"WAIT! THANATOS IS WATCHING OVER ME"

Inches away, the wave stopped, almost like they were frozen in place. Charon's brows rose as he heard Lucian's declaration.

Scrutinizing Lucian for a while, he spoke once again. "You don't seem to be telling a lie," he said as he retracted the Styx's water.

"For something like this to happen, A god's hand must've been at play. You tell me what you know, and I will spare you from a painful death." Charon narrowed his eyes as he unsummoned his paddle, folding his arms in wait.

"I will. However, I am unable to focus currently due to my predicament. Once I fully absorb this soul, I will be able to answer all your questions," he replied, as he sounded incredibly fatigued. Of course, he could speak, but he needed the chance to be focused if he wanted to deal with this threat.

He stared at the god anxiously as he watched him with scrutiny.

Soon he nodded and said. "Very well." he materialized a golden chair as he sat in wait. "However, if you attempt to lie to me, do know that I will know, and I will kill you where you stand," he said with a calm face, his golden eyes flashing red for a brief moment.

That was not a good sign. That implied he knew of ways to detect lies. That information could mean much more in this magical world than in his previous life.

Maybe he had powers that could detect lies? Either way, he would need to test the waters before diving head-first into this potential catastrophe.

Acknowledging him, he sighed internally. "Luckily, he bought my acting. Now I just have to find a way out of this mess... For now, let's complete this [Soul Eater] session."

He put his focus back onto Soul Eater. Although it was very intense, it was much easier to control compared to pre-Soul essence. With complete focus, he could pull through and achieve the breakthrough in his Soul attribute.

"Once this is done, I can deal with this curious god," he thought as he took a side glance at the god behind him while the god leisurely sat on his chair. Feeling someone staring at him, he turned in his direction, his deadpan gaze did not shift a beat.

Lucian quickly turned back, attempting to focus as he felt an anxious lump begin to develop in his.... soul-body? Well, he knew he was nervous.

Lucian continued with [Soul Eater]. As he focused, the god began to take a good look at Lucian's soul, immediately surprised at the quality of his soul.

"This must be why my brother is interested in him," he observed. "And it seems like that is how he does it," he thought internally as he took another look at the tether.

"What is Thanatos planning... it doesn't make sense why he would need a mortal's help to accomplish his goals. Does he not know how this will affect my responsibility?" he thought, clearly frustrated at his brother's actions.

As the Ferryman of the Underworld, his domain of influence as a god was incredibly vital to Hades' Underworld. If he ever failed his duties, billions of souls would be left dead, which would create monumental issues for the Multiverse.

For Thanatos to attempt to interrupt such an important task, he must have been willing to deal with its consequences, which led him to think about his plan and why it was important enough to risk this much.

"Or maybe this has been blown far out of proportion, and this soul person is simply here trying to escape Thanatos somehow? Either case, I will need to verify this using the Styx."

He sat back in his chair, waiting patiently for the soul to complete its task. Given some time to relax, his busy mind found a chance to cool off.

"Nonetheless, this is an interesting interruption to my duties. Quite more interesting than transporting these souls toward the mirror for the millionth time in my godly existence. Besides, what can a mere human soul accomplish?" he thought as he cracked a slight smile. He summoned a glass filled with red liquids as he watched Lucian's procedure in leisure.

Noticing the amount of tension in the air subsiding, Lucian took that as a good sign. Soon Crackling sounded out from Lucian's soul. His original appearance began to break off like an egg, showcasing a beautiful interior. He glowed with multicolored lights as his soul levitated higher into the air. The winds slowed to a crawl, seemingly affected by the power his soul radiated to its surroundings.

Like a shell, his soul cracked apart, revealing his new soul inside. The winds began speeding back up while he slowly flew down.

Intrigued by the transformation, the god clapped his hands in congratulations with a casual smile. "Bravo. It seems you have reached a new evolution for your soul," he said as he circled him.

When Lucian came to, he realized that his soul had undergone another huge transformation!

