Angelus Mortis

by Loveless81

Angelissa Caelum finds a demonic cat that has escaped from the Underworld - leading her to encounter Death Himself. Her best friend is adamant the cat is evil - but they soon discover much more sinister forces are at play, determined to stop Elissa from fulfilling an ancient prophecy written in the stars themselves [Spin-off Quietus AU]

44. Part XLIV: Reconciling with Death

Part XLIV: Reconciling with Death

The air was rank with the stench of tobacco; a scent that was disturbing in its familiarity. Like a weathered house that had never been a home. Like an embrace that provided no comfort. A childhood without so much as a day's innocence.

Levi knew he would reek of it by the time he got home.

Disgusting.

Kenny had clapped a hand on his shoulder as he stepped through the crumbling remains of what had once been a doorway. Despite his obvious reluctance, Kenny turned Levi around to face the crowd of rugged men and women that lounged about the old hideout. Some faces he recognized, others were new to him, but judging by the begrudging respect written into their expressions, he assumed they all knew who he was.

Rifles lined the decrepit walls behind the gathering and he noticed the bulge of hidden pistols in the belts of a few others. The weaponry gave him pause. It was no easy feat to get one's hands on such an extensive amount of firearms. The mere fact that Kenny found it necessary for the mission at hand had Levi frowning at the old man. What had he gotten Levi wrapped up in?

Kenny placed a handgun into Levi's hands, as well, his crooked grin seeming quite pleased with himself. At his protegé's questioning gaze, the older man rasped, "Old Adam's Hunting Supplies seems to have misplaced a shipment or two." He shrugged, before adding with a wry grin, "Finders keepers."

Levi shook his head at the man's careless dismissal and frowned down at the cold metal in his hands. He had never liked guns, not even when he had had a use for them. His calloused hands had long since grown accustomed to the shapes of kettles and the machinery of his tea shop. The warmth of freshly-brewed tea and the warmth of the woman he loved. Still, somehow, the cold metal sat in his grip as if it belonged there. As if it had been waiting for him.

Dismissing what he considered to be useless musings, Levi secured the pistol at his belt. He didn't have to use it, he reminded himself, but it was better to have and not need than to need and not have.

"Didn't think I'd see you on this side again," a warm voice greeted behind him. Levi turned to find a friendly face with warm blue eyes smiling at him. Unruly blond hair was tied back in a half ponytail; the man seemed to be trying to grow a beard on that handsome, scarred face.

"Eld," Levi acknowledged with a nod.

Eld's face lit up and he beamed at having been recognized, only to be shoved aside by a younger man who somehow managed to appear even older than the both of them. His curly ash-blond hair was cut in Levi's own style, short with an undercut, in a manner that looked devilishly handsome on Levi but awkward on the other man. Even his expression seemed to be drawn in perpetual disdain, a misinterpreted imitation of Levi's weary apathy.

"Oh, you, he remembers, does he?" the second man sneered.

"Ouruo," Levi answered flatly. "How are you this childish and still alive?"

Ouruo's eyes lit up and he immediately turned away to hide his tears of emotion behind another member of the group. "He does remember me!" he whispered, too loudly for the exclamation to miss Levi's ears.

"Enough," a young, blonde woman stepped between them. "There's no point in a tearful reunion," she cast Levi a disparaging look. "He's only back for a day."

Levi thought he recognized her as Annie Leonhart, who, as a child, had been brought into the group by Reiner Braun, another member of their group who was watching him stoically from the crowd. Reiner had been only a little older than her himself.

The young woman's reminder served to dampen the group's excitement, and Levi couldn't help but agree with her. This was a temporary setup that he had been forced into, he would walk out on them again the first chance he got.

There was no point getting attached.

"A night," Levi corrected with a nod, before turning to Kenny. "Tell me you've got a plan, old man. Or do I have to do that for you, too?"

"If your fists weren't as fast as your tongue, I'd have you out on your ass for that," the admonition was delivered with a chuckle; there was no truth to the threat.

Kenny adjusted the cowboy hat on his head before clearing one of the wooden crates with a sweep of his arm. He pulled out a large roll of paper and spread it out on top of the wooden slats.

Levi stepped closer, flanked by Eld and Reiner. A map of the area was sketched out on the aging parchment. The building they were holed up in at the moment was depicted there, as well as the various alleyways that led deeper into the abandoned, run-down part of town that had been zoned off by the county.

"Construction ahead, do not enter", read the signs that were to be found on every main road that led into these narrow paths. Any plans of rebuilding had been abandoned ages ago, Levi knew. Not profitable enough for the owners of the buildings to invest in, and those who did intend to turn this part of town around were quickly convinced otherwise by the various conflicting gangs that had made this place their homes.

Several buildings were circled in red, some roads crossed out and others highlighted by arrows. Little notes were scribbled on various parts of the map, and Levi recognized his uncle's handwriting.

"Well, Levi," Kenny answered on a puff of smoke. "It's time to get rid of those Marley bastards once and for all."

---

"I had not taken you for one to so foolishly jeapordize your own life."

Itachi's unexpectedly cutting words hung in the still air of Elissa's private chambers where the crackling flames in the fireplace did nothing to chase away the chill that stood stagnant in the air like a hundred ghosts - the cold of the strange and the foreign, the biting cold of being unwelcome.

"Say what?" Elissa gaped at him. He had whisked her away from the crowds and escorted her in stony silence to the privacy of her suite that had been assigned to her, but no sooner had the ornate, gold-and-onyx door closed behind them than he dispelled the mask that had concealed his features at court and turned on her with subtle embers glowing in those dark, coal eyes.

"I thought I did pretty well back there." She tossed her brown hair over her shoulder, fighting the urge to take a step back, and lifted her chin defiantly. "Considering I was left to fend for myself." Elissa speared him with a pointed look.

"Has Pasithea not instructed you in the manners of the court?" He asked coolly. His posture relaxed, his demeanor expressionless - although the tension in his jaw hinted at his growing irritation.

"Of course she did," Elissa threw up a careless hand, gesturing as she listed down the many rules they had drilled into her. "Don't argue, don't speak out of turn, suck up to the big man's ego, no matter how obnoxious and self-inflated -"

Itachi's eyes flashed and before she could speak another word she found herself pinned against the door behind her, his hand covering her mouth.

She glared up at him, but his hand did not budge from her lips - effectively silencing her - while his gaze remained fixed on the door behind her, brows furrowed in concentration. She wriggled against him, trying to get free, but for all she struggled she might as well have been a worm. He was immovable.

She settled instead for watching his earrings sway just over his shoulder, where his raven locks rested, fanning over the golden clasps of his onyx cloak. His body, pressed against hers, sent a different kind of heat coursing through her than the anger that had been bubbling up moments before - a heat she would thoroughly deny existed at all given that he was treating her like an insufferable child.

She was prepared to stomp on his foot and give him a piece of her mind, when suddenly, she heard it, too - footsteps passing by in the hallway behind her. Boots clacking against the marble floor. The scuffling sound drew closer and closer until suddenly, they stopped entirely - just outside her door.

Listening.

Her eyes widened in surprise and Itachi met her gaze then, an eyebrow cocked as if to underline his point - that there was no such thing as privacy, that there were ears everywhere - although he still did not release her. After what felt like an eternity, the footsteps finally passed and the minute Itachi's grip slackened, Elissa shoved him off, hoping he would attribute the heat in her cheeks to her anger.

"Get off of me!" She turned away, walking further into the room to place thinking distance between them, her arms folded over her chest as she tried to control her stupid, hormonal reactions to his unnecessary, otherworldly hotness.

He was Death - couldn't he just be ugly like it was?

It wasn't just his proximity that had her heart racing, though. She had been told to be careful, had been warned that she would be watched. But the reality of it came crashing down harder than she expected. Someone had passed right outside her door, with the clear intent to spy on her. And to what end? To go report to the mad king about her private affairs? Why?

To kill her in her sleep? What information were they hoping to glean? Or were they in fact spying on Itachi, and she was just an unfortunate bystander caught between them?

"You have risked much to come here," Itachi said slowly, interrupting the racing of her thoughts as he, too, moved further away from the door, his eyes tracking her movements. "It would be madness to risk your own life, and the lives of those you love, merely by failing to restrain a loose tongue."

"A loose tongue?!" Elissa whirled on him, hurt and indignant, her heavy, layered skirts twirling around her as she advanced on him. "Were we really hearing the same conversation? He insulted me - and you!"

"Not every insult requires a response." Itachi answered smoothly, making no effort to avoid her as she approached. His lack of emotion only stoked the fire of hers.

Elissa threw her hands up in frustration. "Of course you would say that! You had no problem kow-towing to that, that -" She paused, remembering how he had silenced her a moment ago, and the spies that had been stationed outside her door, and chose instead to redirect her anger. "He asked me direct questions, not answering wasn't an option. And I didn't see you speaking up for me."

She stood toe to toe with him now, her eyebrows furrowed over hazel eyes that glittered with fury. Itachi watched the flame blaze within them with something akin to wonder. Was this what she hid behind her cool sarcasm and quiet contemplation? What did it feel like, a part of him wondered, to cast off restraint and give free rein to the storm within?

Still, he knew, better than anyone, that it was precisely that restraint that was required to survive in this world. The only way to protect anyone was by controlling one's emotions with an iron grip, with a will of steel. That held truer than ever here in the savage Underworld.

"My silence was to your benefit."

"How?!" She shouted. He'd left her to fend for herself, abandoning her before that frightful despot, and then blamed her for how she went about it. How could he possibly claim that was in her favor?

