After setting out on their journey, Adonis suggested they stop in a nearby human village to gather supplies. As they were collecting what they needed, Athena's eyes were caught by a poster on a nearby wall. "Adonis, can we go watch this show? Look at the woman who's going to sing. She's called 'The Owl'!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. Adonis glanced at the poster, feeling a strange sense of familiarity as he stared at the woman depicted. Her features, though familiar, seemed off—the colors of her hair and the shape of her face didn't quite match the memory that nagged at him.
Before Adonis could speak, Echene, his ever-cautious companion, interjected, "We don't need to waste time in this village. The people here are starting to notice us, sister." His tone was serious, a hint of urgency laced in his words. Athena, saddened by her brother's words, replied with a soft mumble, "Oh, okay... yeah, we can leave."
Sensing her disappointment, Adonis offered a reassuring smile. "Hey, let's go see this performance. If anyone tries to cause trouble, there won't be much of a village left when I'm done with it." Athena's face lit up, and with a joyful cheer, she jumped onto Adonis's back, shouting, "Off to the show!" As they made their way through the village, a few curious villagers began to notice the trio. One of them, a kindly-looking woman, approached Adonis and asked, "Is that your daughter? She's very sweet."
Adonis, caught off guard, glanced at Athena, unsure of how to respond. Before he could find the words, Athena spoke up, her voice clear and strong. "He's not our father, but that's what I see him as. He saved us and is taking care of us." The woman's eyes widened slightly as she noticed Athena's pointed ears. She mumbled under her breath, "An elf... she's an elf. Her kind does not mix with ours."
Angered by the woman's ignorance, Adonis interrupted, his voice cold and menacing. "She is a living child, and I see her as such. Race has nothing to do with who she is. If you have a problem with that, I'll gladly settle it right here." With a swift motion, Adonis slid back his cloak, revealing the gleaming swords at his side. The woman, frightened, stumbled backward and quickly scurried away.
Once she was out of sight, Adonis covered his swords again and turned to Athena, his expression softening. "You see me as a father?" he asked, his voice filled with emotion. Athena smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, you're strong, kind, and you saved our lives. You see us for who we are, not what we are. You're the best father I could ask for."
Fighting back tears, Adonis smiled and called out to Echene, "Come on, it's time for the show. Let's get there early so we can get front-row seats." As they approached the theater, a familiar scent wafted through the air, stopping Adonis in his tracks. It was a perfume he hadn't smelled since the last time he saw Nyx, a woman who had once been the center of his world. Memories of her flooded his mind as they neared the entrance.
With Athena still clinging to his back, Adonis purchased three tickets for the show. They entered the theater, and Adonis gently set Athena down, asking her to find them some seats. She ran to the front row, quickly choosing seats in the middle, and called out, "Hey, I want you to sit right here next to me!" Adonis walked over and sat where she asked, leaning in to remind her, "Remember, we need to be quiet. This is a performance." Athena nodded eagerly, settling back into her seat just as the curtains began to rise.
Music filled the theater as "The Owl" emerged from backstage, her voice captivating the audience. Adonis's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the melody—it was a song written by Nyx's mother many years ago. As the performer danced, her eyes, the only visible part of her face through the intricate mask she wore, locked onto Adonis's. His breath caught in his throat as realization dawned on him.
Unable to contain himself, Adonis stood and approached the stage, calling out, "Nyx, is that you?" But before she could respond, two guards seized him, dragging him out of the theater. Athena and Echene hurried after them, confusion and concern etched on their faces. Once outside, Athena asked, "Who is Nyx? Was that her?"
Adonis, still reeling from the shock, tried to explain. "Nyx was a woman I loved many years ago, but I watched her die all those years ago. But that... that was her. I know those eyes. I used to lose myself in them every time I saw her."
Determined to find answers, Adonis stood up from the bench where he had been forced to sit and began walking toward the back of the building, Athena and Echene close behind. Inside the theater, the performer, now back in her dressing room, was equally shaken. "He knew my name," she said, her voice tinged with confusion.
Her friend, Tana, looked at her with concern. "Who was he? Do you know him?"
"I don't know... but he seemed familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before. But only one person knew my name other than you, and that was Adonis. But I watched him die in front of my own eyes."
Tana, trying to offer comfort, suggested, "Maybe he was saved like you. You said some figure pushed you through a portal, and you wound up in the possession of the Twin Kings. So maybe he was saved too."
Nyx, her heart filled with a glimmer of hope, tried to leave to find him, but her path was blocked by Ragi, one of the Twin Kings of the Fire Empire. "Where do you think you're going? You still have performances to do for the VIPs," he growled. Fearful, Nyx froze and returned to her seat, her face hidden once more behind her mask to conceal her gills and sharp teeth, evidence of her being a fish person.
Later that night, as the trio was about to leave, Api, the younger of the Twin Kings, suddenly stopped in his tracks and called out, "Who's there? I can feel your presence."
Adonis leaped down from the roof of the building, swords in hand, his voice steady and commanding as he declared, "Free Nyx and her friend, and I will allow you to live." Tana, shocked by the sudden turn of events, asked Nyx in a hushed voice, "Nyx, just who was Adonis?"
"He was a celestial son. He killed Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades at seventeen. He's one of the strongest people I know," Nyx replied, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and fear.
Tana, her confusion deepening, asked, "Do you think he's stronger than the twins?"
