“Yes, I am Herne, although my appearance does not show it,” Herne said as his hair gradually turned back into its bright blond, his skin slowly regained its color and life, and his eyes had already regained their bright blue.

“You look so…” Hearne said, confused at what to say next before the old man before him.

“Old, Weak, Pathetic even. If it makes you so uncomfortable, know that my appearance will return to its former glory.” Herne said, uncaring of what his grandson thought of his decrepit appearance, he was a god worthy of respect so he learned to ignore such petty differences as appearance, but even he knew the importance of being good-looking.

“The reason for my drastic change in appearance is that I expended too much of my divine power.”

“Doing what?” Hearne asked.

“I extracted the soul of your father from my afterlife. As for your mother, I will utilize an even more substantial portion of my divine power to ensure her soul reaches you upon her eventual demise.”

“Since you removed my father’s soul from The Eternal Hunting Grounds, what do you plan to do with it?” Hearne asked, indifferent to his father’s fate. He did not know the man, although he had heard stories about his father that portrayed him as an all-loving hero in one story and a heartless villain in the next, so he never had a solid picture of his father.

“I was going to give it to you, but that is unless you want it.” Herne said, giving the young godbound a choice. Still, they both knew that there was no choice because if Hearne said no then his mother would convince him to accept it, and besides Herne had already used most of his divine power to remove his father’s soul from The Eternal Hunting Grounds and to not accept would simply invalidate his grandfather’s sacrifice.

Hearne said, “Of course, I will accept it, grandfather.” Bringing a small smile to his mother’s face as she realized that she only had to wait to be reunited with her beloved husband, but she would not end her life prematurely as she had promised before her husband’s grave that she would live her life to its fullest.

“Behold the soul of Setanta, the Mighty Master of the Blood-Tipped Spear, the Revered Blood Brother of the White Wolves, the Fierce Hound of War, the Valiant Son of Herne, the Devoted Husband of Aífe, and the Proud Father of Hearne,” proclaimed the Great God as he manifested a red and white orb that he placed firmly in Hearne’s hand which was rapidly absorbed into his body, completing the sacred ritual.

After several minutes, the young godbound fell to his knees as he writhed in agonizing pain and roared so loud that the roar of a dragon was simply pathetic in comparison. His mother had tried to do something about it, but Herne held her back.

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“Do you intend for me to watch my son scream and writhe in pain while I do nothing?” She said in anger as she tried to release the golden-haired god’s hold on her. But he did not let go of her wrist, nor did he show any fear before her and he stared into her green eyes as if looking at her soul.

“Yes, Aífe, that is what I want you to do because if you do anything now, you could permanently damage your son’s mind.” The god said as he watched, uncaring of his grandson’s plight.

Aífe calmed down, trusting the word of the god in front of her as she watched her only son writhe in excruciating pain on the forest floor. It was something that she would never wish on her worst enemy, much less her child, and she hoped she would never witness such a thing again. But the sight did not last long as eventually the pain ceased and Hearne lay on the forest floor unmoving.

Aífe rushed to her son and put her ear against his chest to check for a heartbeat. At first, she couldn’t hear anything. However, she didn’t give up. She transformed into a cat and pressed her ear against her son’s chest again. Finally, she heard a faint heartbeat. His heart rate gradually increased until it was like a beating drum. During this time, a white streak ran through Hearne’s red hair and the young godbound woke up with a deep breath. Aífe transformed back into her human form and cried tears of joy.

“Why do you cry, mother? I still live.” Hearne said as he hugged his mother and slowly rubbed her back, calming her down.

“Forgive me, I was so scared, I thought that I would lose you.” Aífe said as she composed herself and wiped the tears from her green eyes.

“You will never lose me, Mother, because I am a godbound. And even after you pass away, you will always be with me until I create my paradise where you and Setanta can be together for eternity. So, please do not cry, Mother. All you have to do is wait.” Hearne said as he gave his mother a brief hug

Speaking calmly, Herne conveyed no emotion in his voice, but the young godbound sensed his grandfather’s sorrow as he bid farewell. “You’re ready now, Hearne, to make your way in this world.”

“Although I will miss home, Grandfather, I know that I am ready to begin my journey.” Hearne confidently summoned his loyal falcon and mounted a magnificent black stallion that emerged from the forest.

“Before I leave, Grandfather, I want to say something. Thank you for your guidance.” Hearne said gratefully, as he knew that he would have never gotten this far without his grandfather’s help.

Herne said, “I do not need your thanks, Hearne. But if you want to prove your gratitude, then go out into the world and prove yourself worthy to be my successor.” The young godbound replied with a brief nod before he went to say goodbye to his mother.

“Farewell, Mother, until we meet again.”

After bidding farewell to his mother, Hearne experienced a mix of emotions. He felt excited and apprehensive, but also a bit sad - which was to be expected when leaving the only home he had ever known. Nevertheless, he put his sadness aside and continued on his journey. He was about to embark on an adventure into the unknown that would not only shape him as a person but also as a god.

As he raced ahead on his horse, feeling the wind whipping through his hair and the steady beat of his horse’s hooves, he felt his heart pumping with anticipation. He rode with great confidence, announcing his arrival to all the gods, both near and far, with each echoing beat of his horse’s hooves. The gods were aware that a fellow deity had been born, and they would soon learn that his name was Hearne the Hunter.