Ah, so in this chapter we get our first look at the Nether. It will not be what you might be expecting *wink*.

"Hey," Kenny asked at the lunch table. "Have you guys seen Brooke or Lucy at all?"

It was going on the third day since they had last seen or heard of the two girls. Lucy was known to disappear at times, but only for a day at most. Brooke, on the other hand, would usually at least respond to phone calls or texts, but he had yet to get a response from her. And when he went to check on her yesterday, no one appeared to be home. Even Sniper was absent, despite usually being found in the backyard during daylight hours.

"No," Darren replied. "They're not at school today."

"Obviously," he sighed.

"Do you think she's sick or hurt?" Kyle asked. "I mean, she DID turn into a monster hundreds of times her size and went on a rampage."

"Yeah," Stan added. "Then that car hit her leg. Maybe she's just staying home because her leg hurts?"

"No," Kenny said. "If that was it, then she'd still respond to messages. I went to her house yesterday, too, and nobody was there."

"That's not THAT weird, but…"

"Didn't Lucy mention something about seeing the Head of the Council?" Darren asked Kenny. "How long do you think that would take?"

"Not three days!"

"Hm, yeah…

At the end of school that day, the four of them met up at the bus stop together. They were huddled around Darren as he used his phone to try and call Brooke a few times. Each time, the phone would ring once then a voice would say 'Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please check the number, or try your call again.'

"Weird," Darren tilted his head. "Does it do that when you call Lucy?" He looked over at Kyle quizzically.

He winced. "I don't have her number!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really?" Stan asked.

"Well, I…I never asked, okay?!"

Darren rolled his eyes then had an idea. "Hey! I don't know if he'll come for us, but I saw Brooke AND Lucy do this before…" He stepped away from them and shouted out towards the street, "PIXIE!"

A few seconds passed before a familiar puff of sparks and fire appeared before them then dispersed to leave behind a small yellow and green creature. "Hello!" He sang and bowed to them.

"It worked!" Stan pointed. Even Darren was amazed.

"Yes," Pixie straightened himself. "Normally, I only respond to the Princess, Spike, or Lucy."

"So, why'd you respond to Darren?"

"Well…" he blushed. "I was rather bored, you see. Paperwork can be rather dull… Anyways! How can I be of assistance?"

Kenny was the one who answered. "We haven't heard from Brooke or Lucy since Brooke freaked out and smashed the town, and we can't find them. Do you know where they are?"

"Oh, yes indeed!" Pixie smiled.

"What? Where?!"

"Why, they're in the Nether, of course!"

"The Nether?" Darren echoed.

Pixie nodded. "Yes. You see, after her visit with the Head of Council, the Princess decided to return home. Naturally, being the royal advisor, Lucy followed as well."

"She went back?!" Kenny jumped. "Forever?"

"Well…"

"Can you take us there?" He didn't give the little dragon time to answer the last question.

"Er, well, no…not all four of you, no."

"But you've poofed us all together before," Kyle said.

"That is true, but, you see, I…I'm not very good with long distances. If I try to take more than one extra person with me between realms, then…eh, someone might lose a limb…or more."

"Well," Kyle said, "there's gotta be another way, right?"

"Hmm," Pixie tapped a claw to his snout in thought. "Ah! Yes! We can take the Skeleton Train! Also known as the Nether Express."

"Where's that at?" Darren asked.

Pixie summoned a whistle in his hand. It resembled a tiny spinal column with a little skull on the end. He brought the tail-end of the whistle to his mouth and blew. The jaw of the little skull opened and a shrill, high-pitched whistle, almost like a tiny scream, sounded from it. He took the whistle away from his mouth and it vanished. "Wherever you need it, so long as you have a Ticket Whistle."

Moments passed, then the ground around them began to rumble. The children glanced around nervously, trying to locate the source of the tremors. Suddenly, not far down the street, a strange rift ripped open. They leaned out to get a look at it, but Pixie quickly pulled them all back. Just in time, too, because as they stepped back, they heard the chugging sound of a classic train growing louder and louder before a loud train horn sounded and the train burst from the rift into the world.

