"What I found in this town,
I'm heading for a breakdown…
What's that sound, you're so loud,
I'm heading for a breakdown…"

-Breaking Benjamin

It was well after ten when Davina awoke the next morning, feeling oddly energized for having just roused from sleep. Following her morning routine and armed with a cup of coffee, she returned to her desk, intent on completing the sketch she had begun the night before. But before she could even reach for her sketchbook, the sudden desire to write hit her with impressive force. Such an impulse hadn't occurred in quite some time, and she was eager to make the attempt, hoping that she had not gotten overly rusty in her time away from the craft.

She considered opening her laptop, but instead, reached for a spiral notebook and pen, reclaiming her position at her desk and taking a long sip of her beverage. Several ideas came to mind, but one stuck out above all else—the urge to write her own excerpt inspired by her favorite story from Greek mythology, the infamous tale of Hades and Persephone. Her direction decided upon, Davina put pen to paper, surprised at the ease in which the words came.

'With a heavy sigh of defeat, he held his hand out to her, a ripe pomegranate presented upon the curve of his palm.

"Take this in farewell," he offered quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "In reminder that all things that dwell beneath the ground aren't cold and without color…"

She immediately shook her head in protest, her light hair flittering like tiny wisps of smoke over the curves of her pale shoulders. Her mother had often cautioned her against accepting gifts from strangers, and her words of warning echoed loudly within the expanse of her mind at this seemingly innocent gesture. Her lips parted to offer opposition, but the words died just as they had formed, falling short of her tongue.

With a firm single glance of those icy grey orbs, all thoughts of objection were rendered useless in that instant. She pitied him, this lone being whose days and nights were spent among the dead. Despite the uncouth manner of their initial meeting, she could feel the weight of his loneliness, sympathy welling strong within her heart. She had never been subjected to such cruel solitude, and couldn't image the weight of this overwhelming sense of isolation.

Left with no choice, she hesitantly accepted his offer of precious fruit, its thick skin cool against her warm palms as she took it into her hands. She looked up at him for a long moment, uncertain of his reasoning behind such a warm gesture, an act of kindness she never would have anticipated from the Lord of the Underworld. Her mother would undoubtedly call her naïve for daring to empathize with his position, but she simply couldn't help herself.

His eyes trailed slowly over her delicate face, as if he were recalling every last feature into the depths of his memory. His gift accepted, he turned his back on her and began to walk away, his feet carrying him through fields of asphodel. She watched him go, an odd longing springing up within the confines of her heart, if only for a brief moment. She forced it away, summoning thoughts of her dear mother in its place. She could hardly wait to see her again, to feel the blissful warmth of the sun upon her face.

The ferryman stepped aside to allow her to board, his back to her as he claimed his place at the helm. She perched upon the lone seat offered by the boat and sighed softly, her gaze falling upon the fruit held carefully in her lap. As the ferry drifted onward down the seemingly endless river serving as a link between the worlds of living and dead, she contemplated how good it would taste. After all, it had been quite a while since she had last eaten, and she was famished.

The girl could see no wrong in it, and promptly peeled away at the fruit's crimson skin, eagerly reaching for the bittersweet seeds contained in the juicy flesh hidden beneath. Digging them free with her fingernails, she rose a trio of the seeds to her mouth and ate them hungrily, their juices, a hue similar to that of blood, drenching the lengths of her pale digits. Their taste was tart at first, and then saccharine, rolling about the expanse of her tongue like an exotic elixir before she swallowed them down. So satisfying they were that she quickly repeated her previous action, consuming four more of the delectable kernels. Only once it was too late, she heard his voice call out to her from a distance, his words wrapped in a tone of glee.

"You accepted my gift; when a pomegranate is shared between lovers, it is said to bind their souls together for an eternity," he announced, his words echoing powerfully over the distance that separated them. "Once you have partaken of the food of the Underworld, you must always remain."

The torn fruit she held in her juice stained hands then turned to ashes, quickly falling through the spaces created by her slender fingers. A sob caught in her throat, raw and painful, emitted from her lips in the form of a choked whimper. She knew that he spoke the truth, for there existed no reason for him to lie.

