Chapter 3: The Broken Promise

Another member of the group nodded in agreement. "You're right. We can't afford to underestimate him. Even if he's under the curse of Gaia and doesn't remember anything, that doesn't erase the fact that he's dangerous."

The door in the back opened. Hermes and Enchantress entered the command room.

"Is everything prepared?" Hermes asked, looking at Raven through the mirror.

"Everything's in place. We can begin at any time."

"Good." Hermes smiled. "Although we can't hear his screams this time, the scene should be fun. Make sure his soul is completely destroyed so he's weakened in the next life as well."

"Don't worry. It's not our first time. We hate him just as much as you do." The old man in the lead opened a small box, revealing a black crystal inside.

He carefully picked up the small black crystal, as if it was the most dangerous thing in this place.

Taking a deep breath, the old man chanted in an unknown language, surrounding the crystal with a golden glow. The energy within the crystal began to pulsate, resonating with a powerful aura.

"It's prepared," he declared. "Once you place it in its rightful place, within five minutes, it'll begin."

Hermes reached out his hand, carefully taking the small crystal. With the crystal in his hand, he stepped on the air, with each step, getting closer to the ceiling.

In the ceiling, there was a lightning bolt carving, revealing the Thunder of Zeus, the creator of the Sky Fortress. In the center of the lightning bolt, a small crevice was visible, the same size as that of the crystal.

Hermes placed the black crystal into the carved crevice, perfectly fitting it into its rightful place. As soon as the crystal made contact with the carving, a surge of electricity coursed through the air, crackling with immense power.

After placing the crystal in its rightful place, he landed back on the ground, his eyes filled with eagerness. He had waited for a long time for this moment.

"Only five more minutes now."

No matter how many times they killed Raven, the anger in his heart wasn't satiated. Every time he killed Raven, he looked forward to the next life of the boy.

"He is..." Hermes looked through the glass, looking forward to seeing Raven's distressed expression. However, to his surprise, he noticed a faint smile on the boy's lips who was looking directly at him.

The others were also surprised at the scene. For some reason, it sent shivers down their spines, for it was a smile that seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

"Wait, why does he have a shadow?"

Enchantress was the first to notice Raven's shadow. The entire sealed hall was filled with light, so it would've been impossible for there to be any shadows.

Once she mentioned it, the others also noticed it. Their expressions turned dark. They all had a feeling that something was wrong, and their fears had come true.

Right in front of their eyes, Raven's shadow started moving, as if coming out of the ground and taking a humanoid form.

"He is..." Seeing the real face of the person hiding in the shadow, Enchantress' expressions turned dark. She rushed out of the room. She had to stop everything before it was too late!

Hermes, on the other hand, kept staring at the silver haired man who had appeared from the shadows.

"How can he enter the fortress? Unless he was always... But then his purpose..." Hermes' face went dark, noticing the silver haired man going down on one knee before Raven.

"It took some time, but I found it." The silver haired man told Raven, reached out his hands, revealing a pitch black earring. "I have retrieved the first of your belongings, My Lord."

As he finished speaking, the silver haired man grabbed the shackles that were keeping Raven tied to the chair.

Seeing the Earring in the silver haired man's hands, Hermes was also shocked.

He also ran out of the room, trying to stop them before it was too late. He hadn't forgotten the origin of that earring. It was something that belonged to Raven in his first life after all. It was one of the few things he was wearing when he had destroyed half of the gods.

Only after Gaia sacrificed her life, she was able to curse Raven successfully. But even then, she knew that the curse wasn't perfect. She used the life essence of the entire Heaven to strengthen the curse, but that was the limit of it.

Even as Raven's body was destroyed with the curse, his things were left behind, as the curse only affected him.

Even in her last breath, Gaia had made the surviving gods promise her two things.

First was that they were never to allow the boy to turn eighteen years old, in any reincarnation. That's why, in his previous lives, Raven always lived a life of misery, never seeing his eighteenth birthday.

And the second promise, it was that they could never let the boy regain the things that he left behind. That's why, all his things were shared amongst the gods and kept secure. And one such thing was kept in the Sky Fortress that was said to be one of the safest places.

But at this moment, that item was merely inches away from Raven.

....

The silver haired man grabbed the shackles that had tied Raven to the chair. He destroyed the shackles with brute strength, freeing Raven.

Raven stood up, each movement still accompanied by pain.

He reached out his hand towards the silver haired man. His eyes conveying his meaning.

The silver haired man placed the black earring in Raven's hands.

Raven gazed at the earring. Although it was his first time seeing it as far as he could remember, it felt very familiar. He raised his hand, bringing the earring close to his left ear.

The silver haired man silently stepped back. "After so long, this time I haven't failed My Lord. It's time to unlock your true potential."

Raven took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and forcefully inserted the earring into his earlobe, which started bleeding as he forced his way.

The door of the Hall opened, Enchantress stepping inside. However, she was too late. The moment she stepped inside the hall, Raven clasped the earring in place, a surge of energy coursed through his body.