The children shouted and fell backwards as the huge locomotive suddenly burst through the rift then came to a screeching halt in front of them, steam hissing around it. Pixie was the only one not surprised, in fact, he appeared rather excited.

The train was ebony black and very shiny, with deep blue trimming and dark purple cars trailing behind it. The front was designed like a giant skull, with two lights for eyes and the teeth acting as the cowcatcher, and the chimney on top resembled a large top hat.

The cab door opened and a tall skeleton wearing a conductor's outfit and hat leaned out to look at them through hollow eye sockets. "All aboard the Skeleton Train! Hahaha!"

"Um," Kyle hesitated. "Is this…safe?"

"Safe?" the skeleton cocked his head, his bottom jaw swinging a little. "Sure it is! As long as you remain inside the cars at all times while the train is moving. If you fall out into the void then we can't go getcha! Haha! Seriously though, don't try to exit the train while it's moving."

"Uhhhh…"

"Come along!" Pixie said and poofed over to the first car's steps. The door slid open and he hopped inside.

The four boys exchanged looks with each other then followed after the Pygmy Dragon. The car was designed like a typical steam locomotive's interior. There was a runway down the middle and on either side were rows of cushioned seats that faced each other in groups of fours. At the back end was a door that led to the next car. In the seats sat monsters and creatures of all manners. From skeletons, to banshees, to ghosts and spirit balls, to bizarre animals with glowing eyes, and even some people who appeared to be human but were likely some kind of monster in disguise. In the back corner, there was even a large werewolf in its beast form sitting with one leg folded across the other and reading through a newspaper.

None of the creatures seemed to pay any mind to the four humans that had just boarded, and Pixie led them over to a group of four seats that were empty. He hopped on to Kenny's lap after the boy had chosen a seat by the runway. "I'm quite excited," Pixie smiled. "I never need to use the train, so I've never been on it."

"Why does the Nether have a train?" Darren asked.

"Not all monsters can poof or teleport," Pixie told him. "And some just like the ride. Besides, the train is quick and easy, and it goes straight to the front of the town. Er, by that I mean, the capital of the Nether. The town in front of the castle. It's called Gateway. The train also makes stops at the other districts of the Nether, stopping at their capitals to pick up or drop off people."

"Attention all passengers…" a voice spoke from an intercom in the corner. "Please, brace yourselves as the train prepares to move once again. Feel free to walk around as you please AFTER the starting jerk. Thank you. Next stop: Nether Capital, Gateway."

"What does he mean, brace ourselves?" Stan asked.

The train jerked forward a bit, steam releasing from its sides like breath, then suddenly shot forward with such speed that Stan and Kyle were almost knocked forward out of their seats while Darren and Kenny slammed backwards into their own seats. The scenery outside the window changed suddenly as well, from South Park's snow-covered mountains and evergreens to a multicolored blur, then suddenly a landscape of shady hills surrounded by mountains. Darren looked out the window; they appeared to be traveling along the side of a mountain with a rocky wall on one side and a sheer cliff on the other.

The train had now reached a steady pace, and Stan and Kyle righted themselves in their seats. "Jesus Christ," Stan said. "They could give someone whiplash!"

Pixie hopped over to Darren's lap to look out the window. "Ooh, how exciting!" He pointed at the scenery and turned to look at them. "These are known as the Brute Hills. It's a massive hilly landscape that is the native home of a species of wild creatures we refer to as 'Brutes'."

"What the heck are Brutes?" Kenny asked.

"They are like moles. But bigger. Very strong animals, but lacking in the intelligence department."

"This is the Nether?" Kyle peered through the window. "I thought it'd be more like…I don't know, Hell?"

"Hell is a separate realm," Pixie told him. "Not in the Nether's jurisdiction. Though, there ARE many different biomes and landscapes across the Nether. We do have a district of lava and fire, though, it may not be the best idea for humans to visit that location. Human flesh is…not fireproof."

"Damn right it ain't," Kenny said.

Darren looked over at him oddly.

