Welcome back to Hello Charlotte everyone. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I worked hard on it. Please remember to VOTE and COMMENT, it means a lot to me plus I love chatting with you guys. Also, please remember to click on the video it goes with the chapter. ~XOXO BUTTERBALL~

Song is Jougen no tsuki by White Flame
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-Atlas-

I let out a soft groan as I splashed water on my face, my stomach was rolling and aching so I hadn't been able to sleep.

I should at least let Delilah sleep. She's been worrying about me ever since we set foot in this town.

I ran a hand through my hair moving it out of my eyes as they shifted back to the mirror. I was paler than usual, in fact, my skin had taken on an awful looking ashen gray color.

The room seemed to sway before my eyes, I groaned again and wrapped my arm around my stomach, as that familiar ugly chill sank its disgusting claws into my chest, my body seemed to lock up. The hairs all over my body stood on end as my skin tingled with pins and needles. Then, that disgusting unforgettable smell of rot filled my nose and leaked over my tongue, it was a horrific sharp scent mixed with an almost sickening sweetness like rotting meat, sewage and cheap perfume. I flinched and gritted my teeth forcing back bile as my eyes darted around.

Where is he, where is he, where is he? No, not him that...thing.

My whole body began to shake as something sharp and cold forcefully grabbed my right wing. Searing pain shot through the abused limb and into my back. I fell to my knees letting out a whimper.

Hot breath fanned over my neck smelling like a giant deer carcass that was bloating in the sun, as though it was a water balloon full of sewage.

"I'm not letting you...get away....with what you did." An all too familiar voice hissed in my ear. The words sounded wet, choked out as though it was being said through a mouth full of liquid.

A red and black sneer filled my vision as Caesar leaned over me exposing his black rotted gums and blood filled mouth, his long blonde hair brushed over my face the gritty, greasy strands feeling like wet sand across my skin.

"Let go, let go, let go!" I screamed and I lashed out my claws trying to catch what was left of his face. As warm blood splashed across me however I immediately recoiled practically pressing myself back against the sink as Caesar just stood there, blood running out of his mouth like a faucet. His eyes rolled around in his skull for a moment before they snapped back to focus on me emitting a strange wet popping sound.

I covered my eyes rocking back and forth as I whimpered.

"Please, please just...stop. I-I can't take it anymore. I-I'm sorry Caesar, I'm sorry! It was an accident, I didn't know!" I gasped out as my eyes warmed with the tears.

A cold slimy hand gripped my left wrist yanking it away from my face as one sharp claw dug into the vein there. "Oh little brother, I don't want your terrible apologies and your half-assed repentance. I want you to join me," Caesar gurgled out the words coming out like he was choking on something.

Then he pressed his claw into my wrist breaking the skin in a sudden spray of red, a rush of dizziness took over as darkness crept into the corners of my vision. I reached out grasping at the shower curtain, as I tried my best to stop the bleeding, a soft faint tearing sound met my ears as my claws tore through the fabric. Just before the darkness covered my vision I caught sight of Delilah's white hair and wide pink eyes as she came through the door.

I'm sorry Delilah. I tried my best but I couldn't do...

~~~~

I blinked as I slowly looked around. I was standing in the forest right behind my mom, Vel and... "Caesar?" I whispered as I walked a bit closer. They were standing in front of something that I couldn't see.

"I can't believe this happened mom. If I had known, what he was trying to do I would have stopped him," Caesar said softly.

Vel sighed. "He was a good boy just misguided. He didn't deserve this," she whispered.

I slowly walked around until I could see what they were looking at, the moment I saw what it was I stumbled back screaming. My fourteen-year-old self-was just laying there in the middle of Delilah's summoning circle my body twisted and mangled with multiple tree roots speared through me. They wrapped around my torso and wings crumpling and balling them up like paper. Two tree roots skewered my neck nearly decapitating me as my bloodshot eyes stared up at the sky wide with horror, my mouth opened in a silent scream.

I fell back tripping over one of the tree roots that had been woven into my corpse. My mom clicked her tongue. "Misguided? Are you hearing yourself Vel? This little bastard nearly summoned a fucking monster into our village! He could have killed everyone, we're just lucky Caesar caught him in time!" She snapped the fur on her tail standing up.

I flinched back. "But mom, I didn't... it was Caesar who was going to kill everyone," I whispered.

"This is what should've happened, after all, it's not like mom would've missed you. You were worthless and you still are, if I was the one who got to live then I know for a fact things would be better," Caesar told me slowly as he broke away from our mom and Vel.

He took his time walking over to me stepping right over my carcass like it was just garbage. I roared at him as I struggled to my feet.

"You're wrong mom cared! She loved both of us! She wasn't like this, if I had died she wouldn't say these things!" I snapped.

Caesar chuckled his face twisting into a sneer. "Oh really? Is this what you actually believe?" He asked looking amused.

I glared at him. "It's the truth," I hissed through clenched teeth.

Caesar let out a snort as he turned halfway. "Mom, what do you want to do about his body?" He called over his shoulder.

"Throw it in a ditch or something, I don't fucking care," she growled as she stormed off.

"Mommy..." I whimpered my chest throbbed send a sharp ache through it, I felt nauseous but all I could do is stand there as the world slowly fell away until only Caesar and I stood there all alone.

"There you have it Atlas, mom never loved you. If you had just stayed in your place we wouldn't have had any problems. But no you had to get greedier than you already were! You just had to take my one chance at happiness away from me!" He snarled his hands wrapped around my throat as he forced me to the ground.

Unlike last time this happened I didn't struggle, his hands felt like ice as he moved his fingers, his thumbs pressing on my windpipe as his claws dug into the soft flesh there. I gasped but all that came out was a raspy choked off whimper.

Caesar's sneer turned into a small almost sad smile. "It took awhile Atlas but it looks like you finally figured out your place in the world."

Suddenly Caesar flinched and his grip loosening as large tree roots shot through him from both sides. As I coughed from the sudden rush of air in my lungs I felt Caesar gently run a hand over my face stroking my cheek. I stared up at him as blood drip slowly out of his mouth dropping down onto my face.

"Caesar," I rasped as I reached up.

Why, why is this happening again? I didn't fight back this time! I didn't want to live!

"I'm just tired Atlas...I'm tired and...I miss you..." his arms wrapped around me. I squeezed my eyes shut as I clutched his feathers in my hands.

Warm and soft like I'm lying in a field of flowers. I miss you too, Caesar...

~~~~~~~~~

I moaned softly as I slowly opened my eyes, a sweet yet familiar smell entered my nose reminiscent of a light syrup or candy.

No, not candy...

"Flowers," I whispered. My mouth was dry and sticky when I tried to swallow, it felt like I was eating a cactus. A sharp pain flashed through my head stabbing the area behind my eyes, I jumped slightly when a soft hand cupped my cheek.

