Chapter 2.2: The Threshold

A heavy tension lingered in the air.

The destruction that had ravaged the area could still be felt in the dust hanging overhead and the fragments of rubble crunching beneath their feet.

Amid it all, Edén stared at the remains of what had once been his ordinary world.

His eyes, still clouded with confusion, settled on Shun, who stood silently with his arms crossed.

"I really wish I could believe this was nothing more than a nightmare I'll soon wake up from," he thought as he looked around.

"If this is what Grandpa meant by being 'special,' then I think I would've preferred to remain normal."

At that moment, Edén lowered his gaze toward his hand, remembering that sensation.

"For a moment, I felt invincible…"

"Like I possessed enough strength to rule the entire world."

"But then… everything went black."

"I don't know what happened after that…"

"Even so, I know exactly what I want to do."

"I never want to go through something like this again."

"I don't want to lose anyone else."

—Never again… —he murmured, clenching his fists.

From a distance, Shun watched him calmly.

However, something else soon caught his attention.

A sword gleaming brightly among the rubble.

"That sword…"

Slowly, Edén approached it and murmured:

—Right now, I'm not worthy of wielding you…

—But one day, I'll carry you with pride.

Edén gripped the sword firmly.

But the instant he did, an enormous surge of energy coursed through his body, inflicting excruciating pain.

—Aaaaaaargh!

—What…?!

Edén collapsed to the ground as cold sweat ran down his forehead and his breathing grew heavier than ever.

"What the hell was that?"

—This has to be some kind of joke… —he murmured with a nervous smile.

His eyes wide open, Edén thought:

"It felt as though someone had refused to let me take the sword…"

"And that wasn't all…"

"I saw several people judging me."

"They looked like its former wielders…"

—Are you all right? —Shun asked, extending his hand.

—Y-yeah… —Edén answered, taking it.

—What you just experienced is perfectly normal.

—What are you talking about?

—In our world, there are artifacts that are far more than mere weapons.

—They transcend that definition entirely.

—Each one possesses a guardian—someone capable of judging whether or not you are worthy of wielding it.

Upon hearing those words, Edén's expression changed.

Lowering his head, he murmured:

—I really am pathetic…

Shun calmly picked up the sword and returned it to its sheath.

Then, handing it to Edén, he said:

—The day this sword acknowledges you, you'll finally understand just how strong you truly are.

Edén accepted the sword and held it tightly.

—Right!

—Are you ready to leave? —Shun asked, turning his back on the world Edén had always known.

Edén looked back one last time, gazing upon the place that, until now, had been his home.

Images of his friends, the happy moments they had shared, and his grandfather's proud smile slowly faded before his eyes.

—Let's go.

A smile formed on Shun's lips as he proclaimed with commanding authority:

—Spatial Technique: Cerberus Gate.

The ground began to shake violently, as though a powerful earthquake had struck.

At his words, the earth split apart, opening a vast fissure from which the furious wails of tormented souls echoed.

—What the hell is all this…?

—You'd better start getting used to it, brat —Shun replied with a laugh.

From within the magma, an enormous gate began to rise.

Its frame was made of obsidian, guarded by the heads of monstrous hounds.

Carved in gold upon its doors was the symbol of the god of the Underworld—

Hades.

Shun extended his hand toward the center of the colossal gate.

As though acknowledging him as their king, the doors opened with ease.

Suddenly, a powerful wind burst forth from beyond them.

A wind so searing that it seemed to cook the skin and burn the lungs.

Shun looked at Edén and said:

—Come on.

Without hesitation, Edén stepped forward.

Although the wind itself seemed determined to deny him entry, the fire burning within his eyes was far more powerful.

Step by step, he approached the gate.

"Goodbye, world."

And with one final step, Edén left everything he had ever known behind.

…

—By the way, there's something I should probably warn you about —Shun remarked as they crossed through the gate—. You might end up kissing the ground.

—Huh?

Without warning, Edén's body was violently dragged downward.

The pressure crushed him as though an entire mountain had fallen on top of him.

—What the hell is happening?! —he screamed as his body sank into the earth.

—Gravity here isn't the same as it is in your world —Shun explained, walking ahead as though nothing were happening.

—Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?! —Edén shouted in alarm.

However, Shun ignored his cries and continued walking without a care in the world.

—Hey, don't ignore me! Help me, please!

Shun let out a sigh.

Then, raising his hand once more, he declared:

—Spatial Technique: Divine Protection.

An invisible sphere expanded around them, enveloping the entire area.

The gravity surrounding Edén stabilized, allowing him to rise to his feet while gasping for breath.

—You're a damn psychopath… —he muttered, completely exhausted.

—Thank you for the compliment —Shun replied sarcastically.

—That wasn't a compliment! —Edén shot back as Shun slowly walked away.

—Damn it… Why did I accept an offer from the first lunatic who crossed my path? —he wondered aloud as he brushed the dust from his clothes.

—I must have a magnet for idiots… And now he's just walking away without saying a word.

—Who the hell does he think he is? —Edén grumbled, throwing a childish fit—. One day, I'm going to beat the crap out of him, and then he'll see who—

His voice died the moment he raised his head.

Before him stretched a vast and desolate landscape.

Rivers of lava flowed between towering black cliffs.

Deformed beasts wandered in the distance.

The sky burned in shades of red and purple, while impossible mountains rose beyond the limits of his sight.

Edén's eyes widened as he stammered:

—W-what is this place?

With his back still turned to him, Shun smiled.

—Welcome, Edén…

—To the Greek Underworld —Shun announced without hesitation.

Edén could not utter a single sound.

All he could do was swallow hard as miles of burning rock and colossal beasts—creatures that seemed to have come straight out of a fantasy novel—spread out before him.

At that moment, he finally understood.

His journey had begun.