Author's Note: Finally back after my vacations, spent an entire week in Orlando Florida in case you lot wish to know. Did not had much of a chance to write during that time. But once I returned home I began to toil at it and finally have the next segment done.
This is the Second part of the prologue still a lot more to go due to the size of the cast.
Now to answer some reviews; edboy4926: The reason why saint seiya has a strong following in Hispanic countries is due to an excellent dub work. I have pointed out that for the most part, and this is something you gringos have to accept no matter how much it irks the lot of you, English anime dubs were pretty much shit before the arrival of cowboy bebop.
This is mostly because of some dumb taboo your country had for a long time about cartoon characters should not have human traits and feelings, which brought lots of censorship. Here in Mexico we didn't have that problem because since 1964 when anime first began to be broadcast by our national networks with the introduction of Astro boy; and then during the 70's and 80's other anime series like Speed Racer, Candy Candy, Heidi and Remi which became cultural icons were aired and quickly became household names. This is due to the fact someone had the brilliant idea of dubbing anime with the help of celebrities from the Mexican radio and television scenes, which were also the same people that dubbed the classic Disney movies for spanish-speaking audiences as during that time channel 5 had the exclusive rights to broadcast any and all Disney related content in Mexico. So the monopoly over television that existed back then actually helped to the introduction of anime in my country.
So, by the time Knights of the Zodiac was released in Mexico in the early nineties, there was already a long well established and developed dubbing tradition in my country which helped a lot to its popularity. Also it didn't hurt that during that time with the privatization of the public channels 7 and 13, creating a new network called TVAzteca, it brought about a period of great competition between this fledging network and the old and venerable channel 5 under Televisa. And part of this competition came with the acquisition of a great deal of Anime to be exclusively aired on each network.
Predominantly, Saint Seiya in Azteca7 and Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z in channel 5.
bcchamorroc: Actually, Hades is more expressive and open with his emotions in the actual Saint Seiya series than what you might think. When Seiya faces Hades at last after battling his way into his inner sanctum withing the Elysian fields, he is left stunned by his gaze and comments. "The color of his eyes are so striking… I can't believe this is the gaze of Hades, the tyrant ('sovereign') who rules over the land of the dead… They are the same color as the vast depths of a lake…."
As the battles kepts going, Hades shows open outrage and contempt at the fact that mortals managed to injure his divine body, and he also begins to show a degree of worry at the thought that it might be posible for him to be slain.
There's also the secret behind his sword and the curse inflicted by it, I will not spoil it for now, you can look for it yourself if you are curious. But suffice to say, if Hades was truly incapable of showing emotions then he would have never being able to pull out such a stunt in the first place.
Okay, time to get the show rolling…
Disclaimer: I own nothing; copyrights to the different series and/or franchises that appear in this fic belong to their respectives owners.
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THIS CHAPTER IS UPLOADED ON THE 07/09/2021
Prologue
IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD
Part 2
Cornelia blinked in bewilderment, suddenly finding herself in unfamiliar surroundings. One moment she was looking up at his brother Leouch as he angrily interrogated her about the death of his mother, the Lady Marianne Vi Britannia, and in the literal blink of an eyelash she unexpectedly found herself on a different place. For a moment, Cornelia thought she might be hallucinating due to either blood loss from her injured arm or the concussion on the side of her head. Perhaps whatever it was that his brother had done to her to subsume her mind was starting to cause her unexpected side effects.
As it is, the Fuchsia-haired woman had no answer to explain her current predicament. All she could do was glance at her surroundings with complete incomprehension. She seemed to be inside a small shrine that looked Greek in origin, if the long colonnades of white marble pillars and pedestals were of any indication. The only thing she could recognize was her now wrecked Knightmare Frame lying on the floor besides her that she was leaning on for support, at least there was something familiar to her inside this place. Before she had a chance to do a more thorough examination of her immediate vicinity, a sudden cry derailed her train of thought.
"Waaaah! Waaaah!"
"It's that a baby…!?" Cornelia said outlook in befuddlement, not having expected for the presence of a toddler in this place. She began to glance around in search of the source of the cry, and pretty soon she found the small culprit.
It was a cute tiny little baby girl fuzzing inside a bassinet lying atop a pedestal, black of hair and dressed in a little lilac dress with a yellow string ribbon tied in the front. Cornelia approached the bassinet to glance down at the baby, she had to admit she could consider the little munchkin adorable, if it wasn't for the fact she was one of those filthy eleven.
"Shhh! enough of that, stop crying…" Cornelia commanded at the baby girl in an attempt to stop her wails. It had as much effectivines as one would suspect.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
Cornelia shook her head in exasperation, not knowing what to do to shut the toddler up and feeling a little faint due to the injuries inflicted on her during her battle with Lelouch. She decided to glance about the place to see if she could find something with which to silence the baby, when she discovered another peculiar sight.
It was a long violet-haired maiden, European she suspected due to her elegant features, she was lying on the floor peacefully in the middle of a circle of candles just a few columns deeper inside the shrine. Her hands clutch together atop her sternum, a collar made of dark beads placed over them. From the unnatural white palor of her skin, and taking into account the lack of breathing, Cornelia correctly discerned for the violet-haired maiden to be dead.