Suddenly I was face to face with Delilah whose hands were glowing a gentle pink glow with that familiar healing light. She stared at me for a few moments her eyes roaming over my face before she spoke, "You promised...you promised me that you'd never do something like this again." She told me as her usually cheerful voice wavered, taking on a tone that I hadn't heard in years.

As my eyes focused I couldn't help but notice the tears that had gathered in her eyes. "But I didn't do anything. I...I just came in here to calm down because I couldn't sleep I-" I tried to explain. Delilah gripped my left wrist tightly yanking me forward as she held up my wrist. Her fingers were rough yet gentle as she ran them over the old scars that sat there.

"Atlas, please I'm begging you don't lie to me, not about something like this. You didn't scratch your arm by accident, you fucking mutilated it again! You plucked out your feathers, in fact, you were holding them in your hand when I came in here. You..you even apologized to me, I heard it," She said firmly as her grip on my wrist tightened a bit the glow on her hands disappearing. Despite her voice being soft, I could hear it nearly breaking as she spoke, it was an awful combination of sadness and disappointment that made my chest ache.

I frowned, my eyes screwing shut as the sharp pain shot through them. "I didn't do it though..." I whispered.

"Why don't you ever come to me? You always wait until it's too late, until your brother is making it impossible for you to even function. We've been through this so many times Atlas, why can't you just talk to me?"

My eyes shot open at the mention of my brother, I shuddered my wings ruffling, my hair standing on end, that cold frozen chill clawing its way into my chest as... I remembered.

It took me a few moments before I could speak, "I-I didn't cut myself...it was Caesar. I saw my brother again," I gasped out frantically as my breathing started to pick up my wings curled around me my hands went to my throat. Delilah jumped, seemingly startled as I shot to my feet and began examining myself in the mirror. The first thing I noticed was the blood, it streaked my face and clothes. It streaked across my face, my throat and spotted my clothes.

Wait, is this mine or...

Suddenly I was retching over the sink my stomach twisting itself in and out as the image of Caesar gored on top of me, blood leaking out of his mouth like water running across my face rose in my mind. That horrible cold collar wrapped around my throat and I struggled to pull in air as though Caesar's hands were still wrapped around my throat.

Delilah didn't say anything as she guided me towards the toilet practically forcing me to kneel, her gentle hands running soothing circles across my back as my body rejected what little food it had in it. I could barely breathe and the ground felt as though it was moving underneath my feet.

"Atlas sweetie why do you let it get this bad?" Delilah whispered.

I let out a groan as I rubbed at my eyes trying my best to hold back tears. A headache didn't help the situation for a few moments I just knelt there whimpering and groaning. Delilah silently wrapped her arms around her hands running through my hair as tears fell on to the tile floor.

It was a while before she even tried to get me to move, I didn't know how long it had been but by the time I was ready to go back to the room I was more than exhausted. But at the same time I was on edge, my body ached as I moved pins and needles running through my limbs. Slowly I sat down on the edge of the bed wrapping the blanket around me and closing my eyes.

I heard Delilah moving around, the clinking of porcelain or glass, the rushing of water as the sink was turned on, then the bed creaked next to me dipping down slightly at her weight. I opened one eye as she grabbed my hand gently wrapping it around a glass of warm water.

"It's salt water for your throat, it probably feels like sandpaper," she told me, " I also made this for you," she said as she placed a familiar orange and red fruit in my hand.

This is...

"I'm not a baby chimera," I said almost instantly, however, despite my small protest I did take a small bite of the fruit.

Delilah smiled slightly. "That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you and want to make sure you're okay."

I smiled slightly as I used my claws to slice off a small piece which I handed to Delilah. She took it, cuddling up to me her head leaning on my shoulder. For a few moments, we sat in comfortable silence just enjoying each other's company.

"I'm sorry...that I didn't wake you up, Delilah. I just figured that you needed the rest because you'd been worrying about me," I told her softly.

I placed the empty glass on the nightstand before yawning. I laid down and let out a soft sigh, a few moments later I felt Delilah climb into bed with me. I extended one of my wings as she snuggled up next me running a hand lightly through my hair. Her touch was gentle almost like she was afraid to startle me. "Just promise me Atlas, that you'll never let it get this bad again. I was...I was so scared when I saw you on the floor. If I hadn't woke up hurting and bleeding I would've been too late. It would've been Elise all over again..." she whispered, the hand that was running through my hair began to shake slightly.

I wrapped an arm around her waist. "I promise Delilah, next time I'll say something," I told her gently. I nuzzled her a bit giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

A small smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes, I felt her breathing slowly even out. Closing my eyes, I tired my best to drift off to sleep.