Compared to before, his soul was now nearly 50% smaller than before! However, it shined much brighter than before, easily illuminating the whole cave as he moved. On the surface of his soul, he was a deep golden in color, with multicolored lights shining even brighter in his center. A dark golden-black corona of soul energy radiated around him, nearly 50% bigger than the one before. His main body looked smaller than before, but in terms of energy quality and raw power, he was easily twice as powerful as before, even without maxing his soul attribute!

He would have loved to spend more time analyzing the changes he received. However, he focused on the god next to him instead. He greeted him with a nod, though somehow the god could understand him. "May I know your esteemed name, your godliness?" he asked.

"Charon, The Ferryman of the Underworld," He replied as he dematerialized his seat and stood up. He unsummoned his wine as he regarded Lucian regally. Obviously, he quite enjoyed posturing.

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"As I thought." Lucian thought as he grinned internally. Confirming this information gave him the courage to enact his next plan as he turned up his sales charisma.

Back on Earth, he had a brief stint in sales as he was growing up, and it really shaped how he conversed with people as a whole. Hopefully, some of those skills could come in handy right now because what he needed right now was to survive.

And to survive, he needed to sell this guy the most extraordinary story ever told!

Immediately taking control of the conversation, he began. "It seems like you do not know of Thanatos's plan. Were you not informed?" he asked with confusion.

Charon quickly grew shocked. He had not heard anything from his brothers. Then again, he was usually always busy, so that might be why he missed it. "I do not. What plan has my brother created?" a frown slowly forming on his face.

Feigning shock, he exclaimed as he continued. "I'm fairly surprised! Surely Most, if not all, the gods of the underworld already know."

A wave from the Styx rose and barreled toward him. Its surface grew sharp icicle-like features as it headed towards Lucian, instantly appearing right beside him only to stop a few inches away.

"Lie to me again, and you will die," Charon said threateningly as his eye narrowed. A mere bug dared to lie to him?

"My Apologies, your godliness. I merely assumed without knowing," he said as he took a mental step back. Internally, however, he could now gauge how he knew whether he was lying.

"That probe had no prior context to anything he could relate my information with. He must be using magical means to identify the lies." he quickly thought.

"This explains why he didn't kill me the first time. By saying Thanatos's name, it solidifies my story to him," he observed as his mind thought of different ways to manipulate the situation. He would need to probe more.

"However it looks like you do not know of his intentions, which means that you have been left out of his plan," Lucian said truthfully as he watched the god.

"That does seem to be the case; however, I am awfully busy with my work most of the time," he said indifferently. He didn't seem to worry that he was left out.

Lucian internally smiled. He now had the path of least resistance.

"He might merely want to wait till I am back here to discuss with me." Charon continued optimistically.

"Then where is he now?" Lucian said in a challenging matter.

Confidence wavering slightly, he took a brief moment to think as hesitation and unsureness flooded his eyes. "....He is my brother. I am sure he had a good reason to exclude me".

"He plans to destroy the reincarnation system. Now I believe that includes your area of control." Lucian said, letting out the bomb. The more impactful, the better. Coupled with the fact that he relied heavily on his lie-detecting ability, how could he not believe his story?

Stunned, Charon did not know how to reply. He couldn't believe that Thanatos would do that to him, especially since they were brothers. They might have their differences at times, but they both knew their roles and had worked together for Eons. Why would he do this now?

"Why would he do this to me?" Charon asked subconsciously. It looked like he was in disbelief.

"That I do not know. However, I do know that I want no part in this. He has forced me to sign a contract to help him destroy the reincarnation process, and I am bound. I cannot escape his will." Lucian explained sadly.

"Did he bind the contract with the River of Styx?" Charon asked seriously.

"I don't believe he did. He summoned red energy that took the form of a contract." Lucian said.

"Show it to me," Charon asked.

Lucian complied, letting out the energy contract that bound him.

Charon began to observe it in detail. A couple of minutes went by, and he had reached a verdict. A small smile escaped him as Charon watched the contract. It seemed like he could help.

Turning towards Lucian, he began. "I believe he thought he would not need the Styx to control you. He merely used his own power. Fortunately for you, binding contracts are not Thanatos's domain of influence." Charon said haughtily. However, right after, he sighed melancholically. This final nail in the coffin confirmed his story and brought him in on his side.

