Blind in the underworld

Promise accepted the test.

In fact, no matter what kind of trial the goddess Demeter gives him now, he would choose to accept it.

However, his vision and hearing were not sealed at this time because Demeter did not have such ability.

And someone was needed to take them to the underworld to undergo this trial.

Therefore...

"Beautiful goddess, we meet again."

When he saw the goddess, with her face still veiled, long black hair as beautiful as the night and beautiful red eyes, coming from the underworld to the temple of Demeter, Promise couldn't help laughing and said.

Hecate, the goddess of roads, who helped him go to the underworld a few days ago, was also the first goddess who had expressed her blatant disdain towards Promise so far.

Her appearance and involvement in this matter were actually a destined part of fate.

Because in mythology, Hecate is actually the patron of Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld.

In the original myth, when Persephone was abducted to the underworld by Hades, and Demeter was searching for her and crying in the human world, it was Hecate who came to see her and told Demeter that Persephone had gone to the underworld.

It was also she who later helped Persephone return to Demeter.

Hecate ignored Promise.

Instead, she walked straight to Demeter and asked, "Honorable Goddess Demeter, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Goddess Hecate, I would like to ask you to help me take this child and my daughter to the underworld and help me with the next trial," Demeter replied.

Hearing this, Hecate agreed readily and nodded, "Of course, no problem. It is my honour to be able to help you, the noble one. So... is it now?"

As she spoke, Hecate looked towards Persephone.

She never intended to even look at Promise from beginning to end.

Demeter did not answer immediately, but after looking at Promise, she replied to Hecate:

"As long as the child nods, we can start. And Hecate, I will trouble you to help me seal this child's hearing and vision when the time comes."

Hearing this, Hecate, who had frowned slightly, finally glanced at Promise.

Then she nodded to show that she understood.

"Then, kid, when do you think we should start?" Seeing this, Demeter asked Promise with a smile.

She was not in a hurry, but she naturally felt that the sooner, the better.

Because Demeter was just waiting for her daughter to take action, end it all, and get the artifact, the invisibility helmet.

Persephone on the side lowered her head.

She actually roughly understood her mother's thoughts, but she did not choose to stop her because, in this way, Promise would no longer be involved in this matter.

Soon, all eyes were focused on Promise again.

After thinking for a while, the boy looked up at Demeter and said, "Goddess Demeter, could you please wait for me for a while? It will be quick, right away."

After Demeter nodded, Promise ran out of the temple.

Demeter and Persephone saw this and followed.

Although Hecate had no interest, she had no choice but to follow them when she saw them all leave.

They followed Promise out of the courtyard, where it was spring all year round, and came to the gate of the temple.

The giant lion, the hundred-eyed giant and the Pegasus, who had been put to sleep by Promise's ink-colored shepherd's flute, had naturally woken up long ago.

They were even communicating in a way that Promise couldn't understand, and they seemed very harmonious.

Promise called back the Pegasus and took out something from the luggage it was carrying.

When the goddesses who followed out found out what he took out, they were all slightly surprised.

It was a golden lyre... yes, it was the lyre that Apollo, the god of light, entrusted him to give to his son.

Promise held the lyre and looked at Persephone.

"Goddess Persephone, before I go to the underworld for my trial, I need you to promise me something... No, I need you to promise me a vow!"

Seeing his unusually serious expression at this moment, Persephone was stunned for a moment before asking, "What oath?"

"After entering the underworld, when my hearing and vision are sealed, I will play the lyre in my hand. During this whole time, goddess Persephone, you must not interrupt my playing in any way.

And before the music stops,

Goddess Persephone, you cannot stop this trial!"

When he spoke these words,

At the Olympian gods.

"Yes," the Fate Goddess Clotho softly said, "In all the futures I have seen, thousands, tens of thousands of futures, until the end of life, he has never once stopped the lyre in his hands."

Hearing this, the gods fell silent, even Athena at this moment.

Then...

