Persephone (Chapter 7 - Chapter 12 )

Chapter 7

         A feeling of coldness woke me up; I opened my eyes and saw Cerberus asleep next to me, his arms wrapped around me and holding on. We always slept like this before I left. Frankly, I’ve missed these moments with him and it made me blushed. Scattering these thoughts out of my head, I tried to nudge him with my elbow, but instead I yelped in pain. I didn’t remember what happened but something left me bruised and my whole body ached as I tried to move it. Wary about what had happened, I felt movement from Cerberus as he woke up and moved away, his eyes fixed upon me. Our eyes met.

         “Sorry,” I managed to whisper between the pains.

         He managed a weak smile, and I noticed him struggling with himself trying to get up. My eyes fixated on him, while he slowly got up from the bed, and gently hoisting himself on the chair next to the bed. Shirtless with his hair tied-up, he had bruises all over and bandages wrapped around the torso, where, I remembered vaguely, I had struck a blow. Cerberus coughed as he tried to take a deep breath; apparently I had done more then just punched him. I knew I had cracked his ribs and almost crushed his lungs. Cerberus winced every time his body moved. I looked at Cerberus in despair, I had inflicted such pain upon him, and I almost killed him! Gasping in realization, my body trembled, and I felt tears trickled down my cheeks.

         “Don’t worry about it, I got to you before anything happened,” came a weak raspy reply.

         Hearing Cerberus said that made me snapped. It made me furious, it made me mad, it made me angry; yet, worst part was it made me scared. My anger withered and I withdrew my gaze from him and buried myself in my hand. It brought nightmares of the past forward, the nightmares from where I had killed someone dear to me, and the same thing almost happened again. I hated it yet I feared it. Feared it with all my life.

         Going berserk made me lose my sense of self entirely, I was no longer Persephone; the out-spoken, confident and vigilant Persephone. I became something else; something that will forever be within me.

         Nothing is worst then a Berserker, unless it’s a vampire. Nonetheless, a Berserker amongst vampires is rare as the odds of it, is one in a million. Berserkers are fearless creatures that crave blood, let it be humans or even vampires, and almost nothing could stop it. Either let it die out to insanity the cravings wrought upon the Berserker or let it be exiled or executed. No Berserkers was left alive when they came to be known. None. Yet, I am one amongst the vampires. A Berserker Vampire; or more precisely, a Khaos. Literally meaning unpredictable.

         I couldn’t bare it anymore, I’ve tried running from it for the past century, hiding away on Earth, in hopes of isolation from endangering people. Yet, I was just eluding myself from reality. I was a Khaos, a monster, and at the most dire moments of my life; it will come back for me. I haven’t been isolating myself from people; I had been trying to isolate myself from a part of me.

         A gentle touch on my face drew me out of my misery, and I looked up at Cerberus. He looked at me with his icy blue eyes which brought comfort and ruffled my hair softly. “I promised you once before, that no matter what, I wouldn’t die on you,” he said. I tried to say something to him but I couldn’t. Nothing that I could have said matter, he had been there when I most needed him and despite the danger, he protected me. Lost for words, I reached out and embraced him, clang onto him; I felt his body tensed at my embrace but slowly eased as he held on to me. I couldn’t stand it much longer, the misery and the pain welled up inside was too much to bear, and it all burst out at once.

         That night, I cried myself to sleep in Cerberus’s arm.
I
         t was raining when I woke up the next night. The sound of drizzling rain was serene; it brought calmness after that ordeal few days ago. The pain from my arm has subsided, leaving only a scar. Thank god for Vampire recuperating skills, I bemused. Groggily, I propped myself on the bed with my elbows and scanned around. I was alone in my old chamber in Aradiel, our family home in Thanatos. It hasn’t changed for the past century I left it; my fully oak carved four poster bed on the corner of the chamber, ancient tapestries and paintings of mother lay on the walls, the fireplace was lit, warming the chamber from the coldness of the underworld, my wooden desk with my personal effects propped against the wall, wash basin in one corner, and of course, my armor and katana was laid on the chair next to the bed.

