The will of Atropos (completed story)

A man finds himself in the hands of death and with a new purpose to fulfill. How is he going to use his chance in afterlife?

The will of Atropos is a short completed story in the adventure, fiction and romance genre. 

Enjoy!

C.T.K.

Chapter 1: A tainted thread

Your Fate I seal, your thread I cut, the wheel spins round and round.

Death is one. Death is final.

An odd fog lifted in the dimly lit cave. The black sharp rocks framed every piece of scenery his eyes fell upon. He tried to stand up slowly, in fear of feeling the familiar pain in his lungs once more.

‘’Am I dreaming?’’, he wondered out loud, his chestnut eyes searching around him hungrily, only to meet never ending caverns, lit by a number of white crystals embedded in the stone. His last memory flashed into his mind, making him clench his fists and wince lightly, phantom pain coursing through his body. He had been laying in a hospital bed just a few moments ago, so he was either experiencing a very vivid dream, or something was truly strange about the world.

‘’Welcome my son.’’, a female voice echoed through the rocks and the male glanced around nervously once more, his eyes widened, shivers travelling down his spine. The voice did not sound menacing at all, but rather soothing and welcoming. Suddenly, he noticed a figure hovering over a part of the cave, covered in still, but crystal clear waters. It was but a mere shadow in the beginning, but eventually took the form of a gorgeous female, partially naked. Her long black curls, as well as the thin white dress that barely covered her, floated around her body, as if she was underwater. Her eyes were silver like the moon and with a gentle smile on her plum red lips, she beckoned him to approach her.

Captivated by the ethereal being, the man walked near her, despite his own will. He stopped only when he felt the coolness of the waters around his naked feet. Just then he realized that he was dressed in the clothes he had been wearing in his hospital bed: black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt.

‘’What is going on?’’, he managed to ask. ‘’Where am I? And who are you?’’, he added his questions one after another, before his mind numbed out from looking at the female for too long. Her gentle smile hadn’t left her lips.

‘’My name is Atropos and I am the mother of couriers.’’, she answered, confusing the male even more. ‘’Your mother.’’ This time he frowned deeply.

‘’What are you saying?’’

‘’You are dead, Dolor.’’ Her words made him widen his eyes. ‘’You didn’t make it in your world.’’ The shock from the realization hit him hard. ‘’But in this world, your life has just begun. Your life as a son of Atropos, as a courier of the dead.’’

Dolor took a sharp inhale of air and brought his hands over his face, scrubbing his eyes, short cut, brown hair and trimmed beard, as if the words she had spoken were bugs, sitting onto him.

‘’Am I dreaming right now?’’, he grunted through his teeth, unable to believe the woman. A chuckle was heard, making him focus back on her.   

‘’You will be carrying the souls of the dead through the caves of the underworld as a service to them.’’, she explained further.

‘’Why would I do that?’’, his question seemed to stir the female up, as her gentle features twisted in a frown. He took a step back, the floating figure of the woman called Atropos, lowering near him.

‘’I can have another son if you fail me, Dolor.’’, her voice had turned husky, making him shiver. ‘’This life is a gift from me. Do your job and you will keep on living. There are things for you to discover as my son.’’

When she floated back, away from him, he exhaled deeply, since he had been holding his breath for quite some time.

‘’Time to meet your match!’’, Atropos exclaimed and began to fade away. Dolor blinked in confusion as the female disappeared from his eyes, the cavern falling silent again.

Just then, a bright white light shone from a corner of the cave, showing a small opening to another part of it. He walked around the water, which looked like part of a deep river, stretching to the other side of the cave not visible to him, and headed for the light, still confused and unsure of what he should do. Yet he couldn’t stand there forever.

The brightness made him cover his eyes with his forearm as he approached an opening similar to a door, a thin film of light covering it. He took a deep breath and stepped through, his jaw falling from the sight that spread in front of him.

He found himself at the bottom of a staircase. It led to a circular island, floating in the air, below it a large pool of clear, still waters, lit by a number crystals in and out of its surface. On the island stood a house-like structure, with openings similar to doors and windows, all made by black stone, but ever so beautifully lit by the crystals. Above the house another opening allowed light, similar to natural light, pour in.

He swallowed hard and began ascending the stairs, counting up to a hundred until he found himself in front of a wooden door. The house-like structure was as big as a regular house a family might occupy. He looked around once more, the large space making him more than nervous. It would be a big fall from where he was to the waters down below, waters that seemed to have no floor. Dolor brought his attention to the door and knocked on it.

He nearly lost his footing, when a female, with an exasperated expression on her face, opened the door ever so slightly, her round face and brown, aggressive curls peeking through. Her chestnut eyes landed on him with an examining glare, suddenly making him self-conscious of his situation. She pursed her lips and opened the door wider, taking a step back. It was his turn now to examine her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head to the side. She wore a similar dress to Atropos, but way more modest, only her arms and bare feet showing through.

‘’Name.’’, she blurted out and lifted her head a bit, looking down on him with an indifferent expression.

‘’Dolor.’’

‘’Welcome, courier Dolor.’’, she announced. ‘’I am Faith, daughter of Hades.’’

Chapter 2: The daughter of Hades

Dolor followed the female through a corridor and into a circular room, its walls covered by bookcases, packed with books and parchments, a round table at the center of it. It was lit by a large chandelier over their heads, as well as a number of self-illuminated crystals stuck on the sides of the bookcases. They kept on walking, going through another door to the side that led to a narrow hallway, a flight of stairs to the right and four doors to the left, one of them open. Faith pointed at the open room with her hand and turned to acknowledge the male.

‘’This room will be yours.’’, she explained and Dolor peered inside the small space, containing a single bed with red bedding, a desk to the right and a closet to the left. There was a single, closed widow above the desk. With a frown, the male focused his gaze back on the so called daughter of Hades. She rolled her eyes at his curious expression.

