[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 65

Hera finally returned to the Underworld, where she built herself a crystal coffin.

No divine craftsman carved it, no gems were inlaid; she smoothed every bulge on the coffin walls with her own hands.

During the day, she would help Charon ferry the souls that arrived there.

Charon’s wooden boat swayed on the River Styx. As the oars sliced through the phosphorescent water, Hera stood at the bow, scrutinizing the semi-transparent souls one by one.

Some souls carried the scent of human life from the world above, others still clung to unshed tears. Her gaze swept over every blurred face, her fingertips occasionally touching the cool edge of a soul’s clothing, as if testing every wisp of mist that might harbor her beloved’s presence.

Charon, of course, knew what she was searching for.

Hera, the Goddess of Marriage, had been looking for her wife for three thousand years. She had made the Underworld brightly lit and even officiated the wedding of Hades, the God of the Underworld, and Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, leaving eternal spring in its wake.

The King of the Underworld had tacitly allowed her behavior, and Charon naturally dared not say much.

He understood why Hera had to do this. Charon only had the authority to ferry the souls of the deceased from the mortal world to the Underworld; he had no power of judgment and could not hold back any soul for her.

The ultimate destination of the deceased was determined by the Underworld Judges.

Minos was just, Rhadamanthus was strict, and Aeacus was cautious.

The three of them sat on stone chairs in the Grand Hall of the Underworld. When their judgment pens descended, they decided the soul’s fate.

The virtuous entered the Elysian Fields, resting eternally in the sea of flowers of the Isles of the Blessed; the wicked entered the Pit of Tartarus, enduring eternal punishment in its flames; and ordinary people wandered the Plains of Asphodel in the Underworld, their souls like rootless grass, staying forever and never to be reincarnated.

But Hera did not want Li Jia to go to Tartarus, nor did she want her to go to the Elysian Fields.

The Elysian Fields were too far, separated by layers of mist, and she feared she would never find her again. Tartarus was too painful, and she couldn’t bear for Li Jia to suffer even slightly.

Hera always believed that Li Jia should stay by her side, just like before in the Hot Spring Stream, hugging her arm and playfully saying she wanted to be a happy, carefree “salted fish,” just lying around lazily.

She had to find her soul beforehand, bring her back to the Hot Spring Stream, and hide her where no one could find her.

Hera came to the Underworld, searching for her wife’s soul day after day, year after year.

At night, she would walk back to her crystal coffin by the dark river mouth, close the lid, and sleep.

Hera raised her hand and stroked the coffin wall. The newly polished crystalline surface reflected her image, revealing a few more strands of white in her golden hair near her temples.

She slowly lay down inside the coffin and gently closed the lid. The crystal blocked the wind from the River of Forgetfulness and also the solitude of the Underworld.

Hera suddenly smiled, lightly touching the coffin wall with her fingertip.

It’s alright, she had waited three thousand years; she would eventually wait for Li Jia.

Meanwhile, in the hospital’s ICU, the coldness of disinfectant filled the air.

Li Jia, wrapped in a loose hospital gown, curled up on the bed and sneezed. Her nose was red, and she softly muttered, “Who is it? Who is thinking of me?”

Li Jia had been back in this world for almost three years. Her memories of the Hot Spring Stream were fragmented, as if covered by fog, but at night, she always dreamt of a golden-haired figure whose fingertips, with a familiar warmth, gently brushed the top of her head.

Her health was deteriorating. A while ago, she was still cheerfully going to the DQ franchise store down the alley to eat matcha almond ice cream.

Yesterday, before she could swallow the crushed almond on the tip of her spoon, a sudden, sharp pain sent her to the ICU.

The doctor had issued a critical condition notice three times. She had no family in this world; her only reliance was Aunt Zhang next door.

When Li Jia asked Aunt Zhang, who always brought her hot soup, to sign an agency agreement for her in case she fell into a coma, Aunt Zhang’s eyes reddened and she said, “From now on, I am your family.”

Li Jia secretly had a notarization done, leaving the small house she owned to Aunt Zhang. She didn’t dare say too much, fearing this kind person would feel uneasy because of it.

The rest of her savings were all donated to girls in remote mountainous areas. Perhaps this way, it could be considered doing a little more for that blurry figure.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened. As the nurse changed the IV bag and was about to leave, she gently asked, “Do you need me to leave the light on for you?”

Li Jia was a regular patient at this hospital. She had an incurable disease but always smiled brightly, leaving a deep impression on the doctors and nurses here. Knowing that she lived alone, their sympathy for her grew even more.

Li Jia nodded, gazing at the light on the ceiling. In a haze, she thought she smelled that familiar, warm scent tinged with moisture again.

She got out of bed barefoot and took out the photo from the interlayer of the small cloth bag she had brought with her. Borrowing the light, the golden-haired woman in the picture had a slight curve to her mouth, her eyes fixed entirely on Li Jia, even her fingertips gently protecting Li Jia’s wrist as they held hands.

