TO Rewrite: B2 — 24. The Death of Misfortune (Patreon)

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1. Rachel Park (The Black Moon Rises!)

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The unholy rays of the Black Moon reached within Rachel like ten thousand cursed hands, drawing her mind into its blind embrace. A choir of hopeful ignorance and madness descended upon her from spires just beyond the veil, guiding her way inside her own soul to break the yoke of the real.

Understanding blossomed within her, the [Curse of the Wise] enveloping her thoughts in its burdensome grasp. From the lingering effects of the Greater Moon of Abundance, soothing honey cascaded over her head, comforting her as she delved into the aberration.

Rachel’s eyes opened in the bloody decay that seized her, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth as Scarlet hovered above—the Reaper of Souls herself—without memory or understanding of her place. Cerridwen’s haunting visage framed behind the unsealed girl, just beyond reach.

The Reaper’s words pressed upon Rachel’s soul with the many forces writhing behind the curtain of reality. Within the crimson-eyed Eldritch being’s all-consuming gaze, Rachel beheld The End…her end.

A domain of pure blood enclosed them, the Red Sea trapping everyone inside an inescapable realm. Yet that was only half the truth. Rachel pondered as she saw what was hidden: Scarlet is the gate; Scarlet is the key and guardian of the gate. Below the Red Sea, something slumbered.

Granted sight to see the current of the Red Sea and its twisting paths, Rachel knew what she had to do in order to descend through this madness to unlock that which was sealed within her own sealed gate—her time had almost passed. Cerridwen’s baleful, secretive eyes pulled her in as laughter rang out beside her.

Vyse Bruhl and his children were basking in the protective cloak she radiated, spreading out their arms to release their essence within Scarlet’s soul. It was a trap designed by the madness working beyond sight. Unfortunately for them, Cerridwen had been hiding and working with beings of similar power to Vyse’s unholy masters.

Twisting and expanding, Vyse’s horrific form drew in Scarlet’s Eldritch Force, seeking the Bloody Key. “The maelstrom sings its melody…hear the deafening dirges rise!”

Scarlet’s smirk remained fixated on her. “Such a pathetic attempt to reach the cords tethering these plains together. Without the Black Hare and those who support her, you would be devoured the moment you spread your essence… And what makes you think our contest will be anything remotely resembling a fight, Rachel?”

[Horror of the Dream Adaptation X (Unrestricted)] 

[Entity of the Nightmare X (Unrestricted)]

The pressure of Scarlet’s potent, unnatural energy circled them as the girl casually rotated her finger, and a chuckle slid through Rachel’s throat. Scarlet’s smirk fell—not from the growing unhallowed fiends or their threatening expansion—but at the soft words that left Rachel’s lips.

“Who said anything about a fight, Scarlet? I asked for a dance. Did I not? For the first step… Twilight could not foresee this waltz within the dark decay. Can you see her strings?”

“Twilight…” Scarlet’s eyes widened, her shimmering ruby irises fixating on her, and that one word had caught the all-knowing entity off-guard. “Who is Twilight… Why can’t I see her influence… Impossible. Gaps within the Red Sea… What can you see that I cannot, Black Hare? Seals…”

Lifting her arms, Rachel slowly extended them outward, ascending to heights she couldn’t hope to retain without Cerridwen’s curse. Nia stirred within her, only just reaching Elizabeth’s office and meeting Illa. With the Black Moon overshadowing them, her truth was revealed.

Vyse’s extending, gnarled branches quivered and blackened with decay, a howl ripping into Rachel’s body from endless vines spanning the entire multiverse within this tiny fragment of the Red Sea.

“A counter trap? The Curse of the Mecroaf! Return what is Ours! Return that which is not!”

Scarlet’s grin returned as Rachel raised her arms further, voices echoing through a fathomless distance yet originating inside her brain.

“I see. The Crawling Chaos sends His servants to infect the maelstrom, longing to retrieve what was stolen…what they stole first. The Sleeping Mists arise to intervene… Witness The End with ten thousand eyes.”

