Rumble.

Livia’s eyes flew open at the feeling of the ground shaking. But when she couldn’t see anything even with her eyes open, she immediately felt frustrated.

‘I fell asleep…’

This strange floating sensation was definitely the feeling of a dream. Though she had pushed herself harder, throwing her body more violently to avoid sleeping, it seemed she had passed out at some point.

‘What a shame, I was so close to breaking through…’

She had thrown herself hundreds of times against Triton’s barrier, using her body blessed by the goddess Styx as a weapon.

Since it was a body that wouldn’t break from ordinary attacks, she thought merely throwing herself at the wall wouldn’t do much damage. Of course, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt…

But the pain was welcome as it kept Livia awake. Physical pain was better than having bad dreams.

When she felt that body impacts weren’t enough, Livia drew out the golden dagger.

She gripped the cold handle of the dagger tightly and tried to plunge it into the veil Triton had created.

Though she gritted her teeth determined to break it somehow, her hand holding the dagger trembled. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead and dripped to the floor. D*mn it! She just couldn’t swing the dagger.

Her shaking eyes looked down confusedly at her hand gripping the golden dagger.

Echidna’s dagger, the witch’s dagger given to her to destroy Triton – she didn’t want to harm anything of Triton’s with it.

“…D*mn it!”

Livia finally threw the dagger she was holding to the floor.

Though it would return to her wrist anyway, she wanted to throw it away even just like this. Swallowing back the rising irritation through gritted teeth, she charged at the veil again with just her body.

After crashing and falling dozens, no, hundreds of times like that in a frenzy, she had managed to make some impact, but…

‘The veil has gotten thicker again.’

After that, she had given up in defeat and collapsed on the floor. Her whole body was aching, and what was meant to be a short rest seemed to have led to sleep.

She should have endured somehow…

“…You did it, human.”

As Livia was rushing forward mindlessly, an eerie voice brushed past her ear.

Startled violently, Livia hurriedly turned around, but tripped on something and tumbled forward.

Then the golden dagger she hadn’t even known she was holding clattered as it fell to the floor.

“Huff, huff…”

…When did I start holding that?

As she was staring at the golden dagger with confused eyes, Echidna appeared from the darkness and shouted at Livia with a cackle.

“You succeeded in stabbing Triton’s heart!”

“No!”

Though Livia screamed out, she couldn’t stop Echidna’s laughter.

“Well done, human! Well done! I knew you could do it!”

You crazy woman! What did I do?!

Livia shook her head frantically and picked up the dagger she had dropped, swinging it at Echidna.

But the witch approached Livia like smoke, unafraid of the blade as if she had died and become a spirit.

“I will cling to your soul forever, Livia. Becoming an endless nightmare…!”

“Stop spouting nonsense! You’ll die soon, witch! You think I’ll let you have your way?”

Livia changed the direction of the blade and pierced the witch’s mark remaining on her wrist. As the sharp blade tore into her forearm and slashed at the black mark, the witch’s laughter grew deeper.

“It’s useless, Livia. Look at the floor. It’s soaked with blood.”

Just as the witch said, the floor was drenched in red blood.

Is all this blood from me? Livia’s eyes shook with shock as she looked around at the reddening floor. A scream mixed with sobs burst from her trembling lips.

“Triton!”

Triton lay submerged under the red blood. Startled, she approached and lifted his upper body, revealing his chest that was messily pierced through like a rag.

“T-Triton! Triton! Wake up, Triton!”

Though it had clearly been a lucid dream at first, at some point she had forgotten this was a dream. Livia wailed and let out despairing sobs as she looked at Triton whose heart was gone.

Her reason was paralyzed and thoughts stopped. She desperately tried to cover his bleeding chest with trembling hands, but the gaping hole in his chest wouldn’t close.

“No, Triton. No. No!”

Weren’t you the strongest of men? Weren’t you immortal, deathless, possessing eternal power! Why must you be in such a state?

Self-loathing filled Livia’s bloodshot eyes.

The most beautiful white face she knew was as pale as a corpse. His dawn-like silver-blue hair that she would secretly steal glances at was stained red, submerged in blood.

It was truly a horrific sight. Livia pressed her tear-soaked face against his cheeks and chest, whispering his name between sobs.

His cool skin was cold as ice. The blade of bitter karma that she had thrown seemed to tear apart her soul.

“Ah, Triton, Triton…!”

You always responded when I called! Even when I couldn’t see you, I knew you were always watching over me! So get up now. Answer my voice right now, please!

Her sobbing voice echoed eerily in the empty space.

In that place filled only with the fishy smell of blood and no returning voice, Livia embraced Triton and whispered endlessly through her wails.

“I was wrong, Triton… I was, wrong, huu, wrong…”

They said gods don’t die, so why was he so cold?

He said he would just fall into a deep sleep, so why was he lying here like a corpse? Livia’s face was deathly pale as she looked at Triton.

Her trembling fingertips endlessly caressed his limp body, and she fiercely embraced his chest that had been reduced to rags.

Livia’s tears dripped down onto her shaking feet.

I was blinded by revenge, tried to use you. For my own selfish desires, I tried to steal your heart without a care.

Don’t give yourself up to my petty revenge…

Like this, like this…

Don’t become rags because of me, please!

“Triton!”

Livia’s wailing voice echoed through the empty space. As she sobbed with her face buried in Triton’s chest, a faint voice reached her ears.

…Ah.

Livia’s flowing tears suddenly stopped.

‘This voice…’

The moment she raised her clouded eyes and lifted her head with a look of disbelief.

Come here, Livia.

A massive hand covered her head. The soul of the woman trapped in the nightmare space filled with madness and malice was pulled out swiftly.

“……”

The corpse that looked like Triton, left alone in that empty space, suddenly opened its eyes.

One eye empty and one full of white sclera gleamed grotesquely, then it began to giggle as its mouth split up to its ears.

What a shame, if I had stimulated her just a bit more, I could have completely broken her mind and handed her over to our brother…

‘Its’ grotesque appearance changed in an instant.

The woman’s face, which looked as if it had been split in half and painted pure white on one side and pure black on the other, bore a striking resemblance to Zagreus.

Melinoe.

The goddess of madness and nightmares born from Zagreus’s shadow. Though she followed and called him brother, to Zagreus, Melinoe was nothing but a dedication of terrible nightmares.

What a shame, such a shame…

I don’t know what he sees in her, but if I could capture that red-haired woman, perhaps Zagreus would acknowledge me a little…

Just as she was licking her lips in regret, the massive hand that had split the black space suddenly stretched out toward Melinoe.

Eek! Save me, Meli!

Startled Melinoe hurriedly hid her form in the darkness and withdrew the nightmare. After she fled in a hurry, the hand that swept over her empty space struck the ground with its fist in apparent disappointment.