Draven looked back as the transport passed the threshold of Nashherux. His leg couldn't help but bounce on the floor. He was leaving the Underworld on different terms, wondering why Kel chose him for the job when there were plenty of suitable candidates. His hand brushed against the bastard sword that Namon gave him, nothing impressive, but he knew it could get the job done.

He couldn't help but look at Arna. Draven knew she was a succubus, a perfect duo for diplomacy, he thought. Arna's gaze fell upon him, catching him staring at her. The angle of her shoulders now faced him, and the corners of her mouth curved up to a smile. Draven shook his head and quickly cast his look downward.

A chuckle escaped her mouth.

"You're an unusual escort," she finally said. "Usually they're. . ." Her eyes scanned him from head to toe. "Bigger."

"I'm only here to fulfill a Cardinal Order." He forced it out of himself. His hands gripped tightly onto his pants in hopes he wouldn't lose his bearings.

"Such a noble man."

He could feel his blood get warmer, his heartbeat now pounding in his head. Her words were like poison to his thoughts.

"That's enough!" A deep, muffled voice spoke as if it were in a can. Draven looked to the side of him from the corner of his eye. A suit of armor sat silently but sternly with a light blue flame burning where a head should be. A helmet sat on its lap, secured by an arm. Draven recognized him as Apollyon, the Eleventh demon general. "Let the boy do his job."

"Oh, Polly," Arna said softly. Draven noticed the flame grew more intense and hellish red at the nickname. "I just want to make sure he can fulfill his order."

"I-I promise to get you back safely!" He felt the palms of his hands get sweaty.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep."

The carriage suddenly jolted, making Draven hold on to his seat. Apollyon got out of his seat, helmet in hand, to see where they were. Draven now understood how colossal Apollyon really was.

"We have arrived at the Eastern Theatre. Stay on alert." Apollyon put the helmet where a head should be and rested his hand on the pommel of his sword.

Draven looked out again and saw that the red skies had changed to gray and the soil was war-torn. Not even an animal to graze the grasses after all these peaceful years. There was a stale film that floated in the air, making the lands feel stale yet stoic. Life had abandoned these plains; only the lingering of smoke and death traversed these lands. The silence felt so loud. Though he has experienced the death of others, the sight of it will always unsettle his nerves.

A stone fortress, built by both kingdoms, stood tall in front of them. A grim reminder of what's to come if any blood is shed during the armistice. Near the entrance stood a drawbridge that lowered once they approached. The guardsmen greeted them and announced their presence. Draven looked in amazement at the courtyard, for it was the first time he'd been to one. Its center had a fountain and decoration that corresponded to each kingdom. There was a clear line that was not to be crossed or even tampered with.

The carriage stopped, and Draven stepped out first. His eyes darted around and only felt dread and malice. He heard a human scoff at them as they made their patrol. When Apollyon stepped off the carriage, rocking it with every step, the humans straightened their spines and readied themselves the best they could.

Draven heard horses clop into the fort, and he tried to peek his head around the carriage. Apollyon's massive body walked into his line of sight and stood like a wall. He knew there was no way to see around him unless he went out of his way which would raise suspicion so he decided to wait to see who it was. Arna stepped out of the carriage and all the humans, even some of the demons, lowered their guard but not because she wasn't viewed as a threat but rather by what she is. From the corner of his eye he saw someone exit the other carriage, and two girls followed. A girl with long blond hair and the other with fiery red hair. The girl with red hair turned towards him, and he recognized her, and his head snapped back, facing forward in hopes she didn't recognize him.

"Ambassador Arna," the woman said, causing Draven to jump. As they approached, he began to recognize the woman as Senator Veil, the Black Death. "I hope your travels treated you well."

"Very much so, Senator." Arna held out her hand for the senator to shake. "I see you've brought some company."

"Only here for observation and one for maintenance as promised." Said the senator.

