The tavern door creaked open. All three of us stepped through—Ryuu, composed but arms were at the ready for anything. Syr, smiling, but her aura bristling like static beneath silk; and me, trying to ignore the goosebumps crawling down my spine. Inside, the tavern was dimly lit for the evening. Candles flickered gently on the tables, casting long shadows across polished wood. But the moment we entered, my eyes snapped to the bar. The tavern was empty except for one person at the bar with Mia
Mia stood behind it, drying a glass absently—but her sharp, gaze wasn't focused on the usual mischief or routine. No, tonight, she was watching someone a cloaked figure sat at the bar. Dark traveling gear covered their form, but their posture was regal. Delicate fingers cradled a crystal glass of blood-red wine. As we stepped in, the figure turned their head slightly, as if they had felt us arrive long before the door opened.
Mia's voice broke the silence, calm but edged. "Cain," she said slowly, her one visible eye narrowing just slightly, "seems like you have a visitor." A slow sip. Then the figure lowered their glass with a soft clink.
A voice—feminine, rich like velvet and laced with power—echoed in the room. "…It's you." The figure turned fully then, stepping down from the stool Their cloak flowed behind them like mist. The woman moved toward me, and as she approached, a shiver danced up my spine—not from fear, but recognition.
My instincts buzzed. I stepped back out of reflex, but she closed the distance quickly, kneeling before me in a single, graceful movement her hands gently rested on my shoulders. "So this is where you were," she whispered, her voice low. "I thought I had lost you."
I blinked. "…Who… are you?" I asked. Even as I said it, some part of me already knew. She was unfamiliar—utterly and completely. Yet her voice soothed something inside me. Something that had been waiting for her. Syr stepped forward, expression showing nervousness, her aura shrieked possessive tension.
Ryuu stood just behind me, fingers curling slightly as if reaching for a weapon. "You seem to know Cain," she said with quiet suspicion. "How?" Then the woman stood her gloved fingers reached up and slowly pulled back her hood.
Raven-black hair spilled out like night silk, flowing past her waist. As the cloak slid off her shoulders, I saw the elegant cut of her black dress, shimmering like starlight, clinging to every inch of her perfectly sculpted figure. Her chest was ample, the fabric dipping low yet somehow remaining regal, not vulgar.
Her skin was flawless, milky-white and glowed in the candlelight. Her lips, black and glossy, curled into the faintest of smiles but it was her eyes that trapped me Silver, pale and Infinite. Like twin moons in a starless sky and when she smiled, I saw them—canines, sharp, glinting white behind those dark lips. She was beautiful in a way that made the world feel smaller around her.
"I am Nyx," she said and the name struck like thunder. Syr's eyes went wide, her smile finally breaking. Her face lost a little color. "You…?" I could tell even Freya, within her disguise, had not expected this.
Ryuu frowned slightly. "Should I know that name?" I inhaled slowly, speaking before anyone else could. "Nyx," I said, awe and confusion mixing in my voice. "She's not just a goddess. She's… more." I looked around at everyone, feeling my heart pound in my chest. "In mythology Nyx is a primordial goddess. She existed before Zeus. Before Olympus or Heavan was established. She's the personification of night itself. One of the first powers. Her children are the very conceptions of our world."
I paused.
"She was never mentioned in the canon. Not in the anime. Not in the light novels. She's not supposed to be in this world." A cold realization gripped me so why is she here? Why does she know me?
Then the tavern doors opened again. Four figures entered the tavern without a word—moving with absolute confidence, silent but full of weight. My blood ran cold. Ottar, towering, stoic, the strongest warrior of the Freya Familia and the city. Allen Fromel, sharp-eyed and grim, known for his unmatched speed and unyielding loyalty. Hedin Selland, the elven strategist and magic duelist, with eyes as cold as the moon. Finally, Heith Velvet, healer, her white robes trailing faintly as she stepped forward, glancing between Syr and Nyx with open concern.
I recognized them all they were Freya's executives—her inner circle. Why were they here? Did they sense Nyx and came to protect Freya? Syr's gaze narrowed, her body shifting ever so slightly in front of me. Protective. Territorial.
"Freya…" Nyx spoke the name while looking past Syr. Why are you scared to lose him when he never belonged to you to begin with.." But Syr didn't answer probably trying to protect her cover. Ryuu confused by the situation stepped slightly closer, eyes flitting between the newcomers. "Cain, we may be in danger."
