She woke up early in the morning and went to open the window. Fresh air and sunlight got inside and filled the room. A scent of roses hit her nostrils, and fresh-baked cookies made her room smell like a bakery. She dressed up and got to the first floor where the kitchen was. Her mother was there, cooking and listening to music. She kissed her cheek and sat at the table to have breakfast. Soon her father and sister walked into the room with freshly cut roses in their hands. They were together, happy, laughing, and sharing stories.

''Will we train today, daddy?'' Laurel asked.

''You mean about the guitar contest? We said no more training.''

''I mean training with my sword and the knives. We train every day, dad,'' Laurel answered and thought whether her family was joking. She didn't remember herself ever playing the guitar.

Her family looked at her confusingly as if she was an alien.

''Laurel, you saw another movie last night, didn't you?'' her mother said laughing and handed some more cookies to her sister.

Laurel's mind was confused. What was happening? Memories of her holding a sword and fighting came to her mind. She remembered throwing knives and climbing mountains with her father. Then another memory came to her. Burned children screaming and werewolves with torn skin begging for mercy. She looked around. That wasn't her house. She had never lived here.

''Where am I?'' she asked in terror and stood up.

She saw Lucy locking the door of the room and her father standing up and nearing her.

''Oh, Laurel, you shouldn't have remembered. Last time, we could play a board game before you remembered.''

''Where am I?'' she asked again after she remembered killing her mother.

The creature that had taken her mother's shape came behind her and stabbed her with a knife.

''You are in Irkalla, your own personal hell,'' the monster said, and everything blacked out.

Days and weeks passed, and every time Laurel woke up only to remember and realize she was dead. At some point, though, she woke up fully remembering. She instantly got to the kitchen running and grabbed a knife.

''Who are you? What do you want from me?'' she demanded.

The creature in front of her turned around, and she saw its face. It was monstrous, red, and bloody with evil black eyes.

''Such a shame, this game was so fun,'' the creature said with a childish voice and seemed to address someone Laurel couldn't see.

The scenery changed, and the knife dropped from her hand. The house disappeared, and the creature shifted entirely into his look.

''Mother, let's play again,'' the creature said, and a feminine figure came out of the shadows.

She looked human, almost normal. She had dark black eyes and black hair. She wore a long black dress, and a silver crown was on top of her head. She radiated evilness and darkness.

''Welcome to my kingdom. I am Ereshkigal,'' she said and sent her devilish children to torture someone else.

''Why am I here? Is this hell?''

''No, sweetheart, you aren't in hell. Hell is for those that might have a chance of redeeming themselves. Yes, there is torture involved, but here is where the truly wicked people end up. You wielded a power so sacred and so powerful that you committed hubris.''

''It was the only way to stop my mother. If you own a kingdom, then you must know who my mother is and what she has done!''

''I know everything about you, huntress, but that doesn't change the fact that your place is here now. Your punishment is endless torture, and my children will make sure of it. There is no escape, no redeeming, no salvation. Hell can be a temporary place for the dead, but Irkalla is the end of your journey. Relax, huntress. You are only going to spend an eternity of torture.''

It had been a month since Laurel died. Thomas was the first to find her body, and no one was around to give him answers. Her mother's body stood meters away from her and had rotted. Charles was nowhere to be found. Rakel called Lena because she didn't know who else to call. Her mate was devastated, looking for answers no one was willing to give, and she couldn't calm him. Lena knew him since they were teenagers, and maybe she could help. After all, she deserved to know the truth.

Lena screamed for what seemed hours when she saw Laurel's body. How could her best friend be dead? Who was responsible for that action? Who or what was strong enough to kill the huntress? They used potions to preserve her body, and the three of them started looking out for ways to bring her back. Lena found out about the elders' village and went to them.

At first, they refused to help their friend, but Lena knew how to convince people. Her mother was an expert in persuading others to do her bid. Her manipulative nature always disgusted Lena, but she was grateful at that moment. She learned what happened and what her friend did and asked the elders to tell her how to get her soul back. They said that once you were gone, there was no way to be brought back.

Lena refused to believe it. She begged them for days, cried, asked for some mercy, and then she threatened them. Nothing changed.

In the meantime, Thomas and Rakel found a werewolf named Zach, who was an expert in computers and searching and might help them. He had equipment and connections they could never imagine, and he led them to a young teenage girl named Chloe. Zach was the one who had given her a new identity in case her family went looking for her. Chloe worked at the time with a group who searched for ancient theories and was checking sacred, magical powers.

Chloe had heard about the ancient power that Laurel used and was aware of the consequences. It only took them minutes to bond. These people were so different, so unique, yet they found common ground soon. Lena, Thomas, Rakel, Zach, and Chloe became a group and started looking at Chloe's theories.

They gathered objects, magical water from ancient lakes, and even the blood of unicorns, but none of them brought Laurel back.

''What if it's pointless?'' Zach asked one day.

''Don't you dare say it! You don't know her, but I do. I loved her. I love her! She is special, and the world needs her. I need her!'' Thomas said and broke down into tears while Rakel tried to comfort him.

''What if it's up to her to get out?'' Chloe offered an alternative. ''I mean,'' she continued when she saw the others paying attention to her, ''your friend is powerful. Those witches said that there is no escape. But your friend is something that wasn't supposed to exist. She broke the course of nature. I'm sure she can do it again.''

''What do you suggest?'' Lena asked, who found some hope after five endless months.

''We can try to send her a message. Something that will make her understand that she is not alone. That she has a reason to fight and get out. She needs hope. I can only imagine what she's been through.''

Chloe was right. Zach found a trustworthy witch that wouldn't speak about what they wanted to do and managed for a few seconds a connection with Laurel's soul. They weren't certain if she would get the message, but they had to try.

For Laurel, decades had passed, for the time in Irkalla worked differently than the time on Earth. This time she was in a forest, naked, wounded, and tortured inside a circle of fire. She could hear people laughing at her, mocking her, disgracing her. They were the voices of those she had murdered. She begged for them to stop until every tear left from her eyes and screamed until her voice broke into an endless, silent cry.

She was lying on the ground, trying to soothe her wounds, when in a beam of light, she saw Thomas and Lena and then Lucy's flowers. Was this another trick? Another tool of torture? Lucy's favorite flowers were a symbol of hope. HOPE. What a strange word! She couldn't remember believing it for a long time. It sounded bizarre in her mind. She recalled her happy moments, her friends, her home, the way she could run in the forest, and be free. She looked around; the fire burning everything, almost reaching her.

She got up and looked above her in the sky. ''I'm not weak,'' she said. ''I am The Huntress! No fire can burn me, for I am the true fire. My name is Laurel Creed. Do you see me, Ereshkigal? This is not my end,'' she said while she let the fire burn her. ''This is only another beginning,'' she said, and let herself be free.

Laurel's soul was able to return to her former body, her powers were stronger than ever, but her soul was hurt and in pain. Part of her mind was still in Irkalla, and her old and new friends would be there to help her proceed with her life. After all, there were things to be done. Charles was somewhere out there. A new battle would start, which would bring death and would lead to the ultimate fight that would end the world the way we know it.