CHAPTER 112: FRUIT OF LABOR

The cave yawned before them, black and damp, the air humming with faint energy. Stalactites dripped water into unseen pools. The ground glittered faintly, as though dusted with salt and stars.

The group entered, their footsteps echoing. The deeper they went, the stronger the smell of brine became.

"Is this the one?" Aphrodite asked Glasán.

"Aye. I have only been here once but... it’s not a place you can easily forget," Glasán said, hugging himself.

He seemed to have many conflicting feelings returning here. After all, this was the place where he was created, and which sealed his fate as a legend.

And at the heart of the cave, bathed in a faint blue-green glow, hung the fruits. Their skin shimmered like little pearls, drops of light clinging to their surface. They pulsed faintly, as though alive and breathing.

"Ohhh, what are these?" Somner, as a lover of shiny and pretty things, was immediately attracted to them.

But the other four immediately grabbed him and pulled him back before his hand could graze the fruits.

"Do not touch them," Hermes warned, his voice sharp. "We don’t know if they’re of this world or the Void. And it’s very likely that they’re from the Void by the looks of it."

Aphrodite agreed. "Yes... I have never seen any species of flora like it. And botany is a great interest of mine."

They trudged forward, searching for the Rift they saw that blew a gust of wind that lodged itself into Glasán’s throat. But...

Somner being the brat that he was, couldn’t just do as he was told.

***

The Rift wasn’t difficult to find. It was a tear in the air itself, a jagged wound where the cave wall seemed to bleed shadows. The closer they drew, the more the air warped and pulled, as though every breath came from the edge of the abyss.

Hermes and Apple exchanged a glance. They did not need words between them. Together, they stepped through.

The others watched as their bodies bent and shimmered like reflections on disturbed water, until they vanished into the dark.

Glasán staggered back a step. "Christ’s mercy... will they come back?"

Aphrodite placed a hand on his arm, steady and calm. "They will. Do not fear, Glasán. This is not the first time they’ve walked into the Void."

Glasán’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. His eyes clung to the tear, waiting.

Moments later, the two figures re-emerged, gasping slightly but otherwise unharmed.

"No change?" Aphrodite asked quickly.

Hermes shook his head. "Nothing. We passed through the Rift, felt its pull, but... no transformation."

"So it isn’t the Rift itself." Apple added, voice low.

They barely had time to reflect when the sound of boots echoed deeper into the cave. Rough laughter. The clink of steel. Shadows appeared at the cave’s mouth.

"Well, well," One of them sneered as he stepped into the glow.

His eyes immediately widened at Glasán. "And here I thought we’d just find a few travelers pokin’ around. But look at this prize! The Ridire Na Mara himself."

Another spat on the ground. "The Norse would pay good silver for him. Or even our own kin who envy him."

Bandits!

Glasán stiffened, but Hermes shifted in front of him, protective.

"You’ve made a mistake," Aphrodite said coolly.

The bandits laughed. "A mistake? No, lad, this is fortune. Hand him over. We’ll be merciful if ye don’t resist."

Somner snorted. "Merciful, my ass."

He cracked his knuckles. "I’ve been waiting for a reason to try this out again."

His throat thrummed. A note of Sirentone spilled out, rich and commanding.

The bandits froze mid-step. Their sneers faltered, twisting into confusion. Then Aphrodite added his voice, sharp as glass, and Apple layered theirs in eerie, single-syllable commands. Hermes followed, steady as a tide. Glasán, trembling but resolute, lifted his voice too.

"Drop."

The bandits’ swords clattered to the floor.

"On your knees."

The cave filled with the sound of men obeying, their pride cracking under invisible pressure.

Hermes almost smiled at the unity of their voices. But then—

Somner gasped. His body jerked as though struck. His eyes glowed faintly, his skin shimmering with scales. His legs twisted, lengthening, melding into a slick tail. Fins tore from his arms.

"Somner!" Aphrodite cried, lunging forward.

But the transformation swept fast, inexorable. Within heartbeats, Somner’s human form had warped into that of a merrow, his tail gleaming emerald and silver under the cave’s glow. His gills flared as he sucked in a shuddering breath.

