Hey guys! This will be a multi-part story for sure.

(I know, two stories in one day. I'm trying to make up for my inactive periods. I will try and post more frequently.)

Yes, Ghastly is alive. No, I have still not come to terms with his death.

Screw you Landy.

Wow.

Her best friend. Her partner.

He was gone.

Valkyrie had just left the funeral, but it didn't feel real. She still felt mostly numb. How could he be gone? How did you kill a skeleton? It made no sense.

There was supposed to be a will reading, although there were apparently separate wills for various people; China, Ghastly, Valkyrie, etc. She felt a small sense of deja vu. The whole situation was very similar to her uncle's passing.

In spite of it all, she smiled wryly to herself; it would be just like Skulduggery to die mysteriously and to have his whole murder be a key to a mythical weapon. He'd been missing for a few days, and when Valkyrie had received the call, she still couldn't believe it.

A skeleton in an impeccable suit washed up on a beach. It scared a couple of beachgoers, but most just saw it as an elaborate prank. The sanctuary had investigated but could find no cause of death. The theory was that his time had just simply run out, and whatever soul/magic that was keeping him together was gone. It was a lame theory, but it was the only one that made sense.

Sitting in her car, she stared out at the pier. The will reading was in Haggard, and she'd come early to think. She didn't know whether she should go visit her parents. They knew he was dead, but they weren't sure what to do. Their daughter had just lost the most important person in her life. It also hurt them a bit, Valkyrie thought, that he had known so much more about her than they did. Valkyrie would never regret being close to Skulduggery, but she did regret not being so close to her parents. Maybe then they could've helped with all of her problems.

She had her meeting with the lawyer in half an hour, so she stood up and walked to her car. Starting the engine, she wondered what would entail. Would it be serious? Or, like Skulduggery, would it be full of sarcasm and wit? She hoped the latter. Valkyrie wanted to remember him in a good, easy way instead of formal and stiff.

After half an hour, she arrived at a dull, gray building. The sign at the front said "Watson & Brooks Lawyers". In a slanted font below, it read Formality and Dignity is what we pride ourselves in.

She walked up the flight of stairs indicated by the receptionist and sat down in Mr. Brooks' office. It was neat and tidy, with filing cabinets, computers, and potted plants. The furniture was tastefully chosen and arranged, and Valkyrie couldn't find a single speck of dust.

She sat down in front of a plump old man sitting in a swivel chair. Though his skin might have sagged, his posture did not. He smiled stiffly as he picked up a crisp yellow envelope.

"Miss Cain?" He asked. His tone sounded bored.

Valkyrie just nodded. Next to where the envelope had been was a small, ornately carved box. It was about the size of a jam jar on its side. Was it for her?

"Mister Pleasant left you this letter and box." She snapped her head up.

"What?"

Mr Brooks sighed. He seemed weary and bored of the interaction already.

"Yes," he said, handing the envelope and box to her. "Just these. No money, no car, no house. Just this."

"Oh. Okay." She didn't really need or want any of those things. Her uncle had given her plenty. Valkyrie was just curious that she had been left only a box. She had hoped that maybe he would have given her something sentimental, to remember him by. Maybe a tie, or even the Bentley. She couldn't really think of anyone else these things would go to except for Ghastly. That would make sense, and she was okay with that.

"The only instructions Mr. Pleasant left you is to open this box in private. The letter is a brief farewell."

"Okay." Valkyrie didn't really know how to react. A letter and a box? Maybe there were keys to the Bentley in the box, or maybe-

"That's it," Mr. Brooks said impatiently. He stood up and led her to the door. She stepped out of the room and the door was shut loudly. Slowly making her way down the stairs, she started her car.

She looked at the box. Valkyrie knew she should wait until she was at the mansion to open it. Reluctantly, she set it in her cup holder and began the drive home.

When she arrived, her dog Xena greeted her. She sat down on the couch and checked her phone. Numerous voicemails and texts from Ghastly and Tanith checking in on her. She ignored all of them.

The box was plain, with only a simple flower design on it. She decided to read the letter first. It read;

Dear Valkyrie,

I'm so, so sorry I must leave you, but it can't be helped. My time just ran out. It's not anyone's fault, simply the magic. I've known for a while that it would happen, so I made sure to make good memories with you.

Valkyrie smiled as she remembered the various trips he had taken her on. He had made sure she saw the world. Skulduggery himself had seen much over his four-hundred years "alive", and he wanted to make sure she saw the sights she could.

I'll miss you, just as I hope you miss me.

