Merlina walked out of the room with a somber expression. Seeing Hela waiting in the hallway, she lowered her gaze. For a moment she hesitated whether to say anything, but finally spoke in a soft voice:
"I'm sorry, Hela... There's no way to get Shin back. He's..."
"I understand," Hela interrupted her, without looking up.
Her voice was low, barely a whisper, but loaded with a dry, contained pain. Her fist clenched tightly, so much that her knuckles turned white.
Without another word, she turned around and left the Legion. She didn't want anyone to see her face.
Outside, the city was still celebrating. The streets glowed with lights and laughter, citizens chanted songs of victory, and children ran with improvised flags. For everyone, it was a day of glory.
But for Hela, it was just the day she had lost everything.
She walked aimlessly through the streets until she reached a silent alley, far from the hustle and bustle. She sank to the ground, hugging her knees, and burst into tears. Her tears washed away the makeup still on her face, painting messy lines on her cheeks.
As she gave in to sadness, screams interrupted her lament. Children's screams. Hela, confused, slowly stood up and walked towards the other end of the alley.
There she discovered a simple building: an orphanage. It was where children who had lost their parents in the war were taken. Hela discreetly peeked around one of the walls, and her expression became even sadder.
Two boys were hitting another, smaller one. The assaulted child, with golden hair and violet eyes, lay on the ground, covering himself as best he could from the blows. Hela frowned, annoyed, and was about to intervene. But then, another boy, with dark brown hair and also violet eyes, ran towards them and tried to defend him.
"Leave him alone!" he shouted, lunging at the aggressors.
But his effort was useless. The other two were bigger and quickly knocked him down too. The golden-haired boy, his face full of tears and bruises, screamed:
"Let go of him! He's my brother!"
It was then that Hela could resist no longer. She stepped out of her hiding place decisively.
"Hey, you two! Leave them alone!"
The bullies stopped, surprised to see her. One of them shouted as they fled:
"Ahhh! Run! It's a mormo!"
The children ran away in a panic through the alley, leaving the two brothers on the ground.
Hela approached the children who were still lying on the ground.
"Thank you, miss. It's our..." he looked up and paled when he saw her. "Haaa, she's going to eat us!!" the brown-haired boy screamed.
He grabbed his brother as if he were a human shield.
"Please, don't eat me! If you want, you can eat my brother, he has more meat."
"Hey! You don't just offer that!" complained the golden-haired one, struggling.
Hela, arms crossed and an indignant expression.
"Hey, I'm not a mormo!"
"Really?" asked the golden-haired one, narrowing his eyes. "You just look like... 'I ate someone recently'."
Hela turned towards a nearby puddle, looked at herself, and sighed when she saw her makeup completely smeared. With resignation, she wiped her face with the sleeve of her dress.
"See? I don't look like a mormo anymore," she said with a mix of annoyance and humor.
"We're sorry," both children said, lowering their heads.
"And why were they hitting you?" Hela asked, returning to the subject.
The brown-haired boy nervously scratched his head.
"They bother us because of our eye color... They say they're weird."
Hela observed them more closely. Both had crystalline violet eyes, so bright they looked like jewels.
"Well, I think they're pretty," Hela said, smiling sweetly.
"And tell me, what are your names?" she asked with curiosity.
"My name is Thanatos," the brown-haired one answered.
"And mine is Hypnos!" exclaimed the blonde with enthusiasm.
"Nice to meet you, Thanatos and Hypnos."
"Miss, are you going to adopt us?" Hypnos suddenly asked, with an expression so tender it would have melted the heart of a volcano.
Hela froze.
"Huh? Now what do I tell them?" she asked herself in a low voice, sweating coldly.
"Heh... well... the truth is I was just passing by..."
Thanatos sighed and looked at his brother with resignation.
"See, Hypnos? Always desperate. This way we'll never get adopted."
"Relax..." Hela said, with a nervous smile. "Maybe... I could think about it."
"Really!?" the children said in unison, their eyes shining with excitement.
Hela stared blankly for a second, mentally reprimanding herself:
"What are you doing, Hela? Promising false hopes to these children?"
Before she could retract, she felt small hands cling to hers. Thanatos took one hand, Hypnos the other.
"Come on, come on! You have to see our room! And the one-eyed nephilim in the dining room!"
"Huh? Nephilim what...?!" Hela stammered, but it was too late.
Dragged by the children's uncontrollable energy, she was led through the gate of the small orphanage. With a frightened and resigned look, she could barely resist.
"Merlina... where are you when I need you most?" she thought desperately, just before crossing the entrance.
"Meowww," meowed a white-furred feline with two tails and one eye, walking elegantly down the orphanage hallway.
"Tell me what you think of our nephilim!" Hypnos said with enthusiasm. "He lost an eye in a street fight, but he's still very cute!"
"Y-yes... very... cute," Hela replied, with a forced smile and her soul slowly leaving her body.
