Breaking Point
Rowan stared at the darkness of the sixth level, feeling a little excited that she was nearly finished building Helheim.
She bled again as she stepped into the darkness of the untouched cavern. She envisioned it to be like the fifth level and watched as things began to shape with her blood and power. It was actually easy now to do things like this. From coloring her nails to building the addition to the Underworld that would be hers to rule.
As easy as pie.
Despite the stress that began to wash over her again. Rowan refused to give it any thought and stayed focused on making the whole level shift so no one would have to get lost in her maze of rooms.
Yes, her lower levels were looking like the description of Heaven's little boxes for the souls, but the spaces were still as large as those upstairs. The only difference was no chance to continue a bucket list, no spending time with loved ones, no bright sunny sky above their heads as they enter. The last three levels are going to have to realize that they could have lived better lives and prove it to her in order to move up. Maybe the souls will find themselves in level four, named Cold, seeing the chance to do good, but letting it fall to someone else. Maybe the souls will be upgraded to level three, named Chance, those that want to do good and try. Heck, if they really turned themselves around, maybe level two, named Heart, those that try no matter what or level one, named Glory, those that are selfless.
It all depends on the situation and it'll be her decision.
As she turned from the sixth level, she decided to name it Selfish, for the souls that put themselves before all others. An example could be those that not just ignore others, but hurt them. Then, the seventh level, named Groundhog Day, would be for those that all they've ever done is harm others. They will be the ones that weren't bad enough for Hell, but that Rowan won't forget.
Then, the last three levels would be monitored by her Draugar and moved up if they earned it.
And with that thought, Rowan began working on the seventh level, feeling a little tired, but doing good at pushing away the stress. Yes, she should be dealing with it rather than pushing it, but when she tried to deal with it, she lost all strength.
And she needed her strength.
The seventh level was going to look the same, but it wouldn't look so nice. It would sort of look like Hell's corridors; dark and somewhat eerie.
As Rowan took a deep breath, getting ready to form the last level of Helheim, she suddenly felt a little light-headed. She heard another elevator open and she glanced over, seeing Bjarni stepping out of the elevator next to her with tea and a chocolate chip muffin. When she saw how weak Rowan was, she tried to hide her horror.
"Shit, I knew it." she mumbled under her breath, walking into the darkness, leaving the light of the elevator, and appearing next to Rowan. It was just that dark. "Eat, eat, eat." She said, handing the muffin to Rowan and when she took a couple of bites, highly suggested drinking the tea. Rowan smiled, appreciating the little break that also gained her a bit of energy.
"What did you know?" Rowan asked, catching Bjarni a little off guard.
"Oh, that I didn't get here fast enough." She replied, looking a little guilty. "You're courageous. I think you got more spunk over the years." she added with a little grin. As Rowan looked at her, she could no longer ignore that there was something changing.
"Bjarni, don't freak out, but there's something with your demonic essence." Rowan said, stunning her friend into a brief moment of silence. Then, her face illuminated with hope, especially her eyes.
"Do you mean I'm reverting back into my former self?" she asked and Rowan tried not to flinch as she spoke. She didn't want to crush the hope on Bjarni's face.
"I don't know. It's just the black isn't so… thick." She replied, believing that was the right word. However, Bjarni didn't know what that meant, as her expression of confusion had made clear. "Can I try something?" she asked and Bjarni nodded, looking a little hopeful again.
Rowan set down her cup or tea, on the floor of the dark cavern, next to the elevator, putting the muffin in the tea because it was better than putting in on the dirt floor. She pulled Bjarni into a friendly hug, resting her chin on her friend's shoulder and closing her eyes.
She could feel Bjarni's demonic essence stirring inside her teenage vessel. She could see Bjarni as her former self, but everything was all dark and twisted. The fierce young woman she once knew had been warped into a dark version of herself. However, it seemed the demonic condition was slowly reversing.
That was good news, but Rowan wanted to understand how it was happening. The only known cure was what the Winchesters were trying to do to Crowley. This was something entirely different. Bjarni's demonic essence was reverting back into her old human soul which wasn't attaching itself to the vessel. If anything, it was like gifting Bjarni to be an undead creature, known as a draugr, all over again.
How was that possible? What was Rowan doing to make Bjarni a human soul again?
As she kept her eyes closed, she focused on looking deeper into her warped darker current self. Was it possible to simply draw out the darkness? Or chase it away like she did the darkness of the undeveloped Helheim levels?
Rowan simply let her power take over, silencing the thoughts in her mind.
She was drawing the darkness closer to her, in the sense of withdrawing it from Bjarni's being and from her vessel. She could hear Bjarni gasp, as if the breath in her lungs was being sucked out. Rowan could feel the darkness being tugged away from Bjarni's being, but it was still deeply rooted.
Bjarni was slowly reverting to her human soul, but she was still a demon.
Rowan stopped, making Bjarni gasp for air, sucking in the oxygen as if desperate to refill her lungs.
