King of Underworld

Chapter 142 The Story of Orpheus – Part 1

Orpheus.

He was born as a demigod, the son of Calliope, eldest of the Muses, and Oeagrus, king of Thrace.

Apollo, captivated by Orpheus’s musical talent, personally taught him to play the lyre.

Orpheus’s skill in music alone was enough to deem him worthy of training among the heroes of the Underworld.

On the Argo, he had repelled the Sirens’ song with his lyre and even calmed storms.

Renowned as Greece’s greatest musician, he married Eurydice, a nymph of the Dryads.

But tragedy struck while Orpheus was away on the Argo expedition…

“Excuse me, nymph…”

“Eek?! Stay back!”

“No, wait…”

Crunch.

“Kyaaa!!”

Aristaeus, god of agriculture, beekeeping, and the countryside, had approached her with innocent intentions.

But, mistaking his approach for something malicious, she fled in terror and was bitten by a venomous snake, dying instantly.

Given the many tales of nymphs falling prey to gods, her reaction was understandable.

Yet for Aristaeus, who had truly meant no harm, the situation was simply tragic.

When Orpheus returned from the Argo expedition and found his wife’s lifeless body, he was consumed with grief.

“Eurydice! Eurydice! I will find a way to bring you back!”

Determined to reach the Underworld, Orpheus soon realized the path through Thebes was blocked, forcing him to find another route.

Thus, armed only with his lyre, he set out, asking directions with his music until he reached the entrance of the Underworld.

A path leading into the dark, foreboding depths lay before him.

“Hah…”

Yet, he had no guarantee that this journey would allow him to save his wife.

There was no assurance that the Lord of the Underworld would be moved by his talent enough to bring her back.

For a living human to descend into the Underworld meant almost certain death.

The odds of him returning alone were slim, let alone returning with Eurydice.

But Orpheus didn’t care.

Standing at the path leading downwards, he plucked at his lyre one last time.

Drawing upon the emotions he felt as he watched Eurydice die, he began to play.

♬ ♪~ ♩

More deeply than when he calmed the storm, more profoundly than when he overcame the Sirens…

It had to be the greatest performance of his life.

Anything less would be inadequate to bring back Eurydice.

* * *

Eyes closed, Orpheus stepped forward.

Seeing nothing did not matter. The music was guiding him to his destination.

~ ♪♩

His haunting lyre moved the stones that blocked his path to roll aside on their own.

The stifling, deathly chill of the Underworld that would freeze any mortal’s heart could not penetrate the melody’s protective embrace.

In the pitch-black darkness, nothing but Orpheus’s lyre resounded clear and pure…

He reached the first river of the Underworld, Acheron.

The ferryman Charon watched the madman playing the lyre approach and scoffed.

But the melody stirred his weary soul, soothing him after eons of labor.

The mournful notes seemed to embody human suffering, and Orpheus’s silent tears added to their depth.

Though Charon had ferried souls for countless ages,

for the first time, he felt moved.

“Please, carry me across… Lord Charon.”

“…Just this once, mortal.”

Charon, who never allowed the living to pass, gestured for Orpheus to board his boat.

~ ♪

“Mother… forgive me…”

“Damn… why does this lyre…”

“Haaah…”

As Orpheus’s music resonated across the Acheron, tears welled in the eyes of Charon and the other souls.

Soon, the boat was filled with weeping as the tears of the dead overflowed into the sorrowful river.

He reached the second river, Cocytus.

True to its reputation, the River of Lament was icy, even feared by the soulless dead.

The reflection in the waters of Cocytus showed him scenes from his past…

“Ahahaha! You are truly beautiful. Now, we will be together forever…”

“Of course, I may be a nymph, but I…”

Here, Orpheus saw himself and Eurydice on their wedding day.

The blade of grief sliced through his heart, but without hesitation, he crossed the icy river.

Then came the third river, Pyriphlegethon.

The River of Fire, said to purify souls, blazed intensely.

One step into that fire would surely consume him in an instant.

Its flames seemed potent enough to incinerate even his mortal body in a heartbeat.

Yet…

They could not burn hotter than the fire raging in his heart over his wife’s loss.

At last, he reached the fourth river, Lethe.

The infamous waters of Lethe erased memories of the living world.

But without a moment’s hesitation, Orpheus played his lyre and waded in.

All he wished to retain was the memory of his wife. He desired nothing but Eurydice’s return.

A fierce resolve. A clear purpose. A blazing will. All conveyed through the melody of his lyre.

His singular focus on rescuing his wife bound him to the Underworld’s realm of memories.

And so, the waters of Lethe failed to wash away his memories.

~ ♩

Crossing the fifth and final river, the River Styx, Orpheus pressed onward to Hades’ fortress.

Led by his music, which brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it, he reached Cerberus, guardian of the Underworld.

“Grrrr…”

Cerberus, who had intended to tear apart the living intruder, halted with a growl.

The hitherto unfamiliar feeling of sorrow dulled the beast’s ferocity.

Moreover… Cerberus was confused.

Having crossed the Underworld’s rivers unaided, Orpheus’s soul had grown beyond its mortal origins.

Just as Hercules had gained power from mortal faith and his heroic labors,

Orpheus, wielding only music, had surmounted the impossible, reaching a new height of strength.

Now a demigod in both origin and spirit, he had confused Cerberus, who ultimately let him pass.

* * *

And so, Orpheus arrived before Hades, ruler of the Underworld.

His lyre’s melody brought tears to the beautiful goddess with golden hair beside him, but the dark-haired god on the throne remained unmoved.

Even the most heartfelt performance couldn’t seem to stir the Lord of the Underworld.

Desperate, Orpheus halted his song and fell to his knees.

“Oh Lord of the Underworld! I am but a humble mortal named Orpheus. Please, grant me mercy and bring my wife, Eurydice, back to life!”

After a moment of silence, the god of the Underworld finally spoke.

“To resurrect the dead? Did you come to the Underworld, relying only on your music?”

“…I beg of you!”

“There is precedent with Tantalus; if the circumstances of one’s death are unjust, I may consider it. Wait here.”

At Hades’s signal, a servant approached, left, and then returned after a time that felt like eternity.

“Your wife, the nymph Eurydice, died from an unfortunate accident—a snakebite. A tragic event indeed… but hardly unjust.”

“No… No!”

“As a reward for reaching the Underworld alone, I will spare your life. Return to the living, hero of music.”

The words, cold and unyielding, crushed Orpheus’s heart.

Then again, it was fitting; Hades was the lord of the Underworld, not a god of mercy. But he could not leave empty-handed.

Resolving to bring Eurydice back no matter what, Orpheus decided: if he could not take her with him, he would remain in death alongside her.

“Please… I beg you!”

“Resurrecting a single nymph may not seem difficult to you. You came here hoping it would be that simple.”

“…”

“And you’re right—it would not be difficult. But precisely because of that, I cannot do it.”

“Why…?”

“If I were to freely resurrect souls, the boundaries between life and death would dissolve. This would disrupt the world’s balance. Without a truly unjust death, like Tantalus’s… not even Zeus could persuade me to do this.”

Orpheus raised his gaze to meet the god of the Underworld.

The golden-haired goddess beside the throne seemed inclined to support him but could not speak, unable to defy Hades’s authority.

Even so, he couldn’t give up…

Even if he risked angering Hades and being cast into Tartarus, he was determined to save Eurydice…!

“Just once… Please listen to my music.”

“Hm?”

“I shall play a melody that will move even you, Lord Hades! I beg you, return Eurydice to me!”

The husband, bereft of his beloved, gripped his lyre and prepared to play once more.