In the space between the seven gates of the underworld, along the path to the valley at the epicenter of the quake, Ereshkigal strode forward, holding a newly lit lantern in hand.
Behind her, a sulking serpent slithered noisily over the rocky, uneven terrain.
By the original plan, Samael was supposed to behave—reinforce his other side's image in his master's mind to make it easier to sneak into her bed one day. But the awkward incident that morning had left Ereshkigal mortified. It wasn't until she forced her pet to revert to his familiar Magical Beast form that she managed to quell her overwhelming embarrassment.
Well, adjusting her mindset would take time. One step at a time.
Seeing his master pause in guilty hesitation, then bend down with arms extended in invitation, Samael let out a resigned sigh.
He twisted his body, slithered up her pale wrist, glided across her collarbone, and burrowed into a certain spot.
But in the next instant, he was yanked out by the tail—his master's face now seething—and pulled from her chest. She wrapped him around her forearm and tied him into a tight knot.
"I think—"
"Hiss!"
Ereshkigal let out a cold, dark laugh. The golden-white spear wheel manifested from the blazing Fire Temple of Meslamtaea danced casually in her hand. A boulder over ten meters tall was cleanly split in two.
"I think this is just fine..."
Samael felt a chill run down his spine. He obediently coiled himself around her forearm, finally giving up on his obsession with her chest.
The goddess shot a cold glance at the long creature. She'd known since the day he was first thrown into the underworld that he had near-human intelligence. But his indistinct serpent form and status as a living being of the underworld had made her so elated she instinctively overlooked it.
Now, seeing him return in human form, it somehow felt... perfectly natural.
As if this had always been the way things were meant to be.
The underworld goddess, now calm, couldn't shake the vague sense of unease that had been building with each small doubt.
At least her earlier show of force had made him behave—for now. That alone proved this creature wasn't as honest as he looked.
Hmph. He'd run away, lied, stolen, and even tried to escape! She'd clearly spoiled him too much before.
And to think he almost got whisked away by that woman!
Could all his bad habits have been picked up from Ishtar?!
Recalling glimpses from her consciousness when it had surfaced to the upper world, Ereshkigal's expression flickered. Her teeth ground together, and her grip unconsciously tightened.
It must be! She just can't stand seeing me happy! She's jealous that even the underworld can have living beings!
"Ere... it hurts..."
"It's breaking—it's gonna break!"
The anguished wail finally snapped the master out of it.
Ereshkigal looked down in alarm at the ancient serpent she had accidentally twisted into a pretzel—now twice its original length—and quickly released her grip.
Snap!
The resilient snakeskin recoiled with a sharp, ringing snap as it curled back together.
Samael, flung around like a rubber band, let out a pained hiss and shot out of her grasp, darting to the ground like a bolt of lightning.
Instinctively, the goddess reached out to stop him, but when she saw the lingering fear on his reptilian face, and the tremble born of primal instinct, she lowered her head and tucked her hands into her sleeves.
"Eh? Isn't this... that crystal flower grove from back then?"
Desperate to change the subject and defuse the tension, the ancient serpent glanced around—only to suddenly realize they had somehow wandered to that very secluded valley.
Beneath the haze of death energy lay the parting gift he had once painstakingly prepared.
Samael immediately dove in, weaving between the scattered blossoms. Ereshkigal, distracted by her thoughts, seemed to recall something and quickly followed.
The crystal flowers remained as vivid and dazzling as ever, their glowing light flickering with memories.
Hmm, just ahead was the spot where he and Ereshkigal had once made their pact and erected the monument. Worth revisiting... for old time's sake...
Erect... a monument?
The ancient serpent coiled in front of a mound of stones and stared blankly at the tombstone engraved with his true name in cuneiform runes, falling into deep thought.
What made it even more absurd was that, in an apparent attempt to lend an air of solemnity, all the surrounding crystal flowers had been snapped off and neatly arranged in front of the grave like offerings.
The area within a ten-meter radius had been completely stripped bare.
"Don't—don't look. It's just a misunderstanding. I messed up, that's all."
Just as Samael was still confused, a red-and-black figure arrived a moment later, hurrying to stand between him and the grave mound, eyes flickering evasively.
"You... you went to the place where I shed my skin?"
The ancient serpent's gaze fell on the black snakeskin wrapped around Ereshkigal's wrist. In that moment, he understood and couldn't help but look a bit awkward.
"Sorry. I just wanted to go aboveground to fulfill your wish. But I was afraid you wouldn't let me, so I left without saying goodbye."
"It's... it's fine. You're back now. And you did well."
As Ereshkigal spoke, for some reason, her eyes kept darting nervously toward the small grave.
Samael circled the mound twice, full of suspicion. As his belly scales brushed against something flat and hard near the front of the grave—covered in faint grooves—his tail swept aside a cluster of crystal flowers, revealing a clay tablet he immediately recognized.
"This... probably wasn't necessary, right?"
Samael's expression turned strange as he carefully pulled out the clay tablet, the proof of their contract, now scratched all over by shards of crystal flowers and other sharp debris.
"I'll keep it safe!"
But before he could even get a proper look, Ereshkigal snatched the tablet from him and clutched it tightly to her chest.
Her eyes refused to meet his, and her fingers twisted nervously in her cloak. The goddess of the underworld looked clearly uneasy, as though she was trying to hide something.
"Anyway, nothing worth looking at here. Let's go."
That light huff, trying too hard to sound calm yet tinged with a faint tremor, made Samael glance toward the half-meter-high pile of rubble. A flicker of realization passed through his eyes as he suddenly spoke.
"Ere, look, I'm alive and well. Since it was all a misunderstanding, why don't we just level this grave? Feels kind of weird leaving it here."
"Wait—no, don't!"
Still hugging the clay tablet, Ereshkigal's face changed. She spun around in a panic, trying to stop him.
But Samael had already made up his mind. With a speed like lightning, he swept aside the rubble, a sly grin curling on his lips.
Tsk... My only remaining skin's in your hands—what's even in this grave?
Rocks... just rocks? Why is it all rocks?
He stared at the scattered crystal stones, some as big as fists, others no larger than pigeon eggs, puzzled and slightly stunned.
But as the crystals clinked and collided, divine patterns etched on their surfaces began to glow one after another.
Then, spheres of light—big and small, like soap bubbles—floated upward. Human silhouettes flickered inside, and soft, feminine whispers began to echo from within.
"No... don't look..."
At that moment, gazing at the grave now surrounded by tumbling stones, Ereshkigal's lips moved with difficulty. Her expression went stiff as she stood frozen in place—like a doll that had lost its soul.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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