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Demonizing an Angel *(Silvana | Areawin)

"It isn't just about him having you." Silennia was in a state of such confliction that she didn't even realize she'd said the words out loud, and froze in her tracks as soon as they had slipped from her mouth. When had she become so selfish? She understood that, before coming to this place, she would have been protesting such a request simply because, well, she liked Mina. Not only that, but she wouldn't want Keiran to go on without his sister. Yes, she'd probably still be alive, but... the two were close. Too close for one to never know what was happening to the other; to know there was nothing they could do to help if their lives were in danger.

Now, the only reason she wasn't agreeing with Mina, was because she didn't want the possibility of having to fight an upcoming heir that would undoubtedly challenge her. But an heir to what, exactly? What was she in line for? Silennia didn't even know. Her once passionate and moral self was buried beneath the blood and taint of this place that she'd tried countless times to scrub off. Although one couldn't see it physically on her, it had seeped down beneath her skin, into her bones and into her thoughts. Putting herself before others. Such a quality simply hadn't existed within her before.

"Actually... we might have a choice." She chewed on her lower lip, staring at the wall but not really seeing it. "Abigor has two generals. Sometimes they'll... scout for souls on earth. They come and go as they please." Silennia smiled. That double-set of fangs seemed to be permanent now, though they were the same size as a regular human's teeth when she was calm. Just incredibly sharp, and more than obvious with the grin she held. "He doesn't watch them, doesn't peek in to see what's happening to them or what they're doing. If we could get one... maybe, ah, find a weakness to exploit on one of them... he might give us access to his specific passage between the worlds."

Torture. Silennia was suggesting torture. Torture a general and force him to open his passage to them. Not a physical passage, as those didn't exist, but more of a code, only accessible through use of a mind. "There's a chance we'll get lost," she continued, but shrugged it off as if it didn't matter. "We'll be getting a code from him that grants access to a sort of... labyrinth, and one that only he knows the way through, just to find the exit of that labyrinth and need another code." She kept saying code, but it certainly wasn't a key pad with numbers and letters to be punched in. The code was more of an instruction manual, on how to open a specific part of the mind to move between the realms. The labyrinth she spoke of wasn't a physical thing, either. It was a mess of navigation, with many different exits... but only one exit was the correct one to pass through. Enter a code into the wrong exit, well...

The echoes of screams would batter around for days after the person died.

There was a chance that none of them would get out alive by taking this option, but in her eyes, it was the only acceptable option to even begin considering.
 
Though she didn't care for the tone with which Silennia had said it- Mina knew full well what the girl meant. What it would mean if she stayed. Wiping the bit of blood that had trickled from her lip when she had bitten down on it just a few minutes before, she shook her head, "Then what do you suggest?" Crimson hues peered towards Silennia with doubt, but even so, the succubus listened to what Silennia had to say. Frowning slightly at the mention of Abigor's generals. It was a gamble, of course, but it was something that could actually work. Mina having fallen quiet once more, rolling this new bit of knowledge around in her head. That thought of simply giving herself over crumbling rapidly. No, there was a chance to fight her way out... How Silennia knew this bit of information was beyond Mina- but after the time the girl had spent here, it wasn't exactly surprising that she had learned quite a bit about the nature of this realm and some of it's occupants. It would be difficult to track down such specific demons, however.

Difficult, but nothing was impossible.

A smirk curving at Mina's lips, "We could very possibly die... but if that's what you insist upon, Silennia... then we'll do this your way." Selfish motives or not, Mina could care less. If there was a chance to escape, she would take it. Glancing towards Keiran, noticing how his gaze was locked onto Silennia. Ah, was he finally beginning the notice the change in her? He, of all creatures should have felt the change in her from the very start. Perhaps he had, but hadn't fully recognized it...

-------------------------

The demon in Silennia had emerged, and was flourishing. How he hadn't seen it before baffled him.

Watching her, it was hard to believe this was the same girl who he had first met that night in the night club... How long ago had that been? It felt like a life-time ago, but he knew better. Yet, despite the short span of time that had passed, here she stood before him, completely changed. He couldn't see a single trace of the Silennia he had first met, and for a moment, he couldn't decide if it saddened him or fascinated him. It almost felt like somewhere in the game that he thought he'd been weaving that he'd been horribly tricked- drawn into her web rather than the other way around.

Could he even leave her side if he wanted? He didn't think so, nor could he even imagine it. He'd thought of her obsessively over the last two days, and she'd filled his thoughts ever since the first moment he'd laid eyes upon her. Even like this, he wanted her more than ever, snapping out of his thoughts as he shifting his gaze away from her. Coming back to the present as he felt Mina's stare upon him, but he didn't meet it. Instead, he spoke up, "When do we get started?"
 
When do we get started?

Honestly, she didn't think that either of them would have agreed to it, but now that they had, it made everything slightly easier. "They're both on earth. You'll be able to... feel when they come back. Besides..." Her brow furrowed just slightly, shifting from one foot to the other. "We all need to rest if we're going to get through it mostly alive." Her voice held a softer tone now.

During the past weeks, Silennia had a rather unfortunate run-in with one of the generals. There used to be three.

She still wasn't sure how'd she killed him -- she had just grabbed something close to her and dug it into his chest. It had felt cool, like metal, but when it drove into the demon's heart (a miracle, really, as she hadn't been aiming for anywhere in particular), heat rose into the object and burned her hands. She screeched from the pain as he screamed, and a sudden heat was her knowledge that he'd burst into flame. However, she'd been in another demon's room, who had watched the entire thing go down -- allowing her to live after she had killed the general -- and gave her quite an ear of information. Even giving her a bit to eat and allowed her to rest for an hour or so before waking her up and demanding she leave, reminding her that the courtesy was only because of what she had done.

Silennia stood there for a few moments longer, eyeing the bed disdainfully. She felt as though she'd have been okay with readily climbing in, but the words that Abigor left on... her fingers curled into fists so hard that she could feel her nails pierce the flesh there. Are you so sure that this one is real?

Had the demon within her not been so dominant at the time, she probably would have still been trying to escape the room, simply due to Keiran being in it. A second strength had found her, though, so her jaw tightened and she moved gingerly around the brother and sister. Burying herself beneath the blanket on the bed so that just her nose and up was poking out. The fire cast shadows, dancing along the walls that made her feel sleepy, and in under a minute, her eyelids drooped. Her face relaxed.

She almost looked like she did on that very first day... had it not been for the remainder of dried blood around her hairline.

When she said that they'd be able to feel when a general came back, she knew she wouldn't have to explain. Once it happened... they'd know. Abigor made the place feel dark, but their return put a cloud over the entire place. She'd experienced it just before being attacked by the one she had killed. Her blood turned to ice in her veins, her heart skipped several beats in a row, the air suddenly seemed too thick to breathe. The floor seemed to tip this way and that, but it was just the way his presence messed with her head and disoriented her.

He hadn't merely appeared in the room she'd been in at the time. He had been in another. A full hour later is when he entered the room she was in... there was no telling how far away he was when he came back into Abigor's realm, but she knew that even if he were at the most opposite reaches of it, she'd have felt it all the same.

It wasn't something that went unnoticed.
 
While the idea of sleep was welcoming, there was no possibly way for the succubus to possibly go back to sleep so soon. No, not after Abigor's brief visit. Finding her place back near the fire, Mina sat with her back facing the bed, the heat from the open flame warming her cheeks. Closing her eyes, but she didn't lay down, simply basking in that heat. Towards her left, she heard Keiran come and sit beside her. The two sitting in silence until Silennia had slipped off to sleep.

Eventually, after several long minutes of just sitting there, Keiran's voice sounded softly, "How are you holding up, Mina?" Red lashes parted, her head turning towards her brother at his question, letting out a soft sigh as she quietly answered, "Not bad... but not good either. That asshole in the last room really took a bit out of me."

At the mention of the demon that they had encountered in the ice room, Keiran visibly grimaced, "I wonder how many more like him wander around loose here. Troublesome wouldn't even begin to describe that bastard." A chuckle escaped from Mina in response as she pulled her blanket around her shoulders, curling up with the pillow she'd used earlier, "You won't have to wonder about it for long, I'm sure. Get some sleep while you can."

Mina was right.

Nodding towards her, the silvernette shifted his weight, rising to his feet, "You too, Mina." Without another word, he slipped into the bed, taking the far side opposite of Silennia so that he didn't disturb her. Leaving Mina to lay there, watching the flames dance, sitting up only to toss another piece of wood into it's greedy mouth before laying back down, finally feeling her eyelids grow heavy after what felt like hours. The blissful blackness of sleep wrapping her up in it's arms.

