"Now for the fourth" Malzahar continued giving them riddles. "What goes up and down the stairs without moving?"
"Is it a rug?" Demi asked.
"Correct! Now, take her with the others!" as usual, an insect monster flew next to her, took her and put her in a cage.
"Hmmm, you're going for the fifth" the prophet continued. He paused for a while: clearly, he was running out of ideas. "Tell me, what can you catch but not throw?"
"It's the flu!" Taylor Swift responded.
"Very well..." They locked her on a cage as well, leaving only Miley, Taylor L. and unconscious Anastasia there, with him. How can these mortals be so clever? Malzahar thought to himself.
"So close to your freedom.. only two riddles left. Think twice before you answer or else you'll be all mine again." he said, and then laughed.
He knew that, if they were doing so good now, it was obvious that they would eventually find all the riddles, but he wanted them to feel stressed. Anxious. Desperate.
"So.. the man who invented it, doesn't want it. The man who bought it, doesn't need it. The man who needs it, doesn't know it. What is it?" he asked with a devilish grin upon his face.
"Is it a coffin?" Miley said, a bit annoyed by the vulgar nature of this particular riddle.
"Well done!" Malzahar clapped his hands in approval. "Take this one as well, my lovely insect monsters. And now for the last one." He turned to look at Taylor. "Do you think you're good enough, you..." suddenly, he realized that he had never learnt their names.
"My name's Taylor. And yes, I do think I know this." he said, confident. "We've found every other riddle you gave us. This last one won't be such a big challenge. And I'll do it for my girl, Anastasia. And my friends. To save everyone." he continued, trying to keep as calm as he could.
"Oh, did I accidentally give you hopes? When I said that you get to be free, I meant that only you will be free. Anastasia stays here, whatever you do" was Malzahar's response.
Rage was building up inside Taylor, burning him. "Why are you doing this? Just because she's fertile?" he bursted, not able to hold himself back any more. "You know you could do what you want just fine as with every other woman, right?" he shouted.
"Shut up, mortal." Malzahar said, annoyed by his reaction. "Answer the riddle and then we'll bargain for your beloved woman."
"Fine." Taylor said, still angry.
"And now for the last one" he repeated. "Pay attention. Give me food and I will live, give me water and I'll die. What am I?"
"It's fire!" said Taylor.
"Correct once again.." Malzahar said. "You've saved yourself, but she still stays."
"No!" Taylor L. objected. "I'm not going anywhere without her!"
"You have not realized what's going on here, have you? Let me cut a deal with you... You and all of your friends will be allowed to go, but I have two conditions." said the prophet.
"Let me hear them." Taylor responded calmly.
"First, all your memories from today will be gone. And second..." he pointed at Anastasia, "she stays here. I can erase her from your memory if you want. You won't remember she ever existed."
"... I can't." was Taylor's answer.
"If you don't take that offer, all of you will die." said the prophet, and then he motioned the insects to bring the others there, so they could hear about his offer too.
Taylor L. quickly explained them the deal. They all agreed that they couldn't stay there.
"Fine!" he said eventually, annoyed. "If it's up to me to decide, I'm ready."
"Alright then. What's your decision?" the void prophet asked him.
"You'll let everyone go and erase their memories, but I'll stay here with her." was his response.
What does he think he's doing? Malzahar thought, staring at him for a bit, till the tiny brunette interrupted his thoughts.
"Erase our memories? Eh, how much of them exactly?" Fanie asked him.
He turned to look at her. "Just those of tonight" he responded.
She thought about it for a while and then said "I'm actually fine with it. If it's only for this night."
"Yeah, it's better this way" Selena added. "I won't have to see nightmares about your hoodied face and this place." Wow, that actually rhymed. Should I add it in one of my songs?
"What's wrong with my face?" he asked her, curious as to what she would respond.
"Not really your face, but.. all this dark magic.. your devilish voice and all that stuff you did earlier..."
"You talk too much, mortal. If you say one more comment, then I will have to silence you for good." he threatened her.
"Is it gonna be that way, then?" Taylor L. asked, trying to get them back to the deal-discussion.
"No. You have to understand one thing, boy. Once she gives birth to my child, she'll die. There's no point in you staying here."
"I'm pretty sure you're tresspassing her rights, you know. She wouldn't want to stay with you. Why don't you wake her up so she can tell you that herself?" Fanie asked, interrupting them once more. This girl is getting on my nerves.. But, she was right. Anastasia had the right to know. So, he woke her up without a second thought.
"Mmmm... the-the baby! Taylor! The rocks! The doctor wasn't-" she felt panicked when she opened her eyes.
Malzahar cut her off. "Calm down, my lovely Anastasia"
They explained the situation to her. She just looked at them, confused. "How can I be useful to you now? Because of you, I lost my baby" she said.
"It's very simple." the prophet explained to her, smiling. "If you want me to let your friends free, you'll have to stay here with me and have my son. Oh, and, persuade your boyfriend to go with the others, too."
Stay there and have his son? WHAT?