"You are clever, Angelissa," he answered, cocking his head to one side. "Or do you claim the intent behind such simple court tactics escapes you?"

The words struck her like a physical blow to the face.

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Your reckless actions before Lord Cronus could be considered as such." Dismissive, cool nonchalance accompanied the insult and Elissa gaped at him like a fish out of water, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly. He had called her stupid!

She bristled, the disbelief on her face quickly morphing into indignant fury.

"You're unbelievable," she began, voice shaking with anger. "Do you have any idea how terrifying that was for me? How horrible it was, being stared at like some caged circus animal, having all those judging eyes on me? Listening to insult after insult, because how the hell could human vermin catch the eye of the noble, exalted Crown Prince?!"

She gestured angrily at his finery, placing emphasis on the word Cronus had used to refer to her person. "How ironic, that I'm asked the very same thing I can't even answer to myself! Because it's something we've never even spoken about!"

Not allowing him any opportunity to interrupt, she ranted on, "I've only just arrived here! I've barely had time to process any of this! I did the best I could, with the information that was given to me, with practically no time to rehearse anything. I was told what not to do - but nobody warned me that I'd be publicly insulted!

"And instead of understanding that, instead of helping me or giving me signs or doing anything to make it easier, you just stood there in silence and let me be humiliated! And now you're criticising me for failing to answer to your liking?"

She jabbed her index finger into his chest, glaring daggers up at him, knowing full well that she was likely treading on thin ice - but she was far too incensed to care. His actions - or lack thereof - had hurt her. And she needed him to understand that.

"Well, forgive me, my lord." Elissa had the brief satisfaction of seeing something flicker fleetingly across his midnight gaze at her sarcastic use of the formal title, though whatever emotion it had been was swiftly snuffed out a heartbeat later, replaced by infuriating apathy once again. "If you think my court etiquette is so lacking, maybe you should educate and prepare me better, instead of expecting me to read your mind!"

She spun on her heel, too irked to look at his infuriating face any longer. After having left her own home and trusting him to ensure her welfare, she didn't deserve to be treated with such blatant disrespect. She'd go stay with Pasi, or seek out the kitchen staff. She told herself she'd rather be anywhere else but with him at that point.

Before Elissa could take a single step away however, he caught hold of her wrist. Her angry attempt to yank her hand forcefully out of his firm grasp was immediately foiled as he spun her effortlessly back around, and pinned her hands above her head against one of the posts of her four-poster bed in one fluid, lightning-fast motion. She felt the grain of the mahogany wood against the back of her wrists and glowered seethingly up at the taller deity, who only looked down at her with an impassive, unreadable expression.

Always so calm and perfectly composed. Always so vexingly unaffected. Her fiery temper flared anew, and she kicked at him, aiming for the space between his legs, but he blocked her attempts smoothly by closing the distance between them and separating her legs with one of his own, sending an unexpected jolt through her.

Elissa's chest heaved from the force of the unrestrained emotions that were running rampant within her. Her heart thundered against her ribcage, and she could hear the rushing of her blood roaring in her ears. They were too close now, far too close. She could feel his warm breath against her forehead. Could feel the golden adornments of his tunic pressing into her skin, his own chest brushing against hers. But she held fast onto her ire, refusing to allow his electrifying proximity to distract her.

"Get away from me," she hissed, furious beyond measure.

Itachi only held her gaze coolly, before answering quietly - but firmly. "No."

"Jerk," Elissa spat, struggling to pull her hands free. It was only his one hand holding both of her wrists tight. Two against one meant she had to have a chance, at least. She tugged with all her might at his grip, trying to shake him off, trying to prise her wrists loose, but he merely watched her struggle with something like muted amusement in those onyx depths. She hated him for it at that moment. Hated how powerless she was in his grasp.

It was futile, and she knew it. Where brute strength was concerned, there was no way to win against him. He was a god, and she was just a human. And in that moment, she was painfully reminded of all the ways they could never stand on equal footing.

With an exasperated huff, she fell back against the wooden column and blew stray strands of chestnut hair away from her face in frustration.

"What do you want?" she seethed, giving up the fight - for now.

Itachi watched her a moment more, distracted by the short breaths escaping her pouted lips and the flush of anger on her cheeks.

"What I want," he answered unhurriedly, "is for you to understand."

Elissa scowled at him, before rolling her eyes. "Understand what?"

"That you have no power here." His dark eyes shifted and the blackness of night within them gave way to a bloodred dawn - the infamous sharingan. The perilous eyes she was meant never to look into unless they were his.

Elissa's heart pounded as intense crimson pinned her in place. She was well aware that he could transport her into a world of beauty and enchantment, or anguish and torment, or anything else he desired, with less than a thought, and she would never know it wasn't reality unless he saw fit to release her from the illusion. To thrill or inflict terror - the choice was entirely his, up to his whim.

But right then, he was merely looking at her and not activating any of his techniques. It served only as a reminder. He leaned in closer, until his lips were at her ear, warm and soft. She couldn't help the shiver that raced down her spine - or the memory of how those lips had felt on hers that Christmas evening. How long ago that now seemed. How very different things had been then. She'd thrown caution to the wind that night, given into temptation whilst blind to the full reality of her situation. A harsh reality that had only truly hit her once she'd entered his realm.

"You are weak." The words were cold, factual. "And if you fail to play your role with care, the ones to pay for your indiscretion will be your parents," he paused and she held her breath. "Your family."

He pulled back ever so slightly, meeting her eyes. "Your friends."

"What do you mean?" Elissa answered in a hushed whisper, ice-cold alarm coursing through her. "I thought we were here because I'm the one in danger?"

There was something then, a flicker of indecision in Itachi's eyes that was quickly dampened and veiled by the mask of indifference he always wore.

"Why did I not speak in your defense?" he asked, instead.

He was dodging the question, and Elissa narrowed her eyes at him distrustfully. Still, a part of her knew she wouldn't be able to drag answers out of him that he was unwilling to give. She had learned that the hard way.

She knew what he had been getting at from the very beginning. It was obvious when she considered the way he carried himself whenever in public here.

"I'm not an idiot," she spat. "If your goal is to make it seem as if I don't matter then congratulations! You've even got me fooled."

He merely held her gaze, the scarlet pools of his sharingan boring down into her vibrant hazel eyes, strewn alight with righteous anger. The moment held, with the two of them reading the other's intentions and refusing to cede ground as Elissa's glare did not waver and Itachi's hold on her hands did not slacken.

At length, the alarming crimson shade of his sharingan gave way to familiar night-kissed onyx hues and Itachi dropped his gaze, his long, thick lashes hiding whatever torment lay hidden in those eyes from her.

"The things you care for are your weaknesses, here." He released her and gently brought her hands down from where he had pinned them over her head. "Take care to hold your cards close to your chest, Angelissa."

Elissa shot him a hateful look and rubbed at her wrists, glad to have blood flowing through them again. Itachi's displeasure seemed to have died down, although she could not fathom why that was, especially since she was still upset.

She stiffened when he brushed back a stray strand of sun-kissed walnut hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on the golden drop earring dangling from her lobe. The earring that had replaced his own.

"Victory here does not mean having the last word in an argument," he murmured. "It means keeping your loved ones alive."

His gaze shifted from the delicate earring to meet her eyes, gleaming onyx burning into her blazing hazel irises. "Do you understand?"

"No, I don't." She lifted her chin, refusing to be mollified. "So you're saying I have to pretend not to care? That's bullshit. No amount of pretending is going to convince anyone that I don't care about my friends and family. And why would they be targeted, when I'm right here? Isn't this exactly where the enemy wants me?

"And if you want me to believe you stayed silent to protect me, to pretend that you don't care about me, then why did you take my hand in front of everyone?"

"You alone are the target," Itachi confirmed with a nod. "Provided you do not supply anyone with an incentive to punish you."

Elissa frowned as she considered that response. If she drew the wrong kind of attention, if she made it look like she would need convincing, if she made it look like she needed to be broken, would whoever lurked in the shadows seek out the means to do just that? Was that what he was getting at?

His fingers found her chin and he drew her tormented gaze back to his own frustratingly tranquil, dark eyes.

"Why would you claim you do not matter?" His eyebrows furrowed, as if in genuine confusion. His grip shifted and his hand moved to cup her cheek affectionately. "It is precisely because you are precious to me that I wish for you to proceed with care.

"If I were required to answer for you, if I needed to shield you, you would become the constant object of torment and ridicule merely to provoke a reaction from me." Elissa searched his eyes for the truth behind those words, but they were as unreadable to her as ever. "I have brought you here as my betrothed, Angelissa. Only a fool would think you are of no consequence to me."

Precious. Something fluttered within Elissa's chest. His words sent her into emotional whiplash, and threatened to temper her anger. Had he ever spoken that out aloud? That she was precious to him? Elissa's pulse raced at the unexpected and significant admission, and she stepped back, folding her arms over her chest, as if to retain a barrier between them.

It was tempting to allow what he had said to disarm her entirely. To yield to the warmth it bloomed within her, a warmth that threatened to thaw her icy fury. But Elissa refused to let that happen, refused to be robbed of her better senses and appeased by syrup-coated words. She still had further points she needed to make, things that she desperately needed him to understand.

"You're telling me that now. But you say one thing and do another. You hint at things then don't explain. When I was standing in that throne room, and you were silent, all I could think was that I should've gone to Olympus. That's how alone standing beside you made me feel. I came here, because of you. Because you were here. Because you promised to protect me."