How long she remained there, however, was unclear. Time being a concept that was difficult to grasp here within this place... Waking and falling back into sleep several times over the passing hours. It could have easily just been one or two hours, or a full day or two. Mina honestly couldn't tell the difference... but when something finally dragged her back completely from the comforting darkness of sleep, the fire had died down to nothing more than embers.

In the bed, Keiran had sat up straight, woken by the same thing that had disturbed Mina's slumber. Something had changed- the air had thickened. As if choking him slowly. His heart having increased a few paces, startled awake by the change. Without looking, he already knew that Mina too had been awakened by the same disturbance, her figure visible in the shadows, faintly outlined. Just barely lit by the remaining glow of the smoldering coals.

Was this what Silennia had meant by 'feeling' when the generals came and left?
 
Silennia slept hard. She had shifted a few times in her slumber, but didn't wake until Keiran sat up in bed. She lifted her head off the pillow slightly, looking worn out, and pulled her hand back against her chest. Having shifted just close enough to where her hand rested on his arm in her unconscious state. Sapphire seemed to glow slightly in the darkness. "One of them is back," she said softly. "We may want to move soon. You two don't belong here. You're outsiders. Chances are... he'll come looking for us."

She sat up now, yawning. God, how long had it been? That they'd all been asleep? Her body ached as if she'd been out for hours. Time was strange in this place, though. Someone could sleep for days and feel as if they hadn't slept in a week and vice versa; someone could sleep for twenty minutes and feel as if they'd slept for a month. Each room made the occupants feel differently.

She turned and hesitantly sat next to Keiran with her feet dangling off the edge of the bed, still a good arm's length away. It was progress. Considering that her mind was telling her to flee from him, or wound him so that he couldn't follow her... her body was the only thing acting positively toward the incubus. Then again, she had no idea what her darker side would do or make her feel. She didn't have any experience in these emotions before.

The familiar need to let herself become wrapped into his arms was stronger than the need to flee from him. At least, for the time being. Silennia looked at Keiran with a sort of sad smile before casting her gaze onto the floor again. "I killed one," she murmured. "A general. I was blind, though, so I... I don't know how I killed him. He came after me. Looked for me because... I was strong. He could feel it." She ran her fingers through her hair, but they instantly pulled and caused her to grimace. Too many knots. Instead, she chose to fiddle with her hands in her lap, staring at them while she spoke.

"I learned a lot here. And that was the point. To learn how to survive. Abigor... told me that I was here to learn. And if I didn't learn, I would die. Except... I did die." Silennia wasn't quite thinking about what she was saying. She'd just allowed her mind to go blank and talk. "I died, but I was able to come back some how. I remember being able to... look down at them, standing around my body." Her eyes slowly lifted upwards to look at the incubus again. "He used you against me," she whispered. "I couldn't see, but those demons, they smelled like you. They felt like you. They sounded like you." Her eyes turned glassy and she looked back at her lap again, scraping the stain of blood around her fingernails.

It was only a few more seconds before she collected herself and pushed the emotions away. It was too dangerous to be thinking about these things. And now, a slight guilt was eating away at her for ripping open Keiran's throat, even if it had healed rather quickly. Finally Silennia stood. "We need to find a room that can help us keep him secured." Her voice had a certain authority to it, a hard edge. "This obviously won't do. The quicker we find a suitable room, the better. Moving around too much isn't safe." She gave a pointed look at the redhead. "As I'm sure you both figured out. He will be moving, too. He might not come for us at first, but he will, given some time."

She turned around again, facing Keiran. "When I killed the other one, I had something. It felt like metal. Cold and hard to the touch. And it didn't just kill him; he caught on fire, like an awful teenage vampire novel. Screamed, caught on fire, and then he was crumbling into chunks of what felt like jagged charcoal. It was another demon that told me I had just killed a general." Aside from the bathroom door, there were two others: one they'd entered through, and another that seemed to look like no more than a piece of wall, except for a notch to pull and the thin line that bordered the door in a rectangular shape.

"Shall we go through this one, then?" It wasn't really a question. Already her finger was tugging at the notch, but just before she opened it, she hesitated and looked back over her shoulder. "One of them... is female." She wasn't quite sure what that information mattered, but an unsettling feeling clawed at her gut until she told them.

Opening the door and being smacked in the face with the awful stench of rotting swamp. The sight was quite the same. The door directly opened onto a muddy bank, but only ten feet out or so, it faded into a sludgy water. Carcasses were scattered halfway on shore and halfway into the sludge, mostly other demon-like figures, but also some of what appeared to be basic livestock: cows, a horse, maybe a pig. Something was also moving beneath the sludge toward the center of the body of water, slowly, in a serpentine shape, just doing different forms of figure-eights.

Silennia glanced back uneasily at Keiran once again before her jaw tightened and she took a step into the new room.

The figure beneath the water immediately stopped moving.
 
"Let him come looking... It's been a while since I've had this much fun... outside of almost drowning, of course." Mina's voice had sounded, rising to her feet as those embers glowed brighter, small flames flickering to life to shed light on the room. Seeming to respond without Mina's prompt- as if she and the flames fed off of each other's passions. The succubus stretched, flicking her hair back with perhaps more aggression than what was necessary, seemingly restless after being cooped up in the room for so long. If Keiran didn't know better, he would have said that she seemed excited for such a hunt. Perhaps too confident, even.

Amber hues turning away from his sibling though when he felt Silennia shift in the bed, coming to sit beside him, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lip in response. She had been warding his presence off since their reunion, and Keiran couldn't help but notice it, welcoming this small gesture warmly. Listening to her quietly as she spoke. Bringing to light exactly what she had gone through.

Silennia's descriptions painfully reminded him of the visions that Deikona had forced into his head during their encounter- No... what he had seen hadn't just been visions. Deikona had filled Keiran's head with exactly what had happened to Silennia, knowing full well the reason Keiran had come here. What a sadistic son-of-a-bitch. Feeling his guts twist slightly as Silennia described the very scenes he had been shown. Knowing full well by now what Abigor had done. Pissed off didn't even come close to explaining his feelings towards the subject.

He wanted to reach out to her- but when he made a motion to reach out to her, he thought better of it, resisting the desire. Instead, he only watched her as she stood instead, leaving his side once more. Continuing with her story, but he could only feel pained at what little he could do to comfort her. His very presence seemed to cause her the exact opposite of peace. In his absence, Mina eagerly took over in listening intently to Silennia as she filled them in on her encounter with the third general.

The incubus eventually standing up to join them.

Three generals. One dead. One male... and....
Hearing Silennia's last comment, Keiran couldn't help but feel like the comment was directed towards him, although it clearly hadn't been Silennia's direct intention. A female. Had Silennia been anyone else, such a remark would have offended him perhaps... As if he was some wild animal who couldn't control himself- but...
After seeing how Mina reacted to Abigor... well, it did cause some room for some concern. His gaze trailing towards his reckless elder sibling, who seemed rather troubled though she didn't share much of her thoughts, feigning that she was the same as she always had been. Strange didn't even come close to Mina's late behavior, between her insatiable appetite to her sudden wiliness to stay behind in order for Keiran and Silennia to escape. It was true she was fond of him as a sibling, but self-sacrifice just wasn't Mina's style. She was selfish by nature, thinking mostly of only her own needs and desires, always resenting those who tried to help her- controlled her, as she viewed it.

And Silennia's behavior was a different matter entirely. She was on edge, wary... reacting to Keiran as a threat rather than a lover. Most understandably, considered what she had been through so far... but it irked him, to a point of irritation almost. His natural charms and attractions no longer drawing her into his spell the way they had before, when they had first met. Such thoughts sending a shiver of quiet anger through him. This was all Abigor's fault, and no matter how he thought about it, Keiran came to resent the hell prince more and more with each passing hour in this place. Coming to snap out of his thoughts as it appeared they were beginning to move forward once more.

The time coming to hunt down this 'general' that would hopefully be their key of escape from within this labyrinth.

As Silennia chose what door for them to pass through, Mina had crept up beside her, peering through as she abruptly stepped back, nearly choking at the stench that poured through the open door and flooded the room. A swamp. Already, Mina eyed it with disdain. Not failing to spot the creature that swam just beneath the murky depths, seeing how it seemed to cease all together the second Silennia took the first step inside the room.