Taking into account the solemn mood that seemed to permeate the environment all around her, broken only by the cries of the baby, the Fuchsia-haired woman determined she must have stumbled into somekind of funerary rite. She had no idea who this violet-haired maiden might be, but as she got closer to the corpse of the girl and appraised her features better, she couldn't help but thinking how sad it is for someone so young to have her life snuffed out before she had a chance of truly enjoy her life. Just the same as it happened to her dear sister Euphemia…
She felt tears building up at the thought of her beautiful younger sister, for her to have died when all she wanted was to stop the suffering of other people and make the world a better place… Only to be sacrificed in the altar of her younger brother's quest for vengance. Truly their line is a cursed one, perhaps it would have been for Britannia to have been toppled by her enemies a long time ago, just so she could spare herself this heartache that was killing her from the inside.
As she kept entertaining such dark thoughts, she was suddenly pulled out of her gloom at the sight of the seemingly dead girl opening her eyes without warning and lifting herself into a seating position with an exclamation and a startle. "Milord Hades!" The violet-haired girl exclaimed as her eyes cleared and she began to take on her surroundings.
The eyes of the recently animated maiden zeroed on Cornelia's form as soon as she realized she wasn't alone on her immediate vicinity. "Who are you!? What is this place!?" She demanded while lowering her hands with such a cold tone of voice that even the Fuchsia-haired princess was taken aback by the sheer ruthlesness conveyed.
The spell that her brother had placed upon her mind reacted immediately, and Cornelia found herself answering the questions of the violet-haired maiden without delay, even though she didn't really wanted to give any response to such a rude behavior in the first place. "My name is Cornelia Li Brittania; second princess of the Britannian Holy Empire. As to what this place is… I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as you, for I too just found myself having been brought in here…" She replied with a complete blank expression and a apathetic tone.
"What…!?" The violet-haired maiden exclaimed confounded, her left hand griped upon the beads necklace in her lap, drawing her attention towards it and giving her a second unexpected surprise. "…!.. This is…!" She turned towards Cornelia with open distrust, as if trying to demand answers for unasked questions with her gaze alone. The Fuchsia-haired princess just gave her a bare emotionless stare, failing to recognize what the great deal was with that necklace. From her point of view it was nothing more but a simple piece of jewelry made out of beads, nothing remarkable about it.
After a long moment of scrutiny and making sure to her satisfaction that Cornelia truly didn't had any clue regarding the origins of the beaded necklace, the violet-haired maiden simply stashed the trinket within the confiness of her black dress. Cornelia simply tilted her head sideways to such odd behavior despite retaining an impassive expresion on her face.
The strange girl was about to speak again, when suddenly a cry began to echo around the place as the baby began to get irritable again.
"Waaaah! Waaaah!"
"It's that a baby!?" The black-clad maiden declared in surprise at hearing the loud wails, rising to her feet immediately with a single motion. She moved past the still apathetic Cornelia and towards the pedestal were the bassinet laid, sparing just a single moment to glance at the wrecked Knightmare Frame and wonder about what the seven hells was that contraption, before shaking her head and focusing back to her immediate objective. There she took hold of the baby girl within and began to lull her in an effort to calm her down.
"Shhh… There, there… It's okay, there's nothing to be afraid off…" The violet-haired maiden cooed as she swayed the toddler in her arms back and forth. Her efforts seemed to prove effective, for the baby girl began to babble with happy noises.
The resurrected maiden then turned towards the still listless Cornelia with a frown of disapproval. "What is wrong with you!? How can you simply stand there doing nothing when there's a clearly helpless baby in need of attention!?" She demanded with a less than pleased expression.
Cornelia simply uttered a grunt in reply. "Nhhh… It is hard for me to command my own body into action. I've recently had a disastrous confrontation with a long-lost brother that I had given for dead for a long time. He did something to my mind, that keeps me from moving on my own volition and made it so that I could only follow clear orders given to me…" She declared in a rather emotionless disposition.
Pandora just stared at Cornelia with a strange expression after hearing such explanation, not knowing what to say to that. Luckily for the Violette, she was spared from giving a response by the approaching sound of distant footsteps and a voice calling for any human presence amidst the seemingly all-encompassing solitude. "Hello! Is someone there!?" A female voice called among the pillars.
Pandora immediately reacted towards the voice, while secretly glad for having an excuse to take her attention away from Cornelia. "Who goes there!?" She entreated back towards the voice.
A palpable feeling of relief could immediately be discerned in the tone of the unknown speaker. "Oh thank goodness I finally found someone, it's been six buildings that I've searched already! I was starting to fear I was going to fail Master Hades' task and be punished severely as result." The voice commented, mostly to itself, but in the echoing oppressive silence it might as well had been the same as if shouting one's intentions to the four winds.
Unsurprisingly, Pandora was interested in that last bit of unintentionally conveyed information. "What do you know about Milord Hades? Who are you!?" She demanded forcefully, the baby in her arms becoming quite active at hearing the name of her lord, causing some trouble for the violet-haired maiden to carry her.
The unknown individual hesitated for a moment at being called out, but she recomposed herself and offered an answer. "My name is Aleria, I was brought back to life by lord Hades after my demise and recruited into his service. He gave me the task of finding a woman named Pandora and bring her back into his presence…" The newly identified Aleria declared after a pause.
"I am Pandora!" The Violette in a black dress exclaimed.