Silent fits of giggles shook Scarlet’s frame as she glanced to the left and right, where fog expanded outward—the infinite and vast. The haze slid back, revealing the ruby rays of the crimson and golden moons, bathing her in the full glory of both spheres, reinforcing her.

However, it was the gathering mists directly behind Rachel that drew Vyse and Scarlet’s attention as voices filled the sea; the Reaper’s voice glazed with delight as her slow claps filled the space.

“Clever, clever girl you are, Cerridwen…or should I praise the Mecroaf…the Veil of the Ever-Changing Mists that enlightened you has made their move. Yet, you sacrifice yourself in vain. Beg not for mercy. Behold, blackened skies, against mine chaos, even the Eldritch will die.”

A knowing smirk lifted the Eldritch goddess’ lips as her lilac hair drifted within the gradually moving sea of blood they floated in, untouchable to Scarlet’s influence; the dark, crescent moon symbol on her forehead glowed with darkness that swallowed light—swallowed hope—and Rachel spoke her response.

“You are the Red Sea, Scarlet—the gate and key—and to swim with you…is to swim in the maelstrom itself. All worlds, all planes, and all things swim in the Red Sea. Look just beyond the corners of our own realities…and all things are accessible for those with The Sight.”

Ten thousand Celestial spheres, Holy and Infernal, opened around them, filling her with every lunar energy available in this fragment of the Red Sea. The power filled her as the final and most potent globe was unveiled behind her, the cloud parting to a swirling obsidian vortex—a crimson outline around the black hole—the Black Moon.

Vyse and his children gnashed their teeth as their vines were drawn into the Mecroaf-enhanced gravitational pull of the Eldritch cursed moon, creating vein-like tendrils that resembled a colossal, all-consuming raven’s eye.

Rachel’s black-furred ear twitched as her wide, monstrous smile grew. Scarlet matched her grin while the servants of the Crawling Chaos and their corruption were sucked into the hope-devouring sphere. The Reaper’s voice was thrilled as she was gradually brought into the hollow eye, her shape distorting to more accurately portray that which was sealed underneath.

“Look to the inside to break the seal…and bleed out the dark decay…” she said, staring into the void. “Truly formidable and praiseworthy work, Rachel, Cerridwen…the Mecroaf. Although, I would expect nothing less from the Mecroaf…beings who can match me… However, you only delay the inevitable, Limpid Hare of Misfortune.”

Scarlet’s sharp fangs shone in the crimson light of the Red Sea while lifting her hand to point at the lunar sphere. “I will have my fun with the servants of the Crawling Chaos…and then I will be back to exact my price, Misfortune. These strings you’ve spun cannot hold me…and then I will show you the real truth behind the Red Sea… Good attempt, though. And brave, Cerridwen… to think you would open yourself up to the Crawling Chaos. Was it really worth it for this End? Hahaha.”

Dispersing into the blood, the black celestial sphere created a swirling vortex in the Red Sea, continually sucking Scarlet’s expanded soul into its depths and trapping it in a rare and very small dimension outside of the Red Sea—in the Mists of the Mecroaf—beyond the maelstrom of worlds itself in a place outside Existence.

Rachel lingered in the mind-numbing silence that was left in the wake of the Eldritch creatures’ departure, studying the flaming-eyed corrupted goddess. “…You tied yourself to one of the opposing Eldritch groups… The Mecroaf…The Sleeping Mists. You will be captured by the Soul and Messenger of the Outer Gods…”

Despite her expanding knowledge, Rachel was confused while pondering the woman’s previous statement to her. “I thought we were supposed to meet at the World Tree. What changed?”

Cerridwen’s intense smirk softened. The crescent moon on her forehead, the obsidian choker, and the ruby gem embedded in her chest began to show crimson cracks. A blackness ran through the veins on her visible bust, crawling outward with its decay. The goddess’ strong, feminine voice was gentler than she remembered.

