Thanatos began to shake the hourglass in his hand violently. Then he stopped and looked at me, as if trying to see if anything had changed. I had no idea how to respond, so I just smiled awkwardly and let out a weak chuckle. But he didn't smile back. He just stared at me for a moment and then started shaking the hourglass again. Then he stopped and stared again. He repeated this over and over.
I started wondering… what the heck is he doing? I didn't understand at all.
Eventually, Thanatos began to lose his patience. He threw the hourglass at me and let out a terrifying roar.
"Why... aren't... you... DEAD... YET?!"
Yeah… it wasn't just Thanatos who was confused. He had run out of patience with me, and honestly, I was just as puzzled. I should've been dead long ago.
"Are you cheating death somehow?" Thanatos pointed his scythe at my face.
I looked blank and shook my head, trying to deny it. I hoped he'd believe me.
…But of course, he didn't.
"Liar. I don't believe you," Thanatos growled. "If you didn't mess with something… then why hasn't your sand of life run out yet?"
"Huh… what are you talking about?" I looked puzzled.
"Pick up the hourglass," he ordered. "Tell me what you see."
I did as he said and picked up the hourglass that had fallen on the ground. It was intricately crafted—its wooden frame carved with the figures of the Fates on the upper bulb and a dark Grim Reaper holding a large scythe on the lower bulb. If I had to guess, the figure was probably Thanatos himself. Most of the sand had already fallen into the bottom chamber.
This object in my hand was called the "Hourglass of Life." When all the sand flows from the top to the bottom, it signifies the end of someone's life. But I still didn't understand what was happening—because the sand in my hourglass had clearly run out.
I examined the hourglass more closely, turning it over and over. Oddly enough, when I flipped it, the sand didn't flow back to the top. And that's when I noticed something strange in the narrow passage between the two bulbs: a few tiny grains of sand were clumped together, forming a small pebble-like mass stuck in the channel.
And then I realized the reason I was still alive: those grains had fused into a tiny gravel cluster. I had no idea how that happened or why, but they had become stuck. No matter how much you shook the hourglass, the sand wouldn't fall any further.
I was honestly glad I hadn't died.
"Do you understand what's going on now?" Thanatos asked with a scowl.
I shook my head again.
"LIAR!" he roared even louder than before.
"I swear I don't know anything!" I pleaded.
"Don't try to fool me, mortal… I'll never believe a word you say..." Thanatos growled, then yanked the souls of Jason and Tiphys and shoved them in front of my face. "These two… their fates weren't even supposed to end today. But now they're dead. And yet some pathetic background character like you—who should've died long ago—is still alive?!"
I didn't know what to say that could make Thanatos understand. No matter what I said, he wouldn't listen.
"You're cheating death… That old geezer Sisyphus taught you, didn't he?!"