"I... Cough! I thought it’d be fine," he rasped between laughs. "Just a little one. I only ate a small fruit. If it was poison, you’d fix me, right?"

Hermes’ eyes widened. "You... What???"

Aphrodite’s face went pale. "The fruits. Oh gods. The fruits are the cause. Not the Rift!"

Apple spoke the words flat, certain. "The fruits turn all to merrow."

Realization sank into the group with terrible clarity.

Hermes clenched his jaw. "Then we’ve solved it. The fruit is the curse."

The bandits, half on their knees and half terrified of what they had just seen, scrambled back when Hermes’ gaze turned on them.

With one unified command from the five voices.

"Leave."

The men bolted from the cave, their pride in tatters.

Glasán’s chest heaved. He still felt the intoxicating pull of Sirentone to finish them, to rend their bodies into silence. His hand twitched toward the sword at his hip. But Hermes’ earlier words echoed in his mind.

Not violence. Not that path.

Glasán closed his eyes, forcing the urge down. When he opened them, his grip was steady again.

Hermes noticed. And though the moment was fleeting, he felt a rush of quiet relief. Perhaps the future was not doomed after all.

A slow, deliberate clap echoed from deeper within the cave.

"Well done."

Dante emerged from the shadows, foxlike grin sharp as ever. "Ah, what a fine show. Truly entertaining. And enlightening."

"You were watching us," Aphrodite accused.

"Of course. Bandits, eh? No adventure without encountering them." Dante’s grin widened.

Hermes glared but didn’t argue.

The truth was obvious, it was him who brought the rascals here. Perhaps he even already knew the answer to the mystery and just played dumb.

"Now that the mystery is solved," Dante continued. "You know what must be done. No fruit for Muirenn. None for any who bear the gift. Only the air of the Rift—safe enough, it seems."

Hermes exhaled. "Then we’ve found the root of the curse."

"Good." Dante tilted his head, fox-tail swishing. "Now, let us deal with the boy, hm?"

Somner was half-sprawled on the wet stone, swishing his tail experimentally.

He looked oddly pleased with himself despite the situation. "I kind of like it. I’m a pretty merman! Perhaps I should strut my stuff in the streets like this. "

"You can’t even stand, much less strut." Aphrodite pointed out.

"Alright, alright." Hermes knelt beside him. "Time to fix this."

Together, Hermes, Apple, and Aphrodite reached inward, drawing on Rewind. The magic twined between them, wrapping Somner in threads of light. His scales shriveled, then peeled away as the tail split back into legs.

He gagged suddenly, coughing violently until a half-digested fruit spilled from his mouth.

"Ughhh." Somner wiped his lips, grimacing.

"Fine. At least I get to live my merman fantasy for a bit." He pouted, though his eyes gleamed mischievously.

It was then Dante’s smile faded, replaced by something more somber.

"Have you said your goodbyes?" he asked softly. "Time to go. The clock must turn the way it should."

The group grew quiet. Glasán’s gaze lowered, but when Hermes reached out, he took his hand without hesitation.

They embraced, all of them—Hermes, Apple, Aphrodite, Somner, and Glasán. A tangle of arms, of warmth, of reluctant farewell.

When the moment broke, Hermes spoke. "Apple and I... will be merging again."

Aphrodite’s eyes widened. Somner blinked. "Wait, what?"

But Dante only hummed, as though he’d expected nothing else. Still, he asked, "And why is that?"

Apple and Hermes looked at one another, their bond wordless.

Then Hermes said, "Because we’ve come to understand. Light and dark belong together. To deny one is to deny the whole of who we are."

Apple nodded once. "We are one."

Aphrodite bit his lip. "Then... goodbye, Apple."

Somner added more softly, "We’ll miss you."

Dante raised his hand, the Rift behind him widening once more. "Then let it be so. You shall be one, as you were meant to be."

As the light of the Rift engulfed them, Hermes felt his heart ache. He had to let go of not just one, but two he had loved in so short a time. Glasán, left in the past. Apple, dissolving back into him.

But it was not truly goodbye. Glasán would remain in his heart. Apple would remain in his mind.

And so, bittersweet and resolute, Hermes vanished with the others into the current of time.