The deeper they walked into the Underworld, the less the world resembled anything mortal.
Gone were the cobbled paths and carved pillars of Olympus. Now, there were only winding veins of obsidian, breathing stone walls, and statues of faceless gods whose eyes followed every motion. Pale blue light filtered in from nowhere, flickering like torches clinging to existence. The River Styx slithered through nearby tunnels, the souls in the waters whispering always too close—always hungry.
Helios pressed forward. His jacket was covered dried blood cracked across his side. But he kept moving, ignoring the pain, the tremors in his hands, the weight behind his eyes.
Behind him, Kurai moved like a ghost—boots silent, her eyes sharp and shifting. Occasionally she glanced at Helios, but said nothing.
And trailing them both was Sephiroth, ever composed. If he was tired from the earlier battle, he didn't show it. His steps were as fluid as ever, the Masamune resting lazily at his side, as though it hadn't nearly cleaved Helios in two not nearly an hour ago.
Helios stopped near a massive bronze archway—half buried in ash and jagged roots. It pulsed with soft red light, illuminating strange glyphs etched deep into the tal.
"This is the boundary," Helios muttered. "Hades said that Nesis doesn't dwell in the main circle. She resides… lower."
Sephiroth raised a brow. "Lovely. Neither one of us has been this deep and our strength fades with each step."
Kurai rolled her shoulders. "So what's the plan?"
"I don't have one," Helios said. "We go down, we find her, and we convince her to co quietly. That's all we can do by the ti we make it down we'd be damn well near powerless."
Sephiroth snorted. "That always works."
Helios turned. "You got a better idea?"
"I do," Kurai interrupted. "One of us goes and if they don't return we know they died and the plan is useless. No reason for all of us to die."
Helios imdiately shook his head. "Bad idea. This place will chew us apart if we're alone too long. Don't forget that the heartless are here and we can't access any of our powers. We also don't have the Olympus Stone and its ability to protect people from the weakening effect of the Underworld. Besides, Hades made it clear in certain words—we're not leaving here until he either gets his item back or our soul. He's petty that way. No teleportation, no powers. We stick together."
"And if this Nesis attacks?" Kurai asked.
Helios looked ahead, beyond the archway. "Then we fight together… and die together."
A silence fell. The weight of their last battle still lingered in the air like smoke. Finally, Kurai nodded.
They passed through the arch—and the world changed again.
The tunnel beneath twisted into a spiraling path, walled with bones, lit by ghost-flas in iron sconces. The further they walked, the more the Underworld showed its true form. Echoes of laughter, cries of pain, and whispered confessions drifted from unseen mouths. Ti itself slowed, stretched, and folded inward.
Eventually, they reached a plateau.
The space opened into a circular clearing surrounded by statues of chained won with wings made of razors and scales instead of skin. A pool of silver blood bubbled at the center, and carved above it in ancient script were the words:
"Only the guilty bleed."
Helios took a cautious step forward—and froze.
From the shadows behind the statues erged a figure. Barefoot, cloaked in dusk-colored silk, her face obscured by a veil that shimred like oil on water. Her presence felt like judgnt made manifest—cold, exacting, patient.
"Nesis?" Helios asked unsure if this was her.
The figure tilted her head. "Who bleeds for the living?" she asked, her voice layered—one tone soft and feminine, another deep and ancient beneath it.
Sephiroth slowly stepped beside Helios. "We've co to retrieve what you stole."
Kurai narrowed her eyes, fingers twitching.
Nesis drifted forward. "Hades sends dogs into my halls?"
Helios stepped forward again. "We're not his dogs. We're more like freelancers with a shared interest."
"Then you are fools," she replied, gaze falling on Helios. "You wear pain like armor and think it makes you strong. You bleed from sins you have not yet paid for."
Helios frowned. "I'd kindly ask you to stop that. Anyways you have sothing he wants. Return it, and we walk away."
"I do not fear the wrath of Hades," she said. "I deal in divine balance. I took only what was owed."
Kurai stepped forward. "Then maybe it's ti you're owed a beating."
The ground trembled beneath them.
Nesis raised a hand—and black vines shot out from the statues, striking the ground like spears. The pool of silver blood began to rise, coalescing into the form of a serpent with wings of bone and a crown of jagged steel.
Sephiroth calmly drew the Masamune. "This weak fool seems to have chosen violence for all of us."
Helios' fingers curled around the summoned Equilibrium. "That makes this simple."
Kurai's blade flashed into her hand.
Nesis said nothing more as her cloak and veil faded away revealing her true appearance.
She had pale greenish-yellow skin, sharp angular facial features, including pronounced cheekbones, pointed ears, and fiery, intimidating red eyes. Her dark hair was long, flowing, and partly styled upward in a dramatic fashion, emphasizing her fierce appearance.
She wore armor-like attire that was a combination of dark colors such as grey and black, accented with vibrant orange shoulder guards and armbands.
A roar could be heard as a silver serpent approached.
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