She took a deep, shuddering breath, abandoning further rage to risk being vulnerable with him. To allow him to see, clearly, the deep hurt and disappointment he had inflicted upon her. "But you didn't."

A flash of emotion sparked in Itachi's eyes and his proud lips set in a thin line, but he snuffed out whatever it had been before she could look too closely. He stepped back then, offering her some space, but she caught hold of his sleeve, wanting to keep him close, not wanting to let him run away.

He was silent, conflicted, fighting demons she could not see. After what felt like an eternity, he answered solemnly, "I will always protect you and yours, Angelissa."

What he left unsaid rang clearly through the space between them. That he would always protect her - even if his actions, or lack thereof, made it appear otherwise.

But the trace of hurt she glimpsed in his eyes haunted her. She could not unsee it and she could not begin to comprehend what it could mean, what inner workings of his mind were concealed from her. What was he thinking and planning that she didn't know about? It caused a fresh wave of anxiety to course through her.

Ill at ease, she pressed, "That's what you say, but tell me now; is this how it's going to be every time I have to stand before him? Am I expected to tolerate the same level of disrespect from everyone else, just because I'm human?"

Itachi was silent for another moment. Then he replied, "The royal court is unforgiving. Most of all to your kind. The Underworld is no place for a mortal living."

Elissa frowned. Pasithea had given her a degree of warning about the viciousness of the court. But she could not have envisaged what that entailed - that the games played included enduring public humiliation, where not even her own betrothed would be permitted to stand up for her.

"Then you should have warned me before we went in there," Elissa accused. "I thought the royal engagement would give me some level of protection. Wasn't that the entire point of it?"

Itachi's dark eyes held hers, as if silently willing her to understand the unspoken. To read between the lines and look deeper, beneath that which was concealed and not made apparent.

"There is only one Lord of the Realm," he said.

It dawned upon Elissa at that moment. The betrothal did offer her protection. From everyone else except the very one who made the rules. Cronus himself. Cronus, who clearly did not suffer anyone to step out of line.

She bit her lip, searching Itachi's eyes for something she could not find. "If you'd told me before I went in there that your ruler would mock me in front of everyone, and that you'd not be able to defend me, then at least I would've been prepared. I need to know that I can rely on you, but I can't do that unless you're upfront with me. How can you expect me to understand things I'm not told about? I came here because you asked me to trust you."

She swallowed down her lingering anger, and stepped closer to him. He was all she had. And as hurt as she'd been by her unpleasant introduction to the royal court, Elissa also acknowledged that she was new to this foreign and frightening world where things were clearly not as they seemed. And that Itachi, as heir apparent, knew the rules here like the back of his own hand. He knew how to keep her safe - even if it meant acting in a way that she did not comprehend. A way that made no sense to her - but would be entirely logical to him.

It would not do, she realised, for them to be at odds. For them to argue and be so divided. Surely that was what the enemy wanted. They needed to get past this.

Stepping closer still, until she was once again toe-to-toe with him, she added, "I need to know you're on my side. That we're on the same page. I don't want us to be torn apart because of stupid misunderstandings that could've been avoided if you'd just communicated with me."

"I am, as ever, your protector, Angelissa," he reassured her. "However, you must not underestimate the danger here," he continued. "There is an advantage to being of little consequence, to the anonymity of being of no notice." He reached for her hand, stroking his thumb gently over the back of it in a soothing motion that sent distracting sparks up her arm from the point of contact.

"Use the shadows to your favor. Be clever, Angelissa. Outwit them. Let them think little of you." He raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a chivalrous kiss to the back of it that sent her worries scurrying like wayward mice to the corners of her thoughts. Her skin tingled at the soft brush of his lips - a touch of ice, a touch of fire.

He lifted his onyx gaze from her hand to her stunned, hazel eyes and finished, "Let them regret it."

She stared at him, torn between the damned emotions his touch always awoke within her - emotions she was starting to suspect he perhaps used to his calculated advantage - and the remnants of indignant anger still coursing through her. It was hard to stay angry, though, hard to remember that she had a very good reason for being so furious when he looked so sad. When the things he said sounded so genuine. Elissa was fairly certain he was not the type to speak such words lightly.

He had expressed his regret, and explained that his lack of action had been a conscious and necessary choice designed to draw attention away from her, so that she would not in turn be used to get to him. The political games played in court were clearly cunning and sinister in their nature, and Elissa realised that it was more imperative than ever that she learned to play the game effectively.

Itachi had assured her of her importance. That he would protect her - in his own way. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't that all she had wanted, all the reassurance she had sought? She cursed herself for being so affected. She wasn't sure whether or not she still had more to say, but hoped she'd already said enough to make him understand her perspective.

It was hard to continue to hold a grudge, when those lovely, full lips were so close to her own. When the intensity of those dark eyes was fixed directly on her. She felt feverish. She wanted him to step away so she could think clearly. She wanted him to come closer so she would never have to think again at all.

"If you need me to stop speaking, give me a sign," she said finally, averting her gaze to break the damning spell his eyes cast on her - both with or without the sharingan. "If I'm doing something wrong, help me. Don't leave me alone."

"You have my word," he promised, and then stepped back again, this time to give her the space he sensed she needed. Space for her racing heart to settle, space for the heat in her cheeks to cool. She seemed to recall at that moment as well, that her soul was a traitor that blurted out all the secrets of her body to him. A wisp of her essence that could not help but announce when he sent her heart aflutter, that whispered tell in his ears, when his touch set the blood in her veins alight.

But he had the grace not to let on and Elissa pushed away from the bed, eager to dispel the tension in the air.

"I'll hold you to it, you know," she raised her eyebrows. "Your word."

His eyes trailed slowly over her features. "I would expect no less," he answered softly.

Their gazes locked again, a brief silence falling between them, broken only by the crackling of the fire in the hearth behind him. The warmth of the firelight illuminating the chamber set a glow about Itachi's arresting form, and at that moment, the irresistible magnetic pull Elissa felt toward him was smothering. Consuming. She needed to change the subject, before that heavy-lidded gaze made her want to do something else reckless. To be reckless in an entirely different way.

"Okay," she clapped her hands as if to dispel some invisible dust. Or perhaps it was to shake herself back to her senses. "So what's next on the Underworld orientation day agenda?"

Itachi glanced out the window as if gauging a measure of Underworld time that escaped her. "My mother will be expecting us for dinner, at your leisure."

"Dinner?" she queried with a wince. "Is this going to be another grand affair?"

He shook his head, "Only my immediate family will be present."

No less daunting than facing an entire court, Elissa thought to herself.

"Shisui and Pasi? Will they be there?" she asked hopefully. They were the most normal Underworld inhabitants she'd encountered so far, and would surely help relieve the awkwardness that was bound to happen.

But Itachi dashed her budding hopes. "Unfortunately, Shisui finds himself otherwise occupied this evening, and Pasithea is tending to a few affairs in his stead."

"Welp. I guess it's just us against the world, then." Elissa stated, almost as a peace offering.

"Indeed," He held his arm out to her. "I shall hope you find my company sufficient." A small, mischievous smile teased at his lips in challenge and Elissa breathed an inaudible sigh of relief as she took his arm, glad their argument had come to an amicable close.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" She shot back with a forced grin as they headed out the door.

But even as they left her bedroom behind and stepped out into the candle-lit hallway together, Elissa could not help but wonder what he'd meant when he insinuated that other lives were at stake - and whether she dared to believe the answer could be as simple as the explanation he had offered.

---

Levi made his way through the steady drizzle of the night rain, up the narrow alleyway, his black combat boots splashing through puddles that reflected the moon above, partially concealed by dark clouds. He was flanked by Eld and Ouruo, with Reiner and Annie bringing up the rear as they made their way to their target.

The night air was crisp and clear as it only was after rainfall but Levi knew the quiet peace of the evening would be short-lived. He had never thought he would have to live through another night such as this one. A night that began with gentle rain and tender moonlight and ended with blood and screams. It was familiar - like coming home - but that was wrong. Impending terror was not supposed to settle his nerves and calm his mind.

He flexed his hand and clenched it into a fist, casting off his wayward thoughts. Did it matter? At the end of the day, he had a job to do.

The small group was armed with rifles and pistols, hunting gear rather than tactical gear, but it spoke to the scale of the violence Kenny anticipated tonight. They had been instructed to avoid using the firearms, if possible, until they were more deeply into enemy territory.

Levi ran his thumb along the edge of his knife in its holster almost without thinking as they hastened along their designated route. He planned to avoid using the stolen firearms entirely. Knives were more precise, they let him predict the exact extent of the damage he was doing and allowed him to disable his opponents without crippling them. Guns were more tricky, even with the best of aim.

Not to mention that the noise would jeapordize the operation as a whole. The gang had subtly warned the residents on the outskirts of this area against calling the authorities that evening, but if shots were fired, it would only be a matter of time.

Clearing out an enemy gang of their territory was bold - ambitious, even. Their feud spanned back to Levi's earliest memories. The days when Kenny's group - the Eldian Devils - had held the entire county from the sea to Maidstone were long past. The area had been split between the two groups at some point before Levi had been taken in by his uncle and joined the gang as a result.

He had grown up surrounded by the bitter resentment surrounding that particular fact and knew Kenny and his people had always wished to get their land back from the Yeagerists. The name they gave themselves - the Marley Wolf Pack - was so seldom used, most people forgot about it until they were reminded. Instead, they were known by the name of their leader, Zeke Yeager, whose commands they followed unflinchingly.