“Who said you will not find me when visiting the World Tree? I was shown an outcome…a single outcome where I could protect the single guardian soul that survived my universe’s collapse… Eostre and her frightened rabbits.”

A pained smile and laugh shook her chest. “It hurts knowing she fears me…but I could not trust any other god or goddess I used to know…because they were gone. So, I turned to the Whispering Mists, and they turned me toward you. I have set the bedrock for you, Rachel… So take care of Eostre for me.”

Rachel’s gaze shifted to her right as Nia slipped through space to appear next to her, the bunny child floating in the gradual flow of Scarlet’s bloody soul. “You don’t have much time… Nia, you know who to prioritize. I will handle the harder ones.”

The small black rabbit girl rubbed her elbow with a deep frown while looking up at an unconscious 16-year-old ginger, high above them in the pool of soul-locked people, unable to counter Scarlet’s Eldritch Force.

“Why…does everyone pretend to be nice, Captain?”

Heart going out to the vulnerable young Soul Item, Rachel placed a hand on the girl’s head to comfort her, causing the bunny’s ears to fold down.

“I know it hurts, Lieutenant… You won’t remember any of it when things are over, and look at the bright side. You’ll get some puppies to play with every so often.”

Nia sniffled and rubbed her watery eyes. “I’m not a little kid… I’m just sad.”

“I know. I know… You should go. We need to save all of Elizabeth’s little adopted girls. Is Coral okay?”

“Mhm! She’s soul-locked like the others… She saved me from some scary vampire who tried to stop us! She’s a good bunny… Oh, I’ll be fast!”

Nia vanished through dimensions, using the power granted them through the thousand moons to safely slip those trapped in the Red Sea back into the flow of time. Technically, they were still inside its sway but outside of Scarlet’s immediate influence, which made all the difference, no matter how small it seemed.

Rachel turned back to Cerridwen as the goddess opened herself up to the Outer Gods and allowed herself to be yanked through this narrow portal’s cracks in order to provide her with a means to combat this unsealed half of Scarlet. She only needed to buy time for the Scarlet she knew to bravely accept herself and retake control.

“Should I tell Eostre anything? Hehe. You almost seem like an aunt looking out for a clumsy niece. And what about my Feats from you?”

“Harsh words,” Cerridwen chuckled, hand coming up to her blackening chest and taking a moment to compose herself. “Those powers will be transferred to others soon enough. I have been networking, little hare, and do not think that Izanami is done with you. So there is no need to be concerned….”

She trailed off, studying the massive black sphere within the clouds and rainbow lights of the multitude of moons shining upon them.

“Hmm. It will not be long until their claws find me… Tell her not to be so intimidated by Chang’e, Izanami, and the other deities that will come into your life. Tell her to hold her head high. She is growing stronger by the celestial day. Now, you best hurry along and use those legs you are so proud of…before I am taken.”

Rachel sighed and reached forward to hug the semi-surprised corrupted goddess.

“Oh? This surely isn’t from you.”

“Haha. No. I just wanted to tell Eostre that I gave you a hug from her…so I can give her a hug from you. I think it is going to be tough for the bunny goddess without thinking she’s operating in your shadow.”

“She’s strong, despite her self-doubt… You showed her that in Dionysus’ arena. She has good role models, as well…albeit on the darker half of the spectrum, excluding Chang’e,” she snickered. “More Positive Forces will come into your life in time, but a darker touch is required for the start.”

Breaking apart from Cerridwen, Rachel couldn’t help but think back to the moments just after The Oscillation, when she’d learned about this Welsh goddess’ name. Through all the potent powers filling her soul, many of which she couldn’t fully internalize, she could see the sincerity in Cerridwen and realized the plight of many of the deities.

Thousands of multiverses and planes of Existences smashed together, forcing them to confront themselves for survival—to create Singular Existences. It was a sobering reality to think about, and how many of the various pantheons were dealing with brothers and sisters that were entirely different than those they knew…that these ‘imposters’ had killed their brothers or sisters. They were more lost and broken than any of them could possibly fathom.

