Elmar closed his eyes and found himself in the land of plenty. The deer was all around him, looking at him with longing. He reached out and petted the nose of one.
“They are far better creatures now, are they not?” Said Hades, now in his human form. He had a kind smile on, but the deer shied away from him. “You managed to figure out the riddle with the plate. I agree to train you.”
Hades sat by Elmar and the boy scooted away from him. He had not forgotten the sharp row of teeth that he had seen on Hades’ rabbit form.
“Why a rabbit?” Asked the boy. “Wouldn’t you want to be something more majestic? Like a wolf?”
“And rabbits are not majestic, is that so?” Asked Hades, his smile turning into a smirk. “I’ll have you know I quite admire them. They live underground, so do I. They have large families; I envy them for it. They have to prove themselves to their mate, so did I. And a vest looks quite fetching on me, does it not?”
Elmar blanched. Did Hades just crack a joke? The boy looked at the deer that had left him alone with the deity. He needed to help them, somehow.
“I can help you bring Persephone here, but you have to release their souls,” the deer raised their heads as one at that. Elmar would never forget how hopeful they were at this moment. Or how their hope would be dashed moments later at Hades’ words.
“What for? They died when they took from the underworld. But how do you propose for Persephone to come here?”
“Dead?” Stuttered Elmar. He could have died too. Hades could have killed him and placed his soul in a new vessel in a dreamlike world.
“Quite. Although, I do suppose they would like to move on. That is my domain, even in this world. To sort the souls of the dead,” said Hades smugly, and Elmar began to collect his thoughts.
“Well, what of an enchanted item. There is the ring of teleportation in my world. It is in the possession of the elven King. Hidden in the forest of plenty,” said Elmar, determined to release the souls captured here.
“Useless trinket. I tried using it already. It is not powerful enough,” dismissed the idea, Hades, with a wave of his hand.
“Yes, but coupled with a life-extending ring and a necklace of the ethereal spirit, it might just work. There is a life-extending ring in the possession of my host. She and her friends are working on disenchanting it. And, while a necklace of the ethereal spirit is common, there is a purpose behind why I suggest it,” said Elmar, and he waited for Hades to take the bait.
“And it is?” There was a slight feeling of excitement coming from Hades’ voice now. Elmar had him.
“It lets the wearer be cured of any illness plaguing the spirit. Being trapped here is an illness, as far as I can tell. With the necklace, you will be free to come to the realm of the living, and then getting the two rings will be a breeze. The life-extending ring will overcharge the teleportation one, and your Persephone will come here before you know it.”
Elmar saw how a million thoughts pass through Hades’ eyes. He looked at the deer. Soon, they would be free too. Hades clapped the boy on his back and stood up.
“You will need to get me the rings and two necklaces. One for me and another for my Persephone. But even getting her here, to the dream world, would be a boon. I will not capture any more souls, and when you get me a life-extending ring, I will release the ones I have captured so far.”
Deer began to prance around and Hades chuckled, but then his face became dire.
“Not a word to Persephone about me trying to use souls to bring her here,” warned Hades, and Elmar nodded. But he had no idea how to replicate a life-extending ring, and he felt it would be better not to steal it from Theanore.
“Hades, suppose you had a life-extending ring. How would you go about disenchanting it?” Asked Elmar, and Hades’ smirk deepened.
“You don’t know? You place it in a mana fountain, and it's done,” said the deity, knowing full well that he hadn’t given an answer.
“They must have tried that already. There must be a trick to it,” protested Elmar.
“Well, what did you feel the first time you disenchanted something?” Asked Hades.
“You said you will train me!” Snapped Elmar at the riddle, but Hades just raised an eyebrow at the outburst.
“Well, it was an air enchantment, so I felt air slipping through my fingers…” Began Elmar and Hades nodded his head, beckoning him to continue. “And I felt like I was light, filled with air. Like I could fly, even though I knew I could not.”
“You see? You do know. Enchanting is all about limits and how to overcome them. Do you want to make a life-extending ring? Then feel alive. How do you feel alive, Elmar?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Elmar quietly.
“By doing something you enjoy, silly. Surely, even an orphan has such pleasures. Go climb a mountain or slide through the ice covered river. Get your blood pumping, boy. Now off with you,” with a wave of the hand, Hades forced Elmar to wake up.
Elmar stared at the ceiling. He wondered what would make him feel alive. He had enjoyed enchanting yesterday. Maybe, if he didn’t restrain himself, he could reach that feeling, and then he could remember it and talk Luca, the owner of the life-extending ring, into letting him disenchant it.
Elmar spend the whole night enchanting. He was laughing at the center of a storm when dawn came. He didn’t know if he felt alive now, but, he felt cold and happy. Furthermore, he could feel every bone in his body. He could feel the mana bellow his skin. He was ready to meet Luca.
