It's an eerily familiar nightmare the Hunter was full aware of as it occupied the heavens above. Neither the blonde woman nor caped man on either side of him could console him- the Hunter being their only chance of winning the current battle. The knowledge he'd just acquired should've given him the confidence to strive on. But his base terror was rearing its head. Just like any of documented bad dream of his, the Bounty Hunter's misplaced sense of science had no power to rationalize his anxiety.

"Where's your science now?" The caped man lightly joked. In truth, albeit his intimidating armor, he was aware of his limitations.

"Knock it off." The blonde hissed. Their objective wasn't impossible, but messing with the youngest champion wouldn't help the situation.

The youngest champion rolled his shoulders, trying to appear calm, but his mind was jumbled. With science, there is law, a safe haven for the Hunter considering the fear he had deep inside despite all of his accomplishments the last few months.

An active volcano, in the sky, about to erupt. Wanna know the kicker? It's upside down.

Chapter One - The Chase

"Ms. Bateman?-"

Said teacher started and turned to see who might've taken years from her life. "Oh! Hector…please don't sneak up on me like that."

Hector had actually been standing behind her up until the starting bell rang. He's gotten used to being the ghost kid of the school; nobody knew he was there until they were spooked. Anyway, Hector placed his homework on her desk and left to his seat in the front.

This invisible kid thing has become a real problem due to most of the teachers not realizing he's been in class the whole time and counted him as absent. He was almost held back until his father, the principle, saw his report card and wondered why it said absent. He saw his son attend school everyday walking the halls. The solution was for Hector to sit in front and be sure to hand in his work to face to face with the teacher.

Hector's knee buckled. Gripping the edge of the desk before he tipped over, Hector fixed his jaw. Almost invisible… Hector peered over to the middle of the class where seated in the middle of the classroom was his cousin, Stewart, armed to the teeth with rubber bands. One which must've thwacked the back of Hector's knee, causing his recent imbalance.

The twins, Teddy and Ronnie couldn't have been more unalike. While Ronnie seemed to have control in their sibling relationship with her outspoken personality, Teddy was hardly seen with her. His whereabouts were unknown to anyone but his teachers' who grade him solely on his perfect attendance.

Frankie seemed to be at a crossroads in which status quo he chose to be in. Pranking Hector and/or being his usual project partner.

Stewart never let up on his pranks. It was all supposed to be a way to show his relationship with Hector in his own way. He wasn't all that bad, but the pranks were as consistent as his attempts to date the blonde he and Hector both had a crush on.

Ash Hofferson. Not much can be explained due to the fact that she doesn't socialize with males. And even less so with her female peers. All there is known about her is that she has a goal to compete in every club offered in the school. From gymnastic to debate.

Hector turned on his heel to get to his seat and pay attention to Ms. Bateman's resumed lesson. Hector winced when he felt a rubber band bounce off the left temple. Instead of ignoring Stewart, Hector bent over in his seat and picked up the band, twisted it in his hand, and shot it directly at Ash's direction in one swift motion. Without confirming if he hit the mark or not, he casually opened his book and got to the assigned page of the textbook.

Ash twitched when she felt a band hit her on her neck. She turned to the left and glowered at whoever could've flicked it at her.

Hector gave a quiet snort when he saw Stewart rush to shove off the pile of rubber bands from his desk from the corner of his eye.

It was lunch, the smell of the barely-legal food was horrid, the volume of the cafeteria was deafening, and the crowd that didn't see him as invisible was sitting around him, bantering.

"That new challenge course Gordon came up with is impossible…" Frankie complained, his dislike for anything the gym offered only increased when the Physical Ed. Coach, Gordon, came up with a more endearing course. "No, its 5 multiplied by 10 and then add 2. Yeah, now it's an improper fraction…" Frankie turned back to tutoring Ronnie with her workbook.

"I think the rock wall portion is pretty awesome. I'm not even sure how Gordon got that part signed off by the school's board of education." Teddy grinned at the thought of a fifty foot wall towered over the rest of the course.

"It's not that hard, actually. I beat it on my first try." Stewart boasted as he stole glances at Ash walking through the lunch line. He was too busy gawking to notice Hector poison his drink.

