"I'll give you the power you want. Come with me."
It was the temptation of a devil.
A single sentence that pierced through Ais's psyche, slipping into the cracks of her heart.
She could become stronger.
She could keep the promise she made to her parents.
Ais's mind became consumed by that single desire.
Just as she reached out to take the male god's hand—
—Ais.
"...!"
Just before their palms met, the image of a white-haired man flashed through her mind.
*...I don't need him.*
She didn't need him. She didn't need a man like that.
She didn't care in the slightest how the man who had deceived and betrayed her felt.
"An excellent choice."
In the end, Ais took the god's hand.
It was an act of betrayal toward Loki, Riveria, and her other comrades in the Familia. But to Ais, who was already drowning in her own sense of betrayal, that was irrelevant.
What mattered was not the people who had fooled and deceived her, but only becoming strong enough to avenge her parents.
And yet, for some reason...
When she imagined the man who would grieve for her, she found that she couldn't smile, even at the prospect of her wish coming true.
*
"Where... are we?"
"This is my Familia's base. Is this your first time here?"
The place the god had brought Ais to was, surprisingly, another dungeon within the Dungeon.
An artificial labyrinth. That was what the god called it.
"A dungeon inside the Dungeon..."
"To be precise, it's more of a structure modeled after the Dungeon. My, to think someone created this through sheer madness in the pursuit of a masterpiece... No matter how many times I see it, it's astonishing."
Was this another mystery of the lower world? Even as the god laughed and spoke, Ais's expression remained largely unchanged, save for a flicker of surprise.
She was usually stoic, but now she was especially vacant. It was a stark contrast to how vivid she had become recently whenever she was with a certain man.
Thanatos, seeing through her complicated inner turmoil, continued to chatter with a grin. Though he was an evil god, he grew fond of the children of the lower world and hoped Ais might find some small measure of enjoyment.
*Hmm... no reaction at all, huh~*
Of course, his efforts yielded little result.
But that was fine. Soon, she would be able to achieve the wish she so desperately craved.
Even if it wasn't by the means she had imagined...
*
*How far down are we going?*
Due to the slanted nature of the artificial labyrinth, it was difficult to pinpoint their exact location, but they had descended roughly ten floors.
Since Ais had been on the sixth floor, this meant they were currently at a depth equivalent to the sixteenth floor of the Dungeon.
*To think humans could build something like this...*
It was a place Ais could never have reached with her own current strength. Realizing this, she unconsciously tensed up.
"Oops. Are you nervous? It looks like the Dungeon, but it isn't the real thing, so no monsters will appear~"
The god noticed her tension instantly.
Regardless, Ais could not relax.
Suddenly, her mind felt unnervingly clear. As she grasped her current situation, a creeping sense of anxiety began to take hold.
What if she died here? What if she lost her life pointlessly, having been lured by a god's sweet words?
She would never avenge her parents.
She wouldn't even be able to remember them.
She wouldn't even be able to cry for them.
*Am I going to die here?*
A child's imagination often spirals toward extremes.
And for a child, those [extremes] almost always involve death.
Where would she go if she died? What happened after death? These thoughts raced through her mind.
Ais was no exception.
She continued her train of thought as if her own death were an inevitable premise.
*If I die, I won't be able to think of my parents anymore.*
*I won't be able to get my revenge.*
*I guess I won't be able to eat potato balls anymore.*
And then, amidst those spiraling thoughts...
*If I die... would that person be sad too?*
Occasionally, her true feelings leaked out.
"...!"
The feelings she had tried so hard to ignore.
The heart she had forcibly turned away from to protect her wounded pride was suddenly thrust before her without warning.
*No, there's no way.*
*He deceived me. He's a liar.*
*He's probably a cold-hearted man who wouldn't care even if I died.*
She spat out excuses to herself to hide her true heart.
Then, becoming annoyed by her own excuses, she huffed in a sulk—a reaction perfectly fitting for a girl her age.
And a young girl cannot hide her true feelings for long.
*But... maybe he would be a little sad.*
*Maybe he wouldn't be able to eat when he heard I died...*
*Maybe he'd sob uncontrollably...*
*And then... maybe he'd follow me...*
Ais's thoughts began to drift toward a dangerous place.
...A girl's [extremes] did not only apply to herself.
*T-that wouldn't be good...*
He was a bad person, but surely not bad enough to deserve death?
A single bead of cold sweat rolled down Ais's cheek.
She grew angry alone, became gloomy alone, and finally, she worried alone.
It was a typical child's leap of logic. Unfortunately, there was no one there to correct her—
*Hmm... I don't know exactly what she's thinking, but she seems to be imagining something quite interesting.*
The god watched Ais's rapidly shifting reactions with amusement.
*As expected of Loki's child. She has a rather extraordinary talent in this regard. Well, it's entertaining, so I'll just leave her to it.*
His divine artifact provided no help in stopping her spiral.
*
The change happened quickly.
While she was still floundering in her thoughts, they arrived at a room that was exceptionally larger than any other.
A room so vast it was overwhelming to anyone who entered.
But Ais's attention was focused entirely elsewhere.
"What... is that...?"
"A friend who will grant your wish."
Ais's eyes trembled violently.
Whether he was aware of the turmoil in her heart or not, the god spoke in a cheerful voice, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
There, where Ais and the god were looking, a gigantic dragon lay coiled in a deep slumber.
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