Rachel maintained eye contact with Cerridwen’s unregretful face, the woman’s freely given knowledge guiding her way. “I will go to the World Tree and find you…even if it is another trap.”

Nia was a blur, swimming from person to person, transporting them outside of this soul prison via the breach Cerridwen’s Black Moon provided, and the goddess gave them a departing wave.

“Good luck.”

Turning around, Rachel stepped through the Red Sea, slipping through the twisting currents of the cycling Soul Expansion to a still, floating door. One hand held behind her back, Rachel lightly wrapped her knuckles against the door and gave her best smile. Anthony’s face came into view, turning white upon seeing her very pretty and totally not terrifying appearance.

“Son of a bitch—what the hell!”

“Hey! Hey!”

Rachel dully looked to the left as the door slammed in her face, replaying the scene from a 3rd-person perspective. Yeah, maybe the super-wide smile, complete with monstrous teeth, from a rainbow-striped semi-black hare wasn’t the best play. She was pretty hot, though…in a creepy-horror sort of way.

Knocking again, she sighed, feeling her left tattooed bicep itch a little; she saw the wolf fangs still showing as white patches in her fur. “It’s me, Anthony! Open up. I don’t have a ton of time.”

“Wait… Rachel? What the hell is going on? Shit. What happened to the castle?” he mumbled, cracking open the door with a lifted eyebrow while looking down at them floating in blood. “Are those…all moons?!”

“Not important. Piper’s sealed mother used her powers to create a small space with her own soul to guard you both. It won’t hold if Scarlet twitches her finger in your direction, but it did make this small bubble.”

Brushing back her long ears, she rubbed the back of her neck. “Anyway, I need you to remember some things for me…things you cannot tell anyone else—no! Don’t step out, or you’ll get soul-locked.”

He nodded and took on a more stoic expression. “I’m listening.”

Rachel reviewed the few things she knew would be necessary in the short future; anything more was too much in flux to waste her precious time on. Scarlet needed answers, and she had to cut past her typical paranoid brain to push things forward.

Anthony scratched his cheek while glancing back at the pretty, resting vampire on the couch. “Wow…I knew Aurora was bad news, but not that bad… And you don’t want me to tell you until after we’re back in Miami?”

Rachel shook her head as Piper shivered and mumbled in her sleep. Bloody sweat slicked her brow, seeping through her pores while unconsciously maintaining the bubble protecting the Legend, and Rachel sensed someone else had visited Anthony a short while before Scarlet’s awakening—Abraham Van Helsing—just as she’d expected. He had a few targets in this vampiric masquerade, Aurora being one.

“She’s not the bad news we need to be worried about… In fact, she could be useful later. I can’t say the same for others. They’ve served their purpose. I’ll leave you to look over this world’s exiled princess,” she snickered. “Telling your sweetheart what you did in that room?”

“Haha. Every detail!” he said, closing the door, but Rachel placed her fingers against the wood, stopping him. “Hmm? What’s up?”

Her brow turned melancholy. An uncomfortable jolt reverberated from deep within her Core; she was running out of time and in more than one way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw much of Cerridwen’s now visible veins turned an inky black, and a crawling miasma seeping out of her pores to overshadow her—the Crawling Chaos.

“I’ve searched The Mists for answers, Anthony, and pondered on the solution…but Amelia’s cancer is not cancer.”

“What?!” Anthony’s throat constricted, agitated electricity sparking around his frame from the Lightning Lord bound to his soul. “What are you saying?”

“I’ll say it plainly… It is a curse linked to your Greater Seed. The stronger you become, the stronger it becomes, and any cure you give her will only be temporary. There is only one cure that will work…at least before she is consumed by it, and you already know what that is…and its price. Amelia would rather die. I’m sorry, but that is the truth.”

