CHAPTER 279: CHAPTER 37

While the world outside sang with laughter, firelight, and song, hidden within the folds of a secret dimension beyond Asgard, and even beyond the fragile threads of mortal comprehension, four gods sat in silence.

The air was dim, painted in muted hues of violet and gold, with faint ripples of divine energy weaving through the stillness like smoke.

There was a rather simple chamber, not because its residents lacked power or authority for a more grand one, but because their power was too vast to need ornamentation.

A round obsidian table stood at the center, upon which four silver goblets rested, each filled with shimmering crimson wine that seemed to reflect the constellations of a thousand skies.

Hades, Odin, Nyx, and Hecate sat together, their faces calm, but the atmosphere around them was solemn and serious, completely unlike to the festive and bright atmosphere outside of this realm.

After a long pause, it was Odin who broke the silence.

His single eye gleamed with wisdom, and the faintest smirk curled upon his lips.

"As per our agreement," he began, his voice calm and solemn, as if carrying a gravity that seemed to ripple through the dimension itself, "I will honor my word. The knowledge of the Nine Realms shall be yours, Nyx. I will share all I know to aid in the creation of your so-called ’Hyperverse’—and to merge the Norse realms with your dominion."

Nyx, who had been swirling her wine lazily, let out a faint chuckle. She observed Odin, finding him quite interesting than before.

"You truly are a curious being, All-Father," she said with a small, knowing smile. "Cunning, manipulative, and endlessly pragmatic... and yet, you keep your word. I find that admirable."

Odin’s smirk widened, his single eye glinting. "That is precisely why my word can be trusted. A liar cannot weave schemes that last beyond lifetimes. My deceptions are built on truths, because the best lie is one you can stand upon. That is a principle I always lived by."

Nyx laughed softly, shaking her head, her long black hair shimmering like liquid shadow.

"Spoken like a true god of wisdom." She raised her glass, her eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. "Then, to our cooperation."

The others mirrored her gesture.

Hades raised his goblet silently, the wine reflecting the purple light that emanated faintly from his eyes, while Hecate followed with an uncertain smile.

Their goblets met with a faint chime that echoed strangely, as though the sound resonated across more than one reality.

They drank.

The moment Odin placed his goblet down, the solemn tone returned.

"To form a Hyperverse," he said, his voice low and contemplative, "we need a vessel strong enough to endure the weight of countless universes. A structure that can sustain and bind the realities together without collapsing."

He leaned back, his single eye glinting with thought. "Just as Yggdrasil carries the Nine Realms, our creation will require its own axis, a being, a pillar, vast and eternal. A vessel that can both sustain and distribute the flow of existence."

At those words, all eyes turned, slowly, inevitably, toward Hades.

The Lord of the Underworld sat still for a moment, feeling their gazes. Then he let out a soft, humorless chuckle, tilting his head.

"So," he murmured, voice calm but resonant, "you intend for me to be the vessel."

Odin nodded, his expression steady. "You are already more than a god. You have touched the boundary of the Outer Void and returned. The weight of universes would crush most, but for you, it would be as natural as breathing."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone smooth and persuasive. "Don’t think of it as a burden, Hades. Think of it as an evolution. The vessel will not simply hold the universes, it will connect them. You will be their axis, their heart. You can take from them... and give back."

Hades’s expression was unreadable for a long moment. Then he shrugged, as if accepting the inevitable.

"Very well," he said simply, his tone indifferent. "Bearing the weight of two universes... Well, it doesn’t sound that bad."

Hecate almost rolled her eyes. Only Hades can casually say something like that. Is there even a god that can carry the weight of several universe?

In fact, if there is even one god who can carry the weight of even one universe, Hecate will.... do nothing. But that would impressive.

Nyx smiled faintly, her eyes glimmering with satisfaction.

"Then it’s settled." She clapped her hands softly, the sound echoing unnaturally through the void.

