Chapter 758: No Regrets.
After dealing with Cassius, Hades followed his wife to the aircraft hangar. He watched the back of her head as she inspected the vessels with a team and then started working on repairs.
His mind was spinning. He had seen Sunshine do amazing things_ fix impossible machines, climb levels no one else could, and lead armies_ but he had never seen her look so cold like she had, in that moment when she fried Cassius. Her purpose had been one: death.
He wanted to check on her, to see where she was mentally now that she had killed one half of the two people that betrayed and caused her death in her last life. He had always what would happen if those two were to ever meet again. The largest part of him has assumed she would imprison him. A quick death had not been part of his calculations.
When she was finally done with her work in two hours he followed her home. The moment they entered their apartment, Sunshine let out a heavy, bone-deep sigh. She didn’t even have to turn around to know he was worried.
"Are you okay?" they both asked at the exact same time.
Hades let out a small, dry chuckle and shrugged his shoulders. "I’m... actually okay. Better than okay. After everything Peter and Cassius put me through_ the lies, the theft, the betrayal_ I feel like a weight has been lifted. To be honest, I’m relieved the Strauss men are wiped from the face of the earth forever. The world feels a little cleaner."
Sunshine walked to the dining area and leaned against the table, her shoulders finally dropping. "I’m glad to hear that. I was worried, Hades. I really was. At the end of the day, you raised and took that boy like he was one of your own. He was your adopted son.....no your son, because you loved him as one. I was scared that me...well, me killing him would leave a scar between us. I don’t want you to look at my hands and see his ghost. I don’t want this to be the thing that gets between us and ruins our marriage. I had to do it Hades, for the old me..."
Hades didn’t hesitate. He closed the gap between them and pulled her into a tight, warm embrace. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of vanilla in her hair. "Suni....sweetheart, don’t even think of such absurdity." He said, pulling back just enough to see her face. His hands squeezed her cheeks gently. "You didn’t kill a son. You neutralized a threat to our family. Cassius did not come here with good intentions; he came to win you back.
To steal you from me!! And after what you told me about your last life, I am sure he would have killed me and our children to have you all to himself. And all that, just to use you so that he could take over the base we have built together. After getting what he wanted, he would probably kill you again.
So no, I will never blame you. There is nothing but love here. But what about you? You two were friends once. You cared for him deeply when you thought that he was a fool."
Sunshine scoffed, and the sound was sharp. "Friends? Hades, whatever platonic feelings I had for that man were burned away by hatred a long time ago. When I was reborn, I spent months imagining how I would end his life after he suffered out there without my system."
She looked down at her glowing palms, where tiny sparks of blue electricity still danced between her fingers. "My body didn’t even wait for my brain to give the order. It just... reacted. It remembered every time he put me in danger in my past life. It remembered how he treated me like trash. The lightning knew he was a predator, so it hit him like one. I don’t feel guilty. I feel... light."
She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the steady, rhythmic thump-thump of his heart. It was the most peaceful sound in the chaotic world.
"Well," Hades murmured, stroking her hair. "One snake down. Now we just have Moon to deal with."
Sunshine laughed, and this time it sounded a bit more like her old self. "Isn’t it funny? Greed is actually working for us. Instead of us having to go out and hunt our enemies through the toxic ash, they are all packing their bags and coming straight to our front door. The apocalypse is like a delivery service for villains."
Hades grinned. "Leah and Dominic are already sharpening their blades. The second Moon shows her face at the gate; they aren’t even going to wait for an order. They’re just going to end her."
"They aren’t the only ones," Sunshine said, her voice turning serious again. "As long as Moon is breathing, everything we have built is in danger. She’s like a virus that won’t stop spreading. We have to end it quickly, like we have done with Cassius."
***
While Sunshine and Hades were sharing a quiet moment, the woman they were talking about was having a much worse time.
Moon Raine was currently leading her pyrokinetic army through the Zoyenne Salt Flats. She had chosen this path to avoid the flowing lava, but she had traded fire for a different kind of hell.
The Zoyenne Salt Flats were a vast, endless desert of cracked white salt. It looked like a frozen ocean, but it was burning hot. There was no shade, no water, and the white ground reflected the sickly air that made her lungs hurt.
"My boots are melting!" Vexi complained, limping along.
"We’re out of water, Sir!" Pete shouted. "You said this was a shortcut! We’ve been walking for ten three days and all I see is more white salt!"
It was flying in the air, and the entire army had to cover their heads with scarves.
Garrison looked at Moon, "Maybe we should find food and water first."
Moon didn’t look back. Her face was covered in a dirty rag to keep out the dust. "Shut up and walk! The fortress is almost in our reach beyond the flats. Just one town over. Do you want it or not?"
But the army was tired. Their fire powers didn’t help them against the thirst or the heat. They were grumpy, exhausted, and starting to look at Moon like she was the enemy.
As if the heat wasn’t enough, the air was killing them. The toxic gas fumes from the volcanic eruptions had settled over the salt flats, creating a thick, yellow fog. The wind started to whistle through the cracks in the ground, making a sound like someone screaming far away.
"What is that?" Vex whispered, clutching her throat.
Suddenly, the yellow fog began to swirl. It didn’t just blow away; it started to take shape. Tiny particles of ash and gas clumped together, forming tall, thin, ghost-like beings. They had no faces, just hollow holes where eyes should be. They drifted over the white salt like silent hunters.