As Hecate entered her sanctuary, a warm smile spread across her face.
"Well, hello there, little one."
The sharp click of her heels echoed softly across the polished marble floor. Above her, countless stars shimmered within the endless ceiling of her sanctuary, bathing the chamber in gentle silver light. Ancient tomes floated lazily through the air, turning their pages on their own while streams of ethereal mist drifted across the floor like wandering clouds.
Her silver eyes settled upon Alexandria's soul resting within the crystal vessel.
"Oh my."
Her smile widened.
"I see you're feeling much better."
The countless fractures that once threatened to tear his soul apart had begun to stabilize. The Divine Essence flowing through the crystal continued to feed and repair the damaged spirit, though many cracks still remained.
Hecate tapped a slender porcelain-white finger against her chin.
"Hmmm..."
Her eyes brightened.
"I suppose it's time we create you a vessel."
At her command, a large glass cauldron floated from one of the shelves and settled gently before her. The transparent container shimmered with countless runes etched into its surface, each one glowing faintly with silver light.
"Now then."
She clasped her hands together excitedly.
"I can provide everything you need, but what you become is entirely up to you."
The cauldron hovered above the floor as she began gathering ingredients.
"First..."
A small clay jar floated from a nearby shelf.
"Essence of Living Clay."
The contents poured themselves into the cauldron. Silvery clay flowed like liquid mercury, carrying a faint glow of life within it.
Hecate tilted her head.
"Now what else?"
She glanced around the sanctuary.
"We certainly don't want your vessel falling apart."
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh!"
A delighted laugh escaped her lips.
"I know exactly what to add."
She snapped her fingers.
A bundle of vibrant green ivy drifted from a crystal display case.
"Dionysus gave me this centuries ago."
She giggled.
"He insisted it would be useful one day."
The ivy slowly dissolved into emerald particles before sinking into the clay.
"There."
"Life."
"Growth."
"And just a little bit of chaos."
The mixture swirled gently.
"Hmmm..."
Another bottle floated from a shelf.
Inside rested a small branch covered in silver blossoms.
"Let's add a branch from Eurydice's garden as well."
The branch touched the liquid.
Immediately, silver flowers bloomed across the surface before dissolving into glittering motes of light.
"Perfect."
Hecate began humming a cheerful melody.
The Goddess of Souls kicked off her heels and spun gracefully across the chamber.
The stars above seemed to dance with her.
"Oh!"
She stopped suddenly.
"How could I forget?"
A golden apple floated from a nearby pedestal.
"An apple from Aphrodite."
The fruit glowed with soft golden radiance.
Its fragrance filled the room instantly.
Sweet.
Warm.
Comforting.
The scent alone was enough to make mortal kings abandon their kingdoms.
"This should help with appearance."
Hecate winked.
"We don't want my child looking ugly."
The apple dissolved into liquid gold the moment it touched the mixture.
The contents of the cauldron erupted into swirling colors.
Silver.
Gold.
Emerald.
Moonlight danced across the surface.
"This is going to be fun."
Hecate twirled happily.
"It has been far too long since I've created something."
Suddenly she stopped.
Her expression softened.
"One last thing."
The room fell quiet.
A beautiful dagger appeared within her hand.
The blade shimmered like polished moonlight.
Without hesitation, she lightly nicked her finger.
A single drop of blood emerged.
It wasn't red.
It was liquid silver mixed with midnight itself.
Divine ichor.
The blood of a goddess.
The drop fell slowly.
The moment it touched the mixture, the entire sanctuary trembled.
Stars flickered overhead.
Ancient books rattled upon their shelves.
The cauldron erupted with brilliant silver light.
"There."
Hecate smiled.
"That should do it."
She lifted her head.
Then released a piercing whistle.
"Cerberus, dear! I need your help!"
A moment later the sanctuary shook.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The massive doors burst open.
Three enormous heads peeked into the room.
Cerberus.
Guardian of the Underworld.
Each head immediately wagged its tail.
"WOOF!"
"WOOF!"
"WOOF!"
The vibrations alone shook the sanctuary.
Hecate laughed.
"Oh, who's a good boy?"
The massive hound rushed forward.
Each head immediately shoved itself toward her for attention.
"Yes, yes, you're all good boys."
One of the heads licked her face.
A second blew smoke through its nostrils.
The third attempted to climb into her lap despite being larger than a castle.
"Oh, stop flirting."
Cerberus barked proudly.
Hecate pointed toward the cauldron.
"I need you to heat this."
"I promise I will give you each a snack, how that sound"
The three heads immediately nodded.
A deep breath filled six massive lungs.
Then
WHOOSH.
Brilliant white flames erupted beneath the cauldron.
Not ordinary fire.
Divine fire.
The flames burned without consuming anything.
The mixture began bubbling instantly.
"That's enough."
Hecate waved her hand.
The flames vanished.
As promised, several slabs of fresh meat appeared in the air.
Cerberus's tails moved so fast they became a blur.
"There you go."
She tossed the meat upward.
Each head caught its prize.
The giant hound immediately dropped onto the floor and began happily chewing.
"Good boy."
Hecate scratched behind one ear.
The entire sanctuary rumbled from his delighted growling.
Turning back toward the cauldron, she watched the ingredients blend together.
The silver liquid swirled slowly.
Gold glitter shimmered throughout its depths.
A sweet fragrance filled the chamber.
Warm.
Inviting.
Almost intoxicating.
With every stir of the ladle, the mixture became more refined.
More complete.
Eventually, the liquid settled into a radiant golden substance sparkling with countless flecks of starlight.
Hecate smiled proudly.
"There we are."
She carefully poured the finished mixture into a crystal vessel.
The golden liquid glowed softly within its container.
Holding it up to the light, she admired her work.
"Alright, little one."
Her silver eyes settled upon Alexandria's soul.
"This should be enough to get you started."
A motherly smile spread across her face.
"Now let's see what kind of vessel you choose to create."