(HAZEL'S POV)
I follow Alaric down a dark hallway, goosebumps running down my arms from the cool air hitting me.
"Where are we going?"
"In this elevator."
His deep voice resounds in the tight hall, and I look blankly at the elevator that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"What do you plan to do with me, exactly? I'm confused...and scared. You aren't going to hurt me, are you...? Alaric?"
"I wouldn't...and I couldn't."
My eyebrows knit together in fear as he shakes slightly with silent laughter.
He grabs my wrist tightly, yanking me backwards towards the elevator door that opens slowly with a creak.
"I can smell you...lavender..."
Oh no.
I get dragged into the elevator, banging on the door.
"Help! What the hell?! Somebody!?"
He laughs again, something sinister.
It's then I realize it. It's then it hits me.
This is not Alaric.
*******
(AIDEN'S POV)
Pandora and I stare in fear at the rugged and rabid looking wolves.
"We're going to get eaten...aren't we?"
I turn my head towards Pandora.
"Don't think that way! We'll be—Ugh!"
One of the wolves rams into me and I go flying forward, landing with a thud in the dirt and twigs.
"Ouch!"
I move my eyes up, and they expand.
"Pandora, don't freak out, but there's four behind you."
"What?!"
She flips around abruptly with a shriek, kicking a few of them before throwing a ball of magic at another.
The wolf flies back, hitting the wall before going up in dust, and we hear a few coughs.
Human coughs.
"What the—?"
The dust dies down and we see a girl, with long, dusty brown hair and green eyes.
"Is that a—"
"Human?"
"All of you! Quit it!"
We both flip around to see another woman, with long platinum blonde hair and ashen skin.
The wolves back away with a few growls, and they all start to turn human.
"Werewolves..." me and Pandora mutter at the same time, looking at each other before the woman.
She walks closer, cocking her head to the side.
"Hades's daughter...box girl. Your who she's looking for."
I make a face.
"Huh?"
"Thea? Come. Now."
We here light footsteps and look up to see a familiar black haired girl with the multicolored irises.
She looks down at us and gasps.
"Aiden?! Pandora?!"
"Althea?!"
*******
(RYDER'S POV)
I let out a large cough, the blackness almost completely swallowing my bottom half.
I can still make it...maybe.
If I could just—
I try to lift myself up by my forearms, falling back down with a splat.
Goddamnit.
The fire around me seems to grow, and I remember something.
Mal and Ryan.
"Mal?! Ryan?! Someone?! Help!"
I hear another cough, then another, and look over to see the both of them, covering their nose and mouth.
"I'm going to suffocate from this damn smoke. I thought I heard someone call my name. Ryder—oh shit."
Mal looks down and then Ryan, who gasps.
"Oh my god! Black magic! Don't worry, Ry! I'll help you! Let me just—"
She drops down, lifting up my body.
"Eek! It's like a parasite! Mal...what do I do?!"
"Obviously we have to get us all out of here first...it's going to fall down at any moment!"
Mal grabs Ryan's hand, teleporting the three of us out of Carden's little fortune telling shop just as it crumbles.
"Crap. Carden's going to kill us..." Ryan pauses. "Where's Stella?!"
"They...they took her..."
Ryan gasps again, and Mal smacks her forehead.
"Before we do any of that...we have to heal her! She's dying!"
Mal bends down next to me, holding her hand above my stomach where the thing started to spread.
She shuts her eyes, concentrating as her hand glows and sucks the black magic parasite from me.
Mal holds it in her hands, squishing it before watching as it disappears in a small puff of smoke.
"I haven't seen black magic in ages...Ryder? You good?"
They both gaze down at me and I jolt up, coughing twice again before looking at them.
"Ryan? Mal? What're you guys doing here?"
"You really don't—never mind. At least you're okay. Do you know where they took Stella? Or who took Stella?"
I frown, before shrugging.
"To be honest? Not quite sure. But...the Nightlings took her."
Ryan's face pales and Mal looks confused.
"Who the fuck are they?"
Ryan snaps her eyes on Mal.
"A group of supernatural hunters. I heard they work for a woman named Adrienne. They like to hunt and kill witches for the 'greater good'. But it is more of a killing cult."
Mal narrows her eyes, before standing up.
She helps both me and Ryan up, before grinning.
"I guess we're paying Adrienne a visit."
********
(ALEC'S POV)
The Infernal Curse.
A ritual that summons the most powerful of demons.
One of those being Davina.
She is a deceiver, yes, but a demon as well.
A demon that falls under the category of bloodlust.
Bloodlust demons thrive off of blood, whether it be animal, or human.
There are other demons, Crossovers, which is exactly what Ryan is.
