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Zeus remained standing before his throne, fists clenched so tightly lightning bled between his fingers.
He did not look at them when he spoke.
"This means Hermes is dead," Zeus said.
"Or," Zeus continued, voice rough, "he has met the same fate as Apollo."
At that, he finally turned.
"You remember how Apollo vanished," Zeus said, eyes dark with memory. "No body. No echo in the Underworld. No soul returned to the cycle." His jaw set. "Hermes has disappeared in the same way."
A god did not simply disappear.
Poseidon broke the silence, stepping forward, sea-green eyes burning.
"Then I won't wait here," he said. "I'll take to the seas of Earth. If something is moving if something powerful enough to erase gods walks the world.. I will feel it."
Zeus studied him for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
"Go," he said. "Search the oceans, the trenches, the coasts. If this being leaves a wake, make sure to find it."
Poseidon inclined his head sharply. "I will."
Athena spoke next, calm but edged with tension.
"And Hades?"
Zeus exhaled slowly. "Ask him if Hermes has crossed into his realm."
Athena's lips pressed into a thin line.
"I already did," she said. "He told me not to disturb him." A pause. "He said if Hermes arrives… we will be informed."
Hera let out a bitter breath.
"So we do nothing?" she asked. "We sit on our thrones while our children vanish one by one?"
Zeus turned to her, thunder rolling softly behind his eyes.
"No," he said firmly. "We do not panic. And we do not scatter."
He lifted his chin, voice carrying the weight of command.
"We stay on Olympus."
The words were final but not comforting.
Zeus straightened, authority hardening around him like armor.
"Athena."
She met his gaze instantly.
"Inform every god, every demigod, everyone on Olympus," Zeus ordered. "They are to be vigilant. No carelessness. No indulgent leisure visits to Earth. No wandering alone."
Athena nodded, already turning.
"At once, Father."
As she departed, the storm outside intensified, lightning tearing across the sky like fractures in fate itself.
Hera watched Zeus quietly, her voice softer now.
"This thing that hunts us… it isn't hiding anymore."
Zeus stared out over the clouds, toward the mortal world far away.
"No," he said. "And I'm not sure what to do next."
****
TITANS TOWER – RAVEN'S ROOM
Raven's room was quiet in the way only her space ever was, floating candles, wards humming softly in the walls. The curtains barely moved, as if even the air knew better than to disturb the balance she kept.
Arthur stood at the center of the room.
In his hand rested a black heart.
It thumped slowly, heavily, each pulse sending a ripple through the air. Shadows bent toward it. Magic recoiled from it. Even the room itself seemed to lean away, unsettled.
Raven felt it immediately.
Her breath hitched in admiration. Power like that isn't something you see everyday.
She stared at it, violet eyes faintly glowing.
"…Not the first time you've shown it to me," she said quietly, "and I still can't believe something like this exists."
The heart pulsed again.
Kara hovered a little closer, arms folded, blue eyes narrowed. She tilted her head, uneasy.
"It looks…" she searched for the word, "…ominous."
Arthur huffed a soft breath, eyes never leaving the heart.
"Yeah. That's a fitting description."
He closed his fingers slightly around it, shadows curling protectively over his knuckles.
"And Raven," he continued, voice calm but resolved, "just like I told you before… I've decided."
Raven straightened, crossing her arms. She already knew.
"You're going back," she said. "You're going to attach it. Claim it as your own."
Arthur nodded once.
"Yes."
For a heartbeat, Kara expected Raven to argue.
Instead, Raven smiled small, real, proud.
"Go," she said simply. Then, softer, "Just make sure you return quickly."
Arthur smiled back.
"Woah.. Woah, WOAH," Kara suddenly cut in, stepping forward. "Hold on."
She pointed at the heart like it might explode at any second.
"Isn't this a bit dangerous? I mean look at it. That thing does not look safe. And you're saying your making this your own heart?!"
Arthur glanced at her.
"It isn't."
Kara blinked. "…That's it? That's your answer?"
"But without it," Arthur continued, "I'll never be whole."
Kara frowned, her expression shifting, something earnest breaking through the frustration.
"You look whole to me."
Arthur sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I meant my powers."