         “I guess father is expecting me,” I mocked. I got out of bed slowly, shuddered at the coldness of the floor when my feet touched it, and made my way to the window, looking for ‘mother’. I found her, gleaming brightly in the night sky, and I whispered my silent prayer to her, thanking her for watching over me. Old habits are hard to break. I washed myself over the wash basin and glumly put on my gear, and clipped my katana at my side. Unsheathing the katana, I ran my finger over the blade, the coldness of the blade against my skin, and I swung a few practice slash at an invisible foe. Satisfied that my skills are not jeopardized by the scar, I grabbed my cloak and walked out of my chamber.

         The corridors and halls of Aradiel were long, dark and cold, with the smell of decay lingered in the air. The walls are draped with tapestries from unknown origin and lit torches act as a guide through the dark corridors. Aradiel was where my father holds court of Avernus, and our home. Unlike our Greek ancestry’s architecture, Aradiel was nothing like the Parthenon of Zeus in proclaimed Mount Olympus. Father told me once that, Aradiel was the inspiration of the medieval castles of Europe, or so he says. Built inside the walls of Thanatos, and conjoined by the Towers of Lethe and Eridanos, Aradiel consumed most part of Thanatos, for it was first built and the outer structures was added on later once the population of Thanatos grew.

         It was still drizzling when I reached the open courtyard in middle of Aradiel. The courtyard, the size of a football field, served as a training ground for keen vampires. The art of swordsmanship and martial arts were thought on these very grounds by a vampire named Leuce. The Ring of Arms, where trainees train or duel lay in the middle of the courtyard. Memories of my youth dueling and training in the ring made me smile. Weapon racks, rationed with battered swords, maces and axe, were propped against the wall on the side of the ring.

         I noticed a few vampires training in swords under the watchful eye of a red-haired vampire, Leuce, the weapon master of Thanatos. I leaned with back against a column as I watched the vampires parrying and dodging blows from one another. A sudden itch to test out my skills against Leuce’s students crept in, so I stretched and flex my muscles for a bit before I went over to where Leuce was standing, gazing at his students. The tall, bulky red-haired vampire turned as I approached him, he smiled, and the courtyard went silent, as the clashing blades stopped and murmurs of whispers begin to echo in the courtyard.

         I gave him a salute, right fist across the chest, and said, “Leuce, it has been awhile, old friend.” He smiled and nodded, and waved his hands at his students, the sign of dismissal. I haven’t forgotten that Leuce was a mute, and the only way he communicated was with his hands and lip reading. I watched as his hands moved, and I understood.

         “I wish to have duel with your best, my blade yearns for action, for old time sake,” I replied, smiling. He gazed at me sternly, and refused my request, with a waive of his hands. Confused by the refusal, I stood there gawking at Leuce. Then, he mimed a laughter and moved his hands. I looked in disbelief at him as I watched his hands intensely; he said that there is no one amongst his students that could best their swords against me but one, himself. Awed and honored by his words, I bowed and nodded.

         “Very well then, let us duel, old friend,” I said solemnly.

Chapter 8

         The empty courtyard started to fill in with more vampires, young and old. Apparently, the word about my duel with Leuce had spread around Aradiel like wildfire. The duel between the spawn of Hades and the Weapon Master had sparked more then just interest; it seems they wanted to see a show of power. Don’t let them get to you, focus, I motivated myself. I watched Leuce closely as he picked out his weapon of choice from the racks, a broadsword. Suitable for his size I guess, I thought. Satisfied with the weapon, after a few swipes, he turned and walked into the ring to face me. Tradition over pride, we shook hands, smiled and bowed. I swung a few practice slash with my katana, heard a few whispers in the background, and poised for combat; legs spread, a hand curled around the katana, the other clinging to the scabbard, body and mind relaxed, and tension ceased. I was ready.

         The whispers had stopped and the duel began

         Wary of each other, we moved circled around each other, judging and calculating, each anticipating the first strike. It seemed like fifteen minutes, actually thirty seconds, has pass and neither me nor Leuce, made the preemptive strike. Then, Leuce made the first move, he dash towards me and swung his broadsword downward. In an instant, I withdrew my katana, slashing it forward in an arch, and sparks flew as my katana rose to meet the blow. Pain shot through my arm from the forceful blow.

         Retracting from the pain, I parried Leuce’s sword sideways, and spun to the right of him, straight into his defenseless back, and I thrust the katana backward, from my side. Seeing that coming, Leuce managed to doge my strike by mere centimeters, and darted quickly to the left. Realizing I had missed, I did a forward somersault, and landed, facing Leuce.

