"Now, name your price."

???

"YOU GOT A LOT OF nerve showing your face to me again."

"And that's supposed to scare me? My boy, you don't even know how to work your powers, and you're threatening me?" He lifts his open palm between us as his powers circulate around his fingers. "I can snap your wings off in a second if I wanted to."

I couldn't feel it, but I knew deep down that I was scared, and if I were to pester him further, things could end really bad. So, I remained silent.

"But I won't do that," he fisted his palm, powers ceased. "Tell me, Jonathan, are you enjoying your wish?"

"I can't say that I am," I said. "I didn't think you'd actually send me back to this timeline."

"You know the saying, be careful what you wish for," he stands behind me, the talon of his index finger tracing the horn of my right wing. "Do you remember our deal back in your dead lover's house?"

"Not everything," I told the truth. I still remember the day I woke up in this century, realizing the encounter with Sulod wasn't a dream and that he's sent me to this century. Though, I couldn't recall the price I paid.

"I knew it," he takes a few steps back, chin up as his eyes close.

He began transforming once again. White painted his hair, snow-colored on the first day of winter. His hands grew larger, talons made from silver, as his body stayed the same, pitch black, and the grass beneath his feet burned to ashes. He turns around as I behold a new being. His eyes remain unchanged, and crimson red travels down to his chest from the bottom half of his lips, where it fades along with the darkness. At this point, I can't tell if he has a body.

"Do not be fooled by the one feature you perceived of me. I own millions of faces, but what you see now is my true form. And I'm not Sulod. It's Dolus."

Dolus... why does that name ring a bell? Though, it's pretty smart how he spelled his name backward.

"What do you want?"

"Straight to the point, I like that," he claps. "You see, I did not expect you to last this long. Everyone before you had killed themselves on the second day of their new life. The pressure was too high, let's just say that. You, on the other hand, it's been years, and I doubt you'll be giving up anytime soon. And I'm getting impatient."

"What did you expect? You provided what I wished for. I wouldn't have asked for it if I didn't mean it," I said. "Even though I really miss my old life."

"Don't you want to return?"

"I do."

"Well, you can, but it's not up to me," he said coldly. "See here, Jonathan, every magic comes with a price, and you've already paid. However, you didn't adhere to your promises, and now you're suffering the consequences."

His hand pierced through the darkness of his body and pulled out an orb that conjured a memory of Jon. It levitates towards me and rests perfectly at a distance where I can see.

"Allow me to refresh your memory."

...

"No," my hand subconsciously thrusts towards the orb as it fades away. "It can't be. I never said that! You took it from me!"

"As much as I would love to agree with that, I can't," his hand conjured an apple. Its vibrant red, glossy skin makes it seem delectable as he takes a bite without effort. "I may be a trickster, a demon, or whatever you want to call me, but here's the thing about creatures like us. We can't take what isn't ours. We make deals. An offer that no one could resist because we know deep down what their heart and soul desires. And it's the same for you. I've had my eyes on you since the day Alexander passed. With your darkened heart, I knew you'd be my next customer. And so, here we are."

He steps closer, circling me. I felt his eyes on my wings. The blue aura of his powers made them shiver as though it were about to take off.

"Hmm, your feathers are falling out, aren't they?" He returns to my side; the apple he once held is now gone. "Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"It's simple. You're bearing the consequences of going against our agreement," his hand runs down my wings. Ice cold to the touch as I step back, forcing his hand off.

"What happens if they continue to fall?"

"Your feathers are no different than the sands of time. Depending on much further you neglect our agreement, once the final feather falls off, I'll have your soul where you'll join the rest who came before you in the underworld. And just like that, you'll belong to me."

I could feel the air burning my skin, sweat beaded my forehead, and my heart was racing, realizing I might end up in hell. I wonder if Dolus was Hades himself because they're both connected to the underworld. Then I recalled that Hades never disguises himself unless he's deceiving a god or anyone above him. If facing a mortal, he loves to show his true form, and Dolus's true form isn't Hades.

"Tell me, how do I change my fate?" I ask, keeping my peace because if I were to panic, things would escalate.

He laughs. "I'm afraid there isn't—"

"Do not bullshit me! I know your kind, and there's always a way out, but to do so, another deal has to be made," I cut him off. "I revoke my payment and wish to return to my timeline."

His serpent eyes widened with humor as if he were about to burst into laughter.

"Now, name your price," I said.

"You're one tough cookie; I'll give you that," he scoffs instead. "Nevertheless, you're right, there is a way out. Of course, it's not as easy as you think."

"Tell me."

