Chronos, Sovereign Icarus, and Helen

Chapter 276 - Chronos, Sovereign Icarus, and Helen

Chronos:

The two continued walking through the festival, blending into the crowd that celebrated under the golden glow of torches. Laughter and music felt distant to me as I watched them, still invisible, following their every step, every gesture. They stopped at a food stall, where he picked up a small piece of bread and offered it to the little girl.

She accepted it with a shy smile, taking a bite as they kept talking, their voices soft, almost lost in the cheerful chaos of the city.

Finally, the girl stopped in front of an inn's door. Her eyes turned to him, hesitant.

"How did you know I was crying?" she asked, her delicate voice carrying the weight of quiet confusion.

He gazed at her for a moment with those ancient, profound eyes that seemed to see far beyond words.

"I told you, didn't I? Out of all the happy people in this city… you were the second saddest."

The little girl blinked, confused. "A-and who's the first?"

He smiled, but it wasn't a real smile.

"An old man… sorrowful… wasting his life away, rotting on a throne."

And then, as if wanting to lighten the weight of his words, he reached out and gently pinched her nose.

Her laughter rang out like a bell—so pure… so annoyingly pure.

She opened the inn's door and hesitated, turning back one last time.

"Will I see you again at the festival tomorrow, sir?"

He crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly, as if pondering the question with a playful tease.

"Maybe…"

She smiled, stepping inside, but then he called out:

"Wait… you never told me your name. What's your name?"

For a second, the girl seemed shy, adjusting her dress before answering:

"My name is… Helen."

The world stopped.

The air around me seemed to constrict, suffocating, as if time itself had frozen in that exact moment.

That name…

My throat tightened.

The forbidden name.

Helen!

A million thoughts crashed into my mind. I had been meticulous, obsessive… personally overseeing every birth record in Cylla.

No one could have that name. No one.

The most common name in all of Greece, yes, a relic of the old legends of Troy. But I would never allow anyone to defile this city with that name.

And yet…

There was an exception.

The festival.

The one moment when I couldn't control every detail.

And now… she was here.

"M-my Sovereign…" I tried to speak, my voice trembling as I stepped forward.

His face was expressionless.

The silence that fell between us was so dense that even the sounds of the festival felt distant, muffled. His presence, so controlled just moments ago, now pulsed around me like an unbearable weight—suffocating.

But then...

He smiled.

And that... broke something inside me.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Helen," he said, his voice far too gentle. "My name is... Icarus."

Then he turned.

And left.

His strides were long, quick—gaining speed as he moved through the crowd, distancing himself from the girl... and from me.

"Sovereign...!"

I followed him.

But he didn't stop.

The crowd seemed to part for him, yet close in around me. I shoved past bodies, frustration burning through me as he vanished into the shadows of a narrow alley.

I ran, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

When I reached the end of the alley...

He was gone.

***

I searched every street of the festival, every alley illuminated by golden lanterns, every plaza where music and laughter still echoed. But I couldn't find him.

My Sovereign had disappeared.

Frustration tangled with the anxiety in my chest, a suffocating weight. He never… never did this. And even if he did, I would always find him. Always.

Except now.

When the night finally ended, I returned to the palace, resuming my role as Lady Chronos. Before the most influential humans, I maintained flawless composure, representing my Sovereign's presence with the same unwavering pride as always—even if, deep inside, I was restless.

At the end of the gathering, Prometheus approached, his expression heavy with concern.

"The Sovereign… what happened to him?"

I hesitated, my gaze drifting to the grand windows of the hall, where the moon still bathed the sleeping city in silver light.

"It's… a long story."

As I spoke, a servant stepped forward and murmured that the Sovereign had returned and had secluded himself in his throne room.

"Just know… the forbidden name was spoken."

Prometheus halted mid-step.

"I see..." That was all he said, but the weight in his expression revealed that he understood exactly what it meant.

I walked alone through the silent palace, my footsteps echoing—a stark reminder of the gravity of this moment.

Stopping before the massive golden doors of the throne room, I dismissed the servants with a flick of my hand and stood still for a moment. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, steadying my expression.

With a thought, I conjured a mirror before me and studied every detail. My face was flawless, sculpted to the perfection I had honed for centuries. The most beautiful of all. The most perfect.

For him.

I took a slow breath, then finally, I opened the door.

I was the only one who could do so. No other soul in this world would dare enter unbidden.

The doors shut behind me with a solemn, resounding thud.

My Sovereign was there… but he was not seated on the throne.

