Eddie went up to the second floor, through the room with all the snakes, and to the trap door in the room where the spider used to be. He unmatched it and crawled down into the chamber. He went towards the wall at the end which didn't need to be unlocked this time, but rather slid open as Eddie approached. He stopped once he was there.

The room they originally saw there wasn't there. Instead it lead to a long, wide corridor lit up by torches on the wall. The floor was a bluish-lavender, and Jackal-head statues lined the walls every few feet from eachother.

"Osiris' den. The Land of the Dead," a voice whispered.

Eddie went inside. His footsteps echoed, no matter how gentle they were. He took a deep breath and made his way down the corridor. He'd calm down from earlier and wasn't so angry, but he was still determined to find Nina. He'd still do whatever it'd take.

He began running as it seemed the corridor would never end until he reached sheer curtains hanging to cover an empty doorway. He made his way through, pushing the curtain aside, repeating this process with more curtains until he was surrounded by multiple curtains and was sure he was lost.

Yet, he heard Nina's voice-a soft, faint version of her voice. He followed the sound through one curtain and came into the room where Nina was. Though, she seemed unconscious. She was glowing a bluish-white color and hovered over the table in the room.

"Nina?"

~~~~~
Fabian, Patricia, and Alfie decided to go after Eddie. Amber, Jerome, and Joy stayed back-actually Amber kept them back because she had to speak with them both. She escorted them into her room and had them sit down as she remained standing.

"Now, we all know here that Jerome and I kissed, and we also know that you, Joy, are not ok with that. No matter how much you deny it, you're not ok. And you, Jerome, you're not ok either. So, as an obligation I feel I have to you, Jerome, I need you two to resolve your issues."

"We've already tried talking it out," Joy admitted. "It's no use."

"Fine. What was the issue in the first place?"

Jerome and Joy glanced at eachother. Jerome gestured for her to explain.

"Ok," Joy sighed, "he broke up with me because he was afraid of commitment to the relationship. That's all I know. Pretty stupid if you ask me, especially if he loved me so much, but...I guess he didn't."

"Joy-" Jerome closed his eyes. "Oh, how do I say this?"

"Say what? That you're sorry or that I'm the stupid one?"

Jerome looked over at her. "Jumping to conclusions, are we?"

"It's either one or the other. You're either trying to apologize or you're still being a jerk."

"I'm being a jerk? Says the one who manipulated me in high school and recently lied about a boyfriend who was really just your neighbor!"

"What did you expect? I went seven years without seeing you, or hearing anything from you, and when I saw you again I didn't know what else to do!"

"I don't know, admit you still loved me?"

"Guys! Enough!" Amber squealed. "Stop turning this into an argument. I just want a discussion...Now that we're calm, Jerome, what did you have to say?"

"What I was going to say," Jerome began, now telling his story to Amber, "is that yes, I was afraid of commitment. And I truly am sorry. But at the time, I felt I couldn't give Joy everything she'd need from a man in her life. It's what happens when you love someone too much and doubt yourself to ever meet their needs. Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I didn't. But I do know that I was younger then, and if it were now, I wouldn't make that same decision."

Amber nodded. "And Joy? Do you have something to say?"

Joy swallowed. "Well, I'm glad Jerome could admit the truth. He's definitely better at doing so than me, that's for sure. And I think it was for the best we didn't end up together. Everything happens for a reason, I guess. Who knows, it could've ended in catastrophe." Joy began to tear up. "And I'm sorry for being the jerk. I loved Jerome still, and I couldn't admit it, and I hated to see him forget me, yet I tried so hard to forget him. I'm happy to see him happy, but it just hurts when he's not happy with me. I just...I have to say, I don't think things can ever be fixed between us."

Amber looked at Jerome.

"Maybe not," Jerome declared. "I could never know. Maybe we'll never get back on good terms. And by some extraordinary chance, we might. But either way, I'm sorry, and I'd least like to attempt a truce." At this moment, Jerome looked straight at Joy and she shyly looked at him until she grew comfortable.

"Truce." She nodded as they shook hands. "And personally, I don't think Jamber's all that bad. The con-man and the match-maker of high school. How could I not see it coming?"

Joy smiled and left the room. Amber replaced her seat next to Jerome.

"See, it all worked out...for the most part," Amber grinned.

"I guess I know who to call to help resolve my problems," Jerome replied.

"Yes, yes you do. Your welcome."

Jerome smiled, showing his dimples. He knelt in and kissed Amber, more so a little peck for a thank you.

