Why...... Everything he drew was dead......

Aaron sat on his knees in the forest, the painting in his hand scattered to the ground, and all the qiē he depicted in his pen became a scene of death.

Animals, birds, every tree, even every grass, withered.

What the hell is ...... Why......

"Don't you realize, O our king?"

A magical voice sounded in the dead forest, and the woman named Pandora once again appeared like a ghost from far away in the forest. Dressed in black, she swayed her graceful body and walked towards Aaron step by step. And Aaron's puppy didn't show anything unusual after seeing her this time, as if he couldn't see her at all, and happily circled around Aaron's legs as usual.

"Every piece of the land is endowed with equal rest under your mercy—"

Pandora stopped in front of Aaron and knelt reverently, Aaron looked at her in a panic and incredulity, and shook his head in fear in the face of this scene, "No, I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not the guy you're looking for...... Something must be wrong! ”

"Please accept yourself as you really are, Your Highness Aaron...... No, Lord Hades. ”

Pandora raised her head, her eyes glittering with something sparkling, she laughed very sickly, and said softly, "Don't you understand, my most honorable highness, do you remember why that dog is still here?" ”

“…… Puppy......? ”

Aaron stared blankly at Pandora, who stiffly lowered his head and looked at the puppy lying at his feet, innocently looking at him.

Then he remembered that at that time, just before Tenma left! In order to find the color of the true red, he came to the place where the priest pointed him out, and met Pandora.

…… The puppy died at the time, having been killed by Pandora.

Those terrible memories seemed to be tilted out of an open box, yes, it was dead at the time, but he didn't want the puppy to die, and resurrected it with the power of Hades!

"No...... I ......" The puppy was still wagging his tail innocently and looking at him, but Aaron, who remembered Qiē, only felt deep fear, and he scratched his cheek with his fingernails and whimpered in pain, "That's not me...... I don't want to be like that......"

"My Highness, why don't you understand that you can have anything in this world?"

"No—it's not like that!!"

Aaron pushes Pandora away and escapes, stumbling back to the town's orphanage to find Jona, but when he opens the door, he sees the children lying on the ground one by one.

He didn't even close his eyes, but he had lost his breath and his body became cold.

“…………”

Aaron lost his mind. He opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn't make any sound in his throat. He looked at the children's corpses with chills, and Pandora appeared behind him silently again, her hands gently squeezing his shoulders.

"You drew these children three days ago...... Lovely. ”

"No ......!!"

She bent down and pressed almost her whole body against Aaron's back, who was almost broken, and said in Aaron's ear with great tenderness, "Don't be sad, my lord, these children have not left, they have come to you, Lord Hades, and they no longer have to worry about starvation, but they have been freed from this painful world, and you have redeemed them." ”

"Death...... Is it salvation......"

Aaron's voice trembled, and he felt that something was broken in his heart, and he couldn't shed tears.

Pandora smiled softly, "Yes, death is salvation, Lord Aaron...... Accept yourself as you really are. ”

"I ...... It's Hades ......."

"Don't listen to her nonsense, you are yourself!"

Just as Pandora was about to succeed, a voice suddenly interrupted the two sternly. At the same time as hearing that voice, Aaron was stunned for a moment, a slight light appeared in his dim eyes, and he couldn't help but look back at the main entrance of the orphanage, "JOJO......!" ”

At the dimly lit entrance of the orphanage, a girl with black hair blocked out the light from outside, her back straight, her expression solemn, but unusually determined to meet Aaron's gaze.

Pandora's face changed suddenly, and it was almost a moment before Master Hades was fully awakened...... There are still people who are trying to sabotage their plans at this juncture!

"What people! How dare you be so presumptuous in front of Lord Hades! Take back your words! Aaron's wavering appearance made her furious, and she couldn't help but yell at Jona and draw her weapon.

"Who he wants to be is up to his own will, and it seems to me that the gentle and kind boy is Aaron standing in front of me."

Jona walked into the orphanage step by step unwaveringly, thorns growing under his feet with each step forward, Aaron opened his mouth slightly, he looked at Jona, but he couldn't say a word. Pandora's eyes were red, she clenched the wand in her hand, and the powerful hatred overflowed like black smoke, almost beginning to consume her surroundings, and she couldn't help but roar hysterically, "Who do you think you are?!" How dare you say such a thing to Lord Hades! I'll kill you! I'm going to break you to pieces!! ”

However, as soon as she attacked, the figure of the girl who was walking straight towards them disappeared from the spot, and before Pandora could be surprised, the next moment, she found that the wand in her hand had flown far away, and she was hanging upside down on the pillars of the orphanage, and the thorns that came from now tied her firmly from her feet to her head!