         A mistake.

         Leuce had anticipated my antiques of showing off in swordsmanship; he had charged forward and swung his sword sideways, trying to cleave me from the waist down. I cursed, managing to dodge a lethal blow, but it was a second to late. Leuce’s sword scrapped across my armor over my waist. Focus, Persephone, my mind snapped, wincing at the sting of Leuce’s blade.

         I retracted a few steps backward, towards the edge of the ring; Leuce had jumped back, making distance for any of my counterattacks. Needing more breathing space, I dashed towards the right of the ring, the tip of the katana parallel to my eyes. Unfortunately for me, Leuce had read my movements, and intercepted me mid-dash. Our blades met and I was driven backwards, towards the edge of the ring again; I parried, blocked and dodge blows after blows from Leuce’s broadsword.

         Desperately, in need to break Leuce’s rhythm, I blocked one of Leuce’s wide cleave, dipped down under his sword, spun around under him to loosen my katana, and snapped a kick on Leuce’s right hip. I felt his sword hand weaken as he staggered to regain his ground. Taking that advantage, I darted behind him, managing to pry myself free from his assault.

         In the heat of the duel, a burning sensation elapsed over me, my hunger rose to my throat. My senses sharpen at the smell of blood. My blood. In midst of blows, Leuce’s blade had managed to not only scrape my armor, it had cut me and blood was oozing out. Terrified at what might happen, my focus was lost and I sword hand began to tremble. I panicked.

         A grave mistake.

         In the confusion state, I didn’t realize Leuce had regained his footing and was charging straight into me. Struggling with the state of my mind, battling between hunger and consciousness, I reacted far too late at Leuce’s advance. A second to late, Leuce’s broadsword came down on me; I tried to raise my katana –

         “That’s enough!” bellowed a familiar voice.

         The sound of that voice shattered the silence of the courtyard, and time stopped. Leuce’s blade stopped in mid air, a few inches away from my right arm. A burst of murmurs and whispers engulfed through the courtyard, every vampire paying heed to the owner of the voice. Hunger forgotten, my ears twitched at the nervous whispers which I can barely make out from the spectators, “its him.” Both, Leuce and I sheathed our blades, my hand still trembling from the hunger. The ‘click’ sound as my katana’s hilt hit the scabbard, brought relief to me. We turned and faced the direction the voice came from and I sighed in relief. In the far shadows, stood a man. A man I’ve known all my life and whom truly respect. I bowed down to the shadow, and every vampire in the courtyard followed suit after I bowed.

         The voice belonged to my father, Hades, Lord of the Underworld.

Chapter 9

         Calmly now, I rose and took a deep breath. Relief washed over me, as my senses returned to normal. The tension in my body loosened, the hunger in my throat slowly vanishing, the taste of blood that lingered at the tip of my tongue, faded away. My eyes darted across the courtyard, scanning for familiar faces; every pair of eyes in the vicinity was averted to the looming shadows at the end of the Ring of Law. Somehow, knowing that my father was there made my stomach queasy. Come to think about it, he has that effect virtually on anybody.

         Dead silence loomed over the courtyard; the murmurs of whispers had stopped, as my father, fifteen feet away from me, raised his fist into the air. My father, Hades, stood poised gallantly in his black-leather hauberk, adorning a white cape with tinges of red, a gloved-fist in the air. His braided white hair hanged loosely from his head, his icy blue eyes piercing through the crowd and myself, and his blade tucked at his side. My father sharp features was flawless, his pale skin gleamed under the moon. Wrapped around his neck was the amulet, a blood-red stone incased in a silvery metal; it glowed brightly under the stars, like ‘mother’. I was standing alone in the ring, Leuce had retreated a few paces back, when my father had approached earlier.

         He lowered his fist and said, “I apologize for the interruption of the duel, brothers. More pressing matters concerning our beloved Persephone must be attended to. For now, all of you should return to your post and family.” My father’s voice echoed through out the courtyard, definitive and with authority. The echoed died out, and the vampires began to move out from the courtyard, leaving only my father and me.

         “It has been awhile, Persephone. I’m sure you are well.”

         “Indeed it has. I have to thank you, father. If you hadn’t interrupted, I, myself, wouldn’t know what would happen.”