No matter how she looked at it, Mina's couldn't help but feel dread. Almost tempted to speak up and decide on going back through the opposite door- but they had already begun to move forward... and there was no way of knowing that the opposite way would be any better. Nearly groaning when her foot sank down into mud slightly, encasing her shoe with a sick splat. Disgusting.

Despite such discomfort, however, Mina never once took her eyes off of the now motionless water, ripples on the surface still visible, even after the creature beneath had halted it's cycle. The hair pricking up a bit at the back of her neck, side-stepping to put a bit more distance between herself and the putrid swamp. Each passing moment only filling her with more unease.

Just behind the two, Keiran too had entered, seeming just as disgusted as his half-sister as he too was greeted by the horrid stench. The feeling of being watched too over-powering to simply ignore. Whatever was hidden beneath that sludge had turned it's full attention on them.

How unnerving.

No matter how he looked at it, he didn't like this one bit, closing distance between him and the girls as he came up beside Silennia, stepping over what appeared to be the remains of what had once been a good sized pig, bits of rotting flesh still stuck to the bones. The scent nearly choking Keiran out as he quickly covered his nose in disgust, the action taking place before he had even really thought about it. Whatever was within this room was most certainly a messy eater, bits and pieces of creatures lingering here and there, most of them sinking slowly into the muddy bank that just barely edged the water. There was no way that this room would be suitable for what had to be done, and the idea of turning back tugged at his thoughts insistently, not liking the murky depths that had come to a eerie stillness, unable to see what lurked beneath... quite certain that it was a creature that he wanted to avoid meeting at all costs.
 
Silennia stood still for a long minute, keeping her eyes focused on the water, waiting for the slightest ripple to appear. There were strange noises all around the trio: slurping, belching, popping. Where the sludge was at its thickest, a vibrating pattern appeared, but as soon as she tilted her head toward it, the movement ceased.

Whatever was here could see them quite clearly, giving them a brutal disadvantage. There were swamp bushes, and dead trees, but there weren't any visible eyes. No signs of life outside.

To the right, more vibrating. This time, Silennia kept completely still while moving just her eyes. The motion started sliding toward them.

Is that how it's seeing? Through our movements?

She tested it by tilting her head once more, and all stopped. Something so large under the sludge and muck, able to feel what they were doing, where they were looking, just by their feet in the filth. Chances are, with such an adaptive ability, it didn't have eyes. "Where's the nearest door?" she mumbled. "It knows where we are by how we move."

None of the carcasses looked... fresh. In fact, they all seemed positively ancient; picked dry. Some of them had bits of fur stuck to them with nothing else. Silennia lifted her foot from the muck, and suddenly the entire surface of the place began to hum and shiver, making it impossible to tell where something might actually be moving beneath it.

A serpentine figure was just barely visible, moving toward Keiran specifically, looking like a snake beneath the surface. However, when it reared up out of the grime, it looked more like a... tentacle? Not quite one of a cephalopod, but more jellyfish. It was thin and stringy, and the grime slid off of it as if it were physically being repelled. Tiny, hairlike stingers coated the arm of the creature, and it grabbed around Keiran's pantleg roughly before tugging him down, starting to pull the incubus toward the water at an alarming speed.

Silennia barely had time to part her lips in reaction to the movement before several more long arms spat out of the water, most of them barreling toward Keiran, but a few cautiously sliding around Silennia and Mina without quite touching them. Keeping them in place, lest they be stung.

The main body of the creature had not yet showed itself, but by the length of the arms and stingers, it seemed as if it would be enormous.

Another hungry creature, torturned in Abigor's labyrinth of suffering, finally getting thrown some kind of bone... yet weakened by its state. Several dead trees began sinking into the water, as if the arms had been holding them in place. Revealing a door, plastered in dry mud to the point that Silennia couldn't even make out a door handle. It simply stuck out among the wetness of the place.

Keiran had been pulled several yards before Silennia snapped out of her survival mode, and at first, she didn't seem concerned with what was happening to him. Better him than me.

The thought hit her so hard, it seemed to stop the blood from pumping. Terror suddenly registered in her eyes, and she screamed his name, catching the creature's attention enough for it to wrap an arm tightly around her.

FIRE.

The sting was enough to make her feel sick, eyes rolling into the back of her head for a moment before recovering enough to realize it was pulling her faster than Keiran, bringing her toward him, her hand reaching out and grasping the arm that clung to his leg. Razor sharp nails sliced through one of the arms, the other hand digging deep into the flesh of his leg, pulling him with her at the same speed.

Hundreds of the thin arms shot from the water, frantically moving in the air and grasping anything they could. Trees, bushes, one even finding Mina. The venom was breathtaking at first, but it was only the initial shock of it. Surely, the more arms that touched, the more venom one would take. It were still as if no one body were attached to the arms, either not yet revealing itself or showing that it wasn't actually one creature, but hundreds of small ones.

Silennia was suddenly submerged, dragging Keiran with her. Mina's brilliant red hair the last bit of color she saw above the water.
 
The next events had been far from Keiran had expected, the incubus having never seen nor experienced such a creature- Golden hues widening just slightly as they locked onto the slithering figure beneath the mud rapidly approaching him- too late.

His leg being promptly yanked out from beneath him, accompanied by a sharp pain that was so sudden that any attempt to break loose was momentarily forgotten. Panic not settling in until he looked ahead, those dark waters rapidly hurling towards him as his body was dragged through the mud, silver hair tarnished as a sharp cry escaped him- shoving his hands deep into the mud in a attempt to find something- anything, that could slow his approach. His fist closing around what seemed to be the remnants of a old tree root, gripping it tightly as he flailed again the tendril that had caught hold of him.

He slowed momentarily- but that only lasted for a mere second as he looked up, Silennia's voice crashing against his ears, hissing out sharply as she too was pulled his way- much more quickly and aggressively, feeling those razor sharp nails slice deep into flesh as she caught hold of his leg, the root snapping at the abuse in his hands, realizing just how futile such a attempt was to slow his descent towards those waters. Leaving nothing left to grasp as Silennia inevitably drug him faster towards the water's edge.

For a brief moment, the thought to kick her hand free from him entered his thoughts, 'save yourself- ' A single and selfish desire. One that struck him so suddenly that as amber hues flickered towards her, he had nearly gone through with it. Hesitating just as he remembered the reason why he had even come to this hell in the first place. How could he think such a thing after such devotion, so much so that he had found his way here to her...? Ah, but then, hadn't she done the very same selfish action when she had grabbed him to drag with her? With such thoughts, they both disappeared into the dark waters together, the last few untainted strands of silver hair vanishing into the abyss below.

"KEIRAN. SILENNIA."

Mina's voice shrieked in shock at how quickly the room had erupted into chaos, only to quickly regret her reaction as the creature became aware of her presence as well. Swiftly dodging as a tentacle snapped her way, only to be caught by her wing with a second swipe, having launched herself mid-ways into the air in a attempt to escape from the monster's reach, the shocking pain causing her to go limp for a moment after such sudden and intense pain.

... but only for a moment. With a snarl, Mina thrashed, ripping at the tentacle that gripped her without relent, seeking to draw her too into the murky depths that Keiran and Silennia had already fallen victim to. Managing to break free before shooting up into the air, both wings extended as they carried her up, the air around her hot, flames trailing from her body as she attempted to use them to protect herself. With such intensity of the situation, Mina couldn't keep track of how long Keiran and Silennia had been under, and those noble thoughts of self-sacrifice were no where to be found as she hurled through the air towards what she hoped was the door- nails scrapping again that dried mud that caked the exit.

Her progress being interrupted as a tendril wrapped around her neck from behind, choking her as it violently yanked her backwards, hitting the ground hard as her fingers gripped her assailant, only to be stung further.
 
Silennia choked on the water that forced its way into her mouth, up her nose, and in her panic she breathed a bit in. Her arms flailed out, releasing Keiran before realizing what a terrible mistake it was. He was gone, completely out of her sight, and the darkness enveloped her.

Yet... something felt warm. Tingly. She stopped struggling as hard, and tried looking around her. The water was relatively clear in the depths she was in, and there was a glowing that she was rapidly being pulled toward. A yellow, gentle light, surrounded in what looked like dull embers.

The strange arms of the creature released her suddenly, but she was being propelled at such a speed that her body still moved, toward the light, toward the warmth, and finally she was no longer struggling with anything but keeping her eyes open and her wits about her. The urge to sleep and dream happy dreams was becoming overwhelming - until a silvery flash caught her attention.

Keiran. He was being hurtled toward the warm light, arms still attached to him; wrapped tightly around any body part they could find. Why had the creature let her go, yet still held him so fiercely?