Ah...I really messed up this time, didn't I?

~~~~

I woke up slowly, a bit dazed as I tried to figure out why my chest felt constricted. My eyes drifted down and I couldn't help but notice that Delilah had moved around a bit last night, she had gone from cuddling up next to me to laying down face first on my chest, her warm sweet smelling breath fanning across my neck.

I jumped slightly when the bedroom door opened Charlotte walked in. She was wearing her usual indoor clothes a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Surprisingly enough she was wearing her mask despite not seemingly caring either way about it.

I wonder if Ivo had her put it on?

"Morning Atlas," Charlotte said as she walked into the room.

"Looks like Delilah found someone else to cuddle at night, well congratulations Charlotte at least you won't smell like orchids anymore," Ivo said as he appeared next to Charlotte.

Charlotte looked at me and a strange yet familiar chill rolled over my skin. But Charlotte looked normal, even her contract markings weren't glowing.

I shuddered slightly before I almost frantically reached out and grabbed my mask off the nightstand. As I put it on I couldn't help but notice that my hand was trembling.

I let out a shaky chuckle as I frowned. "Um guys, what about those rules that they told us about?" I asked.

Charlotte sat down in a nearby chair and shrugged as Ivo stood next to her. "I don't even know why we have to wear these things. Other than the incident that happened when we first set foot in here, I haven't really noticed anything else since we came here. Besides I don't trust anything Caius has to say," Charlotte said she let out a sigh as she reached up to take off the mask.

Ivo grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could remove the mask. He scowled biting his lip as he stared at Charlotte for a moment before slowly turning back to me. "Atlas, wake Delilah up I need to ask her something important."

That's strange he usually sounds so self-assured is he...scared?

I sat up slightly as I moved Delilah a bit before my hand went to her shoulder. It took a little bit of strength to wake her up but eventually, Delilah sat up and before rolling off of me and sitting up on the other side of the bed.

"Elise, are my plants okay?" She mumbled as she rubbed a hand over her eyes.

Ivo let out a sigh as he walked over to Delilah. "Delilah, when we were in the hot spring last night did you see anything or anyone weird?" He asked her slowly.

Delilah let out a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head. "Why are you asking? I mean this whole town is just fucking weird and awful." She grumbled.

Ivo narrowed his eyes as he glanced at me and Charlotte before turning back to Delilah. "You saw my mom in this village didn't you?" He asked as his voice took on a slightly accusatory tone.

"What the hell Ivo?" I snapped as the color drained from Delilah's face.

"Yeah...did you see her too or did you see Kessel?" Delilah whispered as she played with some of the flowers in her hair.

Ivo frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I saw. It was this weird thing with spindly limbs and no eyes," he sighed. Ivo turned to me. "Let me guess you saw either your brother or your mom."

Finally, he turned to Charlotte before I could respond to him.

What the fuck is he doing?

"Charlotte did you see Raevali or Rebecca?" He asked his tone a bit gentler.

"No, hell I don't even know what you guys are talking about. I mean when we first stepped into the village I felt something strange. Like something was trying to drag me out of my body when you were controlling me but I haven't seen anyone like you guys have." Charlotte told him her head tilted to the side.

So Ivo, Delilah and I all saw someone. People we've lost...

Next, to me Delilah froze her eyes widening as she stared at her mask, the markings on the back of my hand flared brightly for a moment. "Delilah, are you alright?" I asked slowly.

"The creature can't distinguish between someone with a contract demon and someone without. Rather it has trouble distinguishing souls. It could tell the difference between me and Atlas even though we're connected because I wasn't possessing him. But for you and Charlotte yesterday it couldn't tell, whatever method it's using to attack us psychologically didn't work on Charlotte so it got angry or curious and tried to see why it wasn't working," she said softly.

"So it kind of hunts people like a blind therion?" Charlotte asked.

Ivo shook his head. "Therions can't be fooled like that when we get ready to eat we can see the soul, its condition, and its size. Kind of like when a human examines a piece of food at a supermarket. We see imperfections, how many there are, if there's something wrong with the soul. Delilah, you've seen my father work better than anyone you know this, hell you're one of the people who helped teach me this."

"I know Ivo, just there's something that's not adding up. Maybe we should go meet up with Lawrence hopefully he knows something." She sighed as she got to her feet.

"We'll meet up in the lobby then head out. Apparently, he's at a restaurant nearby," Ivo said as he and Charlotte left the room.

I stood up and went over to the clothes I had laid out last night. "Delilah, why didn't you tell me you were seeing Elise?" I asked softly.

She sighed again. "The same reason you didn't say anything about Caesar. I didn't want to worry you. Fuck, I hate this godforsaken place the sooner we find Lawrence and get out of here the better," she grumbled.

After grabbing my coat, scarf and gloves we left, as Delilah and I entered the lobby I could hear Ivo talking to Charlotte.

"I know what I saw Charlotte and it was neither my mother nor Kessel." He told her.

Charlotte lifted her mask slightly as she raised her flask to her mouth. "From the sound of its only dead people that are appearing. Think about it Atlas's brother, your mom and Delilah's best friend. I miss Kessel but he's still alive so I doubt we'll see him here."

What is this creature? It sees souls, psychologically tortures victims then what? Wait...

"Charlotte, you really haven't seen anything?" I asked her as we approached.

Charlotte let out a sigh and rolled her eyes as she fixed her mask. "For the thousandth time, I haven't seen anyone or anything. Not my dad, not Kessel and I sure as hell haven't seen that bitch. Trust me if I saw her of all people then I'd be screaming my head off," she said sounding annoyed about having been asked the same question again.

Charlotte hasn't seen anyone but at the same time while Delilah saw Elise, Ivo didn't and that's his mom of all people. Wait, Ivo...

Delilah looked at me. "What is it Atlas?"

I bit my lip as all of them looked at me. "What if it's because of Caius? I mean think about it this thing is psychologically torturing us, targeting each of us with something specifically tailored to fuck with us. But since Caius looks exactly like Ivo it's confused, maybe it doesn't know what to show him?" I suggested.

Ivo frowned then his eyes widened after a moment or two a smirk slowly spread across his face. "Would you look at that, bird boy actual said something smart. I wouldn't be surprised if Kessel sent him here knowing something like that. Knowing Lawrence, however, he'll probably know what's going on."

After a moment or two, the fire nymph that had been at the front desk yesterday came up to us. "I just finished speaking with Lawrence, prince Ivo. He's waiting for you at the bar down the road called Talons, I wish you a safe journey and good luck." She said before turning and walking away.

"You heard her everyone lets go. Charlotte, I'll let you have control alright?" He said as he began to fade away.

Eventually, he was gone, going wherever contract demons went when they left our sides.

~~~

As we walked outside I couldn't help but notice that it seemed like somehow there were more people out today. As the villagers moved I couldn't help but notice their stiff movements, the way they seemed to ignore everything. The villagers weren't talking and even some of the Aveon soldiers in the crowd weren't speaking. The only sounds echoing through the village was the shuffling of feet, the opening of doors, even the animals were quiet.

"It's like this village takes everything, it just takes everything and strips it of its life. Even the trees aren't speaking," Delilah whispered before she shuddered.

The chill ran through me its icy claws raking across my skin like blades before they sank into my stomach. I took a shuddering deep breath attempting to calm down. I stared back into the crowd of villagers, and noticed one of them looking at me. The mask they wore was twisted into a cruel sneer, the eyes of it narrowed like it was trying to examine me.

The villager slowly tipped its head back then it screamed, all at once the other villagers looked at the screaming one even the Aveon soldiers stopped seemingly freezing in place.

"What the hell is happening?" Charlotte whispered.

Then a loud roar echoed through the village causing Delilah, Charlotte and I to jump. It was like the very wind itself was angry as it whipped around us. Then the villager charged, running on all fours like a rabid animal as his body twitched and shuddered.

I tried to move but the cold shackled me in place as it coiled around my throat, wrist, arms, and ankles. I tried to open my mouth but something cold wrapped around my mouth stealing my voice and breath, I gasped before letting out a small whimper.

"Join me, brother, if you just let go then everything will be quiet. Everything stops." An all too familiar voice whispered in my ear.

I growled low in my throat as I struggled against my invisible restraints. But as I fought, the cold only sunk in deeper, chilling me to the bone, and almost freezing my lungs until I could barely breathe. A wave of dizziness washed over me, the ground appearing to sway beneath me.

Out! I need to break free! If I don't I'll die!

Delilah whipped around to face me her eyes widened as she heard my thoughts. However, her eyes had a strange faraway look in them as though she wasn't really seeing me. "E...lise," she whispered.

Charlotte glanced at me before lifting her mask slightly uncovering her mouth. I saw her take a deep breath, and clench her teeth as wisps of steam leaked out from between them as her cheeks turned red. Then her fire erupted in a loud whoosh spreading out before her.

The rapid man charged right into it and suddenly I was released as though I was taken off a leash. I stumbled forward the sudden rush of cold air tore at my throat and stung my lungs as I gasped dragging in ragged breaths.

"This village is practically a landmine," Charlotte hissed she rubbed a hand over her mouth wincing slightly. As she stared at her hand I noticed her eyes widened slightly. "What the fuck?" She whispered.

I coughed before turning to Delilah, she still had that glazed look and she wasn't moving just staring into space her eyes turned toward the ground. I reached out and gently grabbed her shoulders. "Delilah, look at me, please. It's not Elise, she's gone...she's been gone for a long time." I reminded her.