Pixie looked back out the window. "Brute Hills consists of a few mountains as well, as you can see. Just north of Brute Hills is Gateway and the castle. Behind the castle, further north, is the Kraken's Lake, and behind that is the Field of Dreams. We should arrive in Gateway in about…mm, fifteen minutes."

"Kraken?" Stan echoed.

"Field of Dreams?" Kyle repeated.

Pixie nodded. "Then, past the Field of Dreams, is the Forest of Lost Souls. Also known as Purgatory. Not to be confused with the Woods of No Return, which is to the east of the castle. Only werewolves and the Princess can navigate those woods without getting lost in the fog forever. It is also the native home to unicorns."

"Unicorns?" Darren said. "At first, it felt like we were going to Halloween Town or something, but now I feel like we just entered a storybook. This is great!"

"Well," Pixie smiled, "all legends and fables have a source, yes?"

A skeleton wearing a long black and white dress came down the aisle pushing a cart full of sweets and sandwiches. She stopped the cart beside them. "Snacks, anyone? Tea?"

"Uh, we don't have any money with us," Stan told her.

She tilted her head. "Money? Oh, dear, no! This is complementary!"

"Free?!" Kenny said then started pointing at things he wanted. "Hell yeah! I want those, and that, and whatever that thing is!"

"Attention all passengers… Please take your seats and brace yourselves for the train to stop."

This time, the boys sat back against their seats, tensing themselves in an attempt not to fall again. The train screeched and suddenly halted.

"We have now arrived at Nether Capital, Gateway. Please remember to take all of your belongings with you upon exiting the train. We will depart in exactly seven minutes to our next destination: Sky District Capital, Ascension."

Pixie flapped his wings and flew out through the now open door. The boys hurried after him, Kenny shoving sweets in his parka as he ran. They stepped off the train to find themselves in a town that was more like a city due to its size, and had the appearance and feel of a medieval town fused with a more modern one.

There were no vehicles; instead, people just walked or, if they had wings, flew. Some teleported and poofed in and out of existence. The area they were in was bustling with activity and appeared to be a shopping district with a variety of shops and items. The center was open, with cobblestone paths and a large white marble fountain that stood directly in the middle. There was a big statue of a Wechuge atop the fountain, but it looked a bit different from the one Brooke had turned into.

This one was thicker with more muscles, whereas Brooke was muscular in the limbs with a broad chest but thin in the stomach and waist. The feathers of the statue Wechuge were also longer and neat, and the end of the tail's feathers made a large fan shape, where Brooke did not have this and her feathers had been shorter and wild. The antlers were also more impressive, broader, and with many more prongs. The statue was poised in almost a sitting position, its tail wrapping around the fountain so that the fanned part reached the ground below, the wings half open, and its head raised in a roar.

Pixie noticed them staring up at the statue. "Oh, that is a statue of the late Queen."

"Brooke's real mom?" Darren asked.

"Yes." He looked up at the statue and sighed. He looked sad but whimsical at the same time, as if reliving a bittersweet memory. "Her name was Sol. S-O-L. Like the sun. The statue is white, but Sol herself had feathers of magnificent hues of orange and gold and red. Truly a sight to behold. Oh, and if you thought the Princess was big, her mother was so big that she could only enter the castle in her human form!"

"Holy shit!" Stan said.

"Speaking of the castle," Darren pointed.

Even from where they were, they could easily see the massive white and gold castle in the distance.

"Wha- It's HUGE!" Stan shouted.

"Indeed," Pixie smiled.

"What's that big black thing on top?" Kyle covered his eyes to block the sunlight and squinted.

"Oh, that's the gatekeeper, Dante. He's the first dragon that the Queen created."

Darren started jogging in place, super excited now at the prospect of meeting a giant dragon in real life. "Let's gooooo!"

"Everyone," Pixie spread his wings, "to me, please."

They reached out and touched the little creature, and, in the blink of an eye, suddenly found themselves standing on a massive drawbridge over a moat of lava that wrapped around the incredibly ginormous castle that was now towering over them. They almost fell backwards trying to get a good look up at the castle. The huge dragon atop the entrance lowered its head to them. It was so big it made them look like mice being compared to a lion. It snorted, knocking them back a little from the force then lifted its head back up and returned to its nap.