As their conversation continued, Draven couldn't help but glance every now and then at the girl with red hair. She noticed, and her eyes began to analyze him, he felt.

"Draven!" Arna shouted, causing him to jump once more. "Listen, boy. Show the red one where the. . . generator is." He nodded his head and gestured for her to cross the line. She hesitated but quickly walked to the other side. He held out cloth to cover her eyes, and she took a deep breath before she tied it over them. Draven grabbed her by the arm and guided her through their side of the fortress.

"I never got your name," she said, however Draven remained silent. "You are the boy from the orchard, right?" He remained quiet. "My name is Lyra."

"There is no use in learning your name," he said, trying to intimidate her. "We're fulfilling our orders, not becoming friends."

Their walk was silent for a few moments until he yanked her arm to stop. He opened the door to where Lyra would be operating. Before she could take her blindfold off, Draven closed the door.

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

Aeris walked behind her mother as she always did—at an angle. She was distracted by the horror that lay beyond the walls. Her thoughts were flooded with the battle, what it could have been. Lives lost only to be ash blown in the wind.

Senator Veil stopped and told her to wait as the two approached a pavilion. Aeris turned to look down into the courtyard. Some of the demons and monsters snarled at her but proceeded on their patrol. Aeris glanced back over at her mother, but she could only see papers and the movements of their hands. She couldn't help but feel the gravity pull her to the other side to look over the desolate battlefield as if someone was calling for her. As she surveyed the ashen land, she saw movement from the corner of her eye. When she went to look, there was nothing. She rubbed her eyes, and once she regained her vision, she saw more movement, but she couldn't quite catch it. An unsettling feeling buried itself in her gut. She looked back over to the courtyard but found no one. Aeris saw movement again at the corner of her eye within the courtyard but found no one once again.

"Guards!" She shouted. There was no reply. "Guards!" She shouted, this time louder.

There wasn't as much as a gust of wind that gave her a reply. She began to hear whispers that she couldn't understand. Senator Veil appeared next to her, reassuring her presence by putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Aeris! What's wrong?" She asked. But without hearing an answer, her guard went up. "Is this your doing, Arna?"

"That's funny," Arna replied. "I was going to ask you the same thing!" She reached into her hair, and a thorny whip presented itself as she pulled away.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I told you I'm not—"

"Not you," Senator Veil interrupted.

Her gaze went past Aeris further along the wall, and a warped silhouette revealed itself in a long gray cloak. Aeris couldn't make out a face or distinct feature, almost as if it were a ghost. It charged at her, closing the distance within a blink of an eye. It tried to slash at her, but Senator Veil stopped its blade with daggers she kept under her sleeves. Aeris looked back at Arna and found her in the same situation. She heard an explosion coming from the courtyard and saw that both carriages were on fire and more of those cloaked figures running into the fortress. Senator pushed Aeris behind herself.

"We must leave!" She said, parrying a blade. "I cannot protect you like this!"

"What about Lyra?" Aeris was anxious for an answer that never came. She watched as Senator Veil struck their blade with one of hers, leaving an opening for her to jab the other into their chest. With no hesitation, she pulled the blade out and formed a cross around its throat with her other blade. Like scissors, she rid its head from its shoulders and kicked the headless body to the ground. What Aeris was expecting was a pool of red blood, but she was horrifically mistaken as black smoke and ooze escaped the wound, like a tainted soul granted freedom.

"They're wraiths! We have to go; there are probably an infinite amount of them."

Apollyon burst through the door of one of the towers with a wraith on his back, stabbing into his armor. But he stood stoically as he searched for Arna. Aeris noticed the sword the wraith had had melted in the demon's armor. He grabbed the wraith by the head and crushed its skull. He walked past the two and headed towards Arna's direction.

"Shall we search for the boy?" He asked in a calm manner.

"To hell with the boy!" She said, wrapping a wraith's neck with her whip. "He's probably already dead!"

