"Do you still know how to tame descendants?" Carter asked as he eyed the mark on my wrist.

"I think?" I shrugged and pulled my sleeve to cover it up.

"What a terrible answer..." Carter sighed, searching for the right word to cheer me. "But I know you can do it tho."

"I have to." I tossed my hair back off my face. "I really have to go back as soon as possible. You know how weak mother has become."

"I know how upset you must be, but you can't stop death. It's part of life."

"Easy for you to say because you're immortal."

"If you only know."

Carter's voice dropped and rested his back against the wall behind him. He remained quiet that I couldn't stop from measuring him with my stare.

If my memories serve me right, I remember being as tall as him but why the heck am I looking up to him right now?!

My jaws unclenched when an opening door drew mine and Carter's attention and I smiled when I saw Yuki's adorable face, peering gleefully around the edge.

"Holy crickets! It's really you!" She exclaimed, ran towards me and pulled me into a tight hug. "I knew you'd come back!"

My lips thinned and restrained a sigh.

"I never thought I'd come back."

Yuki stepped back, hands on my shoulders. She stared at me with those bluish-white, empty eyes as if she's seeing through me.

"Didn't you even miss your best friend?" Her perfectly-shaped lips pouted.

"Of course, I did."

Yuki is indeed my best friend; the ice princess.

For a moment, I could not speak.

Lelith is the goddess of beauty but I couldn't remember seeing someone as beautiful as Yuki. Her skin is as white as snow; her large almond-shaped eyes, framed in bluish-white long lashes that almost touches her perfectly-arched brows are so magical.

Her nose is thin and straight, lips perfectly full but as pale as her skin. Her white hair is already hanging to her knees and her body temperature is even colder than before.

"Hmm..." she took a step back. "I wanna ask you lots of things but first things first... did you really agree to tame the last descendant?!"

I turned to Carter, who's just standing beside us and back to her.

"This will be my way to finally cut all my connections I have here so, I have to."

Yuki bent her head to hide her anger.

"You might get killed; you know that?! And did you seriously believe that they'd let you go even after you tamed Aquarius?!"

"W-what?" I released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

Despite being pale, Yuki's face crimsoned.

"That descendant is no ordinary creature! He's--" I cut her off by brushing her hair with my fingers.

"I really missed you and I wanna go to our secret place!" I acted cute but it looks like she's not buying it.

"No! He's--"

"C'mon now!" I immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders and dragged her outside the room.

"Hey! I wanna come, too!" Carter whined like a child and was about to follow us when I blocked him with my hand.

"I just mentioned it's our secret place, brother! I'll hang out with you later, okay? Just please be with Kurama and the rest for the mean time. They were just summoned in their realms but they will be back shortly."

Carter rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever! But you should treat me dinner."

"Of course!" I winked at him and continued dragging Yuki out.

"Can we please stop here for a moment?!" She hissed when we reached the veranda, leading towards the very wide garden.

She stepped away and threw me a glare. "Your brother doesn't know about the last descendant, I supposed?"

I made an exasperated grimace. "Yeah. If he does, he will stop me for sure."

"What were you even thinking?! I heard from Spencer that you've already been warned, but still, you agreed."

"It wasn't a warning, but a reminder. They were only acting as if I have a way out, but the truth is, they've been planning to sacrifice me in this one. You know what I am to this place."

Yuki's lips parted in disbelief. "How could she!"

"That's what she is. What's new?" I snorted and we continued walking towards our secret place located behind the Center, in the darkest part of the Enchanted Forest to where the Weeping Willow is.

Yuki and I planted it when we were kids.

I eyed every tree we passed in through and they seem to notice my presence as they were swaying their branches to shower me their blossoms.

"They still recognize you," Yuki giggled.

"I supposed," I smiled as we continued walking until we finally reached our destination.

We stopped in front of the Weeping Willow and I was amaze to see how massive it has become.

It was dark and only pixie dusts and the full moon, hanging low the night sky are giving us light which turned everything into a mysterious landscape of silver lights and shadows.

I didn't even notice the fireball is already gone.

"Oh! Sorry..." Yuki snapped her fingers and numbers of white and yellow wisp appeared, surrounding us with their warm lights.

"Wow! B-but how did you--" I cut myself and looked at her.

"Hmp! I trained them. Easy!" She bragged, grimacing, which made me chuckle.

She never changed at all.

I couldn't stop measuring her with my stares as she slowly walked towards the tree, leaving thin frosts to where she stepped into. She's wearing a long and white lolita-like off-shoulder dress that reaches through the ground which makes her really looks like a goddess--which she really is.

Her white and curly hair is styled just like most of the goddesses, but with crystal leaves pinned across her hair from left ear to her right.