There was a flash above the water - how far under were they? - and the arms of the monster tensed and let go of the incubus, all of them shooting out toward the same spot. Hundreds upon hundreds, spinning around and braiding themselves into what looked to be a rope, thick as a tree.

It took a second for Silennia to decide whether or not she should swim toward Keiran or the surface, and at first... at first, she angled her body toward the surface. A sadness drained into her bones. She couldn't do that. Not to the man that had come so far to help her; her first real lover.

For the first time, Silennia told herself it wasn't his fault that any of this had happened. It wasn't his fault that Abigor put her through such a mess, and it wasn't his fault that Abigor targeted him as her weakness. Her only weakness. She thought for sure that her father, Richard, surely would have been in one of the trials. But she was also sure that the trials weren't over yet. They wouldn't be, until they got out.

... Until Keiran could hold her in his arms without her flinching.

Her lungs were burning, and she wondered for half a second how long they'd been under the water as she turned and dove deeper, toward the light and toward the incubus, unsure if he was even conscious at this point with how many stingers he'd been hit with. Pulling at his body, struggling to reach the surface, not even paying attention to see if he was moving of his own volition, until finally she broke the surface with a gasp just feet from the trunk-like appendage -

Which was wrapped around Mina, half of it on fire while the other half was retaliating, coiling in the air around her, preparing to strike.
 
At first, he struggled, the surface getting further and further away as he was dragged deeper into the water, more of those strange tendrils grabbing hold him- like arms almost, they seemed. Each one sending another jolt of pain through him, precious air bubbling out of his mouth as it opened soundlessly, until he found that he could no long move. Rendered helpless. At some point, Silennia had let go of him, but that was fine, wasn't it? His senses clouded, skewed between the pain and inability to move. Darkness overtaking him just before he thought he'd seen Silennia... moving upwards. Away from him. Abandoning him. No... she wouldn't abandon him, would she?

Before he could question any further, the last of his consciousness slipped from him, amber hues half-parted, silver hair swirling lazily in the water, his struggles having ceased.

Above the surface, Mina fought back furiously, making it clear she wasn't about to join her sibling , "I AM NOT GOING INTO THAT WATER." The words left her in a snarl, not caring if this thing could understand her or not, that tendril trying to tighten it's grip on her as she tore her way free forcibly, her wings carrying her quickly backwards, quickly folding them back down against her back so that they couldn't be snatched at a second time, the sting from the previous attack still faintly tingling. Still near the exit, which had several chunks of hardened mud that had been chipped away, exposing for sure what was at least half a door.

Their way out. At least, their way out of this room. Which, at this moment in time, This seemed to be most favorable. The other half still caked with mud, but each time Mina dodged, she'd use the opportunity to rip another mud chunk to clear the door, spotting Silennia bobbing just above the water, Mina's eyes widening a little when she seen Keiran unconscious, her focus breaking just enough that a hard strike hit her, nearly knocking her down to her knees, Mina's voice sounding as she shouted out towards Silennia, "GET TO THE DOOR!"
 
Get to the door? Silennia could barely keep her head above the water, let alone Keiran's. How the hell was she supposed to get to the door?

Her fingers tightened around Keiran and pulled him where the water began turning to sludge, ensuring that the incubus wasn't going to sink into the substance before wading toward the door. Mina had done a great deal to uncover it, but unfortunately it wasn't the side with the handle. Her fingertips were still adorned with sharp nails, and she used them to tear into the mud; her fingers beginning to bleed after just a few blows.

Mina seemed to have subdued a great deal of the creature by burning it, but how long until she became too weary to keep fighting? Silennia wouldn't be able to drag Keiran through this muck on her own. She turned her head, using her closed fist this time to punch at the mud, cracking it into bigger pieces that were easier for her to pry away.

Finally, a handle.

Every instinct told her to open the door and shut it behind her, without Keiran or Mina. Every nerve screamed at her to abandon them both. And for a second, her fingers lingered on the scratched metal piece, even tightening around it and turning just slightly.

No. Unacceptable. She couldn't leave them behind.

Now that the handle was uncovered, she struggled for a second to release her feet from the substance beneath her, and began wading deeper, making her way to Keiran and pulling him out a bit further. Just him sitting for a minute caused his body to sink halfway into the muck, and he was positively covered in it.

There were perhaps only a dozen of the thin, wiry appendages left, and some of them were wounded enough so that they couldn't do much aside from brushing up against Mina's skin. Silennia looked to the redhead, tugging on Keiran again. "Mina I can't," she breathed. She found that every time she breathed deeply, water would choke her and she'd cough some more out of her lungs. Even now she felt the rattle of it in her chest, making it even more difficult to haul the incubus onto land enough so that dragging him would be an easier task.

Once Keiran was placed on slightly higher ground, Silennia directed her attention toward the creature's arms. She swiped, ripping a few of them away, but as they touched her skin, it rendered her useless for several seconds. A second swipe, breaking three of them this time. Only a handful more to go, but she was losing focus... the arms unwinding from Mina and directing their attention toward the hybrid girl.

Silennia didn't have much of a chance to think. "Get him out of here." The arms found their new target, coiling around her so tightly that they lifted her a few inches out of the water, forcing more water from her lungs while simultaneously suffocating her again. So few of them left, but when they coiled and braided like they were, it was ten times more difficult to merely claw through them.
 
As those arms began to release Mina one by one, it gave her the opportunity to move closer to the door, red strands bouncing behind her, having heard Silennia's words as she caught hold of Keiran's arm, lifting him half-way and forcibly throwing him through the door as she wrenched it open, her body pressing back against it as she forced the door open as far as it would go, looking back to Silennia to see her predicament. If the door shut now, they'd be separated yet again, and she felt conflicted.

Mina wanted nothing more than to get away from this cesspool that they had wandered into, and as tempting as the thought was to leave Silennia behind, she couldn't bring herself to. Mud pooling around the edges of the door as she ensures it wouldn't snap shut the moment she let it go, turning back for Silennia as those tendrils wrapped and tightened around the sapphire-eyed beauty. Catching hold of Silennia's arm as she yanked her backwards towards the door, as if playing some sort of twisted tug of war with the creature that refused to let them escape. Mina straining as she actually grabbed hold of those braided arms, her finger glowing red hot. Ignoring the pain as those stings rippled up her arm, her grip almost growing lax at the assault. With one last forceful pull, the point where her hand had grabbed hold snapped and the two fell backwards through the door. Mina's last action being an extension of her power, that shadowed smoke creeping along the floor and solidifying just enough to slam the door shut behind them, globs of mud dripping onto the floor from the other side.

That last effort leaving the Succubus lying just beneath Silennia where they had both fallen backwards. Her breath sounding in strained pants, clearly feeling the effects of her last exertion, feeling exhausted after such a fight. Near them, Keiran started coughing and sputtering as he seemed to come around, rolling onto his side and retching as water expelled out of his mouth. A sharp inhale following as he gasped for air, coming to rest on his knees as he lifted himself up, his palms resting pressed the floor, as if needing a moment to compose himself. Each breath burning as he inhaled slowly.

Lifting his head as he looked around for the first time, feeling disoriented. Where were they now? The floor beneath them made of what seemed to be white marble. Mud dripping onto it off of Keiran's body, his hair a dark off-white at this point from the amount of grime that clung to him.

Though the room was fairly large, there was also a sense of emptiness, as if it was simple void. No furniture present at all, except for a single fancy white chair with gold accents on the edges and a button tufted back across the room from them... which, on second glance, Keiran realized there was a figure nestled in it, pale in coloration so that it blended in the with room.

A girl, it seemed.


Silver hues opened slowly as a certain stench touched her nose, causing her to wrinkle her face up slightly as she lifted herself up into proper posture, having been asleep prior to the disturbance. Scoffing out loud when she spotted her intruders. Mud dripping on her spotless marble floors.

What a annoyance. The first time in what seemed like ages that someone had wandered into her particular space in this hell plane, and it had to be the three most disgusting pests that she had ever seen, "Do you always bring such filth along with you where it's clearly not desired?" Her words were soft, but cold, just barely audible. Rising to her feet fully as long white hair tumbled down her back, nearly reaching to the floor. Her skin literally lacking any color at all. Those silver eyes trailing from each one of the newcomers. A stain in her pristine world. If there was anything that irked Erza Avalbane, it was dirt and grime. Color, for that matter. Already eyeing the flaming red hair scattered on the floor with disdain. As if such vividness offended her on a personal level.
 