"Oh…!? Well good! In that case, Lord Hades wishes to see you…" Aleria stated a little lamely, not having given much thought to her answer in case of a positive outcome.
Pandora said nothing and just tapped a foot with a demeanor that clearly conveyed a 'No, really…?' sarcastic expression. "Step forward and reveal yourself, I will not speak to someone hiding from view!" She commanded of the concealed Aleria.
"Right, Sorry…" Aleria simply said before the sounds of her footsteps could be heard getting nearer and nearer.
"Gaaaah Ahhhh!" The baby in Pandora's arms cried, calling for the maiden's attention.
"What is the matter with you? Are you perhaps hungry or do you need a change of diaper?" Pandora asked rhetorically to the baby girl before she began to check on the toddler from all sides.
The baby shook her head sideways in a negative, which caught Pandora mightily by surprise at seeing what was basically a new-born showing such a great deal of intelligence and awareness. The baby was unmindful of the maiden's shock and gestured for her to come closer. Pandora did so despite her misgivings, it was just a baby after all, and brought her face near to the toddler. "What is it? You want to show me something?"
The baby giggled merrily, and a symbol suddenly appeared, glowing in the middle of the toddler's forehead. A symbol that Pandora recognized. "…!...This is…!?"
It was in that moment that a blonde woman in a revealing outfit appeared, walking from behind a pillar. "Oh? There you are Miss Pandora! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance… As I said, my name is Aleria and I am here under orders of Lord Hades to escort you into his presence." The now identified Aleria declared, offering a polite bow in greeting.
Pandora said nothing as she glanced at the blonde woman from the corner of her eye, taking her attention away from the baby girl and the symbol in her forehead. She surreptitiously enveloped the baby girl into her embrace to hide the symbol from view in a way that seemed natural, no need to burden the hired help with matters beyond their ken, and proceeded to address the woman in full. "Well met Aleria… If Milord Hades wishes for my presence then let us not waste any more time and head towards him at once! I assume you know the proper way to reach him promptly?" She asked not unreasonably, considering the current situation.
Aleria became a little apprehensive at the question and began to press her index fingers together, which caused Pandora's opinion of her to immediately plummet.
"Errr… Just in a broad vague sense, the buildings inside this place are quite big and labyrinthine, and I'm afraid I got lost a couple times…" The blonde stated in a less than reassuring manner, which did nothing to improve Pandora's impression of her. "But I'm sure I will be able to remember which way is the right way to go once I jog my memory a little…" She was prompt to add at seeing the violet-haired maiden's expression.
"Great… So, you're saying we are lost…" Pandora bluntly stated, cutting to the chase.
Aleria hanged her head dejectedly. "I'm sorry, please forgive me…"
Pandora gestured dismissively with a hand. "It's of no great consequence, I was just about finishing from entertaining the idea of start exploring this temple in search of any clue that might tell us where we are. Might as well have some company to make the trip less lonely…" She stated changing her hold over the baby in her arms to better carry her while moving.
The blonde woman didn't seemed particularly reassured at those words. "Right… So, if there's nothing else you require…?" She left her question open-ended trying to discern if the violet-haired maiden needed anything done.
Pandora was about to speak, when suddenly a strange musical tone began to be heard all around their surroundings and a holographic screen appeared right in the middle of the air, showing the face of a smiling plum-haired girl wearing a red ribbon on the side of her head. "Well, well… It looks as if a group of three little piggies have gotten lost, seems to me you all are going to need help to get back home before the big bad wolf finds you…" The smiling girl said in a tone that sounded mocking underneath its cheerfulness.
Pandora was immediately on guard at such sudden interruption. "Who!? Who are you!? Are you the one who brought us to this place!?" She exclaimed accusingly.
There was zero contrast on the smiling plum-haired girl's expression as she cheerfully answered Pandora's question. "I am the terrible but beautiful and all-knowing Digital Goddess from outer space, BB! Talking to you through the communication systems of this great Ark you are currently inside of… So, fear the sound of my voice since I've been currently charged by my cute kind master Hades to make sure the lot of you are able to find your way back into his dazzling presence. A good thing since it is clear none of you have any idea where to go without getting irredeemable lost in the process! Ah, Humans… Always so helpless and unable to do anything on your own without someone leading you by the hand, just like that baby you have in your arms…" The now identified BB declared in a back-handed comment as she shook her head in a way one would do to show disapproval at little children.
Pandora was rather dumbfounded at this new development, never mind the thinly-veiled insults being thrown her way by BB. "Y-YOU…! You're saying you too are under the service of my Lord Hades…!?" She asked with some confusion.
"Didn't I just already explained that to you? Or are you one of those empty headed girls that are all looks but zero brains that believe all they need to get ahead in life is their appearance? Just like that blonde bimbo besides you…" BB retorted with an outright insulting manner that got an 'Hey!' out of Aleria, even Pandora herself frowned at the blatant rudeness displayed by the plum-haired girl.
BB shook her head again in dismissal and proceeded to move on with the subject. "But oh well… What can one gorgeous Goddess from beyond the Abyss do in the face of human incompetence? It is hard to find reliable help these days after all… So, never mind your pretty little heads, and simply follow the shiny lights I will leave behind to mark your way. They will show you exactly where you need to go and ensure you make it back into my Lord's presence. You can do that much, don't you…?" She stated before the floating screen shut close and a series of lights suddenly ignited as way-markers.
