Hello guys! Sorry for those of you who were confused by the last chapter, i hope this one clears some things up for you! If not, feel free to contact me with any questions you have ;) The story is finally starting to move along :D Thanks for reading, i really appreciate it! Please enjoy~

What…what in the world was going on here?

I peered down at Mathias's unconscious figure on the ground, his face forming a light bruise where I had kicked him. Taking a deep breath, I squatted down beside him and gently opened one of his eyes with my fingers. Relived to find that the iris had changed back to its usual blue, I stood again, remembering with a shiver the lusty, burning red they had just been. What had suddenly compelled him to try such a thing? Earlier, he had refused to kiss me, much less…

I shook the thoughts away. At least I knew I was stronger than him. I could take care of myself.

But where had Tino and Berwald gone?

"Ah, what a sight," a voice sighed from the corner.

I spun, tensing, but it was just Erick again. Annoyed, I crossed my arms and glared out the window into the darkening sky. Stars were just beginning to appear in the sky, which had at some point become entirely cloudless. But the most striking thing was the beautiful moon, which glowed massive and red, dominating much of the horizon as it ascended into the black of the Norwegian sky. It lit up the land in rays of scarlet, causing the snow-covered ground to look as though it were seeping blood.

"Why did you send me away if you were just going to follow me?" I grumbled, glancing back over at my younger brother, who was prodding Mathias's limp body with his bow.

He looked up and gave a small yawn, before saying, "I forgot to tell you something." Looking down at Mathias again, he added, "But I suppose I was a little late."

"It's about Mathias?" I wondered, judging by the way Erick was studying the fallen man.

Erick nodded and stood up straight, gesturing toward the moon. "But not just about Mathias. He isn't the only demon in this world, you know. It all, much like a werewolf or some other mystical being, has to do with moon phases. A little cliché, but, hey, it's your world. Anyway, as it is in the other legends, the moon affects the appearance and control of the creature. Mathias has been relatively docile all today, hasn't he? Rather unlike how you know him on Earth. But that was because it was daytime. Demons are Hell's creatures, so they thrive on darkness and the night…and the phase of the moon. Tonight, the moon is full, which means the demons are at full power."

I eyed him, trying to understand. "And what happens to the demons when they're at full power?"

He shrugged, staring off into the distance. "Basically, they become true to their nature. You can never truly trust such a hellish being because they're full of all sorts of trickery. Yes, on the outside that boy has the face of a trustworthy person in your life…but what does he look like on the inside? Is he still the same Mathias you know?"

"How do you know so much about what's happening?" I questioned. "And where are Tino and Berwald at?"

Erick scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Well, you would know all this if you could remember the last time you visited us. Moon phases here in Norway are a bit different than on Earth, and it doesn't take more than a week for the moon to become full, like it is now. I just know this because I've been here so long. As to the whereabouts of our cousins…they realized that tonight was a night they shouldn't remain here with Mathias. They went to stay with their parents in the town."

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. "How do you know that? You've been with me nearly this whole time."

Erick blinked and held up a yellow sheet of paper. "It was on this sticky note."

I took the note from him and read it over quickly, scoffing in disgust and crumpling it up. "Too bad they didn't have the common sense to just tell me while I was still at their house, instead of wasting valuable paper."

"Too bad you didn't have the common sense to read the note on the door."

I felt my eye twitch, but ignored my fury, instead looking back out the window at the beautiful night. It calmed me to see such a clear sky, despite the somewhat gory moon that occupied the majority of it. In fact, relief flooded through me as I stared up at the stars; they seemed to be the only thing that had truly remained the same since I'd trapped myself in the walls of my own mind.

"It's like a fairytale…" I muttered, placing my hand on the pane of glass before me, stretching out my fingers and watching in wonder as my handprint steamed itself upon the window. "Like every book Mother ever read to us when we were young."

Erick came up beside me. Gently, he said, "But that's just the point. This place is made of what you wish for the most. It's obvious how much you miss Mother…Far wasn't lying, Lukas. When he said he saw her, that is. But if I give him any hope that she's here, any at all, he's going to die trying to find her. Because here, only one person can see her; the person who created this land to begin with."

"I wished for Mathias to be a demon and for you to be dating an Australian merman?" I couldn't help but question my sanity.

"We aren't dating," Erick muttered, flushing lightly. "Now please, listen to what I'm saying. Only you can see Mother…and I promise you she won't be easy to find."

I took my hand off the window. "Meaning?"

"If you really want to return back to Earth, you have to go find her. She's the key to returning to your home dimension. But there's a catch. You have to bring someone with you…someone impure. If I'm not mistaken, you'll have to mix "the blood of Satan" with "the heart of God" or something like that in order to access the secret kingdom where she's hidden…so I guess that just means take Mathias. But as to mixing blood and love, I'm entirely unsure of what that entails." He gave me a considering glance, looked back over to where Mathias was beginning to stir, and looked back at me again. "Goodnight."

