Shelina sat in a dark corner, in a dark area that appeared to exist solely in darkness. It was a part of a large expanse known as the Underworld. Stretching endlessly in all directions, random torches and the occasional fireball provided the only sources of light. The entire Underworld was composed of a myriad of caves and tunnels, creating a labyrinth of mystery. Only the most powerful demons and warlocks were able to navigate throughout the Underworld, while the weaker underlings were forced to rely on their directional skills.
Countless chambers were dispersed through this nether region, inhabited by various beings of evil. For any force of good to reach this place was truly a risk; the presence of anything other than evil alerted any demons that were in the vicinity. Furthermore, once in the Underworld, good witches' powers were weakened and in extreme cases, unreliable.
In her own small chamber, Shelina sat and rubbed her belly, content that she had finally conceived. Despite the fact that barely a day had passed, she could already feel a small essence, squirming across her stomach as if it were a swimming pool. From the outside, a small lump could be seen traversing her abdomen, an abnormal growth searching for something. She relaxed and enjoyed the feeling, preparing herself for the next three years of pregnancy.
From the corner of her eye, a sparkle of light caught her attention. Immediately on her feet, she faced the distraction. A swirl of white light grew in size and strength, eventually blinding Shelina. When she opened her eyes, the light had subsided, but a young woman stood there instead. She was beautiful. She reminded Shelina of herself; long sable hair and an unmistakable complexion. She looked young, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years of age at the most.
"Who are you?" Shelina asked cautiously. "How did you find me?"
"There's no reason to be afraid," the woman assured Shelina, stepping closer.
"Don't come any closer!" Shelina snapped, quickly producing a swirling mass of fire in her hand and throwing it at the young woman.
The fire struck the woman head on, and she was thrown into the stone wall behind her. She held her composure and faced Shelina. There was something about the way the young woman stared back at her, something familiar.
"How did you survive that?" she asked the stranger.
"Because you'd never hurt your own daughter," the woman answered, smiling.
Shelina only gazed back, taken by surprise. Without any words passing from either of them, they shared a deep conversation. Shelina looked deeply into Sarah's chocolate colored eyes as she ran her hands across her stomach. Sarah smiled and nodded back, confirming what Shelina was thinking. Then Shelina's eyes widened and brightened as everything fell into place in her head. There, standing in front of her, was the fruit of her labor.
"It's me, mother," Sarah said, walking to Shelina and embracing her deeply.
"But I don't understand," Shelina said, elated but also confused. "I just…and you're…"
"Don't try to understand it all," Sarah said, holding her mother's hand. "Just trust me. I'm here to help you. You're in great danger."
"Danger?" Shelina asked. "From what? There's nothing else to worry about. You're already conceived."
"Mother," Sarah explained, "I'm from the future. It's kind of a long story, but the point is that you're in danger here, we both are."
"How's the cooking going?" James asked Wesley, who was huddled over the kitchen stove and looking as if he could vomit at any given moment.
"Why did y'all stick me with this?" Wesley asked.
"Because you're the best cook," James answered. "Besides, Matt's in the living room talking to Benjamin and finding out everything he can. Jordan and I have been all around town looking for the rest of the ingredients you need."
"Did you get them?" Wesley asked. "I need to add the…what is it…hemlock root…while this other stanky stuff is still boiling."
"It's all in here," James said, setting a large paper bag on the empty counter next to the stove. "Try to finish quick, because we need to come up with a plan of action."
"It's gonna take as long as it's gonna take," Wesley said. "Meanwhile, how's everything between you and your son? I mean, how are you handling it?"
"It's…definitely strange," James sighed. "I can't believe I even have a son. He's sitting in there, my son. We even look alike. We have the same color hair and eyes."
"You sound pretty excited," Wesley observed as he cautiously stirred the hemlock root into the boiling concoction. "I gotta tell you, it does give you something nice to look forward to besides fighting demons all the time."
"Yeah," James said, smiling euphorically for a moment before changing his expression. "I can't help but think about Sam, though. Wherever she is, she's in big trouble."
"I know," Wesley said, "but we don't have the luxury of being able to handle too many things at once. I think the sooner we can do this, the sooner we can find Sam."
Before James even had a chance to say anything, the telephone rang. James went to answer it while Wesley re-buried his head into the Book of Light. The instructions for this specific vanquishing potion were very precise and complex, so much so that the slightest miscalculation would render the product useless. Having already added the hemlock root, a dull yellowish tangle of roots, he searched through the paper bag for the next ingredient to be added, beeswax.
Breaking a small chunk of it off, Wesley carefully dropped it into the boiling mixture and immediately turned off the fire. The next set of ingredients was not to be added until the potion was room temperature. The very last item on the list was a sample of the victim's blood, three drops to be exact. If the directions had been followed, adding the blood would result in a small explosion contained inside the pot.
"Matt!" James yelled, surprising Wesley, who almost wasted extra hemlock root into the potions. "Phone!"
"Got it!" Matthew's voice called from outside the kitchen.
"Keep working on that potion," James told Wesley. "I'm going back in the living room with my son."
"Rub it in," Wesley muttered.
James reentered the living room, where Jordan sat on the sofa, watching Benjamin carefully. Although the two of them somewhat worked out their differences earlier, Jordan still harbored some resentment towards him. Thankfully James was back, ending the awkwardness of being left alone with Benjamin.
"Wes is still working on the potion," James informed the two of them. "Hopefully it shouldn't take too much longer, and we can steal some of Shelina's blood before it's finished."
"Good," Benjamin said.
"Wait a minute," Jordan interrupted, looking at Benjamin. "Whoever said you could go? She'd recognize you instantly."
"I think she'd recognize both of y'all," James corrected his son. "Y'all should both stay here until we get back. Besides, I think it's better if my brothers and I go anyway. We're stronger."
"I'm just as strong," Jordan countered. "I'm your son."
"Which is why you'd be better off here," James said. "You can keep everything in order here. We'll only be gone a minute."
"Man, that sucks," Jordan murmured.
"Are you sure you can find her?" Benjamin asked. "I told you that Akums are very elusive. She'll be next to impossible to find."
"How are you?" Matthew asked on the phone, making sure no one was within range to hear.
"Great," Ariana said cheerfully. "I'm so sorry you missed the rest of the concert. I had to call and make sure that everything was alright with your family."
"Thanks," Matthew said. "We're…better. There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of around here. I can't really go into it right now. I hope you understand."
"Of course," Ariana answered. "I was just calling to check on you and your family. Oh! Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Not really," Matthew said as a loud bang resounded through the house, followed by a muffled scream. "Well, maybe a little bit."
"Oh my God!" Ariana exclaimed through the phone loudly, hitting Matthew's eardrums. "What was that?"
"Uh," Matthew stammered, "nothing. I just dropped a glass on the floor. I'm sorry, I really have to go now. I'll call you later and you can tell me everything about the concert. We'll have a rain check."