He understood now why Kenny had been so insistent on getting him in on this final raid. Why he had gone to such lengths to insure his cooperation. It was a significant attack, symbolic - and almost impossible.

Levi held out a hand to stop his teammates in their tracks. They fell in line behind him, pressing their backs against the wall as they listened for the sound of footsteps.

This had been his idea. Taking a small group of elites to attack their center of command, so that when the ambush hit with the rest of their force, they would be leaderless and disoriented. If the two groups simply attacked one another in an all-out gang war it would be a bloody massacre and Levi still wished to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. This wasn't who he was anymore.

Somehow, no matter how many times he reminded himself of that fact, the words rang hollow. Like a lie told to a child so they could sleep at night. Was he the liar or the child? He didn't know.

Just as Ouruo was about to complain that they were being overly cautious for no reason, the sound of boots clacking against cobblestone met their ears. One pair… no, two.

Levi glanced at his squad and caught Eld's eye, wordlessly jerking his head over his shoulder in a command the older man knew well from days past. Eld nodded in confirmation and the two of them waited until the enemy had passed them by before stalking silently towards them through the cover of night.

It took only moments. Levi's hands reached out automatically. One to cover the man's mouth, the other to strike a swift blow to the head that had him crumpling to the ground. He'd likely awaken in an hour or two, to find that the world he once knew had changed entirely and that he needed to rethink his loyalties - and fast.

A glance towards the man Eld had felled revealed that he wasn't breathing. His head was twisted at an odd angle. Questioning grey eyes sought Eld's unrepentant blue ones, but Levi's companion only shrugged.

"No point waiting for them to show up again as backup."

Right.

This was what Kenny had asked of them. Even if Levi tried not to kill anyone today, that didn't change the facts of what this operation meant - and he was complicit in it.

There would be more blood on his hands by the end of the night and there would be no way to wash it off. Levi recalled a raven-haired woman, likely wringing her hands in distress as she haunted the kitchen, pacing back and forth as she snuck glances at the wall clock.

Without responding to Eld, Levi gestured to the three members of his team to follow along now that the threat of discovery was dealt with. Five shadows slipped through the night as silently as a thread through the eye of a needle.

Levi led the way to the stronghold Kenny had marked on the map and tried not to think about the dead man they had left behind.

---

A long, black marble table was set with a tablecloth of dark blue, embroidered with gold thread and interspersed with cross-stitchings of the clan symbol - a red and white fan.

"Even the tablecloth?" Elissa thought to herself incredulously. These people would put the Uchiha crest on the toilet paper if they could. She caught herself rolling her eyes and stopped herself just in time.

Her polite mask was wearing thin, she realized. The day had dragged on, and she was starting to feel tired. After their argument, Elissa was determined not to make any more mistakes and she glanced at Itachi, hoping he remembered his promise to provide her with more guidance. Meeting a boyfriend's parents was challenging at the best of times, said family being a clan of deities was no improvement on that situation.

She could scarcely wait to be back in the relative privacy of her own chambers. The Underworld as she had experienced it thus far was stifling, pretentious, and not just a little delusional. The whole of it was very reminiscent of that childhood tale of the self-absorbed emperor and his invisible clothing.

If all of the Underworld's gods and goddesses were to combine their powers, surely they would be able to overthrow that horrid king and establish a fairer rule? Maybe Itachi could govern over them instead?

She glanced at the deity beside her as the thought struck her and was surprised to find him staring back at her, his expression unreadable. Could he read her thoughts? She supposed, after their argument, she ought to be even more careful where Cronus was concerned.

Unfortunately, the more Elissa was forbidden something, the more she found herself inexplicably drawn to what she had been advised against, but her train of thought was interrupted as servants fluttered along the long table setting down appetizers.

Abruptly brought back to reality, she looked down at her place setting. Inside of her large plate was another plate, and within that a soup bowl. To her left, were three forks of varying sizes and to her right, three knives, followed by three spoons and… yet another fork? No less than five crystal goblets in only slightly differing shapes and sizes were set before her as well, along with two teacups and saucers - one larger and one smaller. Yet another spoon and fork were set on the other side of her plate, along with a plate and knife set off to one side. Elissa resisted the urge to count the number of dishes they had set out for a singular person.

It was beautiful, of course, the utensils of gleaming gold and the dishes themselves of fine bone-china inlaid with intricate golden designs, and yet… Elissa couldn't help the feeling that it was luxurious to the point of being ludicrous.

A thin veil of anxiety settled over her as she wondered if she was truly expected to know what each of the items set out for her was for. Itachi had to know she had no experience with this level of formality - fine dining on crack. What was it she had read on the internet once, work your way from the outside in - or was it the other way around?

"Angelissa?"

A soft voice brought her out of her incessant musing and Eissa's head shot up as she saw that Itachi's mother - just the Goddess of Night, and the Queen of the Underworld, no big - had addressed her.

"Yes… ma'am?" Elissa answered awkwardly and then winced, sure she had been supposed to say milady, or some other such fawning sentiment.

"Nyx will do," the older goddess answered kindly, "Or Mother, if it pleases you."

Elissa's stomach felt much like it had that one time she had gone bungee jumping and Gabe had pushed her before she was ready. She was sure you could fry an egg on her forehead with the way her face was burning up.

"Oh, I -" she glanced at Itachi, who did not seem to see anything amiss and elegantly speared a bit of fig on the tines of his fork, ignorant to her dilemma even as Erebus was coughing into his wine glass and Sasuke glared daggers at her.

So, just like any other family, Elissa decided.

"I'm honored," she responded politely, not choosing either form of address.

The servants reentered then, serving the first course and filling the appropriate wine glass, saving Elissa from having to choose the correct one. She would just watch Itachi to see which utensils were appropriate.

"I'm most pleased to welcome you into our family," Nyx was saying again, her voice soft as the brush of a feather, but also sweet like honeyed poison. Velvety, like her son's, like it was wrapping itself around you to bend you to her will. Or was that simply the effect a goddess like her had on a mortal like herself?

Sasuke's glare shifted towards his mother before busying himself with stabbing at his soup. Elissa gulped. She had a feeling she knew who he was stabbing in his mind.

"It was most kind of you to take me in this way," Elissa answered honestly. "Thank you."

"Oh!" Nyx's eyes lit up the way a dog-lover's might when they saw their pet stand up on two legs. She glanced at her husband, who offered her a strained smile, and Elissa could practically hear her thoughts, "Look how well-trained she is!"

Elissa held back a sigh. It didn't look like this was going to get any easier.

"My son will have informed you of my heart's most ardent desire to welcome a daughter into my home," she smiled generously, as she gestured towards Itachi, who remained stoic at Elissa's side. "I couldn't be more pleased with his choice."

It was so kind, it couldn't be true. Of all the goddesses in this realm, and there were likely even more on Olympus, she couldn't imagine that his mother would be that delighted her son had chosen a mortal as his betrothed. With her life-span, Elissa must seem like little more than a dayfly to these people.

She was saved from having to answer by Nyx's next question. "Tell me of your first meeting. How first did you come to lose your heart to him? I must have all the details!"

"Uh…" Elissa thought the story of how she had found him in her living room and attempted to knock him out with a frying pan didn't make a most believable love story.

The servants rushed in to serve the second course and Elissa mulled over her next words as they served a succulent roasted bird with a side of vegetables covered in a sauce that smelled divine. The servant at her side took a little longer than strictly necessary and as Elissa glanced at her, she tapped inconspicuously on the table, indicating the correct silverware with a small smile and a wink before quickly making herself scarce.

Elissa's heart constricted as she watched the kind stranger disappear back into the kitchens. Had that been Slayte's role here? An unnamed servant whose kindness had gone unappreciated for an eternity?

She made a mental note to seek out the kitchens later and voice her thanks, but was brought back to the moment as Nyx called her name once more.

"I met Vetty first," Elissa answered, somewhat nervous. "And that gave me the ability to see him and, well…" She glanced at Itachi again, the picture of poise and etiquette as he ate quietly. "What's not to love?" she shrugged, still feeling like an impostor.

"Oh, well, I suppose that is quite true." Nyx hummed, she opened her mouth to ask yet another question when she was interrupted by her husband, "You've not yet touched your meal, wife."

He gave her a knowing look and she smiled, before picking up her knife and fork but turned to Itachi before so much as taking a bite.

"And you, son," she asked, unable to contain her curiosity, "what about her caught your notice?"

"Why ask him?" a petulant voice interrupted, and all present turned towards Sasuke, who shot his brother a hateful glare. "If he intended to tell us anything, he would have done so long ago. Clearly this human is dearer to brother than our family."

The corner of his mouth turned in disgust, with an expression not unlike the one Elissa wore when discovering a cockroach. She tried not to feel insulted.

"Sasuke," Itachi answered finally, and his dark velvet voice commanded silence at the table. The very sound of it was a comfort to Elissa, like a shield she could hide behind.

Even Sasuke's hateful glare melted into a frown, as Itachi continued, "She is a guest. Her honor is our honor."

"Guests aren't usually permanent," Sasuke scowled, but said nothing more.

Neither am I, Elissa thought to herself, but held silent. The tension at the table was suffocating. And Erebus had yet to say a word. If the men in this family were always this way, she could well understand why Nyx longed for female companionship. Elissa found herself wishing once more that Shisui and Pasithea hadn't been otherwise occupied this evening.

"Well!" Nyx smiled, clapping her hands together in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I simply must show you around the palace. After all, this is your home now." She shot Sasuke a meaningful look and continued, turning back to Elissa, "I shall send word tomorrow and the two of us will get to know one another better, what say you?"