As quickly as he had appeared, Erick dissipated into the shadows of the night.

Distrustfully, I watched Mathias sit up and shake his head, groaning, "Jeez…what happened…?"

"Is it a habit of yours to try and rape people, or do you just like me that much?" I demanded, wondering edgily if he was still under a spell.

His head lolled around to look at me, his eyes again reflecting the scarlet of the moon. "No! I mean, no, I don't rape people all the time! I've never raped anyone! It's just that…I don't know…I knew what I was doing but I couldn't stop myself…I felt so drawn to you that I just…"

I cocked my head to the side, studying his face. "You felt like you could take advantage of me. Clearly, it didn't work out that way," I told him, pointing to the spit glob on his shirt.

He looked down, but then shook his head. "No…" he said, his voice pleading. "I didn't feel like that. I don't think I felt anything...except that I saw you and I guess I kinda wanted you."

"Isn't desire a feeling?" I pointed out, although I was slightly pleased.

He smiled at me, his eyes fading back to a gentle blue. "Yeah, I guess it is. It's weird, though, that I felt that way…I mean, the moon doesn't usually affect me. But then you come here and I act like a total psycho. I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he told me, sliding down to one knee in a familiar bow. "Please forgive me."

Disgruntled and slightly embarrassed, I turned away from him. "Fine, I forgive you. Whatever. But in exchange for my forgiveness, you have to answer a question."

"Okay!" Mathias said eagerly. "Bring it on!"

"What does "the blood of the Devil" and "the heart of God" mean? What happens if you mix them?"

He brought up a gloved hand, sticking up his pointer finger. "First of all…that was more than one question." Watching my fury rise, he hurried on. "And secondly…where did you hear that from?"

"Erick told me that was the only way for me to find my mother and get back home."

Mathias placed a finger under his chin, thinking. "Erick told you that? Well, then I guess it must be true…he spends every hour that he isn't playing, instrument or otherwise, finding out about this strange mental prison you've captured us all in. I guess he wants to find a way to break out or something."

I raised an eyebrow. "But he can't do that. He isn't real, and neither are you. I made you up. I made everything up. Every single one of you already exists in the dimension that I'm from. Besides, why would you want to leave your home?"

Mathias's eyes grew dark and he turned his back to me, clutching his axe harder in his grasp. "Aren't real? Made up? Already exist?" His expression burning, he turned back to me. "How can I possibly not exist here if I know that I breathe? That I bleed? That I feel? Majesty, you must be mistaken. I exist, whether it be in your imagination or not."

Surprised by his contradictory outburst, I couldn't help but continue the argument. "You exist in my imagination, but you aren't the real Mathias. The real Mathias is probably having a panic attack at home right now because his beloved master and charge disappeared from the castle."

He shook his head vigorously, his blond spikes swaying. "I'm real…I'll always exist here. I'm Mathias. I'm just a little bit different from the one who plays guard dog at your castle. That doesn't make him anymore real than me, does it?"

"I'm aware of who's real and who's not. After all," I told him, "This is MY utopia. So maybe you're mistaken. Everything is just a figment of my imagination, including the entirety of this dimension. Which includes all the characters that reside here."

Again, he clenched his hands into fists, before sighing and relaxing, his face slipping into a miserable expression. "Lukas…can't I still be something special to you?"

For a moment, I remained silent, contemplating. "Yes," I said finally. "You can be special. Be the blood of the Devil that takes me to where my mother is."

With a sad, lopsided smile, he hauled the axe over his shoulder and bowed again, kissing my hand this time. "As you wish, My King. Anything for you."

I felt the slightest bit of guilt nagging at the back of my head, but I ignored it, satisfied that I had played all the pieces correctly and to my advantage. "Good. Now take me to my bed."

His head down, Mathias guided me to my room and pulled back the covers carefully, watching me as I crawled into the massive bed. Then he tucked the covers back around me and pulled something wooden out from the nightstand. As I watched, it became clear what the strange instrument was; it was my music box, the one Tino and Berwald had made for me on my birthday. Shocked, I watched with wide eyes as Mathias wound it up and the song's intro began, tinkling out the familiar tune. In a sense of déjà vu, I held my breath and closed my eyes, listening quietly as Mathias started to sing along.

That night, I dreamed that I visited home…the Kingdom where I had been born. Father was there, talking to the man who had given him the poison desperately, asking why my eyes still wouldn't open. Mathias was beside me in my bed, the sneak, sleeping with his arms around my unresponsive body, watching over me even as he slept. Erick was hiding in his room, whispering to someone out his opened window. Tino and Berwald were asleep in their room, sleeping peacefully. Finally, I stopped beside my own body again, my face pale and sullen. Mathias suddenly started awake, staring over at not my lifeless body, but me. His eyes widened, his teeth un-pointed as his mouth broke into a grin.

"Lukas!" he gasped happily, forgetting my title.

