Akashic_Tales Originals
Hades, Inc.: The Billionaire God of Death's Chaotic System
Chapter 1: The God Who Faked His Death
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In the heart of Seoul, where skyscrapers pierced the clouds like modern-day Towers of Babel, one building stood taller than the rest. Not just in height, but in sheer presence.
Elysium Towers.
The structure gleamed obsidian black against the morning sun, its windows tinted with a subtle crimson that most mortals would attribute to an architectural quirk. Most mortals would be wrong. The building didn't just house a corporation, it housed secrets older than civilization itself.
At the very top of this monument to mortal ambition and immortal cunning, Haiden Black leaned back in his custom-designed chair. The leather was sourced from a beast that hadn't walked the Earth in ten thousand years, though the designer label claimed "Italian craftsmanship." His suit, midnight black with crimson accents, shimmered faintly as it adjusted to the latest Milan fashion trend, a feature no mortal tailor could replicate.
"Sir, the quarterly reports are ready for your review," announced the AI assistant from hidden speakers.
Haiden didn't bother opening his eyes. "Delete them."
"Sir, Ms. Voss specifically requested—"
"I said delete them." He waved a hand dismissively, and the holographic display that had begun to materialize dissipated like morning mist. "I'm retired, remember?"
Retirement. What a concept. After eons of managing the afterlife, of weighing souls and delegating punishments, of attending dreary divine council meetings where Zeus would drone on about his latest affair and Odin would complain about the mead quality, Haiden had simply... walked away.
He Faked his own death, to be precise. Even gods could die, in theory. He'd just made the theory look like practical.
Now, instead of the dreary gray landscapes of the Underworld, he had the Seoul skyline. Instead of the endless wailing of damned souls, he had K-pop and the occasional corporate presentation. Instead of managing an eternity of punishment, he managed a tech empire that secretly employed more supernatural entities than Google had programmers.
It was perfect.
Haiden reached for the glass of wine on his desk, a vintage that predated written language, and took a leisurely sip. The flavor exploded across his tongue, reminding him of a particularly pleasant century during the Bronze Age.
"Retirement is bliss," he muttered to the empty office. "No more damned prayers."
The wine glass was halfway to his lips for a second sip when the air in front of him shimmered. Not the pleasant shimmer of expensive wine in crystal, but the ominous shimmer of reality being rewritten.
[System Booting... Linking Host: Hades. Installing Morality Module...]
The text appeared in glowing blue letters that hung in the air before him. Haiden froze, wine forgotten.
"No," he whispered. "No, no, no."
[Welcome to the Chaos System!]
The letters pulsed cheerfully, as if mocking him.
[New Quest: Donate to a cat shelter within 10 minutes.]
[Reward: Passive Skill - Feline Persuasion]
[Penalty: Cats across Seoul will attempt to murder you.]
Haiden's eye twitched. The wine glass in his hand cracked slightly as his grip tightened.
"Chaos," he growled, addressing the empty air. "You absolute bastard."
No response came, but Haiden could almost hear his father's laughter echoing across dimensions. Chaos, the primordial entity that had sired him, had apparently decided that retirement wasn't in Haiden's best interest.
With a sigh that carried the weight of millennia, Haiden pulled out his phone, the latest model, not yet available to the public, and opened his banking app.
"Computer, locate the nearest cat shelter."
"Searching... Meowtopia Cat Rescue is located 2.3 kilometers from Elysium Towers."
Haiden's fingers danced across the screen, transferring a sum that would make most financial advisors faint. One billion won. A pittance to him, but enough to rebuild the shelter into a feline palace.
[Quest Progress: 50%]
[Donation Registered. Physical Presence Required for Quest Completion.]
"Of course it is," Haiden muttered, standing up and straightening his tie. "Because a wire transfer would be too simple."
As he strode toward the elevator, the doors opened before he could press the button. Luna Voss stood there, tablet in hand, her expression as cool and composed as always. Her suit was charcoal gray, her blouse blood red, a private joke about her dietary preferences that most of the staff missed.
"CEO Black," she said, her voice carrying just a hint of an accent from a country that no longer existed. "The quarterly report shows an unusual expense. Did you just wire a billion won to... Meowtopia?"
Haiden stepped into the elevator, gesturing for Luna to join him. "Strategic investment."
"In cats?" One perfectly shaped eyebrow arched upward.
"The internet loves cats. We're diversifying."
Luna's expression didn't change, but Haiden had known her long enough, a few centuries, though she thought it was only five years, to recognize the subtle signs of suspicion. The slight narrowing of her eyes. The barely perceptible tilt of her head.
"The board meeting starts in twenty minutes," she reminded him.
"I'll be fashionably late. Driver's waiting?"
"Always."
The elevator descended at a speed that would be alarming to most humans. Luna didn't seem bothered. Of course, vampires rarely worried about physical harm from something as mundane as an elevator crash.
"Ms. Voss," Haiden said as they approached the ground floor. "What's your opinion on cats?"
"Efficient predators. Poor conversationalists. Decent blood in a pinch." She paused. "Why?"
"Just curious."
The elevator doors opened to the marble-floored lobby of Elysium Towers. Security guards, a mix of humans and entities that merely appeared human, nodded respectfully as Haiden passed.
Outside, a sleek black car waited, its driver standing at attention. As Haiden approached, he noticed something unusual on the hood of the car. A cat. Orange tabby. Staring directly at him with eyes that seemed just a bit too intelligent.
[Quest Reminder: 5 minutes remaining.]
"Change of plans," Haiden told the driver. "Meowtopia Cat Rescue. And step on it."
As the car pulled away from the curb, Haiden glanced back at the tower. On a window ledge fifty floors up, another cat watched his departure. On a nearby bus stop bench, a third cat tracked the car's movement. In an alley they passed, a fourth cat paused its grooming to observe.
Haiden sank lower in his seat. "This is going to be a long day."
Outside the window, Seoul continued its bustling pace, unaware that the God of Death was on a divine mission to save himself from feline assassination. Just another Tuesday in his new life.
On a rooftop overlooking the street, a tabby cat with unusually red eyes watched the car disappear into traffic. It licked its paw once, twice, then melted into shadow.
The hunt was on.
[System Notice: Quest timer activated. Consequences pending...]