Thanatos

Thanatos flashed through the cave at blinding speeds, navigating through the terrain with no apparent difficulty, even though it was incredibly dark. The walls were lined with the bones of the dead as statues of demons periodically came into view, which only added to the eery feeling the cave portrayed. And it only seemed to get worse as they traveled farther. Thanatos flashed through as his wings flapped periodically through the air with a smile on his face. In his hand, a tiny golden soul brought the only light available in the area as Thanatos moved through space at superhuman speeds.

As he flew, he glanced at the Soul, thinking back to everything he had to do to get to this point. He was glad. Everything was finally taking place in this plan he had concocted for more than a million years.

He wasn't afraid to admit that meeting this abnormality had been one of the luckiest things to ever happen to him as a god. From before, when he was plotting aimlessly, hoping for a crack in that arrogant god's armor, to now successfully reaching the cusp of success for his plan, it all changed because of this abnormal Soul's contribution. Once he creates the mental connection with the Mirror, everything he planned for will come to fruition!

He couldn't help but smile genuinely at the opportunity to finally take his rightful place as the god of death. He believed Hades did not deserve to rule this realm. The only reason Hades even has control over it is because he drew lots with his brothers. Was this what made him think he deserved to be its owner? Thanatos's head shook in disdain. He couldn't accept that. So he will change the status quo in his own way and make all his ambitions come to fruition starting here.

In a good mood, he also decided to share his joy with Lucian.

"You know, I know that Charon has been helping you. Since it seems like you're still living, I can safely guess that you told him everything about what I am doing. Am I right?" He said with a knowing smile.

Lucian stared at the god. "How did you find out?" Lucian remained unperturbed as he calmly replied. Let him make a fool of himself.

"Haha, I told you I have my eyes everywhere. Did you think I would just forget about a brother of mine right next to you on the river of Styx right next to you? Unfortunately for you, gods are not as gullible as humans." he laughed cheerfully. He couldn't help but feel a bit lighter as he divulged more information to Lucian.

"Well, now that you have that tidbit of information, I think you know what it means for your plan, right?" a sharp edge appearing in his soothing voice. His smile grew menacing as he summoned his own contract into his hand. It radiated a red color as per usual, but it also had signs of silver on it as well similar to his own contract consecrated with the River of Styx!

"Your little backdoor to the contract has already been fixed, and on top of that, it has been bound even further by the River or Styx. Which means you will have to fulfill your contract no matter what you do!" he said with a victorious laugh that reverberated throughout the hollow cave. His mood region as he flew at imaginable speeds.

"Only, the thing is, you won't! You can't! I won't let you! Haha!"

"I never planned to escape my so-called 'prison,' as I told you. Sorry, I lied," Thanatos said in schadenfreude with a careless chuckle.

"This place is my home. Why would I want to leave it and escape, fool? No, I want more than that!" He spoke with such convictions the world seemed to be swayed by his words as it warped with each word.

"I want to own it!" He said covetously as he grinned with hidden maliciousness.

"Do you know how much of a taboo an abnormality like you is to us? Let me just say that letting you escape would mean much more to the gods of death than you can imagine. Enough to turn the gods of death against each other, inciting a war much larger than you can imagine."

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"Now, imagine that just when such an abnormality was about to escape, a minor god like me, for example, was able to prevent such a thing from happening?" Thanatos drolled on as a humorous glint escaped his eyes.

"..." Lucian said nothing. There was really no reason to.

"That's right! I will be deemed more fit to control the realm!"

"the only thing you need to be able to do is to damage the Mirror, and that will be more than enough for Hades to come rushing down from his throne. Him and every other life and death god in the multiverse!"

"And that is when I can step in and take over this realm!" Thanatos spoke passionately.

"As decreed by the Council of gods, a god who cannot protect his own realm cannot rule it. I will take his place," he said wistfully.

"Won't it be easier to weaken him by destroying the Mirror? There is still a way for us to both get what we want. What if the gods don't accept you becoming the god of death? Won't you have done all this for nothing?" he asked calmly. He felt that his ideas were entirely out of the realm of possibility.

"If you weren't so stupid, you wouldn't have to ask me that. Maybe you wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place," he smirked condescendingly.

"Think about it. If I decided to destroy the Mirror, I would have to fight a weakened Hades, which is still incredibly challenging. A god such as he is nearly impossible to defeat, especially as a minor god. Two, I would gain many enemies and many targets on my back. And three, I would not gain the support of the gods of this realm. In fact, I might not even have a chance to gain the throne if the Council intervenes. There are just too many ways it could go wrong. That's not including the unimaginable consequences of destroying it in the first place. That war would probably last for at least a million years! Which is why you are the perfect sacrifice!" he said, moving faster through the tunnels.

"Besides, I know most of the gods would help me. Why? Because everyone hates Hades. That and most minor gods on the Council have been bribed by me. It's a foolproof plan!"

"And I have to thank you for it," he said with a toothy grin spread on his face.

"You're being very forthcoming with me today," Lucian said as he stared at Thanatos. "Do you truly think you can get away with this?"

"Haha, what does it matter if you know my plan? You're merely my chess piece, sacrificed for my ambitions," he said nonchalantly as he finally slowed down.

The cave began steadily gaining light as they moved deeper into it. They eventually found the source of light, which was a beacon of energy revolving around a giant door-like structure peacefully.

The first thing Lucian thought when he saw the Mirror was 'Beautiful.'

The giant Mirror was easily 100 Meters in height, beaming in multiple beautiful colors similar to a rainbow. Its frame looked like it was made of solid diamond as the light shined through them, reflecting throughout the cave. In the Mirror, a reflection of an abnormally beautiful forest was displayed, with wildlife moving throughout the reflection. It looked almost too beautiful to be real. But Lucian knew it was real somehow. He could feel its power radiate over him, giving him a sense of life he didn't know he had lost.

"The Mirror of Samsara. Quite beautiful, isn't it?" Thanatos said solemnly as he stopped to admire it. Even he was entranced by the Mirror's beauty.

However, he quickly shook himself out of his reverie, focusing on his next steps. "Now is the time..." he mumbled as he brought out a red contract. As soon as the contract appeared, red energy surrounded Lucian's Soul, forcing Lucian to move toward the Mirror.

Unable to resist, Lucian complied, moving toward the Mirror at a steady pace.

Up close, the Mirror was even more remarkable; its features were so beautiful it instinctively felt too sacred for his Soul to touch. Billions of other souls moved through it as they flashed in white light and disappeared. Lucian also noticed that in the Mirror, he could see reflections of a similar mirror doing the same thing in multiple places. He could see the other underworlds besides this one!

As he got closer, he instinctive felt like he could interact with the Mirror. Focusing his will on that thread of information in the Mirror, he immediately felt intense pain all over his Soul, slowly breaking it down. Fortunately, he had grown enough strength not to die instantly to its power. However, he was barely interacting with it in the first place. His Soul was still far too weak. The only reason he wasn't dead was because of how strong it was in the first place, offsetting his weakness to barely allow him to interact with it. If he were any weaker, it wouldn't be able to power their connection whatsoever.

The abilities the Mirror had popped into his head instantly, giving Lucian the option he needed to successfully damage the Mirror and more.

However, at that moment, he stopped; the red energy thrashed violently around his body but to no avail. It was no longer controlling his actions whatsoever.

Thanatos his smile froze on his face as he watched in disbelief. "What is going on?"

Turning toward him, he chuckled quietly. "I think it's about time I stop the act. Don't you think?" Lucian asked with a slight smile.