When Ash came out of the line, Stewart straightened in his seat. "Hey, Ash…"

The moment Ash glanced Stewart's way, her nose scrunched up, disturbed at the sight.

Stewart paled and looked away until she passed. He then frantically requested a mirror from Ronnie. "What, is there something of my face-"

Ronnie looked up from her work and she cracked a small toothy grin. She dug through her bag and handed him a small mirror.

The rest of the table started laughing when Stewart finally realized what Hector had done.

Stewart's teeth were crimson, as if his gums were bleeding. But it was just the food coloring Hector snuck into his milk.

Hector's small smile broke into a wide grin before dodging Stewart's retaliation swing.

"No more pranking when Ash is within twenty yards of us…" Stewart muttered as he got up to throw away his ruined milk.

Hector made to utter a contrite apology, but he felt something. There was a feeling as if someone was watching him. He was about to scan the cafeteria, but thought against it. It was a huge room filled with shifting teenagers. Besides, the chill left the moment he became aware.

"Hector!"

Hector jumped in his seat and looked around his table. He noticed three things, (1) Gordon towered over our table with a grin, (2) Ash was to Gordon's side, glaring at him and Stewart for some reason, and (3) Stewart appeared tense.

"What-"

"We're doing Gordon's challenge." Stewart couldn't contain his excitement.

How did Hector get thrust into this situation?

"Why am I here?" Hector shifted awkwardly as he stood at the starting line along with Stewart and Ash. The inappropriate length of the gym pants the school offered shouldn't even be legal. And the shirts, geez, the person in charge of gym clothes should get a criminal background check.

"Because of all of your athletic qualities," Gordon stated, off to the side tinkering with the scoreboard control mechanism. He was resetting the timer among other things to prepare his personalized P.E. course. Without glancing up, he explained further why he chose the three teenagers before him.

"Speed," Gordon pointed to Ash, "endurance," regarding Stewart, "and reflexes." Gordon ended with the lanky teen.

While the other two seemed content with the praise of their abilities, Hector held his with remorse. He thought back to the time he could've shown his athletic quality. He came up with nothing but the question of how Gordon could've possibly known or if he was just trying to incite him.

"Is this voluntary-"

"It is mandatory." Gordon cut Hector off with a dull expression.

"Come on, Hector. This is gonna be awesome." Stewart tried to get his cousin on the same high as him. He leaned over and whispers, "Whoever wins gets to date her…" Stewart pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Ash, attempting to fuel Hector's determination. Stewart was wondering why Gordon had chosen Hector specifically out of all the students in the school. He was curious to see why the respectable coach handpicked the three of them out of the whole school.

Hector peered over to the girl who stared ahead to the challenging course with an almost amused expression. Would she acknowledge him if he won?

"I guess since it's mandatory, I have no choice…" Hector shrugged his shoulders before getting into a starting stance.

Stewart grinned before getting ready too. "I'm in it to win."

Ash remained quiet.

Gordon was grinning like a madman. He thought Hector would be trouble, but it worked out somehow. "You start in three," Gordon started the countdown, "two," he peered over his shoulder to see that the person who set this all up sat himself down in the wooden bleachers. "One!"

Ash shot forward with inhuman speed while Stewart and Hector watched, stunned.

The man in the bleachers appeared to make sense of what exactly Ash did. She only lunged forward a few feet before sprinting ahead. Impressive.

Stewart shook himself out of it first and bolted after her.

"Hector, move!" Teddy shouted from the bleachers.

Hector jumped into gear and tailed after his competitors.

The first part of the course was about twenty feet of hurdling. The current leader slowed her pace, Stewart was forced to decrease his speed drastically in order to not run right through the course, and Hector, well, he ran around the hurdles and came up next to Stewart at the end.

"That's cheating!"

"I didn't hear Gordon specify on any rules…" Hector grinned.

"Maybe because of a little something called conscientiousness-"

"That's a big word," Hector's grin grew wider, "if you can spell it, I'll turn back and complete the hurdles."

Caught off guard, Stewart stuttered, "That's not the point- shut up!" he then turned away from his annoying cousin and pushed himself to put some distance between them.

The three teenagers in the bleachers joked and laughed at Stewart and Hector bantering in the middle of the competition. The mysterious stranger a ways from them cracked a small smile.