Rachel left Anthony to scowl into the Red Sea, jaw tight and reflecting on her words. Any false pretense at hope for a purely positive outcome was delusional…such was the [Curse of the Wise].

Stepping through the vast, deceptively close distance between objects in the Red Sea, she reached out to grab the orange, shoulderless dress-front of the soul-locked ginger. The young woman’s past unraveled in front of her searching eyes, and her cosmic-eyes vision narrowed.

In a flicker of movement, she brought Carmilla to a specific spot at the edge of the Red Sea, where a hardened red shell locked them in. She activated one of her many Feats granted by the multiple moons she drew from, creating a sphere of pure Holy energy in a miniature domain, lacing it with the force provided by the Mecroaf, unsealing the woman.

“H-Huh?!” Carmilla gasped while falling through the air to land on her butt. “Ouch! Ack-ack…woah! Who are…where are—wait…Rachel? Haha. It has to be you! Uh…why are you crying? Eek!”

Rachel’s monstrous smile grew as black ooze eased out of her left eye—the Black Moon couldn’t hold Scarlet for much longer—and her malevolent Eldritch Force leaked out, making the girl wince and yip at the burning Holy Energy that stung her bare feet in her retreat.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Rachel, ack—it’s me! You know,” she nervously laughed, “Scarlet’s little pumpkin friend! Wow. Wow. Wow. You are so, sooo scary right now!”

In the blink of an eye, Rachel was standing in front of the manipulative predator, making her freeze in place and snap her jaw shut. Her long tongue slid out of her mouth, showing barbed fangs and razor-sharp hare teeth. Her dualistic hot and cool breath steamed out of her lungs, its touch sending electricity down the fake 16-year-old’s nerves.

“No need to pretend anymore, Carmilla. Your unholy mistress sent you to twist Scarlet around your little finger…but your priority right now is to escape and return to The Tower. Babel is quite busy building its floors to reach the Heavens, after all.”

“Eh-hehehe. Rachel…you’re really scaring me! I-I’m Illa, remember? Broken bra-strap, c-clumsy, teenage Illa!”

“Tricky, tricky wordplay and emotional manipulation is your bread and butter, slipping past Maria’s ability and locking away your memories… You have such cute clothes!”

Carmilla flinched as she plucked at her frilly orange over-sleeve before sliding her finger down the black under-sleeve. “T-Thanks?! W-We should go shopping!” she chimed, quaking fingers rising to rub her golden earrings and making Rachel cackle.

“Leprechaun gold is not going to save you…but I’ll take care of it for you.”

“Huh? When…” Carmilla’s fingers met her naked ears, her shaky blue eyes narrowing as she shrank back again and locked onto the sparkling golden items in Rachel’s palm. “…Why don’t we make a deal, Rachel? You like deals and challenges. You know I’m good for Scarlet. I can get her past this awkward stage of hers—you know I can. I can be an asset.

“Isn’t that…worth considering… No?” she choked, stifling a scream as Rachel’s slow advance backed her into the flaming wall of the barrier. “Barbara and General Dallas would make that call, right? If you know about Babel, then…then I’m an asset…I’m an asset,” she squeaked, starting to hyperventilate as she realized for a fact that fighting her would be a certain death.

Rachel smelled the sweet scent of burning meat from the girl’s quaking frame against the Holy shell, tears dripping down her red, vulnerable, and pleading face. Her chest fluttered as Rachel gently pressed her fingers against it, her hot breath pressing against her flushed cheeks. Mist gathered behind the ginger, her touch triggering uncomfortable spasms throughout the woman’s body.

“Oh, the [Curse of the Wise] and how cruel it is. There are many ways I can think about using you, Carmilla…but you are too clever and manipulative to allow this close to Scarlet when I can’t control you. And shopping? I’m not the type of girl to go rummaging around the closets of my past…flames, or…should I call those groomed little girls brainwashed victims who worship you… Like some incestuous motherly goddess before sucking them dry, mind, body, and spirit.”