"Return to me, my goddess," he called from afar, his tone victorious. "Bring your light into my plains of mourning and death, be my queen here in my kingdom of wandering souls. Be my Elysian Fields, oh daughter of the earth, and I will love you like no other…"'

It had taken her the better part of an hour to pen the fairly short passage, and although she felt that it could be better, Davina wasn't disappointed with the initial result. Perhaps, with a little bit of tweaking, it could even serve as a submission for the literary magazine at her university. Since they were in demand of mixed media submissions, the idea to draw an image to accompany the passage was one that she was certainly interested in, but at a later time. Satisfied with her efforts, she paid a quick trip to the restroom to relieve herself, and then made herself a fresh cup of coffee, intent on completing her previous drawing.

Another hour ticked by as she finished her work, happily sighing as she put the last touches on her current piece. Content, she moved to flip the sketchbook closed, managing to miss the cover and instead landing on the page that bore the image of the strange, little blue creature she had encountered in Yureihana Park several weeks prior. Seeing this particular picture immediately sent an uninvited shudder racing down the length of her spine, her good mood suddenly fleeing as the memories of the odd interaction welled quickly to the surface. It brought to mind thoughts of her grandmother's diary, of which she had long been avoiding picking up to read out of fear of what she might learn from within its weathered pages.

Although she was hesitant, Davina knew that she could not avoid the task forever—she had put it off long enough as it was. There did exist within her a tiny whisper that sought to discourage her from pursuing her intentions, fearing that she would learn things about her family she'd be better off not being privy to. There hadn't been any other incidents like the one in the park, thankfully, but curiosity effectively had killed the cat, so to speak.

Determined to see her plan through, Davina attempted to mentally prepare herself and withdrew the diary from its home within the bottom drawer of her dresser. There had to be answers hidden with, answers that would offer some sort of explanation to that odd encounter. Perhaps they were better kept secret, but Davina was already far too invested in her discovery to abandon her efforts now.

Claiming a spot in the middle of her couch, Davina cracked open the journal and dove in, picking up from the last entry she had read. Her eyes devoured the text, her heartbeat quickening as her stomach churned with apprehension. The more she read, the more overwhelmed she felt—the information present in her grandmother's writing read like a piece of fiction, mired in pure fantasy, speaking of apparitions and a realm hidden from mortals. There was no way any of this could be reality, and yet, her grandmother wrote of these things with ease, speaking of her life as if it were some flight of the imagination.

The homeland her grandmother wrote of sounded like something straight out of Tolkien lore, a chain of islands isolated in the middle of a black sea that bore rare crystals beneath. Eri hailed from an ancestral royal family of water apparitions, but was born blessed with an insane gift that elevated her to a rank of utmost importance. Davina couldn't comprehend the depths of what she was reading, her mind unable to fully process what the diary was revealing to her. She even backtracked and reread the content, attempting to understand how any of this could be true. Her anxiety had soared so high that she had failed to notice that she was nearly hyperventilating, her chest tight and heartbeat echoing painfully in her ears. Realizing that she was on the verge of a full blow panic attack, Davina closed the diary, unable to continue. It was just too much to take in—a searing headache had slammed into her forehead, causing her temples to pound irritatingly. She placed the journal down on the coffee table and fled the couch, venturing into the bathroom to wash her face. The cool water was soothing, but did little to quell the sick feeling that had flooded throughout her entire being.

She wanted to take some medicine to combat the headache, but knew it best to eat something prior to doing so, to avoid a future stomach ache. Despite the fact that she had no appetite, Davina headed into the kitchen, intent on making herself a quick sandwich. But she quickly realized that she had run out of bread upon a quick search of her stores, and cursed out loud. Leaving her apartment was the last thing she wanted to do in this moment, but in reality, it was a necessary venture. There were several items she needed to replenish, and she knew that she would regret waiting to make the trip at a later time. It was far later in the day than she had realized, having lost herself in her reading, and hence, lost track of time—it was nearly evening already.

Sighing in defeat, she made her way into her bedroom, dressing quickly, and then grabbed her purse before heading out. Thankfully, the grocery store was only a short walk away, and if she moved quickly, she could be there and back in all of twenty minutes. She took off in the direction of her destination, moving as swiftly as her legs could carry her.

. . .

