Chapter 2
In the realm of Hel
The ground was ashes, the walls pale stone with a shattered glass dome that opened up to a smoky sky riddled with darkness. A throne stood in the centre of the room, sliver pillars grounded on each side and a black crown placed on the tip of the dead seat. Hela smiled as she looked through a small black screen of smoke seeing guards still searching. It had been four years since she had kidnapped the child, Esme. Hela glanced around the cold room and spotted the little girl, her smooth black-brown hair motionless on her shoulders, wandering around. A fiery red stone burned in the centre of the room, not much larger than a pebble. The stone floated above a small pedestal. Cracks wrapped around the stone like glowing lava lakes and flames licked the sides of the stone as they escaped through the cervices of the marvel. The young girl slowly walked over to it with hesitation, glancing at Hela who was absorbed into her thoughts, malefic green eyes prying into the smoke. Esme put her hand out over the glowing stone.
'NO!' Hela barked from her throne, half of her face turning ashen and skeletal in rage. Suddenly, a force dragged Esme's hand over the stone and it collapsed into her palm. A scarlet bolt burned through her flesh as her eyes momentarily flickered to crimson before turning back to their emerald green. Esme screamed as the burning sensation continued, fire particles danced around her as the stone consumed it-self inside of Esme. The stone dropped out of the flaming girl's palm and rattled on the ground as no other than a normal pebble.
'What have you done CHILD!' roared Hela as she grabbed the terrified Esme's hands and dragged her down a frozen stairwell to the prisons of Hel. A tingle of fire ignited in Esme's palm burning Hela's wrist. Hela yelped in pain. 'Wretched child!' she said as she threw Esme into a stone chamber and shut the skeletal bars. Hela turned around and looked at her wrist. A sickening bone-white showed through her pale skin.
Like an obsession, Hela walked back up the spiral staircase to return to the screen. Something she saw wiped the grin of her face. They were approaching her realm.
