CHAPTER 113: BERSERK

Ptah Ptah

Hades smiled faintly, a little embarrassed, as colorful ribbons showered down on him.

The servants had gathered in the reception hall, their claps echoing warmly through the air.

Before him stood a woman with a radiant smile, the one who had arranged all of this.

"Welcome back, Hades!" she said, her voice full of affection as she pulled him into a tight embrace.

Hades froze for a moment, unsure how to react. He wasn’t used to being the center of attention like this. Yet, hidden beneath the weight of his embarrassment, there was something else—a gentle warmth spreading through his chest at her touch.

His eyes wandered to Luna, who stood nearby, smiling at him with the same quiet warmth.

Thankfully, Peri wasn’t here to see him like this. She had fallen asleep after her bath. Otherwise, she would have surely teased him for looking so flustered.

Kaelith finally pulled away, though her hand lingered for a moment on his arm. "Come on, cut the cake. Mama made it," she said, her voice carrying a hint of smugness.

Hades turned to the table where the cake waited, its candles glowing softly. He let out a quiet sigh and picked up the knife.

For some reason, his heart felt heavy.

Back in the human realm, birthdays had always been a secret. His mother would hide a cake under the stairs, and later, the two of them would sit in silence, cutting it quietly away from prying eyes.

Now, standing here, surrounded by people, with his birth mother right in front of him—smiling, waiting, happy that he was here—it stirred emotions too deep for words.

He sliced the cake slowly, then held out a small piece to his mother.

Kaelith leaned forward, taking a gentle bite, when his soft voice reached her ears. "Thank you... for not rejecting me."

Her hands stilled. Then, without a word, she lifted her palm and cupped his cheek.

This time, the warmth didn’t feel strange. It didn’t feel distant.

Hades leaned into her touch, closing his eyes.

For the first time, he allowed himself to believe.

Maybe... he might finally have the family he had always yearned for.

....

After the celebration, Hades returned to the guest room with Luna.

His mother frowned when she saw. "Why are you staying in the guest room?"

Hades replied softly, "Peri fell asleep. I don’t want to wake her just to move rooms. We’ll change tomorrow."

Kaelith let out a quiet sigh, then smiled in defeat. "Well... good night, son. Let’s meet tomorrow morning at four."

Hades blinked, raising a brow. "Four?"

Her grin widened. "Don’t you want to explore the world a little?"

He couldn’t deny the excitement rising inside him. With a small nod, he answered, "Okay."

Not long after, he and Luna entered the room.

Peri was curled up in the corner of the bed, fast asleep, her breathing soft and steady.

Hades’ lips curved into a smile. Quietly, he walked over and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, tucking her in gently.

Behind him, Luna’s voice broke the silence. "How did it feel?"

Hades chuckled, scratching his cheek. "Pretty embarrassing... but not bad."

Luna giggled. "Not bad? You were red as a tomato." She slipped her arms around his and leaned against him. "Still, I’m happy. People here respect you, and... your mother truly cares for you."

Hades tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling with a long breath. "It feels like a heavy boulder has been lifted from me, Luna. I always saw disappointment in the eyes of the man I thought was my father. I was terrified that the woman who gave birth to me would look at me the same way... but she didn’t."

Luna felt the weight in his words, the years of hurt hidden within them. She moved closer, wrapping her arms around him from behind. In a whisper, she said, "Tomorrow, go with her alone."

Hades turned his head slightly. "But I thought you wanted to go sightseeing too?"

Luna hummed, then shook her head. "Later. Right now, she deserves to have you to herself. Spend time with her."

Hades was conflicted. A part of him wanted Luna there beside him, yet another part yearned for the bond he had long been denied. In the end, he didn’t argue—just held her hand in silence.

That night, the two lay down together on the same bed. But they didn’t go beyond that, choosing instead to simply rest. Neither wanted Peri to wake in the middle of the night because she heard some weird noises.

...

Around midnight.

Hades was quite tired after traveling for so long so drifted into a slumber not so long after.

