In the deepest part of Hades, between the silent thrones, stripped of all elaborate decorations.
Hades sat on the cold obsidian seat, but his consciousness was like an invisible web, quietly spreading to a certain training ground far away in Northern Europe.
Týr's heavy and wise words, Ares's rare silence, were like clear ripples, echoing in his boundless sea of consciousness.
[A little child...]
Týr's assessment caused a slight ripple in Hades's heart.
He was not omniscient, but his long reincarnation and years of governing the Underworld had given him an extraordinary understanding of the nature of divinity and the soul.
Ares, born from the fusion of negative emotions in the struggles and bloodshed of Olympus, his very existence seemed to be a symbol of destruction and disorder.
However, Hades did not regard Ares as simply a disaster to be contained, as many gods did.
He saw something deeper.
War, like fire, has no absolute good or evil in itself.
It can burn down homes, but it can also ward off the cold and forge sharp weapons.
"If one day, he can understand a just war... even understanding discord as a necessary evil to promote change and break deadlocks..."
Such thoughts flowed through Hades's cold consciousness.
"Perhaps I can look forward to him becoming the world's necessary spear, the sharp weapon pointing at chaos and cleansing decay."
This idea was not a fantasy.
He saw Ares reflecting on himself after Týr suppressed him with absolute skill.
This was a kind of confusion after cognitive destruction, and it was soil for growth.
Although this soil was still covered with gravel and thorns, far from being able to nurture the blossoming of a rational war.
But at least, the seeds had been sown.
"If this trip to Northern Europe, far from the familiar hearth of exiles and failures, can make this reckless war god grow..." Hades thought.
"Then I wouldn't mind entrusting him with the divinity of 'catastrophe' in the future."
This was not a hasty decision.
The combination of 'catastrophe' and 'war' would give rise to an extremely terrifying existence.
But it could also be the 'purifying' force needed to completely break the world's cycle and stagnation.
The key lay in the mind of the one in charge.
His thoughts involuntarily drifted to a more grandiose view.
"The Negation Realm may come to an end."
As the cornerstone of the world, bearing Chaos on his back, he sensed the subtle changes in himself and the world more clearly than any being.
The power of the Underworld grew stronger through efficient circulation and order, and this power returned to him, gradually causing him to transcend.
He was no longer merely a part of the world, but rather a vessel bearing the world, a guardian of the rules.
He became more connected to the world, yet on some levels, he became increasingly detached.
This was a strange paradox.
He felt that one day, perhaps the laws of the world would become strict enough, and the new generation of gods would truly take on the responsibility of governing the world...
His 'world-bearing' mission might be lifted.
And until then,
Hades's will was as firm as the foundation of the Underworld.
"I hope the Greek world can complete its self-sustenance."
He did not want to see a world that would always need him to carry it to move forward.
It was like an infant that could never be weaned, fragile and without a future.
He wanted to see a dynamic Chaos, one that could adapt and even become stronger in the face of setbacks.
Therefore
—he would let the children try.
In this decision, there was a hint of the Father God's warmth, as well as Hades's far-reaching strategy.
Chicks sheltered under their wings will never learn to fly.
Only by experiencing wind and rain, and facing the risk of falling, can they truly strengthen the backbone that supports the world.
And the firmest promise he could give was:
"For the Father God has not yet fallen; he can always cover the children."
This was not indulgence, but confidence and an ultimate guarantee.
It meant that they could boldly try to err, innovate, and walk their own paths, even if the road seemed full of thorns and even deviated from his expectations.
As long as they did not touch upon the foundation of the world's destruction, he was willing to give them maximum freedom.
And when they truly faced an insurmountable catastrophe, the throne of Hades would become the last safe haven for his children and the cornerstone of their counterattack.
His consciousness, like soft and cold moonlight, glided over the children connected to his fate:
The rebellious Prometheus, whose 'foresight' was like a burning fire, illuminating the path forward and burning itself.
But was his rebellion not a struggle against predetermined fate and a persistent pursuit of 'opportunity'?
Hades valued this wisdom and courage.
Foolish Epimetheus, whose 'hindsight' seemed flawed, but within him was an unconditional acceptance of and trust in the world.
This purity, in a divine realm full of calculation, was it not a precious quality?
Perhaps he saw the simplest truths that other gods ignored.
Hindsight is also a knower, and accumulated knowledge will lead to a turning point.
Mischievous Eros, her uncontrollable golden arrows of eros were a source of chaos, but also the most direct embodiment of life and passion.
Hades wanted her to learn to channel this power, not just indulge in the fleeting pleasures of creating chaos.
Love and desire intertwined and restrained, not indiscriminately.
Let her have love, and promise that there will be love in the world.
Strict Catia, upholding the order of Hades and the oaths of the goddesses, was a symbol of stability and rules.
Her existence was a guarantee of the efficient operation of the Underworld, and also the cornerstone of the 'home' that allowed other siblings to explore freely.
The light of the moon may not be as good as the sun's, but it holds the taste of home.
Athena, wise and strategic, born from the combination of wisdom and Hades's origin, possessed both her mother's wisdom and her father's depth.
Hades expected that she would not only become a master strategist but also understand the responsibility behind power, using her wisdom to create and protect, not just to contend.
The wise show wisdom and strive to understand the truth.
Thalia, joyful and creative, her laughter was a rare warm color in the Underworld, and her creativity symbolized life force and hope.
Hades wanted her to keep this happiness forever and use her creations to add beauty to the world, not to be crushed by heavy duties one day in the future.
Laughter is an inalienable right of life.
Silent Atlas, fulfilling his promise to 'protect' in the body of a giant god.
His strength was the cornerstone, and his silence was reliability.
Hades hoped that he could find his own will and path beyond simple power and command.
The boulder has a heart, and the rift may blossom.
Clumsy Ares, the war god who had just experienced a setback in consciousness.
His path might be the harshest, but because of it, he had the broadest room for growth.
Hades was willing to give him time and opportunity to test whether he could transform from an embodiment of 'destruction' into a shield of 'protection'.
The necessary wounds of the world are also the tip of the external spear.
And finally, Poros and Hermes.
Poros symbolized 'turning point' and 'opportunity', his power connected to the forks of the river of fate.
Hades expected him to be the helmsman guiding the world towards a better opportunity, not a spectator drifting with the current.
To turn, to lead orders, to change.
Hermes, the messenger and god of trickery, moving between boundaries.
His cunning and flexibility were the key to breaking deadlocks and uniting everything.
Hades valued the insight and execution hidden beneath his cynical exterior.
He even sensed the 'little movements' Hermes was making in Northern Europe at this moment, but did not interfere, only yielding, which was also experience.
When he began his journey of return, the existence of triple majesty awaited him.
These children had very different personalities, different paths, and might even have contradictions and conflicts with each other.
But Hades, the Father bearing the world on his back, did not worry about their future and did not want to control the situation at this moment. Instead, he offered a deep and sincere blessing.
[He wanted them to live their own lives.]
Instead of living as a shadow of their Hades, not following a pre-set trajectory of fate, but blooming with their unique light.
Whether wisdom, strength, joy, silence, cunning, or clumsiness—all are indispensable colors in this world.
He would be their cornerstone, their support, and the guardian who quietly watches and occasionally guides.
Because he believed that only when they truly found and practiced their own paths could the Greek world, the Chaos he guarded, gain the confidence and strength to move forward on its own and face all storms.
This was the greatest and most selfless blessing a father could give his children.
Under this blessing, whether the road is glorious or full of thorns, children, be brave and forge ahead.
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