Soft trickles of snow fell from the sky. The white crystals landed on my nose, eyelashes, and black hair. Weightless as they melted sliding down my skin. My hand was still compressed against Death's hand, blood slipping between our fingers. I want to believe that I am dreaming but this feels all too real. We were in the forest but it wasn't the same forest. I don't know what happened. I don't know how we got here.

"Where are we?" I asked, trembling.

Death's jaw clenched and turned, "I don't know. Where did you take us?"

He thought I did this? How could I possibly do this? I am not capable of doing something like this. One minute I am feeling as if my head is being torn apart and the next minute I am somewhere I have never been.

"I didn't take us anywhere. Where did you take us?" I hissed.

Death's eyes darted back and forth, I could feel his hand tighten around mine. My eyes widened as I realized that the God of Death doesn't know where we are either, we are stuck. We are stuck together. I could feel my heart beginning to race again.

I looked down at our bloody hands, droplets of red stained the white powder ground. I wriggled my hand to remove it from his but when I tried to, Death's gaze snapped back towards me.

He held a glare, "Don't. We are bonded right now, leave my hand and you will be trapped here forever."

I kept my hand still against his.

"Well, aren't you a God? Can't you do something? Get us out of here." I said angrily.

I could feel my fingertips becoming numb either by the cold or how tightly Death is squeezing them. If we don't find a way out soon, my body temperature will slowly decrease and I would rather not die from hypothermia.

Small forms of clouds released as Death spoke, "I don't have control here. Someone must have brought us here. Someone must have gotten inside your head."

Someone is inside my head? How was that possible? My eyes roamed at our surroundings, white and gray. Gray sky and white ground with hundreds of lanky trees that lay in the background. It looked peaceful, calming and it was quiet.

I tried to shift from my foot to the other but the inches of snow-covered half of my boot. I don't like the snow.

As I am about to speak, a voice appears from thin air.

"Capturer and Crier of Souls."

Together, Death and I turn towards the airy voice. We are greeted by an elderly woman, her gray hair is neatly tied into a long braid and she wears a ragged brown cloak hanging loosely on her body. Her wrinkles show her age but her eyes, her eyes are a vibrant violet.

As she took a step toward us, her cloak swept the ground.

"I should have known it was you." Death sneered.

I looked back at Death confused, his posture had straightened as the movement of his shoulders stiffen. I felt curious about the woman in front of us, wanting to know who she was and how she was capable of pulling this reaction out from a God.

Her thin lips curled in response as she spoke silky, "Do not be angry with me, my God." Her body faced me, "Nora de Luna, a woman who will go by many names."

My eyebrows furrowed, how does she know my name? Her stare settled between the two of us as she kept walking around us. Was she another God? How many of them are there? More importantly, what did she want? Did she put us here?

As if she was reading my mind she claimed, "Patience, Nora. Everything will be explained. Everything will be answered. Everything will be back on your path."

Her mouth twitched as she met the cold eyes of Death, "Good because I need an answer. I want my wings. Where is my prediction?" He said coldly.

"Must you need them? Have you not lived long enough without them?" Death's nostrils flared and the blackened vines I once saw returned crawling up his neck, my heart raced, knowing fully well that the God was losing control.

The elder woman looked unfazed by the God's anger as she began to encircle us, meanwhile my body continued to freeze to death. We needed to get out. I needed to get out.

"I am sorry, but who are you?" I ask.

I didn't know when she stood next to me but her fingers trapped my chin, I tried to move my head but I couldn't.

Her silver tongue spoke, "I am the being who creates the paths, the one who decides a person's destiny, the one you humans like to call Fate." She inched closer, "Your life has never been easy nor will it ever be for the gifts you possess. Don't fight it, my dear, unleash your power and embrace it."

Her fingers slipped from my chin yet, her fingernails left a mark. My body became my own again. I stared after her as she moved over to Death, I could feel her aura now. It was frighteningly overwhelming and I knew she was more powerful than the God next to me. She said she was Fate, and judging based on the way she spoke and her words towards me, I found myself believing them because I think she understood my life.