Slowly she looked at me her eyes gliding over my face as though she was trying to recall who I was.

Come on Delilah you can do it, break free.

She blinked, her eyes closing for a moment or two before she opened them and looked at me. "At-Atlas? Did...what happened?"

A rush of warmth ran through me and I shuddered as I let out a sigh of relief. I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"You're okay," I whispered.

Charlotte groaned and I looked over at her. She was shivering a bit her arm wrapped around her middle as she squeezed her eyes shut, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Charlotte? Are you okay?" I asked as I walked over to her.

She nodded not opening her eye. "Yeah...this cold is just messing with me. Ugh...let's find Lawrence." She forced out, her voice sounded rough and strained.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked her over, that's when I noticed the pale red smear on her glove, instantly my eyes went wide. "Charlotte, let Delilah heal you!" I told her as I grabbed her wrist.

She snatched away opening her eyes and glared at me. "Don't touch me, I said I'm fine Atlas," she growled through clenched teeth.

She isn't okay but I think I should drop it, if I don't she might snap. Ivo should be watching so he'll make her get healed if she's hurt. But still...

I took a deep breath as I frowned at Charlotte. "Let Delilah heal you now," I demanded.

Charlotte let out a tsk sound. "Atlas I like you, but it's cold, I'm tired and hurting. Keep pushing me and we're gonna have a problem," she growled out.

I crossed my arms determined to stand my ground.

Maybe if I use reason?

"Charlotte, if you don't get healed and you're as injured as you look it'll be a burden on the rest of us because we'll have to watch out for you more than usual. Especially in a fight," I tried to reason with her.

She looked at me with wide eyes for a moment as though she was shocked by what I had said, then she looked away a frown on her face. "Fucking bird asshole, it's always the birds," she grumbled under her breath as she sighed. "Fine, I'll let Delilah heal me."

Huh, so when she's being stubborn a harsher tone will work better. Does that come from her being with Ivo so long?

Delilah walked over to Charlotte her hands glowing a gentle pink. "Good job Atlas, you're pretty cute when you're assertive," she told me softly as she passed me, giving me a wink as she stood in front of Charlotte.

I felt heat creep onto my cheeks and I looked away trying my best to hide my face even though it was already hidden. Delilah placed her hands in the area above Charlotte's stomach.

"For tourists you three sure do cause quite the commotion."

I practically jumped when Caius spoke, I looked up and noticed that he was walking toward us his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his hip.

His eyes roamed over us slowly before he turned his gaze to the blackened, burnt body that lay in the patch of black grass that Charlotte's fire had revealed. The way the corpse was almost looked like a morbid snow angel of some kind.

"Does anyone want to tell me what happened here?" Even though his voice was calm and his tone friendly, the malice hidden in his voice made the hairs on my neck stand up.

He's suspicious but of what? Did he hear me say Charlotte's name?

"That man attacked our friend out of nowhere. So she defended herself, she may have gotten injured" I explained.

Caius cocked his head to the side as he looked at Charlotte then the body. Honestly, it was eerie because despite the fact that he had Ivo's face he seemed too calm and collected.

He looked back at me. "I would offer to heal your friend but it seems like you have a capable healer. Your friend is a dragon Chimera correct?" He said with a seemingly gentle smile on his face.

"Uh...yes, she really doesn't do well in the cold though," I said as I frowned slightly.

"Heh, just tell her to be careful we have a dragon chimera conservation stationed here so if you visit it just make sure she stays close," he chuckled.

I nodded but froze when a sudden growl entered my ears. All four of us turned to the corpse which was twitching on the ground, floundering and flailing as it struggled to get to its feet. The corpse sat up its head lolling to the side so much that it looked like its neck was broken. It turned its head to me as its eyes dribbled out of its head like a raw egg, the whites of the eyes leaving a milky trail as it ran down the creature's cheeks.

The thing opened its mouth and gasped, it was a strange sound like someone was breathing through a straw, around its mouth was a permanent sneer from when the mask had burned into the thing's flesh.

The crowd of people who had been so intensely focused on the man before now just walked around once again filling the village with an eerie silence.

Delilah stumbled back her hands still glowing slightly, beneath her feet small fuzzy blue flowers sprang up pushing through the snow. Charlotte began growling, the fur on her tail standing up as she stood her ground.

However, the thing ignored both of them instead of focusing on me. I glanced at Caius to see his face twisted into a look of disgust. If I hadn't been looking at him I wouldn't have caught it, for a brief second the air around Caius's hands seemed to distort, I saw a flash of a strange looking blue symbol, then a dagger sailed past me sinking right into the corpse's throat.

The creature froze its body seemingly locking up for a moment. Then blood sprayed out of its neck, dying the snow around it black with thick dark goop.

What the hell is that? It doesn't even look like blood, it's more like tar...

Caius let out a sigh as he frowned he shook his head. "Hmm, I need a bit more practice my aim was off." He muttered more to himself than me. Then he turned to me a grin on his face. "Don't worry I'll have this cleaned up. Please continue your sightseeing but please try to be careful, Kiree-Kiree has been unnaturally angry lately." He warned us.

I just nodded. Once he was gone we began walking again next to me Charlotte adjusted her mask. "Charlotte, I'm sorry I was so pushy about you getting healed. I was just worried about you," I told her softly.

Her tail stood straight up before flicking out against the ground before she let out a huff. "I know Atlas, that doesn't mean I wanted it though." She mumbled as she turned her head away from me.

Wait, is she pouting about this?

I let out a small laugh as we arrived at the bar. It was a simple looking bar, with warm colored bricks lining the walls, the roof was made of logs painted a light green color. The banner outside read Talons in all capital green letters.

When we entered though I couldn't help but notice how warm it felt. The bar was most decorated with light colors, such as a warm brown for the walls and floors, the lights filled the room with a gentle orange glow. The people inside were lively, laughing drinking, joking, compared to the oppressive atmosphere outside it was just shocking.

"It's like we walked into a completely different world," Charlotte whispered.

"I can tell why Lawrence wanted to meet us here," Ivo said as he appeared next to Charlotte.

"Why? And shouldn't you hide?" I asked as I frantically glanced around however other than a few glances no one seemed to care.

"He doesn't need to, this is one of Lawrence's bases so the people here are trustworthy. He hand picks them for his guild to take missions that he isn't able to. Still, I didn't know he had one set up here," Delilah told me.

"So all of these people are contract demons?" I asked slowly.

Ivo shook his head. "Lawrence doesn't care what kind of creature you are as long as you're trustworthy, reliable and good at your job."

I took another glance around the room taking note of the many horns, tails, wings, and other odd things I saw. I frowned when I noticed an otter on one of the tables, it was wearing a blue and pink frilly dress standing on its hind legs and trying to lick beer out of a glass.

Is that otter an assassin too?

"Oh, I see Lawrence!" Delilah exclaimed as she pointed to the man who was sitting at the table with the otter.

