The forge fire crackled behind them, its dancing flames casting their shadows across the wall. The two silhouettes overlapped until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
The air smelled of metal and coal, mingled with something far more intimate. Blood and wine. A contract. Two fates intertwining.
Hephaestus sat on a wooden stool beside the anvil, holding a ceramic cup in both hands.
Its white glaze reflected the warm light of the forge.
The liquid inside was deep crimson, but it was not the color of red wine.
It was the color of fresh blood.
Genichi's blood.
Hephaestus stared at the cup of Blood Wine for a long time.
"Drink it, and your life and death will be mine to decide."
Genichi's voice came from behind her, soft and calm, as though he were merely stating an ordinary fact.
He stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets, his expression composed, though there was a trace of seriousness in his eyes.
He did not rush her.
He did not urge her on.
He simply waited, giving her enough time to think, enough time to reconsider, and enough time to change her mind.
Hephaestus drew a deep breath and raised the cup.
The moment the wine passed her lips, she felt a strange power flow into her body before taking root deep within her soul.
It was warm and gentle.
It felt as though something had filled an empty place inside her soul, yet at the same time, something else had bound her fate tightly to another person's.
She could feel Genichi's existence.
Not physically, but through her soul.
It was like an invisible thread had connected her heart to his. No matter how far apart they were, she would still be able to sense his presence.
"So this is the Schrift..."
Hephaestus murmured, a trace of wonder in her voice.
She closed her eyes and felt the newly acquired power circulating through her body.
Then she noticed something different about her shadow.
It was no longer merely a patch of darkness that obediently followed behind her.
It felt alive.
She could sense every subtle movement within it, every inch of ground it touched, every corner hidden beneath its darkness.
"Shadow King."
Genichi's voice sounded behind her.
"The magic I gave you. It can summon shadows, and when your life is truly in danger, they can take your place. With this, I won't have to worry so much about your safety anymore."
Hephaestus opened her eyes and looked down.
Her shadow trembled faintly beneath the firelight, almost as if responding to her gaze.
With a thought, a dark figure separated from the shadow and silently rose from the floor.
It had no face and no features, only the vague outline of a human body.
Yet Hephaestus could feel it clearly.
The shadow was like another version of herself, an extension of her existence.
"At least now I don't have to worry about you getting kidnapped someday and used as a hostage against me."
Genichi walked over and sat beside her on another wooden stool.
His body sank into the seat as he released a long breath, as though he had finally put down a heavy burden.
He stared into the flames, their flickering light reflected in his eyes.
Hephaestus turned to look at him.
A complicated emotion flashed through her crimson eyes.
Curiosity.
A desire to test him.
And a faint nervousness she herself had yet to notice.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, only to realize she had no idea how to phrase it.
After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke.
"If one of us were taken hostage, would you sacrifice yourself to save us?"
Most people would undoubtedly answer yes.
They would say, "I'd gladly die for you."
They would say, "I'd pay any price to save you."
They would say, "Your life matters more to me than my own."
Those words sounded beautiful.
Moving.
Romantic enough to make anyone's heart race.
But Hephaestus knew that most of them were lies.
Pretty vows invented to move the person hearing them.
She had lived for hundreds of millions of years.
She had heard far too many such promises and witnessed far too much hypocrisy to be fooled by them.
What she wanted was Genichi's real answer.
Not some sweet lie, but the naked truth, even if that truth was ugly.
Genichi looked at her and remained silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
There was no hesitation in his eyes, only a calm honesty that bordered on coldness.
"No."
His voice was quiet, but every word was clear.
"As much as I care about all of you, I care about myself more. I want to live. Everything I do, and every goal I've pursued, has ultimately been for myself."
Hephaestus's pupils contracted slightly.
She had expected Genichi to tell the truth.
She simply hadn't expected him to be so direct, so brutally honest, without leaving himself even the slightest room to soften the answer.
He did not try to make himself sound better.
He did not moderate his tone.
He did not try to comfort her.
He simply stated the cruel truth like an impartial observer.
"Even approaching me was for your own sake?"
Her voice was quiet.
There was a hint of self-mockery in it, along with a faint expectation she herself had yet to notice.
Genichi looked straight at her.
"That too."
His voice remained calm.
"I needed your Authority. That's why I approached you."
Hephaestus fell silent.
She lowered her head and stared at her hands, her fingers slowly tightening against her knees.
A complicated mixture of emotions rose within her.
Disappointment.
Bitterness.
Helplessness.
And something else she could not quite describe.
