The God of Underworld-Chapter 99 - 53: The Return

The gates of the Underworld did not open with sound or grandeur.

They simply recognized the presence of their master and yielded without resistance.

The air shimmered as Hades crossed the threshold, no longer veiled in shadows or illusion.

For the first time in many years, the Lord of the Dead walked openly through his own dominion.

And on his arms, his child, born from the union of the three realms.

*

The Core Section of the Underworld was unlike the desolate outskirts where sinners wailed or souls wandered aimlessly.

Here, cities floated in the dark sky, tethered to one another by bridges of starlight and mist.

Massive fortresses and palaces constructed from black marble and stygian glass hovered in the endless twilight, their structures glowing faintly with runes of old magic.

This was where gods, divine spirits, and great souls dwelled—a divine capital for the ruler of the dead.

At the very center of it all floated the Hanging Fortress—a structure suspended by chains of pure divinity and divine law.

There resided the seat of power, the Throne of Hades, and the council halls of the twelve Underworld Patrons.

And it was there that she felt him.

Hecate, goddess of magic and crossroads, stirred from her spellwork. Her senses, sharpened by centuries of silence and sorcery, prickled with a familiar presence.

Hades had returned.

"Lord Hades... So you finally chose to return."

She looked up, and quickly, her form dissolved into a mist of starlight and shadows.

In the space of a breath, she reappeared before him, in the grand entrance of the floating fortress where no guards stood, for none were needed.

He walked slowly, draped in black robes that fluttered like smoke, his presence made the fortress walls pulse softly in recognition.

Hecate halted, her eyes widening.

"You’ve returned," she said with a soft smile. "....done with your experiments?"

Hades inclined his head, his expression unreadable, but his aura warmer than it had been in years.

Before he could speak, Hecate’s gaze fell upon his arms.

There, wrapped in a bundle of rich emerald cloth—was a child.

A female baby.

Her skin shimmered faintly with the glow of new divinity, and her dark eyes looked around the world not with fear, but with curiosity.

Her breath caught.

She stepped forward slowly, as if drawn by a spell. Her hands hovered over the child, not touching, but feeling something.

"This child..." she whispered.

A current passed through her, like the meeting of two primal rivers.

She felt Hades’ power, the unmistakable sovereignty of death, of mortality, of primordial sky.

But interwoven with it was another primal force—rich, fertile, ancient beyond memory.

The power of life, of earth, of the first mother.

Instantly, she felt an unprecedented feeling of anger and betrayal, a feeling she have rarely felt aside from when Hades would spend time with Hera or Aphrodite more than her.

Or when he would enjoy the company of Demeter and Minthe more than hers.

A completely illogical feeling.

Something she wished she wouldn’t feel because it makes her depressed.

"She bears your divinity," Hecate said slowly, awe blooming in her voice. "But there is more... Gaia."

Hades nodded. "Her name is Nekyria."

The name echoed through the air as if the Underworld itself had paused to listen.

"Born of me and Gaia."

Hecate blinked. Once again, for a brief moment, her stomach churned from a foreign feeling. Her heart beat faster, as the feeling like she was betrayed by someone she trusted the most butned intensely

She had known Hades for eons, stood beside him when he has yet to claim his throne.

If he wanted an heir, then shouldn’t he choose to have a child with someone close to him? Someone he could trust? Someone that remined loyal and accompany him for everything that he’s been through?

Of course she wasn’t talking about Hera.

Nor was she talking about that love-obsessed fool.

And definitely not that mint-sniffer.

"Why?" Hecate asked flatly. "Do you like Gaia? Let me tell you, that old hag may look motherly and gentle, but she’s a total b—, terrible person."

"Aren’t most gods?" Hades raised a brow.

Hecate has no counter to that. But once she does, oh he’s so gonna get it!

Hades looked down at the child, brushing a lock of dark hair from her cheek.

Damn him and his irrefutable logic!

Someday, she will get her revenge!

Doesn’t he know that she’s already burning with intense feeling of ’uncertain’ emotion!?

What would he feel if she choose to have a child with someone!?

...urgh. On second thought, better not.

She’s going to puke just thinking of laying with another god.

"Back to your question...no, I have no romantic feelings for Gaia if that’s what you’re asking."

Hecate studied his face carefully, and immediately felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Come on, he should’ve said that earlier!

"And this child... what is she to you?" She asked, this time, her tone of voice was much happier.

Hades met her gaze. He noticed it also, but didn’t comment on it.

"Someone... important." He answered.

A silence followed, not cold or fearful, but full of gravity. As if the Underworld itself shifted its weight in acknowledgment.

Hecate turned her eyes to Nekyria again. The infant reached toward her, fingers glowing faintly with green light.

A vine sprouted from her sleeve, coiling in the air like a serpent made of blossoms.

"She has both your calm... and Gaia’s wildness." Hecate smiled. "A flower blooming in the dark."

"Yes." Hades smiled faintly, "Truthfully, I wasn’t supposed to care this much for a mere child... But I guess, some ’people’ really changed my mind."

Hecate nodded, asking no further. "Will she be your heir?"

"Maybe. For now, I want her to see the underworld. Understand my realm. Understand my domain. Then she will walk the surface. See what the gods have done. What men have become."

She gazed again at the child. "...a child born from the union of the three realms. This child will surely be feared."

"She will be, surely." Hades answered. "But she will also be loved. That is why I brought her here first. To know what it is to be a vessel for others, not a tyrant over them."

Hecate’s gaze deepened. "You seem to want her to be a great ruler."

Hades said nothing for a moment. "Herios asked me if what he did mattered. If I was proud."

"And were you?"

Hades gave the faintest nod. "He died standing. Not for gods. Not for glory. But for his people. That is what I want Nekyria to understand."

Just then, the fortress doors opened behind them, as if responding to his words.

"Call my patrons. I will meet with them and introduce my daughter to them."

"As you wished, my lord." Hecate bowed.

A faint smirk appeared on her lips.

His subjects will now meet with the heir of their most respected king.

Hecate can already imagine the reaction of Hera and Aphrodite.

The time she spent creating a spell to record and preserve events and situations was so worth it just for that moment!

"Will you walk with me?" Hades asked Hecate.

She raised her head, and extended her hand toward Nekyria, who grasped one of her fingers tightly.

"Always." ƒreewebɳovel.com

She will follow him.

Until the end of her existence.