Darren squealed excitedly.

"Oh. My. God." Kyle was frozen with fear.

"Hey! Hey, you!" An unfamiliar voice called from somewhere below.

They went over to the edge of the bridge and looked down. In the lava below were many skeletal crocodiles that were staring up at them excitedly. "Yeah, you guys!" One of them smiled.

"Why don'tcha come down for a swim?" Another called.

"Yeah!" a third added. "Come on! Hey!"

"What?!" Stan shouted. "We can't swim in lava. We'll die!"

The many crocodiles laughed.

"Ignore them, please," Pixie said. "Before we enter the castle, I should warn you. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, agree to anything that involves your life or soul in the deal! In fact, do not agree to ANY deals with the servants or residents."

"They're gonna try and get our souls?!" Kyle flinched.

"You must understand," Pixie told him. "Souls are everything here. Wealth and even sources of endless energy. They don't mean any real harm, but…just be aware. Come along now."

They followed him across the bridge and up to a massive set of doors that opened on their own just enough to allow them through. The inside of the castle was just as impressive as the outside. Mainly white with marble, and gold trimmings along baseboards, doorways, and golden chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling and wall-mounted candelabras whose flames would come and go as they pleased and were different colors.

Darren pointed at the flames. "I'm seeing souls again."

"That is normal here," Pixie informed them. "You will all see them."

For such a huge space with the highest ceiling they'd ever seen, the castle was lit up completely somehow. They appeared to be in some kind of grand hallway with white columns lined up along either side and a wide red carpet in the center of the floor that lead all the far way to the other end of the hall where a massive golden, red-cushioned throne was located. There were several other hallway entranceways located along both sides of the hall, from which different monsters would move in and out of.

"Man," Darren stared. "Forget Hogwarts, this is AWESOME!"

"Heyyy!"

"Heyyyyyyyyy!"

Charles and Lamar suddenly burst from the ground, startling the children.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kyle was still secretly afraid that they might try to take his soul.

"Ha!" Lamar laughed. "We live here!"

"Yeah!" Charles said. "What are YOU guys doing here?"

"I brought them here," Pixie said. "They wished to see the Princess and or Lucy."

"What?" Lamar looked at him. "Didn't ya hear? The Princess said that if the human boys came looking, NOT to take them to her."

"Oh? I was not aware…"

"What?" Kenny said. "Why not?!"

The two banshees shrugged and Charles said, "Dunno. But she didn't say that we had to stop you guys from looking for her on your own. So, have at it!"

"Ha! Good luck with that! This castle is the most massive castle EVER! Even WE get lost sometimes."

"Haha, yeah! And we've lived here for like…uh…wait, how old are we?"

Lamar looked at him. "Eh…ah who cares? We're immortal!"

"Yeah!"

Another banshee popped up beside them.

"JESUS FUCK!" Darren jumped.

This one had pink eyes and a female voice. "Hey!" she seemed aggressive. "What are humans doing here?"

"Pixie brought them!" Charles told her.

Lamar nodded. "They're friends with the Princess."

"Not good enough friends if she doesn't want 'em around! Get outta here!"

The two male banshees rolled their eyes.

"Now, now, Cassidy," Pixie soothed. "I'm sure the Princess wouldn't mind them here." He turned back to the kids. "I'm going to go locate either the Princess or Lucy," he told them. "We'll get this sorted out. In the meantime, feel free to explore the castle. Don't worry about getting lost, we'll find you, or you can always call for me. Remember what I told you outside. Oh! And if you end up in a twisty hallway with holes all over the ceiling and walls, do NOT make eye contact with the giant snake!"

"Giant snake?!" Stan cringed.

Pixie disappeared, leaving them with the three banshees.

"So…" Darren bounced on his heels. "What now?"

"Whatever you want!" Lamar smiled. "You can try to find the Princess. Or not. Either way, you'll be exploring!"