‘’Even though we possess physical bodies, we have no need of meeting any biological needs. The only way to feed and rest ourselves is through meditation and sleep.’’, she explained and motioned him to follow her up the stairs.

‘’So I will be resting in there?’’, Dolor asked, wanting to ensure himself that he is actually going to be spending his time in this place. He still had a hard time accepting the reality forced upon him, but tried not to overthink it, in fear of going crazy.

‘’Yes you will.’’

As soon as he stepped into the upper space of the residence, his mouth dropped in shock. The stone room was as wide as the entire house and had a single skylight in the center, letting the natural light enter. A number of cylindrical, rock altars were positioned around the room, carved with mysterious writings. The walls, oddly fashioned similar to the bookcases below, were filled with round, glass spheres, some of them empty and some of them glowing with a soft, white light.

‘’This is where I work.’’, the female spoke once more and took a couple strides to the center of the room. Dolor couldn’t help but notice her softened expression upon gazing around that certain room. When she turned to look at him, though, an authoritative glare fell upon him.

‘’Our cooperation is simple.’’ Her hands crossed in front of her chest. ‘’You collect the souls of the dead and bring them to me.’’ She began explaining and approached the wall behind Dolor, forcing him to turn around in order to follow her moves. Her delicate hands grabbed one of the lit spheres, no larger than an apricot, and the light inside of it trembled.

‘’In each sphere rests a single soul and this room can carry up to three thousand souls. It is my job to purify them and pass them on, into the cycle of rebirth.’’, as she spoke the light became more intense and she approached one of the altars. The stone came to life in her presence, its carvings shining bright. She left the sphere on top of it and it floated in midair. Her eyes were shut tight and the male couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed from the amount of new information. He was never a religious person to begin with, but if he wasn’t actually dreaming, afterlife seemed to be non-existent. 

Faith’s brows twitched and she seemed to be in pain, her hands gradually approaching the glass. Suddenly she clapped and broke the orb in her hands, the light beaming up through the skylight instantly. When her chestnut eyes looked at him, her hands bled from the pieces of glass stuck into her skin. The male frowned and pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

‘’We are not the only creatures stuck in limbo. You will have to fight for this new given life of yours in order to get these souls to me and you will be in pain, extreme pain. As am I.’’, she commented and lowered her hands, blood still dripping from the wounds. ‘’I must train you.’’, she added and beckoned him to follow her to the back of the room. Dolor followed her, in awe of this woman and her words, still struggling to accept this new reality.

As soon as they stepped out, he realized that they were standing on some sort of balcony, as large as a football field, the stone below oddly smooth with no railings around it. It gave Dolor a sudden fear of heights.

‘’Being touched by your mother, Atropos, means that you possess the ability to feed from the souls’ power. But the same goes for the beasts that lurk all over underworld.’’, she commented and their eyes met again. ‘’The difference is that you and I have full conscience of our powers and the ability to hone and perfect them.’’

‘’What are these beasts I’ll have to fight?’’, he couldn’t help but ask and the female smirked at his question.

‘’The beasts are impurities the souls produce. It is mainly the duty of the daughters of Hades to cleanse the souls, but if they don’t get to us we cannot cleanse them. You will use the power of your soul and the souls you are going to carry, in order to fight the beasts.’’, she explained and just then the male noticed that the wounds on her hands were no longer there.

Chapter 3: The power of souls

In a few hours’ time, Dolor was able to come to terms with his new life, even though it would take more than that to actually get used to it and accept it. Daughters of Hades and sons and daughters of Atropos were supposed to work together in order to complete the cycle of death and rebirth. They were chosen by the respective entities a few millennia ago, when the human kind began believing in greater power, in God. No one knew why they were chosen, but they had no choice but to follow their duty until they waste away or their time runs out and they move on to recycle like the rest of the souls. Faith explained to him that he could only return to her and showed him a map of the underworld that was merely mind boggling. She lined out the area she was taking care of and the area he could scavenge for souls.

Dolor was nervous about one thing only: how he was going to survive the beasts scattered around the underworld. The woman told him that the only way to fight them was with his bare hands, channeling his soul power through his every move. The first thing he would have to do is learn to control this power of his and explode it out of his body. For the past hours, the brunette had been standing over his head, pressuring him into achieving what she called energy channeling.

‘’Remember what I told you about meditation.’’, she commented and proceeded to sit beside him, cross-legged like him. ‘’You are more than capable of this, Atropos made sure of it when she gave you power.’’

Dolor shut his eyes once more and felt the energy coursing around his body, like rivers of hot water in his veins. The tingling sensation was pleasant and when his eyes opened he was able to control the power.

‘’Now focus your energy in front of you and release it.’’, Faith instructed and he obliged, a gust of wind erupting from his physical body up front.

‘’Good. Again!’’, her voice sounded beside him and for the next hours he repeated the same exercise until the gust of wind begαn taking shape and form, a blue hue coloring it. Faith instructed him on how to affect that shape to create vines, thorns, or other shapes, using them to fight the beasts. Dolor was getting progressively exhausted and wanted nothing but sleep at that point. He realized how he felt no physical hunger or need to use the bathroom and began wondering whether his body was actually physical, or not.

‘’Enough…’’, Faith exhaled and stood up from his side, entering his line of vision. ‘’It is time for you to rest. Sleep and meditation are the only ways to replenish energy in this place.’’ The male nodded and got up, reaching to her height. She gave him a final glance and entered the room with the orbs.

Dolor found it easy to rest in his new residence, even if his mind was cloudy from the amount of new information. Upon opening his eyes again he felt refreshed, as if he had a full day of sleep. Still, he had no idea how many hours had gone by and the daughter of Hades hadn’t interrupted him. He sat up from the bed and looked down at his plain clothes, wondering whether he was stuck with them for the rest of eternity. He was able to remove them though and felt in need of washing up.