Except, for the part about power. I don't have any power to unleash or embrace.

"To get your prediction, your wings...you must open your heart to the Crier of Souls." She announced.

My eyes widened, I turned to see Death's pushed-back hair slowly coming undone as a few strands hung over his forehead. The blackened vines have reached his face, his skin looked cracked like a porcelain doll and his eyes have completely turned black. The white outer part of his eyes had become pitch black.  

"What?" He gritted.

I could feel my hand becoming numb.

Fate didn't cower or looked threatened by Death's appearance, she held his gaze deeply.

"Open your heart to the woman next to you, my God. I am sure you are aware of the power she holds. She is the key to everything." Fate said with amusement.

Death replied roughly, "She doesn't know anything. She isn't aware of the power she holds."

I didn't understand what they were talking about or the power that was inside of me, I felt annoyed how they spoke as if I wasn't standing right in front of them. Did I become invisible?

Fate's eyes flickered back to me, "Will you break her, or will you wait for her?" She questioned the God of Death.

Anger rose inside of me.

Before Death could speak I spat out, "No one is breaking me. No one. I don't have any power and I am not the person you think I am, just give him his stupid prediction before I freeze to death."

She released a crackle showing her yellow teeth, "Oh dear, do not be so ignorant. You have a power inside of you, aching to be awakened and it will come to life. You already felt it once. It is only a matter of time for you to become what you were always meant to be."

Abruptly, a sharp pain shot through the side of my stomach. With my other hand, I clutched my side, bending forward trying to suppress a groan from escaping.

"Oh, I am afraid our time has come to an end." Fate said.

Death pulled my hand as he moved closer to Fate as another shot of pain ran through my body.

"No, we are not done. I came for my wings, I want my wings." His voice thundered.

My head hung low as my eyes faced drops of blood, I immediately knew it wasn't coming from my hand. My fingers grazed my nose feeling the hot liquid as I came to see my fingertips tainted in red.

I lifted my head to see Fate smiling wickedly at Death, "Open your heart to the Crier of Souls and your wings will appear." Her violet eyes met my furious brown ones, "Give me a good story, Nora. I look forward to the ending."

Death took another step forward as his hand rose.

A black cloud formed around his fingertips, "I had enough of your cruelty." He seethed.

He unleashed the darkness from his hand aiming it at the wicked Fate. He was going to strike her, he was going to kill her. My head snapped towards the direction of Fate but she held a smile and just before the black mist could touch her, she disappeared into thin air leaving a drizzle of snow in her place.

Puffs of clouds came into my view as my chest rose up and down heavily. I slowly turned my head to face the God of Death, the blackened vines overtook his face and his eyes had become empty. I wanted to rip my hand away from his because I truly feared Death right now. I needed to run.

Death let out a thunderous roar as the darkness came out, it was too late for me to do anything.

I had become consumed by him.

*****

I didn't feel cold anymore. My eyes blinked as they met the cloudy sky and the naked tree branches. I could hear the ruffling of the leaves, the crunching noise when someone took a step. I got up from the ground but my vision was still blurry, the trees were disorientated and Hans had a twin.

At least I knew I was back in the real world.

My feet stumbled backward as I tried to catch my balance before I could hit the ground, my back pressed against a tree or what I thought was a tree. His hand grasped my arms keeping me from standing up, I looked up to see the God of Death.

My eyes fluttered attempting to capture his face whole, I felt his fingers wrapping themselves around my arm. The silhouette of his features appeared, his thick eyebrows, his pointed nose, and his full lips. But I found clarity in his eyes, they were no longer completely black. Only his iris were black.

His darkness will never go away. He has no heart, no heart to open. Fate was cruel and twisted.

"I have got you, raven. I have got you." Death whispered.

Or maybe he said caught.

My eyes were beginning to shut down and my body felt weak, I fell into Death's open arms.

"I have caught you, raven. I have caught you."