         “You delve too much in the past, my dear. Besides, if I wasn’t there, I am positive that someone else would stop you,” he replied. Dumbfounded, I merely stared at my father. My skin tingled and the hair behind my neck stood up, I felt another presence emerged at my back. Curious, I spun around, only to find Cerberus standing behind me, wearing his red leathery-overcoat.

         “Ah, Cerberus, Decided to show yourself, I take it,” said my father, rather curtly.

         I merely stood there facing Cerberus, and felt a hand on my shoulder. God, this is a mess, I simply hate it when these awkward moments come up. I turned around to face my father.

         “You know how your brother is when it concerns you.”

         I simply nodded and gave my father a kiss on the cheek, a show of affection I rarely do towards my father. “Oh my, what have you done with my daughter?” my father said, chuckling.

         “Father, you shouldn’t have left your study. It is unwise to parade yourself in public,” Cerberus said, his tone sounded worried and anxious.

         “Details. Details. You worry too much, Cerberus. Did you expect me to miss a duel between my daughter and Leuce? It has been a thousand year since I saw my little Persephone in action. I would have none of it. Besides, I knew you would be there,” replied my father idly. Confused and bewildered with the situation, I merely stood silently watching the both of them.

         “Well then, why don’t we all retire to my study together? It has been almost a century since the three of us conversed in that old dusty room,” said my father. Both I and Cerberus nodded our approval; I made a grab for my cloak at the edge of the ring and walked over to where my father was standing. He took my hand and led me out of the courtyard, Cerberus maintaining his distance at the back, and walked east, towards the tower of Eridanos; where my father’s study was located.

         The smell of burning kerosene filled the air; from the lamps that illuminated the corridors of Aradiel. Since there was no electricity like on earth, only source of light was from fire. I kept walking next to father while my brother followed closely behind; why? I do not know. Somehow, I felt his presence scanning through the corridors; but his eyes remained on me. Few minutes passed, and Cerberus irregular shuffling annoyed me more then ever. I stopped, turned and gave him a cold flat stare.

         “Cerberus, do you mind walking beside us, instead of behind us. You’re driving me crazy,” I said, rather irritatingly. I felt my father’s eyes on me. Discomforting as it is, I merely dismissed it.

         A blur of shadow rushed to the left of me, and Cerberus ‘popped’ beside me. “Anything for you, Persephone,” he replied, gruffly. I shook my head and simply shrugged the annoying reply. God, what is wrong with him?

         We finally reached the end of the corridor; in front of us, stood two massive iron door, bolted to the walls around it and it looked like it weighs a ton. “Appears that you had a new interior decorator, father. This wasn’t here before. What happened to the old doors?”

         “Long story, we’ll get to that eventually. Anyways, it was smashed. So we had to replace it with something, let’s just say something sturdier,” replied my father. Smashed? By gods, this is beginning to sound absurd then I like to believe. We halted a few steps before the door, and Cerberus walked ahead, whispered something, his shadow seemed to shudder, and gave the bolted doors a shove; the iron creaked as it heaved to open, displaying the study.

         My father’s study was immensely huge, just the way I remember it; blackened walls with bookcases propped against it. Thick volumes and dusty leather bound books as thick as my fist filled the shelves. Oversized columns rose from the ground towards the ceiling, and portraits of mother, father, Rhadamantys, Aecus, Minthe, Cerberus, and me hung solemnly on the walls. In the middle of the room, a large oak table stood with six Tuscany chairs accompanying it. Few feet away, was a rather messy desk with books and papers flowing to the sides; appears that father has been rather messy since I last saw him. The study was warm, the fireplace was lit casting it amber light in the room.

         “Father, I’ve missed this place,” I said with affection.

         “It has missed you too, my dear Persephone.”

         Father took of his cloak and slung it over his chair at the oak-table and sat down, gesturing for me and Cerberus to follow suit. So, we did. An uneasy silence crept soon afterward, making me fidget in my seat. It’s unnerving to me that father and Cerberus sat quietly; deep in their thoughts.

         “Will you both stop that?”

         “Stop what? “ Cerberus replied shortly.

         “Stop thinking and start talking, you both are killing me, no pun intended, but really, I haven’t seen the both you and father in a long time, and all I got to do is fidget while both of you are occupied with your thoughts,” I replied, coldly.

