Hi everyone! How are we all doing? Here comes the 13th chapter already! The story is far from being over, I'm barely half way through writing it and I'm working on the 24th chapter, so stick with me :)

Thanks to everyone who has been following this fiction so far, hope you will like it until the end!

I have been considering a few things, regarding the future of this story, and I think I will upload several endings. I don't know for sure, but since I want to leave you the choice, it's probably what I will do :D Don't hesitate to tell me what you think of that, if you'd like to see multiple endings. Also, how do you imagine this story to end?

Anyhow, I'll leave you to it! R&R, don't forget!

Yours truly, Circle of J.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Kid Icarus series. The deities mentioned are taken from Greek Mythology, remastered the way I imagine them. What I own, on the other hand, is the plot.

Kid Icarus: Heirs of the Light

Chapter 13: Lover's advice

"Why didn't you go ask Zeus for help?" Pit asked, looking at Dark Pit in the eyes while he was sitting on their usual bench. "Is it because you're too proud?"

"No, Pit—Alright, don't give me that look. Maybe partly, you're right. However, it's mainly because I feel up to fighting. You know I can't let you go," Dark Pit answered, then his eyes drifted to Magnus, who was feeding Phos and Lux.

The human had found carrots in the gardens of the palace, and decided that giving well-deserved food to the animals would help him calm down. Of course, he was very upset with the direction they had taken, he was pissed off that Dark Pit didn't head directly for Mount Olympus. But he just… he couldn't.

"I know you're up to something. What is it?" Pit inquired, squinting his gorgeous, glistening sapphire eyes.

"I have a plan to save you, and that is what I will stick to."

"I suppose I can't make you change your mind?"

"You guessed it."

"Well, I'm glad. Because when my Pittoo is determined, there's nothing helping it!" the light angel beamed, amused, then he let out a sweet giggle that melted Dark Pit's cold heart.

Dark Pit seriously couldn't think about going up to Mount Olympus and ask Zeus for help, considering he had been the one who had banished him in his own dimension and nearly cut off his wings with his bare hands. At the same time, he thought about doing it—of course he did, he didn't exactly wish to die. When he closed his eyes, he wondered if he had made the right choice, and Pit trying to push him to go wasn't helping his case. Mount Olympus was a place that he remembered fairly well and that he loathed more than anything. Even during the Days of Light in his dimension, he had always felt unwelcomed, always felt like he didn't belong there. Aphrodite had often told him it was wrong, since after all he too was a God who belonged in the Pantheon, but… He still hated the place. Now that it was dark, it was even worse…

The idea of seeing Mount Olympus as it used to be, if he went there in this dimension, sickened him; too many memories. Though, what did he have to lose? He had already lost Pit. Even if he was refused help from Zeus, at least he would've tried… right? No, not right, he didn't want to rely on another God. He could handle the situation on his own. So instead of begging for the God's help, he had made up a plan that could possibly save Pit from his prison of stone. For that, he needed to pay a visit to the Undies Besties though. To be fair, I'm not even scared, he told himself, raising an eyebrow. Losing Pit forever is a much more frightening thought. Convinced that it was the right choice, Dark Pit stretched his wings to make sure that they were not paralyzed and sighed in relief.

"How long before they stop working?" Pit asked him, worry in his blue eyes as he brushed his fingers against the highly sensitive dark teal feathers.

Dark Pit shivered at the touch, which felt way too real for comfort, and looked back at his twin. "Maybe ten hours. Enough to get things done."

"Make sure you make it back."

The dark angel nodded in determination. Even though the Power of Flight would soon wear off, he could hold his own for the time being. Since bringing Phos and Lux to the Underworld was a really, really terrible idea, he'd have to fly the human there. For a moment, he feared that Magnus may be too heavy, but left that thought aside. "Magnus, we must resume on our mission," he said aloud, catching the attention of the human he had called out. As soon as he talked to Magnus, Pit vanished into thin air. He had several questions to ask him… They'd have to wait once again. A pinch to the heart because of his twin's sudden absence, Dark Pit realized just how cold it was outside and his body started shaking. However, he chose not to focus on it and looked up at Magnus. "We can't just sit there and watch. Plus, I hate this bench."