"Come on guys," Kenny said to the banshees. "Just tell me where Brooke is."

They stubbornly snapped their jaws shut and shook their heads. "No way!" Charles said. "Princess said 'No'!"

The female banshee, Cassidy, snapped her jaws at Kenny. He managed to jump back as her teeth came very close to his side. "You're that rat child with Cthulhu's curse!"

Darren snorted at the insult, but quickly covered his mouth when Kenny shot him a glare.

"Bah!" she shook herself like a dog. "Not only are you human, but you're cursed. AND you're poorer than dirt!"

"How do you know any of that?!" He snapped.

"Oh, we all know about you!" Charles smiled.

"Yeah," Lamar added. "Remember? The Nether handles souls and death and all that good stuff. And YOU die all the time! Ah," he sighed whimsically. "An endless source of souls from just ONE soul. Cthulhu's got it good."

"Yeah," Charles snickered. "Except he got locked away in a tiny dung-hole dimension by a kid hahaha!"

"Yeah, not to mention that that curse is banned, too. Cheater."

"What are they talking about?" Stan asked Kyle, who shrugged in response.

Cassidy was pleased with Kenny's angry reactions and continued to antagonize him. "Heh, poorer than dirt and living with wild RATS. In a junkyard, no less. Do you have fleas, too?"

"I don't have fleas! …a-anymore."

She laughed loudly. "HA! Pathetic! You don't even deserve to be NEAR the Princess, much less friends with her! You have nothing, and you ARE nothing!"

"Shit, man," Darren mumbled.

Charles and Lamar were leaning away from Cassidy, looking frightened and concerned. "Eh…" Lamar said. "We'll…uh, we should…"

"I'm getting the fuck outta here!" Charles said then vanished. Lamar quickly followed.

The others couldn't see Kenny's reaction from where they were standing, but he was silent and clearly tense. "What's your problem?" Stan said angrily to Cassidy.

"Yeah," Kyle added. "Leave him alone!"

She pulled the rest of her body from the ground and stood up, towering over them. She leaned forward, claws out, mouth open, and long tail lashing as a strange sound started picking up from her.

"CASSIDY!"

The banshee jumped and quickly looked over her shoulder. Lucy was approaching angrily. Cassidy gasped and vanished.

"You unruly little -!" Lucy stopped and sighed. She regained her composure and turned to face the boys. "I'm SO terribly sorry for anything she might have done or said. Banshees can be troublesome, and female banshees are…the bane of my existence. Ahem, Pixie informed me of your presence."

"Lucy!" Kyle ran over to her, stopped himself, then awkwardly shifted his feet. "Er, uh, h-how are you?"

"I am fine." She smiled at him then turned to Kenny, noticing that he was silently looking at the floor. "You've come to talk with Brooke, yes?"

He looked up at her. He went to speak, and for a moment he hesitated. "Um. Why doesn't she want to see m- us?"

Lucy let out another sigh. "The Princess…is not upset with any of you, if that's your concern. She's upset with herself."

"What do you mean?" Stan asked.

"Well, she's quite upset with herself over that outburst she had. Mainly because she could have harmed, or even killed you all." She glanced at Kenny. "Or worse. She's supposed to avoid the Kingdom because of the Nightmares, but she refuses to return to the mortal realm."

"Can you take us to her?" Kyle asked.

She looked away. "Eh, well…no. She gave orders not to."

"Are you going to stop us from looking on our own?" Kenny asked.

She shifted uncomfortably. "…No. I…think it would be a good thing actually…if you talked with her." She seemed to be talking specifically to him, but wouldn't actually look up at him.

"Can you at least follow us," Stan asked her, "just so we don't end up getting murdered or eaten?"

"Certainly."

The boys looked around the hall, trying to decide which way to go first. They settled on a hallway to the left that led to more hallways. It was almost like a maze. The whole while, Lucy was looking very uncomfortable, as if she desperately wanted to say something, but she kept quiet and only followed them from behind.

Before they knew it, they ended up in a long hallway that curved and twisted. There were huge dark holes on the ceiling and walls and they no longer saw any servants wandering around. There were also no doors in the hallway and they couldn't see the end.