"With my help, it'll be effortless to break the bindings," he said.

"No, I cannot alert him to what is going on lest I am killed," he said subconsciously.

Suddenly Lucian asked, "Why do you think he is doing this to you?" he asked sympathetically.

With a sigh, Charon explained. "I believe he conspires against the power of my realm. Since the God Sphere was stolen, most, if not all, gods had been focusing on their duties far more than before to preserve their energy. I believe Thanatos wants to destroy my realm to take over my responsibilities as the Ferryman of the dead. In these uncertain times, this is probably the only way to become stronger as a god."

"The God-sphere? Is that the source of a god's strength?" Lucian asked curiously. This was new information that could help him figure out more about his predicament and what to expect.

"Well, in part, it is. It is the main conduit that connects the different gods and their powers together to provide a function to the world. The duties of the gods go hand in hand with each other. For there to be death, there must be life. For there to be conflict, there must be peace. The God-sphere is the connection between the two. The Item that creates the unceasing momentum that gives a god his power. Without it, it becomes much harder to maintain strength as a god." he said

"Well, can't you just use the power of the system to help you survive? It seems pretty handy," he asked curiously.

"Haha! I am quite surprised by your lack of knowledge. Were you not a resident of the Multiverse before your death? Either way, the answer is no. Gods are beyond the system's jurisdiction, making it and our power completely separate from each other. There are ways to introduce a god's power through the systems, like using gifts, blessings, etc. However, it can never fully replicate the true power of a fully-fledged god like myself," he said as pride seeped through his words.

"Does that mean that Gods do not know how the system works?" Lucian asked.

"well, that just depends on the god you're speaking to. Some simply focus on their responsibilities as gods. At the same time, some like to explore and learn new things about the world, like the system, for example," Charon explained.

This explains why Thanatos had put him near death so much. Due to his faulty understanding of the system, he put me near death 10 more times than I needed to gain soul essence," he thought with conflicting emotions.

"I can definitely use this information."

"Well, that does make sense," Lucian said in realization. "I don't know much about gods, but I do know what your brother's doing is hurting the world," Lucian said with an air of selflessness. Only stop when it was over, right?

However, it seems Charon was distracted by his thoughts as he subconsciously spoke. "First, his animosity against Hades became worse, and now this? Does he not think of us as brothers? I knew he was ambitious, but I didn't expect him to plot against me, his brother."

"I am disappointed," he said as he turned towards Lucian as he said, "I will rectify his mistakes. Starting with you," his paddle shone with a dark light as he called upon his power.

This was escalating quickly.

"Wait! I did not plan to be in this situation. Why must I suffer for his mistakes?" Lucian responded, slightly unnerved by his readiness to sacrifice him so easily.

"I do feel sorry. I will make your death as painless as possible," he replied, unfazed. The rivers of the Styx began to gather before him once again as he readied his attack.

If he didn't think of something, he would be dead. Really dead this time! "No, I can't die yet. Anna..."

Suddenly he had an idea. "Wait! What if I can give you information on his plan? This way, you can prevent it before it begins and protect your realm!" He blurted out.

Charon stopped.

Lucian Continued, "In exchange, all I ask is my life be spared!"

Hearing the final sentence, Charon became stuck in thought as he put his paddle away. He grabbed onto his bread as he looked up into the sky.

"This would prevent me from having to combat Thanatos directly. He is much more well-versed in combat than I am," he mumbled under his breath. Surprisingly, with his increased soul strength, he could hear him speak!

He added more sugar to the pie, "Since I am still not fully aware of what Thanatos is planning, we can work together so I can escape his grasp. That way, you can protect your Duties much easier. You wouldn't want to fight with your brother, would you?"

"Hrmph, a god such as I need no help for such a matter, especially help from a mortal," he said, disgust written all over his face. He mistakenly hit a sore spot.

Luckily it didn't change the outcome. "However to protect my realm from destruction, I will negotiate with you temporarily," Charon said, though clearly uncomfortable with the decision.