Epic of Caterpillar

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After Zagreus realized his sisters weren't around, he quickly ran downstairs, his friends following him from behind very closely, the other Undead Gods also felt worried, running behind them.

Melinoe and Makaria were Zagreus younger sisters, both of them still training, and the reason why their father decided to not put them through this ordeal yet.

They had great potential, however, with unique and powerful divinities that could one day become a great help to Tartarus itself.

Zagreus loved his sisters, although he was sometimes rather distant with them because he felt he wasn't a kid anymore, they always made him happy, even when they pranked him or acted childishly unruly.

Now that his mother was kidnaped, and his father was dead, they were the last family members he had, the young man didn't want to lose them, or to even imagine something happening to them now.

"Melinoe! Makaria!"

He screamed and called their names, until finally reaching the last floor of the palace by flying up several stairs.

There was a massive hall, and a huge black hole in the middle, the hall was slightly illuminated by floating will-o-wisps.

In the hole, right in the middle, there was a huge object floating in midair, it resembled a five-meter-big box made of bones, with several skulls and candles stuck to it.

The candles were lit with blue flames, and the skulls were constantly reciting a strange, ominous chorus.

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH…!"

Surrounding the hole where this strange object was floating, there was a huge formation made up of thousands of Divine Runes with many Nodes and Materials.

It was overflowing with thousands of souls and divine and even spirit power.

Although confused, Zagreus kept looking for his sisters.

"Melinoe! Makaria! Where are you- Ah!"

Zagreus quickly realized they were right there, kneeling and constantly reciting words in a very low voice, activating the formation.

"W-What are you…?!"

They ignored him, too focused to even give him a glance.

"Melinoe? Makaria?"

As he walked towards them, Sindarin patted his shoulders.

"Wait, Zagreus! Don't interrupt them! I feel a tremendous Divine Power emerging from that huge box!" She said. "It might be scary, but it feels oddly… oddly comforting! Like…"

"Eh?" Zagreus' eyes widened, as he noticed what she meant. "Y-You're right, it feels like my…!"

FLUOSH!

Zagreus saw the Divinities of his sisters activating at full swing, flowing through the formation and reaching the box made of bones.

Makaria was the Goddess of Soul Healing, and Melinoe was the Goddess of the Duality Between Life and Death, their Divinities activated and merged into one through the formation.

And using this power they called forth and also healed a mighty soul that had been placed here, which Zagreus had believed died.

At the same time, another figure appeared from the formation, a huge humanoid spirit made of black crystals.

"Ferberite?!"

Zagreus thought he had died alongside his father, his vessel! However, he was completely mistaken, the Spirit was alive and kicking, and right here with his family.

"How did he get here? What's going on?"

As he began to wonder what happened, he recalled the Supreme God of Time's words.

"The clock of time is tickling. Timelines converge. Choices that were not made, were now made. Go back to Tartarus and see for yourself what awaits you within its dark depths."

Zagreus finally understood what happened, the Supreme God of Time merged a timeline where something much more different happened.

Where different decisions were made, and where…

His father prepared a backup plan.

"Come back, father!"

"With our authority, we'll bring you back!"

Melinoe and Makaria cried, their tears falling into the formation and further boosting it with their power and connection with Hades.

The phantasmal soul rapidly manifested, its divinity at full power, despite having been destroyed by Eligos, he came back, his daughters healing his soul completely.

FLAAASH!

The Undead Gods fell to their knees, and so did Zagreus, his friends glanced in awe, Glimmerdust and Sindarin were already crying.

The Divine Phantasmal Soul stepped forward, a new Divine Body was quickly created using many materials and resources, and the powers of Ferberite, making it even stronger than before, as planned.

His long black hair, his sharp red eyes, his cold, yet fatherly expression, his slightly depressing eyes, and yet the small warmth he held within them for his dear family.

"Father!"

Zagreus screamed, running towards Hades, as he was hugged by his daughters first, and then his son, all three of them cried like babies as they hugged him.

Hades remained in silence for a moment, embracing them.

A miracle among miracles happened, something that only a being that could control and converge timelines themselves achieved.

A favor that Zagreus would one day have to return…

"I am here… I didn't die," Hades said, calming his children. "I was able to set up a powerful Divine Phylactery in case I perished. My soul was destroyed, but the fragments were summoned back. of course, it was still a gamble, I was counting on Eligos to die. After all, if he remained alive, my soul would still remain within him as he ate it… It seems the plan worked, and they were vanquished, right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Zagreus cried. "The Supreme God of Time… he did this, father!"

"What?" Hades asked.

"Before this you hadn't set up anything! You didn't do this… He converged a timeline where you did it into this one… He made this miracle possible…" Zagreus continued crying.

"He did such a thing for me?" Hades wondered. "But why…"

"He said… You were an old friend of him…" Zagreus slowly calmed down, caressing his sisters' heads. "I don't know what he meant…"

"An old friend…" Hades wondered, without being able to recall anything at all. "Perhaps we will become friends… In the future he envisioned?"

"I'm glad you're back… I really don't know what I would've done if you weren't here…" Zagreus sighed. "I… Right! Please! You have to help me! My friend's sister, she died… Can you revive her? Even as an Undead, he said it was fine…!"

Hades glanced at the Sun Monkey God and the body of his sister he was carrying, wrapped on white sheets.

"…Very well, leave it to me."

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