Page 1 of The Don's Eternal Vows

Prologue

The screech of metal slices through the putrid air as the Stymphalian birds descend upon me through the cloak of darkness. Their claws outstretched, beaks open and ready to tear flesh from bone. My heart hammers against my ribs, breath ragged as I sprint through the land of the dead.

Twigs snap underfoot, thorns tear at my skin, yet I pay them no mind. Survival is all that matters now—piece by piece, my armor clatters to the ground, too heavy to bear any longer. I want nothing more than to lie down and let death take me, but I cannot. Not yet.

I push on through the oppressive terrain, the faces of my children flashing in my mind. Their small, innocent eyes look to me as I bid them goodbye under the care of their aunt before I descended into the underworld. Shall I not return? I worry about what might come of them.

My eldest is still far too young to take the throne.

No. I must not taint our fate with cursed thoughts.

I promised I would return with their mother. For them, I will keep fighting.

Charon took every silver coin I possessed, but what are precious tokens in the face of love? I know she is here. My queen awaits me somewhere in this nightmare realm. I will find her and take her back to the mortal realm, or I will die trying.

The trees thin ahead, revealing a winding river, its inky waters choking the bleak shoreline. Hope flickers faintly. This must lead somewhere. I plunge into the freezing torrent, its grasping fingers threatening to drag me under. But I am stronger. Love makes me so.

I emerge on the other side ragged and shaking, but ahead lies my prize: the towering obsidian gates of Hades' kingdom. She is there—my queen, my love. I have crossed hell itself to find her, and not even the Lord of the Underworld can stop me now.

I pass through the imposing gates, my eyes scanning the gloomy landscape. Twisted obelisks and statues leer down at me as I make my way towards the throne room. Spirits whisper and wail, their voices echoing all around.

Up ahead, a dark hallway looms. I quicken my pace, skinless hands clawing at my flesh, but I push on, using the pain to focus my mind. Her face appears radiant and perfect from memory, guiding me through the shadows.

The spirits come, their whispers echoing off the cavern walls, urging me to turn back.

"Go no further, mortal," they hiss. "The Palace of Hades is not meant for the living."

"I have come too far to falter now," I say through gritted teeth.

Death means nothing if I cannot save her.

The massive gates of the throne room loom before me now. My queen awaits within. Hades himself stands between us, but he does not know the power of a promise made in love.

I push open the doors, their groan echoing through the endless dark. With my last ounce of strength, I fall to my knees before the God of the Dead and beg for her life.

The cold stone bites into my knees, my head bowed in supplication.

"Please," I rasp, my voice ragged from the arduous journey. "I have come to take back what is mine."

Hades regards me with eyes like endless voids, his expression unreadable. "You dare much to enter my domain, mortal," he says, his voice booming through the large, empty hall.

I raise my eyes to meet that pitiless gaze. "I dare anything for love."

At this, Hades smiles, though there is no warmth, only cunning. "Then you shall be tested."

He waves a hand and ghostly figures emerge from the shadows. I gasp as I recognize the translucent form - my wife. She stares at me with sad, empty eyes.

Hades continues, "Lead her out if you can. But look not behind you, or all is lost. Shall you succeed, you will leave a part of you here until eternity. To gain her back, you must lose yourself."

I clench my fists, steadying myself. This is my chance, though the cost is dear. "I accept your challenge," I reply.

My phantom wife surrounds me. Her touch is a cold mist against my skin. Still, I wrap my arms around her, shepherding her toward the mortal lands.

The light glimmers just ahead, faint but unmistakable—the way back to life. I tighten my grip on my wife's cold hand, her presence like a delicate mist beside me. We are so close now. After everything I’ve endured to find her, we will be free.

But Hades' realm does not let go easily. Shadows close in around us, and from the sky above, the shrieks of the Stymphalian birds pierce the dark air, their metallic wings slicing toward us. I shift to shield her, raising an arm as razor-sharp claws tear through my flesh. The pain is nothing; I’ve come too far to fail now.

"Keep moving!" I urge her, casting a glance at her pale face, almost translucent in the dim light. She nods, her eyes full of hope and fear. My heart hammers as we press forward, each step an eternity, with the light growing larger, so close I can almost feel its warmth.

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