Out of sight, hidden away within the cover of a trio of thick shrubs, the Aoiashi sat, just abreast of princess's meager domicile, watching as his superior's kin venture away from her home. In his tiny hand, he clutched a small piece of parchment, written by Adani herself. His instructions were to deliver the message directly to the child, but he felt as if he were unable to completely comply with these orders, given her reaction to him upon their first interaction. The stench of absolute terror had radiated forth from the girl during their encounter, and he didn't wish to scare her further. Although she was blood of his mistress, she had the mindset of a mortal—fragile and simple. He didn't want to cause her further stress by revealing his presence; humans were such delicate creatures, and their psyche left much to be desired. Still, she needed to be warned, regardless of the reaction such a thing would inspire.

When he had reported her sudden closeness from the evening prior with the strange hybrid being to his mistress, she had been understandably concerned, fearing for her relation's safety. They still knew little of this man beast, and the fact that he was often keeping the princess's company now made Adani incredibly uneasy. Of his own accord, the Aoiashi had made an effort to learn more about this odd creature, but had nearly been discovered in the process, which had prompted him to hastily retreat. He had kept that little detail from his superior, afraid that she would scold him for such a brazen action. Onward, he would only do as his mistress commanded, unwillingly to potentially cause compromise to any involved.

Once the coast was clear, the Aoiashi raced his way up the stairs, scanning the surrounding area to make certain there was no chance of being seen by curious eyes. Satisfied that he ran no risk of being spotted, he swiftly approached Davina's door, carefully lodging the note within the door frame, reaching as near to the door frame as he could manage, given his short stature. If for whatever reason she failed to see it, he would simply retrieve the correspondence and try again. His task complete, he returned to the cover of his previous hiding place, where he would remain until night fell. Under the cover of darkness, he would make his return to the lake within the park and reopen the tiny portal he utilized to travel between the worlds. His mistress was awaiting his return—he hoped time would be kind enough to pass by quickly.

. . .

Upon their return from the city, most of the remainder of Shuichi's day was spent helping his mother tidy up the house. Luckily, Kokoda returned home from his sleepover at his friend's house and offered to assist in their efforts, which helped quicken the workload significantly, At the conclusion of their housework, Shiori asked Shuichi to head to the nearby grocer to grab a few things she needed for the week. While her request came almost as an inconvenience given his plans to make the venture into the Demon Realm to visit with Hiei and the fact that it was already after sunset, he agreed to the errand, keeping his grievances silent. Wanting to complete the chore as quickly as possible, he set out for the store at a quick pace, nearing Davina's apartment shortly after departing his home.

Even on the sidewalk that sat opposite of her building, he could faintly sense her aura from within, and momentarily paused once he caught wind of it. Something was decidedly off—the atmosphere surrounding her was tainted with fear, so heavy he could practically taste it. Immediately, concern washed over him, and he was compelled to go to her, eager to make sure that she was okay. He wasn't certain how she would feel about him dropping in unannounced, but her confusion would be worth it to learn that she wasn't in danger of some kind. He quickly made his way over to her apartment, but halted his step just abreast of the stairwell, his nose catching the scent of something vague, but familiar—he recognized it almost instantly. It was the smell of whatever had been lurking within the confines of Yureihana Park, only this time, it was far more potent.

Whatever that aroma belonged to hadn't left too long ago—he traced the smell into the collective of shrubs that sat alongside the opposing side of the stairwell, pulling the foliage open to afford himself a closer look. There was no physical evidence to speak of, but the scent alone was enough to convince him that something had lingered there, and whatever it was had been far too close to Davina for comfort. His mind raced, a number of bad things forcing their way into his conscience. Whatever it was that had been lurking was small, of that much he was certain, but Shuichi needed to know more. As Youko, he had made more than his fair share of enemies, and there was little doubt in his mind that more than a handful of them were capable of holding a grudge for things long since forgotten. Odds are that the demon in question was merely a messenger, but it was who they were reporting to that had him on edge. The idea of placing Davina in harm's way inspired his stomach to churn painfully, his nerves twanging unpleasantly.

