Chapter 70. Reforged Pandora
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"You will die."
Sitting in a wheelchair, Hephaestus spoke with a tone so indifferent it was as if she was stating a simple fact. No, she was indeed stating a fact.
"That's why I'm here," Cyd raised his left wrist, where twelve crystals resonated with a soft glow. They awaited the final god's power.
"Even if you receive the final blessing, it won't help. You have no idea what you're going to face," Hephaestus's fingers dug into the metal armrest. "That place is..."
"Tartarus," Cyd chuckled. "It doesn't sound like a pleasant place. It's said that many Titans and the former king of the gods, Cronus, are imprisoned there."
"It's not just a rumor; they are indeed there," Hephaestus clenched her fists. "Zeus didn't kill them; he imprisoned them!"
"Oh, so that's why I need to save the world," Cyd clapped his hands, feigning lightheartedness. "As long as I kill them all, the world won't return to chaos."
"Are you insane?"
"I wish I were, but unfortunately, I'm terrifyingly lucid right now," Cyd moved in front of Hephaestus and raised his left hand. "As you said, sometimes blessings are like curses."
"You can refuse," Hephaestus closed her eyes. "In this world, I'm the only one who can influence you. Just consider the old man's words as nonsense."
"I can't. I am... a hero," Cyd smiled bitterly. "I want to protect this world that has you all in it."
"They won't come out, ever!"
"But they can be released, can't they?"
"You were so close to achieving the life you wanted!" Hephaestus wheeled herself past Cyd. "You never wanted to be a hero. Why pretend now?"
"What are you going to do?" Cyd turned to watch Hephaestus open the forge room door.
"I'm going to forge a weapon," Hephaestus glared at Cyd. "A weapon to kill the former king of the gods! Just like I forged that curse that sent you to your death!"
"I never gave you anything," Cyd rummaged through his bag.
"Staying here and forging for a thousand years would be enough," Hephaestus rolled her eyes.
"Well, I can give you this," Cyd smiled as he pulled out a golden apple inscribed with "To the Fairest Goddess."
"You're joking, right?" Even though she had her back to Cyd, Hephaestus instinctively lowered her head. "You don't need to lie for a blessing. I'll keep my promise."
"I'm not lying. I will give this apple to the goddess I find most beautiful," Cyd chuckled, placing the apple on Hephaestus's lap and embracing her, resting his chin on her head. "What you forged is not a curse!"
"I've never met anyone as foolish as you, willing to die for an impossible cause," Hephaestus carefully cradled the golden apple.
"I won't die because of the blessing you forged for me," Cyd clenched his fist.
"Ah, I understand," Hephaestus sighed, pushing Cyd's hand away. "I won't let you die."
With that, Hephaestus wheeled herself into the forge room, and the massive door began to close.
"Yes, I believe in you," Cyd smiled as he watched Hephaestus through the closing door. "Believe in me too."
"Boom--"
The heavy door shut. Cyd shook his head and sat by a pillar. In that final moment, Hephaestus had turned around. The light in her flame-scorched red eyes was dim, like a flickering candle.
This time, I might really die...
Cyd leaned against the pillar.
Athena's wisdom was screaming that going to Tartarus was a mistake. With Zeus's blessing, there was no need for this suicide mission.
Pointless...
It was so close to the end...
"But I still want to play the hero one last time, even if it's just once," Cyd slowly closed his eyes. "I want to protect this world that has you all in it."
Even if it means I might die.
"Humans... truly are incomprehensible beings."
Hephaestus, cradling the golden apple, stared at the boiling lava.
"So fragile yet always doing things that make others worry," she smiled, recalling Cyd's bold words, though a tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the apple. "He really is an idiot, doing this for something that might never happen."
She could still feel Cyd's heartbeat, his warmth lingering on her shoulders and back. It was strange, considering she was next to a pool of lava.
Maybe it's because... it was the first time I've ever been hugged...
Despised by her birth mother, coldly regarded by her peers, betrayed by her "wife," nothing good had ever happened in her life.
"I shouldn't have forged that bracelet for you," Hephaestus carefully placed the golden apple into the lava.
"But I'm glad I could forge a blessing for you."
I'm glad I met you.
The golden apple didn't burn in the intense heat but slowly sank, its soft glow undiminished.
Chunks of divine iron floated from the corners, melting into the lava at Hephaestus's command.
"I will ensure you live."
Hephaestus collapsed from her wheelchair, now mere steps from the searing lava.
"No matter the cost!"
She took a deep breath and extended her hands towards the lava.
Pain!
Excruciating pain!
It was as if the lava was burning her to prove that even the god of fire could be hurt. Red markings spread along her arms.
"So this is where the markings come from," Hephaestus laughed, seeing the same patterns on her arms as those on her face. "This is such a small price to pay."
She then plunged her other hand into the lava.
The molten divine iron gathered around the golden apple under her guidance.
She was creating a weapon, one surpassing everything in this world, to give Cyd hope and bring despair to his enemies.
Its name——— "Reforged Pandora."
"Clang———"
The door burst open, and a black box gently landed in front of Cyd.
"Hero of Pure White," Hephaestus called from inside, raising her hands. "Go save this world! And..."
"Come back alive."
"Wait! Your hands!" Cyd's eyes widened as he rushed past the black box towards the forge, but the door closed just before he reached it.
"Hephaestus!"
"It's alright..."
Hephaestus's voice echoed through the door.
"Take the 'Reforged Pandora' I made for you and return alive with its hope."
"Or I'll curse you."
The final crystal on Cyd's left wrist lit up, and thirteen lights resonated in a blinding flash. The "Reforged Pandora" behind him quivered, revealing a line of fine script in its center.
[Dedicated to my beloved.]
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A/N:
From 3 extra chapters to 14 extra ones! If you want to read 20 extra chapters (the remaining 6 chapters are coming), just choose the $5 tier on my Patreon: patreon.com/kurato6180.