Stewart turned back to what was next and paled. Up ahead was a 20-foot warped wall. The wall was like a skating ramp, but one side of it was higher than the first. The challengers would have to someone scale the warped wall. Who is funding this?! Stewart's thoughts screamed in his head. Then he remembered who was leading the course. His eyes followed Ash closely to see how she would go about the wall.

Ash didn't stop her momentum and jumped up beginning side of the ramp, tensed her legs and jumped. Her small body somehow soared in the air and she latched on to the top of the warped wall. Ash scampered up the edge and continued with the course, descending down the knotted rope on the other side of the wall.

Stewart shook his head before preparing to take the traditional route by running up the wall. Right as he was about to slip, he reached out and gripped the edge. After pulling himself up, he took a quick breather and looked to see how his cousin was faring so far.

Stewart's eyes widened and he took a step back as Hector somehow flew up the wall, using the same strategy Stewart used, and landed in front of him. Hector then continued to scale down the knotted rope.

Hector smiled as he briefly saw Stewart's expression, but paused when he saw that Ash was stuck in the web. Apparently, she could go too fast sometimes. Ash was currently tangled in the rope. As soon as he jumped off the webbed rope, Hector returned to running.

The second to last part of the course for that day was the skipping step exercise. Basically, it was an area that had slanted steps protruding from the ground that one needed to skip-step on in quick succession to keep the momentum to make it to the end. If you fell, you fell. But Gordon, being the questionably certified P.E. instructor, had somehow gotten some powder laid out on the ground. A sign on the side of this portion of the course stated, "Itchy Powder!"

Hector hitched a breath and almost tripped himself. Falling into that powder while wearing the gym clothes would be a nightmare. Only Gordon would devise something like this… Hector shook himself and picked up his pace until he was breaking into a wild sprint.

Ash, annoyed at the fact of losing her lead, finally got untangled and was about to go after Hector, but she suddenly jumped backwards.

Stewart, in third place, thought not to waste anymore time, disregarded the rope web and jumped down to the floor below. He almost landed atop of Ash had she not moved out of the way. Rolling from his landing, Stewart stood up and gave a quick wave to Ash before breaking out to sprint after Hector.

Ash narrowed her eyes and went after the two.

Right as Hector jumped off another step, that feeling from the cafeteria came back, stronger this time. In the air, mid-skip, Hector turned to see who could've been giving him this feeling. Just in time, Hector saw Stewart and Ash foolishly trying to overtake him as they were a mere foot away from them.

Gordon slapped his forehead and groaned. He was about to witness all three crash into themselves and end the course right before the finish line. He shook his head and pointed an apologetic look towards the man in the bleachers.

The seated man shook his head and directed Gordon's attention back to the competing teenagers.

Gordon, confused, turned back to the course. Watching, he wondered what was about to happen. Hector was in the middle of the skipping portion of the course while Stewart and Ash were rushing towards him. Gordon knew about Hector's reflexes, but how could he fare while in mid-air?

Instinctively, Hector acted.

Hector, like his other rivals, held a permanent frown the rest of the school day. At the last part of the race, all of them were just about to finish when just then, Stewart and Ash came in too hot. Hector barely managed to somehow balance himself on a single step, but Stewart's frame somehow tripped himself mid-step as he frantically reached out for something to grab onto. Ash and Hector were roughly pulled down with Stewart in a giant heap, creating a cloud of itchy powder for all competitors.

Unfortunately, all three of them failed the challenge course and even after an extended shower, the rash was still irritating various spots of their bodies…Even some unmentionable areas thanks to the gym clothes.

Hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders shrugged down, and sporting a hunch and glare, the trio stood brooding at the bus stop. Due to their stay after the bell rang for another round of scrubbing, Hector, Ash, and Stewart missed the school bus and had to wait for either parental pick-up or public transportation.

Stewart tried to lighten the tense mood. "So, uh, what did you guys think of the course, huh?" Hopeful eyes darting from Hector to Ash. Receiving a steady incredulous stare and a dignified sniff, Stewart dejectedly continued, "Yeah, it was kind of…"

"Stupid," Hector rolled up his sleeves and started scratching his forearms.

"A waste of time and tax dollars." Not really comfortable around the two, Ash didn't urge to claw her rashes. But there was the casual rubbing of the back of her left shin with her right ankle every few seconds.