With a sigh escaping his lungs, the male approached the closed window and opened the blinds, witnessing the cove behind it. There seemed to be no additional light coming from the top of the cavern, as if night had fallen, reassuring the male that it might actually be connected to the mortal world. He stepped out of the room, in search of Faith, wondering whether he would get to train or actually go out in the underworld. Memories of his past life, his family, his friends, his coworkers, came rushing back to him again and again, but they seemed to have faded, as if he had died years ago.

As soon as he walked out in the small hallway, trying to decide whether he should go upstairs or in the library, he froze in place.

‘’Faith told me they brought her a new one.’’, a male stood in front of him, much taller than him, sturdy and about his age. He had blonde short hair and a clean shaven face, accentuating his sharp jaw line. His blue eyes focused on Dolor and the male pursed his lips in a thin line, trying to ignore the fact that he looked down on him.

‘’Welcome to the family short stuff. Are you having your first run today?’’, he asked and smirked lightly. Dolor tensed up immediately, deciding not to like this man.

‘’Faith!’’, another voice echoed from the end of the hallway, where the library was, this time belonging to a female.

‘’Conor…’’, the female exhaled as soon as she walked in the hallway and met the blond male. She had a full head of fiery ginger hair, braided to the side of her head. She was a delicate and frail looking woman, way over her thirties. ‘’Is Faith busy?’’, she added, her pale green eyes glancing from one male to another.

‘’She is taking care of the souls I brought her.’’, the blonde male, called Conor replied and after giving Dolor one last glance, opened the door next to his room and walked it, closing it behind him.

‘’Are you the new son of Atropos?’’, the redhead asked him and he managed to focus his attention on her. She was dressed casually, like him and like the man called Conor, and nothing like the other females he had seen up till now in the underworld.

‘’Yes. I am Dolor.’’, he introduced himself and managed a gentle smile back to her, seeing how she was smiling kindly as well.

‘’I am Edna, daughter of Atropos for two years. Conor has been a son of Atropos for three years.’’, she explained and the brown haired male nodded.

‘’That doesn’t sound like a long time.’’, he commented. ‘’Are there others?’’ Edna chuckled.

‘’Well for the meantime it’s just the three of us, but we last from one to five years before moving on.’’ Her answer made him widen his eyes. There were too many things he had to learn about his current situation. ‘’Let’s get to Faith.’’, she added and gave him a wide smile, pulling on a big brown sack that hang behind her back. Dolor followed her up the stairs and into the room with the altars.

The daughter of Hades had been hovering over one of the cylindrical stones, soft light emanating from the carvings on it. The floor around her was covered in broken glasses and blood. Faith kept pulling round glass orbs from a brown bag beside her naked feet and after positioning them over the surface of the altar, broke them with her hands, letting the thread of light inside every orb escape to the sky.

‘’Welcome home, Edna.’’, she murmured indifferently and carried on about her work. Dolor couldn’t help but frown, concerned of the wounds all over her hands and her determination to keep on crushing glass, intensifying them. Pain was evident in her face, but she didn’t stop.

‘’I brought you some more.’’, the redhead mumbled softly and approached the brunet, carefully placing the other bag beside her.

‘’Thank you.’’, she exhaled and paused her work, in order to turn around and face the son and daughter of Atropos in the room with her. Her chestnut eyes focused on the male, who tried to remain as indifferent as her.

‘’Lead him to his first run. I have a bag of orbs ready for him.’’

Chapter 4: The first run

Dolor had been running through the dark cave, his bare feet landing on the stone was the only sound heard for a few hours. Edna had shown him the path he was supposed to clear up, before returning to Faith. The underworld was a never ending labyrinth and he had to ensure that he remained in Faith’s area, not collecting souls from other daughters of Hades. The map was under his armpit and he kept opening it.

The easiest part was collecting the actual souls. As soon as he noticed threads of light hovering about aimlessly, he took out a number of orbs and the souls entered them instantaneously, as if they knew that it meant their salvation. According to Edna, a run could last from ten to thirty hours, and even if it sounded impossible for him to be able to achieve it, he was designed to do so.

The moment he dreaded though, was his first meeting with a beast, an expression of the darkness in the world, wallowed up and taken form. Dolor run beside the main stream of the river, which was nearly a hundred meters wide. The cave took various sizes and forms along the riverside, sometimes opening in large spaces and others narrowing down to hallways. Dolor froze as soon as he turned from a narrow hallway to a round space, the river crossing it to the side. Beside the shore was a large creature, its face deep into the waters. It was similar to a dog, but twice in size and there was no sign of fur on its body. The skin looked red, wounds covering parts of it. Dolor felt bad for the creature, but he had to remind himself that the only beings able to express physical form, beside the daughters and sons of Atropos and the daughters of Hades, where the beasts.

With a deep inhale of breath the male entered the space, preparing himself mentally for his first battle by becoming aware of the energy coursing through his body. The tingling sensation inside him meant that he was ready. The creature lifted its head out of the water, showing its deformed face. Patches of skin had melted off, revealing bones and connective tissue. Its sharp teeth clenched on a fiber of light, a soul.

Suddenly it turned to face the male, its crimson eyes burning with ferocity. A lump formed in his throat and he recalled all the lessons Faith had given him. A blue hue covered his physical body and it surrounded him, while the creature gnawed down on the fiber, breaking it up and sucking in its particles. A heavy growl escaped its throat before it charged up to him. The son of Atropos braced himself and let his energy pulsate aggressively, concentrating the blue hue on his right palm as he lifted his hand.

The next second, a blast of blue light, as hot as a furnace, erupted from him and against the beast, who, coming in contact with the fire, whined in pain and tried to run back. Dolor run behind it and soon enough it fell on the ground, writhing in pain, wasting away into dust. The male contained his energy, a gasp of air escaping him and exhaustion overwhelming his body. His eyes widened and his hands moved quickly to grasp on the brown sack behind him, taking out a few glass orbs. The threads of light that were left behind the remnants of the beast, flew directly into the orbs.

