In the depths of the Underworld, before the Obsidian Throne, several core members had rarely gathered.
However, the atmosphere was not for discussing any grand plans, but rather one of almost tangible... fatigue and grievance.
Thanatos, the god of death, his entire being carried the weight of overwork.
He stood in silence, which in itself was a silent accusation.
Hypnos, the sleep god, always lazy and elegant, also had eyes that now revealed exhaustion, and even his soft divine power, capable of soothing all troubles, seemed a little scattered.
He was rarely in a semi-conscious state, but now forced himself to stay alert.
Beside them stood Catia, the Princess of the Underworld, who had become his right hand.
Although she remained calm, a slight weariness flickered between her brows.
"Your Majesty," Thanatos's voice was hoarser and lower than usual, carrying the wails of dead souls, worn down by excessive dryness.
"The shades of the Bronze Age... are endless. My scythe has not stopped for a long time, and the speed of extradition can barely keep up with their self-destruction."
Hypnos barely lifted his eyelids, and even his perpetually drowsy voice seemed weak: "Dreams... are also filled with fragments of murder and fear... Calming them requires several times the effort it used to... Your Majesty, the capacity of the Styx, the space of the Underworld, and even the energy of us gods are not limitless."
Catia stepped forward, her voice clear and objective, as if delivering a work report: "Father God, with the help of the spirits transformed from Golden Age souls, the documentation for the extradition and judgment of the dead can still be maintained. But the problem lies in the long term—countless shades remaining in the Underworld for extended periods; their placement and management consume a huge amount of energy. The pressure accumulated over time is reflected everywhere in the Underworld."
What she said was a fact, a fact that Hades had long overlooked.
Hades sat on the throne, listening to the complaints and statements of his subordinates.
A key problem, one that should have been solved long ago but had somehow been forgotten until now, suddenly came to light.
The cycle of life and death.
Wasn't his original goal to build an efficient and orderly system of reincarnation for life and death?
Hell was created to deal with sinful souls and transform energy.
The judgment court was meant to distinguish good from evil and decide their destination.
But what about the ordinary souls judged—the innocent or those whose sins don't warrant hell? Where do they ultimately go?
Would they accumulate in the Underworld forever, becoming an ever-heavier burden until the entire system of Hades collapsed?
A complete cycle must have an 'exit'. Shades need to be 'cleared' and move to the next stage—whether reincarnation, purification, or return to the world's origin.
Such an important, such a basic core link, which he should have started building at the beginning of breaking reincarnation... How could he have forgotten?
It shouldn't be.
Absolutely not.
With his intellect and foresight, constructing the cycle of life and death should have been one of the top priorities.
It was not only a management issue but also the key to maintaining the energy balance of the 'Negation Realm'. He could not, and had no reason to, forget such a crucial link.
At this moment, as this self-doubt arose, a faint warning from wisdom caused an imperceptible ripple.
This warning was not a specific message, but rather a direction, prompting him to connect this 'forgetfulness' with a certain source.
In the depths of Hades's violet eyes, beneath the ice, it seemed as if dark thunder flashed.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of Hades and fall upon Metis, who was talking with Eros.
Yes.
The curse.
"Never fall in love with anyone."
All his previous analyses had focused on the absolute blockage of this curse on his 'emotional' level.
But he had overlooked the fact that this curse was cast by Metis.
She was the one who had accumulated wisdom beyond countless reincarnations, whose personality was so paranoid that she wanted to imprint herself on him at the cost of her own dissolution... the goddess of wisdom.
How could she be content with merely depriving him of love?
How could she not leave a hand for herself?
Would a paranoid goddess, who believed that Hades could only belong to her, truly be willing to die completely and never be with the Hades she 'loved'?
"The wise do not fall in love"... But what if this very 'river' was forged by her?
Hades's mind moved with unprecedented, icy speed, deconstructing the deep possibilities of the curse.
The power of the curse might lie not only in forbidding the generation of 'love'.
Perhaps... more subtly and insidiously... it distorted his thinking.
Causing him to subconsciously 'ignore' those important things that might be connected to 'emotions', 'connections', and 'new life'.
For example, the construction of the cycle of life and death.
This seemed to contradict the cold tone of 'end' and 'punishment' in 'Hades', but it was an integral part of the world's cycle.
Such 'ignorance' was not simple forgetfulness, but a kind of cognitive blind spot, misleading and obscuring at the level of wisdom.
Metis...
Hades sat on the throne, temporarily suppressing the cold speculations that might lie behind the curse after Metis's deeper intervention.
Regardless of the truth, the current crisis of congestion in Hades was a real problem that needed immediate resolution.
The cycle of life and death urgently needed to be built.
His will, like invisible mercury, instantly permeated every corner of the Underworld, closely connected to the fundamental laws of the Underworld itself.
A cold decree, accompanied by the revision and reconstruction of Hades's laws, reached the depths of the consciousness of all involved gods:
"Definition: Life can only arise from life. A new soul is the product of an old soul regenerating in a cyclical cycle. This is the 'Wheel of Reincarnation'—the endless cycle of purification in the world."
Here, the cornerstone of the law was laid.
"I decree that the souls of the dead are extradited from the mortal world by Thanatos, the god of death, to the Underworld. Then, the moon goddess, Catia, uses moonlight as a guide to lead the shades through the darkness to the banks of the Styx."
Thanatos nodded slightly, feeling the weight of the endless shades on his shoulders, as if the end were now clear.
Catia's eyes were calm; she already understood her new duties in reincarnation.
"Shades need to cross the Styx. The ferryman Charon, as usual, collects the fare. Those who cannot pay must wander the riverbanks for a year to shed their last attachments to the world."
Charon, on the Styx in the distance, his figure shrouded in black robes, seemed to straighten slightly. His duties were officially incorporated into the reincarnation system, giving it new meaning.
"The gates of the Underworld, the gates of Hades, are guarded by Perses, the god of destruction. Once any soul crosses this door, there is no return to the mortal world, unless specially granted."
In the shadow of the temple, Perses's presence was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, and an insurmountable absolute barrier flickered within his destructive aura.
"Having crossed the river, shades arrive at the Plain of Judgment to receive their verdict in the Judgment Court."
"The innocent and meritorious: enter Elysium, and according to the merits of their life, enjoy a happy life, free from want, for a corresponding period."
"The guilty: cast into Hell, punished according to their sins, until their sins are atoned for. After completing their atonement, they are sent to the temple of the goddess of memory, Mnemosyne."
"Those without merit or fault: sent directly to the temple of Mnemosyne."
"Souls destined for reincarnation, in the temple of the goddess of memory Mnemosyne, drink the water of the River Lethe (the River of Forgetfulness) and forget all memories and cares of their past life."
Somewhere in the Underworld, the goddess of memory Mnemosyne breathed a sigh of relief; her authority was finally officially integrated into the Underworld.
After the purification of memory, the soul must then pass through in sequence:
"Baptism of the Dark Moon: in Catia, receive the light of the Dark Moon, wash away the remaining negative energy, and restore the soul's original pure state."
"Divergent Choice: at the crossroads, the goddess of roads and magic, Hecate, at the fork in the mist, chooses the path to different fates, following the most original inclinations deep within the soul."
Catia and Hecate exchanged glances, each clarifying their key role in this grand cycle.
"Finally, the soul will follow the chosen path, leave Hades, return to the earth, enter a new form of life, and begin a new rebirth."
At this moment, a strict, efficient, and self-consistent system of reincarnation for life and death was forcibly formed by Hades's will.
The heavy pressure of Hades seemed to have found a sluice gate and began to flow slowly, but steadily.
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