The creature approached her with stealthy movements, while Hela's trembling became more evident with each step of the nephilim.
"What's wrong, miss?" Hypnos asked, innocently.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Hela replied in a high-pitched voice, trying to maintain her composure. "But... I think I should talk to the person in charge of the orphanage. Yes? That would be great. Please."
"Yes! My brother is going to bring Miss Artemis," Hypnos said with a big smile, and ran off.
"Artemis...?" Hela repeated, frozen for a second.
"Yes, why?" the boy asked, stopping at the door.
"No... it can't... be," Hela whispered, putting a hand to her forehead with resignation. "Did it have to be her, Artemis?"
At that moment, the hallway door opened, and through it entered a woman of serene demeanor and tired eyes, accompanied by Thanatos. Seeing her, Hela instinctively straightened up.
"Hela..." the woman whispered.
Artemis stood motionless for a few seconds, as if she couldn't believe what was before her. Then, without holding back any longer, she crossed the room in a few steps and hugged Hela tightly. A single tear ran down her cheek.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry about your brother."
Hela, surprised at first, finally returned the hug in silence. She said nothing. There was no need.
The children watched the scene with wide eyes, not fully understanding.
After a few minutes, they both separated with a mix of shared relief and sorrow. The atmosphere was still heavy, but it no longer weighed so much.
"It's been a while..." Hela murmured, breaking the silence.
Artemis nodded, wiping her tears with dignity.
It was then that Thanatos, still confused, tugged at Artemis's tunic.
"Mom Artemis... did you already know the lady?"
Artemis looked at Thanatos with a soft smile and replied:
"I've known Hela since she was a little girl, like you."
"Really, Miss Hela?" Hypnos asked, his eyes wide.
Hela nodded with a slight smile, crossing her arms.
"Yes, though not exactly in this small orphanage."
She bent down a little to be at the children's height.
"You see... when I was little, my mom and dad went to fight the bad guys, but... " she swallowed with difficulty remembering the recent wound, "they didn't come back. And I was left alone with my brother Shin..."
For a moment, her voice faltered, but she took a deep breath and continued, forcing a small smile.
"Since we were alone, some ladies took us to an orphanage. Although it was much bigger than this one," she said, puffing out her chest as if trying to boast.
"Bigger!?" Hypnos exclaimed in amazement, as if he couldn't imagine a place larger than what he knew.
"Yes, much bigger. It had huge hallways and even a garden full of flowers!" Hela added enthusiastically.
"And Mom Artemis was there too," she added, pointing her thumb at her old friend, though with a clearly sarcastic tone. "She picked us up from there."
"Seriously!?" Thanatos asked, looking at Artemis as if he had just discovered a grand conspiracy.
"Also..." Hela added with a mischievous smile, turning to Artemis. "Back then she was a very grumpy woman. She always scolded us for everything!"
Artemis put a hand to her head, shaking it gently.
"How many years have passed... and you still consider me grumpy?"
Hela let out a genuine laugh.
"I was wrong," she said, pretending to think for a second. "You're still grumpy."
"Hela!" Artemis protested with a giggle, crossing her arms.
But she didn't object further. A warm smile, full of nostalgia, spread across her face.
"It's good to see you again, you know?" she said sincerely.
Hela lowered her gaze slightly, softening her expression.
"It is for me too."
Thanatos, still curious, couldn't hold back.
"And tell me, miss... what was your brother like? And what mischief did you get into? Tell me, pleeeease!" he said, clasping his hands and stretching out the vowels as if his existence depended on it.
"Yes, yes! We want to know!" added Hypnos, hopping around Hela.
Hela blinked, somewhat surprised, but then smiled tenderly. She walked to a nearby bench in the orphanage and sat down, gesturing for the children to join her.
"Well... I guess a story wouldn't hurt, eh?"
Thanatos and Hypnos sat on either side as if it were a bedtime story.
"My brother Shin... he was stubborn, very serious, and always thought he was the strongest," Hela began, with a tired smile. "But in reality, he was a softie with a heart of gold. Though he would never admit it."
"Like Thanatos!" Hypnos interrupted, pointing at him with a mischievous smile.
"Hey!" Thanatos complained, pouting.
"Shin took care of me all the time," Hela continued. "I remember once... " and she let out a small laugh, "...we escaped from the orphanage to go see some fireflies that they said only came out once a year. It was late, and it was raining a bit, but he still carried me on his back the whole way so I wouldn't get wet."
"And what happened? Did you see them?" Thanatos asked, his eyes wide.
Hela nodded, her gaze distant, lost in the memory.
"Yes. It was... magical. I had never seen anything so beautiful. And Shin... smiled. A real smile, one of those you don't see every day."
She fell silent for a few seconds, and the children did too. As if respecting the moment.
"Of course, when we got back, Mom Artemis punished us for a whole week," Hela added, laughing again.
"Well, children, I'd like you to leave," Artemis said in a soft but firm voice. "I'm going to talk to Hela... about grown-up things."