Recognizing Adonis as the man Odroduc had spoken of in his letter, the Twin Kings began to feel fear for the first time. They knew that Adonis had somehow survived an encounter with the Dark Emperor, a feat that was considered impossible. However, they didn't know that Adonis hadn't actually defeated the Dark Emperor in combat but had merely spoken with him. Despite their fear, both twins prepared for battle, drawing their weapons—a massive hammer for Api and a wickedly sharp scythe for Ragi. They took their stances, ready to fight.
Adonis, unfazed, took his iconic stance, his sister blades forming a cross in front of him. He spoke with a voice that echoed with power, "For the heavens have split before, and now I stand as the divide of good and evil. Those who prosper shall fall, and those who fall shall prosper."
With these words, the battle commenced. The ground trembled as fire swept across it, and lava erupted from cracks in the earth, summoned by the Twin Kings of Fire. They charged at Adonis with all their might, their weapons blazing with intense heat. But Adonis was ready. He deftly deflected the fire into the sky, dodged the streams of molten magma, and with one clean slash, severed Api's head from his body. Without missing a beat, he turned his attention to Ragi, charging forward with deadly precision. A powerful kick to Ragi's chest sent him reeling, and before he could recover, Adonis cleaved his arms off, standing over him as the light slowly faded from his eyes.
As the sun began to rise, the silhouettes of Adonis and the Twin Kings' lifeless bodies were visible against the dawn's early light. Cheers erupted from the onlookers as Nyx, Tana, Athena, and Echene rushed over to Adonis. Athena, her voice filled with pride, shouted, "Father—I mean, Adonis, you did it! You killed the Twin Kings!"
Nyx, her face a mixture of happiness and sadness, ran to Adonis, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping them tightly around his neck. "Adonis, you're alive! You're alive, and you killed the Twin Kings!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.
But just as they turned to leave, a faint, raspy voice interrupted them. "A-Adonis, I remember... you... nearly a hundred years ago... I faced you... you killed my entire army that da—" In his final moments, Ragi chose to remember Adonis, not with hatred or anger, but with a somber acceptance of his fate. His voice was weak, barely more than a whisper, as he struggled to speak his last words. "...that day, you showed me... the true meaning of power... I... I was a fool to think I could... ever stand against you."
Adonis looked down at the dying king, his expression inscrutable. There was no satisfaction in his eyes, no sense of triumph. Instead, there was only a deep, lingering sadness—a sadness born from years of endless battles, of losing loved ones, and of the constant burden of his past. "Rest now, Ragi," he murmured softly, as Ragi's eyes closed for the last time. The once-mighty king let out a final breath, his body going limp as the last of his life slipped away.
The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating, as the others took in the scene before them. Nyx, still clinging to Adonis, slowly released her grip and stepped back, her eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and sorrow. She had known Adonis was powerful, but to witness it firsthand—to see him end the lives of the Twin Kings with such finality—was something she wasn't prepared for.
"Adonis..." Nyx began, her voice trembling. "You've become so much stronger... but at what cost?"
Adonis didn't answer immediately. He sheathed his swords and took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the rising sun. "The cost was high," he finally replied, his voice heavy with the weight of his experiences. "Too high, perhaps. But I made a choice long ago—to protect those I care about, no matter the price. I won't let anyone take thim from me again."
Athena, sensing the somber mood, walked over and gently took Adonis's hand. "We should go," she said quietly, her voice full of understanding. "It's over now."
Nyx nodded, wiping away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. "Yes... it's time to leave this place." She glanced over at Tana, who had been standing silently nearby, watching everything unfold with wide eyes.
Tana, still in shock, finally found her voice. "Nyx... who exactly is Adonis? How did he become... this?"
Nyx hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. "Adonis is... more than just a warrior. He's a celestial son, a being born of the gods themselves. When he was just seventeen, he did the impossible—he killed Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. But that victory came at a great cost. The power he wielded, the lives he took... it changed him. It made him the man you see today."
Tana's eyes widened further as she tried to process this information. "But... if he's so powerful, why was he wandering the lands? Why wasn't he ruling over kingdoms, or living among the gods?"
Adonis, overhearing the conversation, turned to Tana with a weary smile. "Power doesn't interest me," he said simply. "I'm not a ruler, and I never wanted to be. All I've ever wanted was peace—to live quietly, away from the conflicts and wars that have plagued my life. But peace has always been elusive... and so I continue to fight, to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Nyx looked at him, her heart aching for the man she once knew, the man who had saved her so long ago. "Adonis," she whispered, "I wish things could have been different for you... for us."
Adonis met her gaze, his expression softening. "So do I, Nyx. But the past is behind us. All we can do now is move forward."
With that, Adonis turned and began walking away from the battlefield, his footsteps slow and deliberate. Nyx, Tana, Athena, and Echene followed close behind, leaving the bodies of the Twin Kings behind them as they made their way back to the village.
As they walked, the villagers who had once been wary of them now watched in awe and gratitude, whispering among themselves about the man who had defeated the dreaded Twin Kings. Some even dared to approach, offering words of thanks and praise, though Adonis accepted them with little more than a nod.
When they finally reached the outskirts of the village, Adonis paused and turned to the others. "We need to leave this place," he said quietly. "The Twin Kings' death will not go unnoticed, and it's only a matter of time before someone comes looking for answers."
Nyx nodded in agreement. "You're right. We should keep moving, find somewhere safe to rest."
Athena looked up at Adonis, her eyes full of concern. "Where will we go?"
Adonis considered this for a moment before replying, "we can go back to the cave for a few days we can lay low there for a few days news of what has occurred will travel fast but i feel that Odroduc will not involve himself with this so we should be safe till we find a better location" athena nodding her head in acceptance continues walking with adonis back to the cave.