Aleria turned towards Pandora with a completely lost expression. "What do we do, Miss Pandora? Do you think we should trust this BB?" She asked with obvious discomfort.
The violet-haired maiden clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Tsk… It doesn't seem as if we have much choice in the matter in the first place…" She then turned towards the still listless Cornelia, waiting patiently in her spot. "Come along Cornelia, you too should join us in our trip. I still have several questions I wish to ask you…" Pandora said before proceeding to follow the path marked by the lights.
"Yes…" It was all that the Fuchsia-haired woman said as she began to trail after the two other fellow women.
!
Back in the throne room, Hades appeared pensive as he finished listening to Cornelia's retelling of her arrival in the Noah's Ark. "I see, so you too have no idea as to how you arrived in here and were simply whisked away against your will without any knowledge in the matter… Just as I suspected from the information given to me by BB about the purpose of this place…" He said with a sweeping gesture that encompassed the throne room before motioning towards the corpse of Cornelia's sister currently being held in the arms of the fuchsia-haired beauty. "I assume the same thing must have happened to your poor dead sister…" He said with no discernable emotion in his voice, simply stating a fact.
Cornelia began to tear up again. "How horrible… Just what kind of sick monster would dare to defile the sanctity of the tomb of my dead sister and bring her cold dead body to this place…?"
Hades gave a considering stare to the distraught woman before acknowledging her words with a nod. "You are not wrong, to disturb the rest of the dead is a serious crime that goes against the laws dictated by the gods. It is forbidden for the living to interfere in the matters of the dead since that domain is exclusively under my rule and only I can decide what fate is in store for the souls of the departed. Those who try to disrupt the balance between the living and the dead are condemned to an eternity of torment…" The Lord of the dead stated with cold arrogance.
The fuchsia-haired princess seemed at a lost at the words of the Olympic god. "I- don't understand… Just who are you?"
Hades seemed amused by that question, if his posture was of any indication. "Hasn't my dear emissary Pandora already explained to you who am I…?" He inquired as he gestured towards the violet-haired maiden standing a few paces behind the lord of the dead and currently throwing a fulminant gaze upon the bewildered princess. "But considering I already know your name, it is only fitting for me to properly introduce myself in turn. I am Hades… God of the underworld and ruler of the dead…" He declared with a face devoid of all emotion.
"Wh-What!? That is not possible! The Gods are not real!" It was the immediate answer that came out of the mouth of the British Princess, which earned an immediate reaction from Pandora.
"You dare question the word of Milord Hades and deny his divinity! Such insolence deserves to be punished with your life!" The maiden in black dress exclaimed menacingly towards the fuchsia-haired woman.
"I am not surprised at your lack of faith… Just like the rest of humanity, you have forgotten about the gods that granted the gift of life to your species in the first place to the point of relegating our very existence as nothing more but myths and superstitious tales… Which has inevitably led you to sin and blaspheme against the gods…" Hades stated affably, not feeling any kind of contempt or affront towards Cornelia's skepticism. On the contrary, it seemed as if he felt sorry for her instead. "How I pity you since as a human, you are condemned to forever wander aimlessly in darkness until you are crushed by the weight of your own sins…" He declared calmly as he turned around and began to walk away from the warrior princess.
"But no matter… As they say, seeing is believing. And I will show you, my dear Cornelia why must you never doubt in the words of a god…" Hades stated as he made his way to one of the other corpses strewn around the room. A long grayish/violet-haired woman wearing a revealing caped outfit in purple tones that showed a great deal of cleavage and had strategically placed cuts on the sides of her hips and navel to expose the skin of those sections. She was lying at the feet of a large glass tube whose crystal face laid shattered and its liquid contents spilled all over the ground. Inside the broken tube, the corpse of a little blonde girl laid slumped within its confines.
"Just look at them, completely at peace, forever beyond the reach of any mundane concern; no longer would they be marred by the suffering and pain that plagues the human world. This was the peace that I tried to bring to Earth in my mercy, the peace of the grave… But we are not here to discuss what ifs… Observe…" Hades commanded, gesturing to the dead woman.
The Lord of the dead just stood there looming over the body of the purple-clad woman, and simply opened his eyes to stare at the corpse. Only for the woman to suddenly breathe again with a startle as she began to cough due to the long period of inactivity of her respiratory avenues, earning a gasp out of Cornelia at seeing such impossibility before her eyes.
":Cough: :Cough: Where am I? :Cough: Is this Al-Hazard!? Have I succeeded in my mission? :Cough: Where is Alicia!?" The woman exclaimed through obvious puzzlement, glancing all around in search of this Alicia. At taking sight of the shattered glass tube and the dead child lying within, the woman broke into cries of anguish.
"No! My baby!" The woman exclaimed in despair as she rushed into the confines of the shattered tube, uncaring of any shard of broken glass lying around and took the dead child between her arms in an anxious embrace. "No! No! (Sob) Alicia… Please, forgive me my precious daughter for having failed to save you…" She wailed in a cry as she pressed her face upon the body of her dead daughter, tears flowing freely from her eyes like rivers.
BB shook her head at the sight. "Why must all the woman you find inside this ark, dead or not, must be such crybabies Milord Hades…?" She asked out-loud in faux-innocence, completely unshaken by the pain being displayed by the distraught mother.
