Nine years later...
Adonis, only thirteen years old, walked through the silent halls of his home. Curiosity led him to his father's office, where a newspaper spread across the desk caught his attention. The headline read: "Findings in Greece may reveal traces of a forgotten civilization." It mentioned an investigation near the ancient territory of Athens — now reduced to ruins and legend.
The young boy's heart pounded with excitement. Overwhelmed by curiosity, he didn't think twice before boarding a plane bound for Greece.
"Well, here I am... what could possibly go wrong, right?" he said with a grin as he stepped off the plane in Athens. Checking the newspaper again, he confirmed that the excavation site was near the National Archaeological Museum.
"Perfect. I'm closer than I thought."
As he walked through the streets of Athens, a stranger approached him.
"Hey, kid, why are you alone? Are you lost?"
The man's tone made Adonis instinctively step back, a sharp fear igniting inside him. Without saying a word, he ran and jumped into the first taxi he could find.
"What a scare... Makes sense though. What's a kid like me doing alone in a foreign country? How foolish of me," he muttered.
"Alright, little one, we're here. That'll be ten Cenith," said the taxi driver.
"Thank you," replied Adonis, stepping out in front of one of the most luxurious hotels in Greece.
At the reception desk, the staff eyed him skeptically because of his age.
"Good morning, young man. To stay here, you must be of legal age... or accompanied by your parents."
Adonis smiled confidently.
"No problem. My father already made the online reservation — it's under the name Valerius Delacroix."
At that name, the receptionist straightened immediately, surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Mr. Delacroix? Oh... of course! My apologies, you should have said so sooner. Your father is one of our VIP clients. Here you go: suite number 1, 35th floor. Enjoy your stay."
"Hahaha! Good thing I made the reservation under his name. I just hope he doesn't find out... He's in Egypt anyway. Doubt he'll notice," Adonis said proudly as he admired the breathtaking view from the window.
The next morning, at dawn, Adonis set out toward the museum, following the directions on the map. However, soon he found himself surrounded by trees, with no sign of the building.
"Where am I...? This doesn't look right. I think I'm lost!" he murmured in frustration.
Before him stood a rusted sign:
"No trespassing. Private property for sale. Estate runs from mountain to mountain."
The land was vast... and mysterious. Without hesitation, he crossed.
He pushed through the undergrowth until his foot slipped — and he tumbled down a steep slope.
"Damn it...!" he gasped, standing up with scraped legs and torn clothes. Before him stretched ancient ruins, covered in centuries of dust and silence.
"Where am I...? This place... feels familiar," he said, though he didn't know why.
As he explored, he found twelve crumbling structures. In one of them, an inscription in ancient Greek still resisted time. Adonis, who had studied classical languages out of curiosity, managed to decipher fragments:
I was the last Guardian of the Ra***.**
Not a Lu*******, but a witness to its flame. I saw their bodies fall, I saw their names fade away. Not by defeat, but by choice.
The Thr** of the Ra*** Pri******* was not taken, it was silenced. We sealed these chambers so the gds could not profne what was born here: Fre*m.
The Twelve raised their cosmos to protect a humanity that still did not understand its worth. And by doing so... they awakened the hatred of the skies.
Know this, you who read this, that its fire did not die. It sleeps. It waits. It breathes beneath the broken stones.
And when one with a soul unchained, a gaze without fear, and a will without destiny touches these ruins... The Ra***** will be reborn.
— Last inscription of the Watcher of the Aurora
"What does all this mean...? This gives me chills," murmured Adonis.
He continued exploring until he reached the final chamber — and discovered a hidden one beyond it. Falling through a concealed crack, he found himself face to face with seven shattered armors, cloaked in dust.
"What is this...?" he whispered, touching them. The pieces trembled faintly at his touch, resonating with his very essence.
"I don't know what that was... but if I sell them, I'll be rich!" he laughed loudly. "I'll be the youngest archaeologist in history to make a discovery like this!"
He hid the armors among the debris and went on exploring. As he descended into the fourth chamber, a small glimmer caught his eye. Brushing away the dust, he uncovered an ancient symbol — the sign of Cancer.
At that instant, the ground cracked beneath his feet. The earth split open. The world fell — and Adonis fell with it.
Not into emptiness... but into a place where time did not exist.
He awoke upon a meadow of flowers glowing with their own light. A silver river stretched across the horizon, and the sky was not blue, but golden — streaked with living constellations. There was no pain, no cold, no fear. Only a whisper upon his skin: absolute calm.
Before him, beneath a dome of black crystal, a man slept. His dark hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his body rested upon a throne carved from lunar stone. He did not breathe — yet he was not dead.
When his eyes opened, Adonis felt as though the universe itself folded inward for an instant.
"You should not be here," said the voice — soft but firm, like the echo of a forgotten dream.
Adonis couldn't answer at first. His voice refused to come out. Every part of his being screamed that the figure before him was no human.
"I don't know why I'm here either," he finally replied.
The man rose slowly. There was no anger in his eyes — only a bottomless weariness.
"You are alive. And you crossed the threshold without permission... That means I have not yet fully recovered. The very fact that you are here means I am still weak."
"Well then... where am I, exactly?" Adonis asked, steadying himself.
"Little human, you stand in the resting place of the great heroes — and the just souls of ages past," the being said with a faint yawn.