"So you finally decided to listen to me and head towards Mount Olympus? About time," Magnus said, staring into the angel's red eyes, in all seriousness.

Dark Pit rolled eyes, about to snap, but successfully contained his rage within himself. He was starting to get a hold of his feelings, he had to say he felt pretty proud of himself for that. Well, they could still… explode sometimes, though that happened way less often than it used to! Though was it… such a good sign, that his personality was losing ground? Maybe not… The angel shook his head and groaned, focusing on the mission at hand. "We are actually going to the Underworld. I have unfinished business there."

Magnus blinked, surprised, and frowned. The Underworld, wasn't it the realm of the dead? Wasn't it where Medusa and Hades lived? Did he mean that they were off to fight Medusa? All so that he didn't have to rely on Zeus? The human sighed, annoyed, and eventually his hand trailed up to Lux's muzzle and he caressed it. The unicorn seemed happy with the affection it received, since it pushed against his hand. After a brief moment during which he collected his thoughts on the matter, Magnus stood on his feet, much to Dark Pit's delight since he was already standing and waiting. He scratched the back of his head, since he dreaded the idea of going to visit the realm of the dead, but… If Dark Pit felt up to taking down the Goddess of Darkness, that would end all of their problems in one snap. What could he say to deter him? "Then the Underworld it is. I'll bring my Violet Palm."

"Oh, you won't need it," Dark Pit said, which took the human by surprise. When he raised his head to look at the angel, confused, Dark Pit had crossed his arms and a little smirk had spread on his lips. "What, you thought we were off to fight Medusa?"

"Well, since you didn't care explaining…"

"No, we're going to find an artifact called a stabilizer," Dark Pit replied. There he was again, the entity Magnus would start to call 'Professor Gloom', since he had such a condescending, know-it-all attitude. "It's one of a kind, it has been created by the Gods. It only serves one purpose: it harvests and conducts the energy of whatever is placed in it."

Magnus blinked several times. What even? he wondered, before he asked the angel directly—since he felt in a smartass mood, he'd just love to explain what he had meant to his student, right? "I don't get it, what does this all mean, once put in plain English?"

The dark angel rolled eyes; he didn't know what he had expected. Obviously, none of this would make sense for a simple human like he was, for he wasn't used to those kinds of objects. Dark Pit was used to them, he worked with magical artifacts all day long, but for a newbie, it ought to be difficult to follow. Thus showing more patience than he would've with anyone else—besides Pit, Dark Pit raised an eyebrow at the human and clarified, making sure to pronounce every important word of the sentence as though he was talking to a child: "In simpler terms, it absorbs the energy of the thing in it and loops it, so that it never wears off. Better?"

Magnus nodded. "So essentially, it stabilizes."

"Now aren't you a genius!"

The human grinned. Oh, he didn't feel uncomfortable admitting he hadn't understood, this world of magical artifacts was all brand new to him. Speaking about magical artifacts, the necklace around his neck started to feel strange. Thinking about it, Magnus trailed his hand up to it and rubbed the stone with a weird sense of admiration; the same he had deciphered in Pit's eyes when he, himself, was wearing it back on the Overworld. Magnus couldn't tell why he felt that way, but it was… as if the stone was nibbling on his soul, on his very essence. Although, he didn't feel weaker, rather the opposite: he was growing in strength the more he wore it. Now he knew that he had to keep it if he wanted to roam around Angel Land, Viridi's Tree and the Underworld, but he sincerely wished he could take it off. He even believed that it burnt his skin… He didn't like this thing. Magnus had always had a bad feeling about this necklace. Maybe Medusa had managed to hack into it?

Dark Pit walked closer to the two unicorns, thus catching Magnus' attention, and rubbed their muzzles with something akin to sadness. "We'll be back soon, boys. Promise to be nice and watch over Pit?" he asked them, question to which the unicorns nodded. Right after they heard those words, as though they had perfectly understood them, they ran towards Pit's lifeless statue, guarding it. Dark Pit watched them from his position and he didn't seem to realize the smile that spread across his lips.

Magnus smirked at the view; the angel couldn't help his feelings, now could he? Why lie to himself? He cleared his throat. "Well, would you look at that bright smile!"

