Scene One: Warning on the Wind
Storm clouds gathered above the forest where Megumi, Nyx, and Medusa had taken shelter. The sky churned as if Olympus itself were holding its breath.
Leonidas approached Megumi, his cloak still soaked with sweat and dirt from training Nyx. His face was grim—older than before. Worn.
"We need to talk," the old warrior said, pulling Megumi aside near the edge of a crumbling cliff.
Megumi stood silently, sensing the change in the air.
"They've done it," Leonidas said. "The fools actually did it. Zeus and Poseidon went into Tartarus. And they've released him."
"…Cronos," Megumi muttered.
Leonidas nodded. "The King of the Titans walks again. The gods wouldn't have risked this unless they believed you were their end. Which means this war isn't coming anymore—it's here."
The words settled like lead in Megumi's chest. The wind grew colder. Somewhere far off, a mountain split with a low rumble.
He looked at Leonidas, golden irises dimly glowing. "Then I need to finish awakening. I need the Fallen King's power. All of it. Or every one of us will die."
"But your body can't hold it yet," Leonidas said quickly. "You've seen what happens when you lose control—what it costs you."
A voice cut in from behind them.
"Then maybe it's not your body that needs to change," Nyx said, stepping forward, eyes sharp with sudden clarity. "Maybe it's your soul."
Megumi turned to her.
She walked up to them, arms crossed but gaze steady. "If your mortal shell isn't strong enough to hold divine power… then abandon it."
Leonidas raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"
Nyx looked directly at Megumi.
"Jump into the River Styx."
A beat of silence.
Leonidas scowled. "That river eats men alive. Only one soul has ever survived its flames and walked away immortal."
"Hercules," Megumi said.
Nyx nodded. "And if you survive it… you'll have the strength to carry your true power. The Fallen King's power. You'll be unstoppable."
Leonidas stepped forward, voice firm. "You don't just survive the Styx. You must choose something—a single part of yourself—to anchor your soul. If you fail, you'll burn forever. Screaming. Trapped in that river until the stars die."
Megumi stared off toward the horizon.
Then clenched his fist.
"I've already lost everything. My wife. My child. My name." He looked back at them. "I won't lose this war. I'll jump. And I'll survive."
Leonidas closed his eyes.
"Then prepare yourself."
Scene Two: A Soul on Fire
That night, they set out under cloak and silence, following secret paths Leonidas knew from wars older than memory. The ground cracked beneath their feet the closer they got to the edge of the underworld.
In the distance, Tartarus thundered.
But ahead lay the River Styx—black and steaming, flowing like molten shadow through a canyon carved from bone.
Megumi stepped toward the edge, stripped to his core—physically and spiritually.
Nyx looked at him. "What will you hold onto?"
Megumi answered without hesitation.
"Their names. Ava. My daughter. They're the reason I fight. They're the fire that never dies."
Leonidas nodded once.
"Then jump."
And Megumi leapt.
The flames of the Styx rose to meet him like the jaws of a god. Screams echoed across the canyon walls—not his, but those of every soul who had tried and failed.
Megumi's body began to burn.
But his soul—
—blazed.