Gary, who was clutching his arm where Mumu had bitten him, swung a torch, his eyes filled with a murderous glare.

Woof! Woof woof!

The dog glanced back at Livia, barking urgently. Somehow, Livia understood what Mumu was trying to convey. She just knew.

‘Run.’

Woof!

‘Hurry!’

Livia squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly stood up.

“Catch her!”

Gary and the villagers, brandishing their torches, chased after the fleeing Livia. The dog, which had been barking fiercely, was mercilessly kicked aside by the crowd and struck with flaming sticks.

Hearing the cries of her last remaining family member, her lifelong companion, Livia sprinted up the hill. A fierce cry that felt as though it would shatter her heart tore from her lungs.

Branches and the wind whipped harshly against her bare skin, but Livia did not stop. Pausing now would mean death.

She wasn’t afraid of dying itself; she simply could not bear the thought of dying at their hands. She would survive at all costs and avenge her father and brothers, who had been falsely accused and brutally burned to death by them!

She would gladly become the most devoted follower of Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, and drive a torch into their hearts with her own hands. If only she could survive…

If that were possible.

“Huff, sob, huff huff!”

Livia crawled up the hill, sobbing and gasping for breath. Below the cliff, fierce waves crashed, and the flickering torches of her pursuers danced beneath her.

Her eyes, once filled with resolve for revenge, trembled with despair. Anger surged at her own helplessness.

She clawed at the dirt, tearing at her chest, and desperately prayed.

“O goddess of vengeance, I offer this girl’s life as a sacrifice; please, let this poor shepherdess have her revenge!”

Rumble—

As if in response to her plea, dark clouds churned violently in the sky, and the torches that had climbed the hill broke through the bushes, rushing toward Livia.

“Catch her!”

Sobbing, Livia did not hesitate and threw herself into the raging sea.

***

Her frail body was endlessly pulled into the dark, churning waters. Icy seawater surged into every pore. Her lungs filled with water, and her breath faded away.

Ah, so this is how she dies.

Unable to close her eyes in her despair, she heard someone speak to her as her consciousness darkened.

“Do you wish to live?”

Was it the voice of a reaper guiding her to the underworld, or perhaps the voice of the goddess she had so desperately called upon?

“Do you wish to live and take revenge on them?”

Livia weakly opened her eyes to see a black ray gliding around her.

“Answer, human.”

She had heard that sometimes gods approached humans in the form of animals. But… could ‘this’ truly be a god?

Livia stared dazedly at the black ray, trying to meet its gaze.

The voice echoing in her mind was raspy and grating, reminiscent of an old man, lacking any divine quality. Yet, Livia could clearly sense that this strange presence could save her and fulfill her desires.

“I am one who can rescue you from death in this sea and grant your wishes.”

As the black ray circled around her, bubbles rose, and a whirlpool formed. The swirling water soon enveloped Livia, and thousands of air bubbles clung to her, breathing life back into her.

Livia, who hadn’t even realized she was suffocating, squinted at the black ray. What did it matter whether it was a god or not? Even if that dark entity had emerged from hell, Livia didn’t care.

“I’ll ask again. Do you want to live? Do you want to live and take revenge on those who wronged your family?”

‘…Yes. I want to live. I want to live and take my revenge on them!’

“That’s simple. I’ll make it happen. Let’s form a contract.”

The ray responded smoothly, but Livia hesitated. Her instincts screamed that this would be a very dangerous contract. Above all, she was suspicious of the ray’s identity, which had appeared the moment she jumped into the sea.

‘Who are you, and what do you want from me?’

The ray laughed at Livia’s distrustful question.

“A foolish yet wise human. I am like you. I seek revenge. But since I cannot do it myself, I have been searching for someone to act on my behalf.”

‘So, you’re proposing a trade of revenge with me?’

“Exactly. It’s a very simple contract.”

The soothing voice sounded friendly and kind, but was it truly so? It was an incredibly tempting offer, yet Livia couldn’t respond immediately. Noticing her hesitation, the ray circled around her again, gathering the bubbles, and spoke.

“You have the luxury of hesitation, human. Without me, you will die here. Is that acceptable? If you wish to die, I will let you go.”

In an instant, her breath constricted again. Her body, which had been floating, began to sink. The witch’s words rang true. Without the ray, Livia would perish here. If that happened, her entire family would be lost forever.

That couldn’t happen. She couldn’t die. Hadn’t she sworn to take revenge, even if it meant consorting with darkness?

‘I accept the contract. But I have one condition.’

“A condition? How amusing. Go ahead, tell me.”

‘I don’t want revenge carried out by someone else. I will punish them with my own hands!’

“A demanding human, indeed. Well… fine. You to me, and I to you… we shall fulfill each other’s desires. Very fairly, I might add.”

As soon as the sweet-talking ray finished speaking, the bubbles surrounding Livia exploded with a loud noise.

Boom!

The sea roared violently as if enraged, and the black ray swiftly transformed before Livia. A woman with the upper body of a human and the long tail of a snake grinned widely, circling around Livia and bursting into laughter.

Ahahaha! Hehehe! Hahaha!

The laughter that shook her mind made Livia cover her ears. The black witch circling around her reached out and lifted her chin.

“You are mine now.”

The witch’s whisper lingered over Livia’s lips, and her breath slipped deep into Livia’s mouth. At that moment, something bitter flowed down her throat and spread throughout her body.

Livia’s consciousness flickered and faded.

***

In the realm of humans, the gods reigned supreme. They ruled over the earth, the sky, the sea, and even the darker, more obscure places, wielding the power over life and death.

Fate, love, anger, and war lay firmly within the gods’ control, making humans seem insignificant by comparison. The gods were undeniably powerful, but they were also chaotic, violent, and unassailable.

Not only humans but even nymphs and monsters had to resign themselves to their fate at the hands of the gods. After all, it wasn’t just mortals who suffered; even among the gods, when their attention waned, they would disregard familial bonds, consorting with or violating one another, leading to the birth of new deities.

Thus, the gods were entwined with all things in the world. Beyond the renowned twelve Olympian gods, domains such as jealousy, oblivion, victory, defeat, fortune, and revenge also fell under their jurisdiction.

Though she never voiced it, Livia harbored a deep distrust of the gods. No, she longed for a life unconnected to them and believed she was achieving that—until this cruel fate completely upended her existence.

‘There’s not much time left until the witch’s appointed moment…’

Livia hid deep within the temple of the sea god, constructed of pure white coral, gold, and jewels, clenching her trembling fists tightly. It had been four days since she had slipped into this place under the witch’s influence.

To eliminate the scent of the earth and mimic a sea nymph, she had crouched motionless in a shell grave. Now, that torturous time was nearly over, and the moment to finally leave was approaching.

Livia took ragged breaths, watching for the shadow of the moon to fall over the red coral ceiling. Her heart began to pound wildly with tension. Habitually, she raised her nails to scratch her skin but stopped abruptly.

A vivid red scar ran along the dark line extending vertically on her wrist—a strange, foreign black mark. It was the trace left by the witch.

“This is the sword of one who harms the gods.”

After completing their contract, the witch had pulled out a dagger gleaming entirely in gold and dragged it down her own wrist. Ominous dark red blood trickled down her slack skin.

“Only those of bloodline can wield it,” the witch’s eerie red eyes met Livia’s. At that moment, she added, “I will grant you the authority, if only for a short while.”