"Gordon's not gonna let us live it down the rest of the year, is he?"

"Nope."

Stewart stood in the middle of the two having their first conversation. Well, it was more of a first for Ash. He was about to join in, but Ash suddenly turned and broke into a jog. Guess she didn't want to wait on the bus any longer and pretend not to be bothered around her two peers.

Just as Ash turned a corner, a police cruiser appeared down the street. It came to a stop in front of the bus stop. The passenger side window rolled down and a man whose gut was wedged between his lap and the steering wheel struggled to lean over and open the passenger door. "Get in," barked an officer from the inside.

"Hey, Dad." Stewart slipped off his pack and clambered in. "Could you drop off Hector too?"

"With me in the driver's seat, you in the passenger, I don't see how Hector here could come with us… That is, if he doesn't have a problem sitting on the gear-stick? You swing that way, Hec?" Saul Jorgensen pulled down his glasses, regarding his nephew, studying on his facial indicators for the truth.

Hector resisted to roll his eyes in the reflection of the officer's metal silver sunglasses. He saw the man last weekend for a barbeque held at his house. He didn't know why his uncle persisted to treat him like a stranger every time in person or the random questions of manlihood.

Stewart sensed his cousin's annoyance and jumped in, "Why don't you just sit in the back?"

Hector thought of the idea of rolling into the driveway of his house in the back of police cruiser. His father would be livid, even if it was his brother dropping the teenager off. Hector denied the offer, avoiding the harassment he would've probably received during the ride, and waved a goodbye.

As his potential ride peeled away from the curb and pulled a U-turn, Hector watched and groaned when he realized that he would now have to shuffle home with a still-flaming rash.

"Ugh!" A sixteen year old slammed into a grimy alley wall and slid down as he raised a hand to nurse his head. He groaned when he felt something warm and slippery in his moppy strands of hair. I'm started to regret turning down Stewart's offer for a ride home. Hector nursed his head. Surely, he would've had a better chance of making it home in one piece he was in a police cruiser.

Regrettably, the teen worsened his situation by opening his mouth for the fifth time, much to his attacker's annoyance. "Look, I already told you…I've had a miserable day at school today. Can't you find it in your scarring childhood repressed-memories heart to cut me some slack- Ah!" The brunette hissed after he got a rough rap against the left side of his face. A simple wrinkle of his nose deemed positive to damaged cartilage.

"Shut your mouth, milk-drinker." The lunatic appeared to be confused of what century he was in. His arms and legs were adorned in mail armor, some sort of leather guarded his torso, and various animal pelts covered the man head to toe. Also, the man had a strange assortment of chains and necklaces. The teenager could've sworn he'd seen an outfit like this when he was briefly studied Norse mythology.

"You'll soon realize your fate once 'Milady arrives with the fury and vengeance of a thousand burning souls that were quelled ahead of their liking. Her voice like those screaming for repentance for their sins! Oh, how it is glorious to see her righteous balance of cool fiery ire. Praise the-"

"Whoa, you got a little brown on your nose there, pal-HA!" The boy barely dodged the incoming punch. A small smile graced his features as his attacker's fist connects with the concrete alley wall and the gruff man roared in pain. The boy laughed. He figured out the man's pattern of attack and proved it when he got a rise out of the man. "And I was right. You do have some sort of vendetta against my nose. What did I do? Sneeze on your puppy or something?"

"You prattling son of a wench!-" The man poised to strike to save his dignity after being fooled. But something strange happened.

The teenager had thrown up a defense but lowered his arms when he felt something shift from under and around him. The student watched in disbelief as dust began to rise from the ground and soon began to take mass before his eyes. He peered over to the man to see if it was his doing, but the man appeared just as spooked as the boy did. The man's eyes held something else. No, not afraid. The boy's eyes widened. Aware.

It all became apparent to the both of them. It's not dust.

Shadows. Impossible. They were currently ensnaring the man as he slowly began to lose his demeanor. He knew something magical was happening whether the boy believed it or not.

"No, my Queen! This fool might not have been on the Stone, but his lineage-" The man held his breathe as the magical black sand started to snake around his body, tightening around his ankles, the back of his knees, wrists, elbows, and finally his neck. While the ropes were gently floating above the man's skin, they suddenly constricted.

