MTLNOVEL Chapter 60: To the other side
"Are you sure you want to come along?" Hades asked, glancing at the girl walking beside him.
Luna nodded without hesitation. "Since we're leaving right away, why would I stay back at the inn?"
She had a point—and the confident way she walked, even toward what most would call a shady part of town, was oddly reassuring.
'She's grown into a brave woman,' Hades thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
[Why don't you mark her?]
The inner voice chimed in, sudden and intrusive.
Hades blinked. 'Mark her?'
'What even is this marking, exactly?' he asked silently.
[Claiming a mate for yourself. Once you mark someone, they can't become anyone else's. Not as a mate—not even physically. Unless, of course, they're ready to suffer hellish pain.]
[Mutual claiming is like a soul-bonded marriage. I'd suggest you avoid that, especially with someone from another race. It changes both of you… permanently.]
Hades frowned. 'What happens if I do it with someone from another race?'
[Anything. Her body might reject the changes your soul brings. If she's not strong enough… she could die.]
"...!"
Hades's eyes widened slightly. Mating… was that dangerous?
A cold silence lingered in his mind.
He walked a few more steps before quietly asking, 'Is there a way to break a mark?'
[There is. Certain methods exist to remove a one-sided claim. But mutual marking? That binds you for life.]
'And if my partner doesn't want to be with me anymore… I can still end a one-sided claim, right?'
[You can... but why are you even asking this?]
Hades sighed, glancing at Luna once again as she strode beside him, unaware of the storm quietly brewing in his thoughts.
'I know she'll never leave me. But even then… I don't want to bind her. If one day she chooses to walk away, I want her to be free to do so.'
[Man… you're such a negative guy.]
Hades didn't respond.
They had now reached the far edge of the town—where the noise of life began to fade, and the streets grew quiet.
Hades and Luna walked through the narrow streets, drawing more than a few glances.
He wasn't sure whether it was their age… or their clothes.
Everyone around them wore dark, muted clothing—nothing flashy. Their outfits blended into the shadows and alley walls like second skin.
Hades glanced at Luna's pale cloak and his own clean, distinct outfit.
We stand out. A bad sign.
The deeper they went, the more uneasy he felt.
That sensation—like a thread pulling tight in his throat—grew stronger as they stood before a tall, looming building tucked between cracked stone walls.
He paused, his eyes drifting upward.
A window on the third floor.
He felt it—a stare. Someone was watching them.
But when he looked… nothing.
The window was empty.
"This must be it," Luna whispered, a slight unease in her voice. "Should we go in?"
Hades didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze before nodding.
*CREAK.*
The heavy door moaned open.
Inside… silence.
Far too silent for a place said to be full of people.
And yet—every head turned the moment they entered.
Twenty pairs of eyes tracked them like predators sizing up prey.
Each step they took felt like walking across glass.
The two approached the reception desk.
A woman sat behind it, lazily filing her nails, utterly unconcerned by their presence.
Trying to remain calm, Hades cleared his throat. "Excuse me… I heard if someone wants to cross to the other side—without papers—this is the place to ask?"
It sounded ridiculous even to him.
He had never done something like this before. He wasn't built for shady negotiations. He wasn't prepared.
But you play the hand you're dealt.
Before the woman could even reply, someone from a nearby table scoffed loud enough for all to hear.
"Where does this kid think he's going? 'To the other side'? With that attitude, someone might just send him to the real other side!"
"Phahahah!"
Laughter exploded in the room. Chairs shook, cups slammed on tables. Even the receptionist chuckled behind her polished nails.
Luna's brows furrowed in disgust.
Hades didn't react. He expected hostility.
But what came next wasn't just words.
A tall man—easily over six feet—stood and strolled toward them, cocky and grinning. He leaned in, one hand landing heavily on Hades's shoulder.
"Wanna cross, kid? Easy. Send this little chick to my room for the ni—"
*CRACK.*
A sharp, dry sound tore through the laughter like a whip.
The man's sentence never finished.
He blinked. Then screamed.
"FUCXXXK! MY ARM!!"
He stumbled back, clutching his twisted arm, face pale with agony.
It had happened so fast—no one saw it.
But now every single person in the room was on their feet.
Weapons drawn. Smiles gone.
The air turned razor-sharp.
This wasn't a tavern anymore.
It was a battlefield waiting to happen.
Steel scraped from sheaths. Chairs were knocked aside.
A dozen men surrounded them—some with daggers, others with clubs, axes, or bare fists hardened by years in the underworld.
"Stay close," Hades whispered to Luna without looking.
One man lunged forward.
Hades side-stepped and drove his elbow into the attacker's jaw—crack—dislocating it clean. The man dropped like a stone.
Another came from the left, swinging a short sword.
Hades ducked low but the blade grazed his shoulder—tsss—drawing a thin line of blood.
He winced.
Damn… they're faster than I thought.
A second attacker charged with a war axe, roaring.
Hades twisted his body and slammed his palm into the man's gut, channeling ether through his strike—boom!—the man flew back into a table, splinters flying everywhere.
Three more closed in at once.
One tried to grab Luna.
Hades's eyes darkened.
He spun with a growl, grabbing the man's wrist mid-air, and twisted—SNAP!
A scream erupted.
Then, Hades kicked him square in the chest—ribs crunched—and the man collapsed, vomiting blood.
Another thug tried to stab him from behind.
Hades sensed it just in time—he spun, the knife nicking his side. His fist met the attacker's nose—crack—the man screamed and fell backward, teeth scattering across the floor like dice.
His breathing grew heavier. They were swarming.
A hammer came down toward his head.
Hades blocked with his forearm—it stung bad—but he endured it. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his head forward, smashing into the thug's face—blood sprayed.
Another grabbed his arm from behind.
Too tight.
But just then, Luna kicked the man in the middle of his legs, making him and every man in the room groan, before slamming her fist into his face and sending him flying back.
"Hey, eyes on me." Hades said to the bald man who instantly turned his head and saw an elbow coming his way.
"Fu-" he didn't have the time to finish cursing before the elbow strike made his face bleed.
Hades twirled and delivered a kick to his gut, throwing the man off balance.
Just then, he turned to face another opponent, when suddenly,
*SLING*
Something went past his face, just a breath away from piercing his head before it pierced the pillar on his left.
Hades sharply turned to his right and found a brown-haired man standing there with a crossbow in his hand.
Everyone who was planning to attack Hades and Luna, turned still.
The man's cold gaze was on Hades when he commanded, "The place is closed now. Go home."
He stepped closer to Hades before saying, "You…come with me."
°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.