He could…see me? I gave a hesitant wave of my hand just to be sure.

Mathias waved back, sitting on the edge of my bed. "Lukas…" he said again, his voice getting slightly emotional. "Where have you been? How are you here? Can you talk?"

"I could if you'd just give me a chance," I grumbled, putting a hand on my hip.

"It really is you…"

I sighed. "Of course it is…I think I must be dreaming, though. I can't really be back home."

Mathias's mouth slipped into a pout and he brushed a hand through his hair. I tried not to watch as his shirtless muscles flexed with the movement. "But you're here! Where have you been?"

"I've…been in another dimension," I informed him, sitting beside him on the bed. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the real Mathias's naïve charm. "Apparently one I created with my mind. Everyone is there, even you, but it's almost like I've transformed the real world into a ridiculous fairy tale."

"Really? I'm there, too?"

I nodded, giving him a look to tell him how much of an idiot he was. "And the only way I can leave is by finding my mother…and mixing the blood of the Devil with the heart of God."

Confused, he bit his lip. "What does that mean?"

With another heavy sigh, I shook my head. "I'll just have to figure that out when I get there with your demonic counterpart."

"Demonic counterpart? You mean I'm a demon in another dimension?! Sweet!" he cheered, almost knocking my body off the bed in his excitement.

"Watch it," I told him as he caught "me", but again, I just felt relieved to be back with him.

When he was sure "I" was okay, he turned back to the dream version of me, his eyes sad. "I've really missed you, Prince Lukas…"

A little awkwardly, he reached out to hug me…and fell right through.

I looked at my hands, and, finding them dissipating, I gave Mathias a scowl. "I think I'm waking up…but I'm going to come back," I assured him. "So don't leave my side. And that's an order."

With a smile and a bow, he said, "Yes, Prince Lukas!"

When I woke up, I could feel a pair of warm arms wrapped around me, and a slight snore sounding in my ear. Furiously, I yanked the demon's arms off, and left the bed, walking barefooted into the kitchen. The tile felt like ice against my toes and almost as slippery, but I ignored the discomfort and made my way into the nearest bathroom, wiping my face with a washcloth and staring into my reflection again.

It had changed from the first apparition I'd seen of myself, where I'd resembled an angel. Now I just appeared as myself. Surprised, I made my way back into the kitchen, where Tino had somehow appeared and was making eggs in a frying pan. Seeing me, he gave me a happy grin.

"Good morning, King Lukas!" he said cheerfully.

I ignored him and sat down at the table, still a little miffed about being left to Mathias's demonic mood.

Sensing my distress, Tino piled my plate with food and gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry we left you last night…Berwald insisted that we leave before Mathias got too crazy and he made me go before I could tell you! I left you a note…did you get it?"

Grimacing at the memory, I told him stiffly, "Yes. I got the note."

Tino seemed to relax at that, and he laughed. "Good! Then you stayed with your brother last night?"

"No. I stayed here. I didn't find the note in time."

His expression changed again and he looked away guiltily. "I'm really, really sorry, Lukas…what did Mathias do to you? I was so worried the whole time we were away!"

"He tried to rape me, but I beat him up."

Tino gave me a look of horror and almost dropped his whisk. At the same time, Mathias came into the room, yawning hugely, with a, "I'm STARVING!" Plopping down at the table, he rubbed his eyes before finally catching onto to the mood in the room. Seeing the way Tino was looking at him like a beaten puppy, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms defensively.

"I swear I didn't do it on purpose, Tino!" he said, catching on way too quickly for Mathias. "I just…he looked so…"

I peered over at Mathias, annoyed. "You aren't helping yourself. And stay out of my bed."

He grinned suggestively at me and muttered, "Yes, King Lukas, but don't you think we should be spending more time together if we're going to go find your mom together? Gotta get used to being close, don't we?"

"Stay out of my bed," I repeated. "Besides, we don't necessarily have to go together. We could just meet up at the kingdom where my mother is, figure out this ridiculous ritual, and then be free from each other for eternity."

He scoffed. "Without you, there's no reason for me to even be going."

Tino turned again, looking concerned. "When did you decide you were going to find your mother?"

"When Erick came over and told me it was the only way for me to go back to my real home," I told him, eating my breakfast. "We leave after I'm done eating."

The Finnish man looked down, his hat falling to the side slightly. With melancholy brown eyes, he looked up at me. "Weren't you even planning on saying goodbye?"

I considered his upset look and decided a lie would be less painful than the truth. "Yes. But Berwald isn't here…so I couldn't say goodbye to everyone."

Seeming appeased, Tino went to fetch Berwald.

Mathias looked over at me, gnawing on a piece of bacon. "Why'd you lie about that?"

Rubbing my temples, I tossed the remains of my breakfast in the garbage. "Hurry, we're leaving before he gets back. I'm not wasting time saying goodbye to people I'm going to see again."

Without a word of protest, Mathias followed me.