Chapter 125: A Mistake
Ymir squinted at the little girl, folding his arms. "How do we even know you’re telling the truth? The Limbo is full of shapeshifters and monsters. You could be anything pretending to be a child. Even this one here."
He jabbed at Magni. "His disguise is near perfect when he’s in the human world."
Magni did a dramatic bow. "Your highness, I am honored to hear your praise!"
The girl just smiled and said:
"I can take you to him. That should be enough proof, right?"
Hermes was conflicted. He wanted to believe her, but a part of him hesitated. He wasn’t ready to face Eirwyn yet, not after everything that had happened.
Magni stepped forward with a polite nod. "Brother Modi, if I may, we have just slain a serpent most formidable. If this child is an imposter, it’s no issue with the four of us including Skadi’s pet. What can this little girl do against us, who wields fire and ice?"
Ymir groaned. "That is if she’s just a little girl."
Magni inclined his head respectfully. "Indeed. Your caution is wise, Your Highness. But we are also better off with a guide than travelling in this endless night alone."
Hermes finally nodded. "Fine. We’ll follow her. But keep your guard up."
The girl’s grin widened. "Good! Follow me, Father!"
They walked for a while, the Limbo stretching endlessly around them. Shadows seemed to move where their light doesn’t reach. Occasionally, the wolf-dragon sniffed the air, growling low. Hermes felt the odd pull in his chest, the promise of Eirwyn drawing near.
Ymir tilted his head. "I still don’t get it. You have a child with Eirwyn. How does that even work? Both of you are men."
Hermes hesitated. "It’s my Void lineage. It’s complicated, but... possible."
Magni nodded politely. "Ah, I see. The ways of the Void are subtle and mysterious. I thank you for your candor, Brother Modi."
Hermes started explaining. "I was born from a black hole in the Rift near Village AD18. That black hole existed on its own, sucked in everything around it. I was just there, a singularity."
Ymir raised an eyebrow. "A black hole just... existed and then you popped out of it?"
"Yes. Aphrodite’s parents found me, along with Elder Thales... and a tour guide."
"Who’s the tour guide?" Ymir asked.
Hermes shrugged. "I never saw the tour guide’s face, his cap blocked it. I saw it in a video recording.... I was born during meteorological studies by Aphrodite’s mother. But it was noisy, chaotic."
He added: "The black hole disrupted everything. If not for the tour guide suggesting for her to beg the black hole to stop... I don’t know what I could have done before I even existed."
Magni’s eyes widened with polite admiration. "A singularity given form, nurtured by mortals most wise. Truly, Brother Modi, your origin is remarkable. I honor the courage it must have taken to endure such revelations."
Hermes chuckled, but there was a shadow over his smile. "I was raised as an orphan in the Danger Zone. Everyone lied to me. Told me my parents were dead. I never knew my true identity until recently. It was Elder Thales who showed me the recording."
Ymir glanced at Hermes. "Elder Thales... That must be one of the elders you talked about back in the tent. The ones that told you about Ceasar’s comet?"
Hermes recalled what happened after that. "Right. When we.... Slept together."
The memory made them both blush.
The little girl suddenly spun around, asking with an innocent pout: "Father... are you cheating on Mother now? Do you not love him anymore?"
Ymir was suddenly enraged by this accusation.
He snapped at the little girl. "Excuse me? Eirwyn doesn’t own Hermes. You are just a mistake. Hermes didn’t make you because he wanted to. He was taken advantage of by your ’mother’. That’s why you exist, you freak!"
The girl’s eyes filled with tears. Her small shoulders shook, but she didn’t run.
Hermes crouched to her level, his voice gentle. "Hey, don’t cry..."
"A-Am I a mistake, Father?" The girl asked.
Hermes knew in his heart that he couldn’t deny what Ymir said.
Still, he comforted the girl. "You are not a mistake. The circumstances of your birth are just.... Complicated."
Magni stepped in between them, calm and firm. "Your highness, it may be wise to temper your words. Words can wound more than swords. I say this with all respect, ice prince. You know the sting of being called a mistake, yes?"
Ymir stiffened, his face paling. "Don’t bring that up. That’s different."
Hermes tilted his head. "What is he talking about?"
Magni inclined slightly. "Even the strongest among us bears doubt and fear. Ice prince, you have known the cold of misjudgment. Yet none of us are unworthy. Even those we deem ’mistakes’ hold value."
Ymir’s jaw tightened, and he did look like he was sorry about his actions. He opened his mouth, perhaps about to apologize...
When the ground beneath them pulsed suddenly. A strange warmth and coldness hit them at the same time.
Hermes froze. "Do you feel that?"
Magni’s eyes widened. "Indeed. The ground itself speaks in warmth and chill. It is... most unusual."
Ymir looked down and gasped. The tarmac-like surface of Limbo’s ground was no longer uniform. Veins of liquid fire pulsed and twisted across the black surface, glowing faintly in the darkness.
Hermes crouched, scanning the area. "These veins... they’re connecting—"
Before he could finish, the veins led to hundreds of frozen forms in the ground. Monsters. Encased in ice like statues, frozen mid-motion. Their eyes, still open, seemed to stare in silent horror.
Magni bowed slightly to Hermes and Ymir, speaking carefully. "Brother Modi, ice prince, this is no trivial matter. These creatures, though encased, are alive in spirit. We must proceed with utmost caution."
Ymir’s voice was tight. "What kind of magic is this?"
The little girl stepped forward, unafraid. "Those are Void monsters. They were trapped here because they were mean to us"
Hermes frowned. "Use? You mean you and...."
The girl nodded her head excitedly. "Come. He’s really close! I bet you miss him, Father!"
Magni rubbed his chin. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Awwooo..."
The wolf-dragon growled low, nudging them forward first like a scared puppy staying behind its owner.
The veins glowed brighter as if sensing movement. Ymir’s hand hovered near his ice blade. Magni flexed his fingers, ready to ignite. Hermes took a deep breath.
"Let’s go." He said.
The little girl ran ahead, fearless, guiding them into the darkness. Each step brought them closer to Eirwyn...
And deeper into a nightmare frozen in fire and ice.
A/N Thank you for reading up to this point! I’m interested to know who your favorite character is so far, and which love interest you ship with Hermes the most! Are you Team Aphrodite, Team Somner, Team Eirwyn or Team Ymir? Or maybe even someone else that he has not ’shared essence’ with? Lemme know!
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