"What… was… that?" Bjarni asked, speaking as she gulped in air. Rowan pulled away, stroking her friend's face to make sure she was alright.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" she asked, watching as Bjarni nodded her head, as stunned as she was. "You're slowly reverting back into a draugr, but you're still a demon. It's too deep, embedded in your being." She added, watching as Bjarni listened, letting it sink in.
"Well, it's still good news." She replied with a slight smile. Rowan nodded, but the disappointment made her heart feel heavy. Bjarni didn't want to be a demon and it seemed like it would take a long time to make that wish come true. "Are you feeling good to continue on your last level?" Bjarni asked with what sounded like faked enthusiasm. If that was true, she probably did it to make Rowan feel better.
"I'll finish my tea and muffin, first." She replied, picking it off the floor and consuming the rest in silence. Bjarni was silent too, for a brief moment.
"Thanks for giving me a check-up." She said with a smile, obviously trying to make Rowan feel better. Maybe she could see the disappointment that she had felt.
"Wish I had better news." Rowan replied, making Bjarni give her a slight smirk.
"I know you'll cure us." Bjarni said, looking and even sounding confident. That wasn't faked. Rowan didn't feel so confident. She'd first have to understand how demons are made.
When the tea and muffin were gone, Rowan worked on the last level. Bjarni watched silently by the elevators. Rowan dripped blood from her palm onto the floor, turning it to concrete, forming walls and corridors, rooms with plaques on the doors. Bjarni could see how tired she was, but how she was too determined to quit.
The floor shifted like a mirage, making it easier for the souls to get to their room. This level was looking like the corridors in Hell, which was what Rowan wanted, as Bjarni guessed. The ceiling was just the dark cavern, making everything look dark. There wasn't much light besides the elevators and the glow of those rooms behind those doors, that seemed to be the only thing illuminating the corridors.
As the final level was complete, Bjarni stood next to Rowan, placing a protective arm around her. She looked exhausted and there was a sort of distant look in her eyes. Was she feeling the stress again?
"We're going back up, now." Bjarni said, guiding Rowan to the elevator.
"Once the souls enter Helheim, I won't feel tired ever again." Rowan said, nearly in a mumble, still with that distant look in her eyes. "I will be strong. I will conquer Metatron. I will find a way to resurrect my family and they shall join me in Helheim." Rowan added as Bjarni pressed the up arrow, slowly turning to look at her with an arched eyebrow. Did Rowan just say she was going to resurrect her family? As in her parents and her brother, Jormungand?
Where had this come from?
Bjarni guided Rowan into the elevator, watching the dial go from seven up to the zero which was the main floor. She repeated Rowan's words in her head, surprised that the Lady of Helheim had kept that thought to herself. Bjarni could only guess that it was something she wanted to do after taking down Metatron and taking in all the souls.
"Are you feeling stressed?" Bjarni asked Rowan as the elevator doors opened. She glanced at her, meeting her distant eyes, seeing this eerie glimmer in Rowan's eyes.
"I'm too tired to feel stressed." She replied with calmness. Bjarni was about to step off the elevator with Rowan, when she was fiercely pinned against the panel of the elevator, staring into the eerily dark eyes of Rowan. This was something Bjarni had never seen, not even before when Rowan had been Hel, before Lucifer took over Helheim.
This was a much darker side that had never surfaced.
"Rowan." Bjarni tried to say, but the breath was pulled from her lungs along with her essence. It was like a repeat of what had happened in the seventh level, but this time Rowan wasn't stopping. She was taking in Bjarni's demonic essence into her mouth, consuming her.
Agmundr and Raganhar stepped in, trying to pull Rowan off of Bjarni. It took both their strengths to pull her away, but still she was trying to consume Bjarni's essence.
"Rowan, you're killing her." Agmundr said, trying to snap her out of it. Bjarni's essence was nearly out of her vessel, into Rowan's mouth where her eyes had turned completely black. There were no smoky gray pupils.
At that moment, Raganhar released his grip on Rowan, his demonic essence leaving his body and entered Rowan's mouth. She began choking and Agmundr watched as Raganhar came back out along with Bjarni's essence. In a matter of seconds, both of them were back in their vessels, staring with horror at a much weakened Rowan who had gone limp in Agmundr's arms.
They exchanged glances, wondering why Rowan had tried to feed on Bjarni's demonic being.
"Let's get her in Gadreel's bedroom." Bjarni said, trembling as she tried to stand straight. No doubt she was frightened of what had happened. "I'm getting Crowley." she added and they exited the elevator, going off in separate directions.
Agmundr and Raganhar brought her into Gadreel's penthouse and tenderly placed her on his bed with the blanket left atop. They covered her up, made sure the pillow was positioned right under her head and simply stared at her with bewilderment.
"What happened?" Agmundr asked, not tearing his gaze off of her. She seemed relaxed and peaceful now.
"I don't think she was aware of what she was doing." Raganhar said, staring at her, trying to understand why she'd attempted to eat their comrade. "She pushed herself to her breaking point and no amount of muffins could give her the energy she craved." He concluded, meeting Agmundr's nervous eyes. "She needed the closest thing to pure energy: a soul." He added nearly in a murmur as the thought troubled them.