"Come here," she signaled me to follow her at the foot of the tree which I did and watched her picked something on the ground.

She then turned to show me a weeping willow catkin.

"This is the only flower this tree bore since the day we planted it," she softly spoke and my brows raised when she hovered her hand on top of it and the flower has slowly been sealed in a small ball of ice.

So small, I could fit it in my pocket without anyone noticing a bump.

"Keep it," Yuki handed it to me which I gladly took. "I sealed a powerful spell in there that can break even the strongest barrier there is in this land. You'll need that especially now."

"Why?"

"I just can't seem to trust those old hags. They're just so skeptical."

"Geez! Don't worry about that. I'll finish this job alive."

"You better be," she snorted. "Even Aiden, the ruler of the dead, can't bring the deceased back to life. Remember that."

I chuckled. "Yeah! Whatever."

• • •

There are two kinds of tamers: S-class tamers and the C-class ones.

I belong to the S-class. My likes are those tamers who use the Celestial mark, θάνατος, and that there's only two of us left now, which didn't surprise me at all.

Why? Simply because tamers who were chosen to have that curse mark will walk through the shadows of death to live, and when I said walk, it's literally being thrown into the bottomless pit and was only given three nights to escape or else fear will devour us to death.

Voices from nowhere kept whispering, some are laughing and some are crying in pain, seeking for help. I could hear teeth gnashing and bones breaking from a beating a whip; cries of aborted children, agony of raped women, and evil laughs of satisfied ill-doers.

I nearly lost my mind when I was already on my third night. I even lost my will to survive. I was just hovering in the air with nothing to see but darkness; nothing to hear but silence, and nothing to feel but agony and hatred.

I've accepted my fate and ready to face my death and was about to close my eyes when someone held my hand and pulled me away from that place.

A blinding light stroke my eyes as I felt that being placing me down on a warm ground. Due to glare feeling, I wasn't able to see things clearly. I only saw what seems to be a figure of a man, but before I could even adjust my vision, he already disappeared.

That's when I found myself outside the gates of the Underworld that was located in the middle of desert.

I thought that was the end of my suffering not until the Knight of Abbys took me to Sheol to where I have to battle with behemoths which I luckily survived with the little bit of luck I have with me.

But still, I almost died back then, but Takumi helped me along the way: the second person who survived the test, which took us two years to pass. He's also the one who taught me how to summon the monsters I've slain to help me with my battles.

Anyhow, the C-class tamers are those who have the mark of ΖΩΗ: the life. They didn't undergo deadly tests however they are as fragile as a glass.

There are thousands of them and mostly dies while battling with a descendant since they use their blood to tame them. It's either they can feed their descendants off or they will be the ones to be fed off and die.

Either marks each one possesses, both classes doesn't have an easy way out since the weak are really bound to die.

I opened my eyes to meet the white ceiling of my room and drew a deep breath. I toss and turn before looking at the window.

The fireball still hasn't risen yet.

"GOOD MORNING!"

"HOLY SH--" I flinched and almost cursed when Carter barged into my room.

He even has a very huge smile plastered in his face as he invited himself to seat on my bed.

"What the heck is wrong with you?! Don't you know how to knock?!" I snorted.

"Since when did I learn to do that?" He laughed.

I grimaced when Kurama and Yosuke came running inside. They must have heard me squeal. These two insisted to stay with me all night and guarded me as I fell into a deep slumber.

They looked at Carter in shock before turning to me and bowed.

"Uhm... What are you doing here?!" Yosuke casually asked.

Carter grinned and playfully ruffled my hair.

"Just paying my sister a visit."

"And as you can see, she's still resting. Can't you just wait until the fireball rises?!" I could see Yosuke's nose flare.

I raised a hand for him to stop before he could do something else. This guy really is ill-tempered and straightforward for a Libra descendant.

"It's okay. I'll get up early anyways," I groaned and tossed my blanket away.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Yosuke scooted in front of me and winced when Kurama biffed his head off.

"It's milady for you!"

"Ugh! Yeah yeah!" Yosuke's lips twitched in pain, still eyes on me. "I'll make your favorite food, milady."

He didn't wait for me to answer and sprinted out my room leaving Kurama sighing.

"Hmm... So? What time will you go back to the Center?" Carter purred, batting his eyes.

Don't get distracted. He's a god of erotic love. It's normal for him to act like that even with me.

"Around noon. I'll head directly to the dungeon to where the last descendant has been sealed."

"Where to? In Sheol?"

"Abaddon," my lips thinned in grimness.

"But that place..." Carter paused. "Do you want me to accompany you?"

