A/N: Ello loves! Lots and lots going on in my life. . Most of them good lol anyways enjoy the chapter! Please Review!

Disclaimer: seriously? No, I own nothing!

Prospectors:

He listened as his bastard son briefly spoke of his encounter with Christine. What a wimp, he thought to himself as he snarled in disgust. For Erik to still be struggling with the pain of what had happened so long ago was evidence of how his plan almost succeeded. Key word being almost.

He had wanted Christine to break Erik down, so he could step in and take control, but it still sickened him to see his son so weakened by the false pretenses of love. The apple certainly didn't fall too far... Pushing thoughts of Reina far from his mind, he focused on the memory of when he put his failed plan into action.

*flashback*

He watched on as a young girl of fifteen sat before a few candles. she was humming softly to herself as she ran a free hand through her long chocolate colored hair. She wore a deep red, loosely-fitted frock that he thought suited her character quite well.

"Christine..." he whispered.

She immediately stopped twirling a loose curl around her finger and shot up, looking about herself. "Who's there?" She questioned.

"Oh Christine. Haven't we been knotty?" he said with a menacing chuckle as a look of confusion fell upon her angelic features. Before she could respond, he continued, "Killing your father off just for his money. Very shameful, very shameful indeed."

He watched on as the shock of what he had said sunk in. Quickly regaining her composure, she immediately slipped into a face of pure innocence. "I have no idea of which you speak monsieur. I loved my father dearly and wouldn't have dreamt of harming him!" To add to her charade, she began to weep silently. He marveled at her ability to appear so pure and innocent. Oh, what a talented actress she was. If he hadn't seen the murder first hand, he wouldn't have doubted her for a second. She would indeed do nicely for his little scheme.

"Child, do not waste that fake angelic composure on me, for I have seen the truth." In fact he could recall it perfectly. "I saw as you slipped poison into his wine as he entertained his party guests. I witnessed the look of pure glee upon your features before you quickly slipped into your facade and ran to your fathers aid. And as you let those false tears flow, you fooled the world into believing you where distraught over his death. Fooled them into believing that you were nothing more than an innocent bystander."as he spoke, he studied her reaction and was pleased to see that she still didn't break character or show any sign of distress. Her heart rate wasn't even elevated, this girl was truly an evil mastermind. He continued, "But, do not fret. I do not wish to expose you, in fact I simply want to make a deal with you."

Her face darkened as she responded,"What kind of deal? And how am I to trust such a mysterious voice?" He then formed before her very eyes. His dark figure shadowing over her. He saw fear, for the first time, enter her eyes as she looked in awe at his strong form above her.

"Very wise of you to be cautious but I guarantee that the deal I have in mind is worth the prize in the end..." he paused as he recalled such a deal that he made so long ago. A deal he was still paying the price for. Gritting his teeth, he continued,"And I always see my deals through." he still saw doubt shrouding her mind but didn't let that detour him. "Before you make any rash decisions, allow me to at least plead my case." she nodded her head for him to continue. " As you and I both know, your plan for gaining your fathers money failed miserably. Had you known that your father was buried deep in dept and that the last of his fortune would have been taken to pay off his debtors, then I'm sure you wouldn't have even bothered killing him. Then again..." he trailed off with a sneer. "But all is not lost. I can still provide you with all the fame your dark heart desires and infinite riches, so you would never be of want again. But, in order for you to receive your reward, you have to destroy the heart of one man."

She sat in silence as she pondered all he had said. Then, with a sneer of her own, she responded, "One man? What is one man to someone as powerful as you? You promise me all these things yet you yourself can't handle just one man. How am I to believe that you can provide such a reward after that feat. And if I am unable to reduce him to such a state, then would all I have done be for nothing? For if he is such a strong force to you, how do you expect me to bring him to his knees?" she should have stopped while she was ahead.

Damion's quiet rage was steadily growing as she questioned him. As soon as her last taunting sentence was out, he slammed her against the wall pining her small form with just his hand. She desperately pushed against his grip, to keep him from choking the life out of her. "I will still uphold my deal, though the cost of failure would be a quarter of your life." he glowered as he answered the rest of her inquiry. "Can I break him myself directly? Child, there are some things even Fate won't allow me to do. For if I take things into my own hands then he would surely die. For I am the bringer of death." As if to prove his point, he allowed the darkness within him to spread towards her, causing her to shriek and wither in pain. A suffocating pain that not only harmed her body but her soul as well. Each breath she took felt more strained and heavy. Just before she could gasp her last dieing breath, he released her and she fell to the floor in a heap.

