In a realm where gods bestowed their divine gifts upon humans, there dwelled a man named

Lysander. From a tender age, Lysander exhibited an unyielding devotion to the gods, his prayers
and sacrifices as countless as the stars. He sought the favor of the divine with a sincerity
unmatched by any mortal. Yet, the heavens remained silent and distant, as if his pleas were but
whispers lost in the void.
When Lysander was merely three years old, he and his parents found themselves ensnared in a
harsh winter during their journey to their hometown for the birth of his siblings. Forced by
circumstance, his mother labored in a small cave. Lysander's mother passed away two years after
giving birth, and soon after, his father vanished without a trace during a hunt. On a frigid winter
night, when Lysander and his siblings were on the cusp of reaching the city, he fervently prayed
to the gods to spare them. He pledged to harbor no grudge if only his siblings' lives were spared,
but his pleas seemed futile. Both of his two-year-old siblings succumbed to hypothermia.
Holding them close, he was prepared to surrender to despair. Yet, come morning, his uncle
discovered him at death's door.
Undeterred by the gods’ apparent indifference, Lysander charted his own course. Through
unparalleled determination and unwavering commitment, he ascended the ranks of his nation’s
military, attaining the esteemed rank of general. Leading a loyal and unyielding army, he served
a compassionate empress, her reign characterized by wisdom, empathy, and genuine concern for
her subjects. In their flourishing land, the people hailed Lysander’s feats with reverence, and for
a time, he found solace in his accomplishments.
However, fate, ever capricious, took a cruel and unexpected turn during Lysander's brief
diplomatic mission to a neighboring country. In his absence, a vengeful god, undeterred by the
virtue and innocence of Lysander’s cherished cousin’s family, unleashed divine retribution upon
them—a punishment unjust and severe.
The empress, burdened by a sense of justice and compassion, issued a decree symbolizing her
condemnation of the god's actions—the temple dedicated to the wrathful deity should remain
unvisited. Yet, the god, unaccustomed to defiance, responded with unbridled fury, shaking the
nation's very foundations with their divine power. Flames of divine anger rained down, reducing
the once-prosperous country to smoldering ruins. None were spared.
Upon Lysander's return, he was confronted with a heart-wrenching tableau of devastation and
loss. The grand city that had thrived under his watchful eyes lay in ruins, a haunting shadow of
its former self. Despair gripped his heart, and he sank to his knees, tears of grief and disbelief
staining the ground beneath him. Reaching out to the gods in prayer, his pleas were filled with
raw and fervent desperation. He begged for mercy, forgiveness, and an opportunity to restore his
people to life. Yet, as had been the case for years, the gods remained unmoved by his entreaties,
their divine indifference weighing heavily on his soul.
With no alternative, Lysander turned to the god presiding over the afterlife, the arbiter of mortal
souls' fate. Without aid from other gods, he traversed the underworld by consuming a potent
poison. His return to life was facilitated by a gradual but effective antidote. Willing to make the
ultimate sacrifice, he offered his own soul and eternal servitude in exchange for his people's
salvation. However, the god did not accept his offer outright, imposing a series of Herculean
tasks, each seemingly impossible. These tasks became his path to redemption, arduous trials to
prove his devotion and earn the deliverance of his people.
1. **Defeat an Immortal**: Lysander’s initial task was to seek out and overcome a being blessed
with immortality—a formidable challenge that had left even the bravest of mortals trembling in
fear.
2. **Return the Titan to Tartarus**: He was tasked with capturing a powerful Titan, a primordial
force sealed within the abyss of Tartarus, and returning it to its eternal prison. He entered
Tartarus courtesy of the god of the underworld, separating his body and soul.
3. **Rescue a Sinless Soul from Tartarus**: Lysander ventured into the abyss of Tartarus,
reserved for the most wicked of souls, to free one who had remained sinless—an achievement
considered nearly impossible.
4. **Defeat a Demi-God**: His fourth task was to confront and defeat a Demi-God, a being of
divine heritage, and endure the inevitable wrath of that Demi-God’s mighty divine parent, along
with the fury of the gods supporting the Demi-God. He survived the encounter by facing the
demi-god just outside of Tartarus, as the demi-god believed he was attempting to free a sinner.
Slaying the demi-god, the gods decided to punish him themselves shortly after. "I falter in this
relentless struggle. My efforts, a mere whisper against the indomitable. Exhaustion consumes
me. Is surrender permissible? A mortal challenging gods, a Sisyphean endeavor. My apologies,
dear ones. Resurrection eludes me... No, I must not allow myself to succumb to despair once
more! They linger beyond, awaiting reunion. Time's passage weighs heavily. Unlike the gods,
my commitment to them shall never waver." These were his thoughts during the battle against
the gods. He fought valiantly and, though his soul was damaged, he persevered, even against the
gods themselves.
5. **Meet the Gaze of a Gorgon and Survive**: His final challenge was to seek out a Gorgon, a
creature whose gaze turned mortals to stone, and somehow not only meet its petrifying gaze but
survive the encounter.
The tasks before him were monumental, their sheer impossibility a testament to the desperate
nature of his plea for salvation. And, after all this, he would need to brave the endless ocean of
souls, a boundless abyss, to find and retrieve the departed souls of his beloved empress, his loyal
army, all the people of his shattered homeland, his cousin’s family, and his own cousin. It was a
journey that would demand not only unwavering determination but also a heart ablaze with love
for his people, a soul yearning for their redemption.