a Divine Body cannot escape my eyes either. This is not a matter of that level."
"Children whose time to attain a Divine Body has not yet come cannot be the same as me, who missed the time to attain one. I am an imperfect being created by Chaos's mistake. But isn't it your problem, Ananke, that you can no longer read my soul? Tell me, Ananke of Destiny. Am I truly the first being your eyes do not work on?"
A silence fell. Ananke said nothing for a moment. Instead, she lowered her eyes and spoke quietly.
"I did not intend to insult you, Nyx."
"Your skill at dodging the issue is top-notch. The title of the Eye of the Clan has become a mockery."
Nyx scoffed, and Ananke took a step back and fell silent. The dispute between them seemed to reach a lull.
However, Ananke did not waver in her stance regarding Asteril. She announced to the entire clan, shouting loudly.
"I, Ananke of Destiny, will decide the disposition of this child."
Nyx tried to object again with dissatisfaction, but Uranos, who had been watching all along, raised his hand and stopped him.
“Enough! I am already aware that you, Nyx, have attacked that child several times. To arbitrarily assault a child involved in Asphodelos’s life and death—is that something befitting a member of the Ojwa? Further explanation shall be required on this matter. Nyx of Harmony.”
With the Chief having issued such a threat, there was nothing to be done. Moreover, he had a point. Nyx withdrew with a scowl.
The young Ketons of Nysa who followed Nyx gauged the mood before airing their grievances, as if to incite the others.
- Then what about the Ambrosia? Are we no longer allowed to eat it?
- So who was it that ended up burning Asphodelos?
- Why is Hestia listening to that human woman?
The clan, thrown into confusion, began to stir once more. The majority of those present had awakened the sleeping Anteros and rushed from afar upon hearing that the festival of Ambrosia would be held. It was also due to the fact that prolonged starvation had sharpened their nerves.
- After coming all this way....
- Kill the wench!
- Yeah, kill her!
- Let us eat that child, at least.
Their indignation was only natural. They were a clan of savage temperament by nature. Before Gaia created Ambrosia, living human blood had been their staple food, so it was hardly strange that the woman before their eyes came to be seen as nothing more than prey.
Excited breathing gradually grew louder, and the sound of stamping feet could be heard here and there. Lethe’s entire palace shook, and the earth began to thud and rumble.
Asteril crouched, covering her ears with both hands. She could barely breathe beneath the gazes raining down upon her like a hail of arrows.
Blood seeped from her lower lip, bitten hard. She could not understand why she had to endure such treatment. She had saved Asphodelos because she was told to do so, and had opened the Ambrosia because she was told to do so. Yet now they were pinning the crime of arson upon her.
Even so, in order to quell their rage, she felt she must first prostrate herself and beg for forgiveness.
“I-I’m sorry....”
“Enough.”
The stirring clan fell silent as if holding their breath. Everyone stared with wide eyes at the sovereign of Hades.
“Lethe does not favor commotion.”
A serene and elegant cadence overwhelmed the atmosphere, low and gentle.
Had they been Lethe’s gardeners, they would have grasped the meaning between those lines at once, but other clans who had scarcely ever seen Callian were unlikely to possess such ability.
That Lethe did not like commotion meant that he, the master of Lethe, loathed noise. Therefore, it should mean they ought to shut their mouths of their own accord before their tongues were sliced out.
Bukpung muttered in an uneasy tone from where he hid in the fig tree.
His liege, who normally rarely showed any change in emotion, was deeply furrowing his brow.
“The disposition of the Princess of Demeter is a matter for the Ojwa, including myself. Should anyone dare lay so much as a single hair upon her body, I shall have them crawling into Erebus with their brains melted to dripping slurry, experiencing regeneration from the very cells for thousands of years.”
A silence void of even the faintest breeze settled heavily. When someone swallowed, Callian’s gaze flicked toward them. Hanpung’s gaze, which had grown sharp as a spear, followed suit.
The Ketons, feeling an instinctive sense of intimidation, kept their mouths shut and carefully gauged the situation.
