Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2550: Hades

-----

Although Zagreus and his sisters were so happy Hades was back, there were other matters that Hades had to take care of before having a good talk and explaining what happened. One of the members of his party had died, and he was the only last hope to revive her whatever the cost.

Her brother, Hanshuan glanced at Hades with sad eyes, desiring a last sparkle of hope for his heart which would be terrible heartbroken if the sister he had been since his birth were gone forever.

”Please Lord Hades, bring my sister back! Iʼll do anything for you, anything you say, anything you want! I will become your eternal servant if necessary… I-I can even give my own soul in exchange for hers…!” Hanshuan muttered, surprising Zagreus and the rest of his friends. ”But please bring her back… I-I canʼt… I canʼt live without my sister… Life loses meaning. Weʼve been inseparable since we were born in the wild Blazing Jungles of the Sun…”

”I see…” Hades nodded. ”I also know the pain and agony of losing a loved one. We give their existences for granted until we lost them, and then, everything we thought was normal comes crashing down. Our world changes forever, and we think we could never recover. Life loses meaning entirely.”

”L-Lord Hades…” The Sun Monkey God glanced at Hades sad, yet compassionate eyes.

He wasnʼt at all like the rumors about him said… There wasnʼt a hint of malice in his eyes, he wasnʼt a sadistic or evil underworld god either. If anything, Hades was a man that pitied all souls, and this is why he wanted to protect them within his Realm, this is why he created a world for them to live without reincarnating yet, for those that didnʼt want to leave yet, for those that felt frustrated with their lives, and didnʼt want to forget it all and start over.

”I believe that every soul deserves a second chance…” Hades said. ”Your sister, seeing how much you loved her, was definitely someone even more worthy of having another chance. She was a good girl, I assume.”

”She was…” Hanshuan cried tears of sadness, as his friends glanced the big burly Sun Monkey God on his most vulnerable state. ”She was such a good person… I was always the asshole of the two! She always resolved problems I started and would always seek for all parties to get along… S-Sheʼs… too good for this world. I always thought of that.”

”I see… So she was like that,” Hades nodded. ”She reminds me a bit of my wife. She was also that type of person. Someone that disliked conflict, that always thought that there was a way for everyone to get along. She always told me that the world had everything for everyone, that to fight for more… It was simply not the right thing to do. That if everyone could simply sit down for a moment and talk with one another, we could get along, that we could understand each other…”

”Father…” Zagreus noticed his father recalling his wife with both frustration and sorrow.

”This is why she was kidnaped by them… She tried to speak with them, she tried to create peace…” Hades muttered. ”I tried to believe her, I wanted to see if she could truly make these people understand us, so we could understand them back… But they only used her kindness, and captured her, bringing her away from me… from us. I donʼt even know what sheʼs going through right now, and I donʼt even want to imagine it.”

”Lord Hades…” Glimmerdust muttered.

”…” Sindarin remained in silence, but her face looked very sad as well.

”Hanshuan,” Hades said.

”Y-Yes?” Hanshuan asked.

”Your sister… I could probably bring her back, but she might not be the same as before,” Hades explained. ”She will become an Undead Goddess. I cannot revive gods into fully living beings… Perhaps if Flora, the Supreme Goddess of Life was with me, it could be possible, but sheʼs gone from this World.”

”I-Itʼs fine…” Hanshuan muttered. ”As long as sheʼs-”

”But thereʼs a way to do something,” Hades said. ”To fully revive her through a special technique.”

”W-Which technique?!” Hanshuan asked in surprise.

”Youʼre two siblings, twins, right? You see, twins have a special connection with each other, since birth,” Hades explained. ”It could be possible for the two of you to do a Life Exchange Ritual, where you will exchange your Living State with your sisterʼs Undead State.”

”T-Thatʼs possible?!” Hanshuan asked in disbelief.

”Wait, father, canʼt we do it with another living being? Perhaps a divine beast instead?” Zagreus asked.

”No, it wouldnʼt work like that, and his sister would risk having her soul shattered if we tried,” explained Hades. ”It is not recommendable at all without an actual twin, another half of that person. Well, of course, youʼre not obligated, this was just a suggestion, but-”

”Iʼll do it!” Hanshuan said. ”Of course! I donʼt want her to become an Undead, I donʼt want her to suffer being someone that cannot longer taste food, or enjoy being alive, her emotions… All those things that get dulled once someone becomes an Undead… I cannot let her go through that.”

”…”

”…”

”…”

The other Undead Gods around looked down, but didnʼt protest, Hanshuan was right, once they became Undead, many of the things they enjoyed as the living, such as food, emotions, and even love felt dulled out, colder, and very hard to grasp.

”I see…” Hades nodded.

”Father, are you an Undead?” Zagreus wondered. ”Because you…”

”I am not quite an Undead,” explained Hades. ”The powerful Phylactery Formation allowed me to revive fully mostly because my Divinity as become one with my Soul and Body, technically, I am the Embodiment of Death and Phantasmal Souls. And technically, I am both alive and also I am death.”

”…Confusing,” Zagreus muttered, scratching his head, his sisters did the same thing, confused as well.

”More importantly, letʼs bring your sister to the ritual circle I will prepare,” Hades said. ”Hanshuan, follow me. Everyone else should come and help if possible.”

”Y-Yes!”

-----