Chapter Thirteen: The Fields Below

  Jace stumbled out of the chamber, his vision still blurred by the intensity of the experience. The hall buzzed with a mix of whispers and murmurs. Every gaze felt like a needle piercing his skin, a sharp reminder of the weight of his revelation.

  “Jace,” a voice broke through the haze, snapping him back to reality. It was Demi. Her expression was unreadable, a mask of calm amidst the storm of reactions. “State your name and the god who chose you.”

  Jace hesitated. The lingering chill of the dark presence from the trial clung to him, its cold eyes seeming to watch from the shadows. He drew in a long breath, steadying himself. “Uh, Jace. Society of Hades.”

  A hush fell over the crowd. The weight of a thousand unspoken words pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. Their silent whispers were drops of dismay, lost in an ocean of shocked surprise. Then, from the back, a single voice shattered the stillness. “Hell yeah! That’s my boy!” Dex cheered, his voice a defiant note in the symphony of shock. He clapped loudly, a broad grin spreading across his face.

  The applause that rose was scattered and hesitant. The once tattered and shadowed banner of Hades suddenly flashed to life in a green fire, revealing a pristine banner as large as those of Zeus and Poseidon but as black as the void. It loomed behind him, an imposing presence. Jace walked over to stand beneath it, feeling a mix of relief and isolation.

  The rest of the night passed in a surreal blur as the remaining freshmen were chosen. Jace couldn’t tell who was chosen for what, the names and faces blending into a haze.

  And then it was over.

  As the groups were shuffled off to their respective dorms, Dex called out over her shoulder. “Hey, there’s a Society orientation tonight for each of us. We should definitely meet up after!” His words were swallowed by the crowd as they merged into the throng of students, leaving Jace alone with his map and the weight of his new destiny.

  Jace thought it was strange to have an orientation so late; it must be nearing midnight. His vision was already a little blurry from tiredness.

  He wandered the campus in a daze. Sometimes it felt good to be alone for a moment—to think, to gather himself from what he had felt. But everywhere he went, he felt watched, judged. Whispers trailed in his wake, eyes lingering a fraction too long.

  As he turned a corner, he bumped into someone, nearly knocking them over. “Watch it,” he snapped, the words out before he could stop himself. The startled student, a girl with wide eyes and a stack of books, looked up at him in surprise.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping back.

  Jace’s face flushed with shame. “No, I’m sorry. That was rude. I was just, somewhere else.”

  She nodded, offering a small smile before hurrying away.

  Man, was I always this grumpy? He thought.

  His tiredness gnawed at him, prompting him to look for his dorm. Where was he going to sleep? Where even was the Hades Society? He opened his Traveler’s Handbook and flipped to the map. A new section of the map appeared, a line drawn from his current location to his destination.

  He glanced down at the parchment, the inked lines and symbols guiding him toward the section marked Hades’ Fields Below, situated adjacent to the catacombs of the Campus. The path led him through the grandiose halls of Mount Olympus University, past bustling common areas and ornate courtyards, until he stood before an ancient, weathered door marked with the symbol of his Society, a two-pronged scepter entwined with spectral flames.

  Taking a deep breath, Jace pushed on the door. It resisted him so he shoved harder, feeling immediately fatigued by the exertion.

  Was I always this weak? He wondered.

  At last, the door gave way and opened, its hinges groaning in protest. The sound reverberated through the dimly lit passage beyond. He stepped inside; the door groaned shut behind him. He fumbled with the map, its inked lines faintly glowing, guiding him down a narrow staircase. Each step creaked ominously underfoot, the air growing colder and mustier the deeper he descended.

  Cobwebs brushed against his face, their sticky threads clinging to his skin. He swept them aside with a grimace, feeling the cold grit of ancient dust. The walls, rough under his fingertips, were worn and cracked with age. Faint glimmers of ancient runes peeked through layers of grime, their light pulsing faintly as if breathing.

  A flicker of light caught his eye. He turned, noticing a faint, ethereal glow emanating from a hidden alcove. Stepping closer, he pushed aside the heavy, dust-covered curtain that concealed it.

  The alcove opened into a small, hidden grotto, bathed in a soft, otherworldly light. Vines adorned with glowing flowers draped from the ceiling, their petals shimmering with an inner radiance. A small, clear pool of water reflected the enchanting scene, creating a magical atmosphere. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the dreary dorm.

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  Jace marveled at the beauty hidden within the darkness. Exploring further, he realized just how ancient and forgotten the Below was. The labyrinthine passages twisted and turned, often leading to dead ends or areas that seemed to have no purpose. It was easy to get lost without a map. The only light came from occasional cracks in the ceiling or faint luminescence.

  He followed the map to what was once a grand hall, now a mess of crumbling stone and tangled vines. The mess hall was vast, filled with long-abandoned tables and benches. It was easy to imagine the lively gatherings that might have once taken place here, but now it was silent, haunted by echoes of the past.

  The map led him further down to a room called “The Shrine of Hades”. The room grew more somber with a gothic aesthetic. As he approached, he felt a chill in the air, a palpable sense of foreboding settling in his bones.

