20 years detention

Chapter 8

Drogen arrived at the imposing palace gates of the underworld, greeted by the biting coldness of its dark expanse. Zeus was already waiting for him, leaning against the tall obsidian doors with a smug expression plastered across his face.

"I knew you would come, so I didn't bother to come get you" Zeus said with a mocking smirk 

Drogen shot him a withering glare. "Save your breath, Zeus. You're the least of my concerns right now." Without breaking stride, he pushed past Zeus and entered the palace.

Zeus clenched his fist as he glared at drogen like he would bore a hole in his back at any moment.

Zeus and Drogen have been rivals for a long time, Drogen rarely gives him attention and always brushes him off like he meant nothing but Zeus is always bent on going against him and getting a reaction from him.

Drake's voice boomed the moment Drogen stepped into the throne room. The Underworld Judge of Pacifism exuded an aura of authority that dwarfed even Drogen's formidable presence.

"I didn't make you the strongest reaper so you could abuse your powers, Drogen," Drake began, his tone menacing. "Reviving a human—do you realize the gravity of what you've done?Why did you revive a human?"

"And why should I answer that question"

Before the words fully left his lips, Drake flicked his hand, sending a surge of dark energy that slammed Drogen into the wall. The impact rattled the room, and Drogen coughed up blood as he struggled to his feet. Despite the pain, he didn't retaliate—he knew Drake's power far outmatched his own.

"You think I don't know your plan?" Drake rumbled. "You believe she can end your curse. Isn't that why you brought her back?"

"I've tried for centuries to break this damn curse you placed on me," Drogen spat, his voice thick with desperation. "Tell me, haven't I suffered enough? Why can't you just let me go?"

Drake's expression hardened. "Do you even remember why I cursed you?"

Drogen froze, the question stirring an uneasy void in his mind. "I... don't."

Drake let out a bitter laugh. "Exactly. That's why you remain cursed. You've locked away the truth, hiding from the sin you committed. Until you face it, your emotions will stay buried, and you will never be free. I never took your ability to feel emotions, you were the one who locked up your heart and memories" Drake revealed 

Drogen's breath hitched as Drake's words cut through him like a blade."What, what do you mean...why would I do that" 

"To hide from the Truth, and until you are ready to face that Truth, you will never be free from my curse"

"As for your recent crime, I'm detaining you in the land of snow for 20 years, take it as a warning" Drake said before flicking his fingers and drogen found himself transported to a snowy and stormy land, he just let out a frustrated laugh and lay down on the snow....it was going to be a tough 20 years to go through.

Back in the human world, Natasha woke up early in the morning and bathed then headed out of her room, she found Bruce sitting on the cushion waiting for her, she had already dressed and prepared for work, her hair styled in a ponytail tail, a tight sleek skirt that stopped at knee's length and a white blouse tucked away, she looked both stylish and attractive.

"Where's Drogen, he's not back yet?" She asked Bruce, she seemed to no longer be afraid of him.

"He's been detained for saving you" Bruce Said  bluntly 

Natasha blinked, momentarily speechless. "Detained? Well... I mean, at least he's not... flogged or something. How long?"

Bruce's voice turned cold. "Twenty years. In the Land of Snow."

Her jaw dropped. "Twenty what?! Years?! That's beyond cruel!"

"Don't act so shocked. It's not like you care," Bruce retorted. "Anyway, two days here is twenty years there. He'll be back before you know it."

Natasha feigned indifference but felt a pang of guilt twist in her chest. "Well, good. He's immortal—he'll survive."

"By the way, how do I go to work, he told me he had to always be within 150 meters within my premises" she asked

"The blood pact allows him to protect you whenever he wants, so you are safe...you can go about your daily activities like before"

"Alright then, I would be on my way" she said as she hurried out of the apartment, once she got inside the elevator, she collapsed on the floor.

"20 years" she said to herself, she tried to act nonchalantly in the presence of Bruce but she was actually worried about Drogen more than she thought, she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest...when she fell asleep last night, she saw clear memories between her and drogen, memories that never happened in this life but seemed so realistic.

She wondered if that was her past life and if that was the reason she felt an odd sense of familiarity when she saw Drogen for the first time.

And surprisingly, he seemed so normal, so human, so caring in her dreams, like they were not the same person.

The elevator soon reached the 1st floor and Natasha stood up, adjusting her clothes before walking out, she had work to do, and she needed to see her mom.

Her mom only had her and she couldn't afford to die just yet.

At the office, Natasha waved good morning to her co-workers as she walked into the office. Just as she sat down, Gracie pooped out from behind her with a sly smile.

"Tell me, did you and Chris get back together?" Gracie teased 

"Me and him, no way" 

"Then where were you last night, your mom called to confirm if you were at my place and i had to lie on your behalf" Gracie asked 

"I was in a bus accident last night and didn't want her to worry so I lied" Natasha said, although that was partly true after all.

"Accident, are you okay... were you injured?" Grace asked as she turned Natasha around frantically searching for any wounds.

"Relax, as you can see, I'm fine...seems like I cheated death this time" she assured her

"I heard everybody else died in that accident, I wasn't even aware you were on that bus, you are one damn lucky soul girl" Gracie said 

Suddenly, they heard the footsteps of a lady approaching and they knew it was their team leader with a temper, they immediately scattered to their seats and settled down for work.

As the day progressed, Natasha found herself thinking more about the Drogen in her dreams, and wondered if he was the same person with the present Drogen. She was having a hard time concentrating on her work as thoughts of him kept popping in her head.

Suddenly, she excused herself to the bathroom as a bold idea crept her mind. What if she called out his name three times, would that summon him from where he was detained.

Grinning to herself, headed to the restroom, her heart racing. What's the harm in trying?