Five years passed since Moraine recovered her mories.
He did not return.
Although she was unhappy, she was not bothered as much as before.
’Since it’s a new Eon, maybe it will take ti before he is reincarnated.’
Ten years passed.
Moraine kept waiting for him.
Twenty years passed.
Moraine kept waiting for him.
Thirty years passed.
Moraine kept waiting for him.
Fifty years passed.
Moraine kept waiting for him.
A hundred years passed.
The silence had beco unbearable.
The thought she had been avoiding finally broke through.
Sothing had gone wrong.
She tried to push it away.
She tried to believe there was a reason for why he had yet to return.
But the unease only grew heavier, tightening inside her chest like a vice.
She used the rune to contact Vivienne.
The Witch of Ti might be able to answer her worries.
But the rune did not activate.
Vivienne refused to speak to her after their last argunt.
The silence had now beco suffocating for Moraine.
Every night, she remained awake.
Her mind chased the sa thought over and over.
If she couldn’t reach him, she needed soone who could.
She began searching for Vornaz, the Demon of Ruin.
Twenty years passed with no progress.
Every lead she followed crumbled into nothing before she got close.
The demon was nowhere, and there was still no trace of him.
An ugly premonition clawed at her heart, whispering a dreadful possibility.
She shoved it away each ti it rose.
She told herself she would find him, as long as she could get her hands on the Demon of Ruin.
"I just need the demon..." she repeated often, to no one but herself.
Her reflection had changed without her noticing.
Her skin was pale and dry.
Her lips cracked and bled from constant biting.
The spark in her eyes had dimd.
But she had no space in her mind to care for her appearance.
In the end, she decided there was only one person who could give her a real answer.
Hades.
eting him was simple.
He had ruled the Cosmos from the 4th to the 8th Eon.
Even in the 9th Eon, he had chosen not to beco Supre Sovereign because there were greater matters to attend to than conquest of Cosmos.
Now, barely into the Tenth Eon, his na was already spoken with reverence across worlds.
She found his palace easily.
Her status as a Witch let her pass through its gates without resistance.
Servants led her through vast halls until she stood at the door to his office.
She stepped inside, and the control she had been forcing on herself for centuries shattered.
"Where is he!?" The words tore out of her.
"Who?"
Hades didn’t even look up. He continued to go through the docunts on the table.
"Hades, I’m not in the mood for jokes!"
She slamd her palm onto the desk between them.
He raised his gaze briefly, taking in her bloodshot eyes, her uneven breathing, her trembling hands.
Then he returned to his docunts.
"You an the Devil of Tyranny? He’s dead."
The title struck her like a blow.
Devil of Tyranny?
Why was Hades calling him that?
She ignored the thought. It was not important right now.
"I know he’s dead. I’m asking why he hasn’t reincarnated yet."
"He was a creation of the 9th Eon. That Eon ended. He has t true death, like everyone else from the 9th Eon. That’s what I an by dead. Why would he reincarnate in the 10th Eon?"
"...What?"
His words crashed against her ears like her a thunderbolt.
Her breathe beca uneven, and her eyes were trembling.
"He has your blood. He cannot die."
She denied his words.
"...?"
Hades placed the paper aside, eting her eyes.
He studied her, then spoke,
"If my blood was enough to make soone immortal, then I wouldn’t be the only one who survives the end of an Eon with a handful of Witches and Demons."
Her heart began to sink.
She did not want to hear more.
And yet, she kept asking.
"...He’s not immortal?"
"No."
"But—"
The words died in her throat.
’How do I know he was immortal?’
Because he told her so.
Had she ever seen him die and co back?
No.
She’d never even asked.
She hadn’t wanted to imagine him in pain, much less watch him die.
She had trusted him without question.
After all, he had been by her side for as long as she could rember.
But...
High-ranking gods could live for ages without aging.
With his talent, it was possible he had reached a high rank at a young age.
It would explain why it seed he never aged.
But if that was true...
Her hands trembled.
"...He said he was immortal. That ans—"
"Did you really not know he was going to die when the Eon ended?" Hades looked at her. "That should not be possible. He was giving away his talent and existence to you piece by piece. How could you not know what was happening?"
"....What?"
Moraine clenched her fists hand.
Blood drew as she tore into her hands.
"My talent blood because of Latent Talent Awakening technique he created. What do you an he was transferring his talent and existence to ?"
"Talent Transfer Technique. It strips away a person’s talent and existence and feeds it into another to increase their talent.... It seems he never told you about it."
Every word landed like iron on her chest.
She wanted to deny it. To call him a liar.
But mories rose one after another, unbidden.
"Then if you’re going to make train, you should train too. Your rank hasn’t moved in the last thousand years."
His rank had stopped increasing.
That was impossible for soone like him.
He was created through the Womb of Devil. His potential and talent were unmatched.
His rank should’ve increased, no matter how inconsequentially.
Unless...
’He had no talent left.’
’He could no longer advance.’
Her chest tightened.
The answers were now coming to her even though she desperately wanted to cover her ears.
"Why are we training so much anyway? No one’s attacking us. We can take it easy. I don’t mind waiting a few hundred years for another breakthrough."
She had complained so many tis.
But he, who listened to the tiniest of her complaints, did not go easy on her.
As if...
’He knew after he disappeared, I would have no one to protect .’
’I would need to do it myself.’
Moraine felt her knees weaken.
"...Can you give that Talent Transfer Technique? I want to see for myself if this is true."
"I can, but you won’t be able to use it."
Hades looked at her with no emotion.
"The technique peels away your own talent and existence.
"It is more painful than having your soul torn apart.
"The technique he created was revolutionary, but the pain threshold made it impossible for anyone to use it.
"I’m surprised he could use it at all, to give his talent to you."
The words unlocked another mory. One she had never questioned before.
The first ti he used the ’Latent Talent Awakening’ on her, he had let out a subdued groan.
She had asked him what was wrong.
"I was just surprised at how your mana’s reacting," he had said.
Had that groan been the sign he was enduring the pain?
Had he been enduring that pain, again and again, for the thousands of years he had been using the technique on her?
Tears began to slip from her eyes before she even noticed, but instead of quiet acceptance, sothing hotter began to rise in her chest.
Anger.
"You’re lying."
She glared at Hades.
"He said he’ll be back! Don’t you dare lie to !"
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