Picture of Hilaeria enclosed above.

"Oh, Fate, elation is an understatement! Regina and Jace are one of Cupid's most marvellous pairings so far! I am so happy!" Hilaeria gushed, kissing my cheek.

She had always been one to believe in love; how it is a power so invincible. Cupid was her right hand man, always there to draw a smile on her ethereally gorgeous face. He had always felt for her -the blind could have noticed his unspoken captivation- but nothing was ever voiced; it was not in his heart to even think of jeopardising what they had. Ever so emotional, that guy.

"Of course they are, Aeria, you contributed in their pairing." I teased, a ghost of a smile evident on my face.

She giggled, throwing her arms around my shoulders, "Love wins!"

"Goodness, Aeria, you sound like a human teen gushing over her highschool crush."

She laughed, joy radiating off of her as she skipped around the Cove's garden, humming the anthem of the entities. Hilaeria was an abundance of joy, and she spread that everywhere, tainting demons with kindness and vampires with amity. Anybody could fall for her; a siren's beauty with an angel's heart, no potions needed.

My eyes followed her graceful steps, attentively noting down her gleeful actions from dancing with butterflies to singing with the birds.

"Must you always be so lost in thought? Live a little, Fate, we still have eternity left!" She scolded, eyes gleaming with mischief, "Come on, let's play I spy!"

I grunted in response, but obliged nonetheless.

"I'll start!" She shrieked excitedly, "I spy with my little eye something that starts with.... Chaos?"

My head snapped towards the sound of clanking metal, and my eyebrows were immediately raised.

He was wearing Alessio's armour, fae-crafted to give its user maximum strength. I was trying to reinforce the last time the Coven had kept such valuable piece of art within its walls, but could not reminisce a single thing.

"That's because I stole it, dimwit." Chaos stated.

"Out of my head, Chaos. " I ordered, using my authoritative voice.

He snarled at me, teeth gritted.  He liked to lurk in people's minds, targeting their deepest fears, and embarking on embodying them. He was clad in darkness, for he was born within its seams, and was raised within its ethics.

"Chaos, why are you ever-so-rude! Please, stop doing this to people." Hilaeria pleaded, concern etched on her delicate features. She rubbed my shoulder soothingly.

"Pretty girls don't always get what they want, Hilaeria, so you must deal with it." He rolled his eyes, contemplating on messing with Hilaeria. I knew that look, I've seen it quite a couple times as centuries passed.

Pressing a firm hand onto his shoulders, making him wince, was the hint he needed to decide that it was better to step aside for then.

"Why are you here, Chaos? You never embarked on willingly joining our little visits to Hortus Mysteria. Spill." I demanded, skeptical of his behaviour.

"Was I ever driven by diabolical will?"

If looks were to kill, mine would have been lethal.

"Alright, alright! The compendium's symbol was glowing again. Check your tattoos, for someone is to summoned to do something. It isn't mine, sadly. I would have been more than elated to send some of my men to do some dirty work. It must be one of you," he informed us, boredom dripping from his voice, "You are both no fun!"
With a pout, he turned to leave.

Hilaeria rolled her sleeve, then shook her head with disappointment, "It's all yours, Fate. " giving me an assuring nod, she continued,"I'll come with -you know- for moral support!"

I courteously smiled, putting a firm hand on her waist as I led us inside, following the castellations.

The compendium was, indeed, lit up. The symbol of harmony, embedded on its leather, was gleaming.

As soon as my coarse fingers brushed the cover, the dark walls around me faded into memory.

A high ceiling arched about twenty metres above my head. Illustrations decorated it, ones of flowers and vines. I stood up, dusting off my suit, and followed the stem. It was oddly quiet in the building, almost as if it was not occupied, but the messy clothing on the room's floor gave off the opposing impression.

I reached a room, small and girly, which screeched teenager. A poster of Hilaeria was hung by the bed table,  with the words 'my idol' written across it in cursive. I chuckled. Hilaeria was always the charmer.

A couple moments later, a girl no older than eighteen entered.

The once silent room was then filled with her shrill cries, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Calm down, seriously, for I want to keep my ear drums intact. I'm Fate." I tried utilising the calmest tone I could have mustered at the moment, and it seemed to work.

"Oh, sorry. Why are you here, though? I have followed almost every rule in the compendium, I swear! I only broke curfew a couple times, and danced with a man that turned out to be a siren that had a sex change. If I had known that he was a siren, I swear I wouldn't have done it! You gotta admit though, a male siren is a mere impossibility, so you can't exactly blame me for not having the benefit of the doubt."

That girl was giving me a headache already with her constant rambling.

"I'm Mandy, by the way! You're hotter than what they describe you as. Can I take a selfie with you?"

"Don't you dare, " I growled, "I'm not a celebrity, nor am I here to have fun and waste my time. There's something here that I must do."

"What is it?" she chimed in, "Maybe I could help!"

"If I knew what it was, we wouldn't be having this little chat here."

I skimmed the room, and, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something unusual.  I strode towards her bureau, which had jewelry decorating its somewhat dusty surface, and gazed at each and every one of them. Mandy seemed to tense up behind me, I could practically smell the extra excretion of sweat coming out of her minuscule body. That only confirmed my suspicions. I turned around and grasped her hand, the very one which was aiming at my neck with a table lamp. I smirked.

"Tsk, tsk. I've been living for eternity, child. I know every single thing going on in your mind, every move you're going to make and every thought radiating through your head. I knew you were a necromant the moment I stepped foot into your humble household."

"But,"she started to argue.

"You're still young, kid. Of course I knew what I was looking for, I just didn't want you to tense up."

"Oh."

"Where'd you get that, Mandy?" I ushered towards the diamond, which was part of a well-made golden necklace.

"A woman, Nancy, I guess. She was a mortal." she answered.

"No way." I mumbled, holding the precious stone in my large hands. It was glowing.

"What is it, Fate?" She inquired, standing on the tip of her toes as to check the object out from over my shoulder.

"Are you sure she was mortal?" I emphasised, taking one last glance at the aquamarine gem before putting it in a velvet sac.

She nodded. It was genuine. 

I turned to leave, but was stopped by the mesmerisingly beautiful dark woman's figure blocking the door. She put both her delicate hands on my shoulders, giving me a mischievous smile as she trailed them down my torso, nuzzling her face in my neck. If I was a human guy, I would have been drooling by then, but I was not. I pushed her off with a glare. Her charcoal black eyes bore into my own in astonishment. A beautiful woman like her would have never experienced rejection before, and it served as a shocker.

Her face flushed a deep red, but didn't flinch away, as if the dismissal only fueled her actions. She advanced again. This time, though, her lips were hovering dangerously close to mine.

"Tell me that you want me, handsome, and I'll fulfill all your needs."

Her eyes were glowing, challenging even, and were oozing lust. Her breath was becoming laboured; her hormones were in a frenzy.

"Mandy, back away. I cannot be more serious." I sternly authorised, lightly pushing her off once again.

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, "I don't know what got into me."

She stepped aside, giving me room to walk out.

"By the way, Mandy," I called, "You stole my candy bag."

Her face fell as she inspected the bag in her hands. She must have realised the importance of the aquamarine, and wanted it for herself. She had no idea of its true abilities, and an object so potent in the hands of the wrong person can be extremely hazardous.

"Nice try though."

I snatched the bag of candy drops from her, popping one into my mouth, carrying the gem away with memories of what had just happened.

As I was about to travel back to The Cove, an ear-splitting scream filled the hallway.