My Dragon King System-Chapter 340: Of Underworlds & Love Birds

Next was a small figure of a woman carved from amber, frozen mid-dance. "Thera."

A miniature mountain of stone. "Gaia."

A bow made of pure golden light. "Orion."

And finally, a black coin that rotated slowly in place, one side engraved with an eye, the other blank. "Charon, High God of the Underworld."

Elena’s eyes lit up at the familiar names. "Adam, Gaia, Umgadi, Thera, Orion... I know all of those. But Charon sounds new."

"That’s because, in terms of his position in this world, he is new," Aiden said. "Charon is one of two sons of Jorus, an archon whose domain once revolved around death itself."

He gestured. "Since Charon’s power is similar to his father’s in that regard, it made sense to appoint him as ruler of the Underworld."

Elena processed that, then frowned. "I’ve never heard of Jorus before."

"That’s because I killed him."

Her eyes went wide in shock.

"In a battle in Eden," Aiden said casually. "Trust me, he had to go."

Elena stared at him for a moment, then let out a nervous chuckle. The way he said it, so matter-of-factly, was almost absurd.

Aiden continued. "Charon occupies a role that never existed before the world’s reconstruction. Prior to that, when someone died, god or human, their soul simply vanished. Returned to nothing, as if they’d never meant anything at all."

His tone grew more thoughtful. "But now, when humans and even gods die, their souls first reach the Underworld. Charon judges them. If they lived fair and just lives, their souls are sent to another realm called the Afterlife. A place of eternal peace and bliss."

He paused, then added, "If they lived poorly, their souls suffer penance in the Underworld for a time. When it becomes clear they’re remorseful, truly remorseful, only then are they allowed passage to the Afterlife."

Elena felt a chill run through her. The idea was both beautiful and terrifying. To stand before a god who would judge every choice she’d ever made, every mistake...

Aiden noticed the shift in her expression and smiled. "Don’t worry. Every member of Ravens Grave has been exempt from that kind of judgment."

She blinked a few times and said. "What?"

"Once your mortal lives reach their end," Aiden explained, "your souls come directly to me. You choose what happens next. Live here in my home, go to the Afterlife, or even be reincarnated if that’s what you want."

His smile turned a bit mischievous. "But none of you will ever suffer penance in the Underworld."

Elena let out a breath as her scholarly mind caught up. "That’s... kind of unfair, isn’t it?"

Aiden laughed. "I know. And I do it shamelessly. Of course I have favorites."

Elena smiled. There was something refreshing about his honesty.

"Oh, and guess what?" Aiden added, in a tone almost playful. "There’s also a way into the Afterlife right here in the castle. One of the rooms has a door that leads directly there."

Elena’s expression turned awkward, somewhere between fascination and fear. Then eventually, worry, because what if someone got into the room?

Would they simply just be on their jolly way to the afterlife?

Aiden chuckled just a bit. "Don’t worry! That door is locked and can only be opened by my power. Plus, the room itself is in constant movement around the castle. It won’t appear for anyone actively seeking it."

Elena exhaled and said amusingly, "Has anyone ever told you, you’re terrible Aiden."

Aiden had a few more laughs right after.

Elena shook her head, but she was smiling too. For all his godlike power, Aiden still felt like the same person she’d known three years ago.

Just a man who cared about his friends.

Even if he could reshape reality with a thought.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

There was a brief pause between them before Elena turned towards him with a curious expression.

"Out of curiosity... just how powerful are you right now?"

Aiden’s smile widened. "If I put it into words, you might go insane trying to understand it."

He paused, considering how to phrase it. "But here’s what I’ll say: I may not have that Creator status anymore, especially after remaking the universe, but I’m beyond the level of a dragon. And nothing happens in this universe without my knowledge."

Elena stared at him with an amazed look, then turned away, shaking her head in wonder. "To think you were just a fire mage three years ago."

Aiden laughed at that. "I’ll give you an even better one. I once had absolutely no magic at all."

Elena chuckled, and the sound mixed with his laughter as they stood together in the strange circular room with its floating sigils and split walls of black and white.

——

Around the same time, in another part of the vast castle, Kayden had just found Innis again.

She stood on one of the many balconies scattered throughout the structure, leaning against the stone railing as she gazed out.

She sighed when she noticed him approaching. Turned back to her view. Then suddenly whipped around toward him again, with a puzzle expression, as if a realization had just struck her.