But the strange thing was—none of them moved. Ottar, Allen, Hedin. They stood around us probably waiting for the right time to act. Hedin would speak first. "I think it would be best if you leave this tavern before things get out of hand Goddess Nyx." Nyx would smile "And who's gonna make make you or your little army surrounding this place." The air felt tense like one spark would explode this place around us. The executives were waiting and watching. Nyx hadn't once taken her eyes off me.
And now, flushed with red along the edges of her silver gaze, she knelt once more—reverently—and reached out a hand to softly touch my cheek. Her skin was cool, but electric, like night air before a storm. "You were brought here to be mine, child," she whispered. "And now… I have found you."
The tavern was silent for a heartbeat.
My heart thudded hard in my chest, echoing louder than any sound in the room. Nyx's voice still lingered in my mind, heavy and sweet like honey. Her fingers gently cupped my cheek, her silver eyes swimming with joy, and something deeper.
I didn't move, I couldn't. That same feeling from the dream—the gravity of her presence—settled around me again, like the entire world had tilted slightly in her direction.
But before I could speak… BANG. A heavy mug slammed against the bar. Mia stood behind the counter, her one visible eye gleaming with steel. "Hey," she said in her usual low growl, voice thick with authority. "This is a restaurant. Not a battlefield. If you're gonna jaw, sit down and eat."
She looked straight at Syr and Ryuu. "Girls. Get the others. We're serving tonight. Act like we've had gods in here before."
Both Syr and Ryuu hesitated then when Mia said "Now" both nodded with hesitation but decided to listen to Mia, slipping past the Freya Familia executives. Mia finally turned her attention to me. "Cain," she said calmly but firmly, "please seat our guest."
There was a quiet weight behind her words. Not an order, but a statement: you are the center of this now own it. "…Yes, ma'am." Nyx was still smiling as I turned to her. Her hand was already extended toward mine, graceful and unhurried. I took it, swallowing my nerves, and gently led her to one of the side tables near the windows.
She sat with elegance, her silk-black dress glimmering like starlight in motion. As I moved to step away and leave her, her fingers caught mine. "Aren't you going to sit next to me?" she asked sweetly. I glanced toward Mia for permission. She gave the faintest nod—just enough to show me she was watching.
So I sat beside Nyx. A moment later, Ottar and Allen moved to the bar silently, seating themselves like twin statues of stone and steel. Hedin and Heith took the table opposite us, their eyes cool and professional.
Syr arrived then, holding her tray but her smile wasn't real anymore. It was polite and dangerous. She stepped up to our table, eyes on Nyx. "What can I get you, ma'am?" she asked with honey-laced venom.
Nyx, still pressed against me with almost feline delight, pouted slightly. Then, without taking her gaze off me, she said, "The best wine you have… and a full meal for Cain. Something hearty. Heavy on protein. He'll need the energy." She tilted her head slightly, her voice dipping.
"He won't be sleeping tonight." My brain screeched to a halt. Syr's smile didn't falter—but the air pressure around her dropped so sharply I thought the glass in the room might crack.
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
She heard that. She definitely heard that. "Of course." She said. Syr gave a small bow and turned to head to the kitchen, but I could feel the the pressure she gave off. That woman will throw her entire familia at Nyx just to prove a point, I thought, swallowing the lump in my throat. Or just because she can.
Ryu appeared next, her arrival a welcome breath of fresh air. She placed down a chilled jug of water and a tall crystal glass filled with red Elven wine the expensive stuff. "Your drinks," she said to Nyx.
Then she looked directly at me. "Cain. Are you… alright?" I nodded, brushing my damp hair back. "Yeah. Thanks, Ryu." She paused, her gaze flickering to Nyx for half a second, then gave me a small nod before turning away.
I slowly politely leaned away from Nyx's chest, creating just enough space between her chest and my ribs to breathe again. "Okay," I said, clearing my throat. "What did you mean… when you said I was meant for you?" Nyx just smiled again, as if we were talking about something mundane. "Don't be a worrywart, Cain. We have all night to talk."
I frowned. "That line back there, to Syr 'he won't be sleeping tonight' was that supposed to mean something else?" She chuckled a rich, velvety sound and placed her hand over her heart. "Of course it did. You're a child. What else could I mean?"
