Risa’s stomach flipped on end, a sudden strange sensation of flying and falling ripping through her all at once. What was happening? Panic rose in as she senses betrayed her, unable to tell her whether she was going up or down or if it was dark or light. A scream was on the edges of her lips, ready to break free, just as everything stopped— and the world was still again.

She fell to her hands and knees, her momentary glance at the room she found herself in making her come to a realization. She was so busy focusing on everything that had happened, on what she was doing, that she had never once paused to think about what was to come.

In and out. In and out. Instead of counting steps, she counted breathes, and by the time they slowed and she got to one hundred, Ravi still hadn’t arrived. After another fifty breathes, she was sure he wasn’t coming at all.

Her legs were wobbly, which she decided was understandable, but eventually she pulled herself to her feet. She had accepted the seeds, after all; this was going to become her home. Or at least, that was what she told herself. Rather than dwell on it further, she clasped her small bag of belongings closer and looked around the room.

The darkened abyss and rough stone walls were nowhere to be seen. The place she found herself now was as much an opposite as could be expected. The room around her was made of a pure white stone, something so pure she had never seen the likes of it before, and it was polished to the point of reflection. The ceilings above her towered so high that she would need wings to reach the top, and the domed roof was adorned with large, open windows. She had never seen anything like it. And the closer she looked, the more impressive it became. All white and made of stone, she almost couldn’t see the boundaries between the roof, the walls, and the floor, so seamless were the spaces between. She could find no seams along the stones, anywhere, even as she walked to the wall to run her fingers across the smooth surface.

Risa was so distracted by the new space she found herself in that it wasn’t until she turned around— until she faced him directly— that she noticed she wasn’t alone. He was sitting in the far corner of the room, lounging in a throne that appeared to the of the same stone as everything else. It should have been uncomfortable, but he made it look as though it was as soft as a feather bed. While the room was pure while, the man sitting on the dias was dressed in all black, pants and shirt draping around him. How she hadn’t seen him earlier, she didn’t know, but then again he might not have even been there when she entered.

He saw her watching him, her gaze traveling upwards cautiously as he uncrossed his legs. Narrow hips and broad shoulders, lithe fingers intertwined on the knee— he was picturesque before she even saw his face. Dark, sharp eyes set in sculpted features watched her as she looked around, his face framed by wavy black hair that nearly reached his shoulders.

“Who—”

“You didn’t eat them all.”

Risa expected his voice to be thunderous, to shake the very foundations of the room, but instead it was eerily calm and quiet. The difference shocked her more than if she had been yelled at, and she felt go dry.

“E-excuse me?” She inched forward a step, trying to hear him more clearly.

“You didn’t eat them all.”

He repeated himself, looking down at her all the while. Risa swallowed and took yet another step forward. Was this him? Was this Hades, the man— god— who she was now promised to?

“No, I didn’t.” She answered just as quietly as he, but for Risa it was a matter of nervousness; she was quite sure that she couldn’t make her voice any louder if she tried. Hades seemed to pause, contemplating her for a second more before speaking again.

“Do you reject the contract?”

Yes. “No.” She spoke quickly, though perhaps not quickly enough; his eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

He ticked his fingers thoughtlessly as he continued to watch her, and Risa felt herself begin to shrink under his scrutiny. What had she accepted, when she ate those seeds?

“Will you make up for the seeds you did not eat?”

She paused, even though she knew she should. Ravi was no longer there with her. What would happen if she said no? Would he let her go home? “If…” she paused as she thought quickly. “If my friend faces no repercussions for his actions, then I’ll do whatever you like.”

Risa knew that she had already sold her soul. But Ravi wasn’t the same. If Hades was angry about her not eating all of the seeds, he might take it out on Ravi for eating it instead. Hades cocked his head to the side, obviously not expecting an ultimatum, but appeared to be considering your proposal anyway. Risa nearly sagged in relief as he slowly nodded, accepting her offer, before unwinding himself from his seat and standing.

“This way.” He began to walk from his throne, heading towards one of the many barren walls around the room. None of them, she realized with a quick glance around, had a door.

Assuming the ruler of the underworld wouldn’t just walk into a walk, Risa followed behind him cautiously. Hades checked several times to make sure she was following, not that she had anywhere else to go, and when he could go no further he motioned for her to come closer. She did as she was bid, though she couldn’t help but glance around one last time before taking a final step forward. Just as she got close enough to realize that Hades was much taller than she had anticipated, he held out his hand to her, palm up.

She looked between his hand an his face several times, understanding slowly dawning as she realized what he wanted. “Oh— no— I—” Before she could run to far, Hades reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her against him. She tumbled into his chest, barely having a chance to realize her situation before he walked into the wall, right though a portal that Risa had hardly realized was there.