"This castle has an uncountable number of corners and passages," she said. "It would take me more than a year just to get used to this place. So how exactly were you able to find me here?"

Kayden stopped a few paces away from her. "Would you believe me if I said I randomly saw you here?"

"Absolutely not," Innis replied without hesitation.

Kayden scoffed, with a little smile on his lips despite the tension between them. "Well, would you believe me if I said a certain voice kept directing my thoughts to this place? As if I knew my way here naturally, even though I’ve never been here before?"

Innis looked at him for a long moment. Then she sighed and turned back to the view.

"I think it’s either this castle or Aiden himself," she said. "The same voice kept directing my thoughts to this place too."

Kayden then moved forward and let his hands grip the balcony railing as he stared out at the view.

The silence stretched between them, for another uncomfortable minute, until finally he spoke.

"I’m sorry." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Innis didn’t turn to look at him. Her eyes remained fixed on a dragon gliding between two distant islands.

"I’m sorry for how my impatience ruined us," Kayden continued. "I pushed too hard. I wanted everything to move forward on my timeline."

He paused, exhaling slowly. "I was so focused on what I wanted, on where I thought we should be, that I didn’t stop to consider whether you were ready for that."

Innis’s grip on the railing tightened a bit, but she still didn’t look at him.

"You finally led the conversation a bit more properly," she said.

Kayden’s shoulders slumped. He was relieved because atleast she was talking to him.

"I was an idiot," he said. "I know that now. I should have—"

"You should have listened when I tried to reach out," Innis interrupted. She turned to face him, and there was hurt in her eyes. "Twice, Kayden. I came to the palace twice trying to talk to you about everything. Trying to explain myself better. And both times you asked me to leave."

Kayden winced. The memory of those encounters stung worse now. He’d been so stubborn, so wrapped up in his own wounded pride.

"I know," he said. "I know, and I’m sorry. I was angry and hurt, and I convinced myself that unless you gave me what I wanted, there was nothing to talk about. That was wrong. That was so wrong."

He stepped closer to her.

"I love you, Innis. I’ve loved you for so long that I don’t even remember what it felt like before. And this past year without you... it’s never been the same. Nothing’s been the same."

His voice cracked slightly on the last words.

Innis looked downwards. She wanted to stay angry. Part of her felt like she deserved to stay angry. But hearing him say those things, seeing the genuine regret in his face...

"It’s been almost a year between us," she said finally.

Kayden swallowed hard. "Do you... do you not love me anymore?"

Innis went silent.

"Innis?" His voice was desperate now. "Do you not love me anymore?"

"It’s not that simple!" she burst out, with her hands balling into fists. "I loved you for years, Kayden. All of that doesn’t just fizzle out because we fought."

"Then what is it?" Kayden pressed, stepping even closer. "If you still love me, then what’s keeping us apart?"

Innis turned away from him as she wrapped her arms around herself

"Right now," she said slowly, "I’m just trying to figure myself out. What I actually want from life aside from my feelings for you."

Kayden reached out and gently took her hand. "Then come back with me tomorrow. Come back to the palace. You can live there, and we’ll figure it out together. We don’t have to rush into anything. We can just... be around each other again."

Innis said nothing at first. Her hand remained in his, but she didn’t turn to face him.

Then, slowly, she pulled her hand away.

"It’s not that simple, Kayden," she said. "And I’ve already been thinking towards a direction I want to start with."

Kayden’s chest tightened a bit. "What do you mean?"

Innis finally turned to look at him with resolute expression despite the sadness in her eyes.

"I’m going to take Aiden up on his offer. I’ll stay here in the castle with Laela, Arianna, Rin, and Aeris."

"What?" Kayden’s voice rose in disbelief. "But if you do that, I won’t be able to see you when I want to. You’ll be... you’ll be here."

"It’s only temporary," Innis said. "Maybe until this Holy Grail thing starts. But that’s not the point. This isn’t about you, Kayden. Not anymore."

Kayden’s face flushed with heat. Frustration and hurt warred inside him, and for a moment he looked like he might say something he’d regret.

Instead, he turned and walked away without another word.

Innis threw her arms up in exasperation as she watched him leave.

"How typical," she whispered.

Then she sighed and turned back to the balcony railing, resting her arms on it as she gazed out at the floating islands once more.