“Where? Where did the volcano go?! I mean it was here a minute ago! I mean…how can such a natural disaster bigger than a mountain just disappear like that?!”

Middle- Illusion?

Left- Maybe some kind of spell?

“I don’t think so, if it was a spell or illusion then it would’ve faded away with the interruption of the magic ritual which was holding Miya under control, and we did see it after it was interrupted so it can’t be it, but what?”

Right- Did someone steal the volcano?

Left- Haha you can’t seriously think someone would be possible of something like that right?

Middle- Then how do you explain it?

Left- What? You on Migi’s side now?

Middle- No, I’m the middle meaning I have to hold the peace between my rivalling neighbours.

Left- Echidna told you to do that, right?

Right- Hibari!

Man’naka’s eyes widened and he lowered his head.

“Echidna? Is that a kind of snake or something?”

Middle- Close. Half-snake, half nymph.

“Who is she?” Man’naka closed his eyes and signed.

Left- Man’naka’s mother.

“Mother? Wait now I’m totally clueless. So she’s Man’naka’s mother…but not yours?”

Left and Right- Yes.

“What? And also how can it be that he has a mother? I thought you guys were made by the grim reaper to protect the gates of the Underworld, to prevent all who crosses the river Styx from ever escaping. Wait no, then you wouldn’t be here, ugg I’m so confused now!”

Left- Hahaha no. Where did you ever hear such a thing? Myth! Let me tell you what happened. Echidna is a half snake half nymph woman who was known to everyone as the ‘Mother of All Monsters’. She had ten off springs and one of them was Orthrus.

“Isn’t that-“

Left- Don’t interrupt me woman! Ok he was a two-headed Hellhound which guarded the Cattle of Geryon, a fearsome three-bodied giant. He was later in a battle and was slain by Heracles. What they didn’t know is that Orthrus made it out of that alive and not as they thought dead. Orthrus was on the verge of dead of blood loss when their mother Echidna appeared and gave them an option. “One of you will be lost for the other one to be alive.” She said to them. She took the one by the head and cut of his head, Orthrus then became a normal one headed hound. She took him down to the Earth where he stayed as a dog in till in a forest he met two dogs bigger than most. Echidna appeared and fused them together as one and told them this: “You, who were once Orthrus, and you, who were once dogs who roamed the earth, from this day forth, you will be known as the most feared Hellhound of all time, Cerberus.” And with that she left us here on the earth and we had to make peace with each other and evolve together. It was hard but by the time we learned how to go into first-,second- and full-separation we didn’t want to leave, and then you came along and unknown how you did it, you communicated with us, like now. Me and Migi can’t remember anything of our past as runaway dogs. Before we met you we were busy in search of Chimera and Lernaean Hydra, they are siblings of Man’naka. Now listen here. Man’naka really loved his mother, even if the only time he saw her was his birth and those two times with Orthrus. There, now you know the entire story of how Cerberus came into life.

Marise stayed silent while Man’naka’s mind drifted to a place, a place he only can visit, a place only his eyes has seen before, the past…

Orthrus was suffering to get away from the Cattle. Both heads were coughing up blood endlessly. They both collapsed in a nearby forest, followed by a trail of blood.

Left(Man’naka)- W-we…we got away, now what?

Right- I don’t know…but I’d rather die than work for Geryon, treating us like his personal slaves, he ought to be dead!

Left- We have to go back!

Right- But why? We just got out of that hell and you want to go back? Are you mad!?

Left- Because we forgot our-

“Hear me, my child.” They both looked up at the sky surprised with wide eyes.

Left- No…It couldn’t be…mother!  

Out of the sky swept a dark woman with a snake lower body and scales across her body, her smile was sinister and her eyes were lusting for blood. In front of Orthrus she stopped and looked at the helpless Hellhound.

“One of you will be lost for the other one to be alive. That is the only option I’m giving to you, now make up your decision, which will die.” They both looked to each other with frightening eyes.

Right- You should live; you’re smarter and stronger therefor in the future you can live on for both of our dreams.

Left- Mother! You can hear me right? Please don’t do this! We can’t live without each other! It would be pointless for just one of us to live on! Don’t you love us Mother? I know you can save both of us!

She only stared at him with sad eyes.

“Should I just kill you then?”

Right- No Mother! Take me please!

She walked over to Orthrus and took Right by the neck and pulled them towards her.

Left- Mother! No! No!

She lifted up her hand and her nails began growing long and as sharp as swords. She placed it right at Right’s neck and slowly pierced his neck then in an instant sliced the head off completely, making the blood spill all over. He fell to the ground and watched as his mother picked up his dead head and with her long slimy tongue she licked the dead head then grinned. She let the head fall down to the ground then walked over to Orthrus and knelt on one knew beside him.

“You loved yourself so much that you chose to save yourself and sacrifice yourself for yourself to live. Now come, I’m taking you to a new home.” She gently picked him up, causing her entire body to flood in Orthrus’s blood. “And this time I’ll make sure that it’ll be safe for my weak child.” She walked in the opposite direction the blood trail let to, out of the forest, and to Earth.  

“I didn’t know only one of you could fall asleep, fascinating…I’m learning so much about you now!” Marise said kneeling to Cerberus, which only Man’naka asleep. “And you guys said that you remembered nothing of your past? Owner? Pack? Nothing?”

Left- Well because Migi and I were together says something of a pack sort off? Maybe? No?

“Maybe…wait do you think that-” She was cut off by a hand touching her shoulder. She looked up and saw a figure in a dark cloak, someone jumped behind Cerberus and placed all three heads in bags and tied him up with ropes, before Marise could say anything a blindfold was placed on her and her hands and legs were tied.

“Who are you?! What do you want?!”

“Wow…I didn’t think it would be this easy to take down the great three headed Hellhound Cerberus and the only human to ever understand him, his tamer, Marise.” She heard dark voice said then a weird sound like a radio. Before she could say anything they covered her mouth.

“This is battle force A and B, we have successfully retrieved the targets. How’s it going on your end?”

“Same. However the target suffered vital damage to the lounges.”

“From what?”

“Big fire. Not sure how it was caused. After he’s been treated we’ll move back to the base.”

“We will be moving now and give our report.” The sound was cut off and Marise heard footsteps coming her way.

“So little Marise, shall we go?” The dark figure took her by the collar and pulled her through the hard ground. She heard Cerberus’s weeping cries and tears which made her cry for them. They were pulled off to the coat line and placed on a ship where they set sail to an unknown place to Marise. After what felt like hours on the ship, they fell asleep, only waiting to be awakened in an unknown place…