Aeris' eyes widened in horror as she remembered that Lyra was with him. She wanted to run and find her, but her legs wouldn't move as if they were petrified. Senator Veil pulled Aeris towards her and held her head close to her heart.

Aeris couldn't blink to the reality that was unfolding in front of her.

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

Lyra wiped her brow and realized her gloves were stained with oil and grease, probably leaving a black streak on her forehead. She banged on the generator with her wrench and rested her hip on the large machine as it hummed to life. She looked at Draven, who watched her intensely the entire time she worked. Her posture allowed him to ask any question, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"So what are you?" She asked, realizing too late that her question could be offensive. "I mean, who are you?"

Lyra hoped to salvage.

"Who I am is of no concern to you." He said, looking past her at the generator. It operated at its max capacity from what he could tell.

Lyra took the time during their silence to look around the room. She noticed that other than the bronze pipes coming in and out of the room, everything seemed primitive to her. Other than the windows to give light, there were sconces that were lit by an enchantment that never extinguished and wooden furniture that felt the part. However, she knew that there were magical nuances to their technology that she couldn't understand. There lay a possibility that the Underworld could have advanced magical technologies that she could never make an understanding of.

A sudden scream down the hallway snapped her out of thought. It also brought Draven to attention. More screams followed, but silence came soon after. Lyra brought her large wrench out and held it like a sword as she approached the door.

"What are you doing?" Draven asked, hesitating to grab her. "Even if you are curious, you're not allowed to be out and about unsupervised."

"Someone could be hurt," she said.

"Why should you care?"

Lyra brushed the question off and reached for the door. She tried to listen through to the other side as she reached for the handle. A sudden bang on the door made her jolt back, but she steeled herself as she twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open. One of their soldiers stood on the other side. Shoulders slumped, eyes lifeless as it stared past her. Draven walked beside her to see why her gaze was confused. When they approached the soldier, he smelled something metallic, and upon further observation, he saw the pitter-patter of blood on the ground. The body leaned forward and collapsed in front of them, blood splattering onto the floor, some speckled onto their clothing.

A cloaked person stood before them now. A blade soaked in blood pointed at them. Lyra stood steadfast, gripping her wrench with both hands, finally feeling the weight it had. Even though she knew what to do, her body couldn't move. Draven forced his legs to walk from under him and drew his sword. A cryptid whisper came from the cloaked person. An amalgamation of languages—it sounded like—in reverse. Draven recognized it to be a wraith, an undead that can only be summoned by the accumulation of regretful souls. It raised its blade to strike, and Draven readied himself. The wraith slashed at him erratically, making him stay on the defensive.

Lyra watched as he started to get pushed back. As much as she wanted to move, she was transfixed by the wraith, having never encountered one before. Her leg started to bounce, and her chest felt like it was trying to constrict her organs. She felt her nails dig in deep into her palms, piercing through her skin, drawing blood. The pain was enough to break through her fear and she reared her heavy wrench back and hurled the tool at the wraith. She winced as the tool used a trickle of her blood to lessen friction as it slipped through her hands. Lyra couldn't help but stand once more as she watched the tool spin towards the creature. A deep thud was heard as the wrench made impact with its head and then the ground. It let out a deafening shriek as it sharply turned towards her. The wraith's legs were ready to pounce but before a foot could leave the stone Draven drove his bastard sword through its chest. The wraith grabbed the sword from the front of it and began to swing its sword behind itself, trying to kill Draven. His grip on his sword was strong, but soon, he felt, it would begin to waver if nothing was done.

Lyra began to analyze their surroundings. Her eyes fell on the bloody wrench that she threw at the wraith. The only problem she had was the wraith was swinging its sword erratically again, making its movements hard to analyze and time.

But she tried anyway.

Watching the wraith swing its sword, she plunged herself forward, ducking under one of its swings and grabbing the wrench. Twisting her body, she gripped the tool with both hands and swung the wrench upwards at its head, striking its chin, causing it to bend backwards. Draven once again took the opening to pull his sword from its body and move at an angle across from Lyra, raising his sword above his head and striking the wraith through its neck, separating its head from the body.