"What is up with this hallway?" Darren asked.

"Guys," Stan moved himself in the middle of them all. "Pixie said something about this hall and a giant snake."

"Ah, yes," Lucy said. "This is the Hall of the Basilisk."

"What is that?!"

Darren rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Haven't you seen Harry Potter? It's a giant snake, duh."

Stan started shaking.

"Basilisk can refer to a number of creatures," Lucy said. "But yes, he is, in fact, a giant snake with a soul-piercing glare. In other words, do NOT look at his eyes. You WILL die."

"WHAT?!"

A loud hissing sound echoed from the walls, and Stan yelped and covered his eyes with his hands. They heard the sound of something huge and scaly slithering behind them, hissing as it flicked it tongue in and out to taste their scents. They saw a thick, grayish-green body wrapping around them and quickly all shot their gazes downward.

"Greetingssss, Royal Advisor…" a smooth voice hissed in their ears.

"Hello, Sir," Lucy curtsied. Even she was not looking up at the beast.

"What brings you here? Have you brought me a ssssnack?"

"Forgive me, but no. These boys are friends to the Princess. As well as myself. I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed you for nothing. We were only passing through."

"Hmm…I sssee… How…disappointinggg."

"I'll be sure to have the servants bring you something to satisfy your appetite."

"Mm, dooo… I would be…ever sssooo grateful. Hmm?"

Curious at his reaction, she looked up just a tad to see Kenny collapse on the ground, a swarm of rats running out from nowhere to devour his corpse. "Oh dear," she sighed.

The Basilisk laughed loudly, greatly amused now that he realized who the child was. "Sssuch a foolish, daring boy! I like…" He smoothly pulled himself back into one of the holes, his long body and tail trailing after him.

"Oh my god!" Stan uncovered his eyes after hearing the serpent leave. "He killed Kenny!"

"You bastard!" Kyle shouted, then quickly covered his mouth, fearing that the snake would take offense and return. "Uh…let's keep going."

Lucy stood there, tapping her foot rapidly, then finally huffed. "You're going the wrong way!"

They looked back at her. "What?"

She gasped and covered her mouth. After a moment, she slowly lowered her hands. "You – You're going in the wrong direction."

"Oh, god damnit!" Darren said.

.

"Hey! Hey, kid!" A skeletal crocodile called from the lava below. "Jump in! Hahaha!"

Kenny flipped his middle finger at them then entered the castle. He hurried through the entrance hallway, stopping halfway to decide on a direction, then entered a hall to the right. The hall he chose was filled with glowering balls of flame that bounced around and chased each other like children playing tag. One of the souls flew over to him and circled around him as if looking him over.

"Do you know where the Princess's room is?" Kenny asked.

The soul bounced excitedly and started nudging him forward from behind. He was surprised to find that the soul was solid. After a moment, the pale purple soul zipped around in front of him and started gliding down the hallway. He chased after it, keeping his eyes locked on it so as not to mistake another for it.

Finally, they reached the end of the hall where it split off in two directions. The soul paused a moment to wait for him, then darted down the left hallway. This hall was lined with many doors. Most of them looked the same, but there was a set of double doors at the far end that was very grand, not only in size but decoration as well. They were carved so that both doors displayed skeletal dragons rearing up towards each other and pressing their hands together. The doorframe and handles were gold.

The soul stopped before the doors, nuzzling Kenny's chest before suddenly darting away back where they had come. He looked up at the huge doors. Would she really just be in her room? What Lucy said made it sound like Brooke was depressed, so maybe she really was just hiding away in her room. He took in a deep breath and reached out to touch one of the doors and push it open. It was surprisingly light, but it may have been opening on its own, too.

The inside of the room was dark and round, and there was one large window, more like a glass door, that led to a balcony outside. Curtains were draped over it though, blocking most of the sunlight, so the only other source of light was what appeared to be some kind of lamp that resembled the moon, with a similar soft white glow, and was propped up on a black carving of an ocean wave and sitting atop a regal-looking bedside table. The bed was large and tall, and it had a canopy with long, thin laced curtains. He could make out the silhouette of someone behind them.

