Standing before Eros now was a being with a lone horn who claimed to be the deity of the void.
Although, the void in no way was a pleasant eye-catching place, the lady in question seemed the opposite.
With long black hair cascading down her neck and covering her two bosoms all the way to her legs, she was elegantly floating over the vast shadow space.
"Lady Death, you say? Well, I'm Eros, once the grandson of the All-Father, Zeus, and was the god of love. It's nice to meet you," Eros said, sauntering around Lady Death with both of his hands behind his back.
"It's quite fascinating that you called me arrogant, by the way. Yet, here you are, PRETENDING to be what you are not," Eros said, and immediately then, a hand stopped him.
Fingers long and sharp as a grizzly's coiled around his neck, and before he knew it, he was elevated from his position by Lady Death's grip.
He found his body pulled so close that he was now face to face, separated from Lady Death's face by only her horn.
"How dare you?! Do you know where you are?!! This is my domain!!" She bellowed.
"Heh!!..." Eros coughed up.
"Are you laughing?!" Lady Death asked, shocked by Eros's audacity.
"You see, in every plane, one thing remains the same. There can only be one god..." Eros said with a smile, and at that point, Lady Death's grip around his neck began to loosen a bit more.
"Goddess of the void?! You tell lies! There's only one true deity that rules the void, and his name is..." Eros was about to blurt out the name, but in a swift motion, he found Lady Death's pale fingers wrapped around his mouth.
"Do not say it!!!" She berated him. Eros raised an eyebrow that very moment and stared blankly at the deity in front of him.
"So you know. You must be one of the old ones. How come you are so young and helplessly oozing foolishness!" Lady Death inquired.
"Which one should I answer first now?" Eros folded his hands around his chest and asked.
"Since you know I'm not the god of the void, I assume you must know who I am then. So tell me, who am I?" Lady Death asked.
"Delilah, the goddess of lust and immortality," Eros said swiftly.
"I see. Well, if you know that much, you must know that nothing changes. You are coming with me," she said to him.
"Of course I know that. I mean, you are like his messenger, right? Your job is to pick up stranded souls like mine who can't transcend to the afterlife like mortal souls unaided. Lead the way," Eros said, pointing in a random direction."
As Eros and Lady Death ventured deeper into the shadowy expanse of the void, the air became heavier with the weight of the unspoken and the whispers of lost souls echoed faintly in the background.
Suddenly, Lady Death came to a sudden stop at a junction, her attention captured by a wisp of light that gracefully floated towards her. The ethereal glow seemed to carry a message, a subtle dance of luminescence that whispered secrets only known to the otherworldly entities.
After a moment, the light dissipated, leaving Lady Death in contemplation. She turned towards Eros, her crimson eyes locking onto his.
"You are in luck. You get to live again," she declared, her voice carrying a peculiar mix of authority and amusement. The revelation hung in the air, shattering the expectations that Eros had carried since his encounter with Zeus and the subsequent events that led him to the void.
Eros, perplexed by the unexpected turn of events, arched an eyebrow. "Live again? But I thought I was sentenced to an eternity in this void," he questioned, a glimmer of hope sparking in his once-defeated eyes.
Lady Death, with an enigmatic smile, responded, "Fates can be rewritten, especially in the realms between life and death. You, Eros, have been gifted a chance to alter your destiny. A life for a life, your debt has been paid," Lady Death said.
"Huh?" Eros still stupified by the development gasped.
"Come, I'll show you the path to restart your journey," Lady Death said, turning around once more leaving Eros full view of her amazingly round large buttocks.
Lady Death stopped abruptly, her crimson eyes narrowing as she noticed Eros remained rooted to the spot. "Do you not wish to live?" she inquired, her voice a low purr laced with irritation and annoyance.
"Pardon me, I'm a little lost here. Did you say my debt has been paid? By whom?! And how?!" Eros asked yet again.
"You've lost touch with your divinity otherwise you would have heard what the whisp messenger said. However, since you care to know, your penalty sentence has been passed on to another. You are free to go and live the life of a mortal now," Lady Death said.
"Okay, so who paid this debt?" Eros asked confusion all over his face.
Lady Death, then at that point, proceeded to move her hand around in a circle. As she did this, a ball of light began to gather up in her palm.
The moment she stopped, Eros looked into the ball, and his mouth dropped wide open.
"No..."
Within the luminous sphere, an intricate tapestry of events unfolded. Eros witnessed a scene of sacrifice and profound love. Shiva, the one who had tragically ended her own existence, was revealed to be the one who took on his punishment willingly.
Tears welled up in Eros's eyes as he stared at the image within the luminous sphere. His body trembled, overwhelmed by the depth of Shiva's love and the enormity of her sacrifice. Lady Death, observing his reaction, spoke with a hint of sympathy.
"She is a mortal but a special one who has the ability to travel realms. That is how you two met, correct?"
"She took her own life just to get to you however, she ended up directly in front of he who rules the void. She offered herself in return, you will be set free from eternal damnation. Being she was a special one, the lord deemed the exchange to be sufficient,"
"Pity, love can transcend even the boundaries of life and death. Her choice granted you a second chance, but it came at the cost of her own existence."
The gravity of the situation sank in as Eros processed the profound act of love that had altered the course of his destiny.
"No, take it back. Take all of this back and give it to her. Set her free!!" Eros completely rattled before suddenly snapping out of his daze.