From the direction of the bar, I heard a loud snap, like a serving tray being crushed in Syr's bare hands I dared not look. Instead, I stayed focused on Nyx The night dragged on as the food arrived and she fed me like a mother to a child. Every questions I asked she deflected or dismissed and it was starting to irate me. Her silver eyes never straying from me, her presence like a warm shadow curling over my shoulder. Syr had returned to her duties with that dangerously polite smile glued to her face—one I now recognized as a very specific brand of goddess-level frustration.
Ryuu served the others quietly and kept an eye on everything, her motions calm but watchful, her instincts no doubt blaring like a siren. The tension in the room was subtle to most, but I could feel it vibrating through the air like the hum of a blade drawn just short of a strike.
"You wish to grow stronger, child?" she asked, voice almost a whisper. I turned, startled by how softly she spoke the words. She wasn't teasing now. There was no seductive undertone, no smirk. Just sincerity—and something ancient behind it. "I… do," I answered, almost automatically.
She smiled faintly then turned her eyes toward the tavern door, looking beyond it, as if feeling something the rest of us couldn't see. Then she murmured: "Ouranos has noticed me."
The name hit me like cold water. The god of the Guild, the one who oversaw the city and everything in it from adventures, the Gods, and the Dungeon, watched from the shadows, and pulled the strings others barely saw. The oldest of the gods still walking in Orario.
I looked at her sharply. "You're powerful enough to draw his attention?" She didn't answer the question. Instead, she responded to the one beneath it. "Of course I do not follow his rules and can still can grant a blessings (Falna), Cain." She placed a cool hand over mine. "That's why I came. You woke me, child. From the deepest sleep, buried in the lowest darkness."
I blinked. "Tartarus?" Her eyes glittered. "You call it the Dungeon. I call it the place where night thrives." My chest tightened. "So they're connected," I said. "The Dungeon and Tartarus." "They are the same," she whispered, "and yet not. Mirrors of one another. A womb and a prison. You'll understand in time."
I swallowed hard, then looked at her straight. "What do I need to do to receive your blessing?"
She tilted her head gently, almost lovingly. "Just take off your shirt and I shall grant you my Nights Blessing." I stood, removing my shirt. My ten-year-old frame was lean, already defined from two weeks of training. I heard a sharp inhale not from Nyx but from Syr.
I turned my head briefly. She was behind the bar, holding a bottle a little too tightly. Her smile twitched, and her aura had the vibration of someone fighting not to rip the night in half. Why isn't she stopping this? I thought. Freya would never let someone else take her toys like this. So why—
Nyx interrupted the thought by gently taking my hand. "Do you have a room, my lady?" she asked Mia with a serene smile. Mia arched a brow, arms crossed. "Payment first food and room."
Nyx raised her hand, and from her palm poured forth shadow like mist that flowed across the counter then clatter.
Dozens of crystal shards—glimmering, jagged, and massive—fell from the shadows like droplets from a cloud. They were monster cores, but not like any I had ever seen. Each one was at least the size of my head, glowing with deep hues of violet.
The bar was full of them. Mia blinked once. "Room's yours." She turned to Ryuu. "Show them to the upstairs suite." Ryuu didn't speak. She simply nodded, shooting me one last unreadable look before leading us up the staircase. We entered a quiet room—polished wood floors, soft silk sheets, low candlelight. A suite designed for gods to conduct their rituals or schemes or... whatever else.
Nyx closed the door behind us. "Sit," she said gently, gesturing to the bed. I obeyed, nerves coiled tight in my stomach. She stepped forward, her presence dimming the candlelight just slightly. The shadows seemed to lean in as she moved.
"Are you ready?" she asked again, her eyes soft now. "Truly ready to receive what I offer?"
I nodded. "I don't know what's happening to this world anymore," I said honestly, "but I know I can't survive it if I stay ordinary."
Her smile was sad, then joyous She straddled my back gently as I lay belly-down on the mattress, placing her hands on my bare shoulders. I felt the weight of her—not just physically, but spiritually. Like the night sky had chosen to sit atop me, wrapping around my soul.
Then, she raised one hand. Her nail extended—long, black, sharp as obsidian. She pricked the tip of her finger while reciting a chant in a language I couldn't understand. I felt the drop fall onto the center of my back and the moment it touched my skin.
Light not like the one from the anime. Deep violet the entire room filled with the glow.