He was on the steps below the throne, the once-majestic figure now looking... worn. In his hands, a bottle of liquor—such a mundane gesture. Even though I knew alcohol had no effect on him, he drank anyway.

I swallowed hard and approached, my posture flawless, my most graceful smile in place—radiant enough to illuminate the hall.

His body was covered in blood. A lot of blood.

"The little girl's father will never raise his hand against her again..." he said, his voice low, but carrying a cold, unshakable resolve. "He will be a good father. And he will never forget what happened to him tonight..."

Then he fell silent, his eyes fixed on the bottle.

"D-did you enjoy this year's festival, my Sovereign?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He remained silent for a moment, his gaze lost in the amber liquid.

"I... did."

That was all he said before taking another sip.

I stood still, waiting for praise… a word of approval.

Nothing came.

The silence was crushing.

"Um... I... I sculpted my face even better this year. I made it even more perfect. Did you like it…?"

My voice sounded hesitant. Pathetically hesitant.

He lifted his gaze to me, and for a moment, the intensity in his eyes made my heart race.

"Chronos... you are even more beautiful."

But there was no warmth in his words. Only emptiness.

He took another drink.

No matter how hard I tried... no matter how much I shaped myself for him, no matter how desperately I pursued perfection... nothing seemed capable of reaching my Sovereign's wounded soul.

"T-thank you..."

The room plunged into thick silence.

I wanted to ask about that... human.

About what she had said.

About her name.

But I didn't know how.

Then, his voice cut through the silence:

"Do you think… there's something after true death? A 'paradise' or a 'hell'...?"

The bottle remained suspended halfway to his lips. He wasn't looking at me.

I knew.

He wasn't talking about ordinary death.

He wanted to know if there was something... beyond annihilation.

If there was a place Helen could have gone.

I held my breath, unable to answer right away. He already knew the truth, but maybe he sought some comfort.

But I would never lie to him.

"When one's existence is erased... they cease to be. There is nothing beyond the other side. Only the void. An unknown, absolute void." My voice was firm, but there was no comfort in my words.

Silence returned.

I regretted it.

Regretted saying something that hurt him.

"Maybe I should try going there myself..." he muttered, a short, bitter laugh escaping him before he took another sip.

I swallowed hard. My heart pounded.

"My Sovereign, do not say that. I would be deeply saddened if such a thing happened. Besides... no one could erase your existence. There is no one in this world... with the power to do so."

He slowly turned the bottle in his hand, staring at the liquid as if searching for answers within it.

"Only me..." he murmured. "I'm the only one who can kill myself..."

The weight of his words struck me like a blade.

"M-my Sovereign..." My voice was calm, but laden with worry. "I care about you deeply. I... I hope this is just a joke."

He shrugged, letting out a laugh devoid of any joy. Then, silence consumed the room once more.

He placed the bottle on the step beside him, leaning forward and covering his face with his hands.

I watched him, and what I saw cut through me like a dagger.

This was not the Sovereign I once knew.

For years, I had been by his side. It was true that he always carried a sorrow within him, but he was also someone who, despite it all, inspired us. Before every battle, he found the right words, the fire needed to lead us. He was the beacon in the darkness.

But everything changed...

After he killed his last enemy.

After he claimed the title of God Sovereign.

Since that night… he had never been the same.

I took a deep breath.

Maybe this was the right moment to ask.

"My Sovereign..." I began hesitantly. "What happened that night? What happened when you entered that room… to kill Athena?"

He didn't move.

"What did she say to you before she died… that left you like this? That even after a hundred years… you still carry this anguish?"

He lifted his face, and for the first time in so long, I saw something I never expected to find in his eyes.

Guilt.

A guilt so deep, so consuming, it seemed to devour everything around him.

"Athena told me a truth..." he finally said, his voice hoarse, carrying a weight that seemed impossible to bear. "A truth I want to forget... but I can't."

A shiver ran down my spine.

For years, we had all wondered what had happened in that room, what words had been exchanged between them.

But he had never answered.

Never revealed what was said.

"What truth?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He hesitated, his gaze fixed on some distant point, as if reliving that moment.

When he finally spoke, the air around me seemed to vanish.

The truth he revealed was an abyss—an unhealable wound.

And that was when I understood.

I understood that nothing in this world could erase his sorrow.

Not even me.

My Sovereign was doomed to carry that guilt forever.

As the years passed, I drifted away from him, bitter that he never returned my feelings. I fought with my Sovereign and chose to distance myself.

But when I finally returned to see him, to apologize…

He was gone.

The only man I ever loved had left me.

And now, it was I who carried a guilt that consumed me more with each passing day.