‘Tap.’

Asclepius took a step forward, watching as his feet caused a ripple on the mirror-like ground. He looked up with his lips pursed tightly. Around him was nothing but pure darkness, the only source of light being the dots littering the floor, twinkling and blinking like stars in the night sky.

He opened his mouth but closed it right after. He wanted to speak, to call out to someone that could be lurking within the dark. Where was he? He wanted to ask. What is this place? Somehow he’d ended up there instead of his intended destination.

Maybe he should quickly teleport out of there—He would’ve done so already if he could. The place seemed similar to his domain, but the atmosphere was clearly different. There was no smell. No sound. Not even a whisper of the wind. Everywhere he turned felt…both alive and dead. It was difficult to describe with senses alone. The mere thought of comprehending this uncanny space was driving him mad.

‘Crrr…’

Asclepius whirled around. His widened eyes darted from place to place. What was that sound? He didn’t want to know. He slowly backed away, hesitantly turning to the front. Please let it be nothing. It was a distant hope.

“Asclepius.”

“AHH!” The god jumped backwards and fell. He caught himself with his hands, barely managing to support his weight with how much he was shaking.

Two giant eyes were staring down at him. Each orb was bigger than his head. The crimson hue piercing and bright, like they were peeping into the deepest part of his soul. This being carried a heavy atmosphere around him. His aura was otherworldly and unwavering, giving his deep yet gentle tone a mysterious authority.

Asclepius recognized this voice. “…Ouroboros?”

“Ah, I’m sorry for scaring you. You were quite far from where I originally resided so I couldn't greet you immediately.” The red eyes moved down, as if Ouroboros was giving an apologetic bow.

“Where…Where is this place?”

“Theodore’s mindscape.” Ouroboros lifted his non-existent head. “Well, my domain combined with his mind. This place turned into an endless library of knowledge after we had become one.”

Asclepius looked around. “This place seems empty.”

“I can assure you that it is not.” Ouroboros turned and suddenly an object appeared out of nowhere. It looked like a glass shard, the images on it flickering and changing rapidly. “This is a fraction of a large glass plane, I can pull out some of it but only if they aren’t a part of his main memory.”

Asclepius looked at the shard, trying to see what it was showing on its surface. He only caught a glimpse of a large explosion. “So I’m at the right place…kind of.”

Asclepius used a special orb-like device to communicate with Theodore. It acted like a one-way facetime, allowing him to see and talk to Theodore but in turn he couldn't see him, only talk and reply.

He wanted to use that device again, though he couldn’t, nothing happened at all when he poured magic into it. He even tried hitting it a few times but nothing worked.

The only solution was to travel to where Theodore was directly. It should’ve gone like how it did last time when he used spiritualization. Instead, he ended up here. “How did I get here?”

“I pulled you in.”

“What? But why?”

“Because it’s dangerous.” Ouroboros looked at the ground. “The floor is supposed to show the scene near Theodore…This means he’s somewhere no other beings could enter easily. If you had teleported…then you might get struck down in an instant.”

“Where is he then? You should know, right?”

“…No.”

“Huh?” Asclepius frowned.

“I had been asleep at the time so I have no idea where he was before this.”

“You…” The god let out a long sigh. He grabbed his forehead while shaking his head. “Are you serious? Then what do we even do? I can’t even get out now?”

“If Theodore is in danger then he’ll at least use Chaos, since the ground isn’t showing us anything…We should just wait until he leaves.”

‘Zz-Crack’

Static sounds from below them. Asclepius looked down just in time for the floor’s image to shift, revealing a scene of gods and a large palace rippling from the heat. “Ah! He’s at the Scorching Heaven!”

“Asclepius?” Theodore’s confused voice made him sigh with relief. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that! Why are you there? Ra isn’t going to—“

“Ra’s on Earth!”

“What?”

Parts of Theodore’s body were emitting black smoke. He was using Chaos. He tried to punch a portal but nothing happened at all. “Damn it! Ra locked all access to the human world!”

The ibis-headed god, Thoth, looked up from where he was kneeling. Unlike the two goddesses groaning in pain. He was completely fine. “Ra is taking all the battle god’s powers…At this rate, they might cease to exist.”

