The darkness stirred around her, beckoning the ghost queen forward. She was accustomed to the dark, the dreary, the endless void. How long had she dwelled within the Underworld? Yet something about this darkness was different.
Melinoë felt herself begin to stir, eyes fluttering open. Eyes? Closed? Was she asleep? How strange. She was a daughter of nightmares, a traveler of the night, had she ever slept before?
Saffron eyes blinked open to a sky full of stars. How beautiful. And yet… it felt different. She felt corporeal. Blinking in quiet wonder, she studied the heavens above. Was she.. breathing?
She frowned slightly, lifting a paw to her face. A paw. Was she… a wolf?
A soft chuckle escaped her. How bemusing. Not her preferred form, but she wasn’t one to complain.
She wasn’t alone, however. Spirits lingered nearby; she could feel them drawing close. Ever the shepherd of the lost. Turning her head, she caught sight of a young pup staring with hollow eyes. It did not speak, only drifted nearer. She extended a paw, passing it gently through the apparition.
The spirit flickered once before fading from view. Rising to her feet, the daughter of Hades felt oddly out of place. Had she ever held a body like this, one that was living? The sensation fascinated her.
When she found her balance, she took in her surroundings. Fear had no place in her heart; she was the bringer of horrors, the tormentor. A haunting smile curved her maw.
She stood amid a grand copse of trees painted in hues of crimson and orange. To another, the sight might have been beautiful. To her, it only marked the ticking of time’s clock.
With a quiet hum, she began to move through the forest, her steps steadying with each stride. Four-legged forms were familiar enough; this one was merely a new vessel. Still, she wasn’t alone.
The wind whispered in reply as spectral shapes emerged, birds, bears, wolves, otters, a true gathering of lost souls. One by one, she greeted them, offering words of comfort until each faded into peace.
How long she stood there, guiding spirits into the beyond, she could not say. Nor did it matter. This was her duty, her honor.
At last, the flow of souls waned. Exhaling into the crisp night air, she pondered why the dead were so restless tonight. Usually, spirits were calm, docile. What had stirred them so?
Perhaps it was something to discuss with her father, or with Thanatos himself. Yet when she turned her will inward, attempting to shed her earthly form and return below, nothing happened.
Melinoë froze. Her brow furrowed as she tried again, but the effort was fruitless.
Lifting her gaze to the stars, she wondered which god, or goddess, had bound her here. Had she overstepped? Played too freely with fate?
How… irritating.
With a quiet sigh, she settled onto her haunches, eyes locked on the star-strewn heavens above, searching for rhyme or reason, though such things had never meant much in her existence.
Melinoë felt herself begin to stir, eyes fluttering open. Eyes? Closed? Was she asleep? How strange. She was a daughter of nightmares, a traveler of the night, had she ever slept before?
Saffron eyes blinked open to a sky full of stars. How beautiful. And yet… it felt different. She felt corporeal. Blinking in quiet wonder, she studied the heavens above. Was she.. breathing?
She frowned slightly, lifting a paw to her face. A paw. Was she… a wolf?
A soft chuckle escaped her. How bemusing. Not her preferred form, but she wasn’t one to complain.
She wasn’t alone, however. Spirits lingered nearby; she could feel them drawing close. Ever the shepherd of the lost. Turning her head, she caught sight of a young pup staring with hollow eyes. It did not speak, only drifted nearer. She extended a paw, passing it gently through the apparition.
να είσαι σε ηρεμία,she murmured.
The spirit flickered once before fading from view. Rising to her feet, the daughter of Hades felt oddly out of place. Had she ever held a body like this, one that was living? The sensation fascinated her.
When she found her balance, she took in her surroundings. Fear had no place in her heart; she was the bringer of horrors, the tormentor. A haunting smile curved her maw.
She stood amid a grand copse of trees painted in hues of crimson and orange. To another, the sight might have been beautiful. To her, it only marked the ticking of time’s clock.
With a quiet hum, she began to move through the forest, her steps steadying with each stride. Four-legged forms were familiar enough; this one was merely a new vessel. Still, she wasn’t alone.
έλα τότε,she called softly.
Άσε με να σε αναπαύσω, για να μπορέσεις να διασχίσεις τον ποταμό Στύγα.
The wind whispered in reply as spectral shapes emerged, birds, bears, wolves, otters, a true gathering of lost souls. One by one, she greeted them, offering words of comfort until each faded into peace.
How long she stood there, guiding spirits into the beyond, she could not say. Nor did it matter. This was her duty, her honor.
At last, the flow of souls waned. Exhaling into the crisp night air, she pondered why the dead were so restless tonight. Usually, spirits were calm, docile. What had stirred them so?
Perhaps it was something to discuss with her father, or with Thanatos himself. Yet when she turned her will inward, attempting to shed her earthly form and return below, nothing happened.
Melinoë froze. Her brow furrowed as she tried again, but the effort was fruitless.
Lifting her gaze to the stars, she wondered which god, or goddess, had bound her here. Had she overstepped? Played too freely with fate?
How… irritating.
With a quiet sigh, she settled onto her haunches, eyes locked on the star-strewn heavens above, searching for rhyme or reason, though such things had never meant much in her existence.
