*SPLASH*

It is entirely pitch black underwater. The only source of light came from the moonlit surface, which produced faint specks of light from above. Maya kicked, attempting to propel herself upward. Upon doing so, she noticed that the current was much stronger and faster than she was. The Fey clan weren't known for being the strongest of swimmers, so Maya kicked harder and faster in an attempt to fight it.

By some stroke of luck, Maya managed to resurface. Instantly, she began to cough up the water that had built up in her lungs as she gasped for air. In an attempt to collect herself, she took in a few calming breaths, her shoulders rose and her jaws clenched. After a few seconds, she released, exhaling slowly and heavily. As this was going on, Maya was constantly kicking with her chin tilted upwards.

Once her thoughts were less muddled, Maya started trying to figure out what happened. The last thing she remembered was falling through a plank on Dusky Bridge. Her memory of actually escaping through the bridge though was fuzzy. Maya wracked her brain, but all she could recall was the crackling noises of the red flames surrounding her and piercing screams.

A sickening feeling lurched in Maya's stomach. What if Iris was following her? She looked over her shoulder to check, but she was only able to see white foam. This news did little to comfort her however as even though the nun wasn't following her, the current was swift and strong. Maya knew if she wasn't careful, she'd be swept downstream.

She decided to examine her surroundings. Maya looked to her left and right, and even behind her again for good measure, but found little of note. The only thing in sight besides water were the partially illuminated walls of the cliffs that surrounded the river. Maya's face blanched with horror.

*SPLASH*

That dreadful feeling swelled in the pit of Maya's stomach again. One last time, she looked behind her but despite her best efforts, couldn't make out what exactly had fallen into the river. Maya's mouth grew dry and her mind raced with possibilities.

What if Iris followed her, planning to pursue her into the river below where she would proceed to finish her off? Maya shook her head, trying to relieve herself of such a horrific thought. She watched the water with bated breath, her muscles tensed and her teeth clenched together in fear.

Then, Maya saw something peculiar in the eater. What appeared to be a head of spiky, jet black hair bobbled in the water next to her. Maya gasped in shock.

No…it couldn't be… Maya thought. Soon afterwards, the head attached to the hair emerged. Maya's eyes widened in recognition as she watched her best friend hack up water. Her mind brimmed with questions, but they would have to go unanswered for now.

Maya's next move was to start searching for one of his hands underneath the water. After a small amount of searching, one of her fingers brushed up against what seemed to be one of Nick's. From there, she was able to find the palm with ease, and the other fingers subsequently followed suit. Maya interlocked her fingers with his, clasping his hand in hers. She took a brief glance at Nick's face. His eyes were bleary, clearly on the verge of unconsciousness, and his gaze was unfocused. In spite of their current situation, the presence of her friend brought Maya comfort.

"Nick! Maya!" A voice called from the darkness. Maya instantly recognized who the speaker was, it was Larry. His voice seemed to come from above, however she was unable to spot him.

"Nick! Maya! Over here!" Larry called again. The artist suddenly came into view, standing atop the cliffs. He was gazing at them, eyes wide and filled with horror, and his arms waving about frantically in a desperate attempt to capture their attention.

"L-Larry…" Maya said weakly. Upon hearing her voice, his shoulders heaved as he let out a huge sigh of relief. He ran down to a short dock near the water. There, he knelt down and outstretched one of his arms in preparation to retrieve them.

Maya looked ahead of her and could faintly make out the shape of a rock in the distance. This gave her an idea: she could let go of Nick's hand; let Larry rescue him; and, in the meantime, hold on to the rock.

Maya waited until the rock was almost right in front of them to let go of Nick. She proceeded to wrap her arms around it, clinging tightly. On her left, Maya watched as Nick was swept by the current.

Much like she'd expected, Larry wasted no time in helping their friend. Once Nick was in front of the dock, he grabbed him below the shoulders and started hoisting him up, grunting as he battled against the river. Slowly, he pulled him out of the water, shifting back to give Nick more room.

As Maya watched this, she felt fatigue start to set in. The events of the night had worn her out: being nearly murdered, running for her life, and now this . She widened her eyes and blinked repeatedly, struggling with her growing sleepiness.

Just a little more… Maya reminded herself. With weary eyes, she looked back at the men and noticed that Larry had returned to his original position, Nick supposedly resting behind him.

"Maya!" he yelled, "Nick's safe! You need to give me your hand!" Carefully, Maya looked to her left and out of the corner of her eye, saw a rock adjacent to the dock. Maya decided to see if she could reach it so she chose to let go, letting herself get briefly swept by the current.

Once the other rock was in her line of vision, she wrapped one arm around the rock, then the other. She attempted to pull herself closer to the rock. Her hands shook and once more she began to nod off. Her hands were shaking, and once more, she started nodding off. She shook her head, her teeth gritted together in determination; slowly she managed to pull herself closer to the rock.