         “Feisty as ever, things haven’t changed with you have it, Persephone,” came the reply from the head of the table. I glanced over to my father, our eyes locked. I opened my mouth to say something, but was stopped short by his raised hand. “Not now, my dear. Your brothers and sisters are back, and I believe they would join us shortly,” he said.

         As soon as he said that, my sensitive ears prickled as I heard muffled footsteps approaching the iron doors. It stopped and was followed by three bangs on the iron doors. At the sound of the door, Cerberus stood up and walked towards the door. I watched him closely as he whispered something in the air; his shadow shuddered at the whisper and shoved the door open. The hinges creaked as it did before, and the door was open. Behind the door, were Rhadamantys, the eldest, and Aecus with Minthe, the twins. It had been nearly a century since the spawn of Hades sat at the same table. Once more, my siblings and I are home. Together.


Chapter 10

         No sooner the five minutes has passed; the arguing began.

         I moaned inwardly at the ridiculous spectacle that unfolds before me. I watched intently at my siblings and my father. Aecus and Minthe sat opposite of me; both seemed busy conferring to themselves, their emerald-green eyes glancing between father and Rhadamantys. With their short blonde hair, they both looked identical, except the difference in their sizes; Minthe is smaller than Aecus. Both of them was clad in their customary green sleeveless chain mail, with the mark of Hades on their right forearm exposed for questioning eyes to see. Theirs weapon of choice, the longbow and arrows slung lightly on their back. A pair of ornate stilettos hung loosely from their belt, a more efficient close combat weapon. I shifted my eyes and turned around to look at my eldest brother that was fuming furiously at the end of the table.

         “Father, what is the meaning of this? You literally asked that hound to drag us here when everything appears to be in order!”

         “I do have a name brother,” a mocking tone from Cerberus. The animosity between Cerberus and Rhadamantys is known to stretch through many years now, but I could never place my finger on the reason of their hatred for each other. I watched closely at the figure that sat at the end of table. A pair of eyes that matched fathers, Rhadamantys’s sword hung at his side, with his white hair hung loosely. He somewhat resembled father closely with the exception of the mark of Hades that stretched over his left eye. Rhadamantys appeared to ignore that comment from Cerberus and was desperately trying to coax some answer out of our father. I kept my thoughts to myself and eyed both father and Rhadamantys closely. Exasperated by my father silent reply, Rhadamantys stood up abruptly and made a grab for his cloak, apparently ready to leave.

         “Sit down, Rhadamantys,” father said, sullen and threatening. Clearly shocked, Rhadamantys shrank back down to his chair. “Firstly, I do not appreciate that tone of yours, my son. Secondly, you will address your brothers and sister with more respect in my presence. Thirdly, don’t think of me lightly, for there is a far bigger reason I called each of you back,” he said, emphasizing his points for Rhadamantys. In reply, Rhadamantys sat silently and nodded understandingly.
“How very understanding of you, my son,” mocked father. “ Very well, since all of you are here, I might as well tell you the reason why I called all of you home,” he continued. Hearing no interruptions or objections, my father explained, “I am sure every one of you has encountered the slight difficulties in returning home. As well versed as Cerberus was in the matter, when he explained to it to all of you, I’ll take the liberty of explaining it again. It’s rather simple when you think about it. Avernus is dying, and with it, us.” Father stopped at that point and let that notion sank in our minds.

         “What do you mean by dying?” a soft and calm voice interrupted.

         “Our world, Avernus, is thrown into imbalanced and is dying because of it, Minthe. When it does, so do we,” my father replied, with a tone of sadness. “How can that be? The very notion of it sounds absurd, father,” Aecus asked, joining in the discussion. He stood up and began pacing about the room nervously with his hands busy shuffling his stiletto.
“Father, correct me if I’m wrong, I think I began to grasp the whole picture of this,” Aecus said plainly, his mind seems pre-occupied with his thoughts. “ I know Minthe and I had trouble coming back. We encountered a severe drawback that nearly cost Minthe’s life. If not for our training in our secrets, I doubt neither of the twins would be here.,” he continued.

         “At least, one of you have brains,” father said impishly. None of them appeared to hear him, apart from me. They were busy concentrating on Aecus.

         “Avernus seems to reject forcefully any attempt of entry. A sign of imbalance, nonetheless. I read it somewhere that something like this had happen before, I think it was during the Earthen wars, wasn’t it father?” asked Aecus.

