I coughed out as I slowly took in my surroundings. My head was throbbing. What happened? I glanced around the area and realized it was the same arena. But where was everyone? That's when I looked up, terror swarmed my chest. The ceiling was almost translucent. I could see Mom and Lydia crying out on the ground. Dad looked like he was going to be sick, and Jake had dropped his dagger to the ground, he looked devastated. Jeremiah just looked utterly confused like me. But seeing Ryland screaming kneeling on the ground clutching at his chest, broke something within me. What was going on? Could they not see me?

"Ryland!" I yelled out. I could see Jeremiah glance behind him, his hand reaching for his dagger. But no one else reacted.

"Jeremiah!" I tried desperately and he jumped saying something that got everyone's attention except for Ryland. I could hear him howling in pain. Was he hurt? Why was no one helping him? I needed to get back up there, I needed to do something to help. 

"Help me! I'm down here!" I screamed out my heart was beating wildly in my chest.

"Please! Someone!" I screamed raising a shaky hand to my head.

"They can't hear you." I jumped and looked behind me. There it was, on an alter in the middle of the room was a dagger. It seemed to be made out of obsidian and some type of metal. It had ancient, intricate carvings throughout it. I've never seen anything like it. I was pulled out of my thoughts when Cade walked into my view.

"Such a beautiful thing isn't it." He spoke. "Such a small, dangerous thing." His crazed, white, glowing eyes never leaving mine.

"Let me out." I snapped at him. "You will not win this." My nerves were through the roof, but I would never let him see. Never allow myself to give him that satisfaction.

"I can't feel my cousin. Be cautious."

Cade began walking closer to me. I immediately unsheathed one of my daggers and raised it in front of me. He charged at me at an inhumane pace and sliced through the air with one of his own daggers, aiming for me.

He kicked at me, but I quickly dodged, remembering my training. I shoved at him, letting him use up his energy on the offensive. I kept blocking his attacks and dodging them, which only seemed to make him more vicious. He was getting sloppy. I quickly swiped for his legs knocking him off balance. He tried to block me, but he wasn't quick enough. I sliced my dagger along his forearms causing him to wince and jump back. I went to attack again when I felt a searing pain in my stomach. I glanced down quickly in horror seeing the hilt of his dagger embedded into my stomach. I cried out but couldn't pay attention to it.

I quickly dodged his punch and hurried towards the alter. I had to end this. I gripped the hilt feeling power course through me. Cade looked furious as he threw his dagger towards me. It hit the hilt of the obsidian dagger before I could move, knocking it out of my grip. I ran for it as he lunged after me. I fell to the ground with him on top of me. I reached for the dagger, but he quickly pinned my arm down, reaching for it himself. His fingers were about to grasp it, when I pulled the dagger from my abdomen and sliced at his stomach. He screamed out falling off of me. I plunged the dagger into his chest. I quickly scrambled towards the obsidian one. I was losing blood too quickly. Black blood staining the floor around us. I held onto the hilt as the power erupted through my fingertips. I walked towards Cade with it in my hands. I was about to slam it into his chest when I was sent flying back. Oh, come on.

I saw something crack within the walls, revealing a dark blue, almost black portal opening. It was pulling at both of us. I tried to reach onto something, but it was too hard. Cade's body got pulled through almost immediately. I tried holding onto the alter, my fingers turning an unsettling shade of white as I gripped onto it like my life depended on it. I screamed out when I was pulled away from it, my body hit the ground hard before I began spiraling into the portal.

Darkness enveloped my senses before I looked around my familiar surroundings. This was where I went to save Ryland.

"Time to pay a visit to some friends." She laughed with a vicious tone. "Let me shift, human. I will end this." I felt my mind shift to my subconscious as shadows enveloped us. We walked forward, even though there was no way to have any sense of direction in this place. We reached a room of sorts, that seemed to appear out of nothing but the dark. We walked through, entering to see a celestial looking table, surrounded by four different people. No. Not people. Gods.

Three of them had their palms outstretched over Cade's body. Who laid limp in the middle of the table glowing table. His body looked broken, his hair was an icy shade, his skin was deathly pale. They were the ones controlling him in my realm. I raised my arms, which was enough for each of them to jump back with wide eyes. Shadows enveloped the room, seeming to pull from the walls and my body endlessly. They surrounded the gods, destroying any light illuminating the room. There was a female, in heavy amounts of silver armor. She had two dark braids, a golden crown atop her head. She would be first. The goddess of war and destruction. She charged at me a glowing, iridescent sword in her hands. I raised one hand, and the shadows surrounded her. She screamed out in despair as she got what she deserved. I smiled as her screams died down into nothing. Light erupted from one of the men, his hair was a golden shade of blonde, his eyes a glowing white, he was the one controlling Cade in the arena. The god of healing...didn't seem to do much of that though. I launched him back simmering his light down into nothing. He screamed out as the shadows surrounded him. I heard his body fall limp against the ground. Good. 

"Please." The final goddess begged. "Do not do this."

