*

She opened her eyes again, but couldn't see her fingers in front of her. The girl gasped as the cold and viscous liquid flooded into her mouth, but her attempts to reach out were thwarted by the walls of darkness around her. In a panic, she kicked at the darkness until it shattered, and the crimson moonlight seeped in through the cracks. The floating girl pushed aside the barrier with all her might, falling out of the void. Using her hands to prop herself up, she coughed up the liquid and surveyed her surroundings. She was surrounded by broken eggshells and stood in a giant bird's nest. As she approached the edge of the nest, she saw a giant crow perched there. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a figure draped in crow feathers. The girl crossed her hands in front of her and bowed.

"Greadadh, Goddess of War, Plague, and Death, I, Dàn, your sibling, pay my respects to you."

A raven landed on Greadadh’s shoulder and turned to caw at Dàn. When Greadadh suddenly spoke, her slow and haughty tone carried only cold emotion.

"A young demigod who actively seeks out War, Plague, and Death, you do not know what you have done." Her terrifying words flowed from her ink-black lips as she turned the embroidered spearhead in her hand. "Those who seek me out or think they have the right to demand from me, or think their fate is higher than death, but those defeated generals, ill rich people on their deathbeds , and desperate mothers only want peace. So I gave them peace, once and for all."

Greadadh rose from the edge of the nest, turned to Dàn. Using her spear as a cane, she walked towards her barefoot. Through the half-helmet shaped like a raven's beak, she scrutinized Dàn, and the dark golden scales on her armor made a heavy sound with each step.

"Tell me your request, or let me make a decision for you, my brother."

Faced with the circling reaper, Dàn held her ground and answered calmly:

"In your kingdom, there is a soul named Vasili Martin Anganas. I request that you release his soul until he dies again."

"How audacious, how arrogant." Greadadh stopped her steps and knocked the ground with the end of her spear, emitting a warning sound like a snake from her mouth. "As a son of Danu, you intend to disturb the peace of the soul. What a disgrace."

"Sometimes, breaking the peace can bring peace," Dàn said, "My journey will take me to the 'Immortal King' and bring your death to him."

The condition she proposed made Greadadh retract her snake signal and continue to slowly circle.

"Nevertheless, there is no way to resurrect the dead."

"Unless God's life is sacrificed." Dàn turned to her. Greadadh did not stop her pace, but she did fall silent for a moment.

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"Vasili Martin Anganas died fifty years ago in the village of Hubrey, long before you were born. He was not even a fire keeper, but an infantryman."

"If the thread of fate leads me to an ordinary soldier, I am willing to accept his arrangement." Dàn lifted her white hair and kneeled down, "Before I take the poison, I decided to accept only one result. If you cannot fulfill it, please take my body and soul now."

Faced with Dàn's uncompromising attitude, Greadadh just turned around and left, returning to the edge of the nest.

"Come, my brother," she said without turning her head, "Under this layer of fog, what did you see?"

Dàn walked towards her side. Below Greadadh's nest was a huge hanging man tree, and below the hanging man tree was a thick red mist that looked like an ocean. From time to time, faint figures could be seen trying to breathe in the mist, but they were quickly stabbed by pursuers from behind or gradually fell down coughing. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the wailing and sighs mixed in the wind.

"Is this hell?" Even the calm Dàn couldn't help but sweat. The dripping sweat disappeared in the thick mist, and a steaming heat rose.

"Even the most vile person will not suffer after death. This is your world below, they are the people who are dying on the battlefield or on their deathbeds at this moment, they are someone's children, parents, or lovers," Greadadh said, "Although it seems painful at the moment, compared to the eternal peace waiting for them, it is only a momentary experience. Their souls will be absorbed by this hanging man tree and reborn in a bird's nest. When they are mature enough to spread their wings, they will fly up to the crimson sky and sing out their fate with sorrow. And when the soul birds no longer cry, I will release them to the peaceful kingdom of our sister, Soineanta."

The raven that had been standing on Greadadh's shoulder jumped onto her arm. Greadadh gently stroked the raven on her arm and raised her arm, causing it to flap its wings and fly towards the red sky.

"Once there, the two worlds will lose their connection, and we will never know what is happening on the other side."

"Do you hear that?" Greadadh extended her arm, and another crow hovering above dived down and landed heavily on her arm. "This is Vasili." Dàn looked carefully but still couldn't see any difference between this crow lacking "Holy Wisdom" and other members of its kind. This reminded her of his epitaph - flames once wreathed his sword, but now they no longer entangle his heart.

"For fifty years, Vasili Martin Anganas has been flying continuously, his screech so piercing it could freeze a mortal's blood. Despite this, all the crows eventually make their way to Soineanta's kingdom. For his soul, that is the end of the story, and there will be no more pain thereafter. You must understand, there is nothing more cruel than banishing a soul from my domain, let alone if Vasili is banished, perhaps even the world around him will be swept up in the brutality he brings. "

Greadadh kissed the forehead of the raven and handed it over to Dàn's tiny hands. Dàn felt the warmth of the "life" in the bird and her heartbeat accelerated unconsciously.

"Thus, this will be the fundamental sin. You understand the price you will pay for this. " Greadadh turned around, "The 'Immortal King' should be my prey, young demigod, you don't have to intervene, and you don't have to sacrifice your life to prove anything to me. Even so, do you still prefer to throw stones into a tranquil lake? Even so, do you still insist on shedding blood?"

Dàn's breathing became more and more rapid. She slightly tightened her grip on the crow, but with too much force, causing the latter to struggle. She increased her strength again, and this time the entire bird was trapped in her fists, with only black wings sticking out from between her fingers. Dàn felt like she had crushed bones, and the bird's wings twitched for a while before it stopped moving altogether, and fresh blood flowed from her palms. At the same time, her tear-filled sight gradually dimmed. "Your wish has been fulfilled, young demigod." Greadadh said in a cold tone as Dàn lost consciousness, "What awaits you is eternal darkness."