"Oh, really!" Hypnos protested with a pout. "But I wanted more story!"
"Later you can hear hundreds of stories from Hela," Artemis replied with a patient smile.
"Hundreds!?" Thanatos exclaimed, his eyes shining. "That sounds epic!"
"Hahaha," Hela laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. But suddenly she froze.
"AAAAAHHH!!" she gasped, jumping as if she had been pricked.
The nephilim, with complete indifference, had just passed between her legs, brushing her calf with its two-pronged tail. It walked with the same feline elegance as always, as if nothing had happened.
"For heaven's sake! That furry monster is going to give me a heart attack!" Hela whimpered, shaking her leg desperately.
"And take Cyclops with you, please," Artemis added, pointing a finger at the feline with maternal resignation. "Get out of here!"
"Yes, Mom Artemis!" the children replied in unison, running after the nephilim.
"Come here, Cyclops!" Hypnos shouted. "Don't scare Miss Hela!"
The feline snorted with a single shining eye, but eventually let itself be dragged by the children, who left the room making noise and fighting over who would carry it.
When the room door closed with a dry thud, Artemis sighed and looked at Hela seriously, though still with tenderness in her eyes.
Artemis crossed her arms and looked at Hela with tenderness, though her face still bore traces of past melancholy.
"Well, tell me, Hela... what brings you here?"
Hela slumped into one of the chairs in the makeshift office Artemis had set up at the orphanage entrance. She put a hand to her head, took a deep breath, and replied in a subdued voice:
"I was just walking through the streets. You know... Shin, my brother, was turned into a statue. And I just wanted to get away from the city's commotion. Everyone's celebrating... and I just wanted to be alone, until I found those two little ones getting beaten up."
Artemis sighed, tired, but without losing the warmth in her voice.
"I'm so sorry about Shin..." she said in a low voice, pausing. "And about the children, it's not the first time this has happened. They always end up fighting with those bullies. I'm tired of having to protect those two rowdy ones every time."
Hela raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused.
"Aren't there any other children in the orphanage?"
Artemis shook her head while caressing a dusty folder on the desk.
"Not currently. Many stopped having children because of the war... I don't blame them. In your time there were many orphans. Although there still are, I can't help as many as before. They stopped funding us, and the central orphanage closed two years ago."
She paused, pressing her lips together to contain suppressed anger.
"With my last savings, I bought this small building. I adapted it as best I could... but we barely have enough to survive."
She turned to the window, where Thanatos's and Hypnos's laughter could still be heard in the distance, muffled by the walls.
"Do you know what I hated most about this war, Hela?" she continued in a broken voice. "Seeing so many little ones like you... without a home. Without a future. Without anyone."
Hela, still staring at the children, asked in a low voice, as if afraid to break the calm of the moment:
"How did these little ones end up here?"
Artemis sighed, shrugging slightly.
"Honestly... I have no idea who their parents were. I found them one night, abandoned in front of the orphanage door. They were wrapped in a linen blanket inside a straw basket. There was only a note beside them... with their names written on it."
"I see," Hela murmured, thoughtfully.
There was a brief silence before Artemis, with a half-smile, posed the question that had been lingering in the air for a while:
"Tell me, Hela... are you thinking of adopting them?"
Hela sighed, her gaze fixed on the children laughing as they played with the two-tailed nephilim. The creature spun around, letting out soft meows, and the little ones chased it with innocent joy. For an instant, the world seemed to stop.
For an instant... everything was peace.
"I think that..."
BOOOM!
A tearing blast echoed in the sky, followed by a vibration that shook every last brick of the city. Windows rattled, pictures fell from walls, and a wave of dust rose from the ground.
"What was that!?" Hela shouted, sitting up abruptly, her eyes wide.
A second, even louder, thud shook the orphanage walls. Outside, people's screams ripped through the air like blades.
"They're attacking us! Run! Save yourselves!"
"Children! Inside, now!" Artemis exclaimed, her face distorted by fear, running to hug the little ones.
Hela pulled the small scythe from her bag. The metal reflected the faint light that filtered through the broken glass, as if sensing that blood would soon stain its blade again.
"Where are you going, miss!?" Thanatos asked, his voice broken by uncertainty.
Hela gave him a serene look, though a storm raged in the depths of her eyes.
"To do what I must," she said in a firm voice. "I won't let this place burn."
And without waiting for an answer, she crossed the orphanage threshold. The wind slapped her face with the smell of smoke, fire, and death. The screams became sharper, more desperate. Families ran through the streets, and on the horizon, columns of fire rose.
Hela rushed towards the city center, her scythe gleaming like a cruel moon under a red-tinged sky.
From the orphanage entrance, Thanatos watched her in silence.
"I wish she were my mom," he added, this time in a barely audible whisper.
Hypnos said nothing. He just placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, as Hela's silhouette disappeared into the chaos like a shadow destined to face the storm.
The End.