"Apollo!" Hera looked at the extremely flustered Apollo with extreme anger, and the Moon Goddess Artemis glared at him as well.

"Look at the mess you've made!"

"But, wait, I never thought things would turn out this way!" Apollo replied in a panic.

But the gods no longer had the heart to argue with him.

"Stay away from little Promise, you!" Moon Goddess Artemis angrily left this remark, then said no more.

Because at this moment, the goddess Persephone had already agreed with Promise.

And made a vow.

After all, the interruption of the lyre's sound is such a simple condition, even a mere stumble could interrupt the sound.

Promise considered this, which was why he decided to borrow the divine artifact, the seven-string lyre, so that even if he fell, it would not break.

Demeter even laughed upon hearing Promise propose this condition, finding his serious look quite cute.

Only the goddess Hecate, standing aside, seemed to sense something, her veiled red eyes slightly gazing at Promise for a while.

And upon hearing Persephone make the trial vow, Promise, who also smiled, then looked towards Hecate and said, "Beautiful goddess, please take care of it."

Hecate rarely fell silent for a short while, and under her veil, she seemed about to say something, but ultimately gave up.

She took out a staff from the air, tapping it lightly on the ground, and immediately a magic circle appeared.

The underworld butterflies fluttering from it enveloped both Promise and Persephone.

Thus, when the blindfolded Promise and Persephone reopened their eyes, they had already arrived at the underworld path in the Underworld.

Hecate first handed the lit underworld lamp to Persephone, then walked up to Promise, gently touching his ears and eyes.

Promise then lost his hearing and sight.

Then Hecate and Persephone saw that even under such circumstances, the boy was still calm and was even revealing a slight smile, slowly playing the seven-string lyre.

When the sound of the lyre arose, it even brushed over Persephone, who had just arrived in the Underworld for the first time, gazing at this eternally dark land of the dead, her brow furrowed and afraid.

Surprised by the recovery, Persephone seemed shocked by the beauty of the music played by Promise.

After all, even if it could not make trees and stones weep and rejoice, Promise's skill had once conquered the Moon Goddess Artemis.

After that, Hecate left.

Although she departed, her gaze obviously lingered there.

Not just her, but when Promise came here, even the Underworld King Hades, the Night Goddess Nyx, and many underworld gods curiously looked over.

After all, when Promise entered the Underworld, officially beginning this trial, how could the gaze of Athena, Hera, and others possibly be hidden from the gods of the Underworld?

Sensing this, the Night Goddess Nyx naturally recalled that night when Promise used his own body as a canvas.

That night, the gods similarly turned their eyes towards him.

Thus, although she did not understand what was happening, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "This child, really knows how to stir up excitement."

Promise did not make Persephone and the watching gods wait too long.

With the beautifully played lyre in his hands, he soon took his own steps.

Persephone, holding the underworld lamp, quickly followed.

At this time, Promise could not hear or see, in that absolutely silent dark world, he needed to maintain the beauty of the lyre's sound, and ,step by step, move forward.

Then, unsurprisingly, he soon fell down.

Although the path to the Underworld guarded by the three-headed dog of hell does not have the saying that falling down will lead to an abyss, it was a downward path, and the road was not smooth.

And because there was no three-headed dog of hell accompanying them this time, even though Persephone held up the underworld lamp, lingering around the ever-fruitless poplar trees,

Those spirits, lost in the Underworld path and thus lost their senses, forever unable to rest, began to converge, floating ominously around them.

They smelled the scent of the living, issued terrifying roars, and tried to tear the two apart.

Although she knew they couldn't harm themselves, and the light of the underworld lamp prevented them from approaching, seeing and hearing this terrifying scene made Persephone's face turn a bit pale.

She instinctively moved closer to Promise, and due to her bump, the boy fell down, but even though he fell, the sound of the lyre did not stop.

Realizing this, Persephone hurriedly apologized, Promise did not respond, after all, he could hear nothing now.

