"If you don't want me to blow you clear over to the next mountain with magic, then finish what you came to say—right now—and leave."
Veins bulged at Alfia's temple as she issued her ultimatum in a voice cold enough to freeze blood. Beside her, Zald could only cover his face in tired resignation.
"W-wait! If I misspoke, that's on me—I apologize. But I truly came because there's something important I need to discuss with 'Gluttony' and 'Silence.'"
Faced with Alfia's threat, Erebus folded immediately—without pride, without argument. With most people he could talk his way around it… but Alfia's name carried weight. Even the great gods Hera and Zeus had eaten punches from her. Admitting defeat here wasn't shameful—it was survival.
"That child is my sister's."
Alfia didn't look any less angry, but she offered the clarification anyway.
"Either way, come inside," Zald said, opening the door and stepping aside. "This isn't a place to talk."
If a god of the Underworld had come all the way out here to negotiate, then whatever this was—whether insane or not—wasn't small.
Once seated, Erebus dropped his earlier banter. His expression turned grave.
"No outsiders now, so I'll be direct. I want the two of you to work with me—and with my Familia—as a stepping stone for the world."
"…Explain," Zald said, lifting a hand when Alfia remained silent.
Erebus breathed out slowly.
"The world has become ugly. Ever since Zeus and Hera were defeated by the Black Dragon, malignant forces have swept across the Lower World. People collapse into despair, drown themselves in pleasure, swing violence for amusement, steal and plunder for selfish gain—everywhere you look."
He spoke evenly, as if reciting a diagnosis.
"Freya Familia and Loki Familia are trying to hold up Orario without Zeus and Hera. But it isn't enough. The world is being forced to answer one question: will it be illuminated by light… or swallowed by darkness?"
Then his eyes sharpened.
"I intend to test the capacity of people today—whether they can climb out of the mire, seize the banner dropped by fallen heroes, and carry this Lower World forward."
Zald's voice rumbled. "You mean… war."
"Yes," Erebus said. "But not a simple war. I will stand on the side of absolute evil and pass judgment on Orario—force the Familias that claim to uphold justice to prove they can still bear it."
His tone remained calm. The content was monstrous.
"Orario is the pillar of the Lower World. If Orario falls, there will be no peace—no end to the chaos. With heroes gone, life withers."
He spread his hands as if presenting two outcomes on a scale.
"If I lose, justice and light return to Orario—return to the Lower World. Order is restored. New heroes are born. I will contact every dark faction I can reach; if the 'righteous' side wins, the Evilus and their kin can be wiped out in one net."
"And if I win…" his smile thinned, "absolute evil descends. Orario is destroyed. Then the world follows."
He leaned forward slightly.
"People have wallowed in 'today' and 'yesterday' for far too long. Without a harsh medicine, they will never look toward tomorrow. Tomorrow means the unknown—fear—death."
"I will not allow it. A Lower World that clings only to today is… boring. As boring as Heaven, unchanged for countless ages. The Lower World is only fascinating because it contains tomorrow."
"So I will become the drug that forces Orario to answer: will you die in today… or step forward into tomorrow?"
His gaze fixed on the two of them.
"I need the strength of 'Gluttony' and 'Silence.' The dark factions have plenty of first-rate adventurers—but very few who can truly stand against the strongest."
He finished, still utterly composed—as though he'd described a business proposal rather than a plan that could burn the world down.
Silence stretched through the room.
Long enough for the air to feel heavy.
Then Alfia—the Silent Witch—spoke at last.
"…Please leave."
"I can't take part in your plan," she added quietly. "I'm sorry."
Erebus's expression twisted into something complicated, and he gave a faint smile.
"Don't apologize. This was never something I could demand."
Then he asked, almost gently, "May I know why? 'Gluttony' and 'Silence' were never the kind to value their own lives."
"If you'd found me a month ago," Alfia said, "perhaps I would have agreed."
Her features softened—rare, startling.
"But after meeting that child… my only wish now is to stay beside him until the last ember of my life goes out."
Her gaze seemed to reach through the cabin walls, toward Bell and Duncan outside—talking on the grass.
Erebus exhaled, almost amused at himself.
"I see. Then my timing truly is terrible."
"But… congratulations," he said, voice sincere in a way that didn't match his title. "In the end, you found the place your life wanted to return to."
Alfia gave a bitter little snort.
"It's nothing but the ugly, shameless survival of a defeated person."
"No," Erebus said, shaking his head. "As a god of the Underworld, I can tell you this: that any life, at its end, can find its resting place—no matter how small—is a beautiful thing."
He stood.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Zald hesitated before asking, "What will you do now?"
"The arrow is already nocked," Erebus replied. "I can't pretend it isn't."
He looked at them plainly, no deception, no theatrics.
"I am an evil god. Even without your absolute strength, I have countless evil methods."
"If I succeed, I hope you won't resent me. If you intend to stop me… the time is now."
Alfia's answer didn't waver.
"I don't care—if this is Orario's choice. If this is what this generation's heroes choose."
Regret flickered across Erebus's face.
"Then it's a greater pity than ever that I couldn't earn your support."
He pulled his cloak back over his shoulders.
"In the future, I will await the return of your souls."
And with that, he left the cabin without looking back.
When the door closed, Alfia finally spoke again—this time to Zald, a trace of apology in her tone.
"…Sorry. I decided on my own."
"There's nothing to apologize for," Zald said calmly. "We've been comrades too long for that."
He glanced toward the inner room with open contempt.
"Besides, I'm already someone waiting to die. Where I die doesn't matter. What is laughable is the old man—letting a god stand on his 'territory' and calmly announce a plan to destroy the world… while he hides inside."
"I wasn't hiding," Zeus snapped as he strode out, grumbling. "That irritating Underworld god was the same in Heaven too. And I'm retired now. Saving the world is a hassle—let Freya and Loki handle it, since they're the ones who kicked me out."
He kept cursing, but Alfia stared straight through him.
"You didn't stop him. You know something, don't you? About this Lower World. Hera said… vague things. About an apocalypse."
Zeus's posture sagged. He sighed.
"Too late," he murmured. "It's all too late."
His eyes drifted toward the outside—toward Bell and Duncan.
Something strange flashed in his gaze.
Then he corrected himself in a voice even quieter:
"…Too early. Still too early."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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