“How can he do that? Isn’t he in a weaker form?” Asclepius frowned. It was impossible for a god to assert this much power while in the human world. Doing so wouldn’t just be a violation of the rules, but the human world would explode into non-existent.

It was common knowledge.

Thoth shook his head. “Doing it this way is an exploit…Kings can borrow their subjects’ powers, hence technically they aren’t the ones using a large amount of power.”

If comparing a god’s strength to the flow of water, kings using other gods’ powers is steadier than a single god using their full potential. The tension created is different, although a single mistake can still create a disastrous outcome.

Ra planned this out well, and he was willing to go all in or nothing.

“Basically,” Ouroboros spoke calmly. “This was the Sun God’s one and only option. He has no allies and is already designated as a Code Black criminal. He has nothing else to lose.”

“If he succeeds in conquering the human world…” Thoth sighed with a shake of his head. “Even the divine world can’t stop him, after all, even the Executioner couldn’t get through.”

At this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they’d lost.

“Wait.” Thoth perked up his head. He looked at Theodore with gleaming eyes. “There is a way.”

The dark aura around Theodore subsided. He turned to Thoth, his entire body tensed from the worry and frustration. He tried to relax but his expression didn’t change. “What is it?”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

The wisdom god snapped his fingers. A dark blue portal crackled around the air behind him. The edges rippled, swirling like thunderclouds waiting to strike. The sinister air radiating from it reminded Theodore of the Devildom.

“No matter what,” Thoth seemed to be smirking. “One can never close the gateway from the human world to the Underworld.”

.

.

.

[…Eh? You’re not the one I was looking for.]

Merlin flinched at the sudden voice in his head. It was a man’s voice, though it wasn’t as deep. It had a subtle youthful tone to it that hinted of his young age.

He looked at Asmodeus, although she was still staring at the mayhem in front of her. It seemed that only he could hear that young man’s voice. He pursed his lips, whispering softly under his breath. “Who…Who are you?”

[I should be asking you that! Who are you, and why do you have the aura of that snake on you?]

Snake? Merlin immediately knew who the stranger was talking about. “You know Theodore? I, I’m his friend, do you know where he is right now?”

[His friend? Ah I see—Hey guys! I found his friend!]

[The snake has a friend?]

[Oh my, what’s going on here?]

[Hermes found the Executioner’s friend!]

[Huh? That wasn’t the assignment—]

[It was close enough, okay!?]

Merlin glanced at Asmodeus again. His eyes widened when he saw that she wasn’t moving—nor was anything else around him. Time seemed to have frozen in place. He felt relieved but worried at the same time. Maybe this was his chance. “Uh…Are you people perhaps gods?”

[Oo, the snake’s friend is sharp!]

[Mortal, do you mind telling us what’s happening on your end?] This other god’s voice was deep and calm. His mellow tone seemingly holds rich wisdom.

Merlin was compelled to answer the man. “Ra is trying to burn everything down…I don’t know how he’s using that much power but he also summoned a god named Anubis.”

[Oh!?] The young god, Hermes, exclaimed suddenly. [So that’s where Anubis went! Is he in his right mind? Why is he siding with a criminal?]

“…Can you not see what’s going on here?”

[Ah, no.] Hermes paused for a moment. [I can travel a~nywhere I want. But for some reason the human world was blocked. All we’re seeing is endless darkness right now. We can still feel somewhat though.]

Merlin’s thoughts went to Anubis’ form. He looked ahead, staring at the dark lump of mass that was supposedly the God of Death. “…Is Anubis supposed to look like something out of a horror movie?”

[Huh? I mean, he has the head of a jackal so I guess he is scary.]

“No, no…His entire body is pure black and his eyes just seem…how do I put it? A bit dull?”

There was a moment of silence. Hermes eventually spoke again. This time, the young god’s tone isn't as playful as before. He seemed to be gritting his teeth as he spoke. […So Ra took Anubis against his will.]

[Why did Osiris allow this?] The wise old man spoke, his voice filled with disbelief.

[Maybe Osiris is taken as well.]

