CHAPTER 44: YOU DESERVE IT

The morning air smelled like sweet rice cakes and damp earth, the aftermath of a long night of drizzle. Hermes found himself on the outskirts of Villagers AD18, standing beside Magni as they both waved goodbye to the villagers.

"You sure you don’t want to stay for one more meal?" Asked one of the aunties, holding up a heaping tray of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves.

Hermes shook his head with a smile. "I’d never leave if I kept saying yes."

They waved and walked down the dirt road that would eventually lead them to the nearest portal hub. The villagers had been more than kind, hosting them like honored guests, not knowing what happened with the Void and Trivia.

Still, Hermes could feel a sense of finality hanging in the air. This trip had changed things.

As they left, his thoughts swirled like the steam rising from the forest canopy. His mind couldn’t let go of everything he had learned—about the Rift, about his origins, about the Void and how it wasn’t simply a place of monsters. About Aphrodite.

He had seen people both broken and redeemed, rejected and still resilient.

And through it all, he had changed too.

***

Back in the city, Hermes collapsed face-first onto his couch the second he got home.

Xolotl barked in protest and bounced off the cushions, tail wagging furiously as if complaining about Hermes not greeting him.

"Sorry, boy. I missed you too." Hermes murmured into the upholstery.

Magni came in after, looking only slightly less tired. "I will never understand why humans insist on staying in square boxes for dwelling."

"Oh yeah. As if living underground isn’t more claustrophobic" Hermes mumbled. "But I get it, you’re used to a large labyrinth of molten rocks and magma."

Magni cackled, flopping on the rug beside Xolotl and immediately starting a game of tug-of-war with one of the dog’s stuffed toys. Hermes watched, amused, until a knock sounded on the door.

"I got it!" Magni rushed to the door.

"Don’t open it if it’s a salesperson or a missionary. They’ll leave eventually." Hermes called out, dragging himself upright.

But when he cracked the door open, what he saw wasn’t a salesman or a missionary. It was three puppies.

Three eerily familiar puppies.

They were jet black, their eyes glowing faintly gold, and their fluffy ears stood tall and alert. Each one had a small, sharp row of baby fangs and oddly well-postured necks—as if trained like tiny soldiers.

Hermes stared. "No way."

One of the puppies stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said in a voice just a bit too regal for a creature its size: "We have chosen you, Lord of Many Wonders. Devourer of Energies."

Hermes stepped back, aghast. "Grrberus?"

Another pup wagged its tail. "We are the fragments. Now unbound. You released us. Therefore, we are yours."

"I decline." Hermes said without a second thought.

The third pup licked his shoe. "Irrelevant."

Magni peeked from behind Hermes. "Ooooh! Puppies!"

The next hour devolved into chaos. Magni tried to name them all different flavors of magma—Obsidian, Ember, and Soot—while Xolotl tried to play alpha dog and failed miserably. Eventually, Hermes gave up trying to impose order.

"I guess I have four dogs now." He muttered, sipping a cold soda from the fridge. "And a dog-brained lava monster to take care of."

Magni just howled with the dogs, playing with them while on all fours.

"...Though I guess it’s not so bad." Hermes smiled to himself. "There’s worse things out there."

***

The next day, Hermes found himself at the Golden Apple HQ again.

It felt strange being back after everything. The halls were the same. The smell of lemon disinfectant still lingered. But he wasn’t the same.

The rest of the squad were fashionably late as always except for Somner. The director sipped on his tear while eating puff pastry.

His green eyes lit up when he saw Hermes. "Ah, Master~ Good to see your gorgeous self in one piece. How was your little trip to your hometown? And your duel?"

"I’ll keep this short," Hermes said, hands resting on the table. "I went to the Rift. Entered the Void. Fought Trivia."

Somner leaned forward. "Alone?"

"No. Magni came with me. We... handled it."

Somner tilted his head. "Handled?"

"She’s not dead. But I defeated her and convinced her to remove the curse."

Somner nodded. "And how did you do that?"

"I bit her and took her powers, causing her to surrender." Hermes said. "But she was the one who told me the spell to undo the curse herself. She’s... She’s not as evil as I thought."

Hermes recounted Trivia’s story to Somner.

His boss listened carefully and there was a conflicted expression on his face.

"You know that I have complicated feelings about Voidlings because of what happened to my sister." Somner said. "I was even reluctant to let you go because of it. But... I do sympathize with her."

"Me too." Hermes said. "I wish I can do something to ease the tension between the Void and the human world."

Somner sighed. "That’s easier said than done, Hermes. There have been centuries of wars between the two realms. You can’t just fix it like how Rewind fixes things in the snap of a finger."

Just in time...

Eirwyn entered the room. He looked sweet as candy with his caramel hair and round spectacles.

"Hermes!" He greeted Hermes amicably. "You’re back!"

Hermes looked at his foot. He was no longer using a cane, and his ankle was no longer twisted in a painful angle.

Hermes stood, and the two met halfway in an embrace. A firm, full-bodied hug. Grateful.

"Thank you." Eirwyn whispered. "You don’t know what this means to me."

Hermes smiled awkwardly. "Don’t mention it."

Eirwyn stepped back, pulling something from his coat. It was a small envelope, elegantly stamped with the Golden Apple insignia.

"What’s this?" Hermes asked.

"Your RAM schedule."

Hermes blinked. "Really? That quick?"

"Yes. It’s time you got officially evaluated. You just defeated an S-class Threat, Hermes. You deserve a higher ranking. It’s scheduled next week, so be prepared until then, ok?"

He opened the envelope.

Indeed. There it was. A golden ticket to judgment day. His chance to be ranked officially by the agency—from F-class to S-class.

The thought sent a flutter through his stomach. Nerves and excitement.

He looked up at Eirwyn, who leaned in to whisper.

"You’ve earned it."

Hermes felt his heart flutter from the breathy way he said it. "I... Yes. I’ll do my best."

Somner pretended to not be eavesdropping on the side, but he broke the handle of his cup as soon as he saw that.

"Excuse me." He said, taking his leave.

As soon as he left, Eirwyn finally spoke what he had been meaning to ask.

"Also... I think you earned a reward. So is there anything you want from me?" He placed his hand on Hermes’ chest.

Hermes couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "W-What? I..."

He leaned closer, whispering. "Anything at all. I would love to experience this... sharing ability you have."