Chapter 14: Trials of the Underworld
Damon stood at the gates of the underworld, the heavy iron doors looming before him, their dark surface etched with ancient runes. The air was thick with an eerie stillness, punctuated only by the faint whispers of lost souls carried on the wind. Hades, his father, stood before him, his gaze both penetrating and inscrutable.
"Welcome to my realm," Hades said, his voice echoing with an otherworldly resonance. "You have come far, Damon. But your journey is not yet complete. To prove yourself worthy, you must face one final trial."
Damon swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. "What must I do?"
Hades raised a hand, his dark robes billowing around him like shadows come to life. "You must face Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld, and tame him. Only then will you prove yourself as my son and be ready for the Tournament of the Gods."
Before Damon could respond, Hades snapped his fingers. A rumble echoed through the cavern, and Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hades, materialized beside his master. Each of the beast's heads snarled with primal fury, its eyes glowing with an eerie light. The ground trembled beneath Damon's feet as Cerberus lunged at him, teeth bared and drool escaping from its snapping jaws.
Damon barely had time to draw his sword before the beast was upon him. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of one of the heads. The other two heads followed suit, their snarls echoing off the cavern walls. Damon struck out with his sword, aiming for the beast's face, but Cerberus was too quick. One of the heads snapped at him again, forcing him to retreat.
The battle began with a ferocity that Damon had never experienced. Cerberus lunged at him, its three heads snapping and snarling, each one a vicious predator in its own right. Damon swung his sword, the blade clashing against the beast's thick hide, but it was like striking a mountain. Cerberus retaliated with a swipe of its massive paw, sending Damon sprawling across the cavern floor, blood spilling from a gash on his arm.
Damon staggered to his feet, pain shooting through his body. He barely had time to catch his breath before Cerberus was on him again. One head snapped at his legs, another at his torso, while the third aimed for his head. Damon twisted and turned, his sword flashing in desperate arcs, but the beast was relentless.
Cerberus's claws raked across Damon's chest, tearing through his flesh. He cried out in agony, feeling the hot blood streaming down his body. With a furious roar, he slashed at one of the heads, managing to land a blow that made the beast recoil for a moment. But the reprieve was short-lived. The other two heads lunged simultaneously, one biting deep into Damon's shoulder, the other tearing into his side.
Damon's vision blurred from the pain, and he could feel his strength waning. His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle. He knew he was running out of time. Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, he plunged his sword into the ground and used it to lever himself up. With a roar, he pulled the blade free and swung it in a wide arc, catching one of Cerberus's heads across the snout. Blood sprayed from the wound, but it only seemed to enrage the beast further.
Cerberus retaliated with savage ferocity. The middle head clamped down on Damon's leg, its teeth sinking deep into his flesh. Damon screamed in agony as the beast shook him like a rag doll, the pain nearly overwhelming. With a desperate effort, he drove his sword into the head's eye, causing it to release him with a howl of pain.
Damon collapsed to the ground, his body broken and bloody. Every movement was agony, but he forced himself to stand. He couldn't give up now. He couldn't fail. As Cerberus advanced on him once more, Damon focused all his will, calling upon the strength that lay deep within him.
He could feel the underworld's oppressive energy pressing down on him, sapping his strength. His vision swam, but he forced himself to focus, feeling the shadows around him call. Cerberus was a blur of teeth and claws, but Damon could see the patterns in its movements, the brief moments of hesitation before each attack. He had to exploit those openings if he wanted to survive.
The beast lunged again, and Damon dodged to the side, becoming a blur of shadow, feeling the hot breath of one head against his cheek. He swung his sword in a desperate arc, the blade cutting into the beast's flank. Cerberus howled in pain, its blood spraying across the cavern floor. Damon pressed the attack, driving the beast back step by step. His movements were fuelled by sheer willpower, every muscle in his body screaming in protest.
"Shadow healing!" Damon yelled, tapping into the power he had gained back in the labyrinth, feeling the shadows was over his body and stitching it back together, granting him a burst of power.
Cerberus countered with a furious swipe of its paw, sending Damon crashing into the cavern wall. He felt a rib crack from the impact, but he forced himself to stand, his vision darkening at the edges.
"Darn it..." Damon said, spitting blood out onto the ground, knowing if not for his shadow healing he would have been dead by now.
The beast charged again, and Damon met it head-on, his sword flashing in the dim light. He slashed at one of the heads, then the other, his movements a blur of desperation and determination.
Blood flowed freely from both combatants, the cavern floor slick with the crimson fluid. Damon's breaths came in ragged gasps, his body trembling with exhaustion. He could feel his strength waning, but he refused to give up. This was his trial, his chance to prove himself, and he would not falter.
"Shadow Manipulation!" Damon yelled, controlling the darkness around him as the shadows formed into tendrils and latched onto the beast's legs and head, holding the monster in place.
Damon could feel that his powers were somehow stronger here in the underworld, guessing that was due to the nature of his heritage.
With a final, desperate effort, Damon plunged his sword into Cerberus's chest, the blade sinking deep into the beast's heart. The hound let out a deafening roar, its three heads snapping wildly as it thrashed in agony. Damon held on, driving the blade deeper with every ounce of strength he had left. Blood sprayed from the wound, coating Damon in a gruesome shower.
"Die you mutt!!!" Damon roared.
Cerberus's movements slowed, the light fading from its eyes. With a final, shuddering breath, the beast collapsed to the ground, its massive body twitching in the throes of death. Damon fell to his knees, his vision swimming, his body broken and bloody.
-You received 100 souls-
Damon looked up at Hades, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I... did it..."
Hades stepped forward, a still expression on his face while he stroked his large beard. "You have proven yourself, Damon. You have shown strength, courage, and the will to endure. I Hades, lord of the underworld accept you as my son."
Damon nodded weakly, his vision darkening. He had faced the trials of the underworld and emerged victorious. Now, he was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead in the tournament, with the knowledge that he had the strength, wisdom, and heart to succeed.
As he collapsed to the ground, the last thing he saw was Hades' approving gaze, a silent acknowledgement of his worth. And then, darkness took him.