After saying what I wanted to say to her, I felt a little light as I stepped forward. My foot, instead of going straight, went to the left, and because of it, I fell down.
Hestia quickly ran to me, lifted my shoulder, and supported me. "What happened? Why did you fall?"
I quickly stood up and looked at her. "I don't know, my body just isn't moving like I want it to."
Hestia tilted her head. "Uncontrollable body movement? This is the first time I've seen a case like yours."
I took support from a fleshy wall and sat down.
Grooowwl
A loud growling sound came from my stomach, and my face reddened in embarrassment.
Hestia quickly created a basket full of apples and handed it to me. "Take this and calm your hunger. Maybe the energy is depleted in your body. Rest and recover your strength."
I leaned forward and picked an apple from the basket, but suddenly my claw pressed a little too hard and crushed the apple into mush.
Hestia's eyes widened, her mouth falling open, her face falling slightly. "Does this apple not suit your liking? Or…have I done something wrong that hurt you?"
"No, no, you've done nothing wrong, nor do I dislike apples. I'm just not able to control my strength. My body still hasn't adapted to this new power."
"Phew," she exhaled. "If that's the case, then let me help you."
She came close, picked an apple, and sliced it into pieces. She picked up one of the slices and brought it near my mouth. "Say 'Aaaa.'"
I followed her order—if I refused or hesitated again, she would make faces and blame herself.
To satisfy my hunger, I lay against the fleshy wall and thought about the message Lady Nyx had given. Wait for the third to trick Cronus… increase your power… and build the kingdom.
"Hmm… that means trying to escape now would be a waste of time; instead, I should use that time to increase my power. And when I escape, instead of attacking Cronus, I must escape stealthily. And 'build the kingdom' means to take control of the king's domain."
I took support from the fleshy wall and tried to stand up, but I fell down again.
"I have to start from the basics with physical training."
I started from crawling, then walking on my arms and legs, then walking slowly, and finally running little by little. Just like a newborn baby, I began to adapt. I no longer fell down or crushed apples.
Then I recreated the training regimen from my previous life's memories.
I did 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and jogged 10 km daily. Because of it, my body now moved smoothly.
As my physical training reached a certain level, I thought about my divinity powers. I summoned a dark orb in my hands.
I tried to move and levitate it in the air, but my control was quite crude and rough. I shot it at the wall.
The dark orb crashed into the fleshy wall but was only able to burn it a little. Then I tried to create a bigger dark orb, but something restrained me.
"This cage restrains our power. Let's first focus on my physical training and divinity control."
I added a meditation and internal focus schedule to my training regimen.
---
After several days of physical training, meditation, and internal focus following my ascension, the divine energies within me began to settle—no longer clashing or surging uncontrollably, but flowing in harmony, like rivers converging into a single, deep ocean.
I had done a few experiments by enhancing and fusing my divinities with my body and organs. Because of it, there were some changes in my body.
I had grown into the appearance of a tall, athletic young man, around sixteen in mortal years. My physique now reflected my strength—lean, powerful, and balanced, forged through relentless effort.
My once-short black hair had become dense and wild, cascading all the way down to my waist, thick and flowing like the bushy tail of a wolf, carrying with it a quiet menace.
My hands and feet were now sheathed in black from the fingertips and toes up to the forearms and shins, as if dipped in darkness itself—a living armor granted by the domain of Darkness.
Most strikingly, my eyes had changed.
The white sclera was gone, replaced by pure black, void-like and endless.
My iris, once a simple dark shade, now gleamed with a vivid, almost glowing amethyst purple, like the last light of dusk trapped inside obsidian.
Finally, the two horns had grown longer and more defined, obsidian black and curving slightly backwards just above the ears. They were sharp yet elegant, a clear mark of the demonic divinity I now carried.
Now, as I looked at my reflection in a pool of divine essence, even I could tell—
I no longer looked like a simple god.
