Aria

I stared into the darkness of his eyes, feeling like I was drowning. 

"There's no need to hurt James. The information I have is valuable. The Elite team has left The Upstairs. They came down to the surface in the town that James and I reside in. There were several of them. An old man, a tall red-haired woman, and a couple that looked like they'd just gotten out of high school."

Ezekiel tilted his head to the side. "And what town do you come from?"

"Courtland," I lied, naming a town that resided just outside of Hollowdale.

"Is Courtland pack territory? As far as I know, there aren't any lycanthropes residing there," Leto commented, looking confused.

I shook my head, "It isn't pack territory. James and I lost our entire pack in a Vampyre attack. The clan wiped most of us out. The only one who survived other than us ran away because he couldn't deal with the pain of the loss of his mate."

It worried me how easily the lies were rolling off of my tongue at this point.

Leto frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through that, Pretty Thing."

I gave him a half smile, trying not to feel guilty about how he was feeling bad for me over something that wasn't even true. 

"I see," Ezekiel said slowly. "Well, that does seem like very valuable information. It means that not only is The Upstairs left unprotected, but the elite team is now exposed and much easier to get at. They've done exactly as I hoped they would when I sent up that soldier to die, and played right into my hands. They did it much faster than I thought they would, though. I thought I was going to have to send up soldier after soldier to wear them down. I guess they aren't very brave or smart."

I forced a smirk onto my face. "They seemed scared to me when they touched down in Courtland. You've got them running, Master. This will be a quick war."

Ezekiel let out a laugh. "Of course it will. Alright, now all we need is to send someone to The Upstairs to confirm whether or not your story is true. As for you, I like you. I think I'll bring you back with me. We can even take your brother along if you so wish."

"Wait, what?" I questioned, the smirk falling from my face.

"I am taking you with me. I feel for you, having lost your pack. That is the entire point of this war. The Upstairs has long turned all creatures of the shadow against one another, keeping them distracted by pitting them against each other in battle instead of letting them see who the true enemy is. The creatures of the dark have all lost so much and have long been forced to live a life of simple existence instead of a life of fulfilment and pleasure. Once we take down The Upstairs, though, that will all change."

He keeps referring to the creatures of the dark as 'they'. Is he not one of them?

"I-I-"

He raised a hand, cutting me off. "I understand your awe. You can thank me later once you have composed yourself again. The idea of coming to live under my roof is a great honour that will take a moment to get over the shock of. Collect your brother and we will leave at once."

I stared at him for a moment longer before finally snapping out of it and forcing my limbs into action. I walked around him, giving him a wide berth and made my way over to James.

"We have to go," I said to him.

He glanced at Leyla, who sat beside him on the log, her eyes wide. 

"I heard."

He stood and walked back over to the master with me.

"Thank you, Leto, for the kindness and hospitality you showed us. I hope that this war looks favourably on one who is so faithful to our just cause," James said, bowing his head slightly.

Leto let out a laugh. "Junior, you sure are a funny little thing. Having you here was my pleasure, and please know the two of you are welcome anytime. Make sure you take care of that Pretty Thing you've got for a sister there."

James nodded. "Let's both protect our sisters with everything we have."

"My, that was truly touching, but I think it's time we brought this to an end and got going," Ezekiel interrupted. 

He uncurled his fingers and held his hand out to me. I looked down at it, unsure what he wanted me to do.

"Take my hand," he instructed.

I took a deep breath in before reaching out and linking my fingers with his. My heart went cold. My skin felt as if it was being burned where it touched his, yet his skin was ice cold.

So cold it feels hot.

He reached his other hand out to James who took it with a slight flinch. 

He grinned. "Brace yourselves."

Before I had the chance to ask him what he meant by that, the ground was being swept out from beneath me as the world spun around me. My vision went black and my heart leapt in my chest as panic and dread rose within me.

I'm lost. I found myself thinking. I'm lost and I can't find my way. I'm filled with despair. Everything is dark.

Suddenly, my feet met with the ground once more, sending painful shock waves up my shins. My vision cleared, and I had to blink a few times in the sudden light. 

"James?" I called out, searching around for him. 

He still stood on the other side of Ezekiel, their hands clasped tightly together. He gave me a shaky nod.

"I'm alright."

"Apologies if you weren't quite ready for that ride. It's a much faster way to travel than walking. Using that method, it only took us mere moments to reach my humble abode. Welcome, Cassie and James, to my castle."

James and I both let go of Ezekiel's hands and looked up, taking in the grand architecture before us. The building was made of stone, with ornate carvings sitting atop pedestals and elegant, woven tapestries hung from the walls. Each tapestry depicted one of the seven deadly sins in graphic detail. I frowned as I looked around.

"Where's the door?" I questioned.

The side of Ezekiel's mouth quirked up. "There is no door. I'm the only one who can teleport people in and out. Even a talented user of Magyk such as yourself wouldn't be able to do it."

My mouth went dry. "I'm not-"

"Please don't insult me further by attempting to lie again. Did you really think I wouldn't know who you are, Little Aria Semble? I know everything. A simple eye colour changing spell might have worked to trick Leto's pack, but you have no idea who you're dealing with here."

"We know who you are," I countered. "You're The Master, the mastermind behind this great war. I can't help but wonder if you have more planned than what you're telling your followers."

"Of course I do," he laughed. "You never show your full hand. But how sweet and innocent you are, Aria. Yes, The Master is what I am, but that still doesn't answer who I am. I am more powerful than any of you or your friends on the 'elite team' could imagine."