The Chief’s successor possessed a strange ability. Whether due to an innate coldness or an imposing presence that carried its own halo, he held the power to utterly crush an opponent’s spirit with but a glance.
He had certainly heard that Callian’s abilities were extraordinary now that he had become one of the Ojwa, but no one had yet confirmed their true nature. Nevertheless, not a single soul dared think of challenging him.
Was it due to his unique charisma, which made even darkness bow its head? His ability to pacify everything around him merely by standing still in silence was surely something greater than an innate presence alone.
The young Ketons, followers of Nyx, unconsciously stepped back and gritted their teeth.
If they recklessly talked back to that one, who was certain to be the next Chief, they would truly be beaten to a pulp like dust, forced to regenerate from primitive-level cells.
Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes not long ago? The faces of their comrades displayed on pikes at Nysa’s altar.
Even the Ojwa stared at one another with rigid faces.
- Then who will handle Callian’s disposition?
Someone muttered mockingly from the thicket in the corner.
- The Arbiter Callian, guardian of Asphodelos, sovereign of Hades, and master of Lethe.... It is rare even among the Ojwa to bear so many titles. Does that not mean he shoulders a weighty responsibility?
It was the clear voice of a young one. Aris, listening intently, felt the voice was familiar.
- Truly, it is self-evident that all of this is Callian’s responsibility. I trust the Ojwa has no intention of simply turning a blind eye.
That rapid-fire manner of speaking made it obvious who he had learned it from, without needing to ask. It was Seath, who had come earlier asking to offer Hestia to the Sacred Fire.
He had said he was merely going to pay his respects at the Sacred Fire and leave, yet here he remained. Where had that human woman gone? Had she already been dealt with?
Something was strange. He should have been suspicious from the moment those vile wretches said they were only paying respects at the Sacred Fire.
Aris bit his fingernail. There was definitely some scheme at play, but he could not quite organize it in his head. At this rate, it seemed Lian would end up taking all the blame....
Callian, the object of the young clan members’ admiration.
Most young Ketons regarded him as a distant, forbidding existence and watched from afar, but there were more than a few who would leap upon him like vultures if they could only drag him down.
For emotions of envy are not possessed by humans alone.
However, there was insufficient evidence to recklessly denounce that smooth-talking fellow as suspicious. While Aris was biting his lip in frustration, Asteril’s voice rang out softly.
“Is Ambrosia all that is required?”
The gazes of the Ojwa turned toward her. Ananke’s fierce scrutiny, in particular, narrowed.
“I shall bring the Ambrosia. So please, grant me but a little time.”
“You intend to revive what has been reduced to ashes? Are you some sort of Gaia? How do you propose to resurrect the dead?”
“....”
“If you are merely running your mouth, I shall cut your throat right here. We are furious at this moment, barely suppressing our surging irritation.”
“I am not speaking nonsense. Asphodelos said so. That there are other children besides himself. That they have all been waiting together. This means the child burned in the fire is not the one and only existence.”
A murmur arose.
“Please grant me exactly one year. Then I shall most certainly place Ambrosia back into your hands.”
“....”
“Even if you kill me right here, would it be of any help other than as a release for your anger? I do not believe it would be a losing proposition.”
“You are bold. Are you not afraid?”
“What could be more frightening than dying this very moment?”
“You do not appear to be a child who particularly fears death... Well, fine. Even I have quite a few curiosities about you, too many to simply kill you here and be rid of you.”
Ouranos pressed his lips tight and twitched his brow. From earlier, Ananke’s gaze toward the Princess of Demeter had appeared strangely gentle.
“What is your name?”
“I am Asteril of Demeter.”
“One year from now, on the last night of the Season of Water. You must come to Oceanus with Ambrosia in hand before that day. Should you break your promise, I shall kill your mother and all your siblings and reduce them to bleached bones. Do you understand?”
Ananke knew well what humans feared most. Especially a child who had even transcended the fear of death.
“Yes, I shall keep it in mind.”
As Asteril meekly bowed her head, Ananke’s eyebrows rose.
