T H R E E
First Day

"WHEN ARE YOU going to tell me about my memories?" Those words were out of my mouth within seconds, making me sit up straighter as I stared inquisitively at Dimitri. "Go on. This is the part where you explain the reason why you're keeping everything from me and that it's 'for my own good'."

"What do you want me to say?" Dimitri asked, landing gracefully on the armchair he had taken just before he left the room. "I already said that it was for your own good."

"I'm still dead." Burying my face into my palms, I sighed as the pain in my head throbbed. "I'm still stone cold and dead and underground in the pits of Hell itself."

"To be fair, you've been underground for quite some time now." There was a crunch and I raised my head just in time to see Dimitri bite into an apple. "We just have to find a way to revive you."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Throwing my arms up, I stormed from the bed and towards the giant windows. Though the beautifully ethereal moonlight streamed in and cast the room aglow, I felt indifferent. The light did not touch me the way it had when I was still alive.

"There is a book hidden in the depths of Hell. A book that Lucifer wrote during his youth. We simply have to find the book and use its contents to bring you back to life. Even back then, Lucifer had always messed with the ways of life. There must be something inside that can help us before the five days are up."

"There is no us in this situation, Dimitri. You're not dead. I am." I had not even noticed that his figure had moved closer. Our faces were mere inches away from each other. For a second, I thought his beautiful silver eyes had glanced over to my lips but that movement was gone in a flash.

"I was never alive, Addison. I never got the privilege to know what it feels like to be truly alive and mortal."

Silence engulfed the both of us, my own gaze locked with his even as the seconds bled on. It had barely even occurred to me that the first of my five days were slowly draining away. Yet, I was entranced by the power in which Dimitri held over me unknowingly. It kept me captive, holding my very soul into place as the world bled me freely from my own will.

It was only when Dimitri had spoken again had I snapped out of it, blinking my eyes rapidly.

"We have to go talk to the others. Calvin will know more about the book than I. It is best if we gather help since time is slipping through our fingers."

"Of course," I breathed.

A memory of Fabian flashed into my mind, one in which I was so sure was not truly mine at all. He looked so different, dressed in clothing in which I was not used to seeing him in. My head started to throb, causing my vision to blur for a second before returning. In the memory, Fabian smiled so brightly that the sun seemed so very dull as if the moon was looming over it. His features were softer, so much kinder and forgiving than the Fabian in which I was used to.

"Addison, are you alright?" Dimitri asked. His hands were latched onto my elbows, holding me up before my knees could buckle and send me sprawling to the ground.

"I'm fine," I said, hand still grasping on my head as the pain slowly faded away along with the memory. "I need to apologize to Fabian. I should not have said such things to him."

Dimitri looked doubtful. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, wrinkles appearing on his forehead though he nodded just once. "I'll send word. We'll meet my brothers there. Do you need Minnie to be there as well?"

I could barely even make out a nod before I lost feeling in my legs, almost slamming to the ground had it not been for Dimitri's support. My knees were wobbling, numb and completely unfeeling as I hit at them, desperate to regain control of my muscles.

"What is happening?" I asked, hopelessly looking at my feet, willing power into them to no avail.

"The first day is passing. You'll get weaker and weaker as the hours tick by." Gently, Dimitri moved so that I was facing his back. It took him hardly any effort before he hoisted me up, carrying me in a piggyback form. "There will be waves in which your body will lose energy before regaining them. But with each wave, your body will become weaker as your soul is trying to escape."

"You seem oddly knowledgeable about reviving people," I gasped when a tingle ran through my legs, sort of like when I stood up much too abruptly after sitting on my legs for too long. "Any chance you might have actually done it before?"

"Once," he vaguely replied. "It didn't go too well."

"Here's to hoping that your second try will be better than the first, right?" Mustering as small of a smile as I could, my arms were slouched around Dimitri's neck, nearly clinging on to dear life though his hands still supported me from my knees.

"You know, they say that third time's the charm. I don't think I've ever heard of a second time being a lucky win."

In no time, we were already walking through the corridors. My eyes couldn't help but dart around the examine the castle. Though the war had not reached this great structure, the remnants of defeat still lingered. There was a significant absence of servants and the entire place seemed lack of life.

"What happened after I died?" I asked. Even the flowers in vases seemed to droop as if it had lost all hope in the world.

"There was no clear winner in the war. Lucius escaped and he left the bodies of the dead here."

"What about our side?"

"The spirits were killed by weapons that could take down an immortal. That's why you jumped in front of me in the first place, right?"

I nodded.