Besides being part witch the girl was first an angel, so when she decided to go to hell to be a demon she became a Crossover.
Mal is a demon you'd call a Hellfire demon.
They thrive off of seeing other's pain, but aren't all that bad if you get to know them.
There are many more, but those three happen to be the most common ones.
The Infernal Curse is one that's hard to get rid of...and lucky me...I'm stuck with the mental one.
Davina.
She lays on her stomach, moving her legs back and forth whilst staring at me with a grin.
"Hey..."
"What is it?"
I turn my head over to her, a look of pure boredom across my face.
"Just wanted to say hi...how are you doing? In the chains and all?"
I look down at the chains around me before back at Davina with a grin.
"Doing great, Vina. Doing great. Just a question...what exactly are you planning to do with me? I'm actually concerned."
"Of course you are...and you should be, Walker, because I really want to suck your soul out of you. Make you my little soulless minion."
I move my eyes from hers.
"Sucking? You into some kinky shit? Cause to me it seems like you're trying to make moves. Is that right, darling?"
I slide my gaze back to hers and Davina narrows her eyes.
"You better stop teasing me...you'll regret it. Just because your cute doesn't mean I won't bite your head off, Alec."
"No need for the violence and empty threats...I'm all yours."
I look away again, and Davina slinks in front of me.
"There's something about you...I don't know if you notice...but you radiate this energy...your aura is dark and full of secrets...do you want to tell me them, Alec? Do you want to let out the truth? The truth you've been hiding so well?"
She crawls towards me, teleporting onto my lap.
"You want to tell her, don't you?"
I stare into Davina's eyes blankly.
"Tell who what?"
"Aiden, silly! You want to tell her that...that you're bound to me, don't you? That you sold your soul in order to live five years ago? Do you?"
I shake my head.
"Never thought about it...and it's in the past, Davina. It doesn't matter anymore."
"It does...doesn't it though? There's so many things...why don't you just let them out?"
"I know you're trying to trick me...if you don't remember I'm a deceiver too...you can't trick someone on a higher level than you."
Davina purses her lips, pushing a knife to my throat.
"You listen to me you little fuck, don't you ever, and I mean never, speak to me that way again. Hear me?! I'll cut you right open and paint the walls red with your blood...all while you're awake! Don't play games with me...ones you know you can't win, boy. I'm not happy with you anymore. I think it's time for you to die."
"What?"
"Yeah!"
She starts giggling neurotically, holding a large meat cleaver.
My eyes move from the giant weapon to her face, seeing no one actually behind her eyes.
She's crazy.
And she will kill me if I don't do something.
"Blood, blood, blood! I want to see more...I want it all over the walls! You're looking awful tense. What is it? You don't want to die?! Last time I checked...you tried to commit suicide a few months ago."
I give her a look from the corner of my eye.
"A few months ago, Davina."
"Hmmm...not acting weak? Look who got some balls over the summer...you aren't fun anymore."
She circles around me twice, frowning down at me.
"Why don't you smile more? I would love to put a smile on that face...all I have to do is run this knife across your skin and you'll be stuck with a permanent smile! Like me!"
She pushes her hair out of the way and my eyes expand slightly, seeing the long scar of a carved smile in her face.
From one ear to the other.
"You can feel the sadness leave you...you just have to believe..."
Davina circles back around me to the front, cocking her head to the side.
"Where to start? I say the collarbone..."
She pulls out a smaller knife, looking straight into my eyes with a crazed smile as she drags the blade across my collarbone.
Her smile drops.
"No reaction? Do you not feel pain? Do I need to go deeper?"
I don't break eye contact, smiling at her slowly.
"I just don't believe you are that scary, Vina."
Davina's eye twitches slightly.
"Oh. Really then? Maybe I just need to do something more permanent."
She slashes the knife across my eye, grinning when I flinch.
"Ow, what the fuck?"
I cringe at the warmth of blood falling down my face, and Davina smiles.
"Pain...that's so..."
Her cheeks flush red and I give her a look.
"What the hell?! Are you blushing?!"
"What a sensation...it just makes me so...so happy..."
She drops both knives, taking my bloodstained face between both of hers.
Davina drags her finger down my cheek, licking the blood off of it.
"You taste yummy...can I see your insides, Alec? Can I see your organs?"
"No. Well..." I have an idea. "Only if you unchain me."
She frowns.
"Then you would double cross me."
"I wouldn't. All yours, Vina."
"Okay. If you cheat me I will find you and punish you greatly, Alec Walker. Mark my words."
"I understand. I just need to heal my eye."
She makes some sort of noise, untying me before walking back a few steps.
I raise my hand to my face, healing it with the dark matter I possess.
Davina makes a mock frown.