Thanks to the adrenaline that ran through their bodies, the sight of its lifeless body didn't significantly horrify them, but they knew this would haunt them. The both of them saw each other breathe heavily. Lyra almost brought herself to a laugh, but the shock of what happened didn't allow her to do so.

More screeches were heard coming down the hallway, sending shivers down Lyra's spine. Draven picked up the sword the wraith wielded. Upon further inspection, the edges of the blade were chipped, giving its victims serious serration damage; the guard was halfway intact, and the handle was tattered. Where did these wraiths come from? The question kept surfacing in his mind. Despite his distrust of humans, Lyra saved his life. He could trust her until this attack was over, so he handed her the sword.

"This will do better than the tool," he said. She hesitated to grab the sword. "Come on! They aren't going to wait until we're ready."

Lyra grabbed the sword and was taken aback at the weight of it, expecting it to be lighter. The two readied themselves, standing side by side at the doorway. The screeches got louder, and eventually they stopped. Lyra's eyes moved frantically trying to locate them, but all she could see was the sconce on the other side of the door. She began to walk towards the door, and without hesitation, Draven followed her regardless of his nerve. Lyra stepped out of the room with a jolt, facing one way, and Draven did the same right after, facing the other. The hallway was still lit, but they couldn't find any other wraith wandering about.

"But the screeches. . ." said Lyra.

One by one the sconces on both sides began to wane and one by one extinguish until only the one between them was left. Both of them tried to make shapes within the void but saw no figures. The two slowly began to hear whispers like the wraith they recently defeated. Lyra tightened her grip on the sword. When the whispers stopped, a reckless strike struck her sword without warning, pointing her blade in a direction that made her vulnerable. Draven turned around and tried striking the wraith that snuck up on them, but it moved back into the shadows.

"We have to get out of here." Said Draven, his eyes trying to see past the light.

"You think I know the way out," Lyra replied. "Just so you remember, I was blindfolded up until a moment ago."

The two's bickering was interrupted once more when the wraith once again attacked Lyra, but this time the blow knocked her back into the generator room. Draven went to go help her, but another wraith jumped out of the shadows and pushed him further into the darkened hallway.

Lyra almost stumbled over the dead wraith but stood steadfast after the strike. The wraith entered the room like a ghost, and it raised its sword. She did her best to predict where the sword was going to go. Lyra was left astonished as the two blades bounced off each other, but she knew it was blind luck. The wraith tried to slash at her again, but she stepped to the side. The direction of its blade made a sudden change in its course to her surprise, nearly wounding her. She tripped over her sudden change in momentum, causing her to crash to the ground. The wraith stood over her and raised its sword to deliver a finishing blow until a sudden gust of wind blew the wraith towards the generator, causing it to slam against it. Lyra looked over to find Draven leaning against the door frame with blood dripping from his nose. His chest heaved back and forth as he tried to regain his breath. The wraith stood back up with no hesitation, and Lyra did the same, but she knew she had no chance against it, not even with Draven in his current state. She backed up towards him slowly with her blade still raised at the wraith.

"Are you able to do that again?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the wraith.

"I don't know," he said between breaths. "It was just a feeling."

Lyra tried to think. Going through the hallways of the fortress would ultimately lead them to their deaths. The safest way, she thought, was getting through the wall.

"Blast it into the generator once more!" She demanded.

"What?!" Draven's face showed confusion.

"If you hit it hard enough, you might be able to cause a reaction that will allow the chamber with active energy to meet the chamber with stored energy."

Draven had no time to argue or find a reason why it wouldn't work. He took a deep breath and pushed his hand out but found only the dust in front of him moved.

"What was that?!" Lyra shouted, giving him a look of concern.

"I don't know how to control it!"