Hector was motionless as he watched the man gurgle out desperate pleas to his 'Queen'. The teenager could've got up and ran away, limped away, but he felt like he was ensnared as well. The boy jumped when he heard a sickening crack and witnessed that the man's neck could now longer support his head. The body jerked in unnatural directions before pausing. The sand fell instantly and disassembled itself as it blew away in the sudden wind shift.

The man was deathly still. His body showed no signs of his passing. There was no peace or pain. Just an uneasy tense feeling radiating from him. The boy stared at the body with concern. Until the man's body finally moved. Uh, twitched.

Slowly, purple mist started to escape from the corners of the man's lips until it took the form of a head. The head materialized into a familiar face. This one wasn't peaceful, but frantic. Confused. Until it noticed his injured victim still sitting there. Turning all of its attention to the boy, the head fell to the boy's eye level.

They stared at another for a few seconds. There was an eerie silence as the head drifted closer and closer to the boy's own. The boy didn't even react when the man's head unintentionally bumped against his. It seemed like they both had an understanding of what just transpired a moment ago and came to a conclusion. The bodiless head just acted first.

"RUN!"

The boy spooked out of his stupor before scrambling to his feet and bolting out of the alley. By the time he was at the end of the alley, his nerves were shot. There was still a chance that that sand wouldn't just stop with the man, but come after him as well.

The fact that the boy knew he wasn't exactly remotely an athlete of any sense made him regrettably take his usual shortcut through the community park trail that lead to his house.

A community center- a rest area in the middle of the park next to the play area- came into view and the boy found the energy to run faster.

It was unknowingly becoming pitched black despite it being late afternoon a few moments ago. The darkness was chasing him, devouring the moon and stars that would usually appear in the night.

The teenager burst through the entrance doors and quickly lunged for the door to the center's main room. Lunging into the room, the boy slid under the tables and waited.

The boy crouched under the table waiting for what he thought was an eternity. It was a full three minutes before he finally calmed down and realizing his choice of hiding spots was a poor one.

There were no windows, no signal for his phone, and only one door. This community center had just been built and opened a few months ago. The neighborhood was stuck in the between middle-class and high-class, so there should be no reason why the structure of the center was poorly designed. The boy thought it was rather dumb of the architect to build a death room in the boy's case.

Before the teenager could continue to mentally downsize the building designer, the lights shut off due to inactivity in the room. The teenager frowned and thought about moving to another table so the lights would switch on, but right before he moved, his peripherals caught a shadow pass through the slit of the bottom of the door. The teenager froze and pondered whether or not it was real or just his nerves acting up again. His eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the sudden darkness yet.

Then something clicked from behind him. A beep came. The temperature in the room started dropping.

The teenager jumped and fumbled for his phone. Once he got it and switched it on, he held his breathe. It was low on battery and a friendly female voice said goodbye before the phone shut off. He could've sworn his heart started beating irregularly and he could hear it pounding in his ears.

The boy, as silently as he could, breathed in and out. Slowly, but surely, he succeeded in calming down. He fantasized of the safety he had in the dark room. It's not a dark alley. It's the community center. People. From this timeline. 21st century. Science. The key word for the boy. With science, there is law. With his light thinking, the boy rationalized what may or may not happen.

Nothing came to mind. What theory or hypothesis could explain what just happened to him? A man killed by flying sand and then his ghost staring him down. All in an alley… where not even a soul passed the entire time… That last thought was unsettling to the boy.

There was a shifting sound. Like someone shifts their hand through… sand.

The room sensed movement and the lights flickered on one by one. The sudden light unfocused his eyes. The boy shielded his eyes and squinted with hope that it was a janitor or something. As long as it was human with an understandable occupation. Not like beating up students in some Viking costume.

There was a thump and then clicking, like nails or heels prowling about. As the sound continued with a steadiness, the boy had come to realize that a janitor with high heels didn't seem believable. Or even a night guard for that matter. His eyes now adjusted to the light, he looked around from under the table.

The sand was back and had taken a different form as it slinked around the room, searching for something, someone. It didn't have a certain shape of any of the animals the boy knew of, but it did have claws.

Suddenly, the beast locked on to the boy's location. If it had eyes, it'd be glaring right at him.

