Zagreus, vigorously flapping his wings, flew into a mist-covered cliff. The crows had spotted an old man nearby. It was a canyon filled with toxic gas, rumored to be the breath of a Titan.

A suspicious old man wandered through the poisonous mist of the canyon where no one dared to venture.

Zagreus flew into the canyon and stopped in front of a secluded cave. Inside, where stalactites hung like sharp teeth, there was a distinct smell of sorcery.

Here it is.

Unable to contain his excitement, golden lightning flickered in his black eyes. Zagreus stepped through the magical barriers meant to stop him, breaking them as he entered the cave.

Finally, he reached the deepest part of the cave.

“P-please, go back.”

An old man blocked his path.

“Who are you?” Zagreus asked.

The old man bowed his head to the ground and answered in a trembling voice, “I am just a sinner who runs errands.”

“Why is a sinner hiding like a rat in the Misty Canyon?”

“I lost my way…”

“Lying even in hell, it seems you haven’t paid for your sins enough.”

“……”

“I will ask again. Who are you, and why are you here?”

“I am…”

Zagreus stood before the hesitant old man.

“Lift your head.”

The old man struggled to lift his head and looked at Zagreus. The golden lightning swirling in his eyes thoroughly scanned the old man’s soul. The old man felt goosebumps all over his body but couldn’t move. The young and beautiful god of death bound him as if chained by fate.

“…Chrysaor.”

As if he finally saw what he wanted, Zagreus murmured the old man’s name from his past life. The old man flinched but tried to gather his composure. The young god, aware of this pathetic attempt, muttered in a mocking voice.

“The fool who dared to challenge the gods riding Pegasus… That was you.”

The wrinkled hand that touched the ground clenched the soil tightly. It was an insulting remark, but not incorrect. As a price for challenging the gods, drunk on dreams of heroism, he had to live as a menial worker in this hell for a full ten thousand years.

Chrysaor regretted it. His past, where he recklessly relied on the golden dagger he had since birth. He should have waited longer.

He should have waited until he had a hundred children from his wife, until those children became warriors worth a hundred each. Then, had he seized control of the sea with them,

Perhaps now, he would not be a menial worker of this hell but a god.

He wanted to become a god.

Not a lowly sinner kneeling and bowing his head, but a god!

“Step aside, sinner.”

“N-no. No…! Please, just let me pass. Just, please!”

Thus, Chrysaor hoped his daughter would seduce the god of the sea. But she failed, and the child almost met a miserable end.

Chrysaor pulled his daughter up from the sewers of hell. He wanted to empower the child who vowed revenge with reddened eyes.

We were sinners because we were weak. Our sin was merely being weaker than the gods! So Echidna, please, bring him down.

If we cannot become gods, then let’s bring down a god…!

“If you don’t move, I will obliterate you.”

…So he resolved.

Zagreus looked at the old man clinging to his feet with annoyance and shook his hand. A dark force grasped the old man’s neck. His trembling fingertips clung to Zagreus’s hem, but the dark force did not leave him alone.

“Ugh, ugh, ack…!”

The hunched old man was consumed by the force. A beast-like roar echoed from the black hole, and then a bright yellow lightning bolt struck, burning the old man. The blackened soul was swallowed whole by the black hole.

It all happened in an instant. While Zagreus brushed off the old man who was in his way and took a few steps forward…

A man who had resisted the gods for a long time and sought to become one vanished without a trace in a moment of futility.

And at that same moment.

“…There you are.”

A smile spread across Zagreus’s face. Without hesitation, he reached out toward the soul hidden in the crevice of the cave.

***

What woke her from a light sleep was a very small scorpion.

Despite its intimidating appearance with a stinger at the end of its tail, the scorpion tapping Livia’s toes appeared very small and fragile.

“…Is it newly born?”

Livia gazed down at the scorpion that had woken her, her eyes filled with curiosity. Even more intriguing was that the scorpion seemed to be observing her in return.

After a brief moment of mutual examination, the scorpion seemed to lose interest, turned around, and started to walk away. However, one of its pincers got caught in a piece of cloth between the pebbles. It struggled to free itself, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t get loose. Seeing this, Livia gently picked up the scorpion and freed its pincer.

“Be careful. You’re still young, so you shouldn’t come near humans.”

As soon as she placed the scorpion back down, it curled its tail and tapped her toes again.

Curious about its intentions, she watched as it tapped her toes, walked a short distance away, then turned back to wait for her. It was as if this clever little creature was beckoning her to follow.

‘No way, could it be?’

Thinking it couldn’t possibly be signaling her, she continued to watch. But when the scorpion returned and pinched her foot, she exclaimed, “Ouch!”

Startled, Livia saw the scorpion waving its pincers as if urging her to follow. Could a mere scorpion communicate with a human? She was puzzled, but then again, this wasn’t a situation where normal logic applied.

She glanced in the direction the scorpion wanted her to go. It led into the dark depths of the cave. She had never feared the dark, but perhaps due to the recent trials she had faced, she hesitated. Then, after another sharp pinch from the scorpion, Livia finally moved her feet.

Fine, let’s see where this goes.

Meeting a strange scorpion like this might have been some sort of sign. Whether it was a good sign or a bad one, she didn’t know….

The scorpion scurried ahead energetically, and the cave was larger than she had anticipated, requiring her to venture quite far inside. Fortunately, a faint light emanated from deeper within, so it wasn’t completely dark.

Moreover, with the small creature returning to pinch her foot whenever she hesitated, she didn’t feel alone.

As Livia moved toward the gradually brightening path, she suddenly stopped, eyes wide with surprise.

Deep within the cave, she arrived at a small spring surrounded by a cluster of tiny plants. A slanted hole in the ceiling let in a dim light that illuminated the once-dark cave. Around the spring, lush green plants thrived, creating a rather plausible ecosystem. At the very end of the cave, part of the wall had crumbled, connecting to the outside. It was the perfect hidden place to live.

Livia hesitated, then approached the spring and cautiously examined the water. It was so clear and transparent that it didn’t seem like a pool found in the desert. She dipped her hand in, finding it surprisingly cold.

‘Is it groundwater?’

After sniffing it briefly, Livia carefully scooped some water and sipped it. The water was cool and sweet. Once she was sure it wouldn’t make her sick, she drank greedily. Though she thought she could bear her thirst, once the water touched her lips, she realized how parched she had been. As the water quenched her dry body, she felt revitalized.

After drinking deeply, Livia plopped down on the spot. The presence of water brought with it a lively soundscape. Insects flitted through the grass, the wind whispered, and the footsteps of the scorpion that had led her here could be heard.

Come to think of it, did the scorpion lead her here to show her the water?

It was quite a generous gesture in return for freeing its pincer. Livia looked down at the scorpion, which had come close to her again. She tapped its back gently in thanks, and the startled scorpion stung her lightly with its sharp tail before scurrying away.

Livia chuckled softly.

Life continued in the cave after that. Livia wandered aimlessly outside, searching for something indescribable but always came up empty.

There was nothing. Nothing at all. She was truly trapped in a desert of sand.