Dark Pit blinked, snapped out of his trance, seemed to notice that the human was looking at him and his expression quickly shifted back to his usual bored one. "What are you talking about?! I'm not smiling!" he attacked the human, embarrassed, his cheeks redder than his eyes.

"Come on now, don't be like that," Magnus said, still smirking though. He folded his arms against his chest, deeply amused by the obvious blush on the dark angel's cheeks. It was deep enough to cover his scars entirely. "Just then, you were looking at him and couldn't help b—"

"Shut up!" Dark Pit reacted, blushing even more. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Sure~, whatever you say."

Dark Pit groaned heavily, muttered something under his breath—probably curse words—and pulled Magnus by the arm. He briefly told him that they had no time to waste with 'meaningless details' and led him to the very edge of the floating island that they stood on. The human looked down and gulped; there was at least a few miles of free fall until they reached his homeland, and he really didn't want to jump. For some reason, he knew that, if he did, he'd die. How strange! The dark angel turned to him and stepped back, drawing closer to the end of the island and just about to fall. And, when Magnus least expected it, he did, extending his arms and stretching his dark green wings. The wind was beating his face, brushing through his raven hair, and was soon caught into the silky feathers, which allowed the angel to glide. He flapped his wings, approaching Magnus who had been standing next to the edge of the island, and raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously about to show of—"What'd you think of that, hm?"

The human sighed; he should've known he would. He wiped his face with his hand, already tired, then looked back at the dark angel. "I can't fly."

"Aw, really?" Dark Pit scoffed, then he turned around, his wings facing Magnus. The human sincerely couldn't tell if he was just taunting him, or if he wanted him to hop on his back—there was still a considerable gap between his position and the dark angel's. Did he expect him to jump over it and miraculously catch him? "So? What are you waiting for?"

Magnus didn't seem amused. "You're a little too far, angel."

Dark Pit pouted; he would've loved to see the human jumping off and attempting to grab onto him. Could he never have his fun? The dark angel growled, disappointed, but complied and moved back. "Is Thy Majesty satisfied?" he asked before groaning. Magnus smirked at his obedience and hopped on his back, holding for dear life on his shoulders. Dark Pit laughed, even though he admitted that it was rather painful, and dived right towards the Overworld—of course, at full speed.

Magnus couldn't help but scream in terror: the ground was drawing so close and he wasn't sure that the angel would be able to fly up in time. He could very well see his city, with the lake and the forest, and he closed his eyes. The wind that was beating his face soon stopped, and he felt as though they had stopped moving. He dared to open one eye, his heart pounding in his chest, and Dark Pit was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Indeed, they were floating in the air, just above ground, maybe a foot away from actually touching the grass of the forest. Was it their stop? How could this be their stop, that was not the Underworld! Confused, Magnus returned Dark Pit's gaze. The dark angel set foot on the ground, stretching his wings once the human was off his back, and winced in discomfort. Maybe speeding off like that wasn't such a great idea, but he sure had fun listening to Magnus' screams. In spite of the slight pain he felt in his wings, he'd do it again anytime.

The human stared at him, pissed off, but didn't say anything about their crazy flight; more the opposite, maybe not mentioning it would spare him the memory of it. Instead, he looked at the necklace he still wore and decided to take it off, since he wasn't in Skyworld anymore. He carefully detached it and handed it to Dark Pit, who held onto it as though his life depended on it. The light glow of the stone changed color, turning into a deep purple, almost identical to that of the angel's arrows. Magnus then took a peek at his surroundings. "That's not the Underworld."

"Aw, really?"

"Stop playing around, why did you bring us here?" Magnus inquired, narrowing his eyes at the dark angel.

Dark Pit wrapped the necklace around his wrist, since he seemed to refuse the idea of wearing it like it was meant to be worn—surely his rebellious side coming out, before looking up at him. Something told Magnus that it wasn't a random stop; maybe he meant for him to go home? Perhaps the mission was too dangerous and he didn't want to get a human involved? But… Weren't they fighting through this together, no matter what? They fought to save Pit, right? Magnus eyed at the angel, rather puzzled. "You want me to head home?"