Then a tremor shook the ground. Both looked around in confusion.
"Hey, is that... normal? Does this happen often?" Adonis asked, startled.
The man studied him for a long moment before replying.
"No. It's the first time in centuries... No — the first time since this realm was created that it has trembled," he said, glancing up at the sky.
"Oh, I see... then it's not this place that's shaking — it's the Underworld itself," the man murmured, now staring at Adonis with curiosity.
"The... Underworld?" Adonis shouted. "Wait — you mean the Underworld?! Look at me! I'm still young, handsome, and very much alive! I can't be dead!"
"Did you not hear me? I said you're a living being who crossed the threshold! You must learn to listen, little one," the man said, half amused, half exasperated.
"Alright then... why am I here?" Adonis asked, his heart pounding.
The man — no, the being — observed him in silence, then walked toward a column of blackened crystal.
"Curious..." he murmured.
"What is it?" Adonis asked.
"Since your arrival... the flow of the Underworld has changed," he said softly. "I don't yet know why, but one thing is clear: your mere presence is strengthening this realm."
"Changing because of me?"
The being looked up at the golden sky. The constellations pulsed more brightly; the silver river flowed faster; the once-dim flowers now glowed with renewed energy.
"Yes. Your presence accelerates the restoration process. And that should not be possible."
"What does that mean?" Adonis asked, uneasy.
"It means your soul resonates with this dimension — as if it had once been part of it, or carries a fragment of something forgotten. This realm was dying slowly... yet since you arrived, its essence has begun to beat again."
Adonis stayed silent, confused.
"And why would I benefit the Underworld? That makes no sense," he muttered.
"You don't need to understand. Not yet. But something within you is stirring ancient forces... and I'm not the only one who will begin to notice."
Silence settled between them. Then, gathering his courage, Adonis spoke again.
"Sorry, I've been rude. My father would scold me for that. I'm Adonis... and you — who, or what, are you really?"
The man looked at him with solemn calm. His eyes were deep, endless wells, and when he spoke again, his voice changed — resonating with ancient authority.
"My name...?" He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a silver shadow crossed his iris.
"I am the one who reigns where sunlight never reaches. I am the keeper of souls when the body breaks. I am the crown of the dead... and the guardian of eternity."
He stepped forward. The flowers at his feet withered instantly.
"I am Hades... god of the Underworld."
A chill ran through Adonis's soul. His knees trembled — not from fear, but from the weight of the truth.
"Hades... the god of Greek mythology," he whispered.
The god nodded solemnly, as if acknowledging a burden rather than a title.
"But I am not who I once was. Not yet. I am rebuilding myself... just as the world is."
Adonis drew a deep breath. A thousand questions crowded his mind, but one rose above them all.
"So... you were part of those mythological wars? The ones that supposedly happened centuries ago — the Holy Wars?"
"So humans call them," Hades said with a weary sigh. "Ancient battles that bled both heaven and earth. Gods fighting gods. Humans dying for causes they barely understood."
He walked toward the river of silver light and gestured for Adonis to follow.
"They call them 'Holy Wars'... but there was no holiness in them," he said, eyes fixed on the horizon. "Only fire, death... and betrayal."
"Who were you fighting against?"
"Against those who claimed to protect humanity. Against those who swore eternal love... even as they cast us into the abyss. It was Apollo and Athena whom I fought. Their warriors, for reasons I still don't fully comprehend, chose to defend what other gods despised."
"They fought for you. But nothing is ever as legends tell. There are no good or evil gods — only ideals that clash and destroy one another."
"And you...?"
"I was their adversary. Time and again. Because to me, balance mattered more than compassion."
Adonis frowned. "So... are you a villain?"
Hades smiled faintly — a sad smile, devoid of pride.
"No. But neither am I a hero. In those days, we fought for concepts mortals cannot grasp... and that even we forgot over time. It was in the last of those wars, when the sky bled and the earth trembled, that my soul was divided."
"Divided? And now you're... rebuilding yourself?"
"I am — with what remains. The Elysian Fields, and this fragment of my soul. The rest is sealed within Tartarus," Hades explained. "One part of me guards that seal. Another was defeated by Apollo and Athena. What remains... is here, restoring itself."
Another tremor shook the realm, stronger this time. Cracks began to spread across the golden sky. Hades closed his eyes briefly.
"Our time is ending."
"What? Already? But I still have so many questions—"
"And I, many answers. But not today."
He extended his hand, and a sphere of violet mist formed in his palm.
"I will open a portal to return you to where you came from."
"Will I see you again?"
"That depends on you."
"Then promise me."
"Return in two moons," Hades said, his voice deepening, "and I will be awake once more to receive you."
"Here?"
"Here," confirmed Hades. "Because by then... the Underworld will need you — and you will need answers."
Adonis nodded. For the first time, Hades spoke his name aloud.
"Adonis... child of no destiny... we shall meet again."
The god of the Underworld raised his hand. A circle of black light opened beneath Adonis's feet, and before he could say another word, he was enveloped by the mist — while Hades's voice echoed softly as it faded away:
"Do not let the world tell you who you are. Discover it yourself... and then you will see why the heavens tremble when you breathe."
As Hades's eyes began to close once more, a fleeting thought crossed his mind.
"Ah... I remember now. I know who you are," he murmured — and fell back into a long, deep slumber.