She received the gift of God [Greek mythology]

On the trail among the hills, the traveler walks alone with a burden on his back.

A shepherd with a long staff walking towards him was driving a flock of sheep.

"Stranger, where are you going?" the shepherd asked.

The traveler has an ordinary, forgettable face, with calm gray eyes. "I want to go straight along this road." The traveler stopped and smiled, so he replied.

"That can't be done. I advise you to turn back. Go over the mountain in front of you and go forward. There is a swamp by the sea. It is a forbidden place that no one dares to approach!"

"Forbidden place?"

The shepherd lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "No one knows what's there, and anyone who tried to find out never came back." He pulled back a sheep that ran too far after gnawing grass, and shook his head. Said: "Last year, I didn't know what happened to two lambs and ran madly behind the hill. I chased their hoofprints and ran for a long time, but finally I didn't have the courage to move on."

To this, the traveler smiled and did not answer.

The shepherd stopped dissuading him, sighed, and drove the sheep away in the opposite direction.

When the flock of sheep became the white dots dotted on the mountain road in the distance, the traveler's burden moved a few times, and a raven got out of it, opened its beak and said, "It must be true if you say it's a forbidden place. Ah. Phew, there are finally no shrines in this place.”

This traveler is the disguised Elpis.

After taking back the power in the bay, she has been able to change her appearance and body shape freely, at least she can hide it from the eyes of mortals.It is extremely rare for young women to walk alone, attracting attention and attracting trouble.Of course she wasn't afraid of being entangled by thieves, but it would be bad if she left traces and attracted the attention of the ubiquitous gods.So at the moment she looks like a man in his prime.

After avoiding sacred places such as temples and shrines, and avoiding the waters ruled by the sea god for more than a month, she finally came to the vicinity of the second place she sensed.

The closer you get to the so-called restricted area, the more desolate the mountain road will be, with overgrown weeds and apparently few pedestrians passing by.

As the shepherd said, after crossing the hills, the eyes suddenly open up.

The swamp stretches from the foot of the mountain, not divided by thatched grass or mud islands, just like a mirror, reflecting the sky, with almost no end in sight, leading directly to the ocean.

A strange feeling came to Elpis's heart.

She stepped straight into the swamp without sinking, riding the waves.

The silt seemed to have its own will, swelled under the ripples of the water, and was about to rise up and wrap around her ankles, but before it touched her, she felt something and flinched suddenly.

Elpis didn't seem to notice it, she just walked forward step by step, and then suddenly turned around to look into the distance.

The foothills at the end of the swamp overlap with the background of the stalwart city in memory.In the reality that never happened, she stood on the height of a certain palace and looked at the same ridge from afar.

"Epimea."

She whispered the name here.

As if a drop of water fell into the center of the lake, with her as the center, the swamp sank inward, opening a hole like an entrance.

"Kires, are you ready?"

The raven flew to her shoulder: "Of course."

Elpis closed her eyes and let her body fall.

She quickly pierced through a layer of membrane, as if falling into the dark bottom of the sea where you can't see your fingers.But it was not the water of the ocean that touched her skin intimately, but the power of calamity embodied.

Kires cheered, resisting the urge to take off immediately, tilting his head to stare at her, his eyes glowing red.

"Go." Alpis agreed.

The spirit of disaster fluttered its wings and took off, devouring the abundant and flowing power.

--Oh oh oh!

Kires was so excited that he couldn't contain himself, abandoned the form of the raven, and returned to an indescribable black shadow.Their turbulent aura became fierce, and they even forgot to avoid Elpis, the inflated and stretched countless limbs instinctively clung to her robe, wanting to devour everything greedily.

"Kires."

Before she finished speaking, the spirit of disaster retreated immediately.

The master-slave relationship witnessed by Chaos is extremely binding.Alpis did not deliberately emphasize the identity of the master, and Kires was allowed to say whatever he wanted, but for them, there seemed to be a line that must not be crossed.If they devour her, they themselves will collapse immediately.Feeling fear from the hesitant shadows around her, she bent her lips and said before Kires could say:

"It's okay, let's clean it up."

The sticky black barrier in front of her eyes disappeared in an instant, and an incredible scene unfolded in front of Elpis:

She stands at the gate of Epimea, where the square, colonnade, well, market, dwellings, streets, and the highest palace, the city belonging to Epimetheus, the Titan family, stand exactly here .

There is only one difference, but it is crucial: the concept of color here is confused and inverted, both the sky and the walls are filled with chaotic and changing black, only the lines that outline all outlines are colorful.

Even Elpis couldn't help being speechless for a moment.

Kires resumed his raven form, flew to her shoulder, and rubbed her flatteringly: "This place is like this because of you."

Elpis didn't answer, just reached out and carelessly scratched the feathers on the bird's chin and chest.

When Heizhu descended from Olympus, her consciousness was still hazy.It took her a while to think hard before she remembered what she had done.She first lifted the roof of the Epimea Palace, and then directly waved her palm to the whole city.No, before that, she also pardoned a person alone, and gently put him in the distance.

"As soon as you lose your temper, no matter how great the city is, it will be melted and swallowed immediately," Kires complimented sincerely. "This place is just its remnant reflection, and there are no living people for a long time."

Elpis asked back: "Then why didn't you swallow this afterimage?"

Kires choked.

She pressed the city gate, and the city wall and gate twisted strangely, but they immediately returned to their original state and were not corroded by her. "It's the same as the Flame Field, mixed with other things."

That existence supports Epimea's thin form.If she doesn't remove it, she won't be able to take back the remaining power of disaster.

Elpis suddenly turned her gaze, staring at the palace that still looked majestic even with only simple outlines left.She narrowed her eyes slightly, and said with a rare cold face: "There are still survivors there."