[A last struggle…Ra has no sense of sportsmanship.]

The gods sounded angry, especially Hermes. They seemed to have some sort of deeper connection with one another. Merlin pursed his lips, frowning deeply. Since Hermes guides the souls of the dead, maybe they were coworkers—friends. He understood what it was like to lose someone like that. “…Anubis isn’t…gone, right?”

[No,] Hermes sighed. [But he will be if we don’t break him out of whatever trickery Ra pulled on him. Anubis’ current form can be considered a…zombie, in mortal terms. He has no control over himself but his godly form is slowly corroding away.]

“Then what do we do?” Merlin needed to think fast. If he could somehow make a deal with these gods, then maybe he could do something like what Theodore did. Since time had stopped, he needed to make use of every second he had.

[We owe the serpent a large debt. We will assist you, his friend, as much as we can with our authorities.]

[It’s going to be limiting, however.] A female voice spoke this time. Her voice held a sense of power, speaking with a gentle yet firm tone — youthful but filled with vast knowledge, though it was a different feeling from the old man earlier. [Ra is already putting a major stress on this realm’s limit. If we were to exert as much power as him, we would tear it apart.]

[You don’t have to worry about that, Athena.]

Merlin’s eyes widened when he heard the familiar voice. His expression lit up in almost an instant. It felt like a heavy mountain had just been lifted off his shoulders. Now that this person’s here, there is hope.

“Theodore, you’re here!”

[Not yet, I’ll be there shortly, but for the time being…Here’s the plan.]

.

.

.

“Hold on for a little longer.” Theodore looked at the goddesses. Isis was using magic on herself to relieve the pain, but she didn’t have enough strength to help Bastet, who’d fallen unconscious after thrashing around in agony. Not being able to help them made his chest tightened, like something squeezing at his heart.

“…Please succeed,” Isis croaked, looking up at him from the floor with half-opened eyes. “The Egyptian pantheon’s survival depends on you.”

Thoth placed a hand on Theodore’s shoulder. “We must hurry.”

He gave the god a nod and Thoth guided him to the eerie portal. The mist surrounding it stretched out to grab his limbs. They didn’t touch him, but the cold swept through every inch of his body. They didn’t pull him in, and yet he felt oddly compelled to go deeper into it.

Thoth went in first. Theodore stayed behind for only a few seconds and followed the god through.

The scenery swirled and shifted. Spinning around, and around like he was inside a washing machine. He closed his eyes but he could still feel the world twisting and turning. His stomach churned. Something tried to push itself up his throat though he quickly swallowed it back down. This had never happened before.

‘The Underworld is different.’

“We are here.” Thoth’s voice came from his left. Theodore opened his eyes. In front of him was a vast field of rocks and twisting rivers. The sky was dark blue with small orbs of light floating around. They were like miniature versions of the sun, but each of them gave off a cold mist. The bizarre fog filled up almost all the space in the sky, giving it the appearance of thin sheets of clouds.

Cold. Theodore had never been bothered by low temperature, but this was the first time he wished he’d worn thicker clothes. Luckily for him, he has fire magic to keep himself warm. “Where do we go now?”

“…Just a moment.” Thoth’s gaze seemed to be fixated on something far ahead in the distance. It was difficult to judge his expression from his unwavering bird eyes, and his voice sounded too calm to guess the emotions behind his gaze. “Something feels off.”

Theodore looked around. “This place itself is odd. What do you mean?”

“Anubis…” Thoth suddenly started sprinting. Theodore quickly followed behind, confused but didn’t ask anything just yet. He didn’t know much about the Underworld, not even the knowledge he’d gained had any useful information on them.

Soon, they came to a halt in front of a large building. It was as tall and grand as the Egyptian gods’ palace. The majestic architecture and statues that stood beside the entrance spoke of the owner’s authority. The entire structure was built from polished black stones, reflecting the flames of giant torches lining the visible corridor inside.

Thoth slowed down his pace as he headed inside. The ceiling was high and vaulted with the carving of a star encased in a circle engraved into the stone and filled in with pure gold. It was the hieroglyphic symbol of the Duat.