Hades had to agree that so much tear-shedding was not to his liking, so he was of the mind to rectify the situation. "Woman! Enough with your tears! You have been brought back into the world of the living by my benevolence, you should be showing me gratitude for having given you the chance of walking among mortals again…" The lord of the dead commanded with his godly authority, completely unfazed by the continuous weeping show. His sheer divine presence being enough to bring the sobbing of the distressed woman to a sudden halt.
"W-What!? What do you mean by that? Who are you…?" The pale-lavender haired woman asked rather frantic.
"I am Hades… God of the underworld and ruler of the dead, your lord and master. Since your body was laying peacefully in the cold embrace of death, it is by my divine mercy that you are able to draw breath again. Be grateful, lest I take the gift of life from you a second time…" He threatened, lifting a finger at the sobbing woman for emphasis.
"I… I don't understand…? You're saying I died…?" The pale lavender-haired woman said with visible confusion, bringing a hand to her head in an attempt to recall what had happened to her previous to her recent awakening. Her eyes suddenly widened in realization and she turned towards Hades with a manic fervor. "A-are you saying you have the power of bringing the dead back to life…?" She inquired with undisguised interest.
Hades simply nodded at that question. "Indeed, it is well within my authority to perform such a simple task if I so desire. As I've said… The dead are mine to command as I see fit; but with a word, whatever is that I wish to occur becomes an unquestionable law of the world…" He stated with absolute certainty, like saying the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. "But who are you to show so much interest in the domain of a god…?"
The woman crawled in her knees towards the ruler of the underworld, bringing her dead child in her arms along and prostrated herself at his feet, presenting the corpse of her daughter at the Olympian god in a fashion similar as to how a penitent supplicant would do. "My name is Presea Testarossa, Lord Hades… Please…! My-my daughter… She didn't deserved to have died so young. To have her life taken away before she had a chance to truly live and experience the world. Please… Show to her the same mercy you have shown to me and bring her back from the dead!" She implored, leaving herself completely open to the judgement of the ruler of the underworld. "I beg of you! Please! Return my daughter to me!"
"Why do you ask on your knees for the life of your daughter? I do not understand this request you are asking of me…" Hades simply replied, tilting his head at the kneeling woman in incomprehension. "Perhaps you misunderstand your current situation. Both you and your daughter died, and I as the sole ruler of the dead am entitled to do whatever is that I see fit with the two of you. Your bodies and souls belong to me already, you both are mine to judge for the actions you committed in life and determine whether you are worthy to enter into Paradise or suffer for all eternity under the weight of your sins…" The God of the dead simply stated without a hint of emotion before taking an interest in the prostrating woman.
"And I can see all the terrible things you have ever done; they are shown to me like an open book. All the pain and misery you have caused in life…" Hades declared using his divine will to peer inside Presea's mind and look at her memories. "I can see the existence of another daughter, one who wears the same face and looks as that dead child between your arms, a replacement you brought into life to substitute for your ailing offspring once you discovered she was dying of a disease you were incapable of healing by any mean. You brought so much torment to this second child of yours, so many tortures you inflicted upon her. So much hate and abuse subjected upon an innocent soul that did nothing to deserve such vitriol. All because you were incapable of moving past your loss…" The eyes of the lord of the underworld hardened as he looked down upon the pale lavender-haired woman without a single ounce of pity.
"So, why should I even deign myself into considering your request? What makes that child in your arms being so deserving of the gift of life when you've already shown to have squandered it without a second thought on regards to the existence of your second child? You are not deserving of any mercy from my part…" He said with indomitable finality, showing he had zero compassion for the tribulations of the distraught mother. His suffocating divine presence flaring for a moment and focusing upon the grieving woman.
"That failure…!" Presea exclaimed after hearing the verdict of the lord of the dead, for a moment her expression was marred with utter loathing and contempt towards this second daughter to have been mentioned, but then her composure broke and she reverted back into a sobbing mess. "You… You are completely right… I am a wicked woman. An evil person that has caused so much anguish and misery unto others, even those that share my own blood. I am not worthy of being shown any trace of compassion or mercy, I deserve only to burn in the deepest pits of hell for what I've done… But my daughter… My daughter is innocent of any sin. She never did no wrong against anyone in life, she was just a child, carefree and pure, ignorant of any evil in the world. If I am to be punished for what I've done, so be it! I care not what happens to me! But spare my daughter's life! Do not bring any harm to her due to my mistakes! Hurt me, maim me if you must! Inflict upon me whatever pain and agony you might want, defile my body and break my spirit if you wish! If I have to forfeit my own life and suffer the torments of hell for all eternity if it means my daughter will have the chance of living a long fulfilling life, then I'll pay whatever price you ask of me gladly…! I'll relinquish my body, my very soul, willingly to you… Do whatever you want with me! Just… Spare her… I am the only that deserves to be punished…"
The pale lavender-haired woman wailed as she writhed on the floor at Hades' feet. Pressing her entire body to the ground and bowing at the lord of the dead with her head touching the floor.
Hades simply stood there, listening to the heart-wrenching pleas of the distraught mother with his eyes closed, not a single reaction was shown during the entire sob story. Baby Hotaru turned towards his rightful father again in order to intercede in behalf of the distressed woman. "Bah! Aaaah!" It was all she could babble due to her lack of proper speech, but her feelings were blazing with enough intensity for Hades to pick on them clearly.