What happened?!

"What's going on?!" Pandora, who was hanging upside down, let out a scream of surprise and immediately looked at Jona, who was looking at her below, angrily and incredulously, "What did you do to me?!" ”

"I stopped time." Jona looked at her lightly, grabbed her collar with her hand, and stood slightly sideways.

"Because you're a woman, I won't hit you yet. Of course, this is not sexist. ”

"Stop time?! How is that possible! Who the hell are you?! Damn it, let me down! I'm going to kill you......" Pandora scolded as she struggled, but she found that she couldn't get rid of the thorns that bound her, and when she couldn't break free, she began to shout at somewhere, "Hypnos! What are you waiting for?! Kill that woman quickly! ”

"You're so noisy, please be quiet for a while." Joanna didn't give Pandora any chance, she frowned, and the thorns immediately continued to grow, instantly binding Pandora's mouth, Pandora whined angrily, but finally couldn't speak, and had to stare dryly, looking down in annoyance.

“JOJO……”

Quietly watching the scene that had just happened, Aaron did not show surprise as usual. He looked frustrated, his head bowed, and his voice was much lower than usual.

"Don't worry."

Jona nodded to Aaron and bent down to examine the child lying on the ground. There were no external injuries on his body, and he had been dead for several hours...... I'm afraid she died not long after she went out.

"I did it......" Aaron muttered intermittently with his head down, unable to see the expression on his face, as if on the verge of collapse, "I painted the portraits of these children a few days ago, so they were all taken away...... Because I...... It's Hades. ”

"The cause of the tragedy was Hades, but it's not your fault."

Jona stepped forward and gently hugged Aaron's shoulder, whispering comfortingly, "You can't decide who you are, if being the reincarnation of Hades is predestined by birth, as long as your own will remains, you can choose who you will become." ”

She paused, looked into Aaron's eyes and continued, "It seems to me that you are Aaron, not anyone else, and if you are sad about the death of the children, and if you have a kind heart, then don't believe what that woman told you." ”

"Uh-huh-" Pandora exclaimed.

"......" Aaron lowered his head and did not speak, and after he was silent for a while, he asked rhetorically.

"Isn't death relief? JOJO？ ”

"I don't think so, none of us who are alive really want to die." Jona shook her head, "If you choose to die because life is too difficult and painful, it is just an escape from self-deception, as long as you live, the future will not end, tomorrow is a new day, even if you don't know that tomorrow will be worse or better, but as long as you live, there are infinite possibilities in the future." Rather than just giving up without making an effort, even if I knew that there was a 99% chance of failure, even if I was covered in bruises, I would stand until I had only my last breath left. I remember a guy told me that it was better to think about how to live beautifully to the end than to die beautifully and decently...... This feeling can only be felt by us who have to face death for the only time we live. ”

“…………”

Aaron's shoulders shook violently, and he couldn't tell if he was crying or laughing, and he didn't understand whether he understood Jona's words, but there seemed to be endless sadness in his trembling voice. Suddenly, Aaron raised his head, reached out and grabbed Jona's shoulders and cried out to her.

"But this is me...... How shall we pay for the sins we have committed...... I want to be redeemed! ”

"Can't you forgive yourself, Aaron." Jona shook Aaron's hand, "But if you give yourself to Hades, you will never be redeemed, and you will easily compromise with death...... How can you be worthy of those who are desperately trying to survive! ”

The strength of his hand increased, and Aaron's body shook, and he looked at Jona with tears streaming down his face. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't make a sound, and after a long time, he sighed, suddenly let go of Jona's hand weakly, and fell to his knees on the ground.

"But it's too late......" he muttered under his breath.

Aaron looked blank in his eyes, and slowly opened his sketchbook in front of Jona.

A sideways portrait of a girl jumped out of the white paper, her eyes flashing brightly, beautiful and lifelike.

Jona's pupils suddenly dilated slightly for a moment, and her expression froze a little.

This is...... Portrait of her.

“…… I'm sorry. Aaron hugged his arms and wept uncontrollably.

Even after she leaves, I don't want to forget her, I want to remember her forever.

But his salvation ...... It's going to be gone soon.