Silennia was in a daze, completely confused at the sudden commotion. Pulling, tumbling, then brightness everywhere, feeling pressure against her chest for a long minute before realizing Mina was laying underneath her; Silennia being on her belly. Slowly, she pulled herself off the succubus, but it still felt like the world was spinning. No doubt from the high doses of venom.

White, everywhere , it seemed. No scent, no color, just white. The walls, marble floors - only then did the girl realize the room was also empty . She was facing away from the inhabitant, clueless to her presence. Eyes wearily searched for the silvernette she'd become so attached to, and she heard him before seeing. Turning her head toward the sound of him coughing and finally seeing what looked like... a chair? It was some yards away, making her squint to see the form nestled comfortably there.

"Do you always bring such filth along with you where it's clearly not desired?" A female, then. Silennia couldn't guage her power in her current state, and sat up to force more water from her lungs. Blue eyes searching the walls for any visible markings of a door.

But... She didn't see one.

She spun around, panic touching the deepest parts of her. No door? How? Where had the one they came through gone?

"We just... We just want out," Silennia stated, a tired note to her voice. She stood, finally, and looked down to see red welts all over her arms from where the previous creature had grabbed at her, slowly fading into pink. The mud on her was beginning to harden as well, making her scratch at it with annoyance.
 
That doll-like girl smiled softly, hearing Silennia's words answer her, as she approached slowly, "You want out?" She mused, tilting her head slightly to the side, "Don't we all?" She remarked, laughing, "But... that simply is not possible." Licking her lips slowly with those last words in a way that sent a chill down Keiran's back. There was something unnerving about the girl. Something about her wasn't right, despite her lack of intimidation.

Pushing himself up to his feet as a sense of dread filled his gut, ignoring the numerous stings that covered his skin from his assault, still feeling disoriented. Amber hues turning towards Silennia, beside him, Mina having risen up as well, having caught her breath for the most part, but her weariness was beginning to show.

While the threat wasn't obvious, the way this demon eyed them made him on edge, looking for the door as well, but... it was gone?

"You have no idea how long it has been since I've had anyone to play with~" A giggle sounded, and when Keiran looked back her way, he nearly jumped, her distance having closed quickly, standing just a few feet away from them, "Even though you look like a bunch of mud covered pigs- not to mention the smell-" She wrinkled her nose again, "You'll just have to do~"

Finally, Keiran realized that he recognized that look in her eyes, taking a step back from her, but as he did, it was as if the floor behind him has ceased to exist, reaching to grab something to keep himself from falling, but as he did, Mina and Silennia were no where to be found, leaving him to plummet downwards. That had been hunger in the demon's eyes. Hunger for what? As he fell he couldn't help but ponder these things, hitting the ground hard as the air was knocked out of him. Not fully understanding what had just happened, looking around him. No longer was he in that white room. No... this was... home? That was impossible. Glancing at his hands, they were small. Childish.

"Keiran..." A soft voice whispered in his ear, making him jump and back away from the sound, spinning around as he looked up. Familiar hands wrapping around his neck, "My sweet child..." This... this was like a nightmare. No, this was HIS nightmare. A nightmare that had once plagued him as a child. Vermina's face just inches from his as she pushed him against the ground, gripping his neck tighter, "Not good enough..." She breathed, "Still not good enough..." Keiran's tiny hands trying to pull hers away, opening his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He couldn't breath, panic gripping him tight.

'This isn't real' That thought kept hitting him, but he couldn't help himself, struggling uselessly against Vermina's powerful hands, long raven strands hanging down, one ticking his face. Thost violet eyes void of emotion as she smiled down at him sweetly.

--------------------

"Keiran?" Mina glanced towards her sibling, frowning slightly, "Keiran, are you okay...?" The incubus had backed away, without a word. Staring at something in seeming terror, but nothing was there, "Keiran!' She shook him, and behind her, the pale girl laughed, "Hello, I am Erza Avalbane, and we're going to have SO much fun~"

"What did you-" Mina's question fell short as Keiran simply sank to the floor, his arms limp at his side, eyes still wide. Unresponsive.
 
Silennia looked at Mina, suddenly confused. What was going on? They couldn't leave..?

Yet another creature, wanting to toy with them. How long did Abigor keep them all in solitary confinement? Did he even bother feeding them? The carcasses from the previous room showed that he did, but what did they have to do to get the food in the first place?

The generals, most likely. A prince of hell could not be bothered with such silly things like eating and sanity. It was almost an amusing thought, honestly.

Silennia's skin crawled when the girl closed the gap, taking a step backwards. And suddenly Keiran was frozen, sinking down onto the ground while that little girl's voice cut through the air. What could she be doing to him? Something unseen; mental damage.

Mina's voice startled Silennia, feeling in a trance by the girl's eyes, even though she was still very much focused in the incubus. There was something ancient and primal there; the most basic instinct that had ever fueled all of them: hunger. So simple, yet the damages could be limitless. What exactly did she fed on, however, was lost to the hybrid.

"Don't fucking touch him." The words were out of her mouth, not even hearing them in her own voice. Silver met with sapphire, then, and the room fell away. The walls dimmed into gray, and there was a pattering noise. Rain?

Silennia blinked, and she was suddenly in bed, all tucked in and warm. Her body was tense, however. The blanket pulled up to her nose. Light flashed, and she glanced over to see a window. The rain outside was slamming against it, sounding like a grown man was tapping the glass. Thunder rumbled, shaking the bed. She was in one of her old apartments, not long after her father Richard had developed a horrible drug problem. Twelve, maybe thirteen years old. Just starting to fill out in the places that mattered. There was a soreness on her cheek, and she reached up to rub at it before making a face. Acne wasn't something she'd had in years.

Only then did it begin to occur to her that this isn't where she was just standing. Where did the white room go? Where were Keiran, Mina? Erza?

The thoughts vanished as the bed shook, thunder crashing loud enough to make her cry out and jump from the bed, rushing out of her room and into the kitchen. There, her father sat in a chair, fidgeting with something on his left arm. Silennia watched from the dark, feeling tears welling in her eyes before slipping silently down her plump cheeks. Her fingers tightened around the bottom edges of her nightshirt. No, daddy.

The only light was a dim one, above the stove. It illuminated the man just enough for Silennia to see him flick a lighter and hold it beneath a spoon for several seconds. He grabbed a needle with his left hand and pushed up the plunger within the substance: black, tarry. His veins were already plump and distinct from having done the drug so many times before. There was so much of the tar within the needle... triple the amount Silennia had ever seen him use before.

"Daddy," she whispered. "No. Dad-" He used his fingers to pull back the plunger a bit more after inserting it into his arm, mixing blood with the substance. His eyes caught hers, holding her stare. She couldn't move.

"I can't live without her," he stated, and pushed the tar into his bloodstream. Immediately going limp, needle still in his arm, falling out of the chair. Silennia still couldn't move, couldn't breathe. A choking sensation crawled through her chest. Richard began seizing, his limbs jerking while his core remained mostly in the same place. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. Blood and foam ruptured from his lips.

When Silennia finally found the strength to move, she darted toward the phone... only to realize her father hadn't paid their phone bill, and the service was out. She stood there, unsure what to do, feeling cold and vulnerable... until a gentle light started shining from behind her. She blinked, slowly, and when her eyes were back open, she was looking up at a bright blue sky. Just whisps of clouds were there, and there was green off to her left. A tiny, chubby bunched fist flailed out in front of her. Any memory of the nightmare just seconds before had drifted away.

Nearby, a woman hummed. Long blonde hair tickled Silennia's face as a beautiful woman leaned over her, smiling. So much love was there in her eyes that Silennia became lost in them; cooing as warm lips pressed to her forehead. No longer a nightmare, but a memory. Something dragged from the furthest depths of her mind; any human child would not have been able to recollect something from such an early age.

The woman was speaking, but Silennia didn't understand the words. Just the sound of her mother's voice made her happy. Leghadema lifted Silennia up, cradling her against her breast - and another face showed. Almost as beautiful as her mother, with the same blonde hair, pinned back and braided. This new face produced a small crown made of tiny blue river flowers, nearly the same shade as Silennia's eyes -- her mother's eyes. She felt the crown touch her head, but as she tried to reach out for it, she realized her arms were bound. Wrapped up in a little cocoon, protected from the world in her mother's arms.

The second Valkyrie spoke gently into Leghadema's ear, and although tears welled in her eyes and began dripping down her face, she didn't stop humming to her daughter. Silennia's eyes started lazily closing, but a panic started rising in her chest. Aware that this wasn't happening in real time, aware of her present body. She felt her mother gently place her into a bed of grass, listened to the quiet sobbing she was making as the second woman tried comforting her. However... there was no easy way to watch someone give her child away.

