Chapter 244: Chapter 57 [Suffering]_4

They bound the Forethinker’s hands and suspended him here, where there was clearly no fulcrum to hang from, yet the chains somehow held Prometheus aloft in midair. Then Bia took out a long nail and drove it forcefully into his chest.

Blood flowed down his body, eventually falling into the vortex below. When they had finished this step, the two stepped back and stood beside the God of Sun.

At that moment, an immense pressure poured onto Prometheus’s slender body, causing his bones to creak and groan.

At sea, the restrictions of the present world were slightly more lenient than those on land, so the God of Sun had been using Divine Power to resist the pressure at this oceanic maelstrom, but the long nail driven into the chest of Prometheus locked away the Titan’s Divine Power, forcing him to face the pressure with his own flesh.

The so-called ‘calming of the tides’ was naturally not to hope that Prometheus, who lacked even Intermediate Divine Power, could dispel the vortex, but rather, because he was locked here, the pull of the great whirlpool on the outside world was somewhat reduced. And perhaps some lives that had fallen into the vortex could find a way out, should they live to see the Forethinker.

Indeed, the chains and iron nails forged by the Cyclops bound Prometheus’s Divine Power yet gave him a chance to release others, though not himself. He could send others away from this bottomless maelstrom, but he was to remain here forever.

Men suffer not from lack—though Chaos had no such saying, the principle was the same. Zeus intended to torment Prometheus’s soul in this manner—either endure the clearly unequal treatment between himself and others or watch coldly as other lives died.

If he truly chose the latter, the Divine King believed it would not be long before humans no longer occupied Prometheus’s heart. Lines, after all, tend to slip step by step, and by then, he naturally expected to see the obstinate Titan god bow his head to him.

“Although I know your answer, Prometheus,” said Helios, suppressing the discomfort in his heart, “but as the Divine King requests, I still must say to you: you have experienced this pain, not for a day, not for a year, but forever. Yet if you are willing to take back the Fire from humans, you can leave now.”

Zeus, although he had punished the Fire Thief, had slowly come to understand the nature of Faith and knew his actions could reduce Prometheus’s presence among humans but could not completely destroy his status among them.

So, as long as Prometheus was willing to submit to him, Zeus wouldn’t mind letting him go.

“Hah—”

“No need.”

After catching his breath, Prometheus once again refused Zeus’s ‘kindness’. He looked towards Helios in front of him and managed a difficult smile.

“It’s you, Helios—do you remember what I once said?”

“Sheer power does not bring loyalty, and the Divine King has acknowledged this… so what do you think, how long will Zeus tolerate you?”

The God of Sun’s pale face darkened, as Kratos and Bia by his side did their best to reduce their presence. After a while, Helios raised his head and said slowly to Prometheus:

“So, do you have any advice for me, wise Forethinker? Though I won’t heed your seduction, I’m still curious to see what you have to say.”

“Advice, not as of now.”

Prometheus spoke from midair where he hung, smiling as if he were anything but a prisoner.

“You needn’t worry now, but if one day another deity qualified to drive the Sun Chariot comes into being, then you should be careful.”

“However, if you’re willing to come occasionally and talk to me about humans, about the changes in the world, when that day does come, I might be able to offer you some advice.”

“Hmph, do you think I would defy the Divine King’s orders?”

Casting a glance at Kratos and Bia, Helios snorted coldly.

“Who can predict the future? Remain here forever, suffer the agony of eternal Life, which is surely a torture worse than eternal rest,” he retorted, and without another word, Helios flew upward, eager to leave the place. Kratos and Bia followed him closely, maintaining their silence.

Soon, the maelstrom quieted down. With Helios’s departure, darkness returned to the surroundings.

For a moment, if one ignored the pain in the body, Prometheus actually thought the environment wasn’t so bad. In small doses, it might even be considered a good thing.

But stretched over an era of millennia, it would likely be as Helios said, a punishment worse than eternal rest.

“So tell me, do you regret it now, Prometheus?”

It’s hard to tell how much time had passed when suddenly, within the silent dark maelstrom, a voice echoed.

“…I wouldn’t say I regret it.”

After a brief silence, Prometheus spoke lightly.

“Who are you, a deity of the God of the Ocean’s lineage, or is it that elder coming to visit this nephew of his?”

The secrets of Faith, still sealed by the Divine King, perhaps attracted the attention of some Titans, leading them to find their way to him.

Prometheus welcomed this, regardless of whether the other was willing to reveal their identity, he would tell the truth. After all, if the deity beyond Olympus could also recognize the significance of humans, it was only then that humans could benefit in the gaps between powers.