"Aren't you supposed to master your magic at birth?"

"Well. . ." Draven couldn't find it in himself to explain.

Lyra couldn't afford to waste time. The wraith was getting ready to attack again.

"I will hold this monster off; you need to figure it out!" She said, turning away from him. "Try to remember that feeling when you saved me."

Without hesitation, she charged at the wraith. As the wraith tried to unnerve her with its cryptic whispering, her resolve was unwavering as she tried to slash the body of the wraith. Its sword met hers just before and it began to push her back. Lyra took a sudden step backwards, disengaging their blades, causing the wraith to stutter in its movements, giving her a small opening. She took the chance and landed a blow to its arm, cutting off the hand that held its sword. It shrieked causing her to wince as she did her best not to waver but in that moment of weakness the wraith grabbed her by the throat and began to slowly raise her into the air. Instantly her vision began to blur as she was gasping for air. Her hands latched onto the wraith's arms, and her feet kicked at it, but her efforts were of no use. Lyra's eyes slowly wandered to Draven and saw the look of panic settle in his face. She held one of her hands out towards him. Her vision began to go blurry, but before it hazed, she saw the resolve on his face, and just before she went unconscious, she felt a strong gust of wind, stronger than the last, brush against her face. She felt her feet hit the ground, and then everything else followed. She gasped for air, coughing in the midst of filling her lungs. Shaking her head, she could only hear ringing in her ears. Even though she recognized that she was discombobulated, she still couldn't tell which way was up.

Lyra looked around in her confused state and saw the wraith tangled in the pipework of the generator. It slowly started to free itself, but Draven stepped forward and held out his hands. Lyra instantly had a flashback to when they first met at the apple orchard and realized there was the feeling again. She watched as he focused his power into pushing the wraith further into the generator, causing some pipes to burst.

The wraith shrieked.

Lyra realized that the generator was reaching a critical point. She stumbled onto her feet and dove at Draven, tackling him to the ground. A hollow metal object clanked out from her bag and rolled onto the floor. Lyra realized it was her device, and she reached for it. Even though it lay on a flat surface, it kept rolling as if something was pulling it. The device started to circle around, and she noticed that there was a ripple that appeared in thin air, as if a transparent fabric was flowing. The gauge that was built into the machine began to fluctuate, steadily hitting the red line.

The generator began to let out a harsh whistle, and before she knew it, the large machine finally detonated. The flash blinded her for a second before she shut her eyes. Shrapnel was heard hitting the stone beyond them in the midst of the ringing of her ears. She felt sharp pain at her side. Since she was ready to some degree, she found herself regaining her bearings rather fast. Her legs were fatigued, barely able to bring both of them beneath her. She watched Draven crawl from beneath her, and his eyes showed shock. Lyra looked beneath her, and a slow red pool was gathering from under her. She felt fine due to the adrenaline, but she could tell her wound was serious. Her thoughts shifted to the device that now lay in rubble a few feet away from her. She began to crawl on one knee towards it but collapsed just before she could reach it. Her vision began to blur as she watched a woman grab the sphere.

"What are you doing, Arna?" Asked Draven.

"It seems important," she began to walk away. "It shouldn't take long before our Mage Court deciphers this technology."

Lyra, with all she had left in her, reached out to grab her, but Arna swatted her hand away with her boot.

"Let's go, boy! There are more on their way."

Draven rushed to Lyra and knelt by her. He set a small vial in her hand and helped her clasp it.

"This will help with your recovery. You will crave blood, but whatever you do, do not feed that craving, or you will lose your humanity," Draven stood up and looked at her. "I am sorry."

Lyra had much to say, but even her mind was losing energy, making her whole interaction with Draven seem like a vivid dream.