However, even so, Persephone soon sharply noticed that the boy's lyre sound became even softer, as if to soothe her fears, telling her not to be afraid, which made the goddess, realizing this later, feel ashamed.

She then breathed more steadily and tried her best to lift the underworld lamp, seemingly to light the way in the Underworld for Promise.

But naturally, Promise could not see, because at that moment, he had fallen into darkness, and because of this, he naturally strayed from the original path.

Thus, they soon completely lost their way on this Underworld path.

Later, Promise did not know how long he had walked.

During this period, he repeatedly fell, got up, bumped into stones, or the fruitless trees.

Gradually, he was injured, bleeding.

Blood fell on the ground, and when they left, the spirits would swarm up, devouring the blood that represented the breath of life.

And behind him, Persephone could only watch all this happen, watching him fall, get up, then continue.

She couldn't extend a hand, even just to correct the direction Promise was moving.

Because even that would be considered divine assistance, thus ending the trial.

And before coming to the Underworld, Promise had already made a vow with her, that before the lyre's sound ceased, she could not intervene in any way.

As for her instinctive cry of alarm, it would not reach Promise's ears...

Yes, at this moment, the restrictive condition proposed by Demeter inadvertently helped Promise.

And as time passed, one hour, two hours, three hours later, not only the gods watching the drama in the Underworld gradually noticed something wrong.

Even Demeter herself felt the same.

No one had thought that Promise could endure so long.

And as time passed, hunger, pain, and bleeding gradually pressed on his nerves.

Unable to see, unable to hear, but able to feel, that sensation was even amplified, thus Promise's heart could not help but surge with fear.

But even so, the sound of the lyre remained beautiful, never wavering.

Even if it briefly stopped, he would immediately continue it.

"He just kept walking, walking, and eventually died in front of our eyes."

Inside the Temple of Olympus, within the quiet temple, the Fate Goddess Clotho suddenly spoke softly, saying, "And sometimes his luck is good and he smoothly comes before the gate.

The three-headed dog of hell recognizes him, so it will not trouble him, but because he can see nothing, he will fall into the River Styx.

Mortals who touch the River Styx will drown in it, unable to be saved.

Even if he successfully boards the ferryman Charon's boat, in the paths of the Underworld beyond, he will stray into the endless abyss of Tartarus.

Even if he chooses the right direction, he still cannot cross the barrier of the River of Fire; the moment he touches it, he will be burned to ashes..."

Clotho's voice was very faint, calm.

But it weighed heavily on the hearts of the gods, unable to be relieved.

"Athena, since this is so, do you still want to stop me?"

Thus, Hera, with an unpleasant expression, said to Athena.

Athena was silent for a long time, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and responded to Hera, "It's really simple for that child to give up.

He only needs to take a step back, or even just intentionally pluck a wrong string, and all of this could stop, and no one would blame him.

But... his lyre sound has never stopped, up to now."

When her voice fell, and the scene became quiet again, Clotho suddenly spoke out, addressing Athena, "Then, respected Goddess Athena, do you think he can do it this time?"

The latter was stunned for a moment, looking at Clotho in front of her.

"I don't know." She shook her head, answering.

Indeed, this time she truly did not know.

Because this trial was not prepared by her, and due to the special nature of Promise, she who could not peer into that future, also did not find that possibility.

"I see."

Then, Clotho smiled.

She revealed a very beautiful, lovely smile, and with a delicate voice, replied, "But this time I believe in him, because before he left, he promised me that he would show me the future that I cannot see."

This moment was just like when Promise first caught the falling meteor.

Only the positions between Athena and Clotho had been switched.

"Although I had suspected it, indeed it is so."

As the gods heard this, their glances turned somewhat strange towards Clotho, Athena nodded to Clotho and said, "Your prophecy has changed again, hasn't it?"

Clotho did not reply, holding the crystal ball in her arms, slightly lowering her head.

She gently wiped the crystal ball in her hands.

'So, Promise, how will you present to me that future, which I... have never seen?'

...

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