"Now, Hecate," she said, turning toward her companion, "you will accompany Odin and record every detail of his research regarding the Nine Realms, their roots, their structure, their connections, and how they intertwine with Yggdrasil."

Hecate blinked, startled. *Wait—me? Why me?"

Nyx sighed softly, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Because you are the Goddess of Magic, Hecate. Knowledge about the arcane bends to your will. The formation of a Hyperverse will require the rewriting of arcane foundations, not just divine structure. You are the only one who can grasp the intricacies Odin speaks of."

Before Hecate could argue further, Nyx snapped her fingers. Darkness erupted from her hand, swallowing Odin and Hecate in an instant like liquid night.

"Wait—!" Hecate’s voice echoed briefly before it vanished into the void, followed by Odin’s amused chuckle.

The silence returned once more.

Only Hades and Nyx remained, the air between them rippling with unspoken tension.

The Primordial goddess of night turned her gaze toward the Lord of the Underworld, her eyes deep as the cosmic abyss.

"Everything begins now," she said quietly. "Once the hyperverse is complete, we will have a chance to protect ourselves."

Hades said nothing, he simply nodded, his purple eyes burning faintly beneath the quiet dark.

With that, Nyx narrowed her eyes at Hades, her voice soft yet curious as she asked, "What happened to you? Your presence...it feels... different, more familiar, almost intimate."

Hades didn’t answer immediately. He sat in silence for a long moment, the faint flicker of violet flame from his eyes reflecting on his wine cup before he finally sighed.

"When I fought the Outer One," he began, his tone calm yet heavy, "it nearly devoured me. Its essence was endless, infinite, truly a being beyond the concept of gods and mortals alike. But I fought back, and in that struggle, I devoured it instead."

He paused, fingers tightening slightly around the glass. "The battle felt like it lasted for eternity, yet also fleeting. By the end, I had consumed everything that it was—its power, its will, its existence. But my body couldn’t withstand that much energy. It began to collapse, unraveling into nothingness. So I used what remained of the Outer One’s essence to rebuild myself. My body now..."

He looked at her then, eyes glowing like stars trapped in shadow. "...is no longer that of a god. It’s something far beyond. I am, quite literally, part Outer One."

Hades didn’t mention the existence of the writer. There was no need. It would be very dangerous to them.

When he learned about the writer, his mind almost collapsed. Him. A transcendent being almost collapse after knowing the truth.

He doesn’t want to find out what would happen to Nyx if she learned the truth.

Nyx listened in silence, her expression unreadable as she absorbed every word.

Then, with a slow, almost knowing smile, she muttered, "So that’s why... I felt it. That deeper pull toward you, that ancient familiarity. No wonder you feel like... home."

After all, she is also a fragment of an outer one. It goes without saying that she would feel this intimate feeling towards Hades after he created a body using the outer one.

Without another word, she rose from her seat and moved closer, her elegant form swaying with unearthly grace.

She slipped onto his lap, her hands resting gently on his shoulders, her gaze locked onto his.

"We really are perfect for each other," she whispered, her voice soft like silk and night combined.

Their fate began when he survived Nyx’s devouring the Roman Pantheon. It strengthened when they became more intimate due to their domains.

And now, they even shared the same origin.

Hades met her gaze and nodded once. "I know."

If Aphrodite, Hecate, and Hera did not forced him to accept his own feelings and eventually marrying them, he believed that he would eventually just marry Nyx.

The air between them thickened with a quiet intensity.

Slowly, Nyx leaned forward, her breath mingling with his, the faint scent of starlight and shadow surrounding her.

Then, their lips met—softly at first, then deeper, a kiss that carried eons of understanding and the quiet acknowledgment of beings who had transcended gods and monsters alike.

Hades’ hands moved instinctively around her waist, pulling her closer as the last fragments of distance dissolved into silence, the secret dimension echoing with nothing but the quiet hum of two eternal beings lost in one another.