Artemis moved through the forest, bow in hand, flanked by Lante and Rethusa on either side.
Something was wrong.
Artemis couldn't place it—couldn't name it—but her chest had felt tight since morning, like a breath she hadn't finished taking.
"Goddess, only a few more goblins remain, then the surrounding area would be cleared of monsters, I think?" Lante spoke, bringing a finger to her temple, unsure of herself.
"Only a single goblin nest is left. Once we deal with it, this whole area will be cleared. The village nearby will be safe for at least a year or two." Rethusa spoke without glancing at Lante, her eyes trained on the foliage ahead.
"Goddess Artemis, you've been quiet for a while now. Missing your Orion already?" Lante asked without pretense.
"Ouch!" A sharp chop landed on her head before she could react.
"How many times have you asked this now? Don't you get tired of gossiping all day, every day? It seems that you miss him more than our Goddess." Rethusa pulled her hand back, voice low.
"Of course not. I wouldn't dare harbor designs on Goddess Artemis' man." Lante unwrapped her arms, shaking her head—then muttered under her breath.
"I just find him cute and manly, and handsom—"
Two hands clamped over her mouth.
Rethusa looked ahead at Artemis' back with a wary posture, ready to abandon Lante the instant she turned.
But Artemis didn't react.
Normally, Lante would already be hanging upside down from a tree.
Even Lante sensed something amiss.
"Goddess... Artemis. Are... you alright?" Rethusa asked cautiously, her grip on Lante loosening unconsciously.
"Hm? Rethusa, did you call?" Artemis finally stopped and turned around, her eyes landing on the silent pair.
"Are you feeling unwell, Goddess Artemis?" She asked again, releasing Lante and walking toward Artemis, her eyelashes trembling with worry.
"Nothing of that sort, child." Artemis spoke, her voice slightly raspy.
"It's just... I have been having this heaviness in my chest."
A pause.
"It is quite... unpleasant."
Lante and Rethusa exchanged a wordless glance.
"Might it be related to your instinct as a god, Goddess?" Rethusa asked, closing the distance between them.
"It might be... I have never felt something like this before." Artemis spoke, bringing a hand from her bow to slowly settle it over her unsettled heart.
"Could it be related to Bell?" Lante spoke, something serious underlying her airheaded tone.
Artemis froze for a moment and forced her voice to come out without a tremble.
"Bell? No... What could possibly happen to hi—"
Burning radiance.
A wave of pure brilliance surged around her like a tide. Trees turned golden around her, light bleeding through their trunks from inside out. The sky warped, gold spilling across blue like ink across parchment.
This was instantly followed by an arrow's shaft ripping the sky apart. It happened in the sliver of space between a single moment and the next.
One instant, nothing. The next, it was already there, severing the sky in two.
But what made Artemis feel choked was the burning will beneath that arrow.
She had felt this exact same will. Intimately, even.
It was the same will that had touched her when Bell had used Arrow of Orion alongside her to kill Antares. She remembered his arm around hers then. The way he smiled after—like burning himself was a small price.
Her fingers dug into her chest.
He was burning himself again.
And this time, she wasn't even there to accompany him.
...
..
.
Darkness was all a mortal eye could see. A single candle burned within that darkness, illuminating the side profile of an ancient god.
Ouranos.
The side of Ouranos' face and his throne were illuminated by that candle, but it couldn't reach his eyes. They remained shrouded in shadows.
Slightly downward, his fingers gripped the side of his throne, hold crushing.
Words tore from his mouth. Calm. They always were.
"The Silence..."
Cracks rang out from his throne's side.
"That thing... The Divine General..."
The candle flickered as if under strong winds.
"And finally... That wheel. Adapting with every rotation."
Silence fell. Oppressive enough to make the darkness feel crushing.
It lasted for some time before another voice broke it. Fels.
"Ouranos... we can still do something about Bell Cranel. If we use everything we have, we might still have a chance."
A sigh escaped Ouranos. He sounded tired.
"Enough. If Bell Cranel survives, he'll no longer be within our capacity to control. The dungeon still stands. He might be connected to it, but he won't destroy the world for it..."
"Unless we push him to it." Ouranos concluded.
"But—"
"Enough. Tell Hermes to keep himself in check. Or I'll send him back to Heaven myself."
A hand reached toward the flickering candle.
Fingers wrapped around the unstable flame.
And snuffed it out.
...
..
.
Hermes walked forward as scorching light from a pillar of pure gold burned against his back. All the god felt was heat so extreme it made breathing difficult.
Asfi walked beside him, sweat dripping from every inch of her body.
Hermes brought a hand to his hat, adjusting it slightly. If one looked closely, they would see that the hand holding that hat was trembling. Subtly. Minutely.
"Asfi... What do you think?" He asked while keeping his head down.
For once, Asfi didn't—rather couldn't—reply, following behind Hermes in silence.
...
..
.
Slowly, Ares opened his eyes.
He was lying on a patch of soil, arms splayed apart.
Everything looked blurred for a moment.
His eyes took a couple of seconds to snap back into focus.
The first thing he saw were trees. Green and lush, surrounding him from all sides.
"So... I'm back in Heaven?"
He stayed like that for a moment. Listening to the leaves.
Then he tilted his head up and looked at the sky.
Heaven's sky was a mix of gold and blue.
This sky was bottomless black.
A realization hit him like thunder.
This was not Heaven at all.
"Where am I?"
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
I've kept the ending of the Divine chapter as vague as possible. Why? Just for the next incoming chapter. It should also be the last chapter of this volume, meaning we're about to pass another part of Bell growing up.
Honestly, it was a blast, writing these last eight to ten chapters, Army, Ares, Alfia, Reactions, all of it was hella fun.
And just as it ends here... Our ending for the Fate story will begin. Man... both are coming to an end one after another.
It's been a journey. And it will continue to be.
I just can't wait to write more. Nowadays, it feels like I should have 48 hours in a day to write... Haha.
Anyway... Take care and have a fabulous day!