After taking a moment to collect himself, Shuichi decided on a course of action. Carefully, he plucked a single leaf from the closest shrub, and then raised his thumb to his mouth, biting down hard enough to draw blood. He withdrew the appendage and fixed it with a hard squeeze to bring more of his life essence to the surface, and then focused, sending particles of his energy forth to infuse with the ichor. Once the makeshift ink was prepared, he drew a crude symbol upon the leaf, the liquid instantly drying as it came into contact with the smooth surface. His puncture thumb was already healed by the time he knelt down to bury the leaf in the dirt, in the midst of the unnamed apparition's hiding space, pausing to wipe away the remains upon the leg of his pants.

It was a bold attempt to set a trap, should the demon in question return to this location. As the leaf had absorbed his blood into organic material, it would not exude any of his residual energy, and the presence of the mineral rich earth would easily mask the aroma of the fluid used. If the being returned and set foot upon this spot, he would quickly be immobilized—the energy contained within the leaf would emerge once stepped on, striking the creature with the force of a direct current, swiftly rendering it unconscious. If he was fortunate, he could capture the demon and question it to learn of its true intentions. If it refused to cooperate, he would make it reveal its plans, by any means necessary.

Satisfied with his plot, Shuichi returned his attention to Davina, quickly racing up the stairs and knocking on her door. When she failed to answer, he called out to her, hoping to catch her attention by announcing his presence. Much to his relief, the door swung open, revealing his companion, who looked worse for wear. Her eyes were puffy and red, as if she had been crying. The urge to comfort her was overwhelming, but he maintained his distance, not wanting to push his presence upon her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, feigning surprise at her questionable disposition.

. . .

Davina's trip to the store took longer than anticipated due to the presence of the late Sunday afternoon crowd—apparently, everyone on the block was in need of something, and they had all convened at the same time to acquire it. The crowd of people only worsened her feelings of trepidation, making her feel that much more desperate to be done with her shopping and return to the quiet safety of her apartment. She sighed loudly in relief upon her exit from the grocer, happy to be free of the small space and presence of strangers. Quickly, she made her way back to her building, eager to ignore the outside world for the remainder of her day.

But when she pulled open the door, a strange piece of paper fluttered to the ground, immediately catching her eye. She almost ignored the folded scrap, her mind consumed with a multitude of other things in that moment. Shifting her bag onto her other hip, she slowly bent down to snatch up the paper, immediately noticing that it was more than just a piece of stray litter as she had first thought. Davina made her way inside, pulled the door closed behind her. She placed her shopping bag on the counter, turning her attention onto the scrap she had collected. Hesitantly, she pulled it open, revealing a message written in a neat, uniform hand.

'Tread carefully, little one. You never know who is a wolf in the wares of sheep.'

No name followed this cynical text, but rather a symbol, one that she now recognized, thanks to having read her late grandmother's diary. It was the sigil of the Kurosuna Family, mirroring that of the symbol sketched into the front inside cover of Eri's musings.

Davina dropped the paper as if scalded, a loud cry escaping her as her entire body went cold. She literally felt as if she were going to throw up right there, although there was nothing solid in her stomach. A dry heave tore forth from her throat, and she could feel a sudden wave of dizziness set in. Needing to sit down but certain she wouldn't make it over to the couch, Davina plopped down into one of the dining chairs, trying to calm down.

"What the fuck is going on?!" she whispered furiously, hardly recognizing her own voice. In light of this message, there was no denying that someone out there was keeping an eye on her, although she had no idea of whom or what the hell they wanted. That realization in itself was absolutely terrifying—her anxiety hit a new high, and she was suddenly short of breath, her chest feeling as if it were on fire.

For a brief second, she contemplated calling her mother and demanding answers, but feared that if she confessed all the strange things that had been happening, her mother would react in one of two equally awful ways—one, she would insist that Davina was being overly imaginative and overreacting, that she was possibly dabbling in drugs or the like, and they were fueling her delusions, or two, she would insist that the stress of living on her own in a faraway place was too much for her to deal with and force her to return home. Neither of those options worked for her, especially now that she had gotten used to her new situation and was starting to forge a real life for herself here in Kaiden—one she wasn't willing to abandon.

