Ch. 140: Final Lessons
Cutlery clinked as we dug into our hearty meal, the air buzzing with a life and warmth that hadn’t existed here a decade ago. I glanced around the table, catching snippets of laughter, the occasional argument, and an almost familial ease that felt strange yet oddly familiar. Could my presence have changed them so much?
Charon, seated across from me, paused mid-slurp of his noodles, his gaze sharp. “Quit staring at my daughters, or I’ll gouge out your eyes,” he muttered with a dark chuckle.
In response, I let my Dominator’s Aura loose, allowing it to flood over the island with a chilling intensity. The ground trembled, the very air growing thick with power as shadows coiled around me. I reined it in, watching Charon’s reaction as the tremors slowly faded.
A smirk played at the edge of his lips. “Not bad. Your control’s gotten sharper, though I’d still say you need another decade or so before you could catch me off guard.”
I rolled my eyes and returned to my food. “And when do I get to leave this island?” I asked between bites, my tone sharper than I’d intended.
Renee, one of Charon’s daughters, giggled and leaned forward. “Someone’s eager. Do you have a wife waiting for you out there, my lord?” She teased with a mischievous glint.
Yvonne, her older sister, gave her a sidelong glance and tossed a spoon her way. “Unlike us, the Lord of the Underworld has responsibilities. Kingdoms to manage, lives to weigh, and death to preside over.”
Renee crossed her arms. “So who’s been handling all that while you’re out here training?”
Swallowing the last bite, I cleared my throat. “I left my affairs in capable hands. But it’s been ten years without word from Olympus, and the isolation here blocks any form of communication. I need to know the state of things.” Especially the situation with Aphrodite, Pandora… and the alliances I left behind. A quiet dread gnawed at me; without my guidance, I couldn’t be certain what might have transpired in my absence.
Charon studied me for a moment, tapping a rhythm against his bowl. “If you want to leave, no one can stop you,” he said with a cryptic grin. “Now that you’ve sharpened your aura and perception, you’re no longer bound here. So why ask me?”
I exhaled, folding my hands in front of me. “Because for ten years, I’ve trained and endured, but you… you’ve never asked anything in return, never demanded a price for your time or patience. Why?” My gaze met his, holding steady despite the old ferryman’s unsettling, knowing grin.
Charon leaned back, crossing his arms. “Ah, so the young god has finally learned to ask the right questions.” His tone softened, as if he were amused by some private joke. “What would I want? I already control the rivers of the Underworld, and I’ve no thirst for wealth or power. But,” he nodded toward his daughters, “I would see Renee and Yvonne have a chance to live beyond this isolated rock, to explore the world that I never could.”
His daughters gasped, looking between him and me, anticipation and nervousness in their eyes. The weight of his request was clear. This wasn’t just a matter of mentorship or favor—it was family, the rare, vulnerable side of Charon that he kept hidden beneath layers of shadows and secrets.
“So that’s it, then? You wanted me to get to know them.” I leaned back, crossing my arms as I assessed the sisters. “I can arrange something, a safe place where they’ll be cared for. But why keep them hidden on this island all these years?”
Charon’s gaze dropped, and his voice softened in an uncharacteristic display of raw honesty. “Their mother… she was my companion, the light in my life when all else was dark. But she passed away young, taken by an affliction that no magic could cure. The children… they didn’t have a soul to turn to, and I feared what this world might do to them if they strayed too far from the shadows I control.” His voice grew quieter, almost reverent. “Having you here to look out for them, even unknowingly, has eased my mind.”
I glanced at Renee and Yvonne, their hopeful eyes on me, a silent plea beneath their usual bravado. I gave a slow nod, though I spoke carefully. “Understand that I won’t be a guardian, not in the way you are. I have duties that will keep me far from here.”
Charon’s eyes held a spark of determination as he cut in. “But you’ll be there if they call for you.” It wasn’t a question; it was a certainty, one that surprised me.
I nodded again, slowly. “Yes. I will.”
The table settled back into casual conversation, though my thoughts were already spinning with plans, destinations, and the endless responsibilities awaiting me once I left. As the night wore on, I excused myself, letting them linger in the warmth of shared memories.
But later, when the stars hung low in the sky, I found myself pacing along the shore, the waves whispering secrets to the sands. There was still a question that gnawed at me, something I had left unasked. Summoning Charon, I waited until he joined me, his cloaked figure a shadow against the moonlit waves.
“You wanted a word?” Charon asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
“Yes.” I studied him carefully. “Tell me about the Styx— the souls bound within it. How do they arrive, and what becomes of them?”
His gaze sharpened, and for a moment, I wondered if he’d refuse. But then a slow grin crept across his face. “The Styx, huh? It’s a pitiless place. Souls bound to it are often those who’ve surrendered to darkness, drowning in guilt, pain, and regret.” His tone turned serious, and his eyes gleamed beneath the hood. “When mortals perish, their souls follow the Hermes Express, as you know. But those who are damned— who die with unforgivable sins— sink into the Styx’s depths, bound to wander in darkness.”
I nodded, the rippling water casting shifting shadows across our faces. “And gods? Where do their souls go when they fall?”
Charon’s gaze was unreadable. He hesitated, weighing his words before he spoke. “When a god perishes, it’s no simple death. A god’s essence is scattered, fractured into shards that dissolve, becoming one with the fabric of the world itself.” He paused, his voice lowering to a whisper. “But sometimes… sometimes a fragment lingers, seeking vengeance, a chance to finish what it began. But that is never seen”
A chill ran down my spine. It was a grim reminder of the stakes I faced, the price of failure. “What would happen,” I began, barely above a whisper, “if one of these fractured souls found a host?”
Charon’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a dark path, even for you. The gods’ power is bound to their essence, and such fragments can corrupt, twisting a mortal— or even another god— beyond recognition. A being bound to such a soul would be capable of terrifying things.” He leaned closer, his voice a dark warning. “Those who seek such power often lose themselves, becoming little more than shadows, enslaved to ancient vengeance.”
I let his words hang in the air, the weight of them pressing down on me. The fate of Olympus, the Underworld, the mortal realm— all of it rested on the choices I made next. I couldn’t afford a single misstep.
As Charon turned to leave, he cast one last look back, his expression solemn. “Remember, Hades. Strength comes not only from power but from knowing which battles to walk away from.”
I watched him vanish into the night, his form dissolving like mist, leaving me alone with the shadows and the silent, unwavering pull of destiny.
If I revive a magic castle I will mass release 10 chapters
