The passage of time walked differently for Rhadamanthys so observing Rhea's movements from the afterlife became his new pastime while the Saints of the goddess Athena gradually gathered. He couldn't do anything without the order of his lord, and much less he was willing to waste his time with stupid mortals whom he could crush without even disheveled, the scum of the Bronze, Silver or Gold Saints were the new insects he had to crush but while receiving the order to do so, Rhadamanthys was entertained in increasing his hatred towards the human race thanks to Rhea.
The girl was now a mother loved by her children and her husband, happy and cared for by them, unlike him who had chosen to disappear from the face of the Earth so as not to erase her smile.
"Repulsive." He often whispered when he saw her day to day.
That was the new favorite word that it had settled into the vocabulary of the Wyvern and that, due to his vulgarity, had managed to antagonize him with the other two judges who belittled his power because of its origin. But he was indifferent because there were other specters who really venerated him as a god and who proved to be of great use to him. Over time, Rhadamanthys forgot about the woman of the surface and turned his attention to other kinds of activities... However, fate had other plans for him.
Valentine, the first specter to dare to bow at his feet, appeared in his mind one day with new news. He gave no explanations but just sent into the judge's mind a location that Rhadamanthys soon recognized. Intrigued, he transported his body for the first time since his death where Valentine had suggested him and there, he found a devastating image of death and suffering: Rhea's house was on fire, everything was being consumed by fire in the same way that a woman's voice sounded in the distance asking for help that would never come. He moved through the corridors, guided by Rhea's pleas until he finally located her:
"PLEASE, HELP!" she coughed. "DARLING, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Rhea was in the inner courtyard hugging her four children, the boys were trying to protect her and her younger sister who was sobbing from fear and pain for the burns. One of the children also cried but the desire to imitate their older brothers preceded the fear of death... because that was what awaited them, to die engulfed by fire:
"PLEASE, HELP ME!" The woman shouted when she saw him and far from being scared by the surplice that protected the specter, she came to him dodging the rubble.
Rhadamanthys took a step back, unable to cope with the situation. If he let them die, he would have to meet the souls of all of them in the afterlife but interfering with the plans of the lord of the Underworld was forbidden and much more, if they were humans who venerated the goddess Athena:
"GET MY CHILDREN OUT OF HERE! PLEASE!"
"I-I-I can't..."
"PLEASE, DO IT!"
"I CAN'T!" He exclaimed, pushing Rhea.
The woman fell to the ground with her daughter and the other children rushed against Rhadamanthys, their attempt to attack him was truncated by the force of the surplice that, because they were alive, repelled them by inertia. Fear flooded them but her mother, unlike them, got back on her feet:
"Please... please, I beg you..." she sobbed "I know who you're... I remember you... I know you can save my children..."
Rhadamanthys heart stopped, unable to believe what he was hearing but Rhea's hysteria didn't let him think about anything else so he simply let himself be coaxed by the woman's words:
"I will sell my soul, my body, I will offer whatever you want to the King of the Underworld, but please save my children... save them, Rhadamanthys!"
---
The room's door number 217 was carefully opened but the faint sound woke up the specter. A woman in her early twenties poked her head out of the hole with a broad smile, then stepped out completely and closed behind her. She approached him with a tired air but satisfied with her work:
"The pulsations have stabilized and the gangrene has begun to subside. Soon that little boy will be running around the parks again." Rhadamanthys said nothing, just stood up and stood next to the girl.
"That's great. It's time to come back."
She nodded in agreement, so they walked together toward the hospital exit. During that journey, she greeted every nurse, patient or friend that she came across, always with a smile that forced her to close her pinkish eyes; her hair, also pink and tied in a loose bun at the top of her head was funny to children and grandparents who always blurted out a funny comment. In that place, and known as "Pinku", Nekyia was loved by everyone.
Once outside, both of them headed towards a place away from curious glances to be able to return to the Underworld. As always since she had set foot in that city, before completely disappearing, she looked back and said goodbye in silence to the lives she exchanged in order to save the souls of children who died unjustly. However, that day, Nekyia decided to throw a question into the air before disappearing:
"What happened to them, Rhadamanthys? I know you spied on them a long time."
He didn't answer right away but he took a few seconds to think if he wanted to answer or not. His golden eyes rested on the false appearance of the queen of the Underworld, so far removed from the one that she one day was or the one that she actually showed in her territory. Maybe it was because of his latest dream, maybe because he wanted to take a look at the past but the fact was that the Wyvern made the effort to think:
"They took care of each other. None of them married, the four of them left to live in a less dangerous area and they had their own business. Each died when fate saw fit but in a better way that 'that time'."
"Ah~ why did you save them? They weren't your children."
"They were her children." Rhadamanthys closed his eyes and after, he dared as few times to face Nekyia "Why are you saving them now, Madam? It has never been your concern whether young humans live or die."
The goddess smirked, accepting the low blow the Wyvern had just thrown at her and admitted that she was drawn to that side of her subordinate. "Ah~ a rebellious dragon that ends up succumbing to its roots~"
"It's because of this dirt that also corrupts Athena's soul." Nekyia said, resuming her haughty and seductive tone "It's very annoying to feel guilt and doing this nonsense I manage to make that feeling disappear."
"Don't lie me, Madam. I know you're actually curious about all of this."
"Ah~ Shut up, Wyvern. Let's go now."
On that occasion, it was Rhadamanthys who drew the half smile on his face, the game of 'cat and mouse' sometimes felt fun and more, if he knew that his words penetrated more than his queen would admit. He hated that Hades had sided with humans because his anger hadn't subsided one iota... but sometimes, just a few times, he was glad to see a little good in that deity that the world used to fear and despise, already that for him… Hades, the god of the Underworld, had been his true salvation.
[ Return to the Origin ]