“Ack-ack!” Rachel’s wide, fanged grin expanded as an iron maiden materialized like a mirage behind her; it cracked and shattered like glass long before closing. “P-Please, Rachel! Wait!”

Pressing forward, Carmilla slipped through the fog and crack in the Red Sea to return to the castle grounds, far away from the impressionable young teenage vampire girls. Her fate was sealed.

The Holy shell gradually morphed into a crimson sphere of rubies, radiating an inner violet light. Rachel opened the door that formed, cheerily greeting the bunny on the opposite side, holding the hand of a 13-year-old raven-haired teen.

“I have her for you, Cap! I sent Coral out to protect everyone, too. There are still bad guys! I can smell them.”

“Excellent work, Lt. Bun. I see you’ve been hard at work… How many are left?”

“A few dozen, but…it’s not looking good for Lady Cerridwen. I’m scared for her,” she mumbled, her bottom lip trembling. “Will they hurt her?”

“I don’t know, Little Bun…I don’t know. We just need to do what we can. Here…we need to buy some time, so spread our seeds into the Black Moon. It will give us a little bit of breathing room,” she whispered, raising her fingers to her chest, where the Crimson Moon’s flower bloomed. 

She plucked it and created a miniature void below it in the form of a ruby crystal, filling it with her own unique blood. “Scarlet should be entertained by all of our clones running around the Black Moon…”

“Captain?! Ugh. My eye…hurts.”

Rachel grimaced as she stumbled to the side, closing her left eye as she saw the end was nigh. “Hmm. It’s okay, Nia. We only need to buy time.”

“Right…the flower—the flower, Captain,” she asked, holding out her hands and trying to look brave.

“That’s a good bunny…” Patting her head again, Rachel breathed out the hot pressure rising in her left eye and pulled Elizabeth into the protective zone.

The small-fanged woman cracked open her eyes when the door closed, leaving Nia to finish up her assignment. Ruby chairs formed from the floor, allowing the weak vampire’s thin, shaking arms to push herself onto the seat. The exertion left the girl panting, and her body was already shutting down.

“Rachel…kind enough of you to stay alive for this long… My girls…and the prisoners?”

“Mmm. Even worried about those doing their time? You are the perfect blend of pop culture and history… Yes, Nia is completing the evacuation now, and soon, Scarlet will overwhelm the Black Moon. I have one thing to ask you.”

A weak chuckle shook Elizabeth’s chest as she attempted to fix her outfit and messy brown hair, showing her pride and fortitude. “I am a weak, broken shell of what I should represent. Still, your mercy to my subjects deserves anything I can grant…as short as that may be. Twilight told me I might not survive this…yet my daughter would live, and maybe, just maybe, I would hear her voice again.”

Rachel breathed out a long stream of air through her nose, looking up at the room as a quake ran through the structure.

“Kind, yet cruel…humble, yet proud…powerful, yet weak. I will need the support of someone like you and what power you can build inside this dying world. I don’t ask you to abandon your deal with Twilight only to make one with me…join Omen as an independent agent. Do that, and I promise you will not only hear your daughter’s voice again…but have the chance to raise her. I can bring her back to life.”

A shiver ran down Elizabeth’s frame, her liquid-like ruby eyes shiny with a mother’s hope. “…Even if I join Omen…I sold my soul to Twilight. If she asks me to betray you, so long as it does not harm my daughter, I will do it. I could only obtain this land because of her power and connections to powerful Mythickin and Legendkin.”

Rachel shook her head. “You are a woman of honor, Elizabeth, and one who hates what The Oscillation has made you into…what history has twisted of the original Elizabeth, and what pop culture has added to your legend. Don’t think being in Omen does not come without benefits…or signing bonuses.”

The woman dug her fingers into the gemstone chair she sat on, cracking her fingernails as Rachel held her wrist to the side, where a ruby formed; slitting her wrist, she let potent, rainbow blood leak into the goblet before healing the wound.

