"You will die."
Hephaestus sat in her wheelchair, turning away from Cyd with a tone that suggested she was stating a fact, not merely speculating.
"That's why I've come here." Cyd raised his left wrist, where twelve crystals resonated with each other, emitting a gentle glow. They anticipated the power of the final god.
"Even if you obtain the last blessing, it may still be useless. You don't know what you'll face," Hephaestus's finger fell on the metal armrest. "There was..."
"Tartarus," Cyd chuckled softly as he stood up. "Sounds like a rather unpleasant place. They say it holds many Titans and even the ancient gods, including Ronaux."
"It's not just a rumor. They're really in there," Hephaestus clenched her fist tightly. "Zeus, the King of the Gods, didn't kill them but imprisoned them inside!"
"Why does this make me responsible for saving the world?" Cyd clapped his hands lightly, feigning ease. "As long as I eliminate them, there's no chance of them returning to chaos."
"Are you insane?"
"I wish I were. Unfortunately, I'm painfully sober," Cyd approached Hephaestus, raising his left hand. "Just like you said, blessings can sometimes feel like curses."
"You can refuse," Hephaestus closed her eyes. "In the world, as it is now, your actions can only affect me. Promise me you won't act rashly when that old man speaks nonsense."
"I can't. But... I'm a hero," Cyd smiled bitterly. "I want to protect this world, including yours."
"They'll never come out!"
"But can they be freed?"
"Don't pursue life's pursuits!" Hephaestus pushed her wheelchair towards Cyd. "If you don't want to be a hero, why act like one in the end?"
"What do you want me to do?" Cyd turned to look at Hephaestus, who opened the door to the forge.
"Forge a weapon," Hephaestus stared ruthlessly at Cyd. "Craft a weapon to end the tyranny of the former gods! Forge a weapon that can turn this curse I've placed upon you into a path to victory!"
"You act like I've never given you anything," Cyd reached into his pack.
"You could've left me a thousand irons," Hephaestus grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"I could... give you this," Cyd smiled, holding out a Golden Apple engraved with "To the Most Beautiful Goddess."
"You're joking," Hephaestus turned away from Cyd, but his subconscious gesture betrayed a lowered head. "You don't need to lie to receive my blessing. I'll keep my promise."
"I wouldn't lie about something like this. This Golden Apple, engraved with the image of the most beautiful goddess, is for you," Cyd chuckled as he placed the Golden Apple on Hephaestus's lap, then embraced him, resting his chin on Hephaestus's head. "What you forge isn't a curse!"
"I've never met someone so foolish in my life. To face death for such an unlikely cause," Hephaestus cautiously held the Golden Apple. "I won't die because of the blessings I've given you," Cyd clenched his fist tightly.
"I understand," Hephaestus took a deep breath, gently pushing Cyd's hand away. "I won't let you die."
Saying this, Hephaestus pushed her wheelchair into the forge room, and the massive door began to close slowly.
"Yes, I believe you," Cyd smiled at Hephaestus as the door closed behind him. "You must believe in me."
Bang...
The door closed heavily, and Cyd leaned against a pillar. In that moment, as he watched Hephaestus through the closing gate, her scarlet eyes flickered like flames, momentarily extinguished like a candlelight.
"I may die this time..."
Cyd slowly slid down the pillar. Athena's wisdom warned him that venturing into Tartarus recklessly was the wrong choice. With the blessings from Zeus now in hand, he didn't need to embrace this path to his demise.
"But... I want to play the hero, even if just once," Cyd closed his eyes slowly. "I want to protect your world."
Even if it means death, perhaps.
"Human... truly an incomprehensible existence."
Hephaestus held the magma-heated Golden Apple in front of her, her eyes seething with excitement.
"Initially, I shouldn't have made that bracer for you," Hephaestus cautiously placed the Golden Apple into the magma.
"But crafting blessings for you... that was a good decision."
Meeting you was a good decision.
Despite the intense heat of the magma, the Golden Apple didn't burn. Instead, it sank slowly, its gentle glow still visible amidst the magma's radiant light.
The god irons, guided by Hephaestus, melted into molten iron in the corner. The scorching heat instantly transformed them.
"I will keep you alive."
Hephaestus fell from her wheelchair to the ground, the molten rock barely an arm's length away.
"No matter what the cost!"
Hephaestus took a deep breath, reaching into the magma with her hand.
Pain!
A searing pain from the depths of her being!
As if to prove a point, even a Fire God like herself was burned by the magma. Red marks appeared on her arm.
"So this is what it feels like," Hephaestus looked at the mark on her arm, smiling indifferently. "It's worth the price, whatever it may be."
She extended her other hand.
Under her influence, the molten iron melted from the god irons gathered around the Golden Apple.
She had to forge a weapon, one that would surpass all others in this world. A weapon to bring hope to Cyd and to unleash despair upon his enemies.
Reforged Pandora
Bang!
The door swung open violently, and a black box gently fell in front of Cyd.
"Hero of Pure White," Hephaestus turned from Cyd at the door, raising both hands. "Save this world! And..."
"...stay alive."
"Wait! Your hand!" Cyd's eyes widened as he swiftly caught the black box before it rolled into the forge room, but the door closed before he could react.
"Hephaestus!"
"It doesn't matter..."
Hephaestus's voice reached Cyd through the closed door.
"You should go. Take Reforged Pandora and find hope within."
"Otherwise, I'll curse you."
On Cyd's left wrist, the final crystal shone brightly. Thirteen rays resonated, emitting a dazzling light. Behind Cyd, Reforged Pandora trembled, and tiny letters appeared on it.
"Dedicated to my Beloved."