As soon as Calli’s flying boat disappeared in the sky, William flew to where Erinys’ flying boat was anchored.
He had left Celine in her care because he was confident that no one in the Underworld would dare attack a Ferryman who was responsible for ferrying the souls of the dead.
Also, he didn’t want to take the pregnant Elf with him to harass Felix’s soul because it might cause her unnecessary stress, which was bad for the baby.
When he arrived at the flying ship, he saw Erinys sitting on the crow nest of her flying boat, dangling her feet as if she was deep in thought.
The boat of the Ferryman didn’t have this feature, but she had modified her own boat using her Hell Credits because she was inspired by the movie, Pirates of the Carry-bee-an.
William suddenly felt like teasing the little girl and sneakily hovered behind her. He then lowered his head and said “Boo!”
The Half-ling almost fell off her look-out-point due to being startled.
The Half-Elf placed his hand on her waist to prevent her from falling off, which made Erinys curse him repeatedly.
“Dammit! I almost had a heart-attack!” Erinys angrily shouted as she started to pound William’s stomach with her little fist. “How dare you sneak behind me?!”
William smiled and just allowed the Half-ling to vent out her anger due to his prank. A few minutes later, Erinys stopped and simply glared hatefully at the black-haired teenager who had a faint smile on his face.
“Erinys, I need a favor,” William said as he tried to coax the little girl who was glaring at him.
Erinys crossed her arms over her chest and said “Hmph!” before turning her head away. Clearly, she planned to ignore the Half-Elf completely.
“Now that I have seen my lovers, it is time for me to talk to the God of Death,” William stated. “Is it possible for you to take me to where he is?”
Erinys, who was hell-bent to ignore William, suddenly turned her head to stare at him in shock. She didn’t expect that the favor that the black-haired teenager wanted to ask of her was to see the Big Boss of the Underworld.
“You want to see the God of Death?”
“Yes. Can you take me to him?”
Erinys didn’t know how to answer because William’s request was so sudden. A part of her wanted to take him to that place, but another part of her didn’t want to do it. Simply put, she was afraid to see the Big Boss of the Underworld because she might get punished for bringing William to see him.
“Why do you want to see him?” Erinys asked.
Although she already had an idea of what William’s answer would be, she still needed to ask just in case her guess was wrong.
“I want to take my wives’ souls, as well as Celine out of the Underworld,” William answered. “I want to take them back with me to the Surface World.”
Erinys just stood and glanced at William with a sad look on her face. It felt as if a part of her soul had left her body after hearing his reply, making her feel faint.
“Erinys, what’s wrong?” William asked. “You look pale. Are you alright?”
Erinys then tried to talk, but no words came out of her mouth. A moment later, her legs collapsed under her, making the Half-Elf hurriedly grab her to support her body.
“Erinys?” William lightly shook the little girl in his arms who seemed to have lost consciousness. “What’s wrong? Speak to me.”
The Half-ling stared at the Half-Elf for a few seconds before she lost consciousness. However, before her senses left her, she had seen William’s anxious expression, and heard him call out a name that she hadn’t heard before.
“Optimus, run a diagnostic scan. Hurry!”
——-
Erinys’ felt as if she was floating.
She couldn’t move her body, and simply allowed herself to be carried off by an invisible current.
Everything around her was dark, and she couldn’t see anything. This lasted for an unknown period of time before a faint light appeared above her head.
Soon, images of what had happened in the past appeared to her one by one.
“You want to be a Ferryman of the Underworld?” an otherworldly beauty asked with a smile.
“Yes, Grandma!” Erinys replied.
“Very well. I will give you a custom made flying boat. As for the Ferryman Badge, I will send someone to handle the paperwork for you.”
“Thank you, Grandma. You’re the best!”
——
The image then shifted to a handsome man with blonde hair and crimson eyes, who was staring down at her with a calm gaze.
