The girl had to admit, it was easier the second time, but the thought didn't give her any comfort. She hated to think that she was getting used to the feeling of drowning. She breathed deeply as the darkness receded from her vision, just barely holding back a gasp for breath. Death had already moved away from the portal without her, leaving her hobbling to catch up. She looked up as she passed beneath the thick ceiling of the Tree's root and was dumbfounded to find that it no longer looked as it once did. No longer were its branches covered in lush leaves, and its trunk was a ghostly petrified gray. Its skeletal limbs reached into a bleak sky that lightly rained ashes onto an equally bleak landscape. 'Dead' was a good word for it. The entire world was painted in shades of gray, from the dark craggy cliff faces to the ash-covered hills.
"Ooh… this looks… fun…" she said uneasily as she came up beside the Horseman.
"This is the Kingdom of the Dead," he told her flatly, "What exactly were you expecting, a welcome party?"
"Well, someone's snippy," she quipped, "Can we just go? We're almost there right?"
"So ready to be rid of me, are we?" Death asked, folding his arms over his chest. "I hate to disappoint you but you'll have to bear with me for a while longer. The City of the Dead lies a ways to the South and there are many obstacles in our way." Death whistled sharply and Despair materialized from the mists between worlds. Once more, the Horseman pulled himself into the saddle, wordlessly offering a hand to the girl. Her face pinched in obvious discomfort, but took his hand nonetheless. He lifted her as though she weighed nothing.
She remained unusually quiet throughout the journey, lost in thought. Something was bothering her, that much was certain, but Death didn't feel as though prying would help; she seemed angry enough with him as it was.
Even through The Breach, when Despair was sent away and she was forced to cling to his back, her cheeks bright pink with embarrassment, as he leapt over chasms and ran along the walls, the girl said nothing save to grumble and gripe.
"Alright girl," he said at last, "this attitude of yours is getting very old. What is bothering you so much? Last time I checked, you were just happy to be alive."
"I'm fine," she snapped as she slid from his back.
"You're hardly convincing me girl. After all this you've done nothing but complain and I've become very tired of it."
"I told you I'm fine, I'm just- I'm fine. Can we just go?" She tried to move past him but Death blocked her way.
"We're not going anywhere until you're finished with your little tantrum. Now what is your problem?"
The girl was reminded once again how huge the Horseman was compared to her. His frame loomed over her as he stared her down, burning ember eyes accusing, unrelenting. He was Death, and he would not be denied. She swallowed, feeling more intimidated than even the first time she met him.
"I-" she stopped, swallowed again and took the tiniest of steps back if only to find some relief from his presence. "I-I just… don't… want to be alone again…"
Death blinked. That actually wasn't quite what he was expecting.
"You won't be alone," he said slowly, unsurely, "Sure, I wouldn't exactly call the Crowfather decent company, but he will be there to ensure your safety."
She shook her head. "That's… not it. You're… kind of the only person who can help me. What happens to me if you don't come back?"
Death leaned back and saw her take a breath. "I will come back Little One. I don't go back on my promises. The only thing standing in the way now is you. So I will ask you one more time. Do you trust me?"
A flurry of emotions battled for dominance across her face. He could see her urge to snap a cynical response, but knowing rationally that it would be a mistake. Eventually she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Alright, yeah, you're right," she said with a sigh. "You're doing this for me and I'm not being fair. I do trust you, I really do. I guess this is just a lot for me to deal with." She paused, eyes narrowing. "Why are you doing this for me? I know you said it's to save your brother, but… you've put up with me more than you probably needed to."
The Horseman thought for a moment. "I suppose… it is because you remind me of my siblings." He could even say that it wasn't a lie. Throughout their journey together, Death couldn't help but to draw parallels between the girl and his own family. In her sharp tongue he saw Strife, in her raw determination there was Fury, and in her stubbornness there was War. It took him back. Back to a time when the Nephilim were new to Creation; before the hostility, before the genocide. Even Death's brothers and sister were children once.
"My family comes before all else. I don't mind adding another to that list."
The girl's lips pulled into a little smirk and she let out a snort. "That was really sappy," she told him, shoulders shaking slightly with suppressed laughter. "Very sweet though. I'll try to live up to it. And… I'm sorry I've been such a pain."
Death shook his head. "Well… you've made things more interesting at least. I'm not going to be forgetting you anytime soon. Now come," he gestured further into the darkness of the Breach, "We're nearly at our journey's end."
"Let's get going then. Humanity isn't going to save itself." She strode past him with as much dignity as possible with a limp, only for the Horseman to easily overtake her.
"What exactly do you mean by that? I'm the one doing all the work," he growled.
"And I'm here to provide moral support! Don't we make such a great team?"
"You make it so very difficult to continue enjoying your company."
"You'd miss me if I was gone, admit it."