Just like Caius, he wasn't wearing a mask although he did have a black eyepatch covering his left eye. His skin was slightly tan but the numerous white scars that covered his body were visible in the soft light of the bar. His hair was the color of a rich dark chocolate and pulled in a small ponytail. His silver eye glided around the room as though he was cataloging everything around him.

Then he spoke but not to us, but to the otter that was trying to drink the beer on the table. "Marianne, you can't have beer it upsets your stomach. If you want I'll buy you a soda and a plate of meat." His voice had a strange accent to it, almost like a soft southern drawl.

The otter, Marianne let out a small chattering noise as she looked at him before releasing the beer mug.

It was only when we approached him that Lawrence looked up his eye going wide before a larger grin covered his face. "Oh wow, you all actually made it here in one piece. I'm surprised considering how bloodthirsty this village is. I figured that you all would leave without even saying hello. "

"Lawrence its so nice to see you! I haven't seen you in so long, we saw Vincent but that was a few days ago. And you brought Marianne," Delilah said as she bounced up and down like an excited rabbit.

Lawrence chuckled as he grinned. "It's nice to see that you're still the same Delilah. And yeah this is a very big mission so it's not like I could leave my little helper at home," he said as he lovingly scratched Marianne under her chin.

"So w-wait that otter is actually an assassin?" I blurted out.

"She has a name and it's Marianne. However, she's not exactly an assassin more like my assistant. She helps me with my equipment, planning, and scouting. She can fight, but she is an otter so usually she's not on the battlefield," he told me.

I just nodded which made him chuckle. "Yep, I can definitely tell that you're Delilah's contract." He said.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I sputtered out.

However, he ignored me instead turning to Ivo the smile on his face morphed becoming gentler. "You grew up into a fine young man Ivo, just like your father. Vincent told me about your little hellfire of a contract, but we should really get down to business though. Oh, yeah that's right you can take off your masks in here this place is covered in spells, and we haven't experienced any incidents like the ones outside."

As the three of us took off our masks Ivo turned to Lawrence a scowl on his face. "Did you know about the secret my father was keeping from me?" Even though he sounded calm the way Ivo spoke made the hair on my neck stand on end.

Lawrence let out a sigh his mouth forming a line as he petted Marianne. "Yes, I knew Ivo. In fact, Vincent and I were the only ones alive that knew at the time. We tried...when you and Kessel were in danger, we tried to get there as fast as we could. I ran so far, but we couldn't find you two and when we did it was already too late. My son turned into quite the monster didn't he?" He said softly.

Charlotte's eyes widened and for a moment she looked utterly confused even her tail kind of bent into the shape of a question mark. "W-wait you're Kessel's dad?" She asked.

Lawrence let out a soft chuckle. "Not what you were expecting huh? Kessel takes after his mother."

"It's just that when I was around him he used to talk about you and his mom a lot. The way he described you I kind of expected someone a bit more like King Vincent." Charlotte explained.

Lawrence frowned as he narrowed his eyes at her. "How well do you know my son Charlotte?"

Charlotte flinched and her face paled a bit. "I um...we used to be good friends. Well...no it was a bit more like a parent and child relationship I guess. Almost like the one Ivo and I had when I was a lot younger," she said softly her gaze on the floor.

"That's good because I need you and Atlas to do something for me," Lawrence told us a small smirk on his face.

"Us?" I asked frowning.

Lawrence nodded. "Below this town is an Aveon base and inside of it has a very valuable drug I need for this mission. It's called a Paranormal Stabilizer, what it really does is kind of neutralize or turn off demonic energy for a bit, its usually used on young kids who have difficulty controlling their powers but it'll work just as well on something bigger,"he told us as he rubbed Marianne's stomach which caused her to make a small squeaking noise.

Both Delilah and Ivo's eyes went wide before Ivo spoke, "Lawrence, you can't do that! We have to go with them to ensure their safety! Letting them walk into an Aveon den is a death trap!"

However, Lawrence shook his head. "It's not about safety Ivo, it's about trust," he said then pointed to Charlotte. "From what Vincent has told me, she's been tagged by Kessel before and got quite angry when you removed it. Not only that he's obsessed with her and she still has a fondness for him. If she's coming on this mission then I need to know how far she's willing to go to bring down the Aveon foundation."

The color drained from Charlotte's face in an instant her eyes going wide. She almost looked scared.

"Lawrence, are you nuts? You can't do this!" Delilah snapped.

Lawrence smirked. "Listen if she can't even do this then there's no point in her coming. She's useless so I'm making her prove her worth. Plus Atlas is going with her not only for protection but for him to prove himself too." He turned to me a scowl on his face. "Delilah has coddled you too much, she can't always be there. So Atlas what are you going to do?"

I froze as I looked at him. "I-I-"

But before I could get out a response Charlotte spoke up. "We'll do it." She answered.

I looked at her, Charlotte's face was pale, a deep scowl set on her face but her eyes were narrowed as she looked at Lawrence. For a moment Lawrence's eye widened as he stared at Charlotte, then a small smile spread across his face. "Alright Lottie, do me proud."

Lawrence looked at me. "Well, Atlas what about you?"

For a moment I closed my eyes his words echoing in my head.

Delilah isn't going to be here forever. He's right when all this is over she'll have to leave...

"Yes, I'm going," I answered as I let out a deep breath.

Charlotte picked up her mask, after putting it on she left without a word. I put on my own mask before rushing after her. I managed to catch up with her as she trudged through the snow.

"Charlotte are we honestly doing this?" I asked hesitantly.

She glanced up at me. "Of course we are. Why did you even agree to come if you didn't really want to come?" She mumbled.

I shook my head. "It's not that I didn't want to come, I'm just nervous of course. I mean how are we supposed to do this?" I asked her. But when I looked next to me Charlotte wasn't there. Instead, she was looking at a map of the town that sat nearby.

I frowned as I walked over to her, my eyes widened when I noticed the way the town was shaped. "A...crescent moon?" I whispered.

Charlotte reached up and pointed to a section on the map. "There's the dragon chimera nature reserve, that's also our entrance," she told me.

I frowned at her. "Entrance?"

She nodded before letting out a small chuckle. "For once in my life, I'm actually thankful that snow exists. Typically, if a dragon chimera has a more animalistic personality then it will follow its instincts in the winter, so the moment it gets too cold it'll burrow underground. Dragon chimera that live in colonies though will make a network of tunnels and burrows," she explained.

I looked at her a smile on my face. "Have you ever done that Charlotte? I mean, I have seen you climb into a chest, lay on the floor and climb trees like a cat. But I've also seen you cuddle up to Ivo and me when its too cold," I reminded her.

"The community I grew up in was a really closed off one, but it wasn't like this. All of the chimeras there were pretty...modern. But my father used to do it and taught me how to, but unless we were camping we wouldn't stay in the ground that long. Usually, he would just dig a hole in the backyard to nap in. It always looked like our backyard was full of sinkholes," she told me as she shrugged.

