Megumi returned from the void with a storm inside him. His steps were slow, heavy, as if each one pressed him deeper into the earth. The memory of the throne's voice—the pull it had on him—still lingered in his veins.
When he finally emerged back into the mortal world, the first thing he saw was Ava sitting on the porch of Leonidas's keep, Chloe cradled in her arms. Medusa and Nyx were close by, laughing softly as they played with the child's tiny hands.
The sight should have brought him peace. It usually did. But tonight, all Megumi could feel was the echo of that throne waiting for him.
Ava looked up, smiling warmly. "You've been gone a while. Did you find anything?"
Megumi hesitated. He opened his mouth to speak… then stopped.
Her eyes searched his face, sensing the turmoil behind his silence. But instead of pressing, she touched his hand gently. "Whatever it is… we'll face it together."
Megumi forced a smile. "I know. I just… need more time."
⸻
Later, as night fell, Leonidas found Megumi sitting alone on the cliffside overlooking the valley.
"You're brooding again," Leonidas said, sitting down beside him. "What's clawing at you this time?"
Megumi stared out at the horizon. He thought of the vision, of the words etched into the abyss: The successor must fall for the king to rise.
He wanted to tell Leonidas everything. His closest ally, his brother-in-arms, deserved to know. But the fear that speaking the truth might give it power stopped him.
Instead, Megumi said only: "I feel like something is moving in the dark. Something older than the gods. And it's watching me."
Leonidas frowned. "Then let it watch. If it moves, we'll cut it down like the rest."
Megumi gave a small smile. "You make it sound simple."
"Because it is," Leonidas replied. "We've already toppled Olympus. What's one more enemy?"
Megumi didn't answer. He couldn't. Because he knew this wasn't just another enemy. This was the shadow of everything.
⸻
That night, when he finally lay down to sleep, Megumi dreamed of the throne again. This time, he saw himself sitting upon it, his eyes burning gold, his aura drowning entire worlds in fire and ash. Ava and Chloe stood before him—crying out to him—but in the dream, he did not rise.
He did not move.
He only watched them burn.
Megumi awoke in a cold sweat, his heart racing. He touched his forehead, trembling.
And for the first time since he became immortal, he felt something he hadn't in years.
Fear.