"So those spirits now cease to exist. The angels are technically spirits so when they died by the hands of us, they are sent back to the Almighty."

"And where is he in all of this?" Curiosity nipped at me, fueling me with question over question. "God, I mean. He's supposed to help the good guys, right?"

"He doesn't appear much. I've only seen him so little times even with my long history of existence. I doubt he will care what we do as long as we do not harm those in the mortal realm. Humans and other living beings are his primary concern."

"You mean he doesn't care if you live or die?"

Dimitri faltered for a moment, hesitating for an answer. Beneath my touch, I could feel his heart skip a beat. "I truly do not know."

Needless to say, Dimitri remained silent after that, much too deep in thought to carry on an actual conversation. I could feel his rate race from our close proximity and yet I did not dare to even breathe too hard for fear that he might mistake it for something else. We reached our destination within a few short minutes, with Dimitri gently placing me down on the couches of their 'living room' before he sat down beside me.

One by one, the rest of the four horsemen appeared. Calvin arrived first, with his white hair blinding and contrasting against his dark skin. Right behind him was Wilhelm, hair as bold as a wildfire's flame as he stepped into the room. His ember eyes trailed on me for a second longer than usual before he flashed me a grim smile as if apologizing. Lastly, I could feel Fabian before I even saw him. The effects he had still lingered and it was as if my most significant past life was calling out to him. Since I was dead, she grew stronger and much more prominent in my life. Ida came back to life the very second I died.

Fabian's eyes were cold, cruel, even, as he stared straight through me. My lips immediately parted, the beginnings of an apology already on the tip of my tongue but he curved away and perched himself on the furthest seat from me. Dejected, I closed my mouth just as Minnie stepped in. Immediately, she flashed me a comforting smile before heading straight towards me, sitting right by my side with a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I have called you all here for a very important meeting," Dimitri started. "As you all know, Addison's revival is crucial to the sustainability of Hell itself. We need a way to bring her back to life before her next four days are up."

"Four days?" Minnie cried in outrage. "You said it was five."

"And today is the first." Dimitri snapped back. "The day resets every sunset. The first sunset had already long past us. We're into the second day already. Time is running short."

"The world would be better without some bitter bitch like her." Fabian snorted, sending a wave of fury within me. "All she ever does is whine about her current predicament and stick her head into businesses in which she should not be in."

"Hell will fall without her, brother."

"Hell will fall either way." Standing up, Fabian crossed the room within seconds, his angered face mere inches from mine as I stood to my feet as well. Thankfully, all feeling had returned and my legs were working properly once more.

"That's enough." The voice that had left my mouth was not my own. Instead, it sounded more mature, far more educated as I felt myself slowly losing feeling of every muscle and vein in my body. I was still standing, alright, but my body was no longer my own. "Fabian, do not succumb to this madness. You need the girl in order to help preserve the way of life. You can't let Lucius win again."

The room was silent, all the boys and Minnie too stunned to speak properly. Even Fabian, whose face was filled with wrath was suddenly simply surprised as he stared into my eyes. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that even Dimitri was on his feet now, his eyebrows shot up high as he gaped at me.
"Ida?" Fabian breathed in disbelief. "That's not possible."

"It is me, love." My hand shot up, holding Fabian's cheek in hand as he leaned into my touch. Though I was still very much here, my control over my own body was lost. "I am here with you always."

"How is this happening?" Wilhelm asked, his posture straightened as he examined both Dimitri and I. "Dimitri?"

"Addison is in transition between life and death. She has a state now in which she usually doesn't have, which is this. Her reincarnation was supposed to start the very second she breathed her last but due to some strings I pulled, she is stuck here, half alive and half dead. This allows her past life to re-enter her body, in a sense, and control her for short periods of time. Ida was the one that lived the longest, so she would be the most powerful."

"So this is essentially a split personality disorder?" Minnie asked, astonished.

"In a sense, yes."

"I don't want you to go." Fabian's eyes were filled with hurt and longing, his hand clasped over mine as Ida smiled back. "You're just going to leave again."

"Help Addison find her way back. You will never lose me, Fabian. I will always protect you and watch over you. Open yourself and open your heart again. Allow yourself happiness, love."

Propelling my body forward, I was shocked when Ida pressed my lips against Fabian's. It felt wrong as if I were committing a sin in my own right. Almost immediately after, I could feel her presence slowly slipping away as I regained control over my body again. The first I did was to rip myself away from Fabian's grip, directly stepping back into Dimitri's.

The hurt in Fabian's eyes flashed only for half a second before it disappeared. Even then, I knew that it was going to haunt my dreams for many years to come.

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