More than you know, she thought.

Stay in Ireland, the sanctuary will need you now that I'm gone, and your parents and sister miss you. I won't be there to help you like before, but you'll still have Ghastly, Tanith, and China. They'll help you.

Valkyrie was shaking without realizing it. Even with the reassurance of her other friends, she felt so, so alone.

In the box is something that will help. Use it only in emergencies. I mean it. It will only be triggered when you really need it, trust me. Until then, it will remain unlocked and cannot be broken open. Don't waste your time trying.

He knew her better than that. She would do everything in her power to open the damn thing.

You need to move on, from Darquesse, Devestation Day, everything. You can't fix it from agonizing over what you could have done. You can learn from your mistakes, and do better. That's what I had to do. It's the only thing people like us can do.

People like us, she thought.

But enough with all of that, I have a happier message for you.

You are smart, intelligent, confident, powerful, and beautiful. I will miss you. Please keep in touch with your parents, and don't go away again. The world needs the Valkyrie Cain I knew.

Until the end,

Skulduggery Pleasant

P.S.

Be brave.

Valkyrie didn't know she was crying until a teardrop fell onto the paper. Hurriedly, she wiped her eyes and smoothed the paper out. She would definitely keep this paper safe, the box too. They were what she had of him, while the rest would just have to stay in her memories.

—

Three years later

She was running.

Tanith Lowe was behind her, and Ghastly Bespoke was in the lead. Valkyrie could hear the vampires behind her.

"Faster!" Tanith shouted. "They're gaining!"

Valkyrie relayed the message.

"How the hell do we-" Ghastly stopped in his tracks, causing both Valkyrie and Tanith to stumble into him.

"Fuck," they swore in unison.

Standing in front of the trio was the lead vampire, fully changed. Its pale white skin glistened with slime, while its teeth were nearly a foot long and dripping with venom. This was the new strain of vampire virus they were supposed to destroy. They could change at will and were only vulnerable when they were in their human form.

This was very, very bad.

The trio took one glance at each other, and the message was clear:

Scatter.

They went three separate directions. This new strain was not very smart in its changed form, and was much more primal.

As Valkyrie sprinted away, she felt the box thump in her pocket. She touched it through the thick fabric as she ran; it calmed her. It reminded her of her duty and helped her focus. Would this be the emergency that could trigger it? Despite having three years, she had yet to find a way to open it.

Her feet thudded down endless dark corridors. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to scatter. The underground facility was like a growing maze and had been abandoned before being completed. No one had a map or knew how to navigate it.

She slowed down to a light jog. Checking ahead and behind her, she saw no vampires. Valkyrie pulled out her phone and saw no reception. No way to contact anybody.

She decided to turn around and retrace her steps. Ten minutes later, she was sure she had passed the same corner three times. Valkyrie leaned against the wall. She didn't know what to do. Wait? Keep going in circles?

All was silent for a couple minutes.

And then she heard the growling.

Instantly she was alert. On her feet, she did a full 360 turn. Nothing in sight. She held her stick out and got ready to kick the next thing that moved.

Silence.

Her heart beat rapidly, and thumped in her chest. Valkyrie was terrified. No one would hear her screams, her friends could be dead, she couldn't leave the maze, and the vampires were after her.

Another growl.

She gripped her stick tighter. She held it so tight her knuckles turned white. Would this be it? She was terrified. She didn't move for the next few minutes of silence. Valkyrie only moved to look down at the box in her pocket.

It had started to vibrate, and she could feel the lid twisting itself off. Holding her stick in her arm, she dumped the contents out. Valkyrie wasn't sure if she should be terrified that the box was actually opening or glad that the box was finally opening.

All that came from the box was a pearly, white stone a little smaller than her fist. It rose up from a tiny pedestal, and was connected to the box.

Hesitantly, she touched. It started to glow, illuminating the space.

On the bright side, she couldn't see any vampires. Unfortunately, they could've been anywhere. She looked up, just in case, and was relieved to find the ceiling also empty.

Her attention turned back to the stone. It looked like a ginormous pearl, just a little bit smaller than her fist.

Valkyrie tapped it.

The stone shone so bright for a few moments she had to squint, but it soon faded to low luminance.

In the spot where the light had shown was a skeleton in a suit.

Skulduggery Pleasant.

Valkyrie nearly dropped the box with the precious stone. She started backing away until her foot touched the wall. Her heart was racing.