But then, opened his eyes and found that he wasn’t on the bed but standing in the middle of a burning land.

Fire spread across the ground, black smoke curled into the sky, and cries echoed all around him. It should have been terrifying, yet he felt strangely at peace. The heat did not harm him. The noise did not shake him. If anything, it felt like home.

His chest throbbed. A heavy pulse shook through his body—thump, thump—as if something inside was waking up. His skin grew warm, sweat rolling down his temple, but the warmth did not fade. It spread deeper, into his veins, into his bones.

The ground around him cracked. Tiny sparks danced over his arms. His back arched, and a low growl slipped past his lips. His breath carried fire, faint but real, glowing in the dark like embers.

Veins along his hands began to glow faint red, then brighter, until light pulsed under his skin. His fingernails sharpened, curling into something close to claws.

The air itself seemed to bend around him, rushing toward his body as though pulled by unseen chains.

"Hades?" Luna woke up, feeling the heat rising beside her.

Her back was already drenched with sweat as she stared at his fidgeting body.

Just then, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Luna was pulled away from the bed, Peri’s loud cry resonating through the room.

"What are you doing?!" Luna asked with her eyes widened but then she saw Peri’s expression.

Terrified and anxious as she stared at Hades.

The sheets slid off as his body slowly rose from the bed. His movements were stiff, unnatural, like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings.

The air around him grew heavy, pressing against their chests, making it hard to breathe.

Thin streams of mana clung to his skin, crawling like smoke, wrapping his arms and shoulders in shifting coils of light.

Each pulse of his veins shone brighter, casting a faint glow over the walls.

"Hades..." Luna whispered, her voice trembling.

But the boy before her did not answer. His eyes opened—blank, dead, yet burning from deep within. They carried no recognition, no warmth, only a hollow stare that made her blood run cold.

His body was changing even more. The glow spread down his legs, his shadow stretched unnaturally long against the floor.

His breath left his mouth in short bursts of red steam, as if his lungs were trying to expel fire.

Slowly, he levitated toward the two girls.

Peri trembled under his gaze, her knees weak, while Luna raised a barrier around them. She knew—this wasn’t Hades anymore. Whatever had taken hold of him, he wasn’t in control.

"Hades, wake up! You are scaring us!" Luna cried, her voice shaking.

But his hand stretched out, fingers clawed, and the barrier tore apart as if it were paper.

Luna’s eyes widened, but she forced her lips to move, spitting out another chant.

Dark chains burst from the ground, rattling as they coiled around Hades’s arms, chest, and legs. For a heartbeat, it looked like they had him.

The doors slammed open. The windows shattered. From every corner, servants poured in—through the door, the ceiling, the walls themselves. Steel clanged as they formed a ring around the trio, eyes sharp, blades ready.

All of them froze the moment they looked at him.

Hades hung in the air, head bowed, eyes dead and hollow. Then, slowly, he tilted his head back. His eyes burned white for a breath—and a voice that was not his own spilled out.

"Kneel."

BOOOOOM

The world shattered.

The air caved in. The stone walls exploded outward. Servants slammed to the floor, blood spraying from their mouths as their knees cracked against the stone. Barriers shattered, spells broke, voices were crushed to silence.

The entire tower groaned—and then it collapsed in one roaring crash, swallowed in dust and fire.

Hades’s eyes snapped back to his prey.

Luna had chanted several layers of barrier just the moment he parted his lips...yet, that skill...the absolute command of a true Dragon tore away all those barriers and she was down on the ground, her knees cracked and ears bleeding.

Peri was holding her from behind, tears welling up in her eyes.

As if pity or sympathy were never a part of his being, Hades advanced towards them—only to halt when he felt a presence

He shot his eyes up and from the sky, she came crashing down

**CRACK**

The ground split open as she landed between them.

Kaelith knew that the situation was severe yet she couldn’t stop herself from grinning as she said,

"Now there son, show me how much you love your mother."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Didn’t I say that once he enters this realm, things would change?