Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of update yesterday and late upload today >.< Wattpad was having some issues. Thank you everyone for voting and adding my book to your story :D Next update will be this Saturday! What do you guys think will happen?

Warning: This chapter is unedited.

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"The absence of a message sometimes is a presence of one." - Hasse Jenner

I trudged my way through the somber forest. I was tempted to yell out Angelo's name but then I realized that the echo of my voice would capture the attention of the wolves that were chasing after us. Where is Danny? Deciding to believe Daemon was a mistake on my part. I thought.

The ghost of his silvery voice haunted my thoughts especially when he told me he loves me. A part of me wanted to believe him, to venture dangerously far from my comfort zone. It was so tempting to see what he'll do until I realized that only a part of me wanted to be with him was because I was flattered.

I raised my arm until it's level to my gaze. This appallingly beautiful imprint scarred me from the moment Daemon gave it to me unwillingly.

He's forcing me to accept his love. The realization hit me suddenly.

Did I make the mistake of telling Daemon that I want to continue the game? It was a risk I have to take. There is a chance one of my friends could fail. Was I too selfish to only think of myself when I declared that I wanted to continue the game?

A shiver went down my spine causing me to rub my arms with my hands to bring me warmth. I must focus on finding my friends. As I continue my trek further into the forest, I heard familiar voices conversing between an empty patch of the forest.

As I walked closer, I realized that it was my friends who were conversing in anger and pointing a blame to the rugged Daniel.

"What do you mean you 'tried' to save her? IF you 'tried' to save her she would be here now wouldn't she?" I heard Brittany screeched.

"She must be with Daemon," I saw Angelo paced back and forth, "I have to find her." he said worriedly.

"Wait! We have to stay together..." Summer said fearfully.

Another wave of argument would have passed over my friends if I hadn't revealed myself. The moment I did, I was suffocated with hugs from my friends while they asked worried questions about me.

After I finished answering all of their questions, Danny walked up to me with shame.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I wished I had been stronger to save you."

I shook my head, "There's nothing to apologize for."

"We have to get back to our world before we're stuck here." I suggested. Everyone agreed. With Angelo's help, we ventured our way to the forest and found our way back to Chinvat and back to the door to Earth and also back to our consciousness.

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We woke up at the same place in the cramped living room of my home. Ted began to complain. "I can't do this anymore." he whined.

Angelo began to speak. His next words will soon haunt me the rest of my life. "Daemon will hunt each and every one of us in our dreams if we're not together. Wherever you are, he will get you, whatever you do, my brother is not someone you can get rid of easily."

As the dark mark Daemon gave me throbbed softly, I knew Angelo was right. Afraid to fall asleep again, Angelo went over the rules of the game that Daemon haven't told us to soothe our fears.

"This game is different. Usually, Daemon would grab your souls individually once you fall asleep. However, he's grabbing all of us; including me." Angelo muttered. "The Nether Realm's hold on me is weak, but it's still there."

"What do we do then? I'm too afraid to fall asleep." Ted muttered.

"That's exactly what you should do; sleep. However, be wary of the dreams you might have during your slumber. Daemon might alter them to the point they become a nightmare and he could use it against you."

The whole time Angelo was speaking, I was thinking to myself how Daemon decides who faces their nightmares. After thinking long and hard, I finally realized that the answer has been in front of me the whole time.

Cursing softly under my breath, I shared to my friends my findings. "Daemon decides who faces their nightmares the order we all ate the apples he gave us." I declared.

Angelo tilted his head questioning my logic but I continued, "It was Brittany who ate the apple first, and then it's Daniel." Turning my gaze to my friend I said, "if he's going in order, then Summer must be next."

I didn't know what to do. Sweet Summer began to sob softly. I didn't know tears where falling down my cheeks before Angelo walked next to me and pulled me to his embrace. Daemon's mark on my soul caused me to weaken when Angelo hugged me. Instead of pulling away from the pain that threatened to course through my body I pulled Angelo closer to me and sobbed on his chest.

When I finally pulled away from him I was exhausted that I stumbled and almost fell to the floor if it wasn't for Angelo's warm hold. My friends walked over to me worried before Angelo caressed my face and took the arm that bore Daemon's mark. Warmth spread throughout my body before my vision went dark pulling me into a dreamless slumber.

I woke up the next day exhilarated. Although deep in my heart I know that troubles that laid ahead. The mark that Daemon forced upon me was now mixed with golden ink. I stared at it for the longest time before Angelo pulled up to the street to pick me up from school. I was still confused about Daemon's motives but I realized that I must have strength in order for me and my friends to survive. Two friends down, three more to go.

"Do you like it?" Angelo asked me as we drove down the street to school.

"Like what?" I asked, confused.

"The mark I gave you." he answered.

The gold.

"What did you do? I don't feel like I'm suffocating whenever I'm near you anymore." 

"I should've done this earlier but when I saw Daemon's mark on you I gave you a rune to make you feel at ease when you're around me."

As I looked at the rune, it does made the somber mark look beautiful. And I don't know if I could keep my distance from Angelo anymore.

"Thank you," I smiled at him warmly. The reminder of Daemon's "love" remained but Angelo's rune replaced the symbol of the mark into something better.

As we pulled to the school's parking lot, Angelo got out of his seat and opened the car door for me. He offered his hand to me and I gladly took it, blushing when I realized students around us looked at me and Angelo in interest.

The heat of the sun blazed against the gray concrete of the parking lot giving the school a hellish heat. I didn't care because Angelo's next movements surprised me the most. He took my hand pulled me close to his side before we started walking. I yelped before relaxing against his strong side.

Although the heat of the weather was unbearable, I would be able to stand it knowing that Angelo is by my side. However, despite the heat of the weather and the stares of my classmates, there was a hot gaze that grazed my spine to the hairs of my neck giving me a foreboding feeling.

Angelo opened the large mahogany doors of the school for me as the cold wind of the air conditioner blew against my face, momentarily forgetting the foreboding feeling I had before. Angelo walked me to my locker and on the way there, Brittany choked on her Starbucks frappuccino when she saw us holding hands. Ted, Summer, and Daniel murmured to themselves "Finally."

And I couldn't agree with them more.

As I sat in Mythology class with Angelo and the rest of my friends, I couldn't help but feel uneasy with the topic we were about to learn.

"The story of Hades and Persephone," my teacher, Mr. Simons bellowed "was one of the most well known and popular story in Greek mythology."

"Tell me students," he continued, "do you justify Hades' decision to take Persephone from her world as right or wrong?" he ended his sentence while landing his gaze on me.

As half of the class raised their hands to answer the question, I couldn't help but remember Daemon, his offer, and the riddle he gave me to solve. It's surprising that I still remembered each word although I knew deep inside, it was because I love the sound of his voice.

"I am an involuntary force of nature;
I am the alpha and the omega of allure.
I am the mother of millions
and when taken by force, I can last for eons.
What am I?"

What was an involuntary force of nature? I ran a list in my head on anything that was an involuntary force of nature. Any ideas that came to mind didn't match the following lines of the riddle. I groaned in annoyance before a buzz in my front pocket took me away from my thoughts. Pulling out my phone, I read the text that I know will change my life forever.

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Xoxo,

Angelique