Underworld authority poured into Gabriella’s body and remoulded her essence by deepening her connection to Life and Death. Strictly speaking, the there was only a connection to Death and no authority over it.

  The name of this Authority was Underworld.

  The Underworld did not end lives, nor did it create them. It was an authority centered around custody, transfer, and transaction.

  Everything in the universe had a cost. To gain a new life, you first had to give up the first.

  Gods were no exception to the Authority of Underworld. It was due to this authority’s influence that Persephone and other pure-blooded members of the Underworld Clans were able to awaken their memories.

  In fact, Apollo and Poseidon had likely abused their own authorities to manipulate the Authority of Underworld, thereby facilitating their resurrection four hundred years later.

  Gabrella’s ascension was a dazzling affair. She’d always been a beautiful woman, but that beauty matured as her presence was elevated to that of a demigod. A small bonfire lit at the core of her being as the faith of billions lit up like kindling. The name Hades might be forgotten, but the legend of the Underworld and the River Styx had persisted.

  As Persephone’s Authority solidified, several uncertainties rectified themselves. The Underworld Scepter was whisked before Michael could destroy it. A battered three-headed dog appeared at her side alongside a wounded boatman in a butler ensemble.

  The tow new arrivals eyed Sorin warily as a black and gold crown appeared atop their new leader’s head. The scepter appeared in right hand, while a slightly weaker Underworld Bident manifested on her left.

  Gabriella’s presence soared. She directly skipped the mysterious cultivation realms of demigodhood to arrive at the bottleneck to godhood. A transparent altar formed in the sky above her, atop which sat spectral representations of her three regalia.

  As the regalia appeared, the natural laws of Pandora descended. They blessed the altar and Persephone both, anointing her Empress of the Underworld and all souls in transition.

  The realm shiver as a flaw in the heavens was mended. The realm had been missing an executive of Underworld Authority for far too long and could finally begin the process of healing its ghastly injuries.

  It wasn’t just the invisible laws of the world and the karmic web of mortals that improved; even the stagnant River Styx regained a healthy glow as departed souls began to move. They surged past the entrance once blocked off by the icy seal and returned with glee to the resurrecting Pandoran Continent.

  And it wasn’t just the earth that changed—the sky was practically aglow. A hint of life now hung in the starlit sky nourishing constellations that had remained dimmed for over four centuries.

  It seemed like there would be no end to Persephone’s ascension; a great deal of authority remained unused. It came as a surprise to Sorin when she stopped her absorption of authority and flicked her sleeve. Three small streams shot out at the three God Seeds that had failed to storm the Hyde Clan.

  Her actions provoked an intense response in the night sky. The moon presiding over Pandora flashed with a sharp silver light and brandished it like a sword at the now-rising sun.

  As the heavens shifted, a darkness stirred beneath. A tiny trickle broke off from the River Styx at the end of its first cycle to form a branch stream leading through painful flames and wicked blades.

  It was a tiny but significant portion of the raging river that now sloshed its way into the Sea of Souls. The spirits in this side stream all had one thing in common: they each bore an unhealthy glow representing their many misdeeds.

  These corrupt souls let out a symphony of screams as flames and blades purified them.

  Three separate altars formed as Michael, Celine, and Charles appeared before Persephone. These three individuals tried to stand up straight but were unable to prevent their knees from buckling.

  “This wasn’t what we agreed upon,” said Michael coldly to Persephone as natural laws blessed him and his altar with mixed authorities of Sun, Time, and Growth. Conversely, Celine issued no complaints as she received the mirror authorities of Moon, Time, and Decay.

  “Stop being such a whiner,” said Charles as his own altar glowed with a unique authority, Purgatory. “You regained your lost Godhood. You’re alive and not dead like most of your siblings. You practically won the lottery compared to the rest of your siblings.” He didn’t bother to hide his glee at Michael’s failure.

  “You wouldn’t say that if you knew the prize Zeus and Hades set their eyes on,” snapped Michael. “It’s a prize that—"

  “A prize,” interrupted Persephone. “That is beyond our reaches. As God Seeds, we are inextricably bound to the laws of the realm. Besides, Apollo—you’ve been feeding off Pandora’s faith in the sun for far too long. Its about time you paid it back. Consider this role your penance, and Charles your jailor.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  The ascension of four new gods was a lot for Sorin to take in. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to process these new facts before thoughts of ascension surfaced in his mind.

  The spark within Sorin moved again to ignite the karmic kindling he’d accumulated a second time. Sorin smothered that spark and glared at the Heavens. He was no fool—he knew a trap when he saw one.

  “Why do you resist the blessing of Pandora?” asked Persephone her authority solidified. She now controlled a horrifying force that Sorin wasn’t sure he could resist. “The power it grants is no laughing matter.”

  Sorin eyed Persephone and noticed a few interesting facts. The first fact was that her karma now had much more weight than normal. A single action of hers was equal to billions, if not trillions of others.

  At the same time, this karma acted as a chain. Sorin wasn’t entirely sure she could hurt him even if she wanted to. “The price of this blessing is too steep,” said Sorin, shaking his head. “Now that you’ve finished collecting the authority, will you honor your promise and clarify my doubts?”

  Persephone sighed as she made a shooing motion. The three new deities yelped as they were dismissed. Celine returned to the moon while Apollo returned to the rapidly setting sun. As for Charles, he retreated to Tartarus and began to gleefully carry out his executive responsibilities.