  The shrine was tucked away in a secluded grove, ancient trees with gnarled branches forming a natural archway overhead. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay, every breath carrying a hint of old death. Jason hesitated at the threshold, feeling the weight of the place settle on his shoulders like a shroud.

  Inside, shelves stood filled with decaying books, their spines cracked and pages yellowed with age. Jason ran his fingers along the spines, feeling the brittle leather. One book fell to the floor and immediately disintegrated into a cloud of dust.

  At the heart of the room, an ornate book rested atop a pedestal, its cover embossed with ancient symbols. Unlike everything else, it looked pristine, untouched by time. He reached out and opened it. As he did, an interface materialized before his eyes, text shimmering in the air above the pages.

  “Welcome, Chosen One. To access the Society Control Function, please activate your President’s Token.”

  He checked his inventory. Nothing there.

  Flipping through the pages, he read more about the Society President’s role. The President was the sole representative of the deity to their Society, responsible for overseeing quests and building up the Society’s influence. The position came with considerable perks, funded through fees for services. He would have to explore this more thoroughly later, but for now, exhaustion was catching up with him.

  The map guided him to another set of stairs, leading down even further. He needed to find somewhere to sleep before delving deeper into the mysteries of this place.

  Jason froze as he heard something move in the distance, the sound echoing through the eerie silence. His heart jumped, and he called out impulsively, “Hello?”

  Great, he thought, I’m like every idiot in a horror film. Tell them exactly where you are so they can find you easier.

  Jace had grown up in a world where the Techno Purge wiped out most digital content, leaving only the classics - VHS tapes, records, cassettes, books, anything that wasn’t ones and zeros. New art was scarce, and distribution was a lost cause. For a long while, it was a dark age of entertainment.

  The old media wore down over the years, and not everything survived. But what did survive became a refuge in those bleak days. It wasn’t until Excelior Tech came along with the Grid that the world started seeing anything new.

  Yet, the classics remained, and Jace knew them all. The old library, where movies, shows, and music were uploaded onto holodiscs, was his and his brother’s sanctuary.

  Jace knew one thing for sure - in a horror film, you never start shouting.

  Rookie mistake, he thought.

  He stood utterly still, listening intently. Nothing. He strained to hear any sign of movement, any indication that he wasn’t alone. Could have just been the cave settling in, he reasoned, though he wasn’t even sure if that was a thing caves did.

  The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he remained on high alert, every sense heightened, as he slowly continued down the stairs.

  He reminded himself that the campus was protected by magic. “Safe from everything except your own stupidity,” Demi had said.

  Finally, he reached the bottom, the passage opening into a small, dimly lit chamber. His dorm. Or what was supposed to be his dorm. The room was terrible, a far cry from the luxurious quarters he had imagined when first arriving to M.O.U. The walls were damp and cold, the ceiling low and suffocating. An old bed sat in the corner, its frame creaking as he tested its weight. The mattress was lumpy and worn, but it was something.

  The mattress sagged under his weight, but he was too tired to care. He and Alex had lived in worse. Water dripped somewhere in the distance. As he lay there, staring up at the cracked ceiling, he couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets the Below held.

  The Archmage’s words hung over Jace like a shroud. He pulled out his Traveler’s Handbook, the leather cover worn and frayed. Flipping through its pages, he stopped at the entry for Words of Power. There, next to the word he had spoken during his fight with Marcus, was a dark smudge, the ink gray and fading as if it had been erased from existence. The page it was written upon was burned around the edges.

  Jace traced his finger over the mark, the Archmage’s warning echoing in his mind: “Using a word of power without sufficient Breath can deplete you. It can rob you of your ability to speak.” What had he unleashed? And at what price?

  “It tears at the soul and fractures the mind. Many have gone mad for less.”

  He turned to his Character Sheet, reading over his status, before passing out. The debuffs explained his severe exhaustion, weakness, and maybe even a bit of his mood.

  Character Sheet

  Name: Jace

  Class Title: Classless

  Rank: None

  Society: Chosen of Hades - Current Members: 1

  Debuffs:

  ? Cranky: You need a wittle nap.

  -1 to all stats until condition remedied.

  ? Classless:

  You’ve got no class, kid.

  -1 to all stats until condition remedied.

  -2 to Wisdom and Intelligence.

  Attributes:

  ? Strength: 9 (Currently: 7)

  ? Dexterity: 11 (Currently: 9)

  ? Intelligence: 12 (Currently: 9)

  ? Wisdom: 11 (Currently: 8)

  ? Constitution: 8 (Currently: 6)

  ? Charisma: 9 (Currently: 7)

  ? Luck: 10 (Currently: 8)

  ? Karmic Balance: 0

  ? Affinity Shards: None

  ? Word of Power: None available at this time.

  Gain Hades’ favor or explore Terra Mythica to unlock hidden features.

  Congratulations!

  As the only member of Society of Hades you are automatically assigned as Society President.

  Error: You do not meet the minimum requirements to be the President of a Society. Ritual Component Missing: President’s Token.

  Gain required components to unlock title and privileges.