“I have the power of a thousand moons running through my veins…most of which I haven’t yet deciphered due to how much information is flooding my limited soul. However…I can separate that power within my blood to give you a revival that will allow you to take ownership of this land and rebuild your castle.”

Picking up the goblet, Rachel handed it to the teenage-looking woman with a monstrous grin, closing her left eye as a spur stabbed it like a dagger. “So…what do you say?”

Elizabeth stared into the shimmering blood for a few seconds, the silence compressing around them. Then she held it up to her lips and drank. When every drop was consumed, Elizabeth breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. Her body transformed, not taking the shape of her older, intimidating image but the imperial, stable form of the young woman it was supposed to become.

The Countess swept her shimmering scarlet locks behind her ears, radiating eyes like a burning star as she adjusted her compressed gown against her more womanly shape.

“I accept.”

“Wonderful!” Rachel clapped, creating a mist around her. “I look forward to discussing things further upon the conclusion of this madness.”

Elizabeth’s intelligent eyes studied her with curiosity. “What will you do now?”

As the newest member of Omen was spirited away, Rachel chuckled and stood. Summoning her massive hammer, she slung it over her shoulder and stared through the transparent ruby room with one eye as Cerridwen was pulled into a portal of black ooze, tar-like hands dragging her out of the maelstrom and into the Old Gods’ dream.

“Now, I meet The End. Hehe…or do I?”

The red crystal shattered, the Black Moon split in two, and the mists surrounding the Red Sea were swept away like dust in the wind. Rachel stepped through the turbulent storm that shook the foundation of the Soul Expansion, and whatever had been pulled into the injured Eldritch sphere returned.

[The Black Moon has faded into The Mist to recover]

[All Lunar Spheres have faded into The Mist]

Scarlet floated in the middle of the fading dark vortex of the colossal Eldritch Force, a scythe of pure, unknowable energy condensed into a physical form slung over her shoulders. She wore a thrilled grin as if having her first good day in ages.

“I’m back!”

“I’m here, Cap!” Nia shouted, trying to be brave and returning to her outfit to provide the best defense she could. “Is…this The End?”

“Yes, Nia,” Rachel chuckled, her heart feeling light as a feather as Scarlet readied her weapon, and she mirrored the Reaper. All of the power that had sustained her from Cerridwen and the Mecroaf’s support gradually died within her veins. “This is The End that Scarlet foresaw… This is the death of Misfortune.”

Bells tolled in the distance as Rachel lost all ability to maneuver in the bloody pool, and only Nia and her now occupied this surface level of the Red Sea; the bun had done her job and transported Anthony’s protective sanctuary and every last soul out of it.

Scarlet was breathing a little heavily as she laughed. “I can’t remember being pushed to go all out like this…even as weak as I currently am. Limpid Hare of Misfortune…be proud to have been reaped by my blade; you are strong.”

Good job, Little Bun.

Nia’s sniffles came through their bonded connection. “You too, Captain Hops. I can’t remember if this is a good thing or not.”

Me, too, Nia, Rachel whispered. Me, too…

Rachel blinked, and Scarlet was gone. Looking down, she saw a red line running right down the middle of her body, passing right through her hammer. Something cracked within her soul, robbing her of air, and all the strength within her evaporated.

Well, shit…that sucked.

[Achievement Feat Unlocked]

[The Scales of Karma: Power - once charged, the user can weigh the scales of Karma against a single opponent, balancing their combat aptitude. Once used, the scale returns to 0%. Scale Level: 0%]

Mind pulled into the void, she heard Scarlet’s soft words behind her. “Where do you land in the Red—what? You, mutt!”

The clicking of chains twitched her ethereal ears as she entered the abyss, and a hot iron wrapped around her arm, making her hiss. Sharp teeth sank into her spirit, and she was dragged away from the stream she’d entered; she felt Nia following, linked to her.

