Just as Hades's mind was spinning, trying to dispel the fog, the shadow beside him noticeably sensed a subtle fluctuation.
Metis, as if merged with the darkness itself, quietly reappeared.
On her face was still the impeccable and serene smile of the Wise Queen, but Hades acutely caught in the depths of her eyes a hint of undisguised... tension.
As if she had just endured an exhausting struggle, or was digging deep into bone marrow.
"Sister Mnemosyne always knows many... ancient secrets."
Metis's voice sounded softly, like the water of the Styx touching the sand and stones on the bank, with neither joy nor anger.
"Did she share with you some interesting... historical dust?"
Hades raised his eyes, his gaze calmly falling upon her. Instead of directly answering, he asked rhetorically, "You look a bit tired, Metis."
Metis was slightly stunned, then her smile deepened a little, but became more conscious: "I just finished sorting out the connection between the Styx and the Dream Network; it took some effort. After all, it's not easy to ensure that every corner of Hades is in order."
She stepped forward and naturally extended her hand, wishing, as usual, to touch Hades's arm, seeking cold comfort.
However, this time, Hades raised his hand with the dull ring very naturally at the very moment her fingertips were about to touch, as if he had simply unconsciously changed his position and accidentally avoided contact.
This subtle movement was almost imperceptible, but it froze Metis's outstretched hand in mid-air.
The smile on her face froze for an instant, and the tension in her eyes suddenly turned into sharp ice edges.
The air in the corridor seemed to instantly empty, filled with invisible high pressure.
"...Are you avoiding me? My king?" Metis's voice was still soft, but with a cold texture.
Hades met her almost piercing gaze, his voice unwavering: "I was just thinking that some dust might be heavier than we think. Before touching, one needs to see the essence."
Metis's pupils constricted slightly.
Does he know? Or is it just a temptation? How much did Mnemosyne say?
A strong sense of crisis, intertwined with suspicious anger, surged in her heart.
She could not allow anything, not even suspicion, to undermine the 'eternity' between her and Hades.
She did not try to approach again, but slowly withdrew her hand and returned an impeccable, yet slightly trembling, smile to her face.
"You are right, my Hades. Seeing the essence... is crucial." She said meaningfully.
"As I see it, no matter how ancient the dust, it cannot overshadow the bond between us, forged by fate and will. I have... some details about purifying the tributaries of the Styx that need quiet contemplation. I'll take my leave now, my king."
She bowed slightly, her manner perfect, then turned, the hem of her skirt tracing an elegant and cold arc, quickly merging into the shadow of Hades, as if fleeing without looking back.
Hades looked in the direction she had gone, his eyes deep as an abyss.
He felt that Mnemosyne's warning was like a stone thrown into a still lake, causing ripples. And Metis's reaction further confirmed that this 'gift' was extraordinary.
...
The most secluded border of the Underworld, a region where even the dead dared not approach, as if connected to the primordial void of the universe. The temple of Nyx was still like frozen night sky, eternally silent.
Metis's figure quietly appeared at the temple entrance.
She did not report, nor did she simply express her thoughts as last time, but directly manifested herself, standing before the flowing nebula porch, her gaze firm, even with a slight, barely perceptible... challenge.
She needed confirmation. Confirmation of this power, confirmation of Nyx's intentions, and assurance that everything she did would not be disturbed or revoked by any being, including the Night Goddess herself.
The dark core deep within the temple, the triple-aspect goddess, did not fully manifest.
Only those eyes, containing the life and death of stars and the trajectory of fate, slowly opened in the infinite darkness, and the gaze fell upon Metis, still calm, as if unsurprised by her appearance.
"Goddess of Night," Metis spoke first, her voice particularly clear, even a little sharp, in the absolute silence.
"I am here to thank you for your previous... generosity."
She did not mention the specific form of the 'gift'; this was a silent understanding.
Nyx's gaze did not change at all, and the echo of the triple voice rippled directly in Metis's heart, indifferent and detached: "Those who follow fate receive the gift of fate. Why say thank you?"
Metis took a step forward, and although she was facing one of the most ancient primordial gods, her posture was almost stubborn:
"I just want to ensure that this 'gift' is absolutely reliable. That it will not be shaken by external... noise, or some ancient... whim."
She was testing, testing whether Nyx knew about Mnemosyne's 'talkativeness', and whether this power truly belonged entirely to her, beyond checks and balances.
The darkness in the temple seemed to slowly dissipate slightly, as if a silent sigh had passed.
"What I give is an independent existence that I have taken away." Nyx's voice still had no ups and downs, but held an undeniable absoluteness.
"The trajectory is determined by the one responsible. Night itself never interferes with the shadows it casts."
These words were like a soothing pill, but also like a deeper curse.
It meant that Nyx would not reclaim her power, but it also meant that Metis had to bear all the consequences of using it alone.
Metis felt a slight relief, but for some reason, she did not want to leave.
Standing before the eternal darkness, she began to forcibly seek topics, talking about the order of the Underworld, the plan to integrate the Styx and the Dream Network, and the 'plan' for... any factors that might threaten the stability of the Underworld in the future.
Her speaking rate was slightly faster than usual, and her words were full of flashes of wisdom, but they also involuntarily revealed a note of nervousness and... deliberate intent.
It seemed she wanted to prove to herself and to Nyx that there was some special 'connection' between her and the primordial ancient god through this continuous, one-sided communication, that her choice was accepted, that everything she did was for the shared 'eternity' of Hades.
This dialogue was more like a personal, slightly awkward and anxious monologue from Metis.
She stood at the Temple of Night, facing the all-consuming darkness, recounting her plans, anxieties, and resolve... She did not want to leave for a long time.
Nyx always 'listened' in silence, in those eyes of fate there was neither joy nor sorrow, only eternal depth and indifference.
Only when Metis herself felt she had run out of words, and the impulse gradually receded, did she finally stop.
"...May night forever bless the Underworld," Metis finally said, bowed slightly again, then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the Underworld with a complex and indescribable atmosphere.
After she left, the dark core of Nyx's temple rippled slightly, and the triple face briefly appeared with a faint, unreadable expression—as if pity, as if pure indifference—then sank back into eternal silence.
And the 'Primordial Night' she had given, lurking in the depths of Metis's soul, still lay silent, waiting for a moment that might never be activated, like a cold, buried secret deep at the bottom of Hades.