The boy made for the door; he managed to touch the doorknob before the sand slithered around his ankle and gave a tug. Then his left wrist, next, his waist. The sand latched onto the boy until he couldn't balance himself and fell to his knees.

Lying on the floor, the boy felt himself being dragged closer and closer to the formless creature. On the floor in front of the creature was a bright purplish whirlpool. Seeing that particular color sent the boy into a frantic state. He hopelessly tried to claw away on the smooth tile floor.

The closer he got to the rapidly shifting purple whirlpool, the more desperate he got. He started screaming his lungs out for someone. Anyone that's in the park or remotely near it that could realize the supernatural events taken place inside the center.

The boy stilled when his foot connected something solid. He peered over his shoulder just in time to see the head of the beast gather the sand the boy had just kicked. The boy paled when he saw the beast somehow regard him with annoyance.

Before he knew it, the boy was thrown in the air and then slammed into the door by a strange force. His face met the heavy door and he lost consciousness. Being dragged away to the portal was his last memory before blacking out.

"Wake up, Hector! Wake up- Mom, what's wrong with him?" The voice sounded like it belonged to a teenage girl.

"I don't know, sweetie. Are you alright?" The voice of an older woman asked, shaking Hector's shoulder.

"He's waking up!"

Hector slowly opened his eyes to groggily regard what he guessed was a mother and daughter. He couldn't recall why lying on a bed. Once his eyes focused, he stilled at the sight of the two people to either side of him. It was his older sister Mikaela and their mother. Hector reached out to see if Mikaela was real or not.

Mikaela regarded Hector with intrigue as he reached out to grip her arm. Hector jumped, causing her to mirror him, when he felt that she was, in fact, real.

"This isn't possible-" Hector twitched when he felt someone laid their hand on his forehead.

"What isn't possible, sweetheart?" His mother consoled him.

Without even thinking, Hector suddenly pushed Mikaela away and stood up to face them from the foot of the bed. Unfortunately, having sudden movements without adjusting made him tipsy. Then he remembered that this was the second time he's injured his head that night.

"Hector, calm down before you fall again," Mikaela looked at him with worry.

With her expression alone, Hector knew something was off. It was then that he realized where exactly he was.

It was his old room. In the old house he and his father moved out of shortly after the freak accident.

The two of them being here, in the old house, Mikaela actually caring about him, nothing had yet to make sense. They both died years ago, but here they were, alive. How did he end up here when he was at the community center-?

Hector's eyes widened as he scanned the room for a door. Finding none, he saw a window and bolted for it. Frantically messing with the window locks, he finally got it open. He didn't even have to think about how high the fall would be. The fact that that beast could come back at any moment fueled Hector to climb out.

He froze when he saw just how high the leap would be.

It was nothingness. Everywhere was black. Like it was a void. No streetlamps, no building lights… no stars in the sky. The only thing waiting for him at the bottom was a massive pool of shifting purple. But then, there it was! The black sand that somehow made itself prominent in the darkness. It was staring right back at Hector as if it were assessing whether or not Hector was crazy enough to jump.

Hector fell back into the house, backing away from the window. When he turned back to his revived family, he saw that they were gone. A new figure sat on the bed Hector had woken up on.

The woman appeared to be in her late 20s, wore only a dark green dress with strange black symbols etched into the fabric, dark cerulean blue neck armor and gauntlets. Her eyes didn't have irises, just glowing white. Her face as had a blue hue to it. Her hair was cut short and a Widow's peak seemed to end just before the space of where her eyebrows would've been. But the real eye-catcher was the crown she wore. Hector couldn't quite catch it in the act, but he was sure it was twitching.

Realization came to Hector as he inched away when he saw that her crown was black sand.

"Sit down." The being directed with a stern tone. She offered a spot on the bed inches from where she sat.

Hector found it unsettling that her tone didn't quite match her suggestion. Thoughts of jumping to his death came to mind instead of being anywhere near the woman.

The woman saw the hesitation and revised her command. "Sit down… unless you want a bad experience in the Underworld as a first."

With that ultimatum, Hector only had two choices. Get a head-start on his bad experience by deciding to instead lunge out the window or humor the strange woman. Reluctantly, Hector shuffled towards the bed, but sat down at the foot of the bed, keeping his distance.

