AIN: Now we are finally getting into the plot of the story. As always reviews are appreciated. Also I haven't made a disclaimer yet so I'll take the time to add it in now. I own no one except Eclair and Pearl ( but not their species and only a small part of their universe) and a couple other OCs that may pop up to help the plot along later. We'll see.

Chapter 3: Deal with the Devil

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The interior of the castle was even darker than it was outside save for the crimson glow radiating from the bottom portion of their host's body. Eclair was the only one uncomfortable with the near lack of light and made it known to the fire ghost before taking another blind step.

"Don't you have any sort of light fixtures in here?"

"You're not afraid of the dark are you, princess?" Betrayus replied in a mocking tone as he darted over to the lightning elemental to watch her expression for any hint of fear.

"No! Only little kids are afraid of the dark. It would just make it a little easier to see is all." Eclair explained as she stared back boldly.

"It is rather rude to have company over in the dark." Pearl added

"Where's your sense of humor, ladies? I was only messing around with you." Betrayus laughed at his own idea of a joke while snapping his metallic fingers and igniting the many torches that lined the walls. The room was instantly lit up by the glow of the flames that now illuminated the corridor they were in.

"That's actually a lot better...Thanks." Eclair was hesitant to offer gratitude remembering that moments ago this same creature had tried to burn her alive but failed fortunately. It felt odd to thank someone after almost being killed by them but knowing Pearl she would likely nag her about being polite if she refused.

"Oh, don't mention it." Betrayus answered smoothly as he guided his two otherwordly visitors ever deeper into his dwellings. While they walked he floated nearby and made idle chit chat to ease their nerves in an attempt to gain their trust. It was a game of deception he knew well and could win easily. Or so he thought. Surely the little lightning fairy could be corrupted to do his bidding but the water being would take much more effort. Speaking of which she was looking right through him. The undead tyrant struggled to keep his scheming thoughts hidden as he felt the eyes of the Vaporeon upon him. No doubt trying to use her sixth sense to read his mind and thus his intentions. He would not be so easily outsmarted though and quickly changed his train of thought to a different subject in an effort to confuse her.

"So do you ladies have a concept of games where you hail from?" Betrayus asked casually as the trio came upon a wider passage with another set of double iron doors at the end.

Eclair was the first to reply. "Um, yeah? Depends on what kind of game it is. We have one where we hit a ball over a net until someone scores enough points to win."

"Tennis! That's exactly what I had in mind. You see, I enjoy a good match."The fiery white spirit grinned like a shark honing in on its prey.

"Um, okay? So I guess you want to play a round?"

"I would love nothing more! It's not every day I have such a worthy opponent but let's make things slightly more interesting..." Betrayus whispered the rest of his idea into Eclair's ear and dared to gently lay a steel hand on the lightning fairy's neck without her noticing.. He felt the small shudder rip through her body at the surprising coldness of his touch. The slight tingle of static electricity he received before abruptly pulling away when he had finished was intiguing as it should have rendered him paralyzed he thought. He had witnessed what happened to his minions at the hands of these two beings after all. What was even stranger was how he felt as though he had absorbed a small amount of energy from the weak electrical charge. How intriguing he thought. Surely he could find a way to make this work to his advantage.

Pearl meanwhile had lagged behind the other two, trusting Eclair to maintain the peace for the moment. If she could not read this spirit's mind she would seek answers elsewhere. Ever since Betrayus had illuminated the interior of his lair she could not help but notice the various aged paintings and stained glass windows depicting the ghost himself. It was clear to her that this entity revered himself as a deity of some sort. It explained why the other souls trapped in this world obeyed his every command without question thought of such blasphemy nearly turned her stomach but she steeled herself to better interpret the deeper meaning behind this only to have her concentration broken once again. Her delicate hearing had picked up on the conversation unfolding up ahead and quickly rushed over to stop her friend from doing something foolish. But it was too late.

"We have a deal then!" Betrayus exclaimed as he extended a steel artificial hand and shook the lightning fairy's paw to seal the agreement. Eclair let out a surprised yelp as the touch burned deep down into her very core. The expression on her face was one of pure terror as she jerked her hand back to examine it. There was no scorching and on the surface everything seemed completely normal but the stinging sensation would not subside.