Ordinarily, when one’s family was taken hostage, one’s face would pale and one would begin to whimper; what was with that detached composure?
“Until this child brings Ambrosia, Callian, guardian of Asphodelos, shall be imprisoned in Tartarus and stripped of all duties.”
Aris secretly approached Asteril’s side and whispered.
“Tartarus is the Ketons’ place of punishment.”
“I have read of it in ancient records as well. It is a fiery pit said to burn away even the breath of gods. Infernal flames inflict terrible pain, burning and burning again the endlessly regenerating bodies of gods.... It is a place even those known as immortals fear.”
Aris let out a heavy breath instead of replying. His father, Pontus, had struck his heavy trident deep into the ground.
Unlike its hilt, from which pale chill emanated, heat that could seemingly melt chunks of iron rose from its three-pronged head.
“Have you any objection, Master of Lethe?”
To the question of Pontus, overseer of the penal grounds, Callian looked toward Asteril with a sidelong gaze. She was barely standing, her complexion appearing as though she might collapse at any moment.
“What of the disposition regarding the Princess of Demeter?”
“That shall be decided on the promised night, one year from now.”
At Ananke’s reply, Callian finally relaxed his rigid lips.
“Then, Callian, let us take you into custody. If you require time, we can grant you roughly today.”
Everyone held their breath and watched for Callian’s reply. His downward gaze was half-concealed and then revealed again by long eyelashes.
“It is not necessary.”
Ananke turned her head away, as if unable to bear the sight. At Pontus’s signal, Nyx reached into the air.
A flock of rooks cawed and gathered into his grasp. The messenger birds swarmed into a single mass, creating a black space. It was an elliptical barrier he had seen before.
A black door began to open, splitting like a pupil. Nyx, standing beside it, jerked his chin as if urging him to enter at once.
It was the method by which Nyx teleported. Exactly as Iskies had described at the farewell banquet.
Asteril watched Callian’s retreating figure walking alongside Pontus and swallowed the faint trembling of her breath.
“Am I to give my consent to Callian’s proposal?”
She clutched the Himeros crystal hanging at her neck in her right hand. Her eyelids burned hot, as if something were about to burst.
The lion beaten to death by the shepherd came to mind. The image of Callian entering the black barrier overlapped with the limp figure of the lion.
It’s fine, it will be fine.
Asteril forced strength into her eyes. If she cried here, everyone would think it strange. Though they all pretended otherwise, they were watching her with sidelong glances.
“Let us go. There is no time to dawdle.”
Just then, Aris approached her side and grabbed her shoulder rather roughly. His action of whipping her around barely succeeded in hiding her tears.
The two left Lethe’s palace and headed for the gorge. Sensing shadows continuously trailing behind them, Aris cast a sharp warning glare.
The Ketons, who had been craning their necks out of curiosity, turned away with disappointed glances.
The land shorn of twilight was dark, damp, and frightening like a dank marsh. Even the tall, straight trees seemed to sway and leer.
Having confirmed there was no one around, Aris spoke in a reluctant tone.
“I must go to Oceanus.”
“What? Then....”
“Hanpung will take you wherever you need to go. But from then on, you must move alone. Hanpung must return to Lian’s side in Tartarus.”
As Asteril cast a questioning gaze, Bukpung gently alighted on her shoulder.
- Because Hanpung is a spirit entity created by my liege, not a being born naturally like me. Without Lord Callian’s power, he cannot maintain his ego.
Bukpung cast a look as if to say not to worry. Implying that even without Hanpung, he was here.
“You are the gatekeeper, Bukpung. Do you not need to guard the Cup of Oblivion?”
- When my body was annihilated last time, the contract with Lady Gaia was broken as well. Though the spirit contract is shattered, I wish to continue my duties as gatekeeper, but as you can see, in this body I cannot even protect a single fallen leaf rolling on the ground. So I would rather follow you, Princess of the Southern Kingdom, and protect you.
“You claim to protect me when you cannot even guard a fallen leaf?”
- I only said it like that; my abilities are still excellent!