At a loss of what to do, Davina felt trapped. Involuntary tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but she fought them back, not wanting to give into her fear and dissolve into a pathetic ball of sorrow. She reached for her phone, impulsively deciding to call her dad. Perhaps she was holding onto some forlorn hope that he would somehow have answers, as unlikely as that scenario would be. But she knew there would be comfort in his voice, and if that was all she could glean from a quick phone call, she would happily take it.

Only after the first two rings did the existence of the drastic time difference pop into her mind, and she quickly ended the call, not wanting to risk waking her dad when he was most certainly asleep. It was just past six in the evening, which meant that it was merely three in the morning in Denver—there was no chance of him answering, considering that he slept like the dead. There was no doubt that he would be quick to return her call upon discovering he had missed her, but that did little to help her now. Selina wasn't an option for that very same reason—this realization that she was truly alone in this situation was the final straw, and she gave into the tears, unable to restrain them any longer. She sobbed into the crook of her arm, the disgusting sensation of utter helplessness flooding over her in an overwhelming wave.

Eventually, the tears ceased, leaving Davina feeling as if she had been absolutely drained. On wobbly legs, she left the kitchen, heading into the bathroom to splash cold water onto her face. She refused to look at her reflection in the mirror, not wanting to witness the torment that lived there. She returned to the kitchen, forcing herself to put away the items she had purchased from the grocer, trying to regain some semblance of calm.

A sudden knock on the door startled her, causing her to gasp aloud at the sound. Almost as if by instinct, she reached for the biggest knife in the block, wanting some kind of weapon in hand just in case. She hadn't been expecting anyone, and in her current mental state, she was on edge, paranoia tearing at her nerves with its razor sharp claws.

"Davina, its Shuichi," a familiar voice called from beyond the door, and she felt some of the tension in her spine lessen. Almost immediately, she felt embarrassed, sliding the knife back into its home in the block. For a second, she considered ignoring his call, hoping that he would believe her to not be home. But she also didn't want to leave him hanging—what if whoever was following her turned their attention to him as well? He could be in danger because of her, and that was absolutely the last thing she wanted.

As much as she didn't want him to see her in her current state, Davina headed towards the door, pulling it open and locking eyes with her unanticipated guest. His eyes widened at the sight of her, his lips immediately pulled into a thin, tight line of concern.

"Is everything okay?" he questioned instantly, his tone heavy with worry.

Guilt hit her with the force of a truck, causing her to take a short, ragged breath.

"N-no, it isn't," she replied, her voice uneven and harsh. "But I can't…can't really tell you what's going on, because you'll probably think I'm batshit crazy." The words escaped her before she could even consider them, and she internally kicked herself for mouthing such a blatant statement.

"Try me," he responded firmly, his eyes serious. Sighing heavily, she gestured for him to enter her apartment, then led him into the living room. She climbed onto the couch, and he joined her, quirking a quizzical brow in her direction.

Tense silence fell over the room and held steady as she racked her brain for options. There was so much at risk if she told him the entire truth of what had been occurring—hell, he might even completely cut all ties with her over it, unable to comprehend the insanity of which she had been unwillingly harboring. But if his association with her had unknowingly placed him in the path of danger, he needed to be made aware.

"I…I don't even know where to start," she admitted quietly, feeling herself deflate against the couch. "And I understand how insane this all may sound, but I have to try." She took a deep breath, deciding to start at the most logical place—her first interaction with the alien looking creature. She braced herself for the inevitable disappointment and the dismissal that would occur once she had concluded her story. The pain in her chest was just short of unbearable, and she could feel the tears threatening to fill her eyes yet again.

'Please…please don't leave…'

. . .

Author's Note: Things are taking a more serious turn now, but rest assured, there's still plenty to come. I have the next two chapters completed, save for a final edit, and things are still flowing. I'm trying to stick to a posting schedule, in order to maintain a sense of consistency, so new chapters will be posted between Friday and Sunday in the future. This week was a hard one, to be honest—my new job is far more taxing, both mentally and physically, then I originally anticipated, but once I get past the initial stress of getting acclimated, I believe I'll adjust. I did manage to write during the little bit of down time I did have, and thankfully, I'm off the next two days, so I hope to continue with making progress. Thank you so much to those who left reviews, and to everyone who took the time to read/favorite/follow. You guys are amazing, and I appreciate each and every one of you. Stay safe out there!