Excess Baggage

"My lady! My lady, please! Where are you going?" Lian wailed dramatically, stumbling over a pile of discarded silk dresses as she frantically followed Zhuxen around the room.

Zhuxen, utterly unfazed, twirled on her heel, a lavish fur coat draped over one arm and a ridiculous sun hat perched on her head. "Oh, I'm going on a trip with my soon-to-be-husband, Lian. Calm down and help me pack." She sang the words like she was announcing her grand escape to an adoring audience.

Lian nearly fainted. "S-Soon-to-be-husband?!" she squeaked, clutching her heart. "M-My lady, someone as noble as yourself—let alone a woman—should never go alone with a man who is not yet your husband!"

Zhuxen paused mid-twirl, holding a bright red gown in one hand and a pair of slippers in the other. "What's wrong with that, really?" she mused, casually tossing the slippers over her shoulder, nearly knocking over a vase. "We're getting married anyway. If I ever get pregnant—"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT—"

A deep, chilling voice sliced through the air.

Both women gasped and whirled around, their skirts swishing in unison.

The door, which had been shut mere seconds ago, now stood wide open, revealing the imposing figure of Thanatos "Aethan Grimrose" standing in the doorway. Cloaked in shadows (and a mildly irritated expression), he leaned against the frame with the air of a man who had just walked in on absolute nonsense.

"Nothing like that will happen," he added flatly, eyes narrowing at Zhuxen like a parent catching their child about to touch the stove.

Zhuxen gasped, clutching her chest like a tragic heroine in a play. "You wound me again, my love!" she declared dramatically. "Must you always crush my hopes and dreams?"

Thanatos remained unmoved. "You have no dreams. You have delusions."

Lian, who had been hyperventilating into a handkerchief, turned to Thanatos with renewed desperation. "M-My Lord!" she skidded toward him like a panicked butler trying to stop a duel. "This act is unbefitting of noble individuals! Think of the scandal! The whispers in the court! The disapproving aunties!"

Thanatos, clearly unbothered, crossed his arms. "Lady Emerald already approved of this."

Silence.

Lian blinked. Once. Twice. Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, she stiffened and staggered back. "L-Lady Emerald… approved?!"

Her knees wobbled. Her vision blurred. Her entire worldview cracked like a dropped porcelain plate.

"My lady—my lord—I… I think I need to sit down—no, lie down—no, be buried—" she wheezed, clutching at the air like an elderly noblewoman experiencing a scandalous revelation.

Zhuxen patted her shoulder. "Breathe, Lian. Breathe. We still need you to pack my jewelry box."

Lian collapsed onto the nearest chair, still whispering, "Lady Emerald approved… Lady Emerald approved…" like she was reciting a forbidden prophecy.

"Again, Lian! Calm down," Zhuxen whispered, her tone firm yet reassuring. "Don't worry—Lord Aethan and I won't be going alone." A glimmer of hope flickered in Lian's eyes, his tense shoulders loosening ever so slightly as her words took root.

Lian practically shot up from the pile of discarded dresses like a resurrected noblewoman, her eyes sparkling with newfound hope. "You will bring me with you, right? My lady?" she asked breathlessly, hands clasped together like a maiden awaiting a proposal.

Zhuxen, looking entirely too pleased with herself, gave a regal nod.

"Oh! Thank you so much, my lady!" Lian practically squealed, spinning around in a whirlwind of excitement.

Without wasting another second, she lunged toward the scattered clothing, grabbing silk gowns, embroidered cloaks, and feathered hats with the enthusiasm of a royal stylist preparing for the grandest ball of the century.

"We must pack the finest ensembles, my lady!" Lian declared, dramatically holding up a glittering gown made of golden silk.

"This one—oh! And this velvet cloak! Oh, and this one—no, no, this one is better!" She tossed garments into the air, catching them with expert precision, folding them neatly before arranging them into the luggage like a prized collection.

At one point, she pulled out a pair of bejeweled gloves and clutched them to her chest. "My lady, this will go perfectly with that sapphire gown! Oh, how breathtaking you will look!" She twirled in delight before carefully placing the gloves inside.

She then came across a massive, pearl-encrusted ball gown so extravagant it could single-handedly bankrupt a small kingdom. "This one is a must!" Lian announced as she struggled to fit it inside the trunk, grunting as she pushed and pressed it down like she was trying to contain an overstuffed pastry.

Zhuxen, lounging on the bed, watched with amusement. "Lian, dear, I admire your enthusiasm, but we're not going to a royal wedding. It's just a trip."