"Lelith won't let you enter that place. As a matter of fact, you won't last a minute in there."

"What? Why?!"

"As a god of love, it will be your worst nightmare to hear the cries of those people whom you've tied their red strings to the wrong individuals."

Carter's mood instantly swung from exhilaration to gloom.

"I-I did what?!" His voice cracked.

"N-nothing..." I stuttered.

He's might still not be aware of what he has done before.

"But--"

"Do you smell that?" I cut him off when I smelled something burning.

I looked at Kurama and our eyes grew in realization and raced outside the room.

YOSUKE CAN'T COOK!

• • •

"I just can't wait to finish this last mission so I won't be coming back here again," I sighed as I played with the scorched rice I had in my plate.

I saw Yosuke sheepishly scratching his head. The others are already here and all of them are holding their laughter.

Carter was just in front of me, enjoying his meal which I suspect Yosuke poisoned.

"Do you, guys, want some?" I asked.

"Ahh... I already had breakfast, milady." Ryuu immediately answered.

"I'm on diet, milady." That's Scott.

"Me, too, milady." And Kevin.

The rest shook their heads which is clearly a warning. Chad dragged Yosuke away but I can still overhear what they were talking about.

"You could have just called me for help," Chad lectured Yosuke.

"Or Lee and Heie. Everyone knows you can't cook." That's Greg.

"I'm sorry, okay?! You know how much I tried to learn, so when Tabitha comes back, I can take care of her."

"Our job is to protect her, that's it!" Tyler hissed.

"Maybe for all of you, but it's not just a job for me." Yosuke argued.

"You clearly know the consequence--"

"That's enough," Kurama cut Chad off. "Yosuke, get dressed now. We will be heading out shortly."

I raised my head and saw Carter looking behind me to where the others are.

"That man's life is really in danger, you know," he muttered and my lips thinned.

I know for a fact that Yosuke cares for me more than a master or a tamer which is a threat to his life. Descendants can't fall in love with any tamer, such as myself, since we don't have that oh-so-called red string. Their hearts are just like the mermaids. If the person they love can't love them back, their heart will freeze and they die.

Carter placed a hand on my shoulder and shook me.

"I think we have to go now to have an early start."

I nodded and went to my room to take a bath and get dressed. I wore a black tailcoat with a hood and a red vest armor underneath, paired with a black skinny jeans and black combat boots.

I bent over and wrapped my knife leg hostler around my right thigh.

This thing is always been my lucky charm. I've been using this since the day I won my first fight.

I grabbed my sword above my bed and gasped when something fell off the floor.

I bent to pick the small ball of ice Yuki gave me, smiled, and then put it inside my pocket.

We headed to the Center right after and met Aiden and Adonis at the vacant space in the garden. The rest came with me together with Carter.

I eyed Aiden and Adonis from head to toe. The heck hadn't they aged a bit?! It's been years since I left but the only thing that changed is the color of their clothing but the same design as of those greek gods you see in TVs.

Adonis actually looked like Carter for some reason. They have the same eye and hair color; their body built, how the way they talk, and their personality is oddly similar.

Aiden, on the other hand, is soft-spoken. He doesn't talk much so he's my favorite.

"Are you ready?" Adonis asked and I nodded.

Aiden heaved a sigh and raised his hand. Black miasma formed on top of it and expanded, revealing a huge, black door--the Abbadon's gate.

I gripped on the sword hanging around my waist as the gates opened and gusted a hot wind across my face.

It was all dark inside. All I could see is that one burning torch hanging on one side of the wall.

"You may enter alone now," Aiden spoke.

"What do you mean alone?!" Carter suddenly gobbled with rage.

"Relax! I can summon them anytime," I hushed, eyeing Kurama and the rest. "Now, wish me luck!"

Carter smiled hesitantly and ruffled my hair.

"Kick his butt and get out of there right away!"

"Hmp!" I snorted. "And, oh! Yosuke?"

Yosuke gasped in shock. "Y-Yes?"

I looked down to where my pocket is and took the ball of ice Yuki gave me. I handed it over to him which he took hesitantly.

"I might just break it inside. So, I'm giving you the opportunity to protect it. Be careful! It's fragile."

I didn't wait for him to react and turned my back against them, released a deep breath and stepped inside the gates.

"Why can't we enter with her then?" I heard Kurama asked.

"This gate is protected by a seal in which only tamers can go in and out."

As if on a cue, I turned back to see Lelith materialize beside Aiden and she's looking at me, eyes is misted with tears.

"What do you–" Yosuke gasped and ran towards me when the gates shut close. "TABITHAAA––!"

I stood there for a moment, frozen. I ended up slapping my forehead without me willing the movement when I realized everything.