"I know what you meant," Kara shot back quickly. Her voice softened despite herself. "I just.. I don't want you throwing yourself into dangerous situations every single time."
He raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.
"You? Worried about me?"
She flushed instantly.
"Of course, idiot!"
She turned away slightly, fists clenched.
"There aren't that many people I really care about on this planet. It's just.."
"You fear losing him," Raven said calmly. "Just say it outright."
Kara spun on her.
"You stole my line!"
Arthur laughed under his breath and stepped forward, pulling Kara into a hug before she could protest.
"I appreciate your concern," he said sincerely.
Her body stiffened then relaxed. She blushed, cheeks glowing faintly pink.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, just loud enough for her to hear:
"But I'm stronger than you."
Her eyes widened.
"You!"
She pulled back, fist cocked, about to swing
Arthur kissed her.
Not gentle or hesitant.
A sudden, passionate kiss that stole the breath from her lungs and the words from her mouth. Kara froze, then melted into it, hands gripping his cloak before she realized what she was doing.
Raven turned away, sighing.
"Thank me later."
They finally broke apart, breaths close, foreheads nearly touching.
Arthur smiled softly.
"This will be nothing, just wait a bit. I'll be back."
With a wave of his hand, a key tore open space itself. A portal bloomed in the middle of Raven's room dark, deep, endless. The entrance to the dungeon pulsed like a wound in reality.
Arthur stepped toward it.
He didn't turn back.
"This will be the last time I enter this place," he said quietly.
Then, after a pause
"If I take too long… my shadows are still here. They'll follow your commands. In case something happens."
A beat.
"And I'm sure something will happen."
Kara frowned, confused.
"Wait...what? What do you mean?"
Raven crossed her arms.
"I'll explain it to you."
Arthur turned around one last time.
His eyes glowed violet, shadows rising behind him like a crown. He smiled not reckless, or afraid but certain.
"I'll be back," he said, voice carrying power and promise,
"as a true Shadow Monarch."
Then he stepped into the portal.
And the darkness closed behind him.
****
The moment Arthur crossed the threshold, the world collapsed inward.
Shadows sealed behind him like a closing jaw.
For a fraction of a second, there was nothing no ground, no sky, no sense of direction only the sensation of falling without movement, of being judged by something vast and ancient.
Then the System spoke.
[LEGACY SHADOW LEGION DUNGEON – LEVEL 10 : ???]
Condition to Access the Altar:
Defeat the Serpent that guards, dwells, and gnaws upon the roots of the World Tree.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
The ground solidified beneath his boots black, twisted wood fused with stone, veins of ancient bark running like fossilized arteries through the terrain. Massive roots coiled everywhere, thicker than city towers, descending endlessly into the abyss below.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"…So this is it," he muttered.
He was standing at the depths of the World Tree, it might as well be called the abyss.
A place no mortal was ever meant to see.
It was pitch black, true black, the kind that swallowed sound and distance alike. Without his enhanced vision, without the shadows responding to his will, this place would have been a nightmare without form or end.
Then
A hiss.
Long. Wet. Echoing.
Arthur's hand flexed instinctively.
The hiss multiplied, splitting, layering over itself until it became something else entirely
A roar.
Not the roar of a beast.
Not even the roar of a dragon.
It was deeper. Broader. As if the sound came from several throats at once, harmonizing in hatred. The roots around him vibrated, loose fragments of bark falling into the abyss below.
Arthur slowly lifted his gaze.
In the distance, the darkness blinked.
Then blinked again.
Dozens of eyes ignited in the void abyssal violet opening one by one.
Arthur felt it then the weight of the creature's presence pressing against his soul, testing it.
A guardian. A devourer. And a relic from before gods had names.
Arthur's lips curved into a slow, cold smile.
"There you are, Nidhogg" he said calmly.
The eyes flared brighter.
The serpent shifted, its many heads emerging partially from the darkness, jaws lined with teeth large enough to swallow giants whole.
Arthur rolled his shoulders once, violet light bleeding into his pupils.
"So level ten," he murmured.
"…Let's see if you're worthy of being the last to hold the gate."
The darkness roared back.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want