         “Yes, any imbalanced of life or death, either it be the result of a war or epidemic, can shake up Avernus,” father replied. “ Ah, so there is the problem then. There is something that is bound to happen on Earth and you summoned us here to stop whatever it is,” said Aecus and he seemed rather pleased with his deduction of events.

         I watched as father merely stared at Aecus and then stood up. “I, sometimes, think that your mother and I raised completely ignorant vampires. A few occasions when either of you would surprise us, but then you would do something oblivious that made us change our mind. Aecus, you are indeed brilliant with that brain of yours but your over-exerted confidence is starting to hinder that brain of yours and more or less annoy me,” father said, crossly. I giggled to myself as I watched Aecus stumbled upon the facts that father just slap him with. That much was true, Aecus poised himself as brilliant then most of us, for the fact that when he was younger, he spent most of his time deep in the thick volumes of doctrine in this very room.

         “As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by your brother,” he continued, giving a sharp look at Aecus, whom now sat down, his face downcast. “Frankly, I have no clue what we are facing, my children. But, know this; I called all of you back for a reason. I want you to retrieve something on Earth. Bear in mind that this is no easy task. Regretfully, I am no longer able travel to Earth myself. Old as Avernus, I am bound to this barren land we call home more then any of you are, so in this desperate time I call upon you to assist me in retrieving ‘it’ back,” he continued, bleakly.

         The room went quiet.

         “Very well, father. I personally will assist you in retrieving ‘it’ back.” I said, breaking the silence. A solemn nod from father, assured me that he approved. Unsatisfied though with his explanation, I raised my hands, “But, what is this ‘it’ you’re referring to?” I asked, out of curiousity.

         “It is not a what. It’s a who, Persephone,” answered my father.

         Startled by his answer, I gave my father a curious eye. Understanding the raised confusion, my father stood up and began to walk to the fireplace. The amber light shone on his pale skin. Beautiful and graceful. He turned to face us, his eyes serene and said, “ I want you to find someone for me.”

         “Long ago, in the beginning of my reign in Avernus, our land was barren and lonely. For me, it was a fate worst then death. My humanity and my heart, with what’s left in it, was driven to a point of insanity. But, of course as you all know, I found this rarest amulet that allowed me to rectify that problem,” he continued.
“However, I admit that, driven by anxiety, the first soul I resurrected belonged to a woman. But, this is no ordinary woman, for she was born of unnatural blood.”

         “Unnatural?” Rhadamantys asked.

         “Blood of the gods. Pandora,” muttered Cerberus, his blue eyes betraying his own knowledge of the situation. Pandora. A myth. A legend. A being born of the blood between gods themselves. Then again, Vampires are believed to be myth and we do exist in the world.

         “Thank you, Cerberus,” father said. “Yes, Pandora. She was resurrected by my hands. Sadly, it was a mishap, a mistake on my part, for she wasn’t supposed to be resurrected after her death,” he continued. “For there is a single reason why she mustn’t be woken up after death or sought by anyone, let it be man or vampire. Her box. With her knowledge of her box alone, is enough to bring unspeakable fear in me.”

         “Pandora’s Box? Isn’t that just a myth, father? A legend of old? Are you talking about the box that contains a source of evil that could bring every realm down to its knees?” questioned Aecus, his eyes bewildered with fear. I saw a hand that held Aecus’s fears down, it was Minthe, her eyes filled with self-control and calmness. Father smiled for he saw that and nodded, “That much is true, Aecus. I don’t know much past that. When I resurrected her, I was enthralled by her. However, words could not describe this experience of mine,” replied father. Slowly, a smile cracked upon my father’s lips and he turned to us, his eyes lit with interest.

         “I’m going to show all of you instead.”

Chapter 11
A thin and haggard figure darted across the barren wasteland. His hand clasped around his neck tightly; concealing the burning red glow that etched away between his fingers. It was dark but his silhouette betrayed his identity, it was Shade. A wicked grin spread across his sunken face, an apprehension of power that was in his grasp. He seemed determined, he seemed happy for some reason, but in reality, he was only anxious to reap something with his new found power.

Shade crushed through the barren as fast as he could, the pounding of his feet on the hardened ground echoed through the land. His blue-eyes darting wildly as he pushed himself and what’s left to the limit. “My only chance,” he muttered under his breath. His tattered clothes hung loosely from his body, the body that was torn away by his blood-craze. Fighting against his tired body, he kept pushing on, the burning red glow guiding him, guiding him towards somewhere in Avernus.