She had always known Genichi had a reason for approaching her.
She wasn't a fool.
She had known it from the moment he first said those things to her in the forge.
Yet she had still allowed him to come closer.
She had allowed him to kiss her.
She had allowed him to remove what concealed her scars.
She had allowed him to see the wounds she had always hidden.
Because somewhere deep inside, she had wanted to believe that it wasn't only about her Authority.
She had wanted to believe that at least some small part of what he felt for her was genuine.
And now Genichi had given her his answer.
Hephaestus raised both hands and covered her face.
Her fingers hid her eyes, including the scars she had spent so long concealing.
Her shoulders trembled faintly, and her breathing became unsteady. Curled up on the stool, she looked like a wounded animal silently licking its wounds.
"You bastard..."
Her muffled voice came through her fingers.
"Couldn't you at least say something nice?"
A trace of warmth appeared in Genichi's eyes.
He reached out and gently took hold of her wrist.
"Even if I lied, you'd see through it immediately."
His voice was quiet, but serious.
"So instead of feeding you promises you'd know were fake, I'd rather tell you the truth."
Hephaestus bit her lip and said nothing.
That was exactly the kind of person he was.
He would not make grand declarations simply to please her.
He would not invent comforting lies just to make her feel better.
He would not distort the truth just to see her smile.
He was Genichi.
Selfish, calculating, and brutally honest about what he wanted.
"But if something really did happen to you, I'd still find a way to bring you back."
Genichi's voice softened.
"I'm extremely possessive. Since you're my woman, you'll always be my woman. Nobody gets to take you away from me."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not even death."
Hephaestus froze.
She looked at him, disbelief filling her remaining visible eye.
But from his expression, she could tell that he wasn't lying.
He wasn't exaggerating.
He truly meant it.
If she died, he would resurrect her.
More importantly, he genuinely believed he could do it.
The corners of Hephaestus's lips slowly lifted into a faint smile.
It was barely there, but it carried a strange sense of relief, satisfaction, and an emotion she could not quite put into words.
She reached out and gently took Genichi's hand.
Her palm was rough, covered in calluses and tiny scars from countless years spent forging weapons.
Yet her hand was warm and soft, like cotton that had been heated beside a fire.
"You're such a selfish man."
Her voice was quiet, carrying a hint of irritation, tenderness, and a dependence she herself had yet to fully recognize.
Genichi's answer had been far from perfect.
It was selfish.
Cold.
Even painful.
Yet Hephaestus found herself surprisingly satisfied.
Because he had been honest.
He had not deceived her with sweet words.
He had not numbed her with grand declarations.
He had not trapped her with promises he never intended to keep.
Instead, he had given her a genuine choice.
Accept me for who I really am, or leave.
And she had chosen to accept him.
Not because he was perfect, but because he was real.
Not because he was selfless, but because even within his selfishness, there was still a place for her.
Genichi looked at her, the corners of his mouth rising slightly.
"Now, can we talk about the real reason I'm here?"
Hephaestus blinked.
"What real reason?"
"Hestia."
Genichi's expression grew serious.
"I need her authority over the sacred flame."
Hephaestus frowned slightly.
She knew Genichi needed Hestia's Authority to make himself immune to Ishtar's charm.
She knew he was running out of time.
And she knew he could no longer afford to wait.
But she also understood what that Authority meant.
Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth, the goddess who protected the sacred flame.
Her heart was warm, just like the flame she guarded, but that same sacred fire was not something that could be approached carelessly.
"Ouranos has already arranged everything. Hestia should descend to the Lower World within the next few days. Once she does, she'll definitely come looking for you."
Genichi looked directly at Hephaestus.
"That's why I need your help."
Hephaestus did not hesitate.
"Genichi, no matter what you're planning, I'll help you."
Her voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable determination behind it.
"Not because of the Blood Wine. Not because of the Schrift."
She tightened her fingers around his hand.
"But because it's you."
Genichi lowered his gaze toward her.
A faint warmth crossed his eyes.
"Thank you."
His voice was soft, carrying a warmth that made her feel strangely at ease.
Hephaestus smiled.
It was a gentle smile, like a spring breeze passing over a quiet flame.
She rose onto her toes and lightly kissed him.
The kiss was soft and brief, yet carried an intimacy neither of them needed to put into words.
The forge fell silent again.
Only the crackling of the fire and their quiet breathing remained.
Genichi wrapped his arms around Hephaestus and leaned back, looking out at the darkness beyond the window.
Hephaestus rested against his chest and closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
(End of Chapter)
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