"That sounds lovely," Elissa agreed, although an inner voice that sounded remarkably like Slayte shrieked at her not to agree to spending time alone with Nyx.

"I must disappoint you, mother," Itachi interrupted smoothly. "Angelissa's time tomorrow has already been accounted for."

Relief flooded her. They had made no plans, that she knew of, but it seemed he was finally coming to her rescue. Or, maybe, did he actually have plans for the two of them? She chanced a glance at Itachi but he seemed not to take notice.

She was relieved not to have to scrounge for an excuse to escape being left alone with Itachi's mother, who - as she recalled Slayte mentioning - was also Vetty's original owner?

As much as she appeared to be welcoming Elissa with open arms, the shrewd hazel-eyed woman could not help but be wary, given how entangled the goddess was with the circumstances that had led to Elissa being in the underworld at all.

The rest of the meal continued in relative silence, with Nyx attempting to lighten the mood by posing awkward, cheerful questions that no one seemed particularly inclined to respond to with more than noncommittal one liners or monosyllabic confirmations or denials.

Elissa almost felt bad for her, but she was more than happy to have escaped the woman's line of questioning.

She snuck another glance at Itachi, and was surprised to find him looking back at her, a kind, encouraging expression in his eyes. He had to be aware of how awkward the whole of this was.

He had visited her in her family's garden and had heard the laughter pealing from the chambers beyond those garden doors. Had heard her brother calling after her – the affection apparent in his teasing voice. She wondered what went through his mind. If there was some part of him that longed for familial bonds free of the political games that clearly governed every facet of life here. If he sometimes wished they could be free - as only mortals were.

She offered him her own, small, encouraging smile in return, although she wasn't sure if it gave him any comfort.

The sharp clang of a goblet angrily being slammed onto the table rang through the dining hall and Elissa turned her head just in time to see Sasuke rising from the table, his chair skidding loudly against the marble floor as he did so. Without another word to those present, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the chamber, leaving an awkward silence behind.

"Oh, don't mind him," Nyx attempted after an uneasy pause. "He's very attached to his brother." The goddess gave Itachi a look that seemed to say, be sure to have a word with him, before adding, "He'll come around."

"I understand," Elissa nodded easily. "It wasn't easy for me either, the first time my older brother brought someone home. It's perfectly normal."

The only normal thing here, so far, she added to herself.

Sasuke's abrupt departure left the four of them to finish their meals in silence and moments later the table was cleared, signalling finally that they were free to leave.

"Angelissa," Nyx called as Elissa rose from the table, eager to make her escape. "Do have a walk with me in the gardens, won't you, my dear?"

Elissa couldn't imagine anything she wanted less at that moment. Being constantly on edge from morning until now was giving her an awful headache and she was thoroughly exhausted.

Before she could think of an excuse however, Itachi's cool hand closed around hers. "Mother, it seems we are ever at odds with our claims on Angelissa's time."

Nyx positively glowed at the sight of their intertwined hands and, forgetting whatever her original intentions had been, she was quick to dismiss her previous suggestion.

"Oh! I have been remiss. Naturally, you will want to spend time with your beloved and introduce her to the wonders of our world yourself." With a smile towards Elissa she added, "Some other time, then, my dear."

Elissa nodded and squeezed Itachi's hand gratefully as he led the two of them down the hallway that led away from the dining hall.

---

Twenty men surrounded the perimeter of the building. Each armed with weapons of their own, which shouldn't have surprised Levi; if Kenny had found a workaround to the strict gun control laws, it should have been no surprise that Zeke was able to do the same. Still, he narrowed his eyes at the sight. For all his mind raced to try and find a way to reduce casualties, there seemed to be no escaping the fact that this was going to end up a mess.

A heavy bass line sounded from within the building and flashing lights reflected through the partially boarded windows onto the dark road. There seemed to be something to celebrate within - Zeke's birthday or some such nonsense, Kenny had said. The prime opportunity for a surprise attack. But a celebration meant the numbers inside would be difficult to estimate. It meant outsiders could get caught in the crossfire. Or worse, it could mean making an enemy of other groups that just happened to be there. There were too many variables.

"Tch," he surveyed the neighboring house once more from the rooftop where he sat perched, Annie and Eld close at hand. They had concealed themselves behind the roof extractors of the abandoned factory, the metal fans of which were covered in dust and cobwebs.

Annie crouched beside Levi and watched a spider creep along the sleeve of her jacket as her arm rested on her knee. They were waiting for Levi to make the call, to spring into action, but he had taken his time so far, observing the routes the so-called "guards" took.

They were more organized than your average rag-tag gang of lowlives, and he knew that was Zeke's work. He had met the man once or twice, and knew he had a charismatic flair that encouraged people to fall in line and do as he asked. The Yeagerists probably imagined they were, in fact, fighting for some higher purpose and not just angry rebels without a cause.

But that's exactly what they were - that's what they all were.

Levi gestured for them to come closer without looking away from the targets and Annie shook off the spider with a bored expression as she approached the older man. He was a living legend among the Devils - even if he had ultimately abandoned them - and she was beginning to see why. Nothing escaped those sharp, steel-grey eyes and his hands were as deadly as any weapon.

But his kindness seemed to be his weakness, she had noticed. Not wanting to kill, trying to reduce casualties - that would ultimately prove to be a distraction. She only hoped he wouldn't get them killed with his goddamn bleeding heart.

Reiner and Ouruo had taken the back entrance, securing their end of the perimeter and ensuring that Zeke didn't escape. That meant it was up to the three of them to take care of the twenty or so men who blocked the front entrance.

It was a three-step plan: secure the headquarters, infiltrate and capture key hostages, then establish their own center of business there, allowing the rest of the group to rendezvous there before clearing the rest of the Yeagerists from here to Maidstone. And it all hinged on relying on the bleeding-heart, retired, family man that was here against his will, to boot.

What was Kenny thinking?

Annie cracked her knuckles as she took position beside Eld, glancing at the guards switching places as she did so. The Yeagerists were odd, more like soldiers sometimes than simple thugs, but it made no difference. What the Devils lacked in discipline, they more than made up for with skill and determination.

"Take the right side," Levi was saying to Eld. "They'll be changing watch in four minutes; strike before they get settled. They're tired and not expecting trouble, so if you keep your head on your shoulders and be quick about it, you should be able to secure the side entrance without raising the alarm."

Eld nodded solemnly, his blue eyes tracing the route Levi had pointed out to him. Levi looked towards Annie then, beckoning her closer.

"See that?" he pointed towards the window on one of the upper floors where Annie could faintly make out a silhouette. "An armed guard," Levi clarified. "The watch on this side will start making their rounds in five minutes." He pointed out two bandits by the front entrance, "These guys are in his blind spot," then he pointed towards the others who yawned and made casual conversation with one another as they adjusted their weapons. "When they start making their rounds, we'll have about a three minute window until the watch upstairs will expect to see them again."

Annie counted them in her head, judging their skill levels by their builds, their postures, how seriously they were taking guard duty. Sixteen men between the two of them.

"Can you handle six?" Levi asked. There was no judgement in his eyes, he didn't attempt to shield her from responsibility on account of her being a woman. It was rare for someone to treat her that way without her having to teach them the lesson first, and so, she respected him for that.

Annie nodded wordlessly, glancing at the men below again. Wondering how he had divided them up in his plan.

"Take the ones heading north, I'll deal with the others." Levi's expression was placid as he laid out their plans. "Then circle back and secure the front entrance. I'll take care of the guard upstairs. When the time is right, I'll give you the signal. We need to have all the entrances secured by then."

Silence settled over the trio as they observed the movement of the night watch. "Stay alive," Levi broke the hushed stillness with the stern command, his eyes still fixed on the target. "That's an order."

The two of them nodded solemnly. Their operation was a risky one, but if they were successful it would prevent the needless deaths of so many others. Eld kept an eye on his watch as the seconds ticked by and Annie took a moment to breathe in the crisp night air before it all went to hell.

When the allotted time elapsed, Eld disappeared into the shadows and stalked the right alley Levi had pointed out. A minute later, Annie and Levi shared a tight nod before they, too, deserted the factory rooftop.

Levi stepped off the edge of the rooftop, free-falling to the ground below until he grabbed hold of the flagpole that extended from the side of the building, where a frayed and faded county flag swayed in the night air. He swung from the solid metal, using the momentum of his fall to leap to the ground and taking cover behind an abandoned, old white van.

He waited until the four he had been watching would have turned their backs before scaling the wall that separated the two buildings. Perched there like an inescapable scepter of doom, he observed, patient and motionless, until they were just below before leaping from the wall and landing directly on the first man's shoulders, covering his mouth as he did so.

He reached out for the other guard and rammed their heads together, knocking them unconscious in one swift motion. He had no time to count small victories as he dashed down the tiled path, where he would find the next four opponents.

Levi turned the corner and cursed under his breath as his quicksilver eyes met the surprised, wide eyes of his next target. The bastard had clearly turned back for something. A miscalculation that would cost Levi time that he didn't have.

The unfortunate guard opened his mouth to sound the alarm but Levi punched him in the throat, effectively cutting his cry short. As the man doubled over in pain, Levi caught him in the back of the neck with the edge of his hand, sending him falling face-down into a dirty puddle.

The noise had alerted the others, however, and Levi took a fighting stance as they turned and saw him. One of them lifted a handheld transceiver, likely to alert the men within the building and Levi reacted without thinking.