Dolor cursed out loud when another snarl was heard, two more beasts similar to the one he had just faced, but a bit larger and more deformed, run into the open space. The male fought them with the use of his energy, managing to avoid them with speed he was unaware of possessing. When he stood above the ashes victorious once more, satisfaction was the only feeling left in him. A smile crept on his face as the last orbs filled up by the souls those beasts had devoured, enabling him to return back to Faith.

The way back was much smoother than expected and upon noticing the surface of light from afar, he sped up, looking forward to getting some rest. In the corner of his mind he wondered if he had to do this for years, like Edna and Conor. He also couldn’t help but question the reason he was forced to do all this. Was there something to earn? Would something happen if he just left? Was there a way to connect with the living again? All these questions troubled his mind and withered his smile before he even climbed up the stone stairs. He was met with the blonde male, going through the books in the first floor. Their eyes met and the taller male gave the shorter one a challenging glare, smirking ever so lightly.

‘’Welcome home, Dolor.’’, a gentle voice sounded and he turned to his right to notice Faith, walking into the library. She wore an indifferent expression as she approached him, her brunette curls bouncing with every step she took.

‘’I have filled these up.’’, Dolor spoke and motioned to the bag behind his back with a nod of his head. The female nodded back.

‘’Leave them upstairs and I’ll take care of them later.’’, she replied and stretched her hand out. When her palm touched his forehead, Dolor shivered. He felt taken aback, embarrassed even. When these feelings were gone, he felt somehow safe, as if he belonged there. ‘’You need rest. Go.’’, she ordered him and removed her hand. The male nearly whined like a pup, when her touch disappeared and cursed himself inside his head for his ridiculous behavior.

‘’Go.’’, she repeated, upon noticing his hesitation and he obliged.

Chapter 5: A purpose

With every run Dolor did, his courage and self-esteem increased. It became progressively easier for him to follow longer and tougher paths, beating beasts even up to his size and returning with a sack full of glowing orbs. The only physical function his body required was sleep and when Dolor wasn’t sleeping or running around the underworld, he meditated, read and practiced his powers under the guidance of Faith. The woman wasn’t cold and strict only to him, but to the others as well. She carried herself from one room to the other, seemingly restless. The only moments Dolor saw the brunette stand still was during her meditation.

After his eleventh run, and traditional rest, Dolor roamed about the residence, deciding to study. He never really was a book person, but there were no games or music in this place, leaving him with no other option for entertainment. The collection of books was designed by Faith herself and included works from ancient to modern times. Apart from various science books, there were also fantasy books, all with a specific taste in mind. Dolor found the book he hadn’t yet finished and sat on the floor nonchalantly.

‘’Interesting choice…’’, a female voice echoed in the room and he looked up to meet Faith, carrying five thick, new books and proceeding to shove them in a half full shelf. Her action made the question rise in his head.

‘’Where are you getting these from?’’, he asked her and the female chuckled, her attention still on the shelves.

‘’Hades likes to bring his daughters any gifts they prefer. I happen to like books.’’

Dolor frowned at her words and his gaze fell on the open pages, his mind refusing to pay attention to the words. This place was designed according to Faith, meaning that other daughter’s residences were completely different. It made him somehow appreciate the female more.

‘’You are doing a great job. Atropos made a good choice this time.’’, she suddenly commented and the male looked up at her, still wearing a troubled expression.

‘’You might be the first one I had, able to leave in less than two years.’’, she added and smiled gently, a smile he had never seen on her face. The woman was fierce, strict, ironic, cunning, but gentle when needed. Yet she had never shown him an honest smile of appreciation. Her words made him remember a discussion he had with Edna two days ago, before she left for her most recent run. The redhead had explained that each son or daughter has to deliver a number of souls in order to pass on to the other side and enter the cycle of rebirth. Dolor couldn’t help but wonder whether the daughters of Hades passed on or not. Before he even realized it, the female had begun walking out of the room, a collection of different book under her arms.

After a lengthy reading session, the shorthaired male walked up the stairs and headed for the open balcony. He went past a very tired Edna that walked out, as well as Faith who dug her hands into the bag of orbs, breaking them up and cleansing and releasing the souls. When he stepped out, he noticed Conor, sitting near the edge of the balcony cross-legged, meditating. The much shorter male pursed his lips in dissatisfaction upon noticing him and stepped to the side, ready to take his own place. In the past few days, thanks to Faith’s guidance, he had managed to control the blue aura around him and give it specific shapes, making his fights more aggressive and accurate, instead of releasing his power all over him aimlessly.

‘’She took a liking to you.’’, Conor spoke and stood up, turning around to face the other male. His face was a mask of indifference, before a small smirk altered it. Dolor lifted a brow, as if asking a question.

‘’Faith I mean. You became her favorite.’’, he added and the shorter male frowned in disbelief, wondering where the blonde one took the information from. He certainly didn’t feel like he was treated differently. Conor scoffed and his blue eyes darted to the entrance, behind which was the daughter of Hades, before focusing back on him.

‘’Want to fight short stuff?’’

Dolor gritted his teeth behind his closed mouth, in an effort to hold back his curses. He was in no mood to humor the taller male.

‘’I have meditating to do.’’, Dolor answered him and he chuckled and rolled his eyes.

‘’Scared, I get it.’’

‘’Get lost Conor. I have no intention of butting heads with you.’’

‘’As you should.’’, Faith’s voice sounded from his right and both the men turned to focus on the brunette woman who had been staring down at them, infuriated.