"What did you do to her?!" Pearl's voice was heavy with worry as she appeared right beside her friend and grabbed her hand to have a second look. She closed her eyes as the dark blue gem embedded in her forehead radiated with white light and the vision she was hoping for flashed in her mind. Eclair had been left with a burn but not in the physical sense. A mark had been left on her spirit.

The water elemental looked up at the sneering fire ghost in disbelief. "You didn't..."

"I did! I scorched her soul. Now there is no backing out on the deal we made. You see, we agreed to play a game for your freedom. If I win you both will remain here with me for eternity. If I lose, I will do everything in my power to send you back home to your world." Betrayus boasted as he led his soon to be prisoners into a room adjacent to the throne room with a tennis court all ready set up and ready to be used. All too proud of himself for luring the more foolish of the two into his trap.

"I can't believe you fell for this, Eclair. I thought I knew you a little better. You can't just gamble with your life like this!"

"I didn't think we had any other option!" The lightning fairy defended.

"Uh, hello? I said that BOTH of you would remain here. That includes you, water elemental." Betrayus floated down to face the Vaporeon in an effort to intimidate her. She gave him no hint of fear or aggression.

"I would never be confined here forever. I am made of water and virtually immortal. It would harm you just to touch me."

"Oh whatever, I've had enough of your yammering! One out of two isn't bad and I can always have you banished from my sight but right now we're going to play this high stakes game and settle this." Betrayus demanded as he darted over to his butler who was standing in as referee for the match and snatched a racquet for himself and his opponent. He smirked devilishly as he handed Eclair hers.

"Good luck. You're going to need it." The undead tyrant taunted in a sing song voice as he excitedly took his place on the court. He refused to allow Eclair to so much as take her position before sending s flaming ball hurtling towards her.

"You cheat! I wasn't ready yet!" Eclair gaped only to then dodge a barrage of flaming orbs. There were so many flying past her that she could not keep count. It eventually reached a point where she just dropped the racquet she was holding and hunkered down trying not to get hit by the flames. How was she supposed to hit something on fire?

"My world, my rules! Besides I never promised to play fair. How many points have I scored now, Butler?" Betrayus snickered before asking about the score.

"Seventeen, sir" The lavender ghost's answer was melancholic. He would be lying if he said he did not feel a bit of sympathy for his master's new plaything.

"Pearl, why don't you help me out here? I don't want to lose!" Eclair pleaded out of desperation her brown eyes meeting the water being's as she begged for a miracle. The answer she received was not what she had come to expect from her life long friend especially as three more flaming balls were sent flying over the net.

"No. This was your battle from the start. It's really because of you that we're both here." The reply was cold and detached. Totally unlike her usual warm hearted tone.

"Please!" The lightning fairy was on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for you now." Pearl loathed to admit it but their foe had outwitted them from the beginning by separating the two earlier. If she had intervened before their deal was made the outcome would likely have been different. She frowned as the final point was scored.

" Yes! I win!, I win, I win!" Betrayus chanted excitedly as he declared victory even though he knew he had zero chances of losing.

Pearl took a deep breath to calm her nerves before walking away without another word. She had not made the bargain but she would uphold her end without regret. Eclair was still reeling from the realization of her actions that she almost missed her friend walking out. The Vaporeon kept out of reach intentionally and only allowed the lightning fairy to catch up once they had retraced their steps all the way back to the entrance of the castle. It was then she noticed that the door had been locked.

"Where are you going? Why are doing this?! Please, answer me..." Eclair implored as she struggled to catch up. Her heart pounded as she searched for any trace of hope in those wise oceanic eyes.

"I'm the only one who can escape this prison. I know things may seem dark now but I promise I will fix this. You'll just have to trust me. I will find a way for us to leave and I will come back for you, Eclair." That was the last piece of advice she could offer for the time being. The demon was hot on their trail to continue his gloating and Pearl wanted to be as far away from the evil little spirit as physically possible. She rearranged her molecular structure to that of water and slipped away beneath the cracks in the door. She could hear her friend's sobbing from outside as she begged her to stay. The anguish was too much for Pearl to bear to listen to so she distanced herself with a teleport and set off by her lonesome into the unknown.