Lian paused, blinking. "My lady, anywhere you go is an event. What if you run into foreign dignitaries? What if the prince of another kingdom falls in love with you at first sight? What if—"

Thanatos, who had been quietly observing, finally let out a long sigh. "What if she gets eaten by a wild beast because she's too busy posing in a five-kilogram dress?"

Lian froze, then swiftly shoved the pearl-encrusted gown aside. "Oh, yeah. So, I believe we'll stick to the practical silks then."

Zhuxen chuckled, twirling a stray ribbon between her fingers. "You're the best, Lian."

Lian puffed out her chest, glowing with pride. "Of course, my lady! And don't worry—I'll make sure you look stunning, no matter what!"

Thanatos muttered under his breath, "That's what I'm afraid of."

That's what I'm afraid of indeed, because the moment they bid farewell to Lord Ling and Lady Emerald, things had gotten entirely different.

"W-Where are we going, my lady?" Lian gasped, clutching the edge of her seat as she peered outside the extravagant black carriage. Or at least, what should have been outside. Instead of rolling landscapes or familiar roads, there was... nothing. Just endless, swirling darkness. "And—and where are the clothes that we packed?!"

She turned to Zhuxen, wide-eyed with alarm. Meanwhile, her mistress sat cheerfully beside Thanatos, completely unbothered.

"Oh, don't worry, Lian. Maybe they're just placed in a different carriage," she said airily before nudging Thanatos, who looked like he had aged ten centuries in the past ten minutes. "Right, my love?"

Thanatos let out a long, suffering sigh, visibly restraining himself from throwing himself into the void outside. He had tried—oh, he had tried—to leave Lian behind.

First, he "forgot" to mention their departure. Then, he accidentally walked too fast. When that failed, he straight-up attempted hypnosis. Surely, no mere mortal could resist his command to stay put.

And yet, here she was. Sitting. Talking. Breathing. Existing.

Thanatos shot Lian a glare. Either her loyalty must have had granted her some kind of supernatural resistance, or she was just as ridiculously stubborn as her mistress. He was leaning toward the latter.

His mind then whirred with one singular, persistent thought:

How do I get rid of her again?

Lian. Yet another thorn in his already miserable existence who fretting over luggages that no longer existed and a journey she had no business being a part of.

He shot her a sidelong glance. Completely unaware. Blissfully, irritatingly unaware.

The extravagant black carriage rattled gently, rolling forward without wheels, gliding through a space that did not—should not—exist. Outside, there was no road beneath them, no horizon to guide their way, only an endless expanse of darkness, stretching infinitely in all directions.

The air shimmered unnaturally, folding and unfolding like liquid shadow, as if the very fabric of reality was holding its breath.

And at the end of this unseen path lay their true destination—Tartarus.

A land of eternal damnation. A prison older than the gods themselves, where even the concept of time was meaningless. The sky, if it could be called that, was nothing but a roiling storm of ash and ember, the very air thick with the weight of suffering.

The rivers did not flow with water but with something far more sinister—black, viscous, and writhing as though alive. The land was not solid but pulsed, as if breathing, whispering forgotten sins into the ears of those foolish enough to listen.

It was a place meant for wretched souls, a domain feared even by immortals. And yet, here they were, inching ever closer.

And, of course, neither Zhuxen nor Lian had the slightest idea.

"So, about the luggages," Zhuxen pressed further but Thanatos had already turned his back against her.

He had merely given a noncommittal grunt, unwilling to entertain the conversation further. Because, of course, their luggage was not in another carriage. There was no other carriage.

He had thrown everything overboard.

Every silk gown, every embroidered shawl, every ridiculous golden hairpin Lian had so painstakingly packed. The moment she had looked away, he had simply tossed them into the abyss without a second thought. The void had swallowed them up eagerly, as if pleased with his offering.

Because, really, what was the point? They wouldn't need them where they were going.

Lian, however, was still oblivious. She sat stiffly, glancing outside again, her face paling as she took in the endless nothingness. Her hands twisted into the fabric of her dress. "M-My lady, I… I don't think we're on a normal path. There's—there's nothing outside!"

"Nothing is still something," Zhuxen said cheerfully.

Thanatos fought the overwhelming urge to hurl himself into the void.

The only thing keeping him rooted to his seat was his determination to complete this journey without committing an act of murder. He had already accepted that Zhuxen was impossible.

She was stubborn, reckless, and had somehow wormed her way into his existence like an inescapable curse... But then, he needs her... At least her abilities. She could be his only hope to climb his way up to the top.

But Lian? She was unnecessary. She didn't need to be here. She shouldn't be here.

And yet, despite his best efforts, she was still here.

Thanatos closed his eyes briefly, inhaling deeply before exhaling through his nose.

Step 1: Get rid of Lian.

Step 2: Find a way for Zhuxen to blend in with the souls.