My eyes widened as I looked at her. "How big was your dad exactly?"I asked slowly.

"Hmmm...a little taller than Ivo but his body structure was very, very burly. He was dragon, bear, and ram so he was built extremely sturdy, screw tanks or brick walls he was built like a mecha from a cartoon or something," she said as we began walking.

"Wow, he sounds like a real beast," I said as I caught up with her.

Charlotte laughed a bit. "On the battlefield, he was a force to be reckoned with especially with his scales up. Even when his horn was broken he still terrified his enemies. But at home he was the definition of a gentle giant," she said a faraway look in her eyes. "That's why she was able to use him the way she did," she whispered under her breath.

Her mother, no that fucking cunt.

I couldn't help but shudder as that disgusting slimy chill rolled over my skin, my stomach churning slightly as I remembered what I'd seen through Charlotte's eyes.

I'm honestly surprised she's still sane at this point.

"What was your dad like?" Charlotte asked gently as her eyes slid over to me.

For a moment I froze before a small smile crossed my face. "He...was a musician more of a jazz, and rock type of guy. My mom met him when he performed at the military base she was stationed at. Even though he was a pretty carefree guy my mom said that she couldn't help but feel on edge whenever their eyes met. That it was definitely the falcon in him, " I told her. As I spoke about my father I couldn't help the warm soothing feeling that washed over my body. "Sometimes you can still find his music in stores. I think his stage name was A-TO basically a scramble of his real name Toa."

I let out a chuckle as I ruffled my wings a bit. But with the thoughts of my father came other thoughts. "What happened to him?" Charlotte asked softly as we followed the path to the nature reserve.

"He just left...I-I don't know where he is," I whispered. Almost instantly that chill began to worm its way into my body as though it was trying to steal what little warmth I had. My hand went to the middle of my chest as I took a slow deep breath. A slight throbbing pain echoed through my chest causing my breathing to slow down as I tried my best not to aggravate it.

"Do you need a minute?" Charlotte asked as she placed a gentle hand on my back.

"I'm fine, I'll be okay," I said although at this point I didn't know if I was saying it to Charlotte or to myself.

"Atlas are you okay? Your body is giving off some strange signals?" Delilah asked her voice echoing in my head.

"I'm fine! I can do this, so let me do it!" I practically snapped back at her.

I let out a shaky breath as I turned to Charlotte. "Let's go."