"If that is your wish, dear daughter of mine…" He whispered to the baby girl in his arms, reaching a decision before turning back to address the crying prostrating Presea, finally deigning himself to open his eyes. "Very well, mortal… I am a merciful god towards my subjects, and although you offer to me nothing that I don't already own since your body and soul are mine by right of my authority as the God of the Underworld; I suppose I cannot fault a mother trying to intercede for the life of her own child, no matter how many faults that same mother was guilty off in life… So be it, I shall grant your request, be grateful mortal and make sure from this forward to show your thanks towards the gods that in their infinite generosity have decided to grant you this charity you clearly do not deserve…" Hades declared, and as soon as he finished speaking did the dead girl in Presea's embrace suddenly drew breath again through a fit of coughs at the long inactivity of her lungs.
The expression of the pale lavender-haired woman brightened like the sun at seeing her child alive again, and she broke once more into a sobbing mess, only this time it was tears of utter joy and happiness which trailed down her cheeks instead of tears brought about by grief and despair.
"Thank you…! Thank you…! Milord Hades…! Thank you, blessed merciful God…! I will never forget this kindness you've done for me… I am yours, now and ever. I'll do whatever you ask of me without question, without hesitation… I am your willing slave for all time…" Presea declared through sobs in her gratitude, crawling towards the lord of the dead and taking hold of the hem of his dark robes by his feet. Hades again assumed a solemn semblance as he closed his eyes once more, seemingly unperturbed by the deluge of emotions happening underneath him.
The little girl, Alicia, puzzled about the happenings around her turned her little face to look at her progenitor. "Mom…?"
Presea kept crying as she let go of Hades' robes to better hug her daughter. "Yes, Alicia… Mother is here… Mother is here and it's never leaving you alone again…" She wept while embracing her daughter for all that it was worth, as if fearing she would disappear if she were to let go of her.
"Sometimes I think you are too kind for your own good my master…" BB spoke towards her silent Master, for once she didn't feel the need of making scathing comments. "But is alright, I like you just the way you are… Bleeding heart or not…"
"That's just how Milord Hades has always been, kind and generous…" It was Pandora's response to BB's comments, her eyes too remaining closed.
Hades refrained from replying and simply turned and walked away from the reunited mother/daughter duo and went to address Cornelia again. He walked past the kneeling form of Aleria who had both of her hands clasp together in praying to laud her praises towards Hades' name, again his opinion towards the blonde beauty improved somewhat, as she clearly demonstrated the proper devotion humans had to show towards the gods. If only the rest of mankind were as reverent towards their makers as her, then he would had never felt the need of eradicating their entire species and start from a clean slate all over again by conceiving a new humanity to inherit the Earth.
He got out of his musings as he reached the Fuchsia-haired princess, still lying on the ground holding the body of her sister, who stared up at him with an expression of complete awe. "So… Do you believe now in my words, Cornelia? Are you ready to accept the fact I am a true god, or would you continue to hold stubbornly to your pointless human notions and preconceptions?" He asked in an impassive tone of voice, as if he really didn't care about Cornelia's opinion one way or another.
A shiver of dread ran down the princess' spine at Hades' words, but she soldiered on and lowered her head at the incarnated god in deference. "No… I cannot deny the fact you are a god lord Hades… Not after seeing you performing such miracles with my own eyes." She declared submissively before raising her head again and daring to look at the ruler of the underworld. "But if you are a god, and this is your seat of power…? Then what is to be of my sister and me…?" She asked, hugging the body of Euphemia close to her.
"This is not my seat of power…" Hades simply replied in an aloof manner. "Yet… But I do intend of making it my own. As for your other question… You are still a living person, and therefore you are outside my jurisdiction as the ruler of the dead. Though I can't say that is enough to spare you from my wrath. I will be honest with you and tell you I am not particularly fond of humans. On the contrary, I find your entire species repulsive and unworthy of any forgiveness to the point that my sole purpose for the last thirty-five centuries has been striving to ensure the eradication of all of humanity from the face of the Earth…" He revealed in such a casual manner that Cornelia felt herself paralyzed by fear, a look of pure horror etching on her face. With the exception of Pandora, the other people in the room listening to the words of the God of the underworld were left stunned by this revelation.
Hades simply kept speaking unperturbed. "The only reason as to why I haven't deigned myself into striking you down where you stand, is because I feel pity towards you after hearing the story of your treatment under the hands of your own brother… For now, you might consider yourself safe from any retribution, but such a state of affairs might be subject to change if you were to do something foolish enough to stoke my anger. As for your sister… It would depend…" He stated without elaborating further.
"Depends…? Depends of what?" Cornelia inquired, since she was deeply invested in the fate in store for her sister.