In an unharmonious grunt, she landed in a comfortable chair, and a potent hostile aura locked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Inches away from her face were big, ignited blue flaming eyes.

“What in His Unholiness’ was that about?!”

“T-Thalia?!” Rachel choked, her stomach squirming as the oldest of the Cerberus Triplets gave her a look that said she was about to devour her soul. “What are… Am I in…”

“Hades.” The smooth, unbothered voice she remembered quite clearly from Izanami’s pantheon gathering sent electricity through whatever constituted her spirit as the angry wolf-girl drew back to be patted on the head by the ruler of the Greek underworld. “Don’t be too harsh on her girls.”

“R-Rachel?!” Nia cried from a seat nearby, the green-haired and redheaded triplets looking at the quaking rabbit with hungry, wagging tails. “Rachel—t-they’re back!”

Thalia crossed her arms under her bust, showing cuts across her front and a tiny bit of flaming blood that leaked out of the shallow wounds. She leaned over to lick one marring her shoulder, her left ear pulling back.

“I have never been hurt while retrieving a soul… Not once! Humph.”

“Aww. Do you need me to lick it for you, Big Sis?” Irida asked, her flaming red locks igniting with pleasure while skipping away from Nia to try and fuss over her annoyed big sister.

“No—Irida, I’m fine!”

Aleka remained glued to Nia’s left armrest, resting her head on it and staring at the bunny as if waiting for the word to be able to bite; her tail just wouldn’t stop fanning Rachel with incense-infused wind.

“Why didn’t you let her die before bringing her back to the hotel, Big Sis?”

“Hotel?” Rachel’s mouth parted in confusion as she glanced around at the hotel lobby she now occupied. Totally human-looking women and men operated it, welcoming in guests and guiding them to the extravagant desk to check-in. “Is that…Hotel California on the speakers?”

Irida giggled, still trying to get past Thalia’s defense to lick her wounds. “Mhm! Lady Persephone thought it was funny with the new design—oh, c’mon, Thalia! You know it’ll feel better with a few licks. Don’t be shy!”

“I can lick my own wounds! Look, Aleka is going to get the rabbit before you!”

“Huh! No, you don’t, Short Tail!”

“What? You did not call me—ahhh! Irida, don’t bite me—grrrr!”

“Grrrr! Your tail is open again!”

“Don’t you dare!”

“My leg!”

Nia breathed out her stress as if she’d just escaped death for a second time, and Rachel couldn’t help a laugh as her memories of battling these sisters in Izanami’s realm came tumbling back. The girls continued rolling around the floor, wrestling with one another, and Thalia stoked their flames from the background. Unlike Yomi’s frail, polluted infrastructure, nothing broke or got damaged in the hotel. 

Hades sighed, but he looked at the girls with fondness before returning his gaze to the black flames in the hearth. “It shouldn’t be long before my wife joins us…and she was the one who took a keen interest in Izanami’s little coalition.”

Grip tightening against the dog-themed golden cane he held, the lord of the dead seemed to walk with a slight limp as he moved to a nearby chair. He sat back, stoic expression returning while studying the fireplace again; it wouldn’t last for long, though.

Rachel’s head tilted to the left to see a radiant, golden-haired woman descend the crescent-rise stairs. Her emerald eyes and heart-shaped face, and curved figure caught every eye in the lobby as the Queen of the Damned made her entrance.

The triplets quickly rose to stand at attention as Hades shifted in his chair to show a loving smile that seemed to make his queen shine even brighter.

No one moved in the hallowed, hushed atmosphere Persephone created as she made her way to her king. Smoothly sitting in the chair beside him, she slid her fingers over her black gown, seemingly absorbing all light as if it were a black hole, and broke the silence.

Persephone’s voice was as strong and as gentle as spider’s silk. “It is our pleasure to make your acquaintance, Rachel… Tell me a little about yourself and this mysterious Eldritch goddess Izanami told us about. We might be able to help you return to the land of the living…for the right price.”

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