Silennia opened her eyes in time to see beautiful wings ascending. Two sets of them. One disappeared into the sky, but the other seemed to wrap around Leghadema and shrink. Water quietly splashed near her, and Silennia turned her head, dangerously close to a swan there that seemed to nestle near her with sadness.

The girl's eyes opened, seeing white once more, and feeling the air hit her wet cheeks. She felt paralyzed, as if her body were still in Erza's grip, but her mind was finally freed from the girl.
 
"Keiran!" Mina smacked the side of his face, anything that might snap him out of it, but it seemed to be useless, stiffening when delicate hands came to rest on her shoulders, "Oh, you're simply delicious..."

"Don't touch me-" Mina snarled out, beginning to catch on to the source of the strangeness that hung in the air, striking out, but nothing was there. No one was there. She was all alone. Crimson hues widening a little as she looked around slowly, darkness all around her, "Hello?" Her voice echoed in the emptiness, and a slither of fear twisted in her gut as the shadows around her seemed to part, revealing what seemed to be... bodies? Countless bodies stretched before her, all familiar to her. All similar to her.

"No..." The words left her in a whisper, "No, no, no... not this." Looking over her shoulder as she realized she knew this place. Knew these faces. Red hair matted with blood, eyes wide and lifeless, the faint remnants of terror still lingering there even after death. All similar to her. Some just children, not even aged enough to know why this had happened. She herself once more only a young teenager- sixteen in appearance, at the oldest. A detail she didn't notice in her growing despair.

Mina shaking her head sharply as she turned, only to be stopped, feeling claws dig into her sides as someone came up from behind her, "Ah, there you are... the last one~" It purred, sick and sadistic, Mina shuddering as a hot breath slithered against the back of her neck. Faceless demons coming out of the shadows on all sides, surrounding her. Stepping on those bodies who had faces so like hers. As if they were trash, cruel laughter sounding, "Kill the little bitch... rip her apart." Like a chant almost, some of them howling with inhuman laughter, grabbing hold of her arms, jerking her towards them, as another yanked her in a different direction. Teeth biting into her hard enough to draw blood, wicked hands clawing at her pale skin.

"Kill her, kill her~!" Someone cackled into her ear, her hair being yanked back to expose her tender throat, her breath shallow, feeling something sharp draw across her belly, causing her to scream out. Trying to break free, but countless hands held her tight, ripping at her as they tried to rip her apart. Where was Adriel? Why wasn't he here? Why had he let this happen? His children... slaughtered. So many of them... so many bodies... and now, she too would join them.

"Help me..." The words escaped her, just barely heard.

-----------------------

Erza was enjoying herself, having snared her last victim. It had been a while since she had encountered such delicious nightmares... It almost made her forget about the filth that they had brought inside her room. Almost. Skipping around Silennia with a giggle, "Don't touch him?" She mocked, stopping just in front of the hybrid, grinning widely, "I'm just getting started~"

Reaching for Silennia's face, she was about top tip it up towards herself, but as she did so, her face scrunched up, as if she had something sour in her mouth, abruptly letting go, "What?" Confusion gripping her, seeing Silennia's eyes open. Still gripped by Erza's spell, but not for much longer, "You're ruining everything!" She snapped out, that quiet demeanor she'd held earlier no where to be found as she jumped back, well aware that Silennia wouldn't be paralyzed for much longer.
 
The girl's shrill voice was the last bit to snap Silennia out of her estranged state, feeling the life back in her limbs quite suddenly. She blinked back the last few tears that lingered, turning her head just enough to see both Mina and Keiran on the ground. Close to each other, but undoubtedly in their own nightmares, feeling alone and lost and without comfort. It almost physically pained Silennia.

Almost.

Instead, she felt a burning rage. It fueled her movements as she sat up and stood, feeling that darkness begin to overwhelm her much like it had during her fights with the Keirans thrown at her mercilessly. It was much easier to direct the power to a being that she had never had a connection with. The thought of killing Erza brought a bubbling sense of satisfaction, something that had never been so thrilling to her before.

"Nightmares," she laughed, finally standing. She hadn't been tranced for too long -- she was still soaked from the previous room. "Is that what gets you off? Something so happy at the end, did it taste bad?" Her face mocked sadness as she began walking casually toward the smaller girl. The whites of her eyes had bled into black. "Part of me wants you to show me where the door is at, but the rest of me..." She breathed, making an inward hiss, shaking her head. "The rest of me would love to cover every inch of these walls with your entrails until I find it for myself." The space between her and the girl was closing steadily. "I heard you wanted to play, little girl. Let's play."
 
Erza's sense of control fell away quickly as she kept walking backwards as Silennia approached her, "It's how I feed, nothing personal." She seethed in response, quickly searching for more words to explain herself, "I don't hurt anyone. Mentally, perhaps, but no one has ever died." Her discomfort beginning to grow quickly, reaching out with her aura, attempting to ensnare Silennia again, but such a move was wasted, her power not even phasing Silennia- not even noticed. Erza nearly tripping over her own long hair, having to look up towards Silennia as the hybrid rapidly approached her, the demon lacking in height. Those silver eyes starting to widen a little as she watched those eyes bleed black. Something quite familiar to her, that power... Just like-

"You're Abigor's child." The statement left her in whispered terror, any calm the demon had left slipping away from her. Why hadn't she noticed sooner? Looking at the girl, it should have been obvious. Whispers of the hell prince's heir had traveled through the dimension from demon to imp- So much so that they even reached Erza in her silent solitude. Why had she let her hunger get the better of her? Silennia gaining on her even though she continued to back away, her illusions starting to dissolve, squeaking out in a pitiful voice, "I don't want to play!" Turning into a full out run, knowing full well that this error was irreversible. There was no where for her to go. She couldn't leave this room. she wasn't permitted to.... and perhaps, deep down, she had never wanted to. Despite her hunger, this was her ideal world, her gilded cage.

Running straight into a corner as she turned around, wide eyed and afraid, trying to dart past Silennia before she reached her with little odds of success, her hands coming up to childishly hide her face, as if not seeing the hell prince's daughter coming at her would make things better somehow. Her spell over Keiran and Mina shattering in her panic, though the two still hadn't quite recovered just yet, still in a daze at the other side of the room.
 
Silennia laughed softly at Erza's realization. Abigor's child, indeed. The hellprince's blood coursing hotly through her, feeding into her predatory manner.

Something about the girl's next words came through to Silennia. I don't want to play! The whites of Silennia's eyes returned, but her irises remained black. Ever approaching the girl. Feeling when her snare broke on the other two within the room.

As Erza covered her eyes, Silennia came to stand in front of her... and her expression softened. She crouched down, gently touching the back of the Erza's wrist with a mostly clean hand, and even tucked a strand of hair behind the child's ear. "Where's the door, Erza?" It was a simple question. Although her demeanor had softened, her voice still held firm. "We don't want to stay here. And... I'm sure it's safe to say you don't want us to stay here."

Then it occurred to her... there was only one object in the room: a chair. The chair that Erza had been resting in upon their arrival. Silennia stood without waiting for an answer, and went over to the stark white piece, circling around it. The room was lit in such a strange way that there were no shadows here, which made it easier to spot the sliver of space beneath the chair.

Silennia's fingers grabbed the back of it and easily dragged it a few feet, seeing a square underneath with a spot just wide enough for someone to slip a finger into to pull open the piece. The door.

She sighed and turned her attention toward Mina first, feeling out of place with Keiran now that he wasn't being manipulated. How strange how she felt the need to protect him when there was a threat, but otherwise... almost nonchalant.

As she placed her arm around Mina's, a cold chill shot up her spine. Visibly shivering and tensing her shoulders. The General was... close. Extremely close. Most likely it had gone through a door that led to the room just beneath them... the one under the chair.

There was no other option. They were all exhausted, but chances were that they wouldn't have found a room to let them rest between the general and now, anyway. Sapphire eyes met with Keiran's gold ones, her face looking grim. "Let's go, then."
 
Erza had frozen, her hands still covering her face, shaking slightly. Tenses and expecting the worst, jumping when she felt a unexpectedly gentle touch to the back of her wrist, one of her fingers tentatively parting as Silennia's voice reached her ears, much calmer and those terrifying black hues no longer present. Something that comforted the demon greatly, not speaking out loud, but silver hues flickered towards the chair that she had occupied earlier, leaving that as the only answer before her fingers closed together once more, not moving a muscle, "I won't stop you." She replied simply.

