Chapter 13
Shadow
Shadow left Artemis’s mansion and moved through the trees, holding tightly onto his new knowledge. He was now on his way to accomplish another significant matter.
The stir of his void didn’t stop, not even when he reached the alley that led him back to Olympus’s center.
Remembering his inability to accompany Zeus into the Underworld, which stopped him from discovering the crucial information Zeus urgently needed to convey to Hades following his meeting with Thalira Lunara, a surge of anger began to boil within him.
However, he did not let himself fall prey to such pathetic, mundane emotions. He was better than that, and to prove it to himself, he had to remain consistent in his thoughts so he could concentrate on finding the truth.
He contemplated the wide array of potential results while he worked to make connections between the conversations he had overheard. But to do this, he knew it was necessary to delve further into the gods’ malicious schemes.
I shall observe my favorite mortal’s activities.
As he descended between the buildings of Olympus, he bypassed any further analysis of his surroundings. He was, for once, indifferent to the pitiful creatures he could have mocked. He had enough on his void to care less about his own enjoyment.
At this moment, I understand my freedom to be a purpose, not just a past pleasurable activity.
Having finally arrived at the building, he began to glide upward, stopping close to the window.
He recalled the first time he entered Charisma Sinclair’s room. Her agitated, perplexed face had made an impression. When he had finished speaking, the mortal’s mouth had opened, revealing the tempest of feelings within her.
While he enjoyed replaying that moment in his void, he had to confirm that Charisma Sinclair was going to listen to him.
He remained there for just a few moments to observe her before entering her room. He found her sitting on the side of the bed, her gaze unwavering. It was obvious that her mind was elsewhere, probably replaying the first trial that had ended earlier that day.
As the moon shone down, the copper and red strands of hair that rested on her shoulders gleamed.
She looked like a goddess herself. Her face reminded him of an open book; a canvas of emotions that changed so rapidly it was hard to comprehend, as if the pages were turning faster than anyone could read.
That was how quickly her feelings flickered across her face.
Even without speaking to her, Shadow already possessed a keen understanding of her emotions.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips pursed into a straight line. The stress surging within her made her fingers fidget restlessly in her lap, as she began to tear at the little pieces of dry skin around her clean nails.
Perhaps the next trial that is set to begin is the cause of her worries?
I’m eager to see how you’ll feel once I expose your failure in successfully making everyone believe that you are in love with the God of Love.
After merely a second, Shadow opened the window of her room and effortlessly slipped inside, taking note of how Charisma remained unfazed and did not show any fear upon seeing him.
This time, she could only offer him what was left of her crumbled confidence—she was obviously scared to let him see that she was anything but fearless.
With a tone that was both gravelly and low, he began to speak.
“Hello, my awkward mortal.” His voice made the fairy come to a stop on her shoulder, moving to hide behind a strand of her long hair. “It has been brought to my attention that your chances to portray yourself as deeply in love with Eros were lacking.”
As she looked at him, her narrowed eyelids and flared nostrils made it obvious that a growing sense of anger and confusion was taking over. She absorbed every word spoken by Shadow and remained silent, a sense of fear written all over her face.
Shadow crept closer, his intense peony scent surely invading her personal space as she maintained her straight posture. Her eyes narrowed at him, and she swallowed hard, struggling with the lump stuck in her throat.
“To prove that you are in love with the God of Love, you are expected to stay at his home, starting this night. You shall only know the feeling of his bed, mortal.”
As Shadow’s soft statement reverberated throughout the room, the only sound he could discern was Charisma Sinclair’s words as he slowly faded from her presence.
“At least do me the courtesy of answering some questions before leaving…” Her voice faded as he continued to move farther away from her room.
Those were the final words that Shadow heard her utter, and he knew that if he would’ve been a living being, he certainly would have smirked at her continued efforts to persist in her fight for her own free will.
But he knew she possessed enough intelligence to know that there was no such thing as free will in the Elythra.