Barely listening to what Madam Begonia was saying, Iode sighed inwardly as his clairvoyance of flaw activated within a fraction of a second.
If nothing else, he now knew that this was no celestial abode—it was a human-built house. His younger sisters weren't here either. The humans had completely misunderstood their relationship, or rather, the demons had made them believe they were siblings, which wasn't true.
Even more concerning, the owner of the house, Madam Begonia, seemed to have her memories twisted. However, she was the only one affected—everyone else was in their right state of mind. And since the owner of the house had accepted them, who were they to challenge her decision?
Amica, the young girl and granddaughter of the mistress, was in full possession of her senses, yet she was getting along well with the twins—especially Nivea. This meant either their powers hadn't worked on her, or they had simply sweet-talked her into friendship.
"Should I raise an alarm and tell these oblivious people the true nature of the ones they're harboring?" he thought.
"Methuselah, quit frowning and enjoy the food presented to you. People worked hard for this," Reggie said with an innocent smile.
"..." Sitting directly opposite him, Amica kept smiling at him. Whenever their eyes met, she would quickly look away and smile shyly. However, what Iode saw in her was the image of his daughter, Roxana. He smiled wryly.
Roxanne, Roxana... I hope you two forgive me for not being there for you, he thought.
---
Later, in Iode's room, he called Reggie and Nivea for a talk.
"You two, explain yourselves. I thought I made it clear that we should all go our separate ways," Iode said, sitting on his bed.
"Well, Iode, that would've been great for all of us," Nivea said. "You see, we want freedom too. But look at our wrists—and yours as well."
She and Reggie raised their hands, revealing the mark etched into their wrists—the Mark of Valier, the same mark on Iode's.
"Methuselah," Reggie began, "our dad didn't tell you this, but the three of us are bound together. We can't be apart for too long. I'm pretty sure that old man is watching us right now."
"You might not feel the weight of the energy because we're close to each other, but once we're far apart, you'll feel it," Nivea added.
"Gah! Why is Valier screwing me over? What exactly did I do to deserve all this?" Iode said, frustrated.
"Yours is definitely a punishment for destroying the Valier Castle and breaching the contract," Nivea replied. "Ours is a test. Our dad wants to see how we'll fare in a world as dangerous as Earth. But honestly, you're just a victim of circumstance. You were the only non-demon available to chaperone our test, using your own transgressions as a cover."
"Damn Valier. Because of him, I can't see my kids grow up. By the time I return, they'll be adults," Iode said, frowning.
"Methuselah, when will you get out of your wishful thinking? My dad already told you—and he wasn't lying. Your kids have lived and died. Time in the underworld is different from the mortal realm," Reggie explained. "You've outlived everyone in your generation. You're probably living in your great-great-great-great-great grandchildren's generation—if they even survived the continuous unrest and war that's ravaged your world. Your children are... fossils."
"Are they really gone?... Then there's no point in living. I want to die," Iode said somberly.
"What?! Don't say that! If you die, we'll be forced to return home—we just got here!" Reggie panicked, but Nivea smacked him on the head.
"Don't talk to him like that. He's grieving. We have to comfort him," Nivea scolded.
"Yeah, yeah, you do that," Reggie pouted.
Iode sat silently on the bed, deeply downcast, staring at the floor.
"Iode," Nivea said gently, "there's actually a way for you to see your family again—your wife and your kids."
"There is?" Iode asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes, but you'd have to see Hades," Nivea said shyly.
"Hades? You mean the guy who added to my burdens?" Iode scoffed. Then he remembered something Hades had once told him:
"You have my acknowledgement. We will see each other again..."
He frowned.
"Yeah, I thought you'd say that. But there's a way to make him forget what you did to Cerberus," Nivea said.
"And what would that be?" Iode asked.
"Make Cerberus acknowledge you... or find a way to bypass him without a fight," she replied.
"I don't know how intelligent dogs are, but I'm pretty sure they remember anyone who hurt them. Meeting that beast is a death sentence. If I'm going to die, I'd rather do it here than face a gruesome end at the hands of a demon beast," Iode muttered.
"But you can do it, Methuselah," Reggie said. "There have been records of humans who passed Cerberus without fighting—Orpheus and Aeneas, for example. Orpheus soothed Cerberus with music so he could see his wife. Aeneas had help distracting the beast."
"Orpheus? Soothing Cerberus with music? Since when does Orpheus like music? He loves gardening," Iode questioned.
"It's not the Orpheus you know. This one lived a millennium before Orpheus Turker of the Original Five wizard tribe," Reggie clarified.
"Iode, since you're not a musician and don't care for music, we should go with the Aeneas approach," Nivea suggested.
"You two want to help me because I'm your key to freedom. If I die, you'll rot in the underworld. Yeah, I like my idea better—let's do it my way," Iode said.
"What?! Don't be like that, Methuselah! Even if you can't care for your children anymore, you can still care for your great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren. They may have lost their parents to war or worse. You could be there for them," Reggie pleaded.
"What the hell are you saying, Reggie?" Nivea snapped. "He needs time to grieve. He's mortal—he's full of emotions. Give him space."
"Gah! When will he be ready? We just got to Earth," Reggie muttered.
"Time, Reggie. He needs time," Nivea said firmly.
Reggie sighed. "Methuselah, please think about what we talked about... Seriously, think about it. We'll owe you. We haven't even begun to enjoy life on Earth."
"Reggie, let's go," Nivea said. She grabbed Reggie by the collar and dragged him out of the room.
Iode remained on the bed, completely silent and deeply sorrowful. Eventually, he lay down and covered his eyes with his forearm.
"Olivia... what do I do?" he whispered...