I smiled and raised my arms. The goddess of illusions and lies. I slammed her back against the phantom black pillars that surrounded this unusual room. The phantom black water that made up all of the structures and floors here, parting as she crashed into it. I let the shadows take their time with her, letting them crush her into nothing but a pile of bones and destroyed flesh on the ground. I looked at the last one. A very large man, he had dark hair, dark eyes and tanned skin. Freckles scattered across his sculpted face. He was in a black shirt and a leather jacket. He almost seemed human, but I knew better. I could see tattoos marking his skin, peeking out from his shirt. He was leaning back on a chair with his legs crossed, he was just watching them all get destroyed. 

"Hello, old friend. Please don't kill me." He spoke chuckling softly. I stayed on my guard facing him. "My name is Hades. Ruler of the underworld. Might have heard of me." He extended his hand, but I refused to take it.

"Understandable. You had to deal with these power-crazed asses. Personally, I was never really a fan of any of them." He shrugged retracting his hand. He didn't seem like a God at all. "You have stolen quite a few souls from me, not that I'm complaining. Makes my life easier. But know that you owe me, death isn't something that can be messed with, nature must always have a balance. I will take what is mine when the time comes." He spoke.

"Want him?" I asked. Pointing at Cade's limp body on the table.

"You are quite ruthless, you know. Quite fucking terrifying as well. I knew you would do great things; from the moment I met you." He chuckled rubbing his temples. 

"When did we meet?" I asked him confused; this was the first time I have ever seen this man. 

"You died, the day you were born." He spoke with a raised brow. "Come on, I am not forgettable." He raised a hand to cover his chest. Does he even have a heart? I am not thinking of the right questions right now. 

"But I'm obviously not dead?" I asked him confused. 

"You are aware you can die and come back? Correct?" He asked with a raised brow. "How do you put up with her, Adiralaylie." Who the hell is that?

"Me you, dumbass." 

"You never told me your name! How is that my fault?" I snapped back at her. I got pulled out of my thoughts when I heard choking sounds from Cade. 

I ignored the rest of Hades comments and turned my attention to Cade on the table. I walked over, the obsidian dagger still in my grip. I felt shadows intertwine with the obsidian as my power filled the blade. I lifted the dagger above him when his eyes shot open as they darted around the room. They returned back to a light blue shade, no longer manic, and glowing. Instead, they were filled with something, I never thought I would see in his eyes, hope and relief. 

His eyes left my face and settled on the dagger in my hands.

"Y-You did it." He breathed. "T-They are gone. It's quiet." His hand gripped onto my free one. He was violently shaking as his eyes scanned me landing on the wound on my abdomen. It had somehow stopped bleeding in this realm. I guess you can't die in the realm where you go after death.

"T-Thank you." He whispered reaching out, so his hand was holding around my fist on the dagger. He slowly began bringing it closer to his chest. "Let me know peace. P-Please." He whispered.

"Thank you, for trying to help me there. I know you tried." I whispered to him.

"Tell my sister, I always loved her and I'm sorry for everything. Give her this." He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. I nodded and took it from him. "Stay with me?" He asked, tears filling his eyes before he directed the dagger back towards his chest. I frowned but nodded, quickly bringing the dagger down. He groaned in pain and made a gurgling sound before all life escaped from his body. I watched as a glowing light erupted from his chest, floating above him. It was fractured and broken. But it was what was left of his soul. Hades walked over and lifted his arm. The soul darted towards him before disappearing into a pocket of air he had created.

"I will speak to you again...Shadow Queen or God killer? They both have a ring to it." He asked with a dark chuckle. I just shook my head and began walking away from him. I had to get back, but how.

"You forget about our abilities too often, human." For the first time ever, I heard her laugh echo through my head. We were free now, it was finally over.

I raised my arms and felt a portal began snapping open. The dark purple hues darting throughout it.

"Kinda impressive, but I'm afraid mine is better." He chuckled and I stared in shock at  the massive dark red door that appeared out of thin air. "Until next time, God-Killing Shadow Queen." He chuckled before walking through it. The door vanishing the second he closed it.

I walked through my own portal. I coughed out as I felt the wound begin to bleed again.

Great. Just great.

I slid down the wall and let my head fall in front of me as I caught a glimpse of the black blood that was soaking through my clothes. I looked up slowly taking in my new surroundings, I immediately recognized the arena. But I wasn't underneath it anymore.

"Octavia?" Ryland questioned in shock. Tears stained his face. His eyes were bloodshot. What happened? I glanced at everyone else and noticed their faces matches his own.

"What happened?" I asked them confused.

I didn't have time to react when Ryland charged at me crashing into me, pulling my body tightly against his. I cried out in pain when the wound pressed against him.

"We thought you were gone. I-I couldn't feel you anymore." He breathed pulling away and lifting my shirt. Mom was by me in seconds. She muttered something and I coughed out, black blood splattering the ground in front of me. The wound slowly closed as my skin healed. I took a few minutes to gather myself while everyone watched me, waiting to hear where I had gone. 

"It's o-over. I killed him and the Gods." I breathed as I regained my breath, slowly rising to my feet.

"You did what?!" They all yelled in unison.