The lord of the underworld continued with his explanation unmindful of the Fuchsia-haired woman's concerns. "As I said, my duty as king of the underworld is to impart judgement upon the souls of mortals and determine whether they are worthy of entering my elysian fields as reward for a life justly lived or condemn them to suffer in the deepest pit of Tartarus for all time as punishment for their sins in life… But before they are able to set foot inside the halls of my court they must make their way across the river Styx, to do so they must pay a toll demanded by my ferryman Charon, who is the only capable of braving those waters without capsizing and drowning in the process. I don't see your Sister has undergone the proper burial rites and had a coin placed in her mouth in order to pay Charon's fare. Therefore, she will be condemned to remain stranded to the end of days with no other option but to wander aimlessly along the shores of the Styx with only the rest of the penitent who were also incapable of paying for their own trips for company, forsaken by the rest of the world with her soul incapable of moving from such miserable existence. Even if she were to try to brave the waters of the Styx and attempt to swim to the other shore, the violent merciless current will simply engulf her and drown her before spitting her lifeless soul back to the shore where she started, just like any others who have tried such undertaking."
Hades opened his eyes and stared at the anxious Cornelia with complete uncaring expression. "But, if the current were to claim her and pull her to the very bottom instead of spitting her back, then she will be lost for all time never to be seen again. Condemned to drown for all eternity in a prison of complete darkness without anyone to intercede for her…" He finished speaking with a faintly discerned tone of malevolence.
"No! That is not true! My sister does have someone willing to intercede for her…!" Cornelia replied a little harshly, clearly unsettled by the words of the lord of the dead as tears of outrage shed down her eyes and she tightened the embrace she had over Euphemia's corpse.
"Oh…? You are talking about yourself?" Hades said, clearly realizing Cornelia's implications. "Do you have some brilliant plan to save your sister from eternal oblivion?"
The Fuchsia-haired woman kept quiet for a moment, mulling on her answer, before eventually raising a question towards the lord of the dead. "You have the power to spare my sister from such fate don't you Lord Hades…? You could easily bring her back to life just the same as that woman and her daughter if you so wished…" She stated, gesturing towards Presea and her child with a flick of her long elegant neck.
"And just what exactly makes you think that I would ever consider sparing the life of a human out of my own volition? What would I get for doing that?" Hades inquired with just the barest hint of derision.
"You said I am not one of your subjects, that I am outside of your authority due to the simple fact that I am alive? Then right there is my answer! I will willingly relinquish my life, my very soul to you and place its sole ownership upon your hands... That is the price I am willing to pay in exchange for you to spare my sister from such torment. A life for another, mine for hers…" Cornelia declared with complete conviction, locking eyes with the king of the underworld despite her inner turmoil after witnessing the powers and hearing the words of the lord of the dead, nonetheless she refused to take her gaze away from him.
Hades met her stare in kind with an emotionless one of his own, although it's true he doesn't hold any fondness towards humans, the ruler of the dead had to admit that the fuchsia-haired woman had quite the spirit. He could concede her a certain amount of respect for that…
"You wish to submit to my authority out of your own volition despite the fact you still are a living breathing person? Fuh… Intriguing… How curious it is that you human women are so quick to forsake your own lives for that of an immediate relative. I suppose even I must commend your courage…" Hades trailed off as if a long-forgotten memory had suddenly rose to the surface of his mind, but he quickly recomposed himself and continued with the conversation. "Very well mortal, you have piqued my curiosity… I will bring your sister back to life in exchange for your eternal servitude…" And no sooner than he made his decree did Cornelia's sister, Euphemia, drew breath once more. Gagging due to long organ inaction.
Cornelia's eyes overflowed with tears, seeing her dear beloved sister being alive again it's a sight she never dreamed to be possible, she would never regret having sold her soul to the king of the underworld for this miraculous moment. "T-Thank you…" She said towards the Lord of the dead, bowing her head down in servitude.
"Never forget princess Cornelia Li Britannia, both your life and your soul now belongs to the ruler of the underworld for all time…" And with those words Hades turned around and departed, leaving the sisters alone to get reacquainted, heading towards his throne.
Cornelia dared to glance at the retreating back of lord of the dead, but soon got her attention sidetracked by the more important concern that was her resurrected sister. "C-Cor… Cornelia…?"
"I'm here Euphemia, I'm here…" The Britannian princess warmly said, hugging her sister much closer as she rubbed her cheek atop the crown of her head and nuzzled her lovingly, tears flowing freely from her eyes once more as a content smile plastered on her face.
Hades slowly sat on the throne, taking firm hold of an arm while holding baby Hotaru close before plopping himself on the seat, once he was properly resting his close attendants approached him again. As always, first and foremost was Pandora, who walked to his location and placed herself besides his throne; waiting patiently to be given leave to speak. "You wish to ask something of me, my dear Pandora…?" The Lord of the dead simply said.
Pandora nodded in acquiescence. "Yes, Milord Hades. I only wish to know what are the plans of your Excellency moving forward? Do you intend to give the gift of life to the rest of the dead in this place or should I start making arrangements to dispose of the corpses? I do not wish to seem as if I am speaking out of turn by demanding an answer out of you Milord, but it is unseemly for the throne room of a God of your station to be cluttered by the bodies of the dead…" She inquired respectfully.
Hades became pensive for a moment, bringing a hand to his chin in thought, he then glanced towards BB who had also made her way to him and was waiting for his input. "BB, you told me all these dead women were brought here as offerings to my greatness?" He asked with aloofness.
"You mean as brides…?" The Plum-haired girl pointedly corrected. Hades simply shook his head, unfazed by her attitude.