One moment, their plan was about to go up in smoke. The next, one of Levi's knives was sticking out the back of the man's hand and the radio transmitter lie on the floor - useless.

He charged, having no time to waste. The knife that swung at his side was dodged easily, and a well-placed kick sent the weapon spinning through the air, hilt over blade, to land smoothly in Levi's outstretched palm. He blocked the incoming punch on his left with his forearm and used his right elbow to knock the man's head downwards at the same time as he brought his knee up, effectively breaking his nose.

The first man - with the knife through his hand - somehow managed to approach Levi through the pain, pistol outstretched in his left hand - clearly not the dominant one. Lethal as poison, Levi grabbed the man whose knife he had stolen and, using him as a shield, charged at the armed man to intercept the bullet, making sure it hit him in the shoulder and not in any of his vital organs.

The near point-blank impact was vital in muffling the sound of the shot fired, but also meant he was less likely to survive the gunshot wound. Levi tried not to think about that.

Instead he grabbed the other man by the back of his neck as he dropped his gun in horror and confusion at having shot his comrade. "You have something of mine," Levi muttered as he grabbed the handle of his knife and, barely registering the look of terror in the other man's eyes, tore it out of the man's hand.

The guttural scream was muffled as Levi let him fall to the ground and smothered his face into the puddle with the sole of his boot. He waited a beat - two - but no reinforcements came, despite the noise.

He rolled the man over with his shoe and stared down at him, distant and unfeeling.

"Y- you're mad!" the man shouted, aghast. Not an unusual response. No matter how hardened they were, no matter the violence they had seen, there was something in Levi that terrified most. The raven-haired spectre only stared back, his expression aloof and unchanging.

"Maybe."

He kicked against the man's chest for good measure, before asking, "What can you tell me about the security inside?"

"Th-there's no security inside, it's just us out here."

Levi kicked him in the face, and took no notice as a tooth went flying. "Do I look like I'm the type of guy to lie to?"

The man with the broken nose struggled to his feet and made to approach, to rescue his comrade, but Levi had already retrieved the other man's pistol and held it pointed towards the broken-nosed fool to keep him in check.

"Well?"

"Three on the main entrance," the man eventually conceded, and added, "two on the first floor."

Levi nodded and glanced at his watch, he only had a few more minutes before the upstairs guard sounded the alarm - and there were six men left.

He would be faster if he killed them.

Shaking off the wayward thought, Levi instead bound and gagged them as quickly as he was able.

He was running behind, and if he failed, that meant more people would die. Kenny was taking a gamble on him, and although he hated how he had been baited into participating in this attack - he wasn't about to let the people he had once considered his brothers be killed just because he couldn't get his shit together.

The next six went down faster as Levi cast off his hesitations. Slashing through their tendons to bring them down - they might not walk again, but they would live. Or cutting through crucial arteries, not enough to kill them, but enough to take them out of the fight until they had received medical care.

He dodged, charged, and cut them down like a demon. It had been too long since he had last fought like this. Without a single thought in his mind, his body running on autopilot. Blood and sweat mingling as one.

He had less than half a minute left when he scaled the wall and slipped through the upstairs window, and in no time at all, that guard, too, was nursing his wounds with a pillow sheet stuffed in his mouth and his hands tied behind his back.

Levi stalked towards the window, casting a cursory glance at the courtyard. There were no further reinforcements. Retrieving a lighter from his pocket, he lit the flame and held it to the window for all of ten seconds, intermittently blocking the light with his hands - the signal he had communicated to Annie and Eld.

Satisfied that everything had gone to plan so far, he turned towards the door that led deeper into the building and exited the private bedroom. He found himself in a narrow hallway that led to a large main room where deafening music thumped against the walls and a small, largely inebriated crowd danced without a care in the world.

No one seemed to notice him, or the danger they were in. Like lazy sheep at pasture, unaware that a wolf was among them. A fatal mistake.

Levi fired two shots into the air, ample warning for those who did not belong there - his business was only with those who stayed behind. The blaring music easily muffled the ensuing screams, and as a horde went running for the exits - only to be intercepted by the other members of his team - another group, the actual Yeagerists, charged at him instead, ready to fight.

Not as ready as he was, though.

It passed him by in a blur, the slash of his knife, the impact of his fist, dodging counterattacks or blocking them, watching men crash to the ground like broken sacks of flesh. It was almost like a scene he was watching and not actively participating in. Bloodshed had once been second-nature to him, and that kind of violent knowledge did not fade with time, it would seem.

They were still alive, though. He hadn't killed anyone. And he no longer needed to convince himself that that was enough.

These weren't innocents; the Marleyans had their fingers in all sorts of pies from the drug trade to human trafficking. It was their gang Erwin had wanted help subduing in the first place.

Knowing this, Levi didn't care when they cried, or screamed, or begged. He barely even heard it. He had one singular goal. To carry his old gang to victory and then forget this night had ever happened.

But as the enemy thinned, he started to notice something was wrong. He had yet to see Zeke, and the people he had cut down could hardly be considered the bulk of the Marleyans.

Where was Reiner? Ouruo? At least two others should have joined him once the exits were secure, unless…

A few men swayed unsteadily on their feet, still. Levi tossed his knife into the air, the pulsing lights glinting against its blade before he caught it again and charged into the fray once more.

"He's a demon!" someone shouted and tore for the exit, causing a ripple to go through the rest of them as they rushed to join him in his hasty escape.

The ones who remained were sufficiently demoralized that Levi was able to make quick work of them, cutting through their haphazard array like a knife through butter. When he had finished with them, he hastened towards the back exit. If something had gone wrong on Reiner's end…

No sooner had he passed through the back door than he was brought to a sudden stop by the feel of sharp metal against his throat. The cold night air swept against him as he took in the sight before him. Ouruo and Eld were held, arms behind their backs, by the Marleyans.

He could not catch sight of Reiner, or Annie, and hoped they had escaped to freedom. A small crowd of men gathered around them and he began to realize that the fight in the building had served one purpose alone - to keep him away until the Marleyans had reclaimed the perimeter.

His mind raced, trying to puzzle together where he had gone wrong. How he could have miscalculated. And what it would cost them.

At last, Levi glanced over his shoulder, turning his head slightly to meet the eyes of the grinning man who held the knife at his throat. It was one of the ten he had spared. The one with the broken nose.

"Looks like you're losing your touch, Levi." The voice belonged to none other than Zeke Yeager, who now stepped out of the shadows, moonlight glinting off of his round glasses. The bearded criminal clapped dust off of his hands as he approached.

"I hate to disappoint you, especially since we're seeing each other for the first time in so long." Zeke scratched his nose as he spoke casually, as if they were friends reuniting after a long absence.

"But things have changed since last time." He gestured around him, "Loyalty is what makes or breaks a family, you said. And see," he pressed a hand to his chest, "I took that to heart."

No sooner had he spoken than Reiner stepped out of the shadows to join Zeke at his side.

Levi's eyes narrowed at the sight of him. He had known Reiner since he was a boy, and although trust was a word that carried no meaning in their line of work, there was a keen sense of betrayal that one of his hand-picked elite squad had turned out to be a traitor.

"Sorry for getting word out so late," Reiner provided gruffly, "their plans were spontaneously decided."

One of Kenny's old tactics, Levi knew, keeping his plans to himself until the last moment. No point in tempting any rats.

"Now, now," Zeke dismissed, "nothing to be sorry for. After all, everything went well, didn't it?"

He stepped closer until he stood toe-to-toe with Levi, "And I even get to see an old friend again."

Levi's expression revealed nothing, his posture as relaxed as if he did not stand there under the threat of death, his comrades captured. Only the steel in his silver eyes glinted like the flash of a knife strike and Zeke shuddered.

"You're scary," he stepped away, "I have no problem admitting that." He tapped his temple, "That's why I was able to prepare a successful counterattack, because I know you're not human. But, you've gone soft?"

He nodded at the man who held his knife to Levi's throat.

"It's not like you to leave witnesses."

He settled back against one of the abandoned oil barrels that lay strewn about behind the building and took a cigarette out of his pocket. "So, tell me," he began as he turned the wheel of his lighter - once, twice - then the flame took hold and he brought it to the cigarette between his lips before pocketing the lighter. "What comes next?"

"What do you think, you bearded monkey?" Levi answered neutrally, neither fear nor anger in his voice.

Zeke gestured at Eld and Ouruo kneeling on the floor and at the men standing in a semi-circle around them, "I think you'll understand what I mean, when I tell you I'm feeling pretty confident right now."

"Are you?" Levi answered, raising a brow. "You should have taken the chance to run. Now you've just saved me the trouble of looking for you."

The knife at his throat twitched, digging into his skin and drawing a trickle of blood, but Levi did not so much as flinch.

Zeke exhaled a puff of smoke as he scrutinized Levi through narrowed eyes. "See, this is what I like about you. You don't know when to give up."

He took another drag on the cigarette and coughed, before waving the smoke away from in front of his face, "That time is now."

He nodded towards one of the men beside him and the crack of a gunshot rang out, echoing against the abandoned buildings and lifting up into the night sky.

A hollow, sickening thud followed the cruel gunshot, and a displacing nausea swept through Levi. He did not need to look to see what had happened. But at the same time, he could not look away.

Eld lay motionless on the floor, his face only partially recognizable as an ever-growing pool of blood threatened to swallow the ground whole. His eyes sought out Levi's and his lips moved, either forming his last words or twitching in the throes of death - Levi would never know.

Now he did respond, tearing against the hold on his wrists and snarling at the hateful Marleyan leader.

