The Labyrinth of Negrastir

Put to Death

We arrived at the only place in this vast country where patches of thick fog engulfed the landscape completely and added an element of mystery to the surroundings.

I asked the assassin to wait for me near the shimmering lake, while I braved the thick fog to reach the abyss.

Not long after, the fog dissipated and revealed a barren wasteland that stretched far into the unknown ahead, devoid of any signs of life.

With a mixture of confusion and desperation, I spun in place and desperately tried to catch sight of the abyss.

But it remained hidden from view. I wasn't mistaken. This was the right place.

What in the world happened?

The answer to this question arrived sooner than I expected.

Through the clearing fog, the female spirit emerged wearing a mischievous smirk, as if she had waited for my arrival long before I showed up.

"Where's the abyss? I know you know so don't play any tricks and spill the beans!"

"Oh, dear. You didn't hear? The Demon God put a seal on it."

A frown creased my face. "What? Why would he—did you tell him who I am?"

With a wide smile, the spirit floated towards me and emanated an ethereal glow.

"He already knew... when you were here the first time."

"What? No, that's not—"

"I told him you were from the future and he said he already knew."

"No," I shook my head, stuttering "That- that can't be true! Why would he act like he didn't know if he—"

"Why don't you ask him that in person?"

I averted my eyes. He really knew this whole time? That I was from the future.

But why stay silent and go along with my lies? What did he gain from that? Moreover, if he truly knew, then why didn't he try to stop me?

I raised my eyes off the ground upon finally realising something. He went to the labyrinth with me on purpose. It was his plan all along to make sure I failed.

But why didn't he just off me instead of going through all this trouble when we were alone in the haunted woods? Nothing made sense. I looked up.

"Don't get it wrong, dear. He knew you didn't belong in this body and that you were from the future. But that's it. He doesn't know why you travelled to the past." The female spirit paused. "He even asked me if I knew why."

"And- and did you tell him?"

Inching closer, the spirit's smirk grew wider. "I couldn't, remember? You shattered me into pieces before I could."

"What about now?" I said. "He must've asked you again when he sealed the abyss!"

"Oh, he was too mad to ask questions, dear. He said you tried to kill him."

"W- what?"

The spirit leaned in. "He also said you'd have to pay for trying to kill him."

I backed away. With this, the female spirit faded away. Her presence dispersed like a whisper in the wind.

Still shaken from the insight that the prisoner knew I wasn't Hera from the past, I hurried through the patchy fog to the lake.

It was all over this time for sure. Without the Goddess, I had no way of knowing how to kill an immortal – let alone a god of Vanir's calibre.

Even if the prisoner didn't know my true identity or why I had travelled to the past, he still knew I conspired to take his life and cleverly made sure I had no longer access to the only person who could help me.

Dewitt, "What did the Goddess say?"

"He sealed it off, the abyss."

"He? The Demon God?"

I nodded. "Whether I live or die, it doesn't matter anymore. I can't kill an immortal. I messed it all up. I should've just—"

"Are you giving up? After coming this far."

I raised my eyes, taken aback by the sudden shift in his tone. "I- I don't have much time left. Even if I found another way to kill him, I'd probably be long dead by then."

"Dead?"

A surge of mind-numbing pain shot through me. I doubled over. The throbbing wound soaked my clothes crimson.

Struggling to catch my breath, my cheeks flushed with fever, and beads of cold sweat streamed down.

"What's wrong?" I pushed him away. "Hera...?"

"I... I think I need to- to return home."

"To the Empire?"

I blinked. No words escaped from my lips. The pain was killing me. I wouldn't make it through another day.

I could feel it in the marrow of my bones...

The assassin helped me mount the horse. Before we set out to Hargelad, he said something that would stay with me long after our journey ended.

I didn't respond. I was too high with a fever to say a word. And in all honestly, I sincerely believed this was the end of me.

My body was engulfed in flames. My cursed wound seared with an intense heat and my mind was a chaotic whirlwind.

No matter how I twisted and turned my mind, the only thing I could think of was the looming Grim Reaper.

"If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me. I never considered myself a seer – I never wanted to be one. But if you need me, I'll help you."

And just like that, I found myself standing in front of the magnificent palace and the grand gates swung open.

I peeked over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of the assassin slipping away silently.

My belated arrival was welcomed by my loyal servant Lara and her parents. Their expressions of joy were evident on their faces.

Much to my surprise, the Crown Prince was there too.

Beside him stood a young woman, her fair complexion radiated a heavenly glow and her beauty resembled that of a fairytale.

That must be Nessa, the sly fox Lara talked about. Her appearance didn't match such a description, though.

I understood why Malachi was smitten with her. Even if he had once loved Hera with all his heart, this young woman possessed a beauty that'd make anybody feel weak in their knees.

As the gates shut, my legs gave in and I collapsed, overwhelmed by exhaustion, hunger, and thirst.

This was the last memory etched into my mind from that fateful day. I was convinced that this was the moment where everything would come crashing down on me and the curse take my life.

But in a twisted turn of events, it didn't.