2 Revelations

A dull throbbing resonated in Luke's head, a stark contrast to the blissful slumber that preceded it. He blinked his eyes open, expecting the familiar surroundings of his dorm room. Instead, a suffocating darkness pressed in on him, the air thick and strangely metallic. Panic clawed at his throat as he sat up, heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs.

The cave – for that's what it seemed to be – was illuminated by an eerie, otherworldly glow. It emanated from a series of waterfalls cascading down the cavern walls, the water itself not clear and cascading, but a sickly green that bubbled and hissed. The air crackled with a low electrical hum, and the pungent smell of sulfur burned his nostrils.

"What in the…?" Luke's voice, rough with disuse, echoed eerily in the vast emptiness. He scrambled to his feet, grasping at the rough, damp rock face for support. Where was he? How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was… the Source. The void. The offer of a new life.

A sudden, sharp prickling sensation erupted at the base of his skull. It intensified rapidly, a jolt of white-hot agony that brought him to his knees with a guttural cry. He squeezed his eyes shut, the cave walls shimmering and distorting with the intensity of the pain.

Then, just as abruptly as it began, it stopped. A heavy silence settled around him, broken only by the dripping of the green acid falls and his ragged gasps for breath. He opened his eyes cautiously, a wave of dizziness washing over him.

But something was different. The world seemed sharper somehow, clearer. Information flooded his mind, a torrent of memories and knowledge that wasn't his own. Images flickered behind his closed eyelids – a vast, shadowed throne room, a figure radiating immense power, a woman's scream tearing through the air. A name echoed within him, a name that resonated with a deep, primal power: Hades.

He was Hades, the God of the Underworld. But these weren't just abstract concepts; they were memories, visceral and terrifying. A vision of a hulking, monstrous figure, radiating malice, replaced the darkness behind his eyelids. This was Cronus, his father, the Titan king who had devoured his siblings whole. The memory of his mother, Rhea, filled him with a surge of protectiveness, a primal urge to defend.

Luke, no, Hades, staggered to his feet, a newfound strength surging through his limbs. He was no longer the scared boy from Earth. He was a god, a king, and the lord of the Underworld. A cold fury simmered within him, fueled by the memories of violence and betrayal. He would not be a victim. He would claim his rightful place.

A low growl escaped his lips, echoing through the cavern. The green acid falls seemed to respond, their sickly glow intensifying for a moment before settling back to normal. Hades raised a hand, tentatively at first, then with growing confidence. A surge of power coursed through him, and the cavern floor trembled slightly. This was his domain now. He was Hades, God of the Dead, and he would learn to control his power.

Suddenly, a flicker of blue light caught his eye, disrupting his burgeoning god-king persona. It emanated from a corner of the cavern, solidifying into a rectangular screen hovering a few feet off the ground. It resembled the old video game interfaces he remembered from his childhood, back on Earth. White text scrolled across the translucent surface, the font strangely familiar and comforting.

"Hello there, young Hades," the message began, the words seeming to resonate directly in his mind, bypassing his ears. "This is the Source."

Hades blinked, momentarily thrown off guard. The Source? Here? A tremor of something akin to…apprehension? No, curiosity, flickered within him. This being held immense power, that much was certain. He had entrusted himself to it, in a way.

The message continued, "I believe a slight adjustment is necessary. My initial assessment underestimated the strain the void placed upon your soul. I have cast a spell that will mend the erosion caused by your time adrift."

Hades frowned. A spell? He didn't particularly like the sound of that, this being meddling further. However, the promise of a repaired soul was undeniably appealing. Yet, something else caught his attention.

"However," the text continued, "this restoration will not simply return you to your previous state. You will regain your original personality, your memories, your…emotions." The word hung heavy in the air, both a promise and a threat.

"You will retain your experience in the void and the perspective you gained from your stay there. This may lead to a certain…confliction within you. You may find yourself struggling with a newfound awareness of the consequences of your actions, both past and future, while still grappling with the emotions that often fuel those very actions."

A cold dread settled in Hades' stomach. The void, despite its emptiness, had offered a strange kind of peace. He craved control, power – these were inherent to his being as a god, now amplified by the memories of being swallowed by Cronus. But would he be able to reconcile that with the softer, more empathetic parts of himself that the Source mentioned?

The screen remained silent, offering no further explanation. Hades stared at it, the blue light reflecting in his newly awakened eyes, a storm brewing within his soul. He was Hades, God of the Underworld, a being of immense power. But he was also Luke, the boy who missed his mother, who cherished moments of kindness. This new existence, with its conflicting emotions and memories, was a vast and uncharted territory. He would have to navigate it carefully, one step at a time.

With a deep breath, Hades reached out and touched the blue screen. It dissolved into a shower of shimmering particles, leaving him alone in the echoing cavern. The silence was no longer oppressive, but a canvas waiting to be filled with the symphony of his newfound complexity. He was a god, yes, but he was also a being of experience, of conflicting emotions. And in this strange new world, he would have to learn to be both.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the author here, sorry for leaving y'all with no updates regarding the status of the story... So let me clarify certain things, first of all the story will not be dropped, and I will upload 2 chapters per week (can be more depending on the power stones the book gets).... Further more, I was inactive cs me and my friends just made a sudden plan to go on a trip and we did shockingly and once we were done with it we had our exams and stuff and that is why I was inactive but now I have 2 months of vacation, so you can expect me to upload chapters according to the promised schedule... Anyways do give me power stones as that motivates me and no I will not be creating a part*on as I do not own the dxd verse and I believe that it is wrong of author's to earn by selling their fanfics...

Have a Great Day!

Yours Truly,

illyisabot