Fate: I Heard After Death, You Can Ascend to the Throne of Heroes?

"Promise, are you still seeking that grand ending now?"

In the ancient temple of fate, woven together from the threads of destiny, as Promise offered his gift to the petite goddess Clotho to express his gratitude for everything that had happened so far, the latter suddenly posed this question.

The question left him frozen in place, and even the other two goddesses of fate were surprised.

Before Promise could even respond, Clotho gently tugged on his clothes, prompting him to lower himself to her level.

She then reached out her small hand, placing it on Promise's face, softly stroking it as if to confirm what she saw and to imprint his features deep into her memory.

"Goddess Clotho, what do you mean by…"
The boy let her explore and hesitated before speaking, however before he could finish her words, Clotho gently cut him off.

With her soft, tender voice, she repeated, "I asked, are you still seeking a grand ending?"

Promise paused for a moment, reflecting on her words, before meeting the gaze of the white-eyed goddess of fate in front of him. "Goddess Clotho, did you see something?"

Surprisingly, and to the shock of the other two goddesses as well, Clotho shook her head, this time telling the truth: "No, I didn't."

"You didn't look?"
Hearing this, Promise asked a bit curiously.

After all, this was Clotho, the goddess of fate who observes the future in Greek mythology!

"What's the point?" Clotho asked back softly, her stroking hand now pinching his face gently.

As she lightly pinched Promise's face, Clotho, with no change in her expression, said, "Anyway, no matter what future I see, as long as it involves you, you'll change it."

"And besides…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but the pinch on Promise's face grew a bit tighter.

She definitely didn't want to see that moment come to pass.

Promise fell silent once again, but this time, it didn't last long for him to respond as he finally answered,
"I think I still long for it."

Upon hearing this, Clotho's two sisters' expressions shifted, bracing themselves for her reaction, expecting her to be upset. However, they were surprised to see her remain calm.

"Is that so..."

Clotho murmured softly as she pushed the doll Promise had given her back into his arms, saying, "Then, take her with you for now."

"Goddess Clotho, do you not like the gift?" Promise asked, a bit puzzled.

"No, I do like it," Clotho shook her head.

However, before the boy could ask further, she gently pushed him away, and once again, he felt that familiar sensation of weightlessness as he fell away from the ancient temple of fate.

As for Clotho returning the doll to Promise, her sisters weren't too surprised; the reason was easy to discern.

Promise had given her a gift that granted her new sight, but in truth, Clotho had long since gained an extra pair of "eyes."

These eyes were the bond between him and Clotho, a vow that allowed her, who peeked into the future to witness the most beautiful futures.

In a way, Promise had already become her eyes.

Moreover, with that doll, Clotho could now accompany him wherever he went.

"Oh my, who would've thought that our dear little sister has her own hidden desires now," the second sister, Lachesis teased as she sidled up to Clotho with a playful smile.

Clotho ignored her sister's teasing, while the eldest sister, Atropos, came over to ask in her emotionless voice, "This 'ending'... what exactly does it mean?"

"He seeks a hero's ending," The latter replied softly, "and it's part of his vow with the goddess Athena."

The eldest sister's pupils widened a little when she heard that.

After all, that was Athena, one of the only two goddesses of wisdom in the entire ancient Greek mythology.

Moreover, she carried the power of Zeus, the king of Gods, himself, making her one of the most unique and powerful deities among the gods.

If Athena truly intended to do something, it would be very difficult no.. nearly impossible to stop her.

"Don't worry, Clotho. Given how much Hera dotes on the child, she will definitely protect him even if she has to plead with Zeus himself." Lachesis touched Clotho's head and comforted her.

But Clotho looked up, a bit confused, and said, "I'm not worried."

"...What?" Lachesis blinked in surprise.

"And Hera won't be able to stop it," Clotho continued in her gentle tone. "Because this is Promise.
No matter what future I glimpse, whether I agree or not, he can always change it."

"Even a fate that is supposedly unalterable won't be enough to hold him back. How could a single goddess stop him, even if that goddess is the revered Queen Hera?"

"What is it, then, that you're concerned about, Clotho?" Lachesis asked, still puzzled.

"I'm not worried; I'm simply confirming it," Clotho replied, cradling the crystal ball that held Promise's fate in her hands. "I'm confirming that ending and letting him know that I... will always be watching."

Lachesis hearing this, still remained confused, however, Atropos spoke up again, "What you're saying is that even without the vow with the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, Promise would still seek a grand finale of his own, right?"

"Yes," Clotho confirmed.

"And nothing can stop him, just as when he underwent that trial in the Underworld. Even when blind and deaf, he still chose to press forward when all he needed to do was step back, and the gods would have intervened."

Hearing her words, Lachesis finally began to grasp the situation.

"Wait, Clotho, are you saying... Promise has been seeking death this whole time? But... why? Isn't it because of the vow with Athena? And we've never treated him badly, have we?"

Her voice grew frantic.

Even though she often resented him for the endless work he caused her, due to her bond with Clotho and her own interactions with Promise, Lachesis had long since come to accept him.

"It's not about any external reason," Clotho explained calmly. "It's simply his dream."

Lachesis was stunned into silence as she finally comprehended. "So... you've accepted this?"

Clotho nodded without any hesitation. "Yes."

"Why? But Promise is your Promise!" Lachesis exclaimed, shocked.

The eldest sister glanced at Lachesis, curious about why she wasn't coughing or feeling dizzy today—after all, the eldest sister wasn't known for showing emotions.

"Because I just confirmed it," Clotho's voice remained gentle and steady as she continued, "It's what he truly desires in his heart and I... don't want to do anything that would make him unhappy."

Even if that wish is for a final curtain call in death.

If that's what he wishes, then the goddess of fate will seize that thread of destiny for him.

...

...

In the Underworld, at Hecate's temple.

"What, you didn't deliver the gift? And wait—how did you come back without getting beaten?"

Looking at the boy who had returned intact, and the doll still in his hand, Hecate was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion.

"Goddess Clotho likes it very much, but she told me to hold onto it...but why should I be beaten?" Promise answered as he looked at Hecate in confusion.

Hecate stayed silent, her red eyes focusing on the doll, especially its newly illuminated sky-blue eyes.

When she saw them she understood what this gift truly was and the significance behind it.

It's really fun.

Hecate, feeling emotional, waved her hands and said, "It's okay, it's okay, just pretend I didn't say anything... Oh, by the way, now that you have given away all the gifts, could you help me with that favour now?"

She swiftly changed the subject but Promise didn't dwell on it as his mind was still occupied by another thing...that was Goddess Clotho's question about his "grand ending."

So he answered casually,

"Sure, that's no problem, but Goddess Hecate, could you wait a bit longer? I still need to complete another trial and meet the Golden Horned Deer. Oh, and Hecate, there's something I wanted to ask you —"

Before he could finish speaking—

"Then hurry up and go!" Hecate took out her staff and waved her hand to cast a spell.

As the Underworld butterflies enveloped him and the boy vanished, returning to the mortal world, Hecate raised her hand to wipe her brow and remove the non-existent sweat.

"Phew, that was so close. I almost got dragged into some troublesome business... I'm not sure what it was, but avoiding it is always the safest bet!"

Just as Hecate congratulated herself on her quick thinking—

"Teacher, I thought I heard Promise's voice just now?" Medea came running into the temple, glancing around in confusion as she asked Hecate.

"Nope," Hecate responded immediately, her expression firm. "You must've been hearing things!"
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