Maya now found herself in a familiar position. With caution, she placed one hand on the side of the dock. Once she was certain that her grip was firm, she slowly gave her other hand to Larry. He took it, and with his free hand on her arm, began pulling her towards him.

Once she was close enough, Maya took her hand off the dock and allowed him to hoist her up. Larry moved one hand to her shoulders and when her torso was completely out of the water, he shifted backwards before gently laying her down on the dock. Larry stood back, and grunted as he lifted her body, carrying her in his arms.

He gently placed her on the plush white snow next to Nick, where her vision blurred and her breathing relaxed. The last thing she saw before fatigue overcame her was Larry reaching into his pockets.


Laurice knew he had to be quick. With haste, he reached into his pockets and pulled out his small, yellow flip phone. He opened it up and dialed the number, holding it against his ear.

"Hello, this is Japanifornia Emergency Services. What's your emergency?" The operator greeted robotically.

"H-Hello? My name is Hazakura Temple and I'm at Laurice Deauxnim!" Laurice spluttered, his eyes shifting back and forth nervously.

"Sir, slow down, you're speaking too fast. Now, repeat what you just said." The operator said. Laurice swallowed and took a deep breath. His eyes were squeezed together tightly as he spoke.

"My name's Laurice Deauxnim. I'm at Hazakura Temple, and there's two people with me that are unconscious! Please, you gotta hurry! " Laurice screamed into the phone.

Then, there was silence. A long, unbearable stretch of silence. As time passed, Laurice's heart was pounding out of his chest, his throat tightened, and his hands were clammy due to the sweat. He was about to ask what was taking so long when the operator's voice abruptly returned.

"Alright, sir. We'll send someone there right away. In the meantime, please try to remain calm." The operator said. Laurice opened his mouth in protest, but they hung up before he could reply.

"Remain calm…?! Remain calm…?! " Laurice repeated under his breath as he paced back and forth, his voice rising in anger. How could anyone stay calm? Nick and Maya were nearly dead, and lil' Pearl was missing. In Laurice's eyes, it was enough to send any sane man over the edge .

Still, in all his anger, Laurice felt a pang of guilt sweep over him.

He should've done more to stop Nick from running across the bridge.

He should've crossed it to assist Maya in his friend's place.

If that had happened, Nick would be fine, and perhaps even Maya too. If Laurice had fallen in, no one would have cared; a fact that unfortunately, he was all too well aware of.

"How could I be so stupid?!" Laurice beat himself up. He gazed at his unconscious friends, an uncharacteristically solemn expression on his face. They looked so peaceful lying out there in the snow. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought they were just napping. With a heavy sigh, Laurice placed his phone back in his pocket and sat in between them, looking up at the sky as he waited.

Laurice's pondering was abruptly cut short by the blaring of sirens. He saw two men approach him, carrying a stretcher. Laurice quickly stood up, and watched as they put Nick on the stretcher before carrying him off. A short while later, they came back to retrieve Maya. Laurice looked on, even after they were long gone.

He stood there for an eternity, until all of a sudden, he recalled something remembered. It had to do with what Nick told him earlier, something that disturbed the artist. Like before, he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed another number. He held it up to his ear, waiting anxiously as it rang.


"Where the hell is she?!" Dahlia bellowed, her voice filled with fury. She had her . She had Mia Fey's bratty little sister right where she wanted her. It couldn't have taken more than a few seconds for her to retrieve a weapon from her robes, but when she looked up, the girl had mysteriously vanished.

Dahlia growled in frustration. Even in death , Mia Fey was still taunting her; only allowing her to taste a mere morsel of revenge before just as quickly snatching it from her.

Dahlia immediately ran in search of Maya Fey. She refused to let her escape as it was her one chance to get revenge on that horrible woman . As a result, she scoured for her with great fervency, looking for even the faintest bobble of her topknot.

Much to her chagrin however, the snot-nosed brat was nowhere to be found. She huffed in anger and folded her arms, her eyes glaring daggers at the snow as if it did something to personally offended her. Dahlia stood there, sulking for a few minutes until an idea suddenly popped into her head.

What if she's hiding in the Garden nearby? Dahlia chuckled in pure delight. Oh, the thought was harmonious music to her ears. She reached into her robe and pulled out a dagger, the corners of her lips upturning as she turned it over in her hand. Dahlia had found it in the storeroom, conveniently lying out in the open. She twirled the dagger around, holding it by her side as she crept towards the entrance; the cane she had used earlier was held in her other hand

Much to Dahlia's delight, there was enough moonlight for her to illuminate what appeared to be the top of the stone lantern. She walked slowly through the snow, combing the Garden thoroughly to spot where Maya Fey might be hiding. Her ears were open, listening for even the slightest movement through the snow. She must have circled the Garden about five or six times before she came to the infuriating realization that Maya Fey was once again, nowhere to be found.