It seemed like a lifetime, his journey through the wasteland, the wasteland of death, Avernus. The dead stars shone dimly over him and the moon was dark, mocking his futile attempt to restore his humanity. In his anxiety, Shade forgot to heed his surroundings. For that, he fumbled. Rather clumsily, he had tripped over a dead branch, and landed on his stomach, his hands sprawled to the sides. He cursed and he swore, as he pushed himself up from the dirt, his hands searching for the red glow around his neck. Nothing. It wasn’t there. Gone.

Grief and panic seared through him. He fell on his knees and his hands scraping through the earth looking for the red stone. His eyes searching for any sign of the blood- red stone. " For the all that is damned, where is it?" Shade muttered in the vile darkness. Drowning in panic, his senses dull and his wits failed him, unabling him to concentrate at the task at hand. In accordance to his wallowing despair, a gush of wind blast past him, leaving him stunned.

“River of Souls...,” the wind whispered in his ears. Startled, he spun around in search of the source of the whispering wind. Finding nothing, Shade pondered at the possibilities of the strange voices in the wind. Knowing where he stood and searched did not bore him his prized possession, he pondered at the possibility of the whispering winds peculiar suggestion. With nothing to lose and regained confidence, he dashed towards the river, The River of Souls, Styx.

He bulldozed his way through the land in the direction of the river, only to stop to catch his breath and to assure his bearings. Undead as he is, possessing inhumane capabilities appeared to speed up his pace, for the short journey towards the river took merely minutes. Staggering at the river's edge, Shade gazed deeply into the dark and murky water. Defying its own darkness, beautiful streams of blue coveted upon the surface while silhouettes of countless souls flow underneath the water and through the river effortlessly.

Entranced by it's dark beauty, Shade was transfixed upon the flows of souls underneath. However, his eyes caught upon his prize, the blood-red amulet glimmering in the depths. Driven by need, desperately Shade lunged at the stone, not realizing that mistake that he is about to make.

His fingers wrapped around the amulet, his eyes razing with desperation as he tries hard to drag the amulet out of the river. In retaliation, the river itself tries to suck in at whomever tries to defy the natural order of death. Calling forth every ounce of his strength, Shade cursed and pulled as hard as his arms could. Answering the intruder’s strength, the river’s retaliation ceased. Shade smiled at his triumph over the river’s defense. With that smile, he lets loose his inhumane nature, the very core of his vampiric nature, Shade willed himself for one last pull. With a mighty roar that shook the very foundation of death, he stretched his strength to its limits and pulled the amulet out of the river. But, not all seem as it is.

“Who am I? I am Pandora. You, do not open the box! Open it! Do not open it! Where is it? Its here! I know where it is!” a voice echoed through Avernus that night. A shrill voice of a woman, filled with regret and desperation. A voice of the very agony in which pain and despair resides in. A voice that belonged to Pandora, the lost soul of the gods.

What appeared to be Pandora’s broken body, laid on the riverbank. Shade could only stare and trembled at the sight of her existence. The very distorted existence that seemed to enveloped Pandora’s body. Her pale naked body contorted uncontrollably between flesh and ethereal existence. Her long white hair thrashed the ground in fits of her ‘seizures’. Screams of pain and moan of pleasure entwine, that trembled the ground she was on. It made Shade’s skin crawl as if thousands of maggots were squirming underneath it.

As if death was answering her screams, the ground shook and the moan of anguish could be heard from the river. The wind blew harshly as if cursing the misbegotten soul that is Pandora herself. Snapping out of his trance, Shade spat and cursed. His eyes scanned the ground for his amulet, only to find it wrapped around her distorted neck. “Damn the gods!” Shade cursed, and nervously stretched his fingers towards the amulet. Everything stopped exactly when Pandora’s eyes snapped open and stared directly at Shade, and then cried out, “You want the box? Take it! Just let me rest! End my suffering…”

Fear grabbed hold of Shade’s consciousness; in an instant, he lunged at the amulet and ripped away amulet from Pandora‘s neck, snapping the chain. Pandora’s scream began to ebb away as her ethereal body began to manifest, her resurrection almost complete. “You! Why! I will rip you apart for this, heathen,” she screamed, her skeleton-thin finger pointed at Shade. Desperation kicked in, Shade moved quickly and started to move the almost-materialized body towards the river, while Pandora’s voice began spitting curses. Her flailing arms scratched away at Shade’s arms and body and her thrashing legs made it almost impossible to move her.

