The next morning, Lyssa wanted more than anything to just sleep all day. She knew what a hangover was like, and this was almost identical to one - her head was pounding, and just the utter exhaustion and nausea accompanying it made her want to bash her own face in. Was this the cost she had to pay to really harness her full potential?

They found a cheap motel just six miles from the church that night and got cleaned up, and during their slumber, Dante received the next location from Nero in the form of a text. It was a little farther away, isolated far from the city and into the wilds of a region called Scylla.

Dante said he had been there before, which was of no surprise.

"Nero said the icon could be anywhere there," he said loudly over the roar of the engine as they rode on. "There's rumors that a powerful witch lives here - one that I'd be willing to bet is affiliated with Jezebeth."

"If this witch is actually real," Lyssa responded skeptically. For some reason, hearing the demoness's name made her feel uneasy, as if he was uttering some sacred spell that would awaken her.

"Yeah."

It was a beautiful, forested area, though a road cut through it to lead them through most of it. It wasn't until the path disappeared entirely that they were forced to continue on foot, and the Cavaliere was stowed away into the void of Dante's weaponry. The undergrowth at their feet got thicker as they coursed deeper into the forest. The emerald canopy of foliage above them seemed to block out almost all of the sunlight.

"Anything could be crawling around here," Dante warned her, using a gloved hand to push aside a curtain of moss that clung to one of the lower branches. "Giant cats, dire wolves, centaurs... And then, there's Anansi."

"Anansi?" Lyssa repeated.

"A giant, spider queen. Never actually seen her, but... I've heard stories."

Lyssa gave a shudder of discomfort. Not a lot of things in this world could really wig her out, but the thought of goliath-sized spiders certainly did the trick.

They walked on, Lyssa trailing close behind him. As Dante was less of a stranger to this area than she was, it only made sense for him to lead the way. None of them really had any idea of what to look for, but only hoped that the hours they spent searching might eventually cause a clue to show itself.

Lyssa's senses heightened suddenly, like a chill coursing through her body, driving focus to her nether region. It caused her whole body to shudder, and an involuntary moan came from her lips, almost as if she just had a spontaneous, minor orgasm. Dante, who had been walking in front of her, turned to give her a quizzical, though almost amused look.

"What was that, now?"

Lyssa thought for sure she might have blushed. She wasn't exactly sure what that was, but that tingling sensation had to be a sign, because a flash of a glowing crimson caught her attention. It was in the air, fluttering in the appearance of scattering leaves flowing in a soft, summer breeze. It was as though the forest had a conscience of its own to lead her.

"I think we're getting close." Lyssa walked on, walking against where the luminescent fronds blew. Dante followed, dismissing the fact that his question was left mostly unanswered. A sweet, fruity scent loomed in the air, something like a mixture of passion fruit and banana flowers. Somehow, as she couldn't describe it any other way, she felt as though she had just stepped into paradise.

"You smell that?" she asked, though her eyes were watching the dance of the leaves. There was so much more of them now. She was sure that if she kept moving forward, then perhaps the tree that shed red would somehow take them to the next icon.

After a few steps more, she realized Dante had not replied. She turned to look at him only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. Had he taken another path? Did they somehow get separated?

"Dante?" she called out. When no response came, save for the rustle of vermilion petals against one another. They brushed past her arms, feeling somehow more like silk against her skin. Then, an inhuman shriek stabbed at her eardrum, coming from her left. Alert once again, she was quick to draw her chained scythe and fling it into the direction of the monster attacking her. She wasn't overly surprised that it managed to catch it by the blade, though it gave her a moment to get a good look at the pursuer.

The demon was significantly large, standing nearly nine feet tall. Its skin was mostly black, though possessed a greenish hue that indicated it was likely indigenous to the forest. Where its stomach should have been was a gaping hole of green fire that was larger than its horned head, and from the waist down, a shroud of shadow and emerald flames enveloped its legs, almost shaping a long, ethereal skirt.

Its long, dagger-like fingers squeezed around the scythe Lyssa launched at him, gleaming eyes of green shooting back at her in annoyance. She tried to yank it back, but the demon was not about to let it go. Onyx blood spewed from the cut in its hand, and as it pooled onto the forest floor, the wilting vegetation corroded and dissolved with a hissing sound.

The demon flashed a ferocious grin before pulling hard on the weapon, causing the chain to tighten and thrust her forward. She caught herself on the earth, quick to leap back up and plunge into the brawl. While the demon was twice her size, it was definitely a challenge to stay out of the way of its strikes. She managed for a few minutes, hoping to sneak a hit in here and there, but it hardly affected the monster. It hit like a truck when its great arm struck her in the gut, sending her into a nearby tree. It didn't even give her a chance to get back up before it would send another blow at her, this time hitting her in the back. An incredible pain shot through her spine, so much that it hurt unbearably to try and get back up. Lyssa exclaimed when long fingers snatched her by the back of her neck. She was lifted effortlessly from the ground, and the demon holding her in mid-air opened its mouth wide. The familiar, absinthe-colored glow came from the agape cavity, ready to spew forth an acidic fire that was sure to end her, or at least severely mutilate her.

Lyssa mustered her strength, determined not to let this earthy brute beat her. After all, she was the fucking daughter of one of the most power succubi in existence. How would that look on her resume of the afterlife if she met her end at the hands of some forest freak?

"Yeah, not a chance," she muttered with a sudden obstinacy. Flames engulfed her, but they didn't burn her skin. She felt only warmth, and within her, her strength revived to an exhilarating level. She took on the form she had first discovered in the tunnel beneath the church, and she summoned fire to burn the massive, tree sprite down.

A final, unearthly screech shredded the air, fading into a dying hiss as black acid pooled across the floor.

As the flames died, and her skin began to cool, Lyssa's energy dropped dramatically. Her knees hit the forest floor, sinking into the dirt. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, the trees around her moved as a single, distorted shape of green.

Then, a small sound broke through the drunken-like chaos. Then, there came another. It took a moment for her to realize they were howls, but they were small ones, as if belonging to a wolf pup. They were desperate cries, and it was enough to bring Lyssa back to. Her strength still immensely depleted, she crawled her way to the sound. Hidden in a red-flowered shrub just a few yards away was not one, but a pair of wolf pups - one as black as night, and the other, his sister, a contrastingly pure white.

Lyssa gasped softly, their scared, beady eyes staring up at her. Soon, they softened. Lyssa couldn't explain how she knew it, but they had almost instantly imprinted on her. It was sort of like looking into the eyes of two children, and suddenly realizing they belonged to her.

Only when she looked up to see the body of a dead wolf behind them did she understand the situation. The tree sprite had been a threat to more than just her. It had killed their mother, leaving her pups without a guardian. When she destroyed the monster, she was the replacement by default.

Carefully holding out her arms, she smiled at the both of them, speaking softly. "It's okay. You're safe now." They took her comfort and crawled towards her, whimpering slightly. Her right arm folded around the snow-colored, dire wolf, and the other around the black one.