T H I R T E E N
Welcoming Party

"WHAT THE HELL," Calvin took in a breath through his teeth, his eyes wide and filled with astonishment. "It's been here all along?"

In the grave, Ida laid with all the world's serenity. Her eyelids were closed, lips slightly parted even though no breath came out. Her heart had long stopped, spirit long left and yet she was still a rotting beauty that lay untouched by the horrors of time. Through the many years, Fabian had managed to preserve the love of his life in the Heart of Hell where the magic was strongest. No matter how much of a dick he was, there was one thing for sure. Fabian's love for Ida definitely withstood the brunt of time.

"I can't believe that Ida's body is still so..." Wilhelm murmured under his breath, trailing off.

"Perfect." Calvin finished for him. He let out a low whistle under his breath, arms folded across his chest. "Lover boy's got dedication, that's for sure. This was smart thinking on his part."

Dimitri remained quiet, silently reaching for the book that Ida held in her arms. Gently, he retrieved the leather-bound journal before blowing the layer of dust that had collected on the book cover. The dust flew into the air in a puff of gray-brown smoke, causing me to cough a little as I swatted at the air to try and get the dust away from my face.

Without even turning back, Dimitri passed the book over to me as I eagerly took the book into my hands. The weight of the book felt heavy in my hands for it held the secrets of regaining life. Or at least, the more secure way which would not end up with me disintegrating. The king of Hell walked over to the other side of the grave, grabbing the stone lid by its edges before hoisting it back into place. With a slam, Ida's corpse disappeared from sight, laid back to rest now that we had the book in our hands.

"We've got the book. Let's get back to the castle." Dimitri wore a frown on his features, eyebrows set sternly down and his pink lips shaped into a borderline scowl. The corners of my own lips turned down at Dimitri's expression, wondering what is it that had gone wrong with him to cause such a negative reaction.

"Let's journey back." Calvin agreed, turning back to the way we had come from without even a backward glance. Wilhelm trailed after the dark skinned man, walking off too without another word.

"Dimitri, what's wrong?" I asked, scurrying a little to catch up with Dimitri and his long strides. There was a little wrinkle in between his eyebrows, usually bright silvery eyes harboring dark emotions that swirled like a storm. He pursed his lips, acting as though he had a secret he desperately wanted to spill but was unable to. At long last, he sighed, features softening.

"Nothing is wrong, Addison. I'm just thinking."

"That is what everyone says when there is something serious on their mind that is bugging them." I frowned. "So tell me what are you thinking about."

"It's just..." Dimitri sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "I feel as though I had wronged Fabian. My brother loved Ida, Addison. She was his entire life and soul before she had died. At her deathbed, he pleaded me to save her but I was unwilling to help him because I wasn't sure what would happen to her and the fate of Hell if I had failed. Seeing Ida's corpse just reminded me of the betrayal in which I had shown them both."

"Dimitri, that was hundreds of years ago. You can't possibly still blame yourself for that." I rested a hand on Dimitri's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"That's the thing about immortality, Andy. Once you are immortal, you live forever. While the concept of time never having the power to affect you sounds very much ideal, you will still have to deal with certain consequences. One of which is bearing all the pain and guilt from even hundreds and thousands of years prior to the present."

"There is no way for you to change the past without harming the future in a certain way, Dimitri." Reaching down, I intertwined my fingers with his. Even though I could feel the cold seep into my fingers and the palm of my hand, I could still feel Dimitri's presence which was enough for me. "You just have to make do with the now and correct your mistakes."

"I can never bring Ida back to life again without killing you. Even though my brother's happiness means a lot to me, I can't help but be a little more selfish because you are my entire world." Dimitri shook his head. However, he did not withdraw his hands from mine, instead only tightening the grip. "How inconsiderate of me it is to want you to myself. If things had not happened the way they did, I would have never met you."

"It's the work of fate, then I suppose." I grinned, reaching up to cup Dimitri's cheek as he leaned into my hold. "That we are able to meet each other. Stop blaming yourself for something that you did not have too much of a choice with. Besides, Ida is happy for us, she said so herself."

After what seemed like an eternity to me, Dimitri finally broke a smile. It was small, but still a grin, nevertheless. The corners of his lips raised just a little, the hurricane in the gray of his eyes slowly melting away and into the color of molten metal that shimmered like stars with an onyx border. He was in so many ways such a beautiful piece of artwork. In fact, everyone in the world was if only they were able to see it.

"See, you look so much more handsome when you smile." I laughed, pinching his cheeks as he rolled his eyes.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Addison. I am always handsome, even when I don't smile." There was a little twinkle in the corners of Dimitri's eyes and I immediately began to smile in good humor.