Charlotte looked at me not saying a word as she nodded.

~~~

The dragon nature reserve was odd. It had a fence around a large expanse of land that was covered in snow, something that looked like large rabbit burrows covered the ground. I couldn't help but notice that there were small animals such as gazelles, sheep, and pigs just wandering around, fruit trees covered some of the land, with small piles of fruit gathered at their bases. Then there was a medium sized lake with steam rolling off of it, but there were no dragon chimeras in sight.

"I hate this, they trap us like zoo animals and say its for my-our own good. Not to mention that breeding to preserve the species crap," she grumbled as we entered the main building.

I glanced at her as she spoke.

Considering what she just said she won't enjoy this one bit.

The admissions building was more like a museum souvenir shop, the tiles were blue and white. The walls had colorful rainbow flames painted on that stood out against the stark dull white walls. Dragon merchandise was everywhere, keychains with a strange plump purple dragon attached, tote bags with flames painted on them, heck there were even dragon stuffed animals in different colors and designs.

"Hello, may I help you?" The attendant asked us as we approached the desk. She wore a dragon mask, of course, her mask in a permanent state of anger with its mouth opened as though it was about to roar. Surprisingly she was human.

"Um...yes, me and my girlfriend would like to wander the reservation," I told her carefully yet quickly.

The attendant chuckled. "Yeah, this time of year the dragon chimeras are more docile so its easier to interact with them. By the way, what is your species?"

I frowned. "Species?" I muttered.

The attendant nodded. "Yep, it's a safety precaution as certain species may aggravate the residents."

"Interesting," Charlotte whispered.

"We're chimeras, I'm tiger, falcon, and ram. My girlfriend is cat, antelope, and dragon," I told the woman.

"Ah, a dragon chimera huh? Must be visiting family," the attendant said as she rifled through one of the draws behind her desk. She pulled out a red wristband that had the word visitor on it. She then handed it to Charlotte. "Here you go, ma'am, can't have you being confused as a resident. Have fun and stay safe."

Charlotte didn't say anything as she placed the bracelet on her wrist. But when we walked into the reserve grounds Charlotte turned to me. "Girlfriend, huh?" She said as she let out a chuckle.

"I-uh-I just said the first thing that came to my mind," I sputtered out.

Charlotte just nodded as she scanned the ground.

"Ah, please don't be mad at me little chimera! I'm sorry." I looked up seeing Caius across the field.

He was leaning down in front of a small child with his hand out. The child had dog-like ears on top of her head and yellow scales covering her neck and cheeks. The girl reached out and grabbed the item out of his hand which happened to be small fish that she then proceeded to shove them into her mouth.

Caius grinned and let out a short laugh. "Ahhh, you're just like Lyssa." Caius reached out to pat her head but the girl growled at him before scurrying off. She ran across the field then leaped down disappearing into one of the burrows.

Caius crossed his arms a slight scowl on his face. He almost looked like he was pouting. "Aww, I probably scared her with the way I look."

"There are too many things wrong with this picture," Charlotte whispered. I nodded as I saw him adjust his clothes and run a hand through his hair.

"I gotta get back to work, this village is a real nuisance," he mumbled.

As he approached us Charlotte grabbed my hand before I could say a word.

Caius smiled at us. "I hope you two have a good time, this place is amazing." He told as he walked away.

Once he was gone I let out a breath I didn't know that I had been holding. Before I could say anything to her Charlotte released my hand.

"I found an entrance, follow me." She walked over to a nearby peach tree and knelt down, she leaned over a patch of snow sniffing as her tail waved almost spastically. Then she tipped over the patch of snow and just disappeared, it was almost like the snow ate her.

"C-Charlotte!" I shouted as I followed her. As I dropped down through the snow it was as though my stomach plummeted down to my feet, I automatically opened my wings as I tried to slow my descent.

"What-what the heck? The hole is this wide!" I exclaimed as my wings extended to their full length.

Wait, if the hole is like this then is Charlotte okay? It's not like she can use her wings.

I flapped my wings but, instead of controlling my descent I ended up slamming myself straight into the wall. Pain shot through my body. I gasped, choking as my chest hit the wall knocking my breath out of me. Then I was falling, heat washed over my skin as I plunged straight into a pool of water. I gritted my teeth and held my breath as I struggled to adjust myself.

Slowly but surely I swam to the top of the pool of water. I looked around my eyes easily adjusting to the dark as everything kind of snapped into focus. Charlotte was stumbling around on the shore almost frantically looking around holding her mask in her hand. I made my way to the shore briefly stopping to shake water from my body. I walked over to Charlotte noticing the shiny scales covering her ears, neck and the side of her face.

So she put her scales up. Then she should be alright.

"Charlotte," I said placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

A growl tore out of her throat as she whipped around to face me. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me, then her nose twitched and slowly her posture relaxed as her scales disappeared, slowly fading away it was almost like watching a chameleon change color. "Oh Atlas, it is you. You kind of startled me."

I frowned as I remembered how frantically she'd been looking around the burrow, how she didn't even notice me approach her, and how she identified me by scent instead of sight. "Charlotte, you can't see in the dark can you?" I asked as I brushed my wet hair out of my eyes.

"It-it isn't that I can't see in the dark it's just that I can't see that well in the dark at least not like you and Ivo. When its dark like this I can't see fine details or rich colors," she mumbled sounding almost embarrassed as her eyes darted away from mine.

"But you jumped down here knowing it was dark. Wait, did you even know that there was a warm pool of water down here? If you had jumped down here and the water was freezing cold you wouldn't have been able to get out scales or not," I pointed out.

Charlotte however just shrugged as she wrung the water out of her tail. "Nope, I just figured that I'd use my scales. If the water had been freezing I knew you would've done something," she said taking on an indifferent tone.

My eyes widened. "Oh my god, do you know how fucking reckless that is Charlotte!" I snapped I gritted my teeth as I held back a growl.

She looked at me a small smile before turning around. "This whole plan is reckless Atlas, but we're doing it," she said as she put her mask back on and began walking down one of the nearby tunnels without waiting for me.

I quickly ran after her still shaking the water out of my wings. As Charlotte walked she ran her hand along the wall. "We actually need to take the tunnels that are less recent," she told me.

I frowned at her. "Wouldn't it make sense to go through the newer pathways?" I asked completely confused.

Charlotte shook her head. "No, the dragon chimera were here before the Aveon foundation. So the older tunnels will lead straight to the Aveon base, considering that to make the base they would've had to build around them," she explained.

"That actually makes sense," I mumbled.

A small shuffling sound entered my ears then a second later a small chimera boy dashed past us heading toward the pool of warm water we had left. "It feels pretty nice down here," Charlotte said as we continued walking.

It actually does feel pretty good in here. We should be dry after a bit.

I heard Charlotte sniff again as we came to more tunnels, there were four different ones spreading out like tree branches. "We need to go left now," she said.

"Can I ask how you can find your way down here on scent alone when you've never been down here?"

Charlotte turned to me slightly. "It's the same way you track food. You follow the scent, eventually, the scent's strength starts to reduce with time. Chimeras smell like a mixture of animals, but I'm also using the scent of the Aveon uniforms. So for the latter, I'm tracking off of memory," she informed me.

"Memory?" I whispered.

"While I was around Kessel and his Aveon unit back in my village I noticed that they had a strange smell to them. Kessel told me that a lot of human Aveon members have magic embedded in their uniforms," she explained.

"Charlotte...you have to admit that just diving down that hole with no clue what was down here was kind of dangerous," I pointed out.

She let out a sigh as her tail flicked out against the wall. "Atlas...why in the hell are you lecturing me like Ivo?" She asked sounding annoyed.

I scowled at her. "Charlotte...we're friends, why wouldn't I be worried about you?" I reminded her.

For a moment Charlotte didn't say anything before she let out a small huff. "Friends huh?"She whispered.

That's right...considering her upbringing she probably never had any friends.

"Yeah, we're friends so I worry about you. Despite the fact that you have dragon scales you're not completely invincible. And Ivo can't always be there you know," I told her gently.

Just like Delilah can't always be there for me.

Charlotte chuckled. "Interesting," she whispered.

Suddenly a rush of cold air blew through the tunnel, followed by the sickeningly sweet smell of rot. Charlotte and I both froze as a strange choking sound echoed throughout the tunnel, it sounded like a stuffed up vacuum. It sounded painful as though the air was scraping the creature's throat.

As the creature dragged itself forward it became visible. It was a dragon chimera covered in a combination of blood, gore and what looked like black mud. Its wings were spread out and draped on the ground like those of a crippled moth, multiple holes ran through them causing blood to flow as they twitched. Beneath the grime and filth, however, I couldn't help but notice a few scales gleaming on its skin, however, the scales looked wrong, almost like they were chipped or broken. Slowly the chimera lifted its head revealing a face so bruised, swollen and beaten that I could barely make out its features.

That black blood...

Next, to me Charlotte's eyes were wide and she appeared to be shaking slightly, her arms wrapped around herself as though she was trying to make herself look smaller somehow.

Very quickly that chill settled into my bones and suddenly I felt something cold and slimy run across my neck almost like a spider was crawling there. I was about to turn around but then a voice spoke.