I looked like a Demon God, a ruler born of darkness, shaped by survival.
As the days passed, I refused to grow complacent. Power alone, no matter how vast, was nothing without control.
So I began a strict routine.
At dawn, I trained my physical body, pushing it beyond its limits with relentless push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and shadow sparring.
Each movement forged muscle, sharpened reflexes, and anchored my growing strength in form.
When my body ached, I turned to spiritual discipline through long meditation sessions, breathing in divine energy and refining my control over it.
My aura, once wild and uncontrolled, gradually became focused and precise, like a blade.
---
Then, one day, amidst the quiet hum of progress, a sudden splash broke the silence of the acidic pool that had long tormented us.
Hestia and I turned at the same time.
A small girl floated helplessly in the corrosive bile, barely protected by a flickering divine barrier. Without hesitation, I leapt into the acid, wings shielding my body, and swiftly pulled her to safety.
She was young, maybe only five or six in appearance.
Blonde hair, now clinging wet to her skin, and bright green eyes filled with confusion and fear.
She trembled in Hestia's arms, glancing at me, and immediately, I saw it and felt it.
The fear, disgust, and rejection toward me—she saw me as some type of monster.
Her tiny hands clutched Hestia's robes, hiding behind her like a frightened animal. Her eyes never met mine for long. My presence, my aura, my appearance—everything about me terrified her.
I couldn't blame her. I wasn't like the others.
My demonic horns, blackened limbs, void-like eyes, and the thick aura of death, darkness, demonic power, and sin… No matter how thick our blood, I still looked like a humanoid monster in a child's eyes.
Hestia gently comforted her, whispering that everything was alright, that I was her brother, not a threat. But even her calming voice could not erase the instinctive revulsion that Demeter felt.
Yes, Demeter—our little sister. The goddess of harvest and growth, whose very essence rejected all that my domains represented.
I stood there silently. Neither angry nor sad. Just… silent.
Because in her reaction, I was reminded of a harsh truth.
The world might never see me as anything other than a demon, a monster, or an evil god.
I left them alone and walked to the corner to continue my training. Currently, that was what was important to me.
---
During one of my intense physical training sessions, sweat dripping from my brow, muscles straining under divine weight—I felt it.
My current body, though enhanced by divinity, had reached its limit under the training conditions I had created.
No matter how many push-ups or sit-ups I performed, the growth was diminishing. I was maintaining, not evolving.
But I already knew the answer.
My gaze shifted toward the acidic pond—the same hellish substance that had once tried to erase my existence.
That pool wasn't just destructive.
It had a unique property: it suppressed divine energy and restricted physical movement, forcing the body and soul to fight harder, adapt more rapidly, and evolve under extreme conditions.
In short, it was the perfect crucible for training.
But before I could enter, I needed to speak with Hestia.
When I approached her, she was tending to Demeter, gently weaving warmth into her divine aura to comfort the frightened child. As I explained my plan, her face immediately hardened.
Her voice trembled, though she hid it behind calm words.
"You're… leaving. Is it because of Demeter?"
It caught me off guard.
She misunderstood.
To her, I was the one constant here—her protector, her companion in this timeless prison. And now, with Demeter here, the fear of abandonment crept into her heart.
I tried to explain again and again.
"No, sister. I'm not leaving you… I'm preparing myself."
I told her of the acid's potential as a training ground. Of how I would only be a short distance away. Of how, if I didn't push myself further, I would become stagnant—unworthy of the throne that waited.
Her eyes softened, just a little. She looked at Demeter, then at me.
Finally, with a long sigh and a whisper, she said,
"Alright… But promise me… you'll come back often. Promise you won't lose yourself in that darkness."
I stepped forward and placed a hand gently over hers.
"I swear it. I'll return."
She nodded slowly, and I gave her a small bow as a greeting or farewell.
Then I turned, spread my black wings, and walked toward the very pool that had once tried to kill me.