The City of the Dead rose from the barren landscape like a tombstone. The girl felt a shiver crawl up her spine as they passed into its shadow.
"Woah…" she whispered, "The Crowfather couldn't have picked a better place to live?"
"He's not exactly 'living' anymore. Where else would the dead end up than here?"
"The Crowfather's dead?" she leveled a glance at the Horseman. "Did you have anything to do with that by any chance Big Guy?"
"Why would you instantly assume I had anything to do with it?" he replied innocently.
Her eyes went from the skull-shaped mask, to the scythes at the Horseman's sides, to the half-rotted horse they rode upon. "No reason."
He ignored her. "He may be no more than a spirit now, but the Crowfather is strong, not to mention stubborn. He will ensure that you will remain safe."
"I suppose anything's better than waiting to get eaten by demons back on Earth. Let's get this over with."
She let him help her down from Despair's back before the beast vanished, leaving the two of them to walk into the gloom of the city.
"So why here?" She asked, voice never rising beyond a paranoid whisper. "Why keep me here of all places."
"The Dead Kingdom is a curious place," he explained, though he didn't bother to whisper; nothing here could hurt him anyway. "It exists on the dark side of the Tree of Life; the Tree of Death. It is here that the spirits of the dead go as they wait to enter the Well of Souls. The City purifies them, tests them, to see if they are strong enough to continue on. To them, this lasts an eternity, and a blink of an eye." He pointed up and the girl followed his finger. High in the soot colored sky, a star blazed weakly down, its warmth never enough to breathe life into a dead land. Something about that star seemed especially strange to the girl.
"It hasn't moved," she muttered.
"Exactly," The Horseman answered. "Time does not move here the way it does for other worlds, for time does not matter to the dead. So long as you are here, it won't matter how long I'm gone."
The groans of spirits accompanied them through the city streets. Every now and then the girl would catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye, only to catch a glimpse of a transparent face staring at her from around a pillar. They were always gone before she could get a closer look. A small creature darted under her feet and the girl jumped with a squeak.
"Oh my god, please tell me we're close," she groaned. Death chuckled.
"After everything you've seen, that scared you?"
"I'm a bit on edge alright! I don't exactly feel like I'm welcome here."
"The dead are envious of the living. You have something they do not possess. So yes, you could say that they don't want you here."
"Comforting…"
"Worry not, they won't touch you. They may be dead, but they are not so stupid as try while I'm here."
The hall widened into an atrium where the floor fell away into the depths of the dead earth. The girl risked a peak over the edge to find the interior of the well shrouded in a thick mist. Death grabbed hold of her collar and dragged her away before she could get any closer.
"I wouldn't if I were you," he said, "The souls of your people were once trapped in that well."
She grimaced, glancing back with a look of horror before following him. The Horseman led the way out of the massive chamber and into another one. This one, though not quite a large, opened up to overlook the Plains of the Dead and the ashen sky beyond. Well, the sky that wasn't blotted out by a swarm of crows anyway.
The sound of their cries could be heard across the room. The crows had gathered loyally, impossibly, to flock to their master even from beyond the grave. The birds nesting in the arches and rafters turned their beady eyes to watch the pair as they approached the Crowfather. The Old One appeared like a giant crow himself in his cloak of feathers.
"Well, you took your time, didn't you Horseman?" The Crowfather called. Death had to hold back an exasperated sigh. The Old One was nothing if not persistent. The Horseman wouldn't have been surprised if when next he visited the Icy Veil, the old crone would be there on his throne, ready with a nasty look and biting response.
"I see the girl has survived the trip as well," the Crowfather continued. "She may remain here in my care while you complete your quest."
"Iiiiis it too late to change my mind about this?" the girl muttered from halfway behind Death's back.
He turned and knelt, placing his hands on her shoulders, "This is the last I will ask of you Little One. I cannot risk your safety any further. You will be safe here until I return."
She looked up at him. "I know, just- you will come back for me, right?"
"You have my word. I don't know when I'll be back, but I promise you that when I do, I will return you home. I won't stop until your people have been restored, and my brother absolved of his crimes."
She gave him a little melancholy smile, raising a tentative hand to grasp his wrist in a show of faith.
"I know you will."
The Crowfather stepped up beside them. "The time has come, Death."
"Chill out, Old Man," the girl huffed, "for God's sake we're having a moment here."
Death chuckled as the Crowfather's face sank into a wrinkly scowl.
"He does have a point Little One. It is long past due for me to continue my quest."
"Yeah, alright. Just make sure to come back Big Guy."
Death simply nodded, turning to leave before looking back.
"You know, I don't believe we've been properly introduced," he held out a hand. "I am Death, Horseman of the Apocalypse."
The girl snickered and shook her head. She clasped his hand in a firm grasp of her own. "Hi Death," she said with a grin, "I'm Hope."