Killian's Inferno

Chapter Fourteen

Rumpelstiltskin left his enemy behind within the Hollow of Fears, as Hades had come to call it, and then appeared before the God once again as he was in the middle of an new soul's judgement. When the Lord of the Underworld finished granting the young woman passage into the Elysian Fields, he stepped down from his throne, guzzled back a goblet of ale, then threw the chalice across the room and walked over to stand before his friend, who had also managed to escape his own eternal damnation when the Dark One's son brought him back from the dead.

Hades was the first to speak up saying, "You know, there have been more and more souls I've condemned to suffer for eternity because humans are becoming more and more malicious and stupid. However, every once in awhile a good one comes to me. I'll admit, I hate it, but then again, everything needs to balance out somehow, doesn't it?"

The Dark One shrugged as he replied, "I suppose not. I came by to let you know, I found your escapee. It appears Merlin was the one who tried to help Hook, by taking him to your little cave of people's beautiful fears. I read the pirate's mind."

"And what is it that you learned?" Hades asked impatiently.

"I learned, that that sorcerer foolishly believed he could bring him there to help him build up his strength, by reminding him of the good he had done before he died, what it is that Hook had prevented," Rumple responded and then smiled, excited about what he was about to say next. "But you see, I planted false memories into Hook's mind, a memory that could explain why it was he was really seeing the town and the people he loved so much destroyed, by his own hand. Of course, he was skeptical of the things I showed him, but it wasn't long after that he lost consciousness. When he awakens again, with a little push from you, he could truly believe he is the very monster that I am."

After thinking for a moment, Hades answered, "Before he comes to, I want you to bring him here to me. I'd like to get in on your fun. On second thought, I'll have someone else collect him instead. Exactly, how is it that you were able to find your enemy so quickly when my minions couldn't."

As he suddenly made Hook's left hand reappear within his own hand, Rumpelstiltskin replied, "Before I left my shop, I gathered a few personal items to bring with me, easily concealed from prying eyes; a very old souvenir and the very reason he wears a hook, or at least… did. I cast a very simple locating spell on the hand I stole from him centuries ago to help me find the pirate. It didn't take a whole lot of effort for me to find him. Unfortunately for you, Miss. Swan also has her own trinket to help her in her quest as well and is guided by her love for him. Unless we can actually find a way to defeat the Savior and the rest of the heroes, it is only a matter of time before they find him."

"Don't worry," the God smiled and responded smugly. "I've got some of my own friends out there preparing to wreak havoc on them, which even if it doesn't kill them, it will slow them down for us so that we can continue having our fun. Truthfully, I really do hope that this Savior does find him eventually. That will be when I make an appearance and then attempt to strike the deal of the century. I can't wait to meet her."

"Well then," the Dark One answered as he smiled again. "I am glad to be of service. I hope my efforts have been enough for a free passage home?"

The God of the Underworld patted the evil man's shoulder as he stated, "Don't you worry about that, Rumpelstiltskin. An opportunity for your freedom will present itself and when it does, I promise you that I won't try to stop you, although I will certainly miss you. Although, it isn't like I won't ever see you again one day? I mean, do you really believe someone won't kill you eventually?"

Rumple turned to leave Hades to his business, walking away as he called back, "Perhaps, but that won't be for a very, very long time yet."

Meanwhile…

After Cora disappeared, and the heroes felt it safe enough to try to get some more rest once Regina reinforced her protection spell around them, even Emma managed to fall asleep out of pure exhaustion. As the Dark One, she rarely slept, nor did she need to. And after the darkness was expelled from her body because she had paid the steepest of prices to destroy it as Merlin had warned her she would have to do, Emma couldn't sleep. She cried until she couldn't any longer, then spent the rest of her time lying still on the couch in the home Killian had picked out for the two of them while she stared up at the ceiling and replayed all of her mistakes since becoming the Dark One over and over in her mind.

It wasn't long after they all laid down to rest that Nimue appeared at the doorway of the cavern and smiled as she looked down upon them lying there without any idea of what was coming. The ghost of the first of the darkness' victims cautiously raised her hand to test the entrance and immediately pulled back upon getting shocked by the invisible barrier in place to prevent her from entering. However, the Queen's protection spell didn't matter for what Nimue had planned for them.

Five more also once claimed by the darkness joined Nimue and began to cast their own magic, summoning dark creatures living within the walls of these caves that have the ability to enter the heroes' minds to find their worst fears. Six pixies, unaffected by the light magic around them, surrounded those upon the ground and entered into their minds and within minutes, Emma, Henry, David, Mary Margaret, Regina, and Robin had fallen into a deep sleep as they began to dream what would soon become a never ending nightmare.

"Do you really suppose the dark pixies will have the power to destroy the one who escaped from us and has once again become these heroes' Savior, Dark One?" one of the others asked as she turned her head to look over at Nimue, who kept her eyes trained on Emma as the woman in love with the pirate tensed at the invasion of her mind. "The love they share is strong and she will not stop fighting to save him. She didn't give into the darkness. What match are pixies to her?"

"We must not fail," Nimue said coldly. "We will have our reckoning for Hook's betrayal when he banished us all back down here. And when we bring the Savior's body, as well as those of her family and their friends, before Hades and Hook sees she had come to try to save him and lost her life, it will break him once and for all."