Her fingertip lightly traced the golden-haired woman’s face in the photo. Suddenly, the light before her eyes began to blur, and the sound of the medical equipment in her ears gradually faded away.

“Master…er!”

Intermittent electronic sounds flashed into Li Jia’s mind. Her first reaction: System! The system is back!

System, is that you?

“It’s me, Master.”

After a few minutes, the signal stabilized, and the two began to chat.

How have you been? Are you okay?

When Li Jia spoke, the system felt like it was about to cry. What immense fortune to meet such a good master over several lifetimes, who was still concerned about it even when facing imminent death.

“Master, I’ve been well, really well. I’m currently working on a new mission. As long as I complete the second-most difficult mission on the ranking list, I’ll gain a huge amount of points again.”

But I already used the reward to exchange for the power of the God-King. Why did I come back to life in this world?

The electronic sound fell silent. After a long pause, it spoke softly, tinged with guilt.

“Because I couldn’t bear to let you die. I used all my remaining points to exchange for three years of your life in this world.”

“I’m sorry, Master. I had too few points, and could only exchange for three years of your life, and in an unhealthy body, causing you so much suffering…”

Its current sound grew softer, as if it was admitting fault.

Li Jia felt a pang in her nose. She had always thought the system was just a cold program, but she never expected it would gamble all its points, which it considered its everything, to keep her.

Clutching the photo, tears dropped onto the sealed surface, creating a small wet patch. “Silly, I never blamed you… I’m already very happy to have lived these extra three years, to see you again.”

The electronic sound remained silent, only the buzzing of the current gently echoing in her mind, seemingly accompanying her in silence.

“Master, I have to go. Another world is summoning me. I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”

System.

Thank you.

May I ask your name?

“I don’t have a name. My code is 220612.”

The electronic sound completely vanished, leaving only an empty echo.

Soon, a figure fainter than the night emerged from the darkness outside the window.

It was Nyx.

Her long robe was adorned with flowing stardust. Each step left behind tiny fragments of glow. She did not alarm anyone, her footsteps were as light as the wind sweeping over dry leaves, and she only stopped before Li Jia’s soul, her lowered eyelashes casting a shallow shadow on her night-shrouded face.

“It’s time to go.”

Nyx’s voice was flat, yet it carried a reassuring calmness, like the backdrop of the Underworld’s eternal night. “Someone has waited for you for three thousand years.”

Li Jia’s soul wavered. Unconsciously, she followed Nyx towards the window. Her soul passed through the glass without obstruction. In the darkness along the way, the stardust on Nyx’s hem continually fell behind her, as if paving a road to the Underworld.

Li Jia couldn’t help but look back and saw Aunt Zhang sobbing by the hospital bed in the ICU, with a nurse gently patting her back. It seems I’m dead.

She suddenly remembered the savings she had donated and the small house she had left behind. A trace of guilt arose in her heart, but it was quickly filled with anticipation.

“She will be fine.”

Nyx seemed to read her mind and said softly, “What you left behind is enough for her to live out her old age comfortably.”

Li Jia nodded, no longer looking back.

She followed Nyx into the deeper night. The sound of flowing water gradually reached her ears. The sound grew closer, carrying the stench of decayed leaves and the unique scent of the River Styx, yet it inexplicably brought her peace.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a faint light suddenly shone ahead. The light was neither starlight nor a will-o’-the-wisp, but the warm brilliance refracted by crystal. The dark river mouth had arrived.

Nyx quietly bypassed the direction of the Grand Hall of the Underworld, helping her avoid the judgment of the three Judges.

Nyx stopped at the river mouth and pointed to the crystal coffin standing on the barren slope not far away. “She is waiting for you inside.”

“I have to go back and cook. She wants to eat dry-fried shredded lotus root tonight.”

With that, Nyx’s figure gradually faded, leaving only a final wisp of stardust that fell on Li Jia’s hair, like a silent blessing.

Li Jia walked toward the crystal coffin step by step. The coffin walls were clear, allowing her to vaguely see the tall figure lying inside.

She reached out her hand. As soon as her fingertips touched the cool crystal surface, the coffin lid gently lifted. The person inside slowly opened her eyes. Although the golden hair at her temples was streaked with frosty white, her gaze was still like the warm water of the Hot Spring Stream.

The moment she saw Li Jia, a three-thousand-year accumulation of tenderness bloomed in her eyes.

“Your Majesty.”

“Why has your hair turned white?”

Li Jia’s soul rushed into her arms, hugging her arm just like before in the Hot Spring Stream. Her tears fell onto the inner wall of the crystal coffin, instantly condensing into tiny water droplets.

Hera raised her hand to catch her, her voice carrying three thousand years of longing and a newly found sense of settled security.

“Li Jia.”

“Welcome home.”

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