Eternal Vigil

Prologue - Hades

My Dearest Asphodel,

It breaks my heart to write this letter so you have something to carry with you about me in the life you have ahead. You were my light in this dark world I am forced to call home, and I can not express in words how much I don't want to let you go. From the moment you came into existence, your presence filled my home with a warmth I never knew I needed. You, a spark of life in my sad world, brought a radiance I cannot hold onto. But cruel and unrelenting fate has decreed that you do not belong here. You are destined for a world beyond the shadows, A world that I can not follow you into. It is a place filled with life, laughter, and the kind of love I want to show you. Though you were born into my arms, the world around you is where you will grow, far from my grasp and the life I hope you never have to face. I have seen sadness for eons, guiding them through their final journey, but never have I known a pain such as this - the pain of letting you go, my child. You were never meant for this dark domain and now your destiny lies with the ones who care for you now. Know this, my little Delle, though you may be far from my arms, I will always watch over you. My heart, cold as it may be to the rest of the universe, will always burn with love for you. No matter how far away the world takes you, my presence will linger in the shadows, guiding and protecting you as best I can. I can offer you nothing tangible — only my unseen watchfulness, and the quiet hope that you will remember me. May the world treat you kindly, may the family who raised you fill your days with joy and care, and may you never forget the father who loved you from afar. I wish for you to know happiness, my sweet Delle, the happiness I could never offer you here. As you step into the light, remember that though our worlds are separated, you are always a part of me, as I am of you. And when your time in that world draws to its close, you will find me waiting here, arms open, to welcome you back home.

With eternal love,

Your father

I stood alone in the dimly lit chamber, the echoes of my footsteps barely reaching the cold stone walls of the Underworld. The flickering light of the torches cast long, twisted shadows, but none of them compared to the shadow that weighed upon my heart. In my hand, the letter I had written to my daughter, asphodel - My Delle-trembled. It had taken all my strength to pen those words, to face the reality that she was no longer mine to hold.

For ages untold, I have ruled this realm of the dead, a place where life came to die and shadows reigned supreme. Nothing surprised me anymore. I had witnessed countless souls cross the river Styx, watched as the living clung to life, and seen mortals beg for a second chance at existence. Yet none of it prepared me for this moment. The silence that followed my decision to send Delle to the mortal world, away from the depths of my domain.

I paced the floor, the weight of the decision making it seem like a chore. The decision had not been easy, nor was it one we had made without pain. Delle, my precious child, had no place in this realm of shadows. Her presence had been a balm to my soul, a small flicker of warmth that reminded me of what it meant to love, to care. She had not asked for this life, to be born in the underworld, nor had she deserved the fate that would've awaited her if she stayed.

I approached the grand window overlooking the vast expanse of my kingdom. Below, the fields of Asphodel stretched endlessly, the land of the dead where souls wandered in perpetual twilight. From this very sight, I had named her Asphodel, after the flower that bloomed here, delicate yet resilient. It seemed fitting at the time, though now the irony stung like a wound that would never heal.

How could I explain to her that her destiny was never meant to be intertwined with mine? That her light, pure and radiant, was suffocated by the dark veil of the underworld? The gods have made their judgment, and though I was a god myself, even I was bound by certain rules that tore me apart now more than ever.

I leaned against the stone, feeling the coolness seep into my skin as my eyes traced the horizon. Somewhere beyond that darkness lay the world of the living, a world of color and vibrancy, warmth and joy - things I could never provide for Delle. My mind wandered to the day she had been taken to the surface, placed in the care of a family who could love her, nurture her, and offer her a life free from the burdens of my realm.

Would they treat her well? I wondered. Would they give her the life she deserved? I had sent Hermes to deliver her, the swift-footed messenger of the gods, with strict instructions to leave her where she could thrive. A place far from the gaze of Olympus, far from the shadows of the underworld, and far from the grasp of those who might use her as a pawn in their divine schemes.

A soft sigh escaped me as I thought of her. My daughter, the only living thing to ever make me feel truly alive in a world surrounded by death.

As the lord of the dead, I had long since accepted the coldness of my existence. Dell had brought light to the shadows, and now that light was gone. The chamber felt colder, emptier without her pure infant laughter echoing through its halls.

"Dada," her voice echoed in my memory, small and curious, as I had often brought her through the labyrinth corridors of the palace with me.

I closed my eyes, trying to savor the sound, though I knew it was nothing more than a ghost of a memory. She had been an infant, so innocent and trusting. She didn't understand the weight of the world she had been born into, and I had been determined to shield her from it for as long as I could. But now, she would have to face the world alone, without my guidance.

I turned away from the window, my fingers tightening around the copy of the letter I had given Hermes to keep with her. I could not be there with her, but I could watch. From the shadows, I would watch over my daughter, unseen but ever-present. My power was vast, though it could not break the laws of fate. I could not follow her into the light, but I could ensure that no harm would come to her, at least not while I still had breath in my immortal lungs.

I returned to my room, the weight of the situation settling in once more. There was work to be done, souls to guide, but my thoughts would always drift to her - to Delle, the one spark of life that had ever truly mattered to me.

And when her time in the mortal world came to an end, I would be there, waiting in the shadows, as I always had been. Ready to welcome her back into the only home I had ever known, the one place where we could be together without the cruel hand of fate tearing us apart.

But until that day, I would wait.

For in the heart of the underworld, love endured, even in the face of death.