"Dammit!" Dahlia swore out of frustration. In a fit of rage, she tossed the wooden cane off to the side. Dahlia cursed herself internally for having wasted precious time and possibly letting that brat escape her wrath. She walked back the way she came, her face contorted with rage.

"Going somewhere?" A disembodied voice taunted. Dahlia stopped in her tracks and looked around, but couldn't see anything besides the plush blanket of white snow and her footprints. The voice sounded irritatingly familiar to Dahlia, however she was unable to place who it belonged to.

Before she could move, arms wrapped around her and she was restrained. Out of shock, she'd dropped the dagger and it plopped as it fell on the snow, lying just barely out of her reach. Behind her, she could feel the fabric of a shirt, and she could hear the steady, shuddered breaths of her captor. Dahlia squirmed in their grasp, trying desperately to escape. She tried everything from attempting to pull their arms away from her, kicking their legs, and even biting. This, however, only resulted in their grasp getting tighter.

"Let me go!" Dahlia shrieked. Her captor responded with a low chuckle.

"I don't think so, little miss. You see, the two of us have some unfinished business to settle." The voice said coolly. Dahlia's brow raised in confusion. Was this person a past victim of hers? A friend or family member seeking revenge, possibly? Whoever it was, the only clue to their identity was three bright red lights projected onto the snow.

"Who the hell are you?" Dahlia barked. They let out another low chuckle, this one more mocking in tone. All of a sudden, she was released from their grasp; but before she could fully process what was going on, she was hit on the back of her head.

She turned around, and was almost blinded when she came face to face with the red lights. Dahlia stepped back from her assailant, and she felt her foot hit something.

* CLINK*

Dahlia looked down and saw her dagger lying near her left foot. She retrieved it in just barely enough time to see something come at her; the wooden cane she'd abandoned earlier. Dahlia swung her dagger towards the cane to parry the blow.

The two stood there in a stalemate for what felt like an eternity. There was no talking, nor even the slightest movement from either of them. Instead, there was only the faint sound of shuddered breaths due to the cold. The only sign that time was passing at all was the slow, gentle falling of snow on the ground.

Dahlia gazed at her assailant, a scowl on her face. She didn't know who they were, but if they wanted to get in the way of her taking the life of Maya Fey, they needed to die. Her thoughts turned to the red lights; if she could just find a way to get rid of them, her assailant would be put at a serious disadvantage. A devious smirk crept its way onto her face at the idea.

Her assailant seemed to have some sort of idea of what she was planning, as their next move was to withdraw the cane before swinging it at her arm. This time the blow connected, causing Dahlia to lose her grip on the dagger. She barely managed to catch it before it landed on the snow, and kept a tighter grasp than she had before.

Dahlia swung at the red lights, striking something metallic. To her disappointment, nothing happened. This provoked her attacker into swinging the cane at her head. Dahlia leaned to the right, just barely dodging the attack. Then, Dahlia lunged at her assailant, swinging the dagger at the three red lights again.

*CLANG*

*THUD*

She grinned in delight as the three red lights disappeared. Dahlia slashed at where they used to be and heard a loud, masculine scream. Something about it felt strangely familiar to Dahlia. The image of a cup of coffee spilling all over a table filled her vision. Dahlia was unable to ponder too long, as her attacker swung at her again causing her to quickly move to the side.

This blow was only the beginning of an onslaught of attacks which were much; each dealt with more vigor and more swiftly than the last. Her assailant swung at her, swiped at her, and attempted to hit her with the back of the cane. Worse yet, it had become much harder to anticipate her foe's attacks due to her limited field of vision. Dahlia's neck was growing tired from how much dodging she had to do. At one point, Dahlia was able to make out what seemed to be a beige vest with buttons lined up horizontally. Presuming it to be her attacker's clothes, she raised her arm, with the intention of slashing them across the chest.

She was about to plunge the dagger into their chest when the cane struck the back of her head. Dahlia was stunned; before she had a chance to recover, a second blow soon followed. Her eyes rolled into her head and she fell on her back.

"Mia Fey… I hope you rot in Hell! " Dahlia cursed under her breath. Darkness stretched out all around her, her vision was fuzzy and she felt lightheaded. Dahlia's teeth were gritted together in anger. Internally, she cursed Mia Fey for all she'd done to her: for making her face death; for dying before she could get revenge; and for refusing to let her kill Maya Fey.

In her last moments of consciousness, Dahlia's thoughts were of Maya Fey, that foolish kid who had mysteriously vanished.

Perhaps, she was in on this ambush? Dahlia was quick to dismiss the idea. She could remember the look in that girl's eyes when she'd attacked. They were filled with a certain terror that would've been difficult to fake, Dahlia was certain of that.

And with that, Dahlia Hawthorne's vision soon became pitch black, and she departed from this world.