Ch. 96: Oh? Now I’m A Soul Reaper
I stopped in the middle of the deserted street, surveying my surroundings carefully. It was past midnight, the streets illuminated only by sporadic streetlights that flickered like a bad omen. The rain, which had started as a drizzle, was now steadily picking up pace. I had no plan beyond finding Talos, and Hermes had whisked me here on such short notice that I hadn’t booked a hotel. Sleeping on the streets wasn’t an option, especially not for me— Hades, Lord of the Underworld. But here I was, soaked and wandering aimlessly in a city that barely knew me.
They did know me not in the way that would be accomodating.
I wanted to see Talos badly, though not in a way that might come across as desperate. But, I had to admit to myself with a reluctant sigh, “By the gods, I am so lost. Hopelessly lost.”
I muttered under my breath. I’d been roaming the streets for nearly an hour since leaving Poseidon, trying to locate her apartment. I thought I had a decent memory of where it was from the future, but it seemed like time travel wasn’t without its quirks. What if the apartment didn’t exist yet? Or worse, what if she hadn’t even moved in two hundred years ago?
I cursed under my breath, the cold rain now stinging as it hit my face.
“Need some help, lad?”
I turned sharply, startled by the voice that cut through the night. Emerging from the shadows was an old man. He was dressed in a grey suit, far too formal for someone out this late, and carried a wooden cane that clicked against the wet pavement with each step. His top hat, tilted low over his eyes, gave him an eerie, almost spectral quality. Despite his benign appearance, something about him sent a shiver down my spine.
“I see you’re a bit turned around,” the old man said with a knowing grin. “Looking for someone, aren’t you?”
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my distance. “Who are you?”
The old man chuckled softly, the sound barely audible over the steady downpour. “No need to worry about that. But, if you’re looking for the ghost detective, I suggest heading down that street.” He pointed his cane down a narrow road, dimly lit by a row of flickering street lamps. “She’s not far. Best hurry, though. The rain’s about to get worse.”
My eyes followed the direction of his cane, then turned back to question him, but he was gone. Vanished, without a trace. My heart thudded in my chest, and I instinctively reached out with my senses, trying to detect his presence— nothing. Not a single trace of life or magic. The man had simply disappeared.
“Now that’s… unsettling.”
The rain, which had been a steady trickle, suddenly intensified, soaking me to the bone. I had no choice but to trust the stranger’s cryptic directions, so I sprinted down the path he had pointed to, my shoes splashing through the growing puddles. My instincts screamed at me that I was being watched, but I pushed the feeling aside. Whoever or whatever that man was, he was beyond my grasp for now.
As I neared the end of the street, I saw it— an apartment building standing tall in the rain, just like I remembered it. Relief washed over me as I realized I had finally found Talos’s home. But that relief was short-lived. Who was that old man? And how did he know what I was looking for?
The thunder cracked again, shaking me from my thoughts. I dashed into the apartment building, grateful for the shelter from the relentless rain. I stood in the lobby for a moment, dripping wet, my mind racing. Was it really a good idea to show up at her place unannounced in the middle of the night? What if she wasn’t home? What if this was all some elaborate mistake?
But after coming this far, I couldn’t just leave. I took a deep breath, steeling myself, and headed for the stairs. Talos lived on the third floor as I remembered. As I climbed, the sound of the rain pounding against the roof echoed through the stairwell, a constant reminder of the storm outside. Despite the icy cold that clung to my wet clothes, I felt strangely calm. The rhythmic pulse of the rain had always had a soothing effect on me since childhood.
I reached the third floor and paused outside her door. My hand hovered just above the wood, hesitating. What if she was asleep? What if this was a mistake?
I knocked softly, once. No answer.
I knocked again, a little louder this time. Still nothing.
As I raised my hand for a third knock, a voice interrupted me. “Snooping around this late at night, are we?”
I turned to see a short woman standing a few feet away. Her grey hair was pulled into a tight bun, and a single red horn poked through her fringe. She wore thick oval glasses and had the sharp, scrutinizing look of someone used to knowing all the gossip in the neighborhood. “Not many people come calling for that one,” she said with a smirk. “And definitely not at this hour. Who are you supposed to be? A stalker? A thief?”
I forced a smile, though I felt anything but amused. “Hades,” I said, trying to be polite despite my growing irritation.
She stared at me for a long, uncomfortable moment, her smirk frozen in place. Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the hallway, and her expression shifted from smug curiosity to one of absolute terror. She stumbled back, eyes wide. “Oh gods above… The eyes of death!”
Before I could respond, she dropped to her knees. “Mercy, Lord Hades! Mercy! I didn’t mean to offend! Take that bitches soul if you must, but spare mine!”
I sighed. Not this again.
“You’re a little late for that,” I said dryly, glancing at Talos’s door. “And I’m not here for souls. Not tonight, anyway.”
The woman scrambled to her feet, backing away down the hallway as quickly as her short legs could carry her. “Good gods… I knew that girl was strange, but this…!” Her voice faded as she disappeared around the corner.
I shook my head, turning back to Talos’s door. “Maybe I should’ve just waited for morning,” I muttered. But as my hand reached for the doorknob, something else stopped me— a whisper. Faint, almost indistinguishable from the sound of the rain, but unmistakably there.
“Hades…”
I froze, my pulse quickening. It wasn’t Talos. This voice was older, darker, and laced with malice.
Was I being watched?
The apartment hallway suddenly felt much colder, the shadows deeper. The rain outside hammered against the windows, but it wasn’t the storm that unsettled me— it was the voice, calling my name from the shadows, as if something ancient had been waiting for this moment all along.
“Hades…” it whispered again, closer this time.
I stepped back from the door, my senses on high alert. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
And I had walked right into it.
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