‘’Save your energy for what it is supposed to be used for or I’ll beat you both to a pulp.’’, she added and her threat, as real as it sounded, seeing how she was the one teaching them everything, sounded somehow cute to Dolor. He nodded and proceeded to ignore the other son of Atropos as he turned around and continued his meditation. Faith locked eyes with Dolor and motioned with her hand to follow her. He couldn’t help but wonder if it would be another lesson, perhaps in hand in hand combat this time. They only had three lessons together and she pressed on the importance of that skill as well. Their energy, as vast as it was, sometimes could diminish, thus the use of hand in hand combat to get them out of a tough spot.

‘’There is something I must show you.’’, she spoke before turning her back to him.

As they walked in the room, Dolor noticed that there wasn’t a single lit orb left, meaning that the female had worked tirelessly to fulfill her duties. Only a single orb was left on one of the altars, the string of light dancing inside of it. She held the glass in her hands and proceeded to break it. The soul, instead of travelling upwards, remained at the spot, a blue hue surrounding it.

‘’This soul used to be a daughter of Atropos.’’, she began explaining and the hue pulsated aggressively. ‘’But she never managed to follow the path chosen for her. She escaped my sanctuary and traveled the underworld alone, in hope of returning to the surface.’’ Dolor frowned, his chestnut eyes travelling from the concerned expression on Faith’s face, to the soul that began losing the blue aura around it. ‘’This is her soul, nearly a century after.’’ With those words, she clapped her hands again and the light travelled to the open space above, disappearing from their eyes. The male was left dumbfounded, struggling to find a specific meaning in the female’s words.

‘’A year after escaping, she turned into a beast.’’, she suddenly said and focused on him, taking in his shocked expression.

‘’So the beasts…they...’’

‘’Yes. They are like you, sons and daughters of Atropos, having lost their way, refusing their duty and turning against their nature.’’, she interrupted his stuttering words and then smiled softly once more, taking him by surprise. ‘’Of course I have no doubt in you. You will succeed, sooner that anyone.’’

With a lump in his throat, Dolor simply nodded, realizing for once what his purpose in this place was.

Chapter 6: Trapped

‘’Have you seen Faith?’’, Conor asked, making Dolor open his eyes and forcing him out of his meditation. The taller male had just returned from a run and carried a small bag of orbs. Curiously, Dolor seemed to be the one bringing back the biggest amount of souls with each run, compared to the other two and he kept wondering why it happened.

‘’She was in the back room.’’, Edna spoke up from her position, where she was meditating as well. It was one of the rare occasions that all three of them ended up in the sanctuary at the same time. Dolor was planning to go on his twentieth run in a few hours and Edna had returned only three hours ago, disappointed in her small collection of souls.

‘’Fine.’’, Conor exhaled and run his hand through his blonde hair. ‘’I will leave these inside and get some sleep.’’, he murmured and dragged himself back inside. Edna turned around to give him a glance, her eyes falling on the size of his bag before darkening slightly.

‘’You don’t have to bring them all filled every time.’’, Dolor commented, in an effort to make her feel better. Even through his friendships while alive, he never really was the best person to console others. They had to be really close for him to be able to comfort them. The redhead chuckled and smiled bitterly, before turning back to her meditation. Dolor decided to go downstairs, wanting to read before heading back out.

As he climbed down the stairs though, a sound was heard from the back room, the one room no one could enter, apart from Faith herself. The daughter of Hades had told them that it was a place she kept her old books and other gifts and she occasionally went in and out of it, carrying books. He approached the closed door, trying to figure out what type of sound it was. It was similar to a muffled grunt and tears. Dolor had to place his ear right on the surface of the wood.

‘’Let…me…go…’’, Faith’s voice barely sounded and the male widened his eyes before acting completely out of instinct, barging in the room. His chestnut eyes glared around hungrily and prepared himself for a fight, despite knowing that the sanctuary was a safe space. All he heard was a gasp of air and after adjusting to the dim light of the room, he noticed the brunette hugging herself, on her knees, surrounded by mountains of books and trinkets in the small room.

‘’What are you doing in here?’’, she barked at him and her shocked expression turned infuriated. Dolor took in her situation and felt a shiver travel down his spine. Her clothes were removed completely and her skin was covered in bleeding wounds, similar to scratches. From the blood on her fingertips, he guessed that she was the one who had inflicted them on herself. Her eyes were red and her face puffy from crying. She hurriedly stretched one hand out to take her white dress and wear it on her, the blood and wounds disappearing instantaneously as if they were never there. When their eyes met, Dolor averted his gaze for a split second.

‘’Haven’t I told you not to get in here?’’

‘’Did you do that to yourself?’’, the male interrupted her and glared at her with an expression that matched her own anger. She widened her eyes for a split second and tilted her head upwards, looking down on him as she always had.

‘’There is no reason for me to explain anything.’’

‘’Why did you do it? Who is holding you captive?’’, he kept on interrupting her and she gritted her teeth, avoiding his eyes. Dolor couldn’t hold himself back and kept blurting out what was in his mind, realizing his concerns for this woman who had trained him in more ways than one, in order to meet his purpose in the underworld and helped him come to terms with his nature. Faith seemed to take part in an internal battle before finally exhaling.

‘’Hades, of course.’’, she uttered and the male lifted his brows curiously. Neither he nor others knew a single thing about Hades or Atropos. They seemed to be these mysterious entities that controlled the underworld. Suddenly, Faith glared at him.

‘’Can you even guess how long I have been serving him? And all he wants to do is keep me for his collection. Not even leave me be here, not even release me from my binds.’’, she spoke, suddenly giving information Dolor never expected to receive.

‘’Collection?’’ The female sighed and shook her head. ‘’Please….’’, the male pressed on and with a concerned frown, closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them in the room. ‘’Let me know.’’ It took her a few seconds to make her decision, but when he rolled her eyes, the male knew he had convinced her.