"I have no intention of forcing women into an unwanted matrimony against their will, as I've already explained to you… No, after dealing with Cornelia I realized none of these women had a say on whether or not they would be brought into this place, therefore and since I'm currently lacking in manpower due to the loss of my Specters… (At that declaration Pandora had a spike of anxiousness but for a moment) I will show them leniency and give them a choice… They can have a second chance in life as my servants and attendants, or I can ease them in their transition into the afterlife…." Hades announced with conviction.
"Yeah, I don't think anyone in their right mind would chose that second option. Unless they are suicidal…" BB commented saccharinely, but as was now starting to become a custom Hades simply ignored her and pressed on.
"Regardless, I've made my decision… It is time for the ruler of the dead to retake his duties and grant an audience to his subjects…" And with that, the king of the underworld let loose of his unmeasurable Cosmo, smothering the entire floating city in his presence. Something that could be physically felt by anyone therein, whether they had the capacity to detect Cosmo or not. And in that same instant, all of the remaining dead inside the Noah's ark rose from their eternal slumber into a new life.
Hades reeled on his seat and clutched his at his chest heavily, almost toppling to a side of his throne. Baby Hotaru cried in alarm and Pandora appeared at her lord's side, grabbing hold of him and keeping him from collapsing. Rushing ahead of BB who also looked as if she were about to lunge towards the King of the underworld. "Milord Hades!" The violet-haired maiden whispered with evident concern.
The lord of the dead simply chuckled as he allowed himself to be helped back to a proper sitting position by his emissary. "It is alright Pandora, it is simply my injuries acting up… Athena's final attack did more than just slay my divine body, she also managed to pierce a hole in both my soul and spirit. It will take time for such ethereal wounds to heal…" Hades simply explained as he took great gulps of air for his breathing to normalize.
Both women simply stared at him with plain worry etched in their features, again Pandora was the first to speak. "You always have to be going to such lengths for your subjects… When will you learn to better take care of yourself Milord Hades, sometimes I worry greatly for you…" She said with just the barest hints of reproach in her voice.
A shadow of a smile appeared on Hades' lips. "That is why I have you serving at my side my dear Pandora…" He said with some humor before turning solemn once again. "In all honesty, it is not my intention to cause you undue worry… Neither of you…" He added, glancing at BB from the corner of his eye. "But a King has business he must attend to…"
BB crossed her arms under her generous bosom and pouted, not particularly pleased with that explanation. "You truly do need someone to look after you Milord Hades, I have the distinct suspicion you are one of those workaholic types that will simply keep toiling at it with their noses to the grindstone, ignoring everything happening around them until they keel over from exhaustion. You know, there is nothing attractive in a man that keeps beautiful ladies with their hearts on their mouths as they fret after his well-being. You are a selfish one master…" She declared with a harrumph as she turned to a side to specifically look away from Hades.
The ruler of the dead almost smiled at the words of the plum-haired girl, a certain look of contentment falling upon his features instead. "You are not wrong BB… Please, forgive me for my selfishness the both of you… I do appreciate the concern you two have for my welfare, though I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep inconveniencing you both further from now on since I will be relying heavily upon you two until my wounds heal…" He said affably.
BB tapped her foot as if she were considering Hades' words before dramatically releasing a long-drawn sigh. "I suppose there's no helping it then… Woe is me for having such a troublesome master... Very well then, only because it is you is asking master, BB will do her best to help your utterly hopeless self. Otherwise who knows what might happen, if I were not here to give you a hand…? Certainly, you cannot be relying on servitude like this one!" She announced, gesturing dismissively towards Pandora, who only limit herself to give the plum-haired girl a pointed look, unwilling to start an argument with her Lord in such weak condition but keeping an internal tab, nonetheless. "You better be grateful for all the things BB does for you my most selfish and demanding master…!" BB declared as she pointed a finger at the King of the underworld.
"I will make sure to do just that, BB, believe me…" Hades gracefully replied with a nod.
"Good!"
Pandora sighed once BB was done, the antics of the self-proclaimed space goddess being quite trying to her nerves, the only reason she let her get away with her disrespect was because it was pretty obvious she was truly loyal towards lord Hades and showed genuine concern for his well-being just like her.
Spying the newly resurrected people in the throne room from the corner of her eye, the violet-haired maiden turned to address her lord once more. "I suppose we should be getting ready to start receiving supplicants, it seems the firsts of your new subjects are finally coming to their senses…" She declared, gesturing towards the perplexed people getting back to their feet.
Hades simply nodded at the statement of his emissary. "It is as you say my dear Pandora… It is time for the king of the underworld to grant an audience to his subjects…" He declared, assuming a firm bearing on his seat as the two women with him wordlessly took position at his sides, ready to support him as needed.
"BB, make sure to lead any straggler outside of this room to my presence. I would like to speak with every single of the newcomers at once." Hades commented as an after-thought.
The plum-haired girl just made a brief nod to show she had heard him. "As you wish Master, I will make sure they arrive in here with most of their bits intact when feasible (read as, 'when she feels like it')" She answered in a sing-song voice that did little to hide her inner mischief.
"Just make sure they get here whole and unspoiled, no funny business whatsoever…" Hades commanded, having the suspicion he had to be specific on his orders given to BB, less the ribbon-wearing girl started getting ideas about prodding for loopholes around his authority.
"Awww! You are being no fun again Master…!"
And done! Not much to say right now, I'm updating in a hurry late at night and all that…
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