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

Aeris watched as her mother cut down the last wraith that stood in their path. Senator Veil breathed heavily but didn't slow down. As they made it to the courtyard, Aeris couldn't help but gasp at the horrifying battlefield that took place. Both demons and humans were on the ground, slaughtered like cattle, by crackling flame. The smell of smoke and iron filled her head, nauseating her. Very few remains of wraiths lay with them. Senator Veil checked if any of the human soldiers were alive as Aeris shuffled through to the demon side of the fort. There was a large hole in a wall, and she ventured into it, finding a large smear of blood. Her eyes traced it to a body with long red hair. She gasped as she recognized that it was Lyra. Aeris ran to her and checked if she was breathing. It felt slow, but her breath was there. She looked around and found her mother rounding the corner. Aeris waved her over, and her mother rushed over.

"Oh heavens!" Senator Veil set her blades down and felt for a pulse. "She's breathing, but her pulse is faint."

Horrifying screeches echoed in the distance.

"Mother! What will we do?"

Senator Veil saw many options in her head, but each one did not have a clear outline. She picked up Lyra and told Aeris to wield her blades. Without hesitation, Senator Veil rushed towards their carriage. The horses were quiet but anxious, having blinders on them. She entered the carriage, setting Lyra down on the front seat. Aeris rushed in and sat by Lyra, holding her hand. She looked outside as three wraiths emerged out of the hole in the wall across the courtyard.

A sudden thud on the roof of the carriage startled them. Soon after, another thud followed. A wraith shrieked as it fell off, and Aeris noticed her mother let her guard down. A cloaked figure dropped down and entered the carriage.

"Ms. Algernon?" Aeris said, confused after seeing their face.

Lyra's mother rushed to her side and gently brushed Lyra's hair back.

"What were you able to find?" Senator Veil asked.

"I found the sorcerer who has summoned these wraiths, but I have no telling how much he has summoned."

"The insurrectionists have moved forward with their plan. We need to bring this information to Elderlore before it is too late. I fear dark times have finally come to Kogeer."

Aeris felt something hard within Lyra's hand. Upon further investigation, she found a glass vial, crystal clear with dark red fluids inside. She held it close to her eye to inspect it, but Lyra's mother seized hold of the vial.

"Where did you find this?" she asked.

"Lyra was holding it in her hand." Aeris watched as she studied the vial herself. "What is it?"

"The blood of a demon," she replied bluntly. "However, this one isn't any ordinary demon. . ." Her thoughts trailed off. Lyra's mother snapped the tip of the vial and approached it to Lyra's lips and poured the fluid into her mouth. "She will act unusual," she began to explain. "Lyra will not be your friend when she wakes, having forgotten many things. Be sure to remind her of who she is." Lyra's mother dropped the vial and looked outside as the wraiths approached them.

Senator Veil walked out of the carriage, and Lyra's mother followed.

"We must do what is best for them." Senator Veil said, watching her head nod in agreement.

"What is there for me to do?" Aeris asked.

Senator Veil placed her hand gently on her cheek and smiled at her.

"There is so much for you to do, the both of you."

Aeris watched as Lyra's mother brought a crossbow out of concealment from her cloak as she walked towards the horses.

"An army of wraiths approaches us," she said. "They will catch up to us if we all run."

"You aren't going to leave us?!" Aeris yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You two are more ready than you know; trust each other. The world will be against you." Senator Veil placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, and as she blinked, the carriage began to move.

Aeris couldn't help but watch as her mother ran out the gates with them and began to engage with the wraiths. Crossbow bolts flew from the top of the carriage, impaling the wraiths trying to climb into the carriage. Once there was a clearing, Lyra's mother jumped from the top and rolled once her feet made impact on the ground. Aeris watched as she gave one last glance to them and ran towards Senator Veil. Soon they were engulfed by the tattered cloaks of the wraiths and then blended in with the apparent horizon.

Aeris' legs collapsed from beneath her, and once again she found herself curled into a ball. The gravity that weighed her down squeezed her chest. She looked to Lyra for guidance, but her expression left no comfort. Aeris felt that even she would leave her.