I nodded in agreement as I took a deep breath and followed Julian down a quiet, stone corridor. The air grew progressively denser with mana—not oppressive like Ares's fiery pressure, but deep, vast, and cold, like a subterranean ocean.Julian pushed open a set of double doors, leading into a grand chamber bathed in soft blue light.I hesitated in the tracks, my breath catching in my throat. In the center of the room, suspended slightly above a black frost-stone platform, was Hades.He was far from the terrifying monster the Academy elders had painted him to be. He was breathtakingly handsome, with sharp, sculpted features, midnight-black hair, and broad shoulders. But he was entirely still. Dark, dormant mana veins crept up his neck and wrists, glowing faintly under his pale skin. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and shallow.He was in a deep, vegetative state—a living statue trapped in a self-induced slumber."What... what happened to him?" I whispered, stepping closer to the
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