No, Silennia was right. Erza couldn't be rid of them quick enough. She wasn't about to push her luck when she had been spared.

The other two approaching quickly at this point, Mina glancing at the girl cowering in the corner, sneering at her slightly, though, despite this, the red head was still visibly shaken. Oddly quiet, meeting Silennia's gaze with a half-smile that didn't quite touch her eyes. The siblings sensing the energy about the same time that Silennia did.

Who ever the source was, they were a power house. Their presence choking the air even though they weren't even in the room. Keiran nodding to Silennia, "Let's get this over with and get the hell out of here." Moving to open the door in the floor, he didn't know what to expect. Deciding to take that move and go in first, Mina straggling behind him, dark shadows becoming faintly visible beneath her eyes.

Erza peeking from between her fingers one last time as all three descended down through the door, the girl running across the space and slamming it shut, "Good riddance!" She breathed, pushing her chair back where it had been and immediately cleaning where Silennia had touched.

---------------------------------------

Descending into the room brought about a very different environment. Keiran reaching the bottom, grass greeting the bottoms of his shoes, amber hues slowly looking around. The presence that they had been seeking out was most certainly here. Prominent and overwhelming, it made the air heavy. Not speaking as Mina and Silennia joined him. Would this really work? Would killing this general get them out of here? Silennia had been here longer than all of them, but what of she was wrong? It was a thought that he couldn't help, pushing it away. Mina wouldn't be much of a assets in this fight, it seemed. Her vividness having dulled slightly, having certainly seen better days.

With these things in mind, he moved further into the room, various shrubs and plants growing in thick patches here and there. Sounds of running water audible- a stream, perhaps? A river? He couldn't see it, so he couldn't be sure. A unnatural sky swirling around above them cast a strange violet hue upon everything the light touched, as if everything was trapped in eternal twilight... and as he continued on, the greenery gave way to a clearing, various exotic flowers blooming in colorful disarray... and at their center stood a single figure. Keiran's heart sinking as golden eyes fell on strawberry blonde curls that were too familiar to be true. This couldn't be true.

Turning towards him, a smile spread across the woman's face, milky white eyes unseeing, but that didn't matter, she could sense them clear as day, "Hello.... Keiran." Her voice was soft, sweet. Deceptively so. No longer the little girl that Keiran had last seen, Lillian stood before him, "Who would have ever thought that we would be meeting again like this?" A clear bell-like laugh escaped her, "Did you miss me....? Brother?"

Keiran stood in silence. In shock. Lillian... his sweet little sister Lillian was... one of Abigor's generals? Disbelief gripped him. How could he kill his own sister? His own flesh and blood that he had grown up with? How had she even come to cross paths with the hell prince in the first place? Question after question assaulted him.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mina's voice sounded, spitting her words out, her lip curling back, "You've always been a pain in my ass-"

"Oh? Is that you, Mina? Wow, I bet you look like shit right about now~. I honestly can't believe you were stupid enough to come in here~ But while gifted with power and glorious genetics, you weren't particularly gifted with brains, were you?" Lillian grinned widely, "Lucky for you, sister, I can't rip you apart because Abigor has taken a fancy to you~" Opening her arms as if in welcome, she laughed, "You might as well give in, Mina, after all, isn't it all you ever wanted?"

Such words were met by a snarl as Mina made a move forwards, obviously not sharing Keiran's sentiment for this demon, those crimson eyes wide with fury, "I'll tear your tongue out!" She snapped, Keiran catching Mina by the shoulder, "Stop!" His words sudden, shaking his head, having to strain to hold her even in her weakened condition, "She's our sister!"

"She's YOUR sister" Mina sneered at him, "SHE'S one of Abigor's now. Do you really think she's still on your side?" The words were blunt and harsh, Keiran feeling conflicted, looking to Lillian, but she was abruptly gone, no where in sight. The air growing heavier by the moment, as Lillian's voice sounded, it's source uncertain, "Abigor took me in when I was cast out like garbage. What have any of you done for me? Nothing. You abandoned me. Left me behind with Vermina of all creatures."

Behind them, something cracked, causing Keiran to spin around quickly, various rocks rising up into the air, levitating on their own, before hurling through the air towards them, Keiran dodging to the side quickly, while Mina was just a moment too late, getting struck in the side of the head just hard enough that she collapsed, knocked unconscious. Her body being lifted by a unseen force and tossed to the side like a rag doll, where she remained motionless- out of the way.

Lillian's physical body reappearing several yards from her now incapacitated sister, twirling small stones in the air above her fingertips, smirking slightly, "Shall we begin?"
 
Silennia was on edge as they slid through the door, and looked down at her bare feet as the grass was softly pressed beneath her. The power in the open space seemed to bore down on them, forcing them to acknowledge its weight. It was almost easy to forget, though, with the beautiful scenery. A gentle haze of twilight and the scent of flowers blooming all around them. She couldn't help but think that this wouldn't be a terrible place to die.

Keiran kept moving forward, and she stayed behind him, yet in front of Mina, noticing how the succubus had overall dulled. The luster of her hair now held a bland note, and the pallor of her skin had grayed slightly. Not a good sign - especially not with such an immense challenge facing them.There, in the center of the flowers, stood a beautiful girl. Her eyes threw Silennia off at first, but she understood upon hearing the familiarity in Keiran's voice.

The little sister, blind, lost in the love she had for their mother... until she had disappeared completely. The story Keiran told her, while they visited Germany. Immediately, she fell back, watching Keiran and Mina carefully - her eyes following the succubus as she moved forward, only for Keiran to grab her.

He's going to be a problem.

Silennia's only focus was getting out of here. At first, she had sympathy for Keiran, even sympathy for the girl, but upon seeing how he defended her... she refused to risk it. Not when they were so close to getting out.

The scent of blood reached her before she turned and realized that a rock slammed against Mina's temple, but obviously not hard enough to kill the girl since Abigor clearly wanted her alive. Most likely he didn't specify that she couldn't be damaged in any way. After all, if he had his way with her... well, she'd be lively in the ways her mother was with the massive-winged angel.

"Abigor took me in when I was cast out like garbage." Why? What was so special about this girl that Abigor of all creatures would want her in his highest ranks? There were only three generals. They were down to two. And one of them was Keiran's sister. Could that possibly just be a coincidence?

-----------

Leghadema sat on the edge of a bed in Damien's home, her knees pulled to her chest. No more than a few minutes had ticked by since Vermina left, but she knew so much was happening in the depths below them all. Her heart was racing, and dread felt like lead within the belly that so adoringly held life within it. Strange, how sometimes she even ached for the demon's touch, but there was no telling if it were because of the spell he'd put on her or... how close they'd become before this entire mess.

That was a story for another day.

Blue eyes closed, feeling that familiar presence once more. A hand gently moved hair back behind her ear, fingertips tracing her jaw. If someone were watching, it would be easy for them to think Abigor's gesture was adoring; perhaps even loving. "Not far now," he murmured to the valkyrie.

Damien felt the other being's presence and immediately went to the door, finding it locked. "Leave her alone you son of--" shadows swam from beneath the door and wrapped around him, pulling him to the floor. They entered his mouth, his ears, his eyes, until his body was still, nothing more than a paralyzed shell. Soft, snarky laughs danced around the spot where he'd been pulled, and the shadows of imps could be seen. Not the imps themselves, just... their shadows. Unaffected by this plane; souls visible but not tangible. Summoned by the prince.

Leghadema didn't know what was happening in the other room, only looking at Abigor's dark eyes. He didn't break her gaze. Though she hated him now, she still saw a certain gentleness held there only for her. The prince could bed as many creatures as he wanted, but they meant nothing to him. Nothing in comparison to the wonder next to him.

It was hard to get close enough to a valkyrie without falling for one, no matter the original intentions. Keiran seemed to have learned that lesson as well.

------------

Stones began swirling in the air, and Silennia's patience flat lined with the last words that came from the girl's lips. Something unknown began swelling within her. Darkness. Rage. Desperation, even. All of it jumbled into a mess that she couldn't distinguish. Shadows began dancing in the corners, behind bushes, in the nooks of trees.

Silennia had seen the strange power emanate from her sire, and momentarily she wondered if he were the one producing the lively shadows. Except, when she concentrated, she realized they weren't quite shadows - they were souls. Of lesser demons, yes, but it didn't matter, if she manipulated them correctly. They didn't have to take the shape of the creature they were - she could simply focus on a movement, and it became an extension of her, starting from seemingly nowhere yet aiming for the blind succubus.