The dark angel furrowed his brows when he said that. "When'd I say that?"

"We're near my city. You said we were heading for the Underworld—"

"Can't I catch my fucking breath?!" Dark Pit snapped at him, and it was true that he seemed exhausted.

Maybe it was better if they stopped by at Magnus' house, until the angel felt better and ready to get going. Magnus would hate for him to be so tired that he wouldn't be able to lead them where they needed to go… Of course, they had to watch the clock, since Dark Pit's Power of Flight would sooner or later wear off and they'd be stuck, but… Perhaps resting at his place for an hour or two wouldn't hurt. The human raised his head, having taken his decision, and put a hand on the dark angel's shoulder. "Then let's head for my house: we'll rest for a bit. You look like you need it."

Dark Pit shook his head vehemently. "No, let's get going. I'm fine."

"Listen to yourself, you can barely spe—"

"I HAVE TO DO THIS, OKAY?!"

Magnus jumped back. He had never heard Dark Pit scream… He had seen him lose patience more often than not, but he had never been so aggressive. Dark Pit gritted his teeth, hissing at the pain he felt in his lungs because he really lacked air at the moment, and shut his eyes. Letting himself fall down in the grass, the dark angel concentrated on his breathing and did not seem to pay attention to the human standing next to him any longer; he was too busy trying not to die. Once he felt a tiny bit better—able to stand up without his head spinning at least—he turned his back to Magnus and hugged himself. His feelings had gotten the best of him again… And there he thought that he was in control, that he had achieved something, when really everything was slipping out of his grasp. He hoped that he could get a hold of his own emotions, he wished that he had enough inner strength to be able to repel those feelings of wrath, of self-hatred that lingered in his heart ever since he had been banished in his dimension… But truth was, he couldn't keep them from showing. Dark Pit teared up and lowered his head, staring at the grass beneath his feet.

"You're working yourself up."

Dark Pit groaned, shaking like a leaf in the face of the wind; yes, he was, he had always been. Pit's safety was so overly important to him that he had… forgotten himself, in a way. He had forgotten that even his body had limits, whether he liked to admit it or not. He was not invincible, he was not unbreakable. The dark angel let a silent tear roll down his cheek; that simple droplet of salty water managed to send shivers down his spine: it hurt. His body was dying, he knew it, but he had to save Pit. No matter if he died right after he freed him, he just had to do it—it was his destiny.

Magnus stepped closer to the motionless angel, silent so that he would not scare him off. "Buddy, you need to understand that you also need to take care of yourself. As I've told you, Pit wouldn't like to see you like this, on the verge of death but avoiding every solution everyone suggests to you."

Dark Pit sniffed, letting his sorrow take over him, and whispered with a half-broken voice: "I have to save him…"

"You do, I agree," Magnus said, nodding slightly, before he put both of his hands on the angel's trembling shoulders and started to massage them. There was so much tension piling up in them that Dark Pit hissed when he started rubbing them. Much needed, Magnus thought to himself. The angel was in such a pitiful state, how could he not see it? Magnus looked at Dark Pit's back, frowning, then attempted to reason with him again—even though he knew that it rarely worked out in the end: "You do need to save him, but you also need to survive to do that. Your only way of living is to ask for Zeus' help, you know it."

"No, that's not—"

"You know it," Magnus asserted.

Dark Pit gulped and resigned, nodding in silence. He did, he knew it was true, but his excessive pride prevented him from even thinking about asking the God of the Gods. However, the more he waited, the longer it'd take for him to be fixed up… The angel clenched his fists: he really hated himself sometimes, why couldn't he just do it? Why did his mind need to bother him, to certify that he needed no help when he clearly was helpless? Most importantly, why couldn't he fight it off?

"You've done it again," Pit's voice arose from the silence around them, and Dark Pit looked up. He saw him near the lake, standing there, with his majestic white wings spread out. He almost looked like a nymph: so gorgeous, such a dignified creature; he couldn't take his eyes off of him. Pit stepped closer, the fabric of his tunic waving with the slight breeze that only he seemed to perceive, and smiled at his darker twin. "You've blown your chance of survival."