"N-no. You- You're dead. You're gone, you're-"

"An echo," he interrupted. Skulduggery's tone was filled with melancholy, and his head was tilted sadly to the side. "The box had an echo stone in it, that's what you're seeing now. I'm just an echo. The real me is gone." The velvety voice was perfect; exactly as she remembered it.

Valkyrie didn't respond. Her own mind was racing, trying to fill the gaps and make sense of things. He looked so real. How could he be an echo?

"I'm just an echo," he repeated. "That's all that's left."

She was still silent.

"If you're seeing me, then this must be an emergency, and I'm here to help you. Unless," he mused, "You were clever enough to get it open on your own. In that case, I must reprimand you for disobeying my direct orders."

She hesitantly reached her fingers to touch him. Valkyrie almost started crying when her fingers went through him like he was air. A tear slowly ran down her face. She had completely forgotten about the vampires.

"Valkyrie," Skulduggery said; gently, but firmly. "What's going on? What's the danger."

"I-" She cleared her throat. "Vampires. The three of us, Tanith and Ghastly, we were being chased through this maze place," She said. "We split up. It's a new strain- extra dangerous, not that smart when changed but can change at will. They go purely on instinct, and even that predatoristic part doesn't go away when they are human. That's the only time they're vulnerable."

"I see," he said.

Skulduggery was silent. He seemed to be considering the situation.

"Skulduggery?" asked Valkyrie. "Have you seen anything like this?"

"No," he said slowly, "But I have heard of different, more dangerous strains of vampires."

"So what do we do? Salt water doesn't work."

Skulduggery nodded. "You find Tanith and Ghastly. Get out of here and regroup, and then do more research. Come back with a better solution. Repeat until it works."

Valkyrie tilted her head. This made sense, but only in theory.

"Okay, but how do I get out? I don't exactly have a map, and I've been wandering around in circles."

"You didn't mark your path?" He asked, amusement in his tone.

"No," she said sharply. "I was a tad busy escaping from the vampires."

"Alright!" Skulduggery said, putting his hands up. "No need to get defensive."

"But how do I get out?" She asked again. "I heard vampire growling noises just a-"

"Look out!" He shouted. Valkyrie barely had enough time to dive out of the way of the vampire.

She came up from her roll to see the vampire crouched in front of her. It let out a feral snarl as it swiped at her. She stumbled backward to avoid its long claws.

Barring her stick, she stepped backward slowly.

"Skulduggery?" She called. Valkyrie's arms shook as she looked for the skeleton. The vampire only continued to advance.

"You better not have left me again," she muttered as she crouched down to shove the box back into her pocket.

First things first, she thought. Find Tanith and Ghastly. The Vampire must have come from somewhere, so maybe if she got it to retreat she could follow it back. It was either that or hope it left a trail she could follow after she killed it.

Easier said than done.

"Come and get it!" Valkyrie taunted, twirling her stick. "Nice and tasty blood. C'mere!" She took a step forward, and nearly fell as she stumbled backward.

The vampire lunged forward, and almost clawed her face off. She jabbed forward hard with her shock stick. It connected with a satisfying thud to the creature's shiny head.

It began to retreat a bit, not seeming quite as eager to fight.

"That's right," she said, taking a few more steps forward. The vampire mirrored her in reverse. "This hurts."

She rushed forward quickly and hit the vampire again. Hard.

Collapsing, the thing flopped to the floor with a loud thwack!

Valkyrie held her breath as it struggled to get up. Taking a step forward, she nudged it with her stick. It fell limp, and a bad smell rose up from it.

Plugging her nose, Valkyrie hit one last time to make sure it was really dead. The sound it made pulled on her heartstrings, but it was a lot easier to forget about that when you looked at the fangs on the thing.

Satisfied that it was dead, she began her search for markings on the walls.

Valkyrie tugged out the box. It was sealed. Just like it had been originally. Skulduggery's letter had specifically said it only opened in emergencies, maybe that's how it was triggered.

"Dammit, Skulduggery," she muttered as she resumed her search. The lump in her pocket reminded her of her responsibilities. Find Tanith and Ghastly, get out, research more, come back and fight until you get them. Seemed simple enough.

Looking up, she saw scratch marks on the ceiling. Using her phone as a light, she followed the path etched into the stone. In her right hand, Valkyrie held her weapon, ready to hit the next thing that moved. Her feet echoed softly in the tunnels, and it was nearly impossible to move silently without the tiniest sound being broadcasted.

Up ahead, she heard footsteps similar to hers. Valkyrie's pace quickened. It didn't sound like a vampire.

Rounding the corner was Tanith Lowe.