"What are you doing here?"

He felt his heart flutter at the familiar voice and went over to the bed. He hesitated, then carefully pushed aside part of the curtain and climbed up onto the large bed. Brooke was laying with her head propped up with thick fancy pillows and peering at him over the book she was holding. The light from the lamp lit up only the area beside her. He swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous.

She sighed and closed the book, placing it on the bed, beside her. She gestured to the space on her other side. "Come here."

He quickly crawled over and laid down beside her. The bed was very large, but somehow, he ended up right up against her. He flinched in surprise when she reached over and pulled his hood down.

"That's better," she said. "Now, what do you want?"

"Um…I was wondering…if you were going to come back?"

"I doubt it."

His stomach lurched. "So, you're staying here?"

"I can't," she replied.

"Oh…so…why can't you come back to South Park?"

"It's not that I can't. I don't want to."

He was tense. "Why?"

She sighed. "I don't know how to explain it… I shouldn't have let myself get so attached to you – you guys…"

"Well, what's wrong with that?"

"Because, when things like my outbursts happen, it makes it more…difficult. I could've KILLED them! I DID kill YOU. And there's a chance that I could destroy your soul, you know. So you wouldn't come back. In fact, you wouldn't exist!"

"But…you didn't."

She looked at him. "That's not the point."

"I know…" He turned over and hugged her tightly. "But you ARE attached, right? So, don't leave…"

She tensed, her face feeling hot as she felt him bury his face in her neck.

"Maybe…maybe if it happens again, before you actually turn, I can stop you?"

"How are you going to do that?" she scoffed.

"I dunno…I'll think of something."

She huffed, holding back tears, then turned and hugged him, too.

.

"Just take us there already!" Darren said.

They had gone through several more hallways and encountered many more dangerous and frightening monsters with Lucy telling them that they were heading in the wrong direction before they had had enough. The three boys had now resorted to begging and pleading for the girl to just show them the way.

Lucy was trying not to look at them. She closed her eyes tightly, then finally gave in, and sighed defeatedly. "All right! All right. Follow me…"

.

"This is the door to Brooke's room?" Darren stared up at the carved double doors.

"I'm pretty sure we've been down this hallway," Kyle glanced around. "How did we miss this?"

Lucy sighed and pushed open the door. "I'm sorry, Princess, I couldn't – Oh!" She was surprised to find Brooke sitting up at the edge of the bed with Kenny beside her. "Oh, I'm sorry," she felt flustered all of a sudden. "I – I should have knocked."

"Kenny?" Stan pushed around her. "How'd you get here first?"

"I asked a soul for help," he replied.

"Lucy," Brooke said suddenly.

She stiffened, still recovering from her mistake. "Y-Yes?"

"About going back to South Park…what do you want?"

"W-Well, I think that it would be best if-"

"No," she stopped her. "I'm asking what you WANT."

"Well I…I want what's best for you."

"I know. But for this moment, I want to know, what YOU want. Not as my servant. As my friend, no, my family."

"I…" she seemed lost and amazed. She shot a very brief look at Kyle. "I…I think it would be best…for both of us, to return to South Park."

Brooke eyed her for a moment then hopped down from her bed. "Good, because I was starting to think that, too."

"O-Oh! Yes, very good! Um, I'll have Spike make the arrangements right away."

"Thank you."

"Y-Yes, of course!"

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Darren smiled.

Brooke watched them leave her room then glanced down as Kenny grabbed her hand. "You'll think of something?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah. I promise."

To be continued…

A bit of cuteness at the end there. The Skeleton Train/Nether Express is totally, absolutely, gonna admit right now, a combined reference to the Polar Express, the Hogwarts Express, and the Knight Bus. Lol

Did you know, the real folkloric creature called a Basilisk is actually NOT a snake? Well, it depends on the culture, but the original Basilisks are a mythical species of reptilian creatures with wings and a big cockerel (rooster) head.