"You know I always do that…"

"I don't encourage it," the light angel said, shrugging one shoulder. "Won't you go to Mount Olympus now?"

Dark Pit frowned: they had never talked about Mount Olympus together, how could he hear Pit say it? How could he hear him pronounce it, if his voice was a mashup of his own memories of him? Something wasn't quite right… That was when his endless questions came back to his mind. Dark Pit looked up, staring at his twin's magnificent silhouette, and asked: "Are you real, after all?"

Pit's eyes gleamed at the question, and a little smile appeared on his lips. "Don't I look real?"

"No, you're a trick of my brain. Answer my question."

"You've answered it yourself; your own way, like usual," Pit whined, looking off to the side, then he saw Magnus and chuckled. "Hi Magnus!"

"You see him?" Dark Pit inquired, his eyes widening. So he was real?

Unfortunately for him, Pit never answered his question. He stared at him for a moment, long enough for the darker version to feel uneasy, then told him to turn back and head right for Mount Olympus. Dark Pit was just about to tell him that he would never do that when the light angel disappeared from sight, as if he had never been there at all—which was most certainly the case, to be fair. The dark angel narrowed his eyes, suspicious about this all thing, and turned back to look at Magnus, who seemed rather puzzled. Obviously enough, he couldn't see the shadows that appeared to Dark Pit. Which meant that… they were actual shadows; tricks of his mind, memories from the past. But why did he keep having them? And why did Pit reply to him now? Why wasn't he seeing scenes from the past as they had played out at the time, like he still did sometimes? Why did those… need to be different? He had so many questions… He was convinced that the Gods could have answers, but—No, no buts.

He was heading right for Mount Olympus, he had wasted enough time. He had no will of disappointing Pit. Zeus was an asshole, for sure, but he wouldn't deter him from pleasing his light counterpart. Determined, a fiery passion in his ruby eyes, Dark Pit looked at Magnus and a smirk spread on his lips, lighting up his face usually so blank. "We're going for Mount Olympus."

"I won't even ask what just happened, I suppose you had a vision or whatever… Though, what about the Underworld?" Magnus asked, concerned by this sudden shift. "And this stabilizer thing?"

Dark Pit sighed; he had forgotten about that. "Well, we'll pick it up on the way."

The human smiled at that answer. So, after half a day of pondering, he had finally changed his mind and decided to reach out for Zeus… Kind of a strange thing to happen, but he'd take what was given to him. All that mattered was that the dark angel would be freed from his curse. How he went from 'Never' to 'Let's go now' had no importance whatsoever. Magnus looked at the sky; the sun was setting, they didn't have lots of time left. If they wanted to drop by in the Underworld, grab the stabilizer thing that Dark Pit wanted, then head for Mount Olympus and come back down… They shouldn't waste one second standing there. Only a few hours before Dark Pit's Power of Flight wore off, and they couldn't afford to be stuck either in the Underworld or Mount Olympus. Magnus started to believe that they should've brought Phos and Lux along, but he knew that the angel had been wanting to use his wings. He couldn't imagine how frustrating it was to be a winged creature and yet not be capable of flying on his own.

Dark Pit stood before him, hands on his hips, and turned backwards so that Magnus could hop on him. "I'll send you the bill at the end of this journey."

Magnus frowned at that; what? "The bill?"

"Mhm, you have to pay me for flying you around all the time. I'm not a taxi."

The human looked even more confused at that. "What's a taxi?"

Dark Pit laughed and shook his head; that was what they called an anachronism. He admitted that he was quite fond of them: they always confused everyone around him, and he liked to be the cryptic guy in the crowd. Plus, it also allowed him to show off, since he knew what these things from a far, far away future were before anyone had ever thought about them. The dark angel flapped his wings and headed towards the location of one of the multiple portals to the Underworld. He knew where it was hidden, because once he had… accidentally run into it.

"PITTOO?! Where'd he go?" Dark Pit heard Pit scream behind the… let's call it an invisible glass that separated them.