“Starting today, you are a Ferryman of the Underworld,” the man said. “Perform your duties well.”
“Yes, Sir!”
—–
“Have you heard the latest news? There seems to be a living person that has somehow entered the Underworld,” Calli said like an Auntie who had just discovered a very juicy gossip.
“Really? What should I do?!” a Ferryman asked anxiously. “I’m supposed to be the one on duty today. What if that living person attacks me? I’m so scared!”
Erinys, who had just entered the Ferryman’s lounge, heard this news and immediately walked towards her colleagues with excitement.
“Is it true? A living person has appeared in the Underworld?” Erinys asked.
“Yes,” Calli replied. “This came from a credible source. I can’t be wrong.”
“Then, since you don’t want to go, can I take your place instead?” Erinys asked the Ferryman who was supposed to Ferry the souls on that day. “After I take the living person away from the port, you can ferry the other souls afterwards.”
“You will do that? Thank you! You’re a real lifesaver, Erinys!”
“Don’t mention it. That is what friends are for, right?”
———
“Hah… wearing the Ferryman uniform is so exhausting,” Erinys said as she took off her robe. “Hey, you’re a living person right? How did you get in here?”
“What’s wrong?” Erinys blinked in confusion. “Is there something wrong with my face?”
“No,” William replied after he had recovered from his shock. “I just didn’t expect that the Ferryman would be someone as cute as you.”
——-
More memories appeared around her like stars, forming constellations.
Then it happened.
A familiar voice filled with concern called out to her from beyond the heavens.
“Erinys. Hey, wake up, Erinys.”
The Half-ling then slowly raised her hand towards the dark sky, as tears streamed down the side of her face.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew towards her, carrying her body upwards. The constellation of memories that had appeared above her now merged together, forming a golden light.
She found herself flying towards that light, to that familiar voice that was calling out her name repeatedly, making another tear stream down the side of her face.
—–
William glanced at the little girl with long blonde hair, who laid on the bed. Her hair was spread on the white sheets like a waterfall. Her very pale face didn’t diminish her doll-like beauty, which seemed to be sculpted by the very Gods themselves.
However, the Half-Elf could feel his heart ache after seeing the tears that slid down the sides of her face, not knowing if Erinys was having a bad dream or not. The only thing he could do was call out to her, while holding her hand.
While he was at a loss about what to do, he saw Erinys’ eyelashes flutter briefly. A moment later, they opened.
Her tear-stained eyes, that were as blue as the sky, stared straight into William’s own eyes. Erinys held this gaze for nearly half a minute before she opened her mouth to speak.
“I will take you to see the God of Death,” Erinys said before closing her eyes. “Make your preparations. We will leave at once.”
Her voice was weak, and filled with resignation, which made William feel as if the little girl on the bed had lost her will to live.
Even her hand, that he was holding firmly in his own, felt so cold and devoid of warmth. She was just like a candle whose light was about to be snuffed out at any moment.
“Please leave,” Erinys stated. “I need some time to be alone. Don’t worry, even if I am inside my room, this ship will fly according to my will.
“The journey will take five to six days at most if no incidents, like the last one, happen. Rest assured, I will take you to the God of Death. So, please, leave me alone for a while.”
William didn’t want to go because he was worried about her, but Erinys’ words were firm, telling him to leave her alone. With no other choice, William followed her will and left her alone.
However, before he left, he planted a kiss on her forehead and tucked her blanket around her.
Once William had finally left her room, Erinys raised both of her hands to cover her face and cried. She didn’t hold back as her body trembled with every sob that came out of her lips. She knew that this time would come sooner or later, yet, she still took that leap of Faith into the unknown.
Just like the Little Mermaid who wasn’t able to get her “Happily ever after,” Erinys steeled herself to return to her old ways before she met William.
The Fairy Tale was coming to an end, and her feelings would disappear, just like the little mermaid who turned into seafoam after she failed to marry her prince.