Her eyes darkened over, and the feeling of her body became lost in this newfound power. While the others couldn't see the shadows she was trying to manipulate, they could see the ones she was having success with. So much concentration; she most likely wouldn't notice any damage done to her unless it were severe, since it was all a mental task.

Shadows seemed to sharpen into points, half a dozen of them coming from all corners of the area, heading straight for the girl. And they were not aiming to simply harm.
 
Lillian was far from the little girl that Keiran had known. He could see that. She had grown, changed. How she was managing to control her power so effortlessly was a mystery to him- when last he'd seen her, even the slightest attempt to control it would end in total and utter destruction. Often finding her in the forest, crying in frustration with herself. Despairing over the mother she would never be able to please, yet loved and adored more than anyone else. As they'd grown older, they'd grown apart, Lillian speaking to him less and less.... and then one day, Mina had appeared... and everything changed. For him, at least.

The realization of Lillian's fate twisted in his gut, guilt clouding him, "Lillian-"

His attempt to talk to her falling flat as she launched several stones right for his head, his eyes widening slightly as he dodged yet again, "Lillian, please, we don't have to-"

"Shut your mouth, I'm done talking." Lillian's words cut him off, sneering towards him, but her focus wasn't broken, sensing Silennia's manipulations, quite familiar with such tricks after being in servitude to Abigor for so long, launching herself up suddenly as a set of wings revealed themselves for the first time, bat-like in appearance, yet their coloration was white, veins visible through the pale leathery skin, those pointed shadows missing her. Retaliating with a burst of power that erupted from her with such force that Keiran went flying backwards off his feet and slamming against a tree. Mina's form being pushed further off to the side, barely visible at this point, hidden in the colorful flowers.
Lillian smirking slightly, having come back down to the ground, darting forwards with such speed that she closed the distance between her and Silennia within a mere moment, the ground cracking beneath Silennia's feet as the blind demoness advanced, dodging shadows directed at her, about to strike out when another figure slammed into her.

Keiran.

In annoyance, Lillian sent him hurling through the air with a flick her of her wrist, as if swatting a fly away from her rather than her own sibling, "Pick a side already and stick with it!" she snapped, shaking her head, Keiran's presence proving to be a significant distraction- if anything. He wouldn't fight her, but he wouldn't let her harm Silennia either.
 
Silennia's concentration broke slightly as the sudden burst of power shoved her back. She'd bent her knees in time to not be forced to the ground, however, and immediately those shadows advanced toward Lillian again. Already, the hybrid girl was learning how to multitask between defense and manipulating the shadows.

Agitation crept beneath Silennia's skin, and her jaw tightened in frustration. Every single movement she made was dodged; the other girl acting as if she'd practiced specifically against this form of aggression. It didn't quite occur to her that Abigor would have possibly trained with this girl, yet... he was essentially a god of war. Of course he'd teach his generals how to defend themselves from every attack imaginable.

It made things considerably more difficult.

She didn't realize how close the girl had gotten until silver flashed before her - Keiran slamming into Lillian, intercepting her and driving her away from Silennia. "She's our only way out, Keiran," she finally spoke up. Those shadows getting close enough to just barely touch the girl now, though she was still moving too quickly for them to do any damage. If she could get her to hold still, long enough for the shadows to entrap her, just long enough for them to get what they wanted...

Yet another problem: as stated before, they needed a code to leave. Multiple, actually. All the girl had to do was give them the wrong one, and they'd all be dead the second they'd gone, and that's assuming she would grant them access to the portal anyway. Abigor presented the trio with a deal: leave Mina, and they could go.

Their options were to either leave Mina, or take the chance of the girl giving them the wrong information. Neither was promising, and Silennia was at the point where she was considering just leaving the redhead...

She could always kill a challenging heir later, after all. Easier to do so during infancy anyway.

This time, she did not retaliate from those thoughts. She welcomed them. The realm poisoning her morals, her mind, even the way she felt pain at this point. Silennia watched strawberry blonde curls bounce, still looking perfect among the chaos. There's no way that she's going to be useful to us. Was it worth it to even keep fighting at this point?

Lillian had turned into a perfect machine: deadly power, intelligence of her attackers, and the only one with any possibility of getting out. The girl could even manipulate elements, much like her older sister, though Silennia wasn't sure on the extent of her capabilities yet. She was sure, however, that it wouldn't take long for them to learn just how lethal Lillian was.

An exhausted succubus, an unchecked hybrid, and an inwardly conflicted incubus all up against what would be the equivalent of a god on earth. It was like the beginning of a bad joke.
 
Midair, Keiran's wings made themselves present as well- white like Lillian's. Using them to slow his fall, though not enough, still hitting the ground quite hard. Silennia's words reaching him, despite his unwillingness to hear them... but... Lillian's poweress had been hardened, trained. Improved. Her energy was everywhere, he could feel it riveting through the very ground beneath him, whispering in the grass, the leaves... even the flowers seemed to hold traces of Lillian's signature. Was she channeling herself in such a way intentionally? Rising to his feet, he could see Lillian darting about, always just out of reach of Silennia's newfound shadows, once more getting closer and closer to the hybrid with each dodge.

How could they stop her? Was it even worth it?

Moving forwards, amber hues darkened, those black runes beginning to slither across his skin, spreading across him in intricate patterns. While still a mystery to him, it seemed that rather than just being a last resort, he was beginning to be able to call upon them.

Black tendrils slithering along the ground and over trampled flowers as Keiran approached.

Appearing just inches from Silennia, Lillian smiled sweetly before abruptly slamming her fist into the hybrid's throat, a violent shock riveting through Silennia's body. Sparks rippling across Lillian's form as she finally revealed her element. Not even looking back as Keiran reached her, another bolt striking Silennia in the process. When he was about to grab hold of her, she threw her head backwards, hitting him directly in the nose and turning on him, "You just don't know when to back off, Keiran." Her words sounding in a snarl, about to slam her foot into his stomach when he caught her by the ankle, using it to yank her other leg out from under her and land her down on her back, obviously caught by surprise.

Keiran's foot came down on her chest to pin her, but before he could attempt to restrain her, another burst of pure energy ripped from her, throwing him backwards as she ascended once more into the air, the crackling sound of electricity buzzing in the air, to the point that Keiran's hair nearly stood up on it's ends, or, would have, had it not been nearly caked to his head with mud that had hardened and dried in place.

How badly outmatched they were. To think that Lillian was capable of growing into such a powerhouse still left his mind reeling.
 
The shadows disappeared completely as Silennia choked, feeling a fist slam deep against her throat, knocking her to the ground. She wheezed, grasping at the skin there as if it'd help her breathe easier. Seconds ticked by with her in this condition, all too aware of what was happening between the two siblings nearby. She didn't have much of a choice; waiting for her body to piece together the bit of larynx that Lillian had crushed under so much force. Struggling to breathe in the meantime; black spots spotting in her vision before Abigor's blood burned within her veins once more, healing the damage enough for her to stand once more.

The hair all along Silennia's arms -- dry, now -- stood on end. That 'swim' from the previous room having washed a bit of the mud off of her, mostly just smeared on her clothing and in her hair. There were still streaks of the muck all along her, but it had dried, and small bits cracked and came off with her movements. What was that sound? That feeling?

"Jesus Christ," Silennia breathed, realizing it was electricity. Of all things this girl could have...

Outmatched, indeed. Especially with Mina still nowhere to be found.

That last burst from Lillian threw Keiran close to Silennia, and she crouched next to him while keeping her eyes on the succubus in the air. "She can't see us," she muttered, "but she anticipates every move. Feels every energy. This entire room is alive with her." Sapphire found gold, and there was a bit of fear there for the first time since they'd found each other in this place. She couldn't quite tell if the succubus was toying with them, or actually trying. Chances are... she wasn't quite trying. Silennia didn't know what Abigor's orders to the girl were, except that he wanted Mina alive at the very least. What of the other two?

She didn't put it past her sire to be so heartless as to not give a say whether or not they should live. Perhaps 'heartless' wasn't the right word, but she wasn't sure how else to go about thinking it. He simply didn't care. Mina was viable to give him another heir if this didn't work out... which was possibly why Silennia was fighting so hard to begin with. She couldn't let that happen, not after working so hard for so long playing his little games. They had to figure out something: a weakness, a soft spot, anything to give them the upper hand. Right now they were the equivalent of ants beneath a child with a magnifying glass.
 
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