Phorkys murmured with a sense of pity as he watched the soul begin to leave the woman’s body.

At that moment, Triton, who was glaring at the woman with irritation, waved his hand and enclosed her body in a large water bubble.

The escaping soul was trapped within the bubble and remained there.

“Tr-Triton, sir?”

What was he doing?

Dugong and Phorkys looked at Triton in surprise, only to see their master frown slightly and issue a dizzying command.

“Dugong, fully restore this woman’s body. Phorkys, retrieve the woman’s soul that has drifted to the underworld.”

“W-What? You want me to go to the underworld?”

Phorkys shouted in alarm, but his voice naturally softened under Triton’s stern gaze.

“But the underworld is….”

A very frightening place….

“It’s just a part of the soul that ‘accidentally’ ended up there, so the gods on that side will turn a blind eye. Just in case, I’ll provide you with plenty of gold coins.”

Why must he suffer for the mistake his lord made?

Phorkys cast a somewhat resentful glance, feeling wronged, while their god smiled quietly as he watched him.

“Phorkys.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Do you want to enter the underworld alive, or be dragged there dead? Choose.”

…Oh, how could he say something so terrifying?

Phorkys trembled, quickly lowered his eyes and shouted, “I’ll depart immediately!”

“So, you’ll go alive. Wise choice.”

Triton murmured lazily, satisfied, then turned away and disappeared.

Only the dead human woman, the sea lion, and the old man of the sea remained, quietly swallowing their tears.

***

“…Look. Wake… up!”

A voice called out, and a rough hand grabbed her arm.

“Wake up!”

Gasp. She opened her eyes wide in surprise, seeing an unfamiliar scene.

A twilight sky where day and night were indistinguishable, a narrow yellow path crowded with endless lines of people walking in groups.

And in the distance, a ferryman with unusually long limbs awaited them.

“Wh-Where is this…?”

“This is the afterlife. Now that you’re awake, listen carefully, girl.”

The person who awakened Livia whispered in a gruff voice. When she looked at him, she saw an old man with his head covered in black cloth and chains on his feet standing close by.

“You need to slip away into the forest from the middle of the line. The chains on your feet are noisy, so cut your skirt and tie them.”

“Who are you…?”

“I am….”

The old man looked at her wrist silently before turning his head.

“…There’s no need to know. You’ve entered the afterlife much sooner than I expected. This is why I say weak humans are useless….”

He grumbled, dissatisfied.

The afterlife, the underworld… death!

‘Triton!’

As her last memories of life resurfaced, the pain of her body shattering returned as well.

“Ah, ugh…!”

Staggering, Livia gritted her teeth, swallowing her groans. The old man walking beside her clicked his tongue as if he understood, then turned his head.

“It seems the memory of your death has returned. Well, it should pass in a few seconds.”

Just as the old man said, Livia felt the pain subsiding.

But then nausea rose. The twisting, gut-wrenching pain was almost welcome. It felt like everything was in its rightful place.

Damn it….

The agony of a human body being kneaded like dough was truly horrific, both physically and mentally. Livia wiped the sweat from her brow and forced her trembling legs to stand.

The old man, glancing ahead and behind, pulled Livia out of the line and pushed her into the forest as they reached the middle, whispering quickly.

“From here, you must go alone. I cannot leave the line.”

“Where am I supposed to go?”

“Just keep walking north. If you lose your direction, take the knife from your wrist and throw it on the ground. The blade will point north.”

The old man knew about the knife.

Livia grabbed the old man, asking again for confirmation.

“Did Echidna send you?”

“Half right and half wrong. Go. There’s no time. Once you leave the forest, you’ll see a spire. Go there and find the one who guards the bell. That person will help you. Remember, the underworld is a place where you must not look back. Focus only on the spire and move forward! No matter what, do not look back.”

The old man whispered quickly, pushing her firmly into the forest before discreetly blending back into the procession.

Livia hesitated for a moment but then hurriedly walked in the direction the old man had indicated.

The black forest was like the middle of the night, where even moonlight couldn’t penetrate. The forest, devoid of bird songs or even the sound of insects, was eerily silent and almost grotesque. She understood why the old man worried about her losing her way.

Without wind, sound, or light, it was impossible to distinguish one place from another. Feeling dizzy, Livia paused for a moment before following the old man’s advice and taking out her golden knife.

Seeing that she could still draw the knife even in the underworld, it seemed the knife was connected to her soul rather than her body.

Livia threw the knife and walked for a long time in the direction the blade pointed. It was then that she noticed a point of light in the distance.

“Livia… It’s you, Livia, isn’t it?”

A familiar voice reached her ears. Startled, she nearly turned around.

“Livi! Livi, I’m here! Livi, save me!”

It was the voice of Lete, her youngest sibling, whom Livia adored most in the world.

Clenching her eyes shut, she gritted her teeth and moved forward.

“Livia, Livia! Where are you going? Don’t go. Please… please…!”

“Livi… I’m hungry. Sob. Livi….”

“Livia! That way is dangerous. Come here. Stay with us, Livia!”

As she moved toward the light, her family’s voices grew more vivid, as if they were whispering right behind her.

“Don’t leave us…. Don’t leave us alone. Please. Sob… sob….”

The voices of her beloved family were so vivid that it was horrifying not to be able to look back.

But knowing that something even more terrible would happen if she did, Livia endured, gritting her teeth.

Those were fake.

If they were truly her family, they wouldn’t say such things. They would never do that.

“Livi, Livi! Sob, Livi! I’m hurt! It hurts. It’s so hot, Livi!”

Lete’s scream clawed at Livia’s ears. She covered her ears with her hands and ran solely toward the light.

“Livi, Livi…!”

Finally, when she emerged from the forest, the desperate voices abruptly ceased.

Panting heavily, she collapsed to the ground.

She looked at the vast reddish-brown river before her with a bewildered expression, tears welling in her eyes.

‘Father, Iason… Lete!’

As she sobbed, a mournful dirge began to flow into her ears. Turning her head, she saw people on Charon’s boat wailing loudly.

The cries and the endless song of sorrow flowed along the river with the rippling water.

Wasn’t the ruler of the river of sorrow named Lete?

It was the same name as her sibling. To her, Lete was only ever cute and lovable, but now only sorrow and tears remained.

Livia buried her sobs in the distant funeral song. She pounded the ground with her fists and clutched at her chest as she cried for a long time, but the lump in her chest only grew larger and refused to dissolve.

Mumu… Could Mumu still be alive?

No, that couldn’t be. The cruel villagers would never have let Mumu live.

Thinking of Mumu, who had charged at the torches to protect her, Livia felt her heart being torn to shreds.

She had taken in the little puppy, abandoned as a suckling, and raised it like family.

Even though it had grown into a full-grown dog, it always seemed like Livia’s little puppy, her clever and loyal companion…

‘Could Father and Iason have passed through here as well? If I follow them now…’