For a few moments, the woman studied Hector with scrutiny, causing the teenager to edge away slightly. "You are an inquisitive one, aren't you?" The woman finally spoke. "A mortal breaking his own strong desires so easily with analysis. Impressive."

Hector ignored her praise. "Where am I and who are you? Why am I here?"

The woman took her time answering the question "Hel." She finally supplied.

"What?"

"You are in the underworld, land of the dead souls in suspended animation of their sole desires. You will address me as Hel, ruler of this land. And I've brought you here to offer you the honor of hunting down several highly dangerous spirits that have recently escaped this Nirvana."

"Well, your highness, I'm not interested in being your, what did you call it? Mercenary? If it was any other day- maybe when I skipped on my medication- I would've accepted your deal. But right now, I want to get in a bath and scrub off the remaining itching powder that's been killing me all day." Hector stood and walked over to the window. Maybe if he clicked his heels twice for good luck, his jump to the swirling void down below would send him home.

Hel didn't move to stop him. "I assumed you wanted to exact your own vengeance on those who widowed your father and robbed you of a sister as well…" Hel left the bait hanging, waiting for him to pull at it.

Hector stilled. "That's not funny."

"What would I gain from jesting you?"

"What would you gain from kidnapping me?"

"I'd gain a new champion to reap the souls of those-"

"Yeah, I got it… Grim reaper in spandex…" Hector held his hand up before he had to hear it all over again. He sat down on the windowsill and actually contemplated the goddess' offer. For the life of him, he couldn't remember remotely anything about his mother or sister.

He was still wondering how he portrayed their personalities, or even their faces, when his father said they both passed when he was only 4 years old. Did he imagine what they would act like? Or did this world just rip a memory out and work out the kinks?

"If I accept, will you send me back so I can think about this?"

"No. Either you accept and become my champion or you fall under a stronger trance for eternity."

"And choice C is…" Hector received a steady stare of impatience. "Fine… Whatever gets me out of this place."

The world outside the house hadn't change at all. It seemed like the two of them were walking through darkness. Although Hector couldn't visibly see anything in the distance, as he peered down his body, he could see his toes despite there being no light source. When they first stepped out of the house, Hector waited for the equivalent of the sun to appear once Hel stepped foot outside, but nothing appeared to change. He asked for a flashlight- or a torch since he remembered how out of date his attacker's clothes were- but Hel denied his request, saying, "Everyone's asleep. It would be rude to wake them."

Hector gave her a look 'Seriously?', but the ruler of the underworld already turned and started walking away. Hector muttered something before he moved to catch up with her. He'd lose her in the darkness, effectively himself, if he wasn't careful.

Still wary of the queen, Hector chose to walk behind her instead of to her side.

It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes of walking when Hel suddenly waved her hand and large doors materialized, slowly gliding open. Hector followed the goddess into the palace, gazing around in wonder. Aged armor and weaponry bedecked the walls, rust shining harshly in the light.

"Now then, Hector," Hel called, grabbing his attention.

She strode over to a wooden mannequin donned with strange apparel, and turned to look at her champion for a while. Finally, she beckoned him with a slight wave to come closer to the gear.

"What's with the get-up?"

"It's the armor you'll be using to effectively hunt the escaped spirits. Don't be fooled, it has powerful properties." Hel added the last part when she saw the dull look Hector gave her.

The material didn't resemble any shining armor Hector has ever seen before. The wooden doll held a simple dark blue laced robe with a hood, a breast pocket plate slung over its chest. The torso of the robe was wrapped in black chain mail and some grayish plating on the shoulders and forearms, the obsidian pants seemed to droop to the ground-not currently being supported by a belt- but regrettably appeared to be form-fitting. Lastly, sitting under the doll were a pair of high boots with some pieces of shin armor. The first thing that came to his mind was Knights of the Round Table, not some old leather robes.

Hector nodded his head in thought. "Am I being punished?" Hector asked bluntly.

Hel was walking away from him before she punished for asking dumb questions. "Get dressed; you're trying my patience today."

Brooding, Hector snatched the robes off the mannequin and began undressing. He stopped when he noticed that Hel was still in the room facing him. "You mind?"

"No."

Hector came to an understanding that Hel was from a totally different time and world. A place where watching minors undress isn't uncomfortable. "Could you at least turn around?"