"So, you see, Levi," Zeke continued, taking no heed to the blood spattered on his boots. "I have reason to be confident."

Ouruo whimpered fearfully, unable to tear his eyes from his dead companion. Tears filled his eyes and he met Levi's gaze, wordlessly sobbing, begging him to save him without saying it outright.

Levi remembered now. There was a reason he had taken lives in the past. It wasn't because he enjoyed it. It was because each life he took was one life less lost. How could he have forgotten that?

Eld's lifeless, unseeing eyes were still fixed on him and Levi knew he was just as responsible for his comrade's death as the man who held the smoking gun. He had made the wrong call. He had forgotten how these things worked.

"Come, Levi, don't be so torn up about it," Zeke gestured to Ouruo, "You still have one left."

Zeke got back to his feet and approached Ouruo cocking his head to the side as he considered his snivelling form. "Not exactly the better of the two, but they're all family to you, right?" Zeke took his cigarette from his lips and put it out between Ouruo's eyebrows. A scream tore through the air as Zeke crushed the light to the man's skin before removing it and flicking it to the ground.

"So, I'll ask you again. What's Kenny's next move?"

Levi shook his head, "Kenny's next move?" he echoed in disbelief. "Is that what you should be worrying about right now?"

It happened too fast to follow. The man who had held the knife to Levi's throat went suddenly crashing to the ground. Levi's attempt to "escape" his hold earlier had merely been an opportunity to change his stance, placing one of his feet behind the guard's so that he could now trip him to the ground by sweeping his foot out from under him. Levi dropped to the floor with him, assuring that incoming gunfire went awry.

One bullet did hit its mark, though - the one that flew from the gun Levi had pulled from his belt as he fell.

The man holding Ouruo fell to the ground, dead, as Levi's bullet buried itself into his forehead.

Levi wasted no time switching positions with the broken-nosed man, holding onto his collar with a vice-like grip as he held him aloft, using him as a shield for the bullets that came raining down as he dashed towards Zeke who fell back, stumbling over his own feet fearfully.

Reiner stepped between them, and the distraction his sudden appearance provided - the momentary confusion between friend and foe - was enough for Zeke to take off running down the road. Disappearing between the abandoned buildings as Reiner sent a punch aimed at Levi's head.

Between the gunfire and Reiner, Levi knew the odds were bad, but he would go down fighting. Reiner was born decades too late to have a fair fight with Levi and he knew it, but with the firearms trained on Levi, he had enough of an advantage to hold his ground.

More shots sounded, one after the other in quick succession, and too distant to have been fired by Zeke's motley crew. Both Reiner and Levi turned to place the foreign sound.

Annie stood at the end of the road, an assault rifle hoisted over her shoulder as her blonde hair floated in the night wind. "Sorry, I'm late," she muttered, taking in the dead and injured men littering the road. Ouruo rushed to her side, withdrawing his own weapon with trembling hands.

"What the hell is this, Reiner?" she scowled.

Levi had no time for this, he needed to stop Zeke or it would all have been for nothing. A punch to Reiner's midsection and a cruel kick to his knee, followed by the satisfying crack of bone sent the man falling to the wet cobblestones. Annie could take care of the rest.

With one last glance at Eld, Levi tore down the path Zeke had taken. Mere moments passed before he caught sight of the despicable monkey. Levi caught up to him easily. Zeke's strength was not in physical combat. It was in his scheming, his charisma and powers of persuasion.

Zeke cast a look over his shoulder as his feet pounded against the puddles of the road, desperate to put distance between them. "What the hell, dammit! Again!?" he shouted with a groan, as he picked up speed. Levi did not know which of the many times he had almost put an end to the bastard's life Zeke was referring to, but it made no difference.

There was no escaping Levi, his unfeeling eyes burned with an intent to kill, burned with the promise of death and destruction. He was the reaper of the underground. The prince of the underworld.

Zeke would rue the day he had forgotten that.

The bearded man stumbled over his own feet and fell to the floor, but not before procuring a firearm of some sort from his pockets. With trembling hands he held the weapon out as some feeble, last protection between himself and Levi.

"You're looking desperate, hairball," Levi monotoned as he stepped slowly closer, "and as filthy as ever."

"Hey," sweat dripped down Zeke's face as he loosed a weak chuckle, "could you stop glaring at me like that?"

Levi only continued his slow, threatening approach, knife in hand. He gestured towards the weapon Zeke held. "What do you think that bit of scrap metal is going to do?" he muttered, unimpressed. "This is a long time coming."

"I know, I know," Zeke admitted with a shrug, "But you always get me wrong, Levi." And with that, he adjusted his grip slightly, aiming instead for the night sky and pressed the trigger. A scarlet ball of light trailing crimson smoke streaked into the air with a sound like a scream and Levi watched it go, taken aback.

"Every Yeagerist in the city knows what that means," Zeke got out as he struggled back to his feet, clearing his throat. "It's time for war."

Levi turned back to the bearded nuisance, his eyes glittering with subdued fury.

"That's why you came all the way here, isn't it?" Zeke got out, hands resting on his knees as he caught his breath. "To make this short and prevent large-scale violence."

With a sigh, Zeke straightened and adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately for you, I have no such compunctions. It's your choice now, Levi," Zeke spread out his arms as if in defeat. "Are you going to kill me? Or go help your cute little buddies?"

Levi chanced a glance over his shoulder. Kenny's group would have begun their advance - an ambush, they would assume. But if the Marleyans had ample time to prepare a counterattack. If they beat the Devils to it… Zeke was right, it meant all-out war.

"Tch," Levi turned back to Zeke. "Nothing stopping me from doing both."

"Are you certain?" Zeke raised a brow, and the sound of guns being cocked echoed off the walls around him.

There were at least seven of them, men and women of varying builds and stature, staggered all around him. He was surrounded. That one goddamn flare had been enough for them to come running.

"Sorry about all this, Levi," Zeke dusted off his clothing as he stepped back to join ranks with his comrades. "We've had a good run, but it ends here."

Levi could still make it. He could grab Zeke and finish him off. It would cost him his life, but at least it would mean a swift end to all of this.

He should have thought of Slayte in that moment, waiting for him at home. He should have considered what his death would mean to her, but he didn't.

All he thought of was reducing the inevitable carnage as much as possible. And Zeke's death was the one way to achieve that.

Death is but once. Inevitable. It's what you accomplish with the life you have left that matters.

So he charged.

It was just a short distance between himself and Zeke. It would be one blow. One strike of the knife. He heard the gunfire. As if time had slowed, he could see the incoming bullets.

But for some reason, the distance between himself and Zeke only grew wider. Something solid had collided with him and was taking him off course. Frustrated, he threw his knife at the ugly ape instead, hoping his aim held true.

But whatever had slammed into him sent him crashing into the wall of the nearby building. He couldn't see what it had been but Levi felt the invisible force holding him still, a palpable pressure that effectively immobilized him. Levi watched, perplexed, as a dark shadow settled over him - like a cloud passing over the moon.

"Where the fuck is he?!" Zeke shouted. Levi saw that his knife had embedded itself into the ugly man's shoulder, not enough to kill him, but at least an angry stream of blood flowed from the point of impact. The others held their guns at the ready, turning every which way, clearly looking for him.

Levi's brows furrowed in confusion. He was right in front of them, no more than a few paces away. Why couldn't they see him? He pulled against the quiet pressure holding him in place but it held fast. Unable to move as he wished, he glanced down at the shadow that had fallen over him, struggling to identify the strange phenomenon. It was black as night, soft, but unyielding.

He watched Zeke's crew search for him, desperate and bewildered, until he finally barked the command to leave off. "He must have escaped somehow," Zeke growled, "Don't waste time, intercept those Eldian Devils. Show them what an ambush truly means."

Levi watched in awe and confusion as they filed out of the alleyway. The man right in front of him, his outstretched gun just inches from Levi's chest, turned away at the command and joined his comrades.

His life had been saved. But how? Why?

It wasn't until the group had fully abandoned the premises that he was finally able to move. The shadow that had covered him fell away. Like liquid shadow he watched it seep away and lifted a hand to ascertain just what it was. He watched the thick darkness pool in his palm and then slip between his fingers, falling away like liquid ink.

The feel of it was familiar, comforting. The faint scent of bergamot hung in the air.

And Levi remembered why he wasn't allowed to die.

---

After dinner, Itachi escorted Elissa back to her private chambers. He seemed reluctant to intrude upon her privacy in the evening hours - likely some archaic form of chivalry - but lingered in her doorway, assuring her that he had taken every measure to secure her safety, before enquiring after her wellbeing.

He had seemed keenly aware of the fact that it was her first night in such strange territory, and that the experience had to be frightening for her. As it would be for any mortal made to live in a place they were never meant to lay eyes upon until their life had run its natural course. But Elissa had been nursing a persistent anxiety since morning - and even the weeks and months preceding - and she was too tired to entertain her nerves any longer. No matter what she did, she wasn't going to be any more or less safe, and she assured him she was fine.

As much as she craved his reassuring presence, it was also impossible to relax in his proximity, and more than anything else at that moment, Elissa needed to rest and be alone with her thoughts. The day's taxing events had left her feeling drained, and she knew that she needed to recuperate the strength required to face the next unknown battles that were surely headed her way.

It was a sentiment that Itachi understood well, and, after placing a tender, lingering kiss against Elissa's right temple, the two parted with some reluctance, Itachi promising that he would return to see her at the earliest opportunity.

