48 Hours a Day

A wooden cottage lay hidden in the woods, its atmosphere breathtaking. Right outside, the clear water of a shallow creek glistened and trickled by, as ancient, unknown trees whose branches seem to be entwined with each other under some mysterious force were woven into a colossal umbrella, blocking out the sunlight.

Having the perfect lighting at almost all times of the day, it was probably that one cottage in the woods everyone didn’t mind having.

The owner of the wooden hut had a peculiar hobby. His pets were not the regular cat and dog, but a group of crows. These birds differed from their counterparts, silently perched on the roof without letting out a single caw as if they were fast asleep.

In the dark room, a pale man with wings suddenly woke up from his bed. Beads of sweat lined his forehead, and his eyes flickered. The most attractive part of him was the pair of wings that grew on his back. When spread out, they were at least four meters long and two meters wide. They seemed wide enough to fill the entire room.

The observant would quickly point out that his wings fluttered ever so slightly.

It was then that the sound of a harp playing came from outside. It’s soothing and melodic tune flowed through the house’s door and into the man’s ears, calming his mind. He sat up on the bed for a while, put on his slippers, and walked to the table where he picked up an unfinished bottle of Coke.

The sugar in the drink further calmed him down, and he couldn’t help but let out a sad sigh as he watched his slightly bulging belly. He then walked toward the door, stopping to throw the empty bottle into the trash can. When he saw the figure sitting on the sofa in the living room, he frowned and shook his head.

The strangely dressed older man on the sofa clapped after listening to the beautiful harp performance. “Thank you, Pasithea, for the amazing performance. I felt like I was in the golden halls of Vienna. And if I may, Pasithea, I raise my hat as a tribute to you!”

The woman with greying hair nodded in thanks. Putting away her harp, she sheepishly tiptoed out of the cabin, trembling under her skin.

When she walked to the door, the man looked at the old man warily, asking, “Why did you show up here.”

The older man did not answer him. He paused for a while. “I still remember how beautiful she was among the Three Graces. Reminds me of Daphne. No wonder you couldn’t help but offend Zeus for her back then. How’s your back? I bet it doesn’t feel so good falling from such a high place.”

“So, you’ve come here to laugh at us?”

“No, it’s just a shame that we can’t defy the laws of time. The once-powerful goddess is getting old.”

“Pasithea isn’t in the best condition. After all, there are simply too few who know her name these days,” the man said. “It won’t be long before she disappears from this world.”

“That’s a real shame,” the old man said. “It appears this is the fate of the old folks. After all, nothing goes against the law of time. One day the world will forget us all... eventually.”

The man snorted coldly, “Is that right? I think you’ve been quite happy recently. Heard you went to Silicon Valley to find that guy.”

“Hatred will not help us survive. Evolution is a natural law,” the old man went on, ignoring his counterpart’s jibe. “So, you are planning to betray us by following the laws of nature and joining the enemy?” The man took a knife from the wall and walked towards the older man. “Just listen to yourself! You are just as disgusting as those bastards. I should have warned the others about you. Oh, I almost forgot. Time is ruthless, and you only look forward but never look back, right?”

The latter shrugged. “Listen to what you are saying, Hypnos. You should know that no one cares about the past more than me. I still remember those names that have vanished from the hands of time. I’ve asked you to come to me no matter what you’re facing. My door will always be open to you.”

Hypnos snorted coldly and sat down beside the older man. Snatching an apple from the fruit plate, he began peeling it with a knife. “This is a mistake. We shouldn’t have agreed to play the game in the first place. Instead, we should have followed the old traditions and gather everyone to fight them. Yes, we may be at a disadvantage, but we’ve won a war against the titans before. I don’t know what kind of brainwashing you’ve done to Zeus... Why would he accept such a ridiculous request?!”

“We can’t do that, unfortunately,” the old man explained patiently. “This is completely different from the war with the Titans. Judging by the current situation, we’ll be dead in no time if we keep fighting.” “Not for me,” Hypnos replied. “Pasithea is too weak to wait until the next round. I must help her to achieve results in the next round.”

“Chosen anyone yet?”

“Yes, I did meet a candidate this time. The girl’s name is Shen Xixi. I’ve been following her for a while... but I saw something else in the dream this time...” When Hypnos thought about the terrible scene that he saw, he couldn’t help but shudder. He then saw the corners of the older man’s mouth turning upwards. Quickly realizing something, Hypnos replied vigilantly, “You came to me because of this?”

“That’s right,” the old man admitted, “I hope you can forget the things you saw.”

“Is he related to you?” Hypnos bit the apple.

“I am doing it for your own good. Knowing too much is not a good thing sometimes,” the old man said.

“Are you crazy? Why did you provoke that thing?!” Hypnos asked angrily,” Don’t we already have enough enemies now? Even they don’t dare mess with that thing. If that thing is awakened, we will be greeted with an all-out disaster! Thanks to the stupid works of mortals, its name is now widely known to everyone. Not even our combined force defeats it. Put a little finger on it. Didn’t you see it? His name is in the newspapers, novels, movies, and games!”

“Calm down, calm down, Hypnos. I only did this because I’ve actually come up with a plan,” the old man replied leisurely. “So far, the situation is still under my control. In exchange, I can help Pasithea to find an excellent agent. Well, you can’t pick the girl named Shen Xixi because someone else is already watching her... She has entered the trial phase. As for Seth, I can also help you deal with him and prevent him from making multiples copies of Dreamland of Death. Once I deal with him, you don’t have to run here and there anymore.”