"Don't worry brother, we'll fly again together soon. Once this village takes control there will be no sadness, no issues, just swift repentance. For people like you," Caesar whispered in my ear. I felt his sharp claws dig into the side of my neck hard enough to sting but not enough to break the skin.

I grabbed Charlotte's hand and ran, forcing her to keep up even as she stumbled. As we came to more tunnels however I stopped biting my lip as I frantically looked between the five different tunnels.

"S-straight, go straight Atlas," she whispered.

I glanced back at Charlotte before I began running again. After a little bit though Charlotte just stopped causing me to be yanked backward as she kept hold of my hand. "Charlotte, what's wrong?" I asked her as I panted, but I wasn't out of breath.

I shuddered as Charlotte looked down not answering me. "Charlotte, if something is wrong you have to tell me. I-"

"Was that something like you, Delilah and Ivo saw?" She asked her voice barely audible.

I shook my head. "No that, that chimera was completely real. I don't know what happened to it and I don't want to know. But thankfully it was real," I told her as I took a deep breath.

Charlotte let out a groan as she squatted down her face in her hands. "She...looked like someone I knew a long time ago. Fuck, why couldn't you just lie to me," she grumbled.

"I don't know if it helps but...I did see my brother back there. He said that I'll be joining him soon once this village takes me," I told her.

Charlotte took off her mask as she looked up at me, "Alright Atlas, I'm just gonna come out and say it your brother was a fucking psycho." She told me bluntly.

I clenched my teeth my bottom lip stinging as my fangs dug in there. "Don't say that Charlotte," I growled.

She sneered at me as though she found my rage hilarious. "It's the truth though! He was a psycho, he was going to sacrifice an entire village just to get what he wanted!" She said in an almost matter of fact tone.

I reached out grabbing her by the front of her jacket. "Coming from someone like you that's rich," I growled.

She smirked at me. "It takes a monster to know a monster. And your brother was one, be glad he's fucking dead! Dance on his goddamn grave!"

I saw red I wanted to pull away, to walk away and leave, but I didn't. I didn't even feel myself move then, I blinked the hand that had previously been on Charlotte's jacket was around her neck. I had her lifted a few feet off and pressed up against the wall, her face was turning red as she stared at me.

I stumbled back falling down as my eyes widened. "Charlotte...I-I..."

Charlotte coughed before she brushed herself off and straightened her clothes. "There, now that you're done holding in your emotions about your brother we should continue we're almost there." She told me as she picked up her mask. She didn't put it back on though, she took a few steps before turning around. "Are you coming? If you stay there you might get eaten by whatever fucked up that dragon chimera," she told me as she stared at me.

I stared back at Charlotte my eyes automatically going to her neck as the scales there slowly receded showing that there weren't any bruises.

"Charlotte, I'm...I'm so, so, sorry. I really don't know what happened I was just angry!" I told her frantically as I climbed to my feet.

"Alright, but we still have to go. We're not that far away from the base," she said as she shrugged. She didn't look angry, annoyed, sad or even disappointed in me she just seemed like she didn't care.

"Charlotte...did you make me get angry on purpose?" I asked softly and slowly.

Charlotte gave me a wide grin. "Ahhh, so you really aren't a stupid bird brain. Well if you figured it out let's go," she said cheerfully as she continued walking.

I ran to catch up with her. "Why? Why would you do something like that?"

"From what I've seen you tend to bottle up your emotions. Not to mention you actually are a good person. Trust me when I say that bottling up something like that, especially in this village, will drive you to insanity," she told me as she reached up. She stood on her tiptoes and patted my head.

Carefully I removed my mask which made Charlotte chuckle. "For someone who's supposed to have two of the animal kingdom's top predators in them you act like more of a mix of a house cat and a parrot," she said sounding amused.

I wrapped my arms around her as I pulled her into a tight hug my eyes burning as tears gathered there. Charlotte rubbed her hand along my back, gently moving along the area between my wings. "See, just like a lonely house cat," she said softly.

"Caesar...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I-I wanted to live! I wanted things to go back to normal, I should've spent more time with you, I shouldn't have let mom dump all of that stuff on you like that, I should've noticed that something was wrong!" I cried.

Charlotte wrapped her arms around me without saying a word. It took a little while but eventually, I calmed down enough to let her go. Charlotte gave me one more smile before she put her mask back on, after I put mine on we began walking again lapsing in a comfortable silence.

We went down two more tunnels before Charlotte stopped turning her attention to the wall. "Here we are, I'll knock this wall down. Be ready to fight." She informed me.

I nodded. "Of course."

Charlotte's scales came up, it was strange almost like watching a snake put on its shedded skin. She took a deep breath before she raised her fist and punched the wall, instantly an explosion of dirt and dust flew back, filling the tunnel. I began coughing turning away as I tried my best to catch my breath.

"Oops, I should've told you to stand back. Forgot you're sensitive to this type of stuff," she said letting out a chuckle.

"I'll be okay, let's go," I assured her as I stepped through the hole in the wall. The room I entered was covered in boxes. "A...storage room?"

Charlotte let out a loud laugh. "My nose is usually right. So, it'll be in here." She said as she entered the room.

"Really? They're keeping it in a storage room?" I asked.

"Whenever I used to go to visit Kessel they'd have an excess of it. That's where Rebecca would buy it from actually. They have so much because most creatures they use it on are set to be killed anyway," Charlotte said. Then she frowned, "but I guess with Kessel ruling over everything more and more supernatural creatures are choosing not to put up a fight." She whispered.

I frowned as I looked through the boxes, "I don't see any boxes that say Paranormal stabilizers." I told her.

Charlotte let out a small tsk sound. "Try looking for a box that says PS-33," she suggested as she helped me look.

A loud siren began blaring causing both of us to jump. We looked at each other with wide eyes before we continued looking this time more frantically. "Charlotte it's not in here," I told her quickly.

"Shit. I'll be right back," she muttered. Charlotte's scales came back up as she took a deep breath then she ran, charging right through the nearby locked door. The door instantly caved under her strength but Charlotte only stopped briefly, her claws digging into the thick metal of the floor before she darted off down the hallway at an incredible speed.

For a moment I just stood there in wide-eyed shock with the alarm blaring in the background. Then I took off after Charlotte, down the hallway I could hear screaming and gunshots.

However before I could turn the corner I ran into Charlotte, we landed in a pile of tangled limbs. Charlotte got to her feet first and that's when I noticed that she had a long, medium-sized rectangular box clenched gently in her teeth her mask pulled up just enough that her mouth was out. She took the box out of her mouth, her eyes were wide and she was panting. "We-we have to get out of here now! I saw what that siren is made for. I-," she began coughing red splattering across the ground as she gasped for air.

"Charlotte!" I reached out to her but she shoved me away.

"I want you to fucking go Atlas, don't fight me on this!" She snapped.

I ignored her as I reached out again and grabbed her by her arm dragging her back to the storage room. I continued to pull her arm dragging her out into the tunnels through the hole she made.

But as we entered the tunnel that strange chill washed through my body. My stomach churned as I shuddered.

Caesar appeared a sneer on his face. "You wouldn't let me have Delilah, so I found a contract demon of my own." He chuckled.

That ugly choking noises echoed throughout the tunnel making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. A disgusting vile looking creature dragged itself forward yellow, green and brown stretched over mottled, grey, scaly looking skin. Its head looked like the skull of a crocodile that someone had chopped the top off  of leaving it with an exposed jaw and a serious underbite that showed off shiny dark brown and yellow rotting teeth. Its hair fell sideways like some sort of unkempt, disease-ridden horse, the excessive slime and grime making it stringy yet at the same time matting the black and brown strands together.

It had four legs and two arms all of its limbs were worn down, spiny bone protruding out of putrid smelling yellow and green pus mounds like a dead porcupine piercing a balloon made out of a corpse. The creature's arms bent at an unnatural angle its hands nearly full of the almost gelatinous fat that pooled at its wrist. Black tar-like liquid dripped off of its hands almost like it was water pooling underneath.

What in the fuck is that thing!

In my grasp, Charlotte let out a weak moan. "That's what the siren is for," Charlotte forced out.

The creature's small dead fish like eyes slowly looked over at Charlotte. Then it roared, its whole body vibrating as it admitted the sound of scratching a shard of glass along more glass. I hooked my arms underneath Charlotte's arms as I opened my wings, instantly I shot off flying through the tunnels before that creature could even move.

However even as I flapped my wings I could hear a sound like a herd of horses quickly running behind me.

I'm going at full speed how in the fuck is that thing able run at 240 miles an hour?

I swooped over the pool of water we fell into when we first came down here before I shot upwards breaking out and flying into the night sky. For a moment I just hovered there staring intently at the entrance of the burrow. "I'm...I'm fine Ivo," Charlotte whispered as she shivered in my arms.

"Charlotte, where are you hurt?" I asked her frantically.

She shook her head. "It-it didn't touch me that black goop did, its...like it passed right through me though. That thing eats like Ivo, but it...it hunts using guilt."

My eyes widened. "Guilt?" I whispered.

Charlotte nodded slowly. "I saw Eden in her human form. Kessel was standing next to her but he had her in chains, god I'm such an idiot." She whispered as she let out a rasping weak laughing.

As I held her close I pretended like I didn't see the tears in her eyes.