‘’I have been serving this beast called Hades for nearly four centuries. Raising the sons and daughters of his other half, Atropos. It should be my time to rest now, but I am unfortunate.’’, she began explaining and with every word, her composure turned more brittle. ‘’He likes me too much to let me go, so he plans on taking me by his side in his sanctuary. To be trapped there for the rest of time or until he gets bored of me.’’

Dolor frowned, trying to take in all the new information. There were too many things he hadn’t been aware of, regarding the underworld and the world in general, but he understood enough to realize that this woman was being forced into a situation she did not like. It made him want to defend her, it made him realize that he cared for her. He had no family anymore, since he had died, but this woman had served as his family for the past few months.

‘’Can’t you just deny him?’’

Faith’s laughter echoed in the room and her body shook abruptly, almost running out of breath from the intensity.

‘’Atropos and Hades are souls that turned into immortal beasts. They cannot be fought against, cannot be bargained with.’’

‘’Has anyone tried?’’

Faith glared at him, like he was dumb, but he did not care. He might not be able to grasp what these beings were, but he, perhaps idiotically, believed that it was possible to bargain with them. He wanted Faith to have the future she wanted. She had served him enough to deserve it.

‘’Enough of this Dolor. Go to your run.’’, she sighed and rubbed her face with her hand.

‘’As you wish.’’, he replied and with a heavy heart, left her alone in the room. As he stepped out to prepare himself, he hoped that he would get to see her when he returned.

Chapter 7: Headless

On his way back from the run, Dolor had a weird sensation gnawing on his consciousness. He had a bad feeling after his latest discussion with Faith and was even unable to fill the amount of orbs he had taken with him, a first for him in months. Oddly enough, he hadn’t even met enough beasts around the area, as if something had scared them off. With every step he took up the very familiar stairs, his stomach tied up even more. It was a sensation he had when fighting, but not in the sanctuary. It was a safe space, thanks to the daughter of Hades who kept it cleansed. Dolor walked through the library and upstairs, looking for the brunette. The rooms were completely empty and upon noticing Edna stand outside on the balcony, pacing around nervously, placed the bag on the floor and stepped out.

‘’Dolor! You are back…’’, she uttered in sheer nervousness. Her eyes showed nothing but fear as she gave him a weak smile, her lips quivering slightly.

‘’Did something happen?’’ The female nodded at his question and tears wallowed up in her eyes.

‘’Conor did not make it… He turned and Faith had to throw him out… She had no choice… he…’’, she muttered under her breath and the male was able to understand what she meant. The fellow son of Atropos hadn’t been able to complete his duty and turned into a beast, to roam about for a number of years, in pain, before he even gets a chance of salvation. Even if he did not like the much taller male, he still felt bad for him. It was a fate he couldn’t wish on anyone.

‘’And Faith… she won’t be coming home either.’’

Dolor’s heart jumped into his chest, as if he was still living. His wide chestnut eyes glared at the female, challenging her to take her words back, but to no avail. She gave him an apologetic expression and hid her face in her hands.

‘’This is too stressful, I might end up turning too….’’, she mumbled again and Dolor gritted his teeth. He had been gone for a few hours, how could things turn that sour? He only cared for one thing and felt no shame in the realization.

‘’Where is she?’’

The redhead female glanced up at him in shock, understanding that the reason he had asked the question was his desire to find her.

‘’Hades probably took her. We’ll have a new one in her place soon enough.’’, she replied and the information wasn’t enough for him.

‘’Did he release her? And where is Hades?’’, he pressed on and Edna shrugged her shoulders, making him curse through his teeth. He was anxious and infuriated and wanted nothing more than to go get Faith back. Hades couldn’t have her, especially since she didn’t want to be by his side. He took the detailed map of the underworld in his hands and unrolled it, recalling a piece of information Faith herself had given him the first time they sat down above the map. Atropos and Hades moved freely in the underworld but both of them had resting places not too far from each other. He managed to locate them, realizing how far off they were from any sanctuary in the underworld. Yet he had no intention of backing up.

‘’What are you thinking?’’

‘’I am getting her back.’’, Dolor answered the redhead’s question indifferently and turned around to leave.

‘’Wait!’’, he heard her voice behind him as she tried to catch up. ‘’What can you possibly do? This is the way things are down here…’’

‘’I don’t care. I will change them.’’

As he stepped out of the sanctuary he kept the map partially open, reminding himself of the proper route to the resting places of the two entities. The rest of the underworld spread below the actual world, but in order to reach Hades and Atropos, all you had to do is travel southern. There were entrances to the lower part of the underworld, a few hours away and Dolor tried to save his energy, avoiding as many beasts as he possibly could.

He tried to ignore his exhaustion, as the hours went by and he got closer to the turning point of his journey. Knowing nothing about the rest of the underworld, the decision to try and bring Faith back hadn’t changed. Dolor had never been an extremely brave person, but having already died he felt no remorse for his actions. He only had Faith in this odd reality and he couldn’t accept her gone.

As he turned around to an open space, where the river did not touch, his eyes met the small opening, a film of light covering it. Behind that spread one of the routes down to Hades. The male gathered his courage, but before even taking two steps into the area, a grunt echoed through the stone. His chestnut eyes fell onto a dark mass at the corner, similar to a crouching person.

‘’Conor?’’, he blurted out, as soon as he realized the blonde strands of hair on the tall male. The former son of Atropos lifted his head to face Dolor, but his blue eyes were murky, as if there was no one there. His mouth opened and closed a couple times, no words coming out of it. On his fair skin, a few black spots had spread, like a disease. Dolor frowned heavily when the realization hit him. Conor had turned already. It surprised him how far gone he got in a few hours’ time. The blonde male got on his feet instantly and breathed heavily, his hands dangling about his body, like dead weight. The shorter male tensed up, wishing he hadn’t bumped into Conor.