"Ugh… I thought I told you not to call me that!" he snapped, but the other angel didn't seem to hear him at all. Dark Pit looked at him through the portal, even though he knew that Pit could not see him, and sighed. What was this place, how'd he get there? It seemed… dark, yet familiar. The odor of burnt flesh, of death all around him… "The Underworld," he concluded, looking bored—as he honestly always did. He held out a hand towards what looked like a mirror opening to the Overworld behind, and noticed that it went right through it, without him being able to see it. As though his hand had been cut off. Dark Pit took a look behind him since he heard something drawing closer. He saw a few Reapers making their way towards him, and quickly went back to the Overworld. "No thank you! Well… that was… strange, how'd I manage to come back here?"

"Where have you been, how did you disappear like that?!" Pit exclaimed, flying up to him since he had been looking around for any sight of his twin. He pulled him by the shoulders and hugged him tight. "I was so scared!"

Dark Pit's heart missed a beat as he did so, however he still pushed Pit away. "Don't touch me, Pit-stain," he muttered under his breath.

Dark Pit shook his head in the middle of his flight, nearly pushing off Magnus, and blinked to come back to reality: the place was in front of him. Green valleys, a water current that led directly to one of the tallest waterfalls of the Overworld, and high cliffs of a strange yet bewitching yellow stone that shone in the sun. That was the place. Magnus frowned, told him to be careful because he didn't want to die, but Dark Pit didn't answer. He was way too absorbed by the astounding beauty of his surroundings. The Overworld really had wonderful landscapes when you knew where to look at. This place in particular wasn't inhabited, and was quite far away from civilization: a safe haven where the two angels liked to spend their time when they had any.

The sunset cast its golden rays on the falling water, making it pop even more than it already did naturally. The trees under and above the cliffs outlined this smidgen of paradise laid out before their unbelieving eyes. It had this warm atmosphere thanks to the sunlight illuminating the cliffs' yellow rock, but it was also very relaxing, with the sound of the constant stream of water. Dark Pit admired the landscape for a moment, hoping this wondrous image would be etched in his retina for the longest time. He had never had time to fully appreciate it; he was usually way more focused on his light angel every time he came there.

Magnus blinked, enthralled by the sight, and darted a look towards the dark angel who remained motionless, a huge grin on his lips. He slightly blushed as well, and the human could only imagine how delighted he was to be there. He guessed that he had probably been there with Pit a few times in his lifetime before. "So that's the Underworld? It's a lot nicer than it sounds."

"No, the Underworld is not visible," Dark Pit replied, then he pointed towards the waterfall. "Beneath the water, there's a cave. In this cave, there's one of the multiple portals leading to the Underworld."

The human nodded. "Don't you need a sort of key to access it?"

"Trust me, you'd wish."

They both laughed together, probably for the first time since they had begun their little adventure together, before Dark Pit took back his serious expression and glided towards the waterfall. The scenery was breathtaking: hundreds of birds of all possible colors flew around the trees below, flowers of all shapes embellished the evergreen trees themselves along with the deep, vivid green grass, and the waterfall led down to a small spring with clear water. They could almost see the fishes in it, even though they were so far up in the sky. Magnus wished he would never have to look away, but he was forced to when Dark Pit flew through the waterfall in order to land in the cave he knew was behind it. Fortunately he knew exactly where it was located, because as soon as the cold water soaked his wings, he lost the ability to fly altogether and fell face first against the yellow stone of the cliff. Magnus, who had been holding on to his shoulders, wasn't affected by his sudden loss of balance.

The dark angel raised his head, cursing at the Gods that he knew the name of, and pushed Magnus off of him so as to sit down. He took a moment to stretch his wings, easing the pain he felt in them because he had used them for so long, and eventually turned towards the human. The latter was smirking, and Dark Pit gritted his teeth. "Say something and I push you off to your death below."

"Sheesh, angel…"

Dark Pit snarled and sprung back to his feet, only to be struck by a sudden ray of light. Magnus rushed towards him, shocked by the surprise attack, and had barely enough time to avoid a... what seemed like a lightning bolt that was about to hit him as well. The human brandished his sword and used it to reflect the bolts aimed at them, while he looked worriedly at the unconscious angel on the ground. He picked him up, threw him over his shoulder, and looked at what was in front of him: the cave seemed to stop right there and then, however lightning bolts kept coming out of nowhere. He guessed that the portal Dark Pit had mentioned was just there, before his very eyes, and braced himself. He needed to move along, they couldn't waste any time.