I am not here to tame the last descendant or whoever the hell it is, after all. I am summoned because it is me, they have to seal and lucky for them, I was dumb enough to fall for their trap!

"Hahaha what on earth am I expecting?" I sarcastically laughed and landed a blow on the gates with my bare fist.

"CURSE ALL OF YOU!!!" I heard my voice cracked as I felt all my energy draining out, so I ended up on my knees.

How am I supposed to take care of you now, mom?

"Are you the one who's supposed to tame me?"

I gasped when I heard someone spoke. I looked around to see where that voice is coming from but saw nothing.

Despite being drained, I tried my best to stand up and walked towards the torch, took it and started wandering this narrow space.

I could feel my knees shaking with every step I take.

How dumb can I be for not realizing right away?! This is too good to be Abaddon! I've been there and this is nothing like it! That place is hunted as hell. No lights! Just plainly nothing!

"Uhm... Hello?" I managed to speak.

"I'm so sorry, miss, but it's better for you to leave. I don't want to hurt anybody," the voice echoed which giving me a hard time to distinguish to where it is coming from.

I continued walking. "W-Well, as much as I wanted to, but I don't know how."

"You are Tabitha, right?"

I stopped at one pace. "Show yourself!" I said sternly.

"But the walls said so..."

"What the--" I cringed when I felt the voice whispered directly into my ear. I looked back and there; I saw him!

A fine-looking young man with a wavy black hair, wearing a white tattered shirt and pajamas.

"Y-you're the last descendant, aren't you?" I could hear my own voice breaking from mixed fear and anger from realization.

"I guess," he answered in a soft, tired voice. "I'm not supposed to but then shits happen."

I measured him with my stare. He's too skinny. Looks like he has not eaten for some time now but his complexion is still fair and rosy.

"So, were you senthere to tame me or to be my food?"

"Neither..." I hissed. "Look at you! You don't need taming and if you're planning to eat me, well, you're welcome to do so."

"Ohhh! They lied to you then?!" His voice raised. "Hmm... you see, when they found me in the depths of despair, I was told to be taken care of. They promised to bring me back to normal, but I was locked here... in the dark, once again. The walls told me a tamer would come and try to tame me."

"Uhh... The walls you said?" I echoed.

"Yes!"

"Look here... Ouch!" I winced when I accidentally burnt my hand with the torch I was holding.

"Oh careful! It will be really dangerous for you if you get wounded around me," he said in a warning tone.

"Why?" I asked.

"You must have already known that I am no ordinary descendant. Any small amount of blood will provoke the demon living inside of me."

A thought suddenly rang in my mind.

"What are you doing?!" He asked, stopping short when my free hand dropped to the hilt of my sword.

"The only way I could tame you is to drive your inner demon out..." I remarked bitterly.

"Hold on!" His lips parted as if making a sharp comment. "You'll gonna regret this! When I am in that form, I might end up killing you or worse... I might create an unfathomable chaos here in the underworld."

"We've been living long enough in this miserable, chaotic place, aren't we?" I asked, breathing heavily between words.

"You don't understand!" He placed both of his hands in front as a gesture that I need to calm down and think twice to what I am planning to do.

"Aren't you wondering why they locked me in here even though I've been in this form for almost a decade and did nothing?! Because I can never be tamed! They lure you in here to seal you with me."

His well-formed lips thinned into grimness, "I know the real you and I know you know that as well!"

"SHUT UP!" I bellowed. "You don't know a thing about me or what kind of hell I went through!"

"We've all been in hell, can't you see?! All of them are against us because we're a threat!! Even if you ended up taming me, they will never let you go so, please!"

"No," I whispered hoarsely. "They have to. They give me their word and I have to go back to my mother before it's too late."

Tears started dimming my vision when the thought of not seeing my mother hit me.

"They will never find it so great a sacrifice," he snapped. "The likes of us are bound to die anyway and that you must accept!"

"No," I whispered hoarsely. "I made a promise. I'm leaving this place dead or alive!"

I threw the torch away, drew my sword and cut my arm with it.

"You little–"

I winced in pain and my eyes widened when black miasma surrounded him and even the whole place!

I could barely see him through the pale light the torch is providing. I swallowed when random reddish-black glowing marks crept all over his body.

And then I heard him chuckle in a deep, devilish voice.

"Who would have thought that the goddess of mayhem could be this stupid?" He taunted and I winced. "You really think you can escape this chaotic of a place when you're the one who brings chaos yourself?!"

He looked up and I stepped back when I met his red, glowing eyes.

"You should have listened to my other side," he chuckled. "And now it's too late."

I gasped when the light from the burning torch went out.