Weighed down by mixed feelings, Elissa sighed deeply as the door to her chambers finally closed behind her, allowing her the relief of being alone at last. The day had been long - arduous and exhausting. Fighting with Itachi had filled her with the absolute worst kind of anxiety - a nagging sense of unease that even his gentle affection and kind words could not fully assuage. She had come to this terrifying place relying on him, and if that faith didn't hold true, if her trust was misplaced…

As much as she didn't want to think about it, she knew it was foolish to not at least consider all the possibilities. Even if doing that made her miserable.

Her 'servants' helped her bathe, brushed out her hair and provided nightwear. By the time they were done and had left her for the evening, Elissa's skin positively glowed and her hair was vibrant and healthier than ever. There was definitely something to be said for Underworld cosmetology.

Her ivory nightgown was made of lovely, smooth silk and adorned with lace and ribbons. Plush slippers had also been provided and they cushioned her feet with warmth and comfort. The palace certainly had its perks.

With a sigh, she sunk onto her bed, her eyes fixed on the flames dancing in the fireplace as she considered the events of the day. From the awful court introduction - what with the crowds gawking at her - to Crow Nuts humiliating her.

A wry smile played on her lips at the petty insult. The more everyone insisted she show unconditional deference to him, the more she found herself hating the Underworld's king. He was cruel and took pleasure from it. She didn't know exactly what he was up to, or why he made her skin crawl, but she had no doubt he was no good. In fact, she blamed him singularly for the fact that this place was so miserable.

Then there was the argument with Itachi. The spies in the hallway. She couldn't help but feel he wasn't being entirely honest with her. There were concerns in those dark eyes that he didn't share with her. She wanted to trust him, but the truth of it was - she was growing increasingly convinced that he didn't entirely trust her, not enough to be forthcoming with her at any rate.

With a sigh, she rubbed at her temples. She had to rely on herself, on her own wits. She needed to get a leg up in this conflict. She needed some kind of advantage.

She thought about what Cain had said to her before he had transformed. It was the most anyone had said to her about the twisted string of events she had found herself caught up in, and also the first time she had heard directly from the enemy himself.

"None of this was yours to begin with."

"This was never meant to fall into your hands, wretched mortal."

"It was mine."

"To begin with, all of it, mine."

Elissa stared unseeingly at her own hands as they rested on her knees. What did he mean? What had fallen into her possession without her knowing? And also, that voice he had spoken in - half-Cain and half… something else. But it was something familiar. She knew that voice from somewhere, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Giving up, she fell back onto the bed, ready to get some rest, but squeaked in alarm and jumped up when she fell onto something warm and alive.

"Vetty!"

The cat hissed at her, tail bristling in disapproval.

"Well, excuse me, princess." Elissa rolled her eyes, "How was I supposed to know you were there? And just where have you been all day, huh?" She sat beside the cat and held out her arms in a peace offering.

When Vetty climbed into her lap, she stroked the black cat's fur lovingly. Although a part of her knew Vetty belonged to the Underworld, Elissa couldn't help but feel she was a comfort of home.

"It's one thing for Itachi to leave me alone. I wasn't expecting it from you, too," Elissa complained in a hushed whisper.

Vetty meowed petulantly in response, as if to say, "Don't lump me in with him."

Then she nuzzled at Elissa's hand and, biting at a pillowcase, pulled the cushion away, revealing a glimmering ruby beneath.

"What's this?" Elissa questioned curiously, eyes going wide at the sight of the precious gem. Her long, tapered fingers could not help but reach out for the glowing stone, wondering where it had come from and what mischief Vetty was up to now, bringing it here.

Elissa lifted the jewel and held it up to the firelight in awe. "It's so pretty."

She worried, for a moment, that Vetty had swiped it from some sort of treasury and Elissa would have to explain how it had come into her possession.

Her thoughts were interrupted when, without warning, Vetty swiped at her hand with the claws of her paw, leaving behind three bright red scratch marks.

"Ow! What the hell, Vetty?!" Elissa exclaimed, dropping the gem as she cradled her injured hand.

Blood droplets trickled from her hand and fell onto the silk sheets and Elissa cursed. The damned bedding was no doubt priceless and she felt stupid for ruining it. She looked around for something to wrap her hand with, but stopped suddenly as she noticed a few drops of her blood had fallen onto the ruby as well. The red of her blood adjusted hue until it matched the deep scarlet of the precious gem and then sunk into the crimson stone. As the jewel absorbed her blood, it glowed even more brightly.

Elissa watched in awe as the glow faded, faded, and faded further still until the bright scarlet hue dissipated, the stone twisting and morphing as it did so, like metal in a blacksmith's furnace, until it had forged itself into the shape of a black, iron key.

Elissa glanced at Vetty, still slightly miffed at having been injured, but retrieved the key and stared at the cool metal in her hand. It was doubtless forged of some magic that would provide the precise kind of advantage she had been wishing for.

"You can't just go around scratching me, you psycho. You could've at least warned me," she complained half-heartedly. She could swear Vetty had rolled her eyes, but Elissa ignored it.

"I guess I'm going to need this?" She could not drag her eyes away from the key. There was something comforting about the weight of it in her hand.

Also, she recognized, the glowing gem had only been one part of the magic. The other half, she was forced to admit, had been her own blood. What did that have to mean? Was it related to the confusing things Cain had said?

Vetty curled up beside Elissa and closed her eyes, exhausted. Elissa gently stroked the cat's fur and scratched behind her ears, causing Vetty to purr contentedly. She might not have known where Vetty had disappeared to, but one thing was for sure, the cat was on her side. And that made at least one person she could rely on.

Elissa concealed the key carefully beneath her pillow and settled in beside the lovable, reckless furball. Grateful and relieved - if not riddled with even more unanswered questions.

Her mind raced, grasping at straws to conjure increasingly less likely answers to her many questions, but her eyes soon fell shut with exhaustion despite herself and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

At first.

---

Unease spread its spindly, reaching claws through the atmosphere, scraping talons of apprehension up her spine. The breath in her lungs felt like budding, meaningless screams - waiting to bloom on her tongue. Crimson eyes followed her wherever she went, and Elissa shrank in its gaze - helpless to escape the savage glare that pierced right through her like a cruel blade.

But she had to try.

Elissa did not know where to go - wherever she looked, scarlet eyes loomed on the horizon, but inaction was unbearable. She lurched forward and ran, forcing one foot in front of the other. She squeezed her eyes shut and ran until the muscles in her legs ached and burned, but the cruel bloodlust in those eyes was inescapable.

"Give it back," a disembodied voice threatened, "it's mine."

She tried to shout something back, but her voice caught in her throat, rendering her speechless. What would she even say? What could she possibly answer? She still didn't know what the monster wanted. Those scarlet eyes only grew ever wider, ever larger as she ran, until they swallowed up the whole world, staining everything a dismal red. The red of ruin. The red of war and terror.

She was imprisoned in a surreal watercolor painting, but the artist's brush was soaked with blood and all the shades of red were bleeding into one another, drowning her. The sky was an arid scarlet, the ground a bleeding crimson. Everywhere her gaze fell, there was the scarlet deluge of blood and the red haze of fire.

Screams.

"It was never yours to begin with."

Elissa drew to a stop, struggling to catch her breath, as she suddenly realized she recognized where she was. Her family gardens. Her parents' house.

Her blood turned to ice, as the gluttonous flames yawned and stretched to the heavens. The pond she had spent all her summers beside, counting koi fish, was dried up. The roses her mother had tended to with such care, curled up in flames, falling to the ground as ash.

"You've brought this on yourself."

Elissa felt the fight going out of her as tears streamed down her face. She did not want to know whose cries of terror rose up to the skies. She didn't want to go running into the building only to find the lifeless bodies of her parents, her siblings…

Elissa fell to her knees as she choked on a sob, those haunting red eyes growing ever closer. She could feel them behind her, approaching with ill-intent, ready to punish her for being where she did not belong. For stealing what was not hers.

She needed only to turn around and she would see who it was that was hunting her. If she turned, she would see him, she knew, recognize him - but he would see her, too. And like a rabbit in the jaws of a feral predator, she could do nothing but tremble in the face of the incoming threat - the certain promise of utter annihilation.

As she wavered in indecision, struggling to summon the strength to face the force that caused all this violence, all this upheaval, she could only kneel in the ashes of her familial home, trembling with effort as she strained to rise and turn. Knowing she could not submit, she had to be strong, she had to look doom in the face. If nothing else, she wanted to die on her feet.

"Look upon your king, wretched mortal."

---

With a gasp, Elissa awoke.

She fought back sobs as the terror of her dream held her, still, in its cruel grasp, and turned onto her side, burying her face into her tear-soaked pillowcase. Her seeking hands had found the the black key Vetty had given her at some point in the night, and she clutched it to her chest as she gasped and choked on breath that refused to come.

Elissa squeezed her eyes shut, trembling with the aftershocks of her nightmare. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she panted, struggling to fight the cold grip of panic that had taken control of her senses.

At length, Elissa turned onto her back, her eyes fixed on the blue velvet curtains of the four-poster overhead. She took deep, shuddering breaths, trying to calm her wrecked nerves.

She wasn't going to let it happen. The sight in her dreams would never become reality. Her parents were going to stay safe. Her family and friends would never know about the nightmare she was caught up in. She would put an end to it before that.

She wasn't going to let the monster win. Next time, she wouldn't hesitate, she would look the demon straight in its eyes, no matter what horrors he threatened her with. She would not be cowed. She would face him head on.

Because now, she knew precisely who that voice had belonged to.