Chapter 8: Pushing forward

‘’I don’t want to fight you…’’, Dolor spoke up, hoping that he could get to him, but the once cocky and borderline offensive son of Atropos, did not seem to hear him. Dolor clenched his fists when he suddenly began running up to him, with an obvious intent to attack. The shorter male cursed through his teeth and dashed to the side to avoid him.

‘’Conor! Stop!’’, he exclaimed again and when the blonde man looked up at him his mouth was open as he bared his teeth and snarled at him. Dolor felt his dead heart ache. Despite not having the best relationship with him, his situation saddened him. The turned male attacked once more, his speed nearly matching Dolor’s. He behaved similar to a beast and Dolor had no choice but to destroy him, or run away from him. When he charged in for the next attack, baring his already grown out nails, similar to all the beasts he had fought before, he took his decision. Dolor’s energy pulsated throughout his body and the blue hue covered him like a protective coating. Suddenly, his speed and strength increased and with the next aggressive attack that he had managed to avoid, he landed behind Conor.

Using his elbow, he hit him on his back, bringing down his impressive height. Every hit he landed on him was enhanced by the energy of his own soul, increasing the impact. In less than a minute, the once fellow son of Atropos had fallen, gasping for air. Dolor felt bad for him and hesitated, his lips pressed in a thin line as he looked down at his writhing existence.

‘’You have surpassed my expectations my son.’’, a gentle voice was heard and chills travelled down Dolor’s spine as his eyes met the silver one’s belonging to none other than Atropos herself. A gentle smile decorated her red lips.

‘’You…’’, was all the male managed to utter. Captivated by her ethereal being, floating over the writhing, turned male, Dolor remained frozen in his place, his chestnut eyes stuck on her fair face.

‘’What are you planning to do?’’, she questioned him and it was as if she controlled his body and mind when the answer came right out.

‘’I want to get Faith back.’’ A frown darkened his complexion upon hearing his own words. Atropos lifted a brow and her smile turned into an aggressive smirk.

‘’You wish to challenge Hades?’’ Dolor blinked. He certainly hadn’t seen it that way. Realizing that he was able to relax again, as if her captivating spell had worn out, he sighed and shook his head negatively.

‘’I just want the only person close to me down here, back…’’, his eyes fell on the ground between his legs. A laughter that echoed through the cave made him look up at the woman with a curious glare. She lifted her hand gently up to her eye to wipe a single tear and when her gaze fell on him, he was shaken. Atropos wasn’t gentle anymore, but wore a vicious, thirsty expression.

‘’Finally an offspring with some character!’’, the woman exclaimed and lowered near Dolor, making him shiver lightly once more, those glorious silver orbs getting too close to him for comfort.

‘’Very well! I shall provide you with my blessing. Hades you cannot beat, but you might be able to get near him to bargain.’’, she announced out of the blue, making Dolor widen his eyes in surprise. She approached him, her black hair floating to the back, as if she swam midair. The male remained frozen in place as she cupped his cheek with her hand, her cold touch giving him chills. Atropos pressed her lips against his and they were as cold as her touch, as if she was death herself. Then, a wave of power crushed into him and all his previous exhaustion lifted. He suddenly felt like he was on top of the world. ‘’You might be luckier than the last one who tried this. Go, my son.’’, she whispered on his lips and was suddenly gone, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Dolor glanced around him, in an effort to return to reality. The power she had given him had been embedded into every fiber of his being and fueled his actions. Conor was no longer there, as if he had been a distant memory. The son of Atropos tightened his firsts and turned around to face the surface of light.

Behind it, the cave was no different, making him wonder what the use of the barrier had been. Perhaps it was meant to keep the beasts out. The narrow hallway of the cave, barely lit by a few sparse crystals, moved to a downwards spiral and the male descended, feeling very much on edge, wondering when an attack was going to happen. Minutes soon turned into hours and his hands had already turned numb from clenching his fists, forcing him to release some of the tension. Dolor exhaled an exasperated sigh when he finally reached the end of the spiral, only to see a small lake, tiny spots of light visible beneath the calm waters.

He traced every nook and cranny of the space he ended up in, realizing that there was no other way around it. In order to move forward he had to swim through the water. He had never entered the water in the underworld and recalled no lessons concerning it. All he knew was that the souls swam in and out of it, having no physical bodies, but the beasts rarely entered it, unless they were after a soul. Dolor took a deep breath and jumped in, having one thing in his mind, getting back what he wanted.

Chapter 9: Dealing with death

Dolor was pleasantly shocked to realize that there was no need to breathe underwater. He felt no pressure on him, no desire to breathe in. The temperature of the water was freezing cold though, and it was the only thing he struggled with. As he swam deeper and deeper in the cylindrical space, a few souls approached him in hope of finding salvation from him. Eventually he noticed another flat surface like a mirror, instead of the bottom, as if it was another surface of water below the one he had dived in a few minutes ago.

When his head got out of the water, confusion coursed through him for a few seconds. He had been moving downwards but he was upwards in the middle of a small cave, similar to the one he had been before. He swam to the sore and stepped out, his naked feet and the sound of droplets were the only things heard. Dolor was more than glad to be out of the freezing waters. He approached the only opening and walked through, barely picking up some sort of buzzing noise. The narrow hallway was pitch black and the only source of light came from the exit up front.

As soon as he stepped out of the hallway his jaw dropped in awe. A huge space spread before him, the black rocks decorated in crystals, tiny waterfalls flowing all around and into a huge lake that covered most of the cave’s surface. Strands of light floated all around, going in and out of the water. Dolor felt disappointed, since there was nothing in that cave and no other way in and out of it, apart from the one he went through.

‘’You dare approach me!’’, a male voice echoed through the stones. Dolor felt his hair rise on his body and he glanced around hungrily, trying to figure out its source.

