System's POV

Chapter 1159: The Story Of Pandora [Part 2]

“Pandora was a blessed lady,” Thirteen said. “She was given beauty, charm, a seductive voice, intelligence, and all the good things that a woman of greatness should possess.

“She was then sent to Earth, where she became the wife of Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus. Even though he had been warned by his brother to never accept a gift from the Gods for each of them was more fickle than the other, he was simply too enamored by Pandora to resist her charms.

“The two of them married, and for a time, both of them lived happy lives. But that happiness was put to the test when Pandora, overwhelmed by curiosity, decided to open the ’box’ that Zeus had told her to never open.

“The Gods were not always righteous and benevolent. Sometimes, they were greedy, jealous, fickle, and mischievous. This was also why accepting a gift from a God should never be taken lightly.

“The box that Zeus had given Pandora contained his revenge, which he wanted to unleash upon humanity. It took me a while to understand why he needed to make Pandora open the box instead of opening it himself. But I’ll tell you about it later. So, with the box in hand, Pandora decided to see what was hidden inside.

“Pandora could be considered the perfect woman, but she was still human. That’s just how humanity is. Sometimes, when you tell them to not do something, they will do it out of curiosity.

“So, the moment Pandora’s box was opened, the Seven Sins, pestilence, diseases, and death spread not only on Earth, but the entire multiverse.

“The sins were Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth, and Wrath. They drove humanity and the other races to commit atrocious acts, which still linger even to this day.”

“Wait, does that mean that the box affected us too?” Princess Xynalia asked. “I mean, even Jinns have those qualities, right? Especially pride, greed, and wrath. But I’ve never heard of this girl named Pandora before.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t have heard of her. She came from a world that is billions of light-years away from both Gomorra and Pangea. As for the sins, it spread at every corner of the multiverse, and its influence left very few worlds unaffected.”

Princess Xynalia frowned, hugging Zion a little tighter. She liked the way his body fit snugly in her arms.

But the teenage boy’s story was not finished just yet.

“Despite the sins, plagues, and diseases that escaped the box when it was opened, not everything inside of it was bad. Perhaps out of pity, perhaps out of mercy, one of the Gods had stored something inside Pandora’s Box that allowed humanity to overcome the things that had been unleashed upon the world.

“And that thing was called Hope.”

Thirteen closed his eyes as if remembering the playful lady whom he met during the time when he was so heartbroken after seeing his hosts die one after the other.

Back then, she told him that her name was Cathy.

The meaning behind that name was “Pure.” Even though she wasn’t entirely pure at heart, it fit her perfectly because she was one of the many faces of Hope.

“Hope then birthed the Seven Virtues,” Thirteen continued his story. “Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Kindness, Patience, and Humility. The Seven Virtues countered the seven sins, but to be frank, very few people have these things inside of them.

“It is easier to do bad things than do good. But there are still people who can show kindness, even if their hearts are drowned in sins. Humanity is a fickle race, which is the reason why Gods like to toy with them so much. Including Pandora, that pitiful lady.”

“What happened to her?” Princess Xynalia asked out of curiosity.

“She suffered from guilt for unleashing horrors upon humanity,” Thirteen replied. “But thanks to Hope, she decided to live her life to the fullest. It wasn’t easy, but it was an inevitable result. After all, the Gods had deliberately created her for the sole purpose of making humanity suffer.

“Through suffering, Pandora gained strength. And since she was human, like everyone else, humanity also grew stronger after overcoming the sins, diseases, and plagues that had descended upon them.

“Many feared death, but it soon became a friend who took those who died in its embrace, giving them a chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation.”

A moment of silence descended upon the two, who seemed to be content in sharing each other’s warmth.

After some time, the succubus princess spoke up and asked Zion the question that she had delayed earlier.

“Earlier, you said that Zeus made Pandora open the box because he didn’t want to open it himself,” Princess Xynalia said. “Why didn’t he do so and went through all that trouble to create Pandora?”

“It’s because of Karma,” Thirteen answered. “The Law of Cause and Effect. You see, Zeus… that bastard is a very lecherous and sinful son-of-a-b*tch. He has two heads, but the one he always uses is the one below his waist.

“That scum didn’t want to dirty his own divine hands. If he had opened the box himself, then all the sins and plagues would’ve been traced back to him.

“And for a pompous prick like Zeus, who always pretends to be the ’King of Gods,’ taking responsibility was unthinkable. He’d rather shove the blame onto someone else. That’s why he made Pandora, a scapegoat with a pretty face.

“He dressed up his malice as a ’gift’ and sent her down like some divine prank. Typical of the Gods—too cowardly to own their cruelty, but always eager to gloat when mortals suffer.”

The teenage boy’s words were dripping with venom, which made even made Princess Xynalis think that Zeus was such a hateful guy. After all, even the ’kind-hearted’ Zion was talking sh*t about him.

But, to his surprise, the teenage boy wasn’t done badmouthing the King of the Gods just yet.

“Zeus is nothing more than a skirt-chasing parasite, too busy sticking his manhood where it doesn’t belong when he should be acting like a leader. He’s the kind of bastard who burns down a house, then blames the wind for carrying the flames.

“And Pandora? Poor woman. She was beautiful, yes, but tragically naive. She was the Gods’ puppet, a lamb thrown to the wolves. People curse her name for opening that box, but really, the true criminal was Zeus himself, an arrogant coward who hides behind mortals while playing with their lives like toys.”

If he opened Pandora’s Box, he might have received a backlash from the Law of Cause and Effect that even he would not be able to withstand.

“You must really hate that guy, I mean, God, huh?” Princess Xynalia smiled faintly.

“Well, I do hate him, but he’s nothing compared to a God I know,” Thirteen replied.

“Hmmm? And who might that be?” Princess Xynalia inquired.

“My Father.” Thirteen’s answer was like a growl that came from the depths of his entire being.

“Huh?!”

“I’m just joking.”

“That didn’t sound like a joke to me.”

“I mean, my father is clearly a human, right?” Thirteen tried to downplay things. “Also, he doesn’t dare to cheat on my mom. If he does, he will be kicked out of the house for life.”

Princess Xynalia blinked. “Your dad is a little pitiful. Compared to you, he looks like a Saint for only having one partner.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not praising you, you know?”

Princess Xynalia sighed before pulling the teenage boy closer to her embrace, warming him up properly.

The two of them no longer talked because both were busy with their internal thoughts.

Zion wished to obtain Pandora’s Box because he knew with utmost certainty that the moment he opened the box, a part of his revenge would find completion.

The box no longer had anything inside ‌it because Hope had also left it long ago.

It was now a symbol of power.

A symbol that Thirteen, the Fiends, and the Celestials of Solterra wished to possess as their own.