~~~~~
Fabian, Patricia, and Alfie went to the trap door and made their ways down into the chamber, going towards the end of the passageway where the wall slid open. They saw what Eddie saw and reacted almost the same way, shocked to see something different. They took the chance and stepped through and began calling out for Eddie and Nina as they ran down the corridor. As they approached the first curtain, they heard Eddie respond.

"Guys?!"

They followed his voice through the curtains until they made it where he was with Nina.

"What's happened to her?" Fabian gasped.

"I don't know," Eddie said. "She's just....floating there."

"Can't we just like-push her off?" Alfie suggested.

"We don't know what that would do. It could kill her for all we know," Eddie said.

"Kill her?" Fabian swallowed.

"Don't get so stressed over," Patricia told him. "We just need to save Nina and get out of here, and to do that, we must find out how, so...let's get thinking."

"Eddie," Nina's voice echoed in her head.

Eddie faced away from Fabian, Patricia, and Alfie's discussion and towards the unconscious Nina.

"Nina?"

"Apep's holding me in his bonds. Break them. Free me."

"How?"

Nina didn't respond right away, so Eddie acted on impulse. He grabbed floating-Nina's arm, and his hands began to glow yellow at the touch of her skin. The yellow glow made its way up his arms as well. He was sure it was working until he was sent back flying by a sudden impact, hitting a soft curtain, and landing with a thud as the curtain's hem draped over him.

Fabian pushed the curtain back.

"Are you ok?" Patricia questioned.

Eddie sat up. "Yeah," he grunted. "It just hurts...Everywhere."

Alfie helped him up.

"No, Eddie," Nina's voice spoke again. "I'm in a separate chamber. Apep's own division. I'm in bonds there. That is where you must break the bonds."

"Couldn't have told me that sooner?" Eddie announced aloud.

"What?" Alfie expressed everyone else's thoughts.

"Come with me," Eddie breathed as he went running out of that room.

Somehow, he felt he knew the path to Apep's division. Maybe it was that he knew the path to Nina. These Osirion and Paragon connections got more helpful by the minute.

He made his way through a new corridor and bursted through a door on his left. Immediately he spotted Nina and so did the others behind him. Nina was shacked to the wall by her wrists. She seemed unconscious.

"I'm so confused," Alfie sighed. "What Nina did we see back there?"

"It was just a projection of her soul," Eddie said. "I have to free her from here."

Eddie went straight to her. He laid his hands on the chains to make them burst open or something, and it actually worked. His hands glowed yellow once more to heat the chains and cause them to snap. Nina fell forward, but Eddie quickly caught her in his arms. Fabian, Patricia, and Alfie approached quickly.

"Is she alright?" Fabian asked, kneeling down.

"She's breathing," Eddie smiled. "That's a good sign. But...how could it be so easy to save her? Why isn't Apep doing anything?"

Fabian, Alfie, and Patricia glanced at one another.

"Well?" Eddie insisted. "Tell me."

"He-he has done something," Patricia said. "Fabian, show him."

Fabian pulled the watch out his pocket and showed Eddie the face. His hand was still there, just before the sixth hour.

"He's getting to you," Fabian admitted. "Nina's the easiest way to make you angry and thus, evil."

Eddie swallowed. He handed Nina over to rest in Fabian's eyes as he comprehended this. All attention was drawn from the matter at hand to approaching footsteps in the corridor. When the figure came into the doorway, they all knew it was Apep.

Eddie glared at him. His eyes flashed black just for a split second. Alfie looked back at Eddie.

"Dude, you look angry," Alfie observed.

Eddie ignored him.

"Osirion," Apep's voice echoed in Eddie's head as he remained standing in the doorway, "it's a pity you just couldn't have left her. Your bond is just too strong. But that'll all be over when you're finally consumed by the darkness."

"Never," Eddie responded back in his mind.

"You have such determination that you can control it, don't you? Oh, only fools believe such things. You cannot control your fate. It is in your future-your very near future."

Eddie felt a weight in his heart. He suddenly couldn't breathe and collapsed onto the floor, his eyesight beginning to fail him. All his senses dulled as he slowly went unconscious.

~~~~~
Here is yet another chapter! Hope you enjoyed!

How do you feel about Jerome and Joy's resolution?

Should Eddie believe Apep?