Suddenly, over the surface of the lake, a mass of black smoke appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The mass whirled around its center until it finally took form. A male, larger than anyone Dolor had ever met in his life, floated over the water, his well-built body barely covered by a thin white fabric. His hair was long, pitch black and floated around his head the same way Atropos’ did. Dolor felt his dead heart tighten upon meeting his gaze, a pair of crimson eyes staring at him. This man could be none other than Hades himself. A devilish smirk appeared on his lips.

‘’What is a puny son of Atropos doing in my sanctuary?’’, Hades questioned and lifted his chin up. He was definitely an incredibly handsome male, just like Atropos was a very attractive female. They were meant to be captivating, powerful beings. Dolor felt tiny and powerless in front of him, but his drive to get Faith back fueled his actions.

‘’You have taken something valuable from the sanctuary I live in. I want it back.’’, the brown haired male spoke, noticing the smirk on Hades’ face becoming more prominent.

‘’How interesting…’’, he was barely heard before opening his arms wide as if challenging him. ‘’So you have come here to make a deal with me?’’ Dolor couldn’t help but frown. Making a deal with death himself, sounded like a bad idea.

‘’All I want is Faith to return to her sanctuary.’’

Hades chuckled and crossed his hands in front of his broad chest. Suddenly the air got colder and an uneasy sensation coursed through the male’s body.

‘’Faith is a very precious daughter to me. I want her near me.’’, he commented and Dolor tried to keep his eyes on him. Yet, he couldn’t help but notice the strands of light that represented souls, move around more aggressively, as If something had disturbed them. He took a step back in shock, when one of them approached him and circled around his head before remaining beside him, twisting around itself midair.

‘’I am not giving her to you.’’, Hades spoke under his breath, as if trying to keep his anger at bay.

This time Dolor frowned, feeling fury rising into him.

‘’Maybe it isn’t your decision…’’, he growled at him and the godly figure rose a wondering brow. ‘’Have you asked her what she wants?’’, Dolor added and Hades scoffed.

‘’It is not up to her. She is mine.’’

‘’Bring her back!’’ The son of Atropos spat through his teeth.

‘’You dare demand from me?’’, Hades replied with an even louder and heavier voice making the other one shudder, despite himself. The cave turned darker and the light beside him flickered. Shadows rose on the rocks, shadows of beasts, larger than anything he had ever fought. When he stared back in those crimson eyes, he realized that fighting him wouldn’t get him what he wanted.

‘’Make a deal with me!’’, he screamed from the top of his lungs, making Hades laugh in pure bliss.

‘’What could you possibly offer me that I don’t already have? What could you trade in for a daughter’s presence beside me?’’

Dolor lowered his head, deep in thoughts. It was true that he had nothing to trade, as he had nothing in this world, nothing but his own self. It might had been a spur of the moment, or a well thought out realization, but he had made his decision. There was nothing else in this world but death and he knew he did not want to live again, only to meet the same fate, going round and round in an endless cycle, unaware of it. He lifted his chestnut eyes to meet death embodied.

‘’I offer you my soul.’’

Hades’ eyes widened and he froze for a few seconds.

‘’You will give yourself to me in her place?’’, he questioned, hunger hiding in his voice. Dolor nodded, his fists tightening as the man in front of him began laughing aggressively. ‘’You will betray Atropos for a woman? She blessed you and you will betray her?’’

The male frowned in the realization. He never thought about the trust that Atropos had in him, but he had nothing else to offer Hades.

‘’She wants to be free…’’, he mumbled under his breath. ‘’Make the deal!’’ Hades nodded and opened his arms. Dolor lowered his gaze and prepared himself, unaware of what was going to come up next.

‘’You make me proud…’’, a familiar voice echoed in the room and the male lifted his eyes up to see Hades gone. In his place was a black mass of smoke, whirling around and changing shapes. It finally took the form of Atropos, leaving Dolor more than shocked and confused.

‘’Wha…’’

‘’There is no Atropos and there is no Hades…’’, her soft voice brought him tingles. She smiled wide and floated near him. ‘’Death is only one, death is absolute. Death is final.’’

Dolor widened his eyes and took a step back, hearing both male and female voices coming from her.

‘’Faith had to go, but you insist to the point of offering yourself. I shall humor you then.’’, were her next words and beside the awkward sensation travelling down his spine and the immense fear that numbed his head, he felt somehow hopeful.

‘’Either you let her go, or you both remain here for eternity. You certainly won’t be the only ones who have failed the cycle.’’, she explained and Dolor frowned heavily.

‘’I don’t want her to be trapped here…’’

‘’That was going to be her fate no matter what. Daughters of Hades have no salvation.’’

The male shivered at her words, the reveal of the truth that no daughter was probably aware of. They probably all thought that they could make it out.

‘’Do it then.’’, the words came out of his mouth before his brain could even process them. He had made up his mind.

‘’Very well. Death welcomes you.’’

Chapter 10: Thank you

‘’Where is Faith?’’, Dolor asked as soon as he stepped into the library. Edna had been snooping through the new collection of books at the eastern side of the room and she looked up to acknowledge him with a smile. Her runs had been going well lately and soon enough she was going to be released.

‘’At the balcony.’’, the redhead replied and the male didn’t give her a second glance before heading up. He walked past the room with the altars and out the balcony, where Faith was teaching meditation to the new addition in the sanctuary, Kristy. As soon as she noticed him, she spoke a few words to the woman and walked near Dolor with a smile on her face. His heart fluttered, more than glad to see her content.

He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips, making her back away flustered, a shade of pink coloring her fair skin. She played with her rich curls nervously and looked back to make sure that the new daughter of Atropos had not seen them. Dolor couldn’t help but smirk.

‘’You really need to get used to this…’’, he commented and she threw a playful punch at his arm, making a cute pout with her lips.

‘’How did it go?’’, she asked, glancing behind him, at the bag containing the glass orbs.

‘’Same as always. I found a new area too. Want to help me map it out?’’, he told her and she smirked and nodded in excitement.

‘’Follow me.’’

‘’Always.’’