There were many corridors branching out from the sides, although Thoth ignored all of it and only walked straight forward. Eventually they would arrive standing in front of the only gate inside the palace. It was a rectangular stone door that stood almost as tall as the ceiling. A golden frame traced its perimeters and intricate sculptor of vines and plants adorned the empty space. The plant curved near the center, cupping a glimmering azure gemstone.

Thoth traced the jewel’s surface with his fingers. Being so close to it, Theodore’s eyes widened at how large the gem was. It would be difficult to fit it even on a pick-up truck.

“…It’s cracked.” Thoth’s hand stopped near the shiny stone’s center. It was difficult to see, but there were branch-like lines spreading all the way to the edges, contrasted to the gemstone’s natural texture.

Thoth tried to push the door open, but it didn’t move at all. He tried again with more force, though once again nothing happened, even when he pushed until his entire body was shaking. “Osiris…He’s in there but his aura is very thin.”

Theodore could feel it as well. The power seeped through the gaps like twisted limbs flailing out trying to grab everything that moves. They radiated an uncanny cold, something that even Theodore didn’t want to stand near for too long. It reminded him of a certain rainy day: that day when he was soaked from top to bottom, his gaze unable to move away from the melancholic grey sky.

Death.

“What now? How do we get in?” Theodore chose to ignore the piercing shiver that ran down his spine. “If it can be broken with strength…I can give it a try.”

Thoth nodded. “Yes, the gemstone that was protecting the door is too damaged. It’ll definitely break.”

“Alright, stand—“

Before Theodore could even finish speaking, Thoth had run back until he was only a tiny figure in the distance. He put his hands to the side of his beak. His voice echoing around the large hallway as he shouted. “Do it!”

“—Back…” Theodore sighed. He stepped back several meters, lining himself up until he was perfectly at the center. He took a deep breath, got into position, and sprinted as fast as he could at the door.

‘BANG!’

The impact shook the entire palace. Dust and tiny debris fell from the ceiling. Thoth’s beak fell from the amount of smoke that filled the area near the door. “…Is it broken?”

Theodore cleared away the thick cloud with a wave of his hand. He didn’t feel anything break. And sure enough, he was right. The door was in perfect shape, not even a crack formed from where he’d crashed into it. Maybe he didn’t use enough force. He cracked his knuckles and stepped back again. “Not yet.”

‘BANG!’

‘BANG!’

‘BANG!’

…

“Okay, what the f*ck?” Theodore clutched his knees, panting heavily as he looked at the towering gate in front of him. He’d been running at it nonstop for the past half an hour, yet nothing’s changed. All he’d managed to do was kick up an unholy amount of dust.

Thoth hummed while rubbing the underside of his beak. His head slightly tilted to one side. “…The Egyptian palace would’ve been destroyed by how much power you’re exerting…Perhaps you’re too small?”

“Are you sure the protection gem or whatever isn’t working?” Theodore stared at the blue jewelry. It was shining brightly. He imagined it mocking him while laughing at his sorry state.

“Yes, I’m one hundred percent certain.” Thoth nodded with his arms crossed. He seemed insulted by the fact that Theodore doubted his insights.

“…Okay, fine. Maybe I need to be bigger.” Theodore trotted past Thoth. He dragged his feet to the entrance of the palace. “If this doesn’t work, I’m tearing down this entire goddamn place.”

[‘Godspeed’ has been activated!]

Thoth could only see something blurry and ginormous rush past him at an unseeable speed. The gale wind following behind it caused him to lose his balance, and before he could even process that he was falling, a thunderous explosion sounded out from the door.

‘BOOM!’

“There, finally.”

The smoke was thicker than the attempts before. Thoth carefully got up and walked towards it. His eyes fixated on two golden orbs staring at him from an unbelievable height. When the dust settled, it revealed a gigantic serpent that stood as tall as the broken gate before him.

Thoth looked behind him, his mouth falling agap at the scaley body that stretched even longer than the upper half. “…Should’ve done this from the start, no?”

“Let’s just go.” Theodore returned to his human form after a flash of green. He looked into the room, immediately spotting a figure sitting on an elevated throne.

Osiris, the God of the Dead.