"I'm perfectly fine where I am as of now."

"Leave the room."

"This is my room."

"Why are you so bent on seeing me with no clothes on?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm aware of a mortal's anatomy. You are no different from the countless others I've seen."

Hector was about to respond, but Hel put her foot down. "I am still here because you are about to don an outfit with powers your mortal capacity of understanding couldn't handle." Hel raised her voice. "No more of this pointless conversation. Strip now."

"Bossy predator…" Hector muttered under his breath as he stiffly did what he was told.

While Hector hastily pulled on the pants, Hel turned and pulled a hidden latch on the wooden doll's abdomen area. She stepped up to Hector just as he flipped the heavy hood back and magically attached various weapons and tools to the armor. "There," Despite being irked at their earlier banter, Hel regarded Hector with a nostalgic expression. "You're almost ready, champion. In time, you will learn your inner power that will help you in your search and eradication of your enemies."

"I get powers?!" Hector perked at the potential skills he could get.

Hel's head tilted in curiosity at the sudden change in the teenager. "Yes, as you continue down the path of a hunter, you'll become aware of certain powers that will be available at your disposal. Abilities such as the vast understanding of multiple tongues."

"Tongues?"

"Languages."

"How?"

"With experience comes knowledge." Hel stated sagely.

"You don't give a lot of straight answers, do you?"

"You're annoying." Hel responded before she exited through the same doors she came in. Hector followed behind her as his mind wandered. Without checking to see if Hector was paying attention or not, Hel created an inky purple portal to Midgard, the mortal realm. "It's about time to return to your world, Hector…" Hel rasped something in a different tongue.

Hector was still preoccupied with marveling his demon-hunting apparel and promise of powers to hear that last part. It wasn't until a chilling feel of sand snaked around his neck that he snapped out of it with a start.

The black sand with a conscious returned and played around Hector's neck before climbing to rest on his shoulder. Hector was about to ask Hel a question he'd been itching to ask, but the sand somehow spoke into his ear.

Having just got the power to understand universally any language and/or tongue, Hector peered up at his mentor and recited what he had translated, "I am ready to serve you to the best of my abilities, Lady Hel."

Hel's back was to the boy, watching something in the distance. When she heard him, she turned and nodded at the sand occupying Hector's shoulder. "Good. This is a new chapter of your life."

And with that, Hector's life as a bounty hunter for the goddess of death would now begin. Hector's mind racked with thoughts of what power he would discover first, and while immaturely, he reveled in different ways to utilize them at school.

"No. Not yet," Hel interrupted his excited thoughts. "First, you need to find your partner?"

"Partner?"

"Yes, every hunter has a partner," Hel informed him knowingly, turning away from him back to whatever caught her interest before.

"Like a dog or something?" Hector inquired with an amused tone.

Hel knew she should've corrected him with a warning not to demean his future partner, but the saying resurfaced. 'With experience comes knowledge…'

"Or something…"

Stars away, in a realm that hosted gods and goddesses, at peak of the golden capital, a king awoke from his annual sleep. The light that was preserved to protect the king went out like a blown candle. Servants were immediately alerted and awaited him outside the doors. But the king didn't emerge from his room at first like he usually did. The fact that he had woken up earlier than anticipated worried not only his followers but the ruler himself.

It was then that a vision projected solely on his left eye, where the decorated patch lay. The scene that the king witnessed suddenly got him on his feet, pushing open the doors and briskly walking down the hall as he turned to a handmaiden. "Call my champions to the throne room at once…"

The queen, arriving as soon as she witnessed the eternal light go out, arrived just as the handmaiden left with her instructions. "What has happened, my King? Why do you walk the halls before you are fully rested?" When she received no answer, she turned to dismiss the servants.

It wasn't the last soul turned a corner did the King nurse his head before he suddenly reached out to grab onto a hold as he lurched from fatigue. His queen shouldered his weight and raised him back up. Nodding at the queen for her assistance, the King stood straighter on his own and stated grimly, "The Author has returned. And I fear he has brought another realm to his ranks."

"Of the Nine?" The queen inquired.

"Niflheim."

Notes:

Midgard: Earth (Land of Men)

Niflheim: The Underworld (Land of the Dead)