Ch. 119: A Soul’s Reflection
Summing up everything I had been through in the day, it was quite a rush of information. I had learned that I was not the most feared being in the Underworld— apparently, there were others still lurking in the shadows. Unseen forces, ancient and forgotten, watching, waiting. Another reason for me to get stronger, to become the ruler I was destined to be. Knowledge of the black amber’s source had been useful, yet ominous. Its origin was shrouded in darkness.
Still, there were setbacks. It was a shame I had not managed to visit the corporation as planned, but it was not a total loss. All things considered, I’d uncovered more than enough for one day, yet something nagged at the back of my mind.
As I approached my mansion, my steps slowed. I felt the familiar tug of exhaustion creeping in, my eyes heavy, my brain pulsing from overthinking. I’d barely taken another step before an aura washed over me, one I knew all too well. I grimaced, tension settling in my bones. “So, she came after all.”
The grand doors clicked open just as I reached the entrance. Walter, my loyal butler, stood poised, his expression serene as always. His pale eyes gleamed with a quiet wisdom, one that often masked his true self. Bowing deeply, he said, “My lord, welcome back home. I trust your time with the dogs was… rejuvenating?”
“Sort of.” I handed him the leashes. In truth, it had been anything but that but some parts of it was refreshing. My mind had been a battlefield, a clash of memories and thoughts I could barely contain.
Walter nodded as if he understood, his posture dignified as ever. “Miss Hecate arrived earlier. She was quite insistent on seeing you in person, particularly after hearing about your activities in the city.”
Of course, she was. Hecate was never one to let things slide. Always watching, always knowing more than she let on. “And Hermes?”
Walter’s expression remained unchanged, though I could sense the subtle tension in his words. “She encountered him briefly. But he vanished shortly after.”
I sighed, stepping inside and throwing my coat onto the rack. Typical Hermes— vanishing whenever things became complicated. It wasn’t like him to evade, though. Perhaps the guilt weighed too heavily on him this time. Guilt has a way of consuming potential, leaving nothing but shadows behind. I hoped he would overcome it soon. “Did he say anything to her?”
Walter hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “He might have. However, I doubt he would dare mention anything significant. He’ll return, I’m certain of it.”
I nodded, already moving past him. “I’ll be in my study.”
Walter gave a final bow. “That is where Miss Hecate is waiting for you, my lord.”
Great. Just what I needed— another confrontation, another lecture. All I really wanted was a warm bath and a chance to disappear into my bed for a few hours. But no, Hecate had other plans.
When I entered the study, there she was, standing by the grand shelves, her fingers trailing across the spines of the books. Her movements were calm, deliberate, though I knew better than to mistake it for patience. She had sensed my presence long before I walked through the door. Her eyes, sharp and violet, flickered toward me as I stepped inside, and for a moment, the room grew colder.
She did not bother with the usual pleasantries. Her expression tightened, and she marched straight toward me, her heels clicking against the floor. “Why, you inconsiderate fool,” she hissed, her voice crackling with frustration. “You spend all your time locked away in this study, writing and brooding like some sort of novelist, not a king. What are you even doing here? Do you think this kingdom will run itself?”
Her fury wasn’t unexpected, but the intensity behind it caught me off guard. There was something more beneath the surface. “I’ve sent you letters— messages, warnings! And what do you do? You wander the city and walk your dogs!” Her words snapped like a whip. “Are you trying to make me angry, or are you actively trying to make your kingdom fall?”
I stood still, letting her vent. She always did like to make a scene, but this was different. There was real fear laced within her anger. “I cover for you. I always have. But I’m not the ruler of this world, Hades— you are. It’s time you took responsibility. If you have time to walk dogs, you have time to rule.”
Her eyes flashed with rage, the old fire of Hecate burning behind her gaze. Once, I’d thought those eyes would haunt me forever, especially after the memory of her death, but now? Now all I could do was smile. It caught her off guard. Her tirade stumbled, her lips parting as her brow furrowed in confusion.
“You’re smiling?” she asked, almost incredulously. “Are you alright? I haven’t seen you smile in… forever.”
I reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, grounding myself in the moment. Hermes was alive. Hecate was alive. I had gotten them both back, and no matter what, I would keep it that way. “I’m fine,” I said, my voice soft. “How’s the corporation?”
For a moment, she studied me, suspicion creeping into her features. It wasn’t like me to ask about such things, but I needed the conversation to shift. Finally, she crossed her arms, her fiery demeanor cooling slightly. “For the first time in ages, you actually care about your own domain.”
I gestured toward the table, and we both sat. Her voice softened as she continued, “It’s not going well. Revenues are stagnant, and the delivery of souls has slowed this month. We’ve had… disturbances.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Disturbances?”
“There’s been talk of something in the shadows,” she admitted. “Something ancient, lurking beneath the surface. It’s causing unrest. Souls hesitate to cross, and some… don’t arrive at all.”
There it was again, the gnawing sense of something bigger than me or my agenda. Something was moving in the dark, and I could feel it circling. “Tell me more,” I pressed.
Hecate leaned forward, her violet eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. “I don’t know much, but I’ve sensed it. It’s as if the boundaries between realms are shifting. Whatever this is, it’s strong, and it’s growing stronger. And… there’s something else.”
I felt the weight of her hesitation. “What do you see?”
She took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the edges of the table, as if searching for the right words. “I see you, Hades. But not entirely. I’m the goddess of sorcery and ghosts— I can see the spiritual plane and how the souls interact with it. And what I see in you… it’s bizarre.”
“Bizarre?” My voice came out sharper than I intended.
Yes, thus was what I had asked her on the day that she passed. This is how she knew my secret on the very first day.
She nodded, her gaze locking onto mine. “Your soul, or rather, what’s left of it, is entangled with something else. There’s Hades, but he’s… struggling, barely putting up a fight. And then there’s another soul, a blue ember, spinning in circles, like it’s searching for a way in or a way out. It’s as if someone, or something, has taken over, but it could not have happened without your consent.”
I stared at her, the air in the room suddenly too thick. “You’ve known this from the beginning?” I asked, my voice low.
“Yes,” she admitted, her tone more vulnerable than I had ever heard it. “I’ve been trying to figure it out. Which part of you is the real Hades, and which part is… something else.”
I stood abruptly, walking toward the window, the weight of her words pressing down on me. I had felt it too— the struggle, the fracture within me. Did that mean I wasn’t just Hades anymore? That I was something… more, or perhaps something less.
She spoke again, her voice a whisper now. “You’re still Hades, but you’re altered. Changed. I don’t know how much of you is the original, and how much is…”
“Something else,” I finished for her.
She nodded, and for the first time since I’d known her, Hecate looked afraid. Not of me, but of what I was becoming.
But what was I becoming?
“I need answers,” I said, my voice firm, as the realization hit me. “And I think you’re the only one who can help me find them.”
Her eyes flashed with determination. “Then we need to start digging deeper, into realms neither of us have ventured before.”
Just as she said that, a loud crash echoed from the hall, the sound of shattering glass. I turned sharply, instincts flaring. Walter’s voice called from beyond the door, frantic and panicked, something I’d never heard from him before.
“My lord, it’s—”
The door burst open, and the temperature in the room dropped to freezing. Walter stumbled in, blood staining his sleeve. His eyes wide with terror, he gasped, “It’s here.”
Before I could ask what, a shadow slithered through the doorway, and for the first time in a long time, I felt fear. Cold, suffocating fear.
Something ancient had arrived.
If I revive a magic castle I will mass release 10 chapters
