Livia must have fainted without even realizing it. When she regained consciousness, a bright white light greeted her. The sudden burst of light into the once pitch-black darkness made her eyes feel like they were burning.

“Ugh…!”

Startled, Livia tightly shut her eyes and covered her face with both arms, lying flat on the ground. Something rough slipped between her lips as she gasped for breath.

What is this?

She squinted her eyes open and looked at the ground, which was covered in sand. The grains of sand seeping between her fingers were not just warm but hot.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked around. Everywhere she looked, it seemed like a vast expanse of sandy desert.

From the sea to a desert all of a sudden? How…?

Feeling bewildered, Livia scanned her surroundings and soon gave up trying to understand what was happening. She plunged her hands into the sand. The warm sand thawed her frozen body. Unable to resist, she lay down on the sand. But she couldn’t stay there long.

As the hot sand touched her skin, which had thawed from being frozen, a prickling pain spread across her body. A dry wind blew. As it brushed against the fine hairs on her arms, goosebumps rose.

Frozen and then thawed. They’re really trying to kill me here….

Still, it wasn’t the blinding darkness or the freezing cold, so she wondered where she was. Livia lifted her weary body and looked for a place to rest.

Watching the sand scatter, she felt inexplicably thirsty. At that moment, a chilling premonition struck her.

‘Could it be… am I going to be stuck here without a single drop of water?’

With a fearful expression, Livia looked around the desert, which was nothing but sand.

No one answered her.

***

Damn premonition. It’s never wrong.

Livia trudged through the dry desert, cursing Triton with every step. It felt familiar. She had walked endlessly, cursing that man once before….

Ah, right. The underworld.

Back then, too, she had kept cursing the man who had driven her to the brink.

No matter if he was a god…. How long did she have to suffer like this? Just wait, someday she’ll get back at him.

I swear, I’ll stab that heart of his with a dagger.

Finally, Livia reached a cave. A cool breeze blew from inside. She sensed some moisture but hesitated to venture into the darkness.

Who knew darkness could be so terrifying….

Livia wasn’t easily frightened. To be honest, she had rarely feared anything. She had worried about others but had never shied away from something out of fear.

But now, she was afraid of the darkness. She hesitated, fearing she might be trapped in it again.

At that moment, she realized.

Perhaps what’s scarier than death is the inability to die, longing for death eternally….

Swallowing hard, Livia glared at the darkness, then sat down in front of the cave.

Since it had been a while since the sun set, she thought it would be better to wait at the cave entrance until sunrise.

Once daylight came, she planned to explore inside. Even though she felt like she might die of thirst, she didn’t want to go in just yet. Leaning against the hard rock, she rested her forehead on her knees.

Sitting idly, hunger crept in. She craved the warm, savory goat milk soup Iason used to make.

Though he was only two years older, Iason had taken care of Livia like their father. Persephone had said Iason became a ferryman following Charon. Why was that? A ferryman wandering the underworld….

On the other hand, since Iason loved boats, she thought it might not be all bad. He had said he wanted to sail every ship in the world, and now he was sailing ships beyond the world.

Thinking of Iason, Livia chuckled softly, rubbing her eyes to stay awake despite the drowsiness. Fortunately, thanks to the brilliant starlight, it wasn’t too dark even at night.

Where on earth is this place? What kind of trial is this now….

Damn Triton….

She had a feeling he was watching from somewhere. The darkness that shattered the moment she called his name…. There must have been some intention behind it.

What do you want from me?

Something had definitely changed from when he first inflicted pain on her. It seemed like he wanted her to feel and think about something.

“But it’s confusing.”

“Somewhere, it’s very uncomfortable, frustrating, and painful.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right.

The trials Livia faced now were making her confused and uncomfortable. She didn’t want to think about anything, just wanted to focus on revenge and move forward….

As if trying to ignore reality, Livia strained her eyes to stare at the sky, fighting off the sleepiness.

But as if the inevitable was happening, her eyelids disregarded her will and closed like curtains.

While she unknowingly dozed off, something very small tapped on the top of her foot.

***

Zagreus looked up at the sky.

The twilight sky of the underworld was devoid of both moon and sun. Hundreds of crows swirled above…

When Zagreus pursed his lips and whistled, a mysterious wind began to blow. It tangled his long, black hair as it gusted fiercely. The stronger the wind grew, the more crows gathered to fill the sky.

As he reached out toward the flock, one crow flew into his hand. Zagreus seized the bird without hesitation.

Caw-!

With a scream that sounded like a death cry, the crow was crushed in his grasp.

Aaaah!

A chilling scream rippled from the broken neck, yet the black birds circling around remained, as if it were a natural scene, showing no fear or hesitation.

Black blood flowed from the crushed bird’s body. The dark liquid trickled down Zagreus’s muscular arm and began to be absorbed into his body. The remains of the dead crow vanished without a trace in an instant.

With his eyes closed, Zagreus took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyelids. He clenched and unclenched the hand that had devoured the crow, smiled faintly, and turned his gaze to the eastern horizon.

“…Found it.”

At last.

Zagreus, smiling joyfully, suddenly swelled up. His back tore open, black feathers sprouted, and soon he had transformed into a gigantic eagle. The eagle soared into the sky of the underworld as if to tear it apart. With each flap of its wings, it covered dozens of kilometers.

The world of the dead unfolded beneath his feet.

A place that was both home and playground, shackle and prison.

Though not acknowledged by his mother due to his sinful birth, Hades cherished him greatly. Having settled in his mother’s womb and been born from her flesh and blood, even if his birth was deemed impure, Hades accepted Zagreus without hesitation because he was part of his wife.

Hades was that obsessed with his wife. Even though Zagreus was not his own seed, he could love him willingly simply because he was part of Persephone.

The son of the ruler of the brightest place and the heir of the darkest realm. Abandoned yet not abandoned, of noble blood yet unmentionable by anyone.

Thus, Zagreus’s existence was full of contradictions.

Born with lightning, yet never having left this cold, dark place. Never having been cradled in his mother’s soft embrace.

He did not know warmth. He knew the burning heat that scorched flesh, but not what warmth was. Not until he embraced that human woman.

‘Livia.’

Soon, he would meet her. Though it took a little longer than expected because she was so well hidden, he was confident he could find her. That’s why Zagreus had thrown such bait to Livia.

“When you find my sister, give me a kiss.”

No one in this underworld could escape his eyes. When it came to finding and pursuing, Zagreus surpassed even his father or mother.

“…Alright. But in return, make sure to save my sister.”

For he was the only god of the hunt in this world of death.