The Failure

Victor found himself somewhere he never thought he would see again. He stood in the midst of a cathedral, bathed in the blue light of a stained glass window. His legs were stiff, unable to bring himself to the pulpit.

A swathe of anemone flowers encased a regal coffin, the centerpiece of a stilted and cold room. Umbra was slumped over in a pew, his shoulders quivering as he buried his face in a cloth. Aunora was by his side, touching his shoulder.

Victor wanted to move, to run to his family, to console them, but his feet were stuck to the floor.

A door opened, and Victor felt his blood run cold. Matthew was dressed in a suit, hands folded behind his back and eyes cast solemnly to the floor. He paused in front of Umbra, dreary but knowing, letting his fingers brush his cheek.

Matthew took a long breath, clearing his throat as he approached the podium above the casket.

----

Victor gasped, his eyes snapping open. The room swam around him, his eyes struggling to focus on the blank concrete ceiling above him. He was covered in a thin, scratchy blanket, his clothes soaked in sweat.

"Should we try again or something?" Victor froze at the sound of Aunora's voice. Aunora, Matthew, and Infinity were on the other side of the room, standing by the door.

"I wasn't planning on the seànce being a failure," Infinity murmured, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "So I haven't quite planned our next course of action."

"I mean, we can still figure this out, right? We still have a contract with these guys, we might as well try," Aunora said, shrugging.

Matthew leaned against the wall, "We all saw that ghost. Arktos is dead. We need to find a suspect and a body now."

"But it's odd," he said, touching the stubble on his chin, "Victor doesn't usually mess up like that. Do you think something's going on?"

"He was probably just having a bad day," Aunora mumbled, frowning, "You know how he is sometimes."

Infinity crossed his arms, turning to leave. "We need to speak to Sedna. She will give us clearance for the rest of the investigation."

Victor held his breath until the footsteps faded, and he knew he was alone. Sitting up, he cradled his head in his hands, biting his lip.

Everything had been riding on his ability to summon Arktos's soul, and he had failed. He had ruined the entire mission!

Aunora's words felt like knives. Did they expect him to be this weak?

Victor wrapped his arms around his chest, feeling the hot fever that lingered on his skin. He wasn't going to let be disappointed.

He was going to have to try again.

----

"That was twisted," John said causally, raising his eyebrows as he shut the door behind him, throwing his jacket on the bed.

Lilith scowled, clenching her fist. "I never intended for you to be here."

"Excuse me for being curious, sweetie," John said through a toothy grin.

"I find your behavior detestable. Surely you have better things to be doing than playing pretend like a child."

John stretched across the bed, resting his arms behind his head. His eyes flickered, shining like a kaleidoscope. "Dude, I could say the same for you. I mean, turning into some cute girl just to terrorize a little boy? That's weird, even for you... Life."

Author's Note- I actually had to deviate from my plans to elaborate on something I hadn't made as clear.

aaand Victor has another death dream? :0 wonder what it means....