"Now you have a scar too...what I will do now will be more eternal."
She bends down to pick up the knife but I pick it up first, and she gasps.
"What're you doing?! Put it down!"
"Banishing you back to hell, Davina, you aren't going to kill people up here for the fun of it!"
"No, stop!"
She starts to back away, and I grab her wrist, raising it.
I see her wide eyes past her hand, and lower it slightly with a hard expression.
"What is it?"
My face softens when a few tears roll down her face.
"What?"
"Please don't! I—I don't want to go back! They don't like me there...they torture me! Don't put me back! I won't hurt you! I won't...!"
I stare into her dark eyes, searching.
"How do I know you aren't lying to me, Davina?"
"Because...because I'll swear on Styx!"
I drop her wrist, narrowing my eyes.
"If I find out you did something, Davina, I will rip you to pieces with my bare hands. Go. Get out of my face. And don't let the rest see you...they'll kill you."
All color floods back into Davina's face, and she gives me a small smile.
"Thank you."
She disappears into thin air, and as I turn around my face pales.
I see a large black cage, with a purple haired girl inside it.
"What the..."
I go closer, peering through.
Dark black eyes snap on mine, and I drop the knife.
"Davina?!"
"Alec?!"
She shakes with fear, and I snap the bars with my hands, pulling her out.
She stares up at me, clutching onto my arms.
"If that wasn't you, then who was that? Who the hell did I just let out into the world?!"
"She...she tried to kill me. That's Clarity, my dead twin sister."
*******
(ADRIENNE'S POV)
I lean lazily in an armchair, listening to Alan, my assistant, rant.
I take a drag from a cigarette as I hear two bangs on the door.
"Alan? Who is it?"
He peaks through the peephole, looking back at me, confused.
"There's three girls there."
I grin.
"Oh really? You can let them in, and leave in your way there. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay..."
He scrambles towards the door, unlocking it and holding it open for the three girls that stomp in before hurrying out.
I move my eyes to the three girls, smirking.
"Hello, Mal, Ryan, and Ryder. Is there something I can help you with?!"
Ryan looks like she's going to be sick.
"How do you remember me?!"
"I would never forget my favorite prisoner and her demon girlfriend. And I've seen fire girl before."
Ryder glares at me.
"Ryder to you, Adrienne."
"Glad y'all remember me."
I sit up, nodding at the chairs in front of me.
"Have a seat. Don't make me strain my neck to talk to you."
They all sit down, giving me the stink eye.
"Don't give me that look, guys. What the fuck is it?"
"Where is she?!"
I grin.
"I assume you're speaking of the moon nymph? Stella?"
"Yes! Tell us where the hell she is!"
"I don't think so."
My eyes widen as I'm slammed against the wall by Mal, her bright red eyes burning into mine as her hands scald my neck.
"Tell us where she is or else, Adrienne. I'm not playing games."
I smile.
"Choke me harder."
Mal lets go of me in disgust and I sink to the ground slowly while still laughing.
"This is too much...but fine. I'll tell you where she is."
They all look at me and I grin.
"Only if you can catch me."
********
They all stare at me blankly.
"What?"
"You can catch me? I'll tell you where the girl is. Simple."
I walk outside, saluting them.
"Adios!"
I disappear into thin air, and they begin to look around for me, Ryder letting out a stream of curses.
"I swear...why is she so childish?"
"Yoo-hoo! I'm up here!"
They all look up, and Ryder jumps, grabbing my arm before dragging me down from the ceiling.
She points a knife at me, narrowing her eyes.
"Where. Is. Stella?!"
"Okay, okay! In the cellar underneath the temple. There's lots of guards...so be careful!"
I disappear again, and they all look at each other.
"How are we meant to find her?! There's at least thirty temples here."
********
(HAZEL'S POV)
Who the hell am I with?!
I distance myself in the far, far corner, watching as who I thought was Alaric morph into a shape more feminine.
"Finally...I'm alone with my favorite little friend..."
I stare at her blankly in fear.
"Did you miss me?"
Silence stretches out through the elevator.
I open my mouth to say something when the lights go out in the small elevator completely.
"Shh, don't answer that."
I hear a small giggle.
"That was rhetorical."
I hear a long sigh.
"Listen. Your heartbeat. Ahh...I can hear it..." I feel someone's cold finger drag down my arm. "Anger...self doubt...and is that...guilt, perhaps?"
The elevator doors open as soon as we hit the thirteenth floor, and she starts laughing.
"See you in the darkness, Hazel. Let's see if you can find him before time runs out."
She walks out, disappearing into thin air.
I step out of the elevator as well, my heart thumping in my chest.
I have to find Alaric.
I have to find him before it's too late.
