Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 72

Yǔ's POV

"All this is interesting and all but there is one issue: if the other gods find out about this, they won't sit still knowing that there are beasts that can rival a minor god or goddess."

Mael: If you're worried about our kind overthrowing you, it is impossible. Since we are made out of your powers, in a way we are all subordinate to the respective god. It's mostly impossible to coup, of course, unless our bond with our master exceeds our submission to your kind...

Me (after some time): Must you say anything??? Given that none of the other gods know about it, just keep the knowledge to yourself.

"Nope..." Persephone exclaimed out of nowhere while suddenly standing up, startling us. "I'm taking the two cuties to the garden."

"You don't have to leave, aunt..." I started not wanting her to think that she couldn't hear what we were discussing.

"Oh, sweetie..." she started affectionately as she caught both Mael and the bunny in her arms, holding them gently. "As much as I love your company, I hate serious talks... And living with Milord here, I know when serious talk is coming, and I'm usually out. But don't worry, I'll take these two to the gardens and teach them to make flower crowns." She seemed truly excited at that idea, though I had no clue how she intended to do it, so with a smile, I nodded for both the beasts to go with her. A few minutes after she left, Hades picked up from where we had stopped.

Hades (considering): But what if we don't get our auras back???

Me (shrugging): Seeing that the gods did eventually get it back, I wouldn't be so worried...

Hades: But the only reason I found out about the qi is because you told me...

Me: I am a factor that wasn't meant to exist in this time so irrespective of what you learn from me, you are bound to get it back since in the future you did have the powers increased. This means that even if I never said anything, you were bound to have found out about it somehow or the other and found a way to retrieve it or there is a chance that it could naturally return...

Hades (thinking): I guess you're right... If we try to interfere too early, we could risk damaging the aura or losing it entirely. And since we don't even know why we are releasing the aura, trying to interfere without understanding the cause would not be a good idea...

Me (giving a smile): If you feel that you have to say something, you can... Don't worry about me, like I said, all the additional qis that I am absorbing are but like tiny droplets in an already filled pool. Not to mention, even if I wanted more, there is always another option...

Hades (curiously): Another option???

Me (nodding): Yes... The blessing gives me access to your power pool... So I can borrow as I like, and I have.

Hades (shocked): Say what now???

I closed my eyes and concentrated, feeling the familiar burn on my middle finger, that usually happens when I borrow from Hades, and seconds later I could feel a wave of additional powers flowing through my body using the blessing mark as a link. I opened my eyes and looked sheepishly at Hades who seemed taken aback, "See... The blessings give me access to your power pool, from which I can either borrow and return or even convert it to my own power. I suspected that you knew in the future so I did it a lot, wanting to increase my pool." I added hurriedly, "Don't get me wrong, I only did it since even if I permanently take from you, your power pools automatically replenish so my taking didn't make a difference. I haven't done it after coming to this time since you didn't know about it and I haven't come across a situation where I needed to go so far...", I finished explaining and returned the borrowed power.

Hades (shaking his head, slightly amused at my daringness): If it doesn't make a difference to me, feel free to borrow; I don't particularly mind. Other beings aren't able to take a god's power and make it theirs. I guess the only reason you can is because you bear my blessing, which could be why I haven't heard about such privileges since you're the first person I blessed... What other privileges do you have???

Me (shrugging): Well... Access to the power pools, invulnerability from the said gods attacks, some abilities here and there, like in your case, control over the shadows, summoning of dead skeletons, shadow traveling, summoning and manipulating precious gems and stones, control over fear which coincides with my control over hope, I guess, and some others as far as I know...

Hades (smiling): You're one heck of a kid... Even if we offered, there aren't many who'd accept blessings from the god of death or even Hephaestus, for that matter...

Me (grinning sheepishly): I can't say that my first view was much different, but Hephaestus isn't that bad... Sure he has a very poor sense of humor, except when it comes to trapping Aphrodite and Ares and making them look like fools but after spending time with him in the forge and getting used to his looks, it didn't seem like such a big deal.

Hades (shrugging): I've seen more gruesome stuff so honestly I have no issue with his looks but at the same time I'm not particularly close to him... Heck among all my 'family', I can only say I'm close to Hestia... and Amphitrite, I guess, with all her visits... How close were we??? In the future???

Me (smiling fondly with a hint of sadness in my eyes): Close enough... Before being killed, I was tortured for two years, chained up like a common criminal in some dark room and tortured to the point of death, healed and tortured again... And in those two years, other than the gods who came to torture me, you, Sis Hestia, and Cousin Hephaestus visited me the most. You wanted to take me to the underworld, hide me there even if it meant war against the other gods... Sis Hestia and Hephaestus both offered to take me to the land beyond the gods. (Recalling the memories) You all became more and more desperate, especially after you found out about the execution...

I recalled Sis Hestia breaking into tears, dropping to her knees so that we were face to face, and actually begging me. Hephaestus would clench his fists in frustration till they bled gold and Hades, once, went as far as banging his fist into the wall in frustration and making the ground shake. The extent they were willing to go for me, made my heart clench but I still said no...

Hades (cautiously): Why did you not???

My smile faltered at that question as my eyes glistened with tears at the memory, the last shred of hope I continued to hold on to until the last moment, only to be cruelly doused out. "Honestly??? It was because I was waiting for someone else..."

That's right... Until the end, I kept waiting,... waiting for him to stand up for me... waiting for him to come... If he had come, I would have said yes at the drop of a hat. I kept waiting, for the one who was always the first to defend me, to protect me, to get angry on my behalf, to shower me with love like he always did. I kept waiting for the one who had always sincerely wished for my safety and well-being above all else. And yet, even at the end, he never so much as met my eyes... 

Father never came through for me in the end...