"What is that?" Dominic said looking up from her book. "Someone calling to me. But how?"
They weren't using one of her scales and she didn't know of any other way to summon her from across dimensions. Her curiosity peaked and she decided to investigate. Dominic focused moving her hand slowly in an upward direction. The shadows rose up and formed a mass blacker than the night sky. She formed it into her likeness and touched it to infuse her will. Her shadow doppelganger smiled at her.
"You got this?" Dominic asked.
Her doppelganger sat down and picked up the book Dominic had been reading.
"Of course." The doppelganger said opening the book.
Dominic sighed and extended her black claws. They began to glow. She slashed the air seeming to catch nothing at first. The ends became invisible as they pieced the veil creating an opening big enough for to pass through. The edges of the tear glowed light blue.
"Don't have too much fun" the doppelganger joked not looking up from the book. Dominic smiled and stepped through.
It was night. She ended up in a forest somewhere. There didn't seem to be anyone around.
"Hello?" she called. Dominic gasped. She felt Her stirring within. "No! No! No! NO!" Dominic screamed dropping to her knees.
An image flashed before her, The red horseman, War's, red eyes glowing from behind the sealed bars that kept her locked away inside of Dominic.
"You have been quite for so long! Why now?" Dominic demanded.
A heavy mist had begun to surround her. War did not answer but began to slam against the bars, her power seeping through and reaching towards her. Dominic pushed back with her own knowing what War was trying to do. Dominic kept flashing between the real world and what was happening inside of her. A ghostly woman cloaked in black approached. She had a look of sadness on her face.
"Be still War." the woman said.
She had a smooth silky voice. War stopped and her energy withdrew back behind the bars but she did not go back into her dormant state. She just stood there at attention intently staring at the woman.
"I mean you no harm" the woman said.
Dominic pushed herself to her feet. She hadn't realized that she was glowing. Her own purple energy surrounded her moving like fire over her skin. She took a few deep breaths and it disappeared.
"Who are you" Dominic asked, her voice ragged from the effort she had just made.
Now that she was no longer fighting War she took in The woman's features. She had long black hair that rested on her shoulders. She wore a long black dress that covered everything except her hands and her neck. She also wore a black cloak. Her skin was extremely pale and she was semitransparent making Dominic think she might be a ghost. There were black markings on her face and she had pale eyes with no pupils.
"I am Death" She said.
"You're a horseman?" Dominic asked.
"Yes my sister" Death said.
"Sister?" Dominic asked very confused.
"Yes we are sister horseman." Death replied.
Dominic closed her eyes and sighed. She knew what Death wanted.
"You weren't trying to summon me. You were trying to summon War. I'm assuming to help start the apocalypse" Dominic said as calmly as she could. She really did not want to anger Death.
"No my sister. I need you help control war here." Death said.
"What do you mean" Dominic asked.
"Without the horseman pestilence, famine war and even death would go unchecked. The apocalypse is not our only responsibility. Until that time comes we must act as regulators to keep things in balance." Death explained.
"What happened to this dimensions War? Dominic asked.
"There was an accident. You see he was a soldier and he hit an IED. The damage to his body was extensive and he could not be saved and without a body War disappeared. It will be a few years before someone suitable can be found to replace him."
Dominic understood. Her heart had stopped once and she learned the hard way having her soul forced back into body. The carnage that War had caused the few minutes she was gone. The pain of the wound that had killed her being forcefully healed. At that moment she knew she would never be able to die as long as War was sealed inside of her. It was a small price to pay to keep someone else from suffering the same fate.
"What do I have to do?" Dominic asked.
"Nothing you just have to be here in this dimension until its War reappears.
"I can manage that" she said feeling somewhat relieved.
Death smiled. "I have something for you." In the future you may need to get into contact with me or I you and I can tell you do not wish to use War's powers if it can be avoided. Take this" Death said handing her a gold coin. It was ice cold to the touch.
"What's this?" Dominic asked turning the coin over in her hand. Mors vocat was engraved on it.
"Payment for the ferryman. Take it to any body of water toss it in and say the words navita tribue itiner. The ferryman will grant you passage to the spirit world of which I reside." Death said.
"I don't get it. Why don't you just appear to me like you are now?" Dominic asked.
"I am unable to walk in the land of the living except in the direst circumstances."
Dominic now understood why she appeared transparent. Dominic nodded putting the coin in her pocket.
"Sister if you ever need to talk I'm here" Death said.
"I'll keep that in mind" Dominic said. Death faded away and the mist disappeared.
"Ok now where the heck am I" Dominic thought to herself. She walked for a bit until she came to a town. "Bayville" she read on the sign.
She would have to figure out what to do in the morning. Dominic headed to the safety of the forest cover. She hadn't gotten very far when she felt eyes on her and someone rushed her. He shoved her against a tree. Dominic gazed into the red eyes of a very angry vampire.
"Where's the rest of your pack little wolf" he growled.
"Who you calling wolf?" Dominic demanded kicking him off of her and flashing her purple eyes at him. He took a few steps back hissing as he realized what she was. Out of nowhere a massive brown wolf, a werewolf, leapt forward. His growls signaled his intent. Two more vampires and three more werewolves appeared. The two younger wolves were both red and the female was black.
"Get out of our territory!" The female growled.
Surprisingly the vampire understood her wolf speech. "It's not your territory anymore!" he replied.
"Oh great" Dominic thought. She had walked right in the middle of a territorial dispute. "Alright that's enough!" Dominic called out stepping in between the two groups. "This doesn't have to end in bloodshed."She turned to the vampires. "Now this is wolf territory. I ask that you respect that and please leave."
One of the new vampires stepped forward. "And who are you supposed to be?" he asked.
These vampires were not going to leave easily and the wolves knew it. They began to growl menacingly but Dominic brought the attention back to her when she shifted into her dragon form. Her purple scales and long blonde hair sparkled in the moonlight.
"That answer your question?" she asked the vampire.
"Draconidaes." The vampire hissed. The other two joined in but all stopped when they saw what was hanging around her neck. A necklace with a gold chain made to resemble scales and a charm of three circles hung vertically made of fire copper. Everyone in the magical community recognized what it was and in turn knew who she was."We're leaving." the lead vampire said cautiously backing away as if afraid that she would attack.
The brown wolf that she had initially seen approached her just as cautiously.
"Thank you." he said. Dominic turned to face the wolves.
"Not a problem" she said looking the wolves over. The two adult wolves looked just as fearful of her as the vampires were but the two younger wolves didn't seem to mind her.
"Are you lost?" the female asked.
"No just trying to figure out what to do next." Dominic sighed.
The wolf tilted her head so Dominic explained her situation leaving out the part about her being a horseman. As far as they knew she was here to learn about his dimension. In the end they offered to be her host family and she graciously accepted. She could have never known what would come from staying in this area.