  “You are right, unfortunately,” said Persephone as she took a seat atop an obsidian throne. She poured Sorin a cup of spiritual tea and pushed it to Sorin. “Pandora’s blessing gives away as much as it takes. We become administrators of certain functions that ease the moving of Heaven and Earth. That same power restricts our normal action and even warps our personality.”

  “I take it that’s why Hades and Zeus did everything they could to shed their previous identities?” guessed Sorin.

  “Just so,” answered Persephone. “When the Titans they overthrew returned with the Outsiders to claim Pandora’s Box, Zeus saw no other recourse but to claim it for himself. His brother, Hades, warned him of the consequences. He suggested that risking his Throne of Underworld was the better gamble. Zeus’s Throne of Rule was essential to the stability of the realm.

  “Zeus knew of the risks. He also knew that it wasn’t just the box they needed to worry about, but the Eight Evils that had spawned in the absence of the Titans. Yet a ruler had a responsibility to his subjects, and through this responsibility, Zeus hoped to claim power over Pandora’s box, if just for an instant.

  “He left Hades in charge of protecting the vital functions of Pandora as he synchronized with Pandora’s box to slay Chronos, the exiled titans, and his greedy Outsider companions.”

  Sorin shook his head. “That was a bad move. Ratten is rotten to the core. Why else would he give up his authority and make a play for Pandora’s box.”

  Persephone smiled. “You don’t give Ratten enough credit. Instead of breaking the gate prematurely, he spent four centuries arranging for three compatible God Seeds to inherit his authority. He also revived Zeus when he didn’t need to and bore and grin the insult of Death’s invasion of the Underworld. A more spiteful god than he would have self-destructed rather than bear the shame of existence.

  Persephone’s words cleared up a few facts that had long been bugging Sorin. “Hope’s erasure of their memories was intentional on Zeus and Hades’s part.”

  “Just as Zeus’s sacrifice of his Thunderbolt to the Lighting Shield was intentional, so too was Ratten’s gradual divestiture of his authority.” agreed Persephone. “Originally, the consensus was that no god, not even Chronos, could control Pandora’s Box. Their views changed when Chronos and his lackeys returned with outside energy sources and attempted to take the box for themselves. Perhaps it was possible—under certain circumstances.

  “When Zeus was reincarnated with Hades’s help, they theorized that only those without Pandora’s blessing could claim the Realm Treasure. Either that, or someone with outside power that exceeded Pandora’s natural authorise.”

  “So, they gave up their responsibilities to gain the treasure for themselves,” said Sorin drily. “How selfless.”

  “They gave up everything they had for the realm,” countered Persephone. “You might not understand this, Sorin, but Pandora’s energy is finite. The damage caused by the exiled titans and the Outsiders greatly damaged the realm. The only way to supplement this energy is to venture outside Pandora—something those blessed by the realm simply cannot do.”

  Sorin shrugged. “We’ll have to agree to disagree. Everyone is selfish. Even me.”

  Persephone raised an eyebrow. “Then why have you not destroyed the clan that harmed you so.”

  “Who says I won’t?” asked Sorin, pulsing with a bloodthirsty aura.

  “You won’t,” said Persephone with certainty. “You are killer, that much is true. But you are also a physician. You won’t kill needlessly.”

  “Enough about my intentions,” said Sorin. “Let’s straighten out some facts. The death of my parents? Your appearance in the Bloodwood Outpost? The longstanding grudge between the Kepler Clan and the Hyde Clan?”

  “Orchestrated by Ratten, Zeus, and Hope out of necessity,” answered Persephone. “It was but one of a hundred similar attempts to nurture one such as yourself. For the record, your family was only the recipient of four such attempts. Many clans were victims of their machinations and failed.”

  Sorin frowned as he pondered this. He’d already guessed most of what had transpired, but one thing still didn’t make sense. “What about the Seven Evils?”

  Persephone’s expression turned cold when he said this. “Originally, they were mindless entities. That changed when they consumed large amounts of Titanic and Otherworldly energies.

  “The Seven Evils have spent the last four hundred years breaking the shackles of Pandora’s blessing. Their efforts have brought the Realm to the verge of ruin. It is imperative that you not allow them to claim Pandora’s Box.”

  Sorin considered her words. “You seem so certain that I’ll join the struggle for the box.”

  Persephone let out a peal of laughter that caused trees to sprout and flowers to bloom. “Sorin, if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that arrogance runs deep in your bones. You wouldn’t trust anyone other than yourself with the fate of Pandora. You’d rather die than let another control your fate.”

  She made a snatching gesture and tossed two objects at Sorin, who immediately recognized them for what they were. “The corrupted cores of from the Heralds of Life and Death?”

  “These are useless to Apollo, now that I’ve thwarted his plans of ascension,” said Persephone. “Far better to give them to you. Just do me a favor and kill the four remaining heralds on your way out?”

  “It’s a deal,” answered Sorin, accepting the two crystals. They melted into his flesh and elevated his mana, body, soul, and Authority. “Take care, Gabriella.”

  “Take care,” said Persephone. “I wish I could do more for you.”

  “You’ve done more than enough,” said Sorin to Persephone as he headed up the River Styx as though climbing a spiral staircase.

  “It’s my selfish wish to shield you from harm,” said Persephone, as Sorin ascended the spiral staircase leading out of the underworld. “Yet as always, all I can do is watch your back.

  “Take care. Teacher.”