After Kires absorbed most of the power here, she obviously felt that she had undergone drastic changes again.With just one thought, she disappeared in place, and reappeared on the long steps leading to the main entrance of the palace the next moment.

She saw this staircase once in a dream and walked it twice.No, in terms of the current time and space, she did not climb to the high gate of this palace at all.

But she knew who was waiting behind the door.

Kireth silently assumed a third form he had never used before: a lean black wolf.It followed her half a step, and the elongated pale reflection on the steps was even bigger, it was a fierce beast with more than one head.

The door was open, unobstructed, and Elpis walked straight to the center of the hall.

The stone throne was hanging in the air, and she kept walking until she came to the throne.

A speck of light dust flickered and floated up.

This is the only existence of color in the entire city of shadows—even though it is tiny, the dust is still wrapped in a dark golden light that symbolizes immortality.

"You are finally here." A voice rooted in nightmares sounded, "Destroy the city I guard, bring disasters to the mortal world, devour my body and imprison me in this evil and ominous mud, stranger, what are you doing?" Who is it? Why are you so hostile to me?"

Elpis casts off her disguise and reveals her true self.

"Epimetheus," the corners of her lips curled up uncontrollably, and she slowly read out the title of the other party in a pleasant voice, "Titan Protoss, wise brother of Prometheus, agent of mortals, Guardian of Pymea. The gods gave me body, soul, gifts, and name, and I should have been Olympus' gift to you and mortals, your wife."

She seemed to be suddenly attacked by a wave of confusion, raised her eyes and looked around, shook her head slightly, and a strand of hair fell from her temples.

"Just pretend I had a nightmare." She looked straight at the direction of the terrace, "In the dream I opened the treasure box from Olympus in this palace, and the disaster prepared by the king of gods poured out. You and Gaia wish. And I... the source of the disaster, as a living sacrifice to the goddess of the earth, also to keep your hands clean and not stained by the blood of God's creation, deprived of my voice, died miserably and slowly alone. "

She reached out to the last remaining spirit of the Titans.The point of light drew a messy arc, trying to escape, but she easily grabbed it into the palm of her hand and locked it in the cage made of her fingers.

The light spots hit her fingers, but were bounced back again and again.

"I don't know why you know about my agreement with Gaia, but before your sudden arrival, my people and I did not inflict any violence on you!"

"That's true," she nodded indifferently, "I blamed you for the pain you had not had time to inflict on me, and unintentionally destroyed the entire city. This is not correct and unreasonable, it is just to vent my emotions."

The light spot swayed back and forth: "Then——"

"You love Prometheus more than the mortals who believe in you, and you are going to exchange their well-being for the pleasure of revenge. It is also not correct and unreasonable. It is just to vent your emotions. At that time, or at that time, will you and I'm the same now, will it be the same feeling?

"I don't hate mortals, but I don't particularly love them either. They were drawn into my hatred of you and lost their lives because of the fire your brother stole. In the end, I did what you did, and Olympus There is no difference between the gods. Maybe the so-called gods are no different from children with sharp swords in their hands. Should I try to make myself different from you, and how to do it...I haven't figured it out yet."

She smiled, and her words were full of soft sarcasm:

"But that's all for later. Epimetheus, what troubles me most now is how to deal with you."

Epimetheus no longer tried in vain to break free, trying to make a deal with Elpis: "Let me go, and you can get the power left here. You need them, right?"

Elpis deepened her smile when she heard the words, held the light spot between her fingers and looked at it, and asked softly: "The calamity has already swallowed up your body, so is it possible for me to eat up your soul as well? As long as you do that, whether you like it or not, I will reclaim the power of disaster here."

The dark golden light trembled, it was unknown whether it was rage or fear.

She sighed, and suddenly threw the light spot forward: "Kires."

The spirit of calamity in the form of a black wolf swooped out, jumped high, bit the light spot, and trotted back to Elpis with it in its mouth.Just going back and forth like that, the spot of light seems to be smaller than before.

"You—" Realizing that she was seriously considering completely eroding the gods, Epimetheus's voice trembled violently, "If you devour me...Olympos will not allow you to continue to exist. You...you Think about it!"

Such a tall Titan Protoss is now the dust that would be wiped out at the first thought of her, so he almost begged her for mercy.

The strange thing is that she didn't feel the slightest pleasure, and even just bored.

"The Titan King Cronus swallowed his own child, and Zeus, the god who ranked first among the gods of Olympus, swallowed Metis, the goddess of wisdom. Even if I swallow you clean, it is not an unprecedented event. " She thought for a moment, "But you are right, I can't get anything out of eroding your soul."

Epimetheus had no powers at her disposal.Besides, did she return from Chaos to punish Epimetheus?of course not.

"Tell Epimea to stop resisting me, and I will let you go."

Elpis's attitude suddenly reversed, and Epimetheus remained silent hesitantly.

"Don't want or don't believe me? That's fine."

"Do not--"

The next moment, the palace outlined in the shadows deformed and collapsed like melting snow under the spring light.The city of shadows with the guardian's will as its skeleton finally collapsed and fell into darkness.

Sticky black shadows poured towards her continuously, merging into her winding robes.

Then, a bright light flashed, and the blackness faded away.

The swamp disappeared, and the bare dark land surfaced, reconnecting the ocean and mountains.

Elpis let go of her fingers and blew into her palm.

The golden light spots landed, transforming into limbs.The Titan Protoss wanted to get up on the ground, but his movements froze suddenly: "You... what did you do to me?"

"As promised, I let you go. But I didn't promise to let you leave as it is." She smiled apologetically and added very considerately, "Nothing else, but you have to be more careful from now on. Once you are fatally Injury, or being entangled by some stubborn disease, what awaits you is death."

The undead are gods.

And she gave the gods death.