In truth, the only reason Damion couldn't break Erik, himself, was because the sheer power it would take to break him, combined with the power it would take to fully control him would definitely prove to be too much for his bastard son. Erik was of no use to him dead.

A low chuckle erupted from the girl on the floor, that quickly rose to a sputtering psychotic laugh. Damion looked on with faint shock and interest as she finally calmed herself and spoke. "You don't even have the strength to kill me." more laughter erupted from her small form as Damion resisted the urge to finish what he started. If she wasn't the only option available to him then he would have done away with her smart ass. He relished in the fact that as soon as it was her time, he would come for her soul and punish her properly for all of eternity.

"Child, I do not waste an opportunity when I see one. What use would you be to me dead? Though, if you continue to test me..." he shot another wave of power in her direction. "you will fail."

"Alright!" she gasped through the pain. "I'll make the deal." sweat dripped down her face as the pain edged away. The fact of losing a quarter of her life, if she should fail, never even residing in her mind. Her greed, too strong to deny.

"Well done." was Damion's quiet reply as he smirked, happy to finally have his plan go into action. "Now, let us clean you up. He won't even give you a second glance in your current state." Christine held her tongue before a rebuttal could slip past her lips. She didn't want him to let his power lose upon her again.

Damion let a dark cloud fall over her. She gasped as it transformed her blood red frock to a pure wight dress made of the softest of silks. Her already long tresses grew longer still and pooled to the floor in lovely chocolate waves. Her dirtied sweaty face was cleaned and refreshed as well as the rest of her flesh. As the cloud lifted, she stood, her long locks falling just past her lower back. She twirled in vain filled delight as the pain from Damion's previous attack lifted. "Now sing. For he quickly approaches." And with that, he melted into the shadows to allow her to do what she did best, deceive.

Reina was right. Erik didn't fall to the extent that Damion was hoping he would. His heart wasn't the shattered mess that it should have been. Mostly due to the fact that Christine wasn't his soul mate. If she had been then not only would Erik's heart have broken but his soul as well.

Damion had learned from his past mistakes and now knew that he had to up his plan of attack. This time the plan would include Ariona directly. His attention drew from his thoughts as Ariona began to speak of the loss of her family. A gruesome accident that he for once had nothing to do with... Well the initial planing of it, that is. Though that didn't mean he didn't help with a few well placed trees and a drunken idiot.

Everything that had happened was of Fates approval. Her families death had a purpose. For if they hadn't died, she wouldn't be here now. Its rare enough for a soul to be reincarnated, but for a soul to evade deaths recurring call is simply impossible. Ariona would have died at on early age over and over again unless another's life was taken to stop the cycle. Not just one life but three, and Damion had come to collect.

Ariona's parents had indeed lived full lives in the past. They even had another daughter to sooth the pain of her loss, Rain. But when they arrived to the afterlife, they found Ariona's soul steadily growing into a state of unrest. For Erik's life was at a standstill, all thanks to Reina's interfering.

Reina had come to them then. To petition them to help reunite Erik and Ariona. If they had refused, then she would have unpaused Erik's life, ultimately releasing him to Damion's will. And given enough time Damion would have found a way to break Erik. If they accepted then their lives would be placed into Damion's hands, to be taken as he saw fit. Despite Ariona's protests, they bravely accepted and agreed to the terms.

He had claimed the mothers life first, hoping that without her mother's guidance, Ariona would be all the worst for it. But surprisingly, her father easily took the reigns and raised his daughters the best he could on his own. Damion had considered taking the lives of her remaining family separately, one by one. But the idea of taking them from her at the same time was too much for him to pass up. So he waited for the opportune moment to strike. And with their passing, Damion had received the results he wanted, her spirit was cracked. She was already chipped from the betrayals of her best friend and her beau, witch of course had Damion's meddling written all over that situation. He smirked at the memory of it, Ariona had not come out of that one unscathed.

Now, it would take little else to fully break her. That is, if everything goes according to plan... "Its not her fault." Reina spoke as she appeared next to him.

"Indeed, I believe it is my dear." he quipped as he felt the heat of her glare on him.

"They willingly gave themselves up for her chance at happiness, you know that!" she exclaimed, watching mournfully at the tears streaming down Ariona's face.

"They wouldn't have had to go through the pain of death again if she didn't exist!" he growled glaring at Ariona in aggravation at her very existence.

"There had to be a way to stop you. Fate made sure of that! Besides your the one who made their deaths so gory and painful. They could have passed peacefully!" she said with clenched fists.

"Peaceful?" he spat,"the word has no meaning to me."

"It used to..." was her soft reply before she left him. His small heart made a painful jerk for it was now filled with chaos, peace never again being able to reside.