"Yeah, only cause you've already mastered that brooding look as much as that nefarious smile." I retorted quickly. "But that's okay because I like you that way."

Dimitri smiled a little wider, a little brighter. A corner of his lips turned up into an egotistical smirk as he slung an arm over me, pulling me closer to his side. "And I'll do anything to make you happy, Addison. You know that, don't you?"

I grinned so hard that I could feel the muscles in my cheeks cramping up. Walking in sync with him, I chuckled. "Yes, I know that. And it's almost the same for me too."

-----

"You're back."

I had not expected anything much for our welcome-back greeting. In fact, I was a little shocked to see that Fabian would even head over to the front door to greet us when we returned. How he had such an impeccable timing, I would never know.

Fabian leaned against the frame of the large set of doors, arms lazily folded across his broad chest and his head was tilted to the side so that he could look at us properly. As usual, a scowl accessorized his otherwise darkly handsome features, eyes filled with disdain and borderline irritation. He was dressed in a well-fitted white dress shirt and some casual black jeans, finished off with a pair of dark gray loafers. I had never seen Fabian dress so properly before, other than the night of the formal ball, of course.

Silently, I frowned, wondering to myself what was the special occasion that had caused Fabian to dress up so differently than his usually more casual style. Of course, I did not voice my thoughts out loud, leaving it for personal pondering.

"And it is good to be back, brother." Wilhelm yawned, stretching his muscled body. "I think I need a hundred year nap after all of this is over."

"That wouldn't be too bad for the world." Fabian quipped. "Would lessen all of our job loads too, seeing how you are the main cause for the rest of our work."

"How many times must I tell you that Dimitri is the main cause?" Wilhelm groaned, throwing his arms up into the air. "If he did not want those people dead, there wouldn't be a need for me to start a war."

"Don't put the blame on me, Will. You and Calvin are the ones who start wars just for shits and giggles. I'm just doing my job by either sending them into the reincarnation system or ferrying the dead here to Hell where they can live out the rest of their immortal lives. Or well, deaths." Dimitri argued defensively. "I'm with Fabian here on this one."

"And how did I get dragged into this mess?" Calvin clicked his tongue under his breath with a groan. Turning to look at me, he was over by my side within seconds, slotting himself in between Dimitri and me as the spirit of death let out a noise of complaint. Calvin took to deaf ears and ignored Dimitri's string of profanities. "What about you, angel? Who do you think is the real Kickstarter of this domino effect?"

Calvin slung his arm over my shoulders, pulling me close to his large physique with a glint of mischief in his eyes. From the corner of my own line of vision, I could already see Dimitri positively fuming, his ears turned a bright red as his knuckles clenched down by his side. From where I stood, I shot him a dazzling smile.

"Sorry Calvin. You might be my best friend out of the four of you, but you are not my favorite horseman just yet. You and Wilhelm do cause a lot of mayhem down on Earth, you know? It's because of both of you had there been so many deaths in certain years. Shame on the both of you."

Immediately after my response, Calvin's arm dropped back down to his side as he frowned with a little bit of mock sadness. "Oh," he cried. "How I've been caught in between a rock and hard place. This betrayal was not expected to come from you Addison."

"Stop being such a drama queen, Calvin." Dimitri slapped a hand over Calvin's head lightly, causing the latter to flinch just the slightest due to the impact. Calvin reached up to rub the back of his head where Dimitri had hit him, a scowl set upon his handsome features.

"I can only pray that he wouldn't find one one day." Fabian quipped from where he stood, causing both Wilhelm and Dimitri to roar with laughter. This only caused Calvin's scowl to darken.

"Ha ha," he said with zero humor to his voice. "How very funny you guys are."

"We know. What on earth would you do without us?" Wilhelm chortled, reaching up to wipe a tear away from his eyes due to how hard he was laughing.

"Having more fun, I assume," Calvin grumbled under his breath.

"Come on, let's go back in. We've had a long morning and all I want now is to just sit back and relax with a nice glass of golden whiskey." Dimitri sighed, taking a few steps towards the front doors of the castle, turning back just to wave us over.

All the while, I walked a little behind the boys, a smile still etched on my face as a result of their playful banter. This entire journey felt as though it was always in constant danger, ever since my first night at the boathouse. It was nice to finally be able to see humor spreading through our little group like a welcomed contagious disease. A little laugh could never hurt anybody and I found it to be, in fact, the greatest cure of all for dark times. That was because laughter was one of the brightest lights anyone could switch on whenever needed be.

This chapter is dedicated to @coversbyluna for the lovely cover she made for me. Thank you so much! I absolutely love it. ♥️

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Until next time. 💞