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After dying twice, the increasing darkness inside me was one side effect I worried about. I had a strength and awesome energy, sure. But it was as if a little piece of myself disappeared every time I died, replaced by the new power that clung to my insides. It was like being unable to take a deep enough breath, no matter how much I tried.
This wasn’t X, but me, and whatever was happening to me after my last death.
I could only die one more time and wake up again, or would the drowning feeling drag me to a darkness I’d never wake up from instead?
The thought terrified me. After my father died, it had almost killed me to lose him. But I always held on to the promise I’d spend time with him again one day in the afterworld. Except if X took my life, I’d never get a chance to see Dad; I would perish from existence. And not even the gods could do a damn thing to save me.
A while ago, I thought my ability to come back to life was a bonus. I’d been damn flippant about it, especially when I’d killed myself so quickly to escape X. I’d done it to survive, for more power, and I’d gotten it. But I regretted killing myself now, wasting a life when I could have waited for the gods to come and help me.
But it was too late for hindsight. And what was it they said about spilled milk? Better to look forward and to focus on what came next.
To that end, I kept my eyes peeled for X in case he appeared. Usually, where there was darkness, he followed. And Hades was often not far behind. The whole idea tore me apart because the feelings growing inside me for Hades were the opposite of the hatred I held for X. That bastard had shown me a vision where he killed my father, and I trembled at the memory. Bile hit the back of my throat. Fuck, I knew it hadn’t been real, but the ass had played with my mind, and I wanted to drive my sword deep into his black heart.
So, was Hades the one who’d set X free? And if he had, what were his reasons? Or had X somehow escaped from Hades and all this chaos was out of Hades’s control?
I wanted to believe the latter. But that would mean I trusted Hades. And despite being attracted to him, I wasn’t sure I could fully trust him. I didn’t want to see him as a villain, but everyone else seemed to. And he did have that devil-may-care attitude, even when it came to the deaths of the humans X killed before their time came.
If Hades wasn’t behind this, why didn’t he try to stop X?
My breaths caught in my chest, and I exhaled slowly, needing to release the growing anxiety. Along with the fear I’d discovered Hades was the bad guy after all and I’d let myself fall for him.
I wanted to believe he was a hero like the rest of us, but I was too scared he’d prove me wrong again. He was already volatile, and I never knew what to expect from him. I couldn’t discount that he could be the one behind the darkness that brewed in the heart of Chicago.
Because with Hades, it was impossible to know how quickly the weather would change.
