Hades continued in his cold tone, as if delivering a report unrelated to himself: "This curse is absolute, completely blocking my related emotions. The indifference you perceive is not my will, but the limit of the curse."
He went further, referencing the experiment that had just occurred: "The authority of Eros, as a primordial force that directly provokes desire, under certain conditions has a small probability of stimulating the cursed, frozen emotions and causing non-'love'... ripples."
"Drinking that cup of wine was an attempt at observation under controlled conditions."
Metis understood completely.
Everything had an explanation.
His coldness, as if he could never be touched, was not weariness or estrangement, but a shackle enveloping his soul, carved by 'her' own hand.
He cooperated with this farce, not in response to Catia's absurd wishes, nor to rekindle old feelings with her, but to... test the boundaries of the curse!
To find a gap that might exist in one in a hundred million!
Great sorrow, absurd self-mockery, and complex emotions of paranoia and resolve towards another 'self' overwhelmed her like a frenzy.
She had been anxious and tempted by 'love', not knowing that they had already been exiled by 'love' itself.
She looked at Hades, at his still expressionless face, and her voice trembled with a slight quiver, but was very clear: "So... between us, it can never be..."
"Based on the current state of the curse, that is the conclusion." Hades gave an affirmative answer, then added, looking at her with a sharp gaze.
"But your wisdom, Metis. The wisdom you possess and that cast the curse, transcends. Perhaps... this is not the end." He meant something.
"Recently, I discovered that some things that should be priorities, such as the construction of the cycle of life and death, were anomalously 'ignored'. This is illogical and does not align with the 'wisdom' she gave me. I suspect the curse may have additional effects on a cognitive, distorting level." He answered her question.
"Analyze it, Metis. Use your wisdom to parse another 'gift' that you left behind."
The truth was revealed, and it brought not relief, but a heavier and more difficult topic.
Metis stood motionless, feeling the cold air of Hades seep into her bones, and also feeling the flame of the goddess of wisdom reignite in her heart.
The initial shock and sorrow swept through her like a storm, leaving behind an unusually clear clarity.
The mind of the goddess of wisdom moved with unprecedented speed, connecting all the threads—the Negation Ritual, the Moebius system, the resolve of the other 'self', the world borne by Hades, and the seemingly unsolvable curse 'the wise do not fall in love'.
She suddenly understood: the solution to the curse was not confrontation, not circumvention, but... compliance.
Compliance with the original trajectory of fate!
Her eyes flashed with an astonishing expression, no longer anxious, no longer sorrowful, but an almost martyred awareness and sharp insight.
She took a step forward, nearly touching the obsidian throne, her voice clear, firm, even with a slight relief:
"I understand... The root of the curse lies in 'you', who 'possesses wisdom'. 'The wise do not fall in love'... Then, as long as you no longer have independent 'wisdom', the logical foundation of the curse will naturally collapse."
Hades's violet eyes shifted slightly, and cold rationality made him instantly follow Metis's thoughts, but he still remained silent, waiting for her full conclusion.
Metis took a deep breath and uttered a shocking plan:
"Devour me, Hades."
"Exactly as Zeus did to me in the original fate! No, even more thoroughly! After the 'Negation Realm', you became the bearer of this world, and the sacrificed 'Metis'—the wisdom of the past—has long been integrated with you in the ceremony, becoming the world's center for processing information and maintaining rules!"
Her speech accelerated, sparks of wisdom flickering in her eyes:
"Now I, Metis, am the wisdom of the new world. And the curse applies to 'you', who bears the wisdom of the past (Metis) and is merged with you. To break it, this cycle must be completed—the complete fusion of the wisdom of the present (me) and the wisdom of the past (the remnant of Metis merged with you), and you!"
"When the three 'parts'—you who bear the world (the vessel), the wisdom of the past (Metis), and the wisdom of the present (me)—are fully integrated, the concept of the 'individual Hades with wisdom', to which the curse is attached, will temporarily disappear. We will become 'the center of the world itself', a larger and more complex system."
She looked at Hades with blazing eyes and stated the most crucial step:
"And then... then separate 'wisdom' from it."
"Not in the form of the Queen of the Underworld, but in the form of... offspring."
"A new, independent Son of God, bearing all the sources of our wisdom! You will no longer have 'wisdom', and wisdom will become your 'offspring'. The loss of the identity of the 'wise one', the very foundation of the curse on which existence completely disappears, and the shackles of 'not falling in love' will naturally be lifted!"
"This is a reset! Using fusion and separation as a means to fundamentally reset the 'state of being'!"
Dead silence fell within the hall.
Eros was already scared, and even the pink light dimmed.
Catia stood nearby, stunned, barely comprehending her mother-goddess's mad and grand plan.
Hecate, who had been there all along, shook her head and sighed, feeling speechless for the pair.
Hades sat upright on the throne, and for the first time, the aura around him changed significantly.
He deduced every link of Metis's plan with thinking beyond the speed of light, assessing its risks and chances of success.
Absorbing the Underworld, completing the fusion of wisdom, and then separating a Son of God... The variables and risks were immeasurable.
But at the same time, this plan directly targeted the core logic of the curse, and its internal rationality was undeniable.
He raised his eyes, reflecting Metis's resolute and radiant figure.
"Feasibility... exists."
Finally, he replied, his voice still level, but it seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds.
"But the processes of integration and separation must be absolutely controllable. Any deviation could lead to... unpredictable mutations."
He stated the risk and asked Metis—were you truly willing to take such a dangerous risk with the very nature of your existence to lift this curse?
Metis met his gaze without flinching, and even a faint smile of a wise person appeared on her face.
"To break the paranoia of 'myself', and also for... our true future."
She whispered: "Let's do it, Hades."