Magnus held onto the hilt of his sword tighter and stepped towards the wall he could see ahead of him, still using his blade to deflect the attacks. How vicious it was to shoot them when they just landed, but after all they were the Underworld: vicious and twisted were like second names for them.

As he kept on walking, hoping to see the end of the constant shooting very soon, the wall ahead started cracking, as if it was being destroyed from outside. Magnus gulped down his fear and wrapped his arm around the angel's unconscious body, still walking towards the wall despite how scared he truly was. Suddenly, all that surrounded him disappeared and he was met with a strange, nauseating feeling. Dark, extremely tall cliffs outlined a path that he had to follow, whereas the sky above his head was blood red, with no sun at all. "That's probably the Underworld."

Swallowing down his worry, the human walked along the path, feeling as though an unknown force was watching his every move. That thought was absolutely not reassuring: with the dark angel in a forced slumber, he had no idea where he was supposed to go to find this stabilizer—he actually didn't even know what it looked like. Though he felt like he would recognize it if he saw it. So he kept on walking, making sure not to be seen by the Underlings that flooded the area, and eventually found a cave where he was sure no enemy would be lurking. His journey had seemed endless because of how scared he had been, but when he entered the retreat he immediately felt like he could relax; even if the presence was still there, hovering above him.

Magnus sighed, exhausted, and lied the dark angel on the ground. He checked his pulse, rather up close to his face because of that, and of course that was the timing Dark Pit chose to open his ruby eyes. He jerked up, quickly moved away, and looked really pissed off. "What in the Underworld—"

"We are in the Underworld," Magnus informed him, all the more serious. "Also, glad to know you didn't die. You had me concerned for a moment."

Dark Pit scratched his head, wondering what he was talking about. "I nearly died?" he asked to make sure, perplexed. He had trouble remembering what had happened in the cave… He had fallen, yes, then he had turned to Magnus and that… was it. How did they get in the Underworld? Why was he laying on the ground—What did he wake up from? Did he have one of these visions again?

Magnus stared at him, arms crossed, and Dark Pit noticed he had his sword rather close to him, looking… strangely burnt. "You don't remember?" the human inquired, not buying it but still wanting to know the answer.

"What should I remember? I fell to the ground because my flight was compromised with the water, then I turned to you," Dark Pit said, then he squinted his eyes. "Did you knock me out?"

"Why'd I do that?"

Dark Pit shrugged but didn't look away. "You tell me."

Magnus rolled eyes and moved closer to the dark angel, grabbing his wrist so that he wouldn't draw back. Then he brought a hand to Dark Pit's left cheek and turned his head—he hadn't been very gentle, but to his surprise Dark Pit didn't complain. The human examined his scar, only to notice that it had grown in size; it now covered his entire cheek, almost touching his eye, and its color had deepened. There also seemed to be more veins showing than in the past, but he didn't count them the first time so he had no way of asserting it.

The dark angel, once he had worn out all the patience he could harvest, pushed Magnus' hands off of him and touched his cheek. It really started to hurt, it was almost unbearable, even when he wasn't touching it. He felt like his cheek was starting to become... solid. Like stone—which was truly a bad sign in his case. They needed to find the stabilizer very soon, or else he would… die, probably—but he refused firmly to think of it.

Dark Pit darted a look to the human and sighed. "What happened in the cave? I can't recall."

"You were hit by lightning."

"And you weren't?" the dark angel replied, taking offense. "Now I call that unfair. Why me twice and you never, hm?"

Magnus snorted, however he didn't say anything. He refrained from telling him that he had also been targeted, because he didn't want the angel to feel satisfied by that. Instead of that, he looked off, stood up and brandished his sword. Now the real fight was beginning, since they had to rummage through the Underworld to find Dark Pit's precious stabilizer. Without a glance for the dark angel sitting on the ground behind him, the human walked out of their hiding spot and faced an army of Underworld enemies. He gulped, thinking that this time he'd be alone against all those freaks, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

It was a strong, confident hand; that of a short gloomy angel that he was starting to recognize. "Show no mercy."

To be continued…

Updated: 02/11/2019