Asteril finally let slip a small smile, her tension seeming to ease slightly.
Aris watched the two of them with a displeased expression.
“Do not let your guard down. Nyx of Harmony has not yet withdrawn his interest from you.”
Since Chief Ouranos had issued a reprimand, Nyx would behave quietly for the time being. It was only that there was no telling how long that would last.
“Do not worry too much about Lian. He is the sort to emerge perfectly unscathed even if thrown into a bubbling cauldron. Above all, Lady Ananke, his mother, will not simply stand by with folded arms.”
It was what she had wanted to hear most. Asteril nodded, her eyes bloodshot.
“Yes.”
But when the tears she had fought so hard to hold back finally burst forth, Aris grew flustered and glared at the North Wind.
- Why?
The North Wind asked with wide eyes, mouthing the words. Aris shot him an angry look that said, “She’s crying! Do something.”
- Princess of the South, whenever you cry, I’m the only one who gets scolded again. Why do I always have to get chewed out in your place for your problems…. Aagh!
The North Wind, who had been grumbling away, suddenly screamed and shot straight up into the air.
Asteril, who had been wiping her eyelids, looked up in fright. The creature was clutching his plump backside with a tearful face, busily blowing cold breaths onto it.
Aris quickly clasped his hands behind his back, discreetly hiding in his clenched fist the spark that had scorched the North Wind’s bottom.
“Lord Aris, for what reason are you going to Oceanus?”
“There are a few things I need to check. This incident is far too full of疑—suspicious points….”
“That’s right. It’s suspicious that Nyx singled me out, too. It was as if he knew Hestia would listen to what I said.”
“That is entirely possible. Nyx was close to Gaia, so he may know secrets about Hestia that we do not. In any case, it means the one who gave Hestia the order was not you, but someone else….”
That human woman whom Seat, Nyx’s follower, had brought with him. No matter how he thought about it, she was suspicious.
And on top of that, a man who claimed he didn’t want to give the Five Seats anything to use against him brought a human in so brazenly, without prior approval? Wasn’t that practically begging to be punished?
“Because of this incident, Rian has been separated from you, so your safety cannot be considered secure either. Nyx will certainly try to take advantage of this opportunity. But do not worry. I will put measures in place so that he cannot harm you.”
Asteril gazed silently at Aris. Her eyes held a complex mixture of emotions.
“Thank you, Lord Aris.”
“For what?”
“Just… for everything.”
When Asteril smiled with reddened eyes, Aris looked flustered, as though he had been struck by an unexpected attack.
Feeling his cheeks grow hot, he quickly turned his head away.
“N-North Wind! Notos!”
The North Wind, who had been cooling his backside in midair, looked down at Aris in surprise. Aris was shouting with a face as red as Hestia’s.
“How long are you going to keep making such a fuss? Get down here at once!”
The North Wind looked on the verge of tears, as if he felt terribly wronged.
My precious bottom. It’s already grown so small, there’s nothing left to burn. Why does he keep doing this to me? If he hates it so much when the Princess of the South cries, he should burn his own bottom….
As the creature sniffled and slowly descended, Aris cleared his throat for no reason and muttered, “That impudent little wretch!” It seemed he was feeling a bit guilty now.
“Listen carefully. Until I return from Oceanus, you are to protect the black-haired princess. That means you are not to grab your backside and fly off in a panic the moment something happens, like you did just now.”
- Me? No, I’m small now, and I have no strength….
“Weren’t you saying your abilities were still excellent?”
- I may be small and insignificant, but I have excellent abilities.
“At any rate, with me and Rian absent, you are the only one who can protect her. Protect her even at the cost of your life. If not for anything else, then for Lady Gaia, who appointed you as the gatekeeper of Lethe.”
For Lady Gaia? The North Wind looked bewildered.
“Do you understand?”
The North Wind glanced sideways at Asteril’s expression. As she stared listlessly into the air, there was a deep, hollow emotion in her gaze that he had never felt before.
- Yees….
What is this? The North Wind scratched his bottom with a sour expression.