"Who are you then?" James questioned through gritted teeth. 

"I am Ezekiel Nikholai Greigh- though I did not receive this name until much later in life- and I am the first evil. I am the vessel that The Creator made to carry all curses, evil and general damnation so that his other creatures could live free of them."

"The Creator?" I repeated.

I had never heard anyone mention a Creator before. I had always thought that the Guardian was the one who had always run the Upstairs.

"The one who created all things and used to run the Upstairs. Anyways, so as the saying goes you can't have darkness without the light, but my loving father decided that instead of spreading the darkness out evenly, he would hide it all away inside me so that everyone else could bask in the light. Sufficed to say, I was not a big fan of his choice. So I broke his most sacred rule, and I began spreading my diseases. I created Lycanthropy, deamons, gouls... you name it, I created it. I also took it upon myself to destroy The Creator as payback for what he had done to me.  I killed the bastard. Unfortunately, that did not go over so well with the Guardian, and he decided to banish me from the Upstairs, causing me to also become the first Vampyre. The blow of being knocked to the earth left me powerless and alone. So, I slept for a couple hundred years to recharge my power. Now, I'm back and determined to reclaim what once was mine, using all of my children of darkness to do so."

I was frozen in place. I didn't know what to do or say. I was terrified to even breathe the wrong way. This was so much bigger than simply fighting Jon. I suddenly longed to be trapped in the maze with Caspian once more. At least then we had been together.

Caspian, I thought desperately.

To my surprise, as if called by my thoughts, Caspian began to materialise before me. He had two men standing on either side of him, keeping a tight hold on his arms.

"Ah, just on time," Ezekiel grinned.

"Caspian?" I gasped.

I ran towards him without another moment's thought, ignoring how the two men growled at me as I approached. I placed my hands on his cheeks and breathed in his scent. He was struggling to free his arms from the two men.

"Let me go!" he cried.

"Do as he wishes," Ezekiel instructed.

The two men released Caspian's arms and he scooped me up into a tight embrace.

"Gosh, Aria, I was so worried about you," Caspian whispered against my neck.

I clung tightly to him. 

"You'd think they hadn't seen each other in years," Ezekiel muttered.

"Sir," one of the men began. "We also found this lying on the ground near where we picked him up."

I pulled away from Caspian and turned to see what he was referring to. He held the screen from the Upstairs out to Ezekiel.

"That's mine!" I blurted.

Ezekiel raised an eyebrow at me.

"Please. It belonged to my grandmother," I lied. "May I have it back?"

He blinked at me a few times. "Fine. I will allow you to have it. Don't say I never did anything nice for you, Ms. Semble."

The man handed the screen over to me, and I took it gratefully.

"Alright, well, now that we've all been reacquainted, I think it's time we split up again. I want Caspian Saunders taken down to the torture chamber in the dungeon, and James to solitary confinement. I'd like to do some experimentation with him to figure out what exactly his power is and if we can somehow use it to our advantage."

"What?" I cried.

I spread my arms out in front of Caspian, instinctively putting myself between Ezekiel and him. The side of Ezekiel's mouth pulled up into a smirk.

"Adorable," he drawled. 

Then, he raised a hand, pointed one finger at me, and flicked it to the right. My body lifted into the air and went flying in the direction he had flicked his finger as if I was being controlled by some invisible string. Caspian made a move to come after me, but Ezekiel splayed the fingers of his hand wide, and Caspian became frozen on the spot.

"Stay," Ezekiel commanded. 

The two men that had come in with Caspian went to his sides again and grabbed ahold of him. Caspian struggled against them but was no match for their strength combined with Ezekiel's powers. His crystal blue eyes flicked over to meet mine, panic coursing through them. 

Cas.

To my surprise, he let out a low growl, something I had never heard him do. He strained against the men holding him, leaning towards me. I squeezed my eyes shut and entered my mental library.

I need something that will break Ezekiel's hold on me, I thought. Hurry.

A book flew off of the shelf and landed in my hands, the book falling open to a page in the middle.

My eyes flew back open. "Envertos cantinem."

The invisible grip that had been holding me in place released and I ran towards Caspian.

"Stellay!" I cried.

The men on either side of Caspian went flying. I returned to my spot between Caspian and Ezekiel.

"Don't you touch him," I snapped.

Ezekiel let out a laugh, looking delighted. "Wow. What a show. You're even more powerful than I thought. I have to say that I'm impressed. And I mean, it's truly precious how protective you are of your little angel. I don't think you've quite grasped yet, however, that I am the first and most absolute evil. I am ten times more powerful than you could ever hope to be."

Within the blink of an eye, I found myself suddenly face to face with him. I stepped back, bumping into Caspian, who placed his hands on my waist to steady me. 

"This is my place, Ms. Semble. I control everything here," Ezekiel whispered.

He flicked his eyes up to Caspian, and the feeling of Cas's hands on my waist vanished. I turned and found that Cas was no longer in the room with us. 

"I've sent him to the dungeon and James to solitary confinement as per my original plan. All I have to do is think a command here and it happens. This place and I are connected. It's my sanctuary. Little Aria Semble. The last human left that practices Magyk. It's exciting; really, it is. I have big plans for you. I need you to use your Magyk to help me. I'm really going to test you and push your limits. Aren't you excited?"

"No."

"Great," he said with a twisted grin. "Let's go."