Barely a feet away from the river, a low rumbling sound erupted from the ground and suddenly, Shade felt a force that threw him a few yards away from Pandora. Spitting out dirt from his mouth, Shade pulled himself out and could only stared at the upright figure at the river bank. Pandora stood up with the glow from the river glazing across her pale skin. Her long black hair shifted smoothly on her shoulder, her hazel green eyes stared deep into Shade’s eye, and then she spoke.

“ Forgive me, young Haidēs. Alas, it is good to walk again but I fear it is not yet my time. For I am the cause of every evil and the very demise of good. Listen well, I must never be resurrected, let it be now or ever. Heed this warning, young one. If you fail, everything you came to know and love will perish. My knowledge of the box will even lead the truly pious astray.” After the last word was said from her pale lips, Pandora smiled at Shade and threw herself into the river.

Pandora’s soul was again within the River of Souls.

Chapter 12

The candlelight faltered and grew dimmer after Pandora’s soul was laid to rest once more. I sat there, staring at the burning flame, as it slowly extinguish. Pandora, tormented the day she was born and was cursed the day she brought upon her box, I thought to myself. The reality brought upon her by the gods, her parents. Truthfully, I pitied her soul, for what was wrought upon her. Almost drowning in pity for her soul, I felt a cold and welcoming hand upon mine. I didn’t realize that, all the while father showed us his past through the fire, my hands were firmly wrapped around Cerberus’s.

“ Ok, father. We saw what you wanted to see but I can’t understand why you wanted to retrieve it on earth?” asked Aecus. A good point, I agreed quietly. “ That memory was to show you that she truly exists and was never meant to be resurrected. Even years after that ordeal, I was still troubled by the nightmares that could be wrought upon us. So, a year after Rhadamantys was born, I returned to that spot alone and reclaimed her soul, for safe keeping. Her soul, along with remnants of Styx, was stored away inside a container, and place under the supervision of my eyes and our people."

" To be honest, it was a foolish act and I regretfully admit it. Perhaps out of pride and curiosity, I have sacrificed much more than I have expected to," he continued, with regrets written all over his face. There, I felt a tang of guilt for doubting him and pity towards my father whom valued our people more then valued his life. I felt Cerberus's hand lifted from mine as he stood up looking at us. " I will continue this, father," he said, his voice deep and intense.

Attention in the room spun from father and on to Cerberus instantly. I couldn't help but stare deeply into his icy-blue eyes and my mind was abashed with worries of his wounds that I inflicted. I turned away quickly when I felt him stare back at me, swallowing the oblivious guilt.

" Pandora's soul was stolen from us and taken away from Aradiel, a mere few days ago," he paused, taking a deep breath. "And how do you know of this?" asked Rhadymantys, clearly annoyed at Cerberus. Without hesitation, Cerberus answered, " I was there, brother." " Not many know of this, so let's keep this amongst ourselves," he continued.

" Father and I was here, in this very room, merely discussing on matters at hand when it happened. . We weren't prepared for what came next," Cerberus said. his eyes darting downwards, ashamed. " At first, all seemed quiet. Too quiet. Then, the door cracked and blew open. Father was thrown away, unconscious. I barely stood up right after the blast, when Hera and her banshees came through what was left of the door," he continued.

" Hera?! Impossible!" Minthe screamed, shocked as much as I was. The whole room went dead silent, shocked expressions ran across everyone’s face Hera, a banshee, was one of our ancient enemies. Personally, was Minthe, as she had killed Minthe's lover while she was on Earth. Regardless, she was banished and killed by Minthe nearly 300 years ago, or so we thought. " Yes, she's back. Apparently, she had known about Pandora and had sort out to claim it. And claim it they did. I was powerless against them, my hounds were dazed due to the blast. And I couldn’t even stand straight. she just laughed and took off after claiming the container."

"Now, I want you to get it back," father said, cutting in on the explanation. That was that, Father's decision was final. The Five Blades are on a task, a task that we mustn’t fail. For the very sake of everything that is death, and for anything that is life.
{{i}To Be Cont.....