********
(AIDEN'S POV)
She crouches down to our level, pulling both me and Pandora into a hug.
"Oh for...how did you guys get here?!"
"I have no clue! But—"
"What's going on?"
We all turn our heads to see a tall man, with luminescent yellow eyes.
"Dax...this is Aiden, and this is Pandora. They're my friends."
Dax moves his eyes to mine.
"Come with me."
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
I stand up, looking at Myra, Pandora, and Althea before walking with Dax to a different area.
"You have to go to the warehouse."
"Warehouse?! What warehouse?! And where is that?!"
"Someone is trapped in there and you have to go get them."
"Me? Why?!"
"Because you are the strongest. We believe the person or thing that's holding them captive is really powerful."
I make a face.
This is sketchy as fuck to be honest.
But I want to help this person...whoever they are.
"Who is this person?"
"You'll find out."
He hands me a key.
"Use this to get in there, okay?"
"I...umm...okay?"
I take it and tuck it in my pocket, scratching my head.
"Am I meant to go now...?"
"Yes. Go before it gets dark. Quick!"
"Okay!"
I run in the opposite direction, and Dax sighs.
"Clarity?"
"Yes...?"
"I got the girl. She's going to you now."
******
As I push through the trees I realize this might be a trap.
And it probably is.
I'm so stupid.
I continue to push through the brush when I come across a clearing, and a large, seemingly abandoned building.
This must be it.
Here goes nothing.
I approach the door, sliding the key into the lock before going inside.
As soon as the door slams shut behind me, I realize that I'm stuck, there's no way out, and there's a person about fifty feet ahead of me.
********
(ALEC'S POV)
I run my forehead, sighing.
"Dead twin sister?! Davina, what the hell is that meant to mean?!"
She frowns.
"I was born with a twin. My parents named us Clarity and Davina. When we were three, Clarity's cat ran into the middle of the road and stopped. She told me there was a demon. When she ran out to get the cat a car came and hit her. She died in impact. But the thing is...the car was never there. No one ever saw it, and on our security camera footage there was absolutely nothing. I never saw her since."
My eyebrows furrow and I sigh.
"I'm sorry about that, but is she...evil now?"
Davina's face pales as she nods.
"She's possessed. I'm telling you. There's something off about her. Something really, really wrong. I just always got this feeling of pure feeling of trepidation around her."
"Do you have any idea where she could've went?"
"The warehouse. The warehouse in Duskmire Woods. She's in there. I heard her say she was going to kill someone...and...and there's more of them..."
"More of who?!"
"The...no...me. She made clones."
********
(AIDEN'S POV)
I walk closer to the person despite myself, hearing them hum.
"Hello? Are you okay?"
"La la la...la la la...la la la..."
I frown at their creepy voice.
It's soft though, gentle, but creepy.
And female.
"Excuse me?"
I walk even closer, resting my hand on their shoulder before turning them around.
I let out a screech, falling into the floor out of terror as the body falls onto the floor with a loud thump.
"What the hell?!"
I scramble backwards, from the body with their mouth stuck open in fear and no eyes.
"Did you like my gift?"
My eyes snap upwards, on a woman seemingly laying on the ceiling.
When my eyes meet hers I let out a gasp.
She looks like the purple haired girl.
"Davina...?"
"Wrong. Try Clarity..."
She drops down, crawling towards me as blood drips from the corners of her mouth.
I back further and further away until I hit the wall behind me with a thud.
She stops in front of me, cocking her head to the side.
"Do you want to come with me? Do you want to kill? Do you want to feel it? Ecstasy?" Her eyes show something inhuman, something with no remorse. "The best thing about pain is...is that it's beautiful."
"I...please don't hurt me, I won't—"
"You won't tell? That's what they all say...and guess what I say?"
I stare at her in horror as she produces a knife.
"Ding dong. You're dead."
********
I wake up, leaning against the wall.
No chains.
But endless pain. Everywhere in my body.
"Do you know...that when you gaze long enough into the abyss, it'll gaze back at you, Aiden?"
When I don't answer she abruptly turns around in the pitch darkness, and I hear her knife dragging along the wall.
"Oh Aiden, you're just like your father..."
She comes back over to me, dropping down.
Clarity looks into my eyes, cocking her head to the side.
"So much potential..."
She touches my cheek.
"Oh Hades, Bailey..."
My eyes track her, moving back and forth in the darkness.
They soon snap on two cages behind her, and my hand flies over my mouth as she grins.
What the—
Two large cages, with Hades and Bailey passed out inside of them.
"You should be so relieved..." I hear a small giggle. "Your daughter has finally come home!"
Another sigh.
"Soon she'll be joining you both..."
Clarity scoffs.
"In hell!"
*******