"You wish to return to your normal life and withdraw the payment you've made. It is possible, but you forget something," he flips his palm over where an orb, midnight blue, gleaming like the sun, appears. "Your soul. If I give this back, what is in it for me?"

The devil is literally holding my soul as we speak. I wonder what'll happen if I swiftly take my soul back. Is it even tangible, or will my flesh go right through it? Will it disappear before I can get to it? Will Dolus kill me on the spot?

"Get to the point."

"Hello, knock, knock, anybody home in that brain of yours, dude?" My soul vanishes, and he strides over to the nearest tree, leaning against it. The bark blackens behind him. "A soul for a soul. I return your soul and the payment, but whose soul do I get in return?"

I stay silent, speechless by the predicament I'm in. I have no friends whose souls I'd willingly trade for mine. Even if I had, I wouldn't do it. I couldn't. My family, mom, my sibling, and Ryan, I'd rather save them by putting mine at risk. And then there's dad. It feels wrong to even consider him, regardless of how he's treated me. Truly he deserves nothing good, but not even I have the heart to sentence his soul to the devil.

"I have nothing to offer," I breathed, and he heard me.

"Exactly," he stood straight, and the tree rotted. Each leaf shrivels to the ground, portraying a dark version of the Fall season, and now, only a dead tree remains. "You can't give what you don't have. In the end, there is an alternative option, but you don't get one because you have nothing to offer back."

As he approaches closer, an hourglass appears on his palm. Instead of sand, it was filled with tiny feathers that resembled mine. He reaches for my hand and places it on my palm, the same ice-cold touch jolts my skin, but this time, I remain still.

"If I were you, I'd enjoy what's left of my life because, at any time, you'll lose it," I glance down at the hourglass as a single feather falls to the bottom. My visions blurred as I accepted my fate. "Hey now, don't look so glum. Tell you what, I'll let you think about this. Call me when you have decided on whose soul you're gonna sacrifice. And I'll gladly set you free."

I said nothing. I think I've lost the will to speak further today.

"Alright, I'll leave you be now. Your low energy is getting all over me, and it's so... depressing. Go back and have some seafood with your Greek boyfriend, maybe that'll cheer you up," He walks away, and the moment I look up, he's gone. The hourglass remains on my palm, and then it slowly disappears.

I crash on my knees, lying down and emptying the bottle within me. It'll probably be the last time I'll ever do this. Or anything for that matter. My closed eyes brought an image of mom, Victoria, Maximus, Valerie, and Ryan. My heart stung badly as I regretted not spending enough time with them. It hurts even more, to be reminded that they no longer remember me. It's like I never exist, to begin with.

It is what I wanted, but now, it hurts, and I don't know why.

...

"I'll let you think about this. Call me when you have decided on a soul you'd give me. And I'll gladly set you free," his words circled my head, occupying every space imaginable. And I hate it.

Growing up, I never knew what kind of person I wanted to be. I always thought you're shaped by the things around you, the people too. And that was the case, or perhaps, I literally didn't do anything on my own. I lay out a red carpet, welcoming everybody I know into my life. I allowed them to change me, and never once had I asked myself if I wanted to be that person. Through my alcoholic father, he molded me into becoming the opposite of who he is. Kind yet broken, steady but sometimes frazzled. My classmates, the ones who saw me as the weird kid who's always by himself, the anti-social misfit, they made me believe that silence is better than voicing out because nobody gives a fuck. Ryan was an easy one. She showed me that dogs are so much better than humans.

Alex?

He showed me a whole universe. Lessons and visions I never knew existed.

I became who I am today because of the people around me. And the thought of sacrificing anyone's soul because of my stupidity sickens me. I'm not a nice person, but neither does my empty heart contain the strength to put others at risk.

I lower my gaze into the steady puddle in front of me, the red ombre orange and yellow sky reflecting from it, as I wonder if there's anybody out there who's experiencing the same curse as mine. Surviving with an empty heart, hoping that he'll learn to live again someday. With or without the person or thing that brought him to life from the start.

My legs were ready to depart home, but my mind and body weren't. My mind ponders on whether I should head to the castle to see Perseus or simply go home. My body simply aches from Nike's training. I never thought practicing magic would be so draining.

I took my eyes off the puddle and crashed on my back, spreading my wings like a kid stretching their arms out on a snowy ground, making a snow angel. The dense yet slightly damped soil feels amazing on my back. The macaws that were here previously, inhabited the trees that towered around me, preparing to call it a day as the sun faded below the horizon. It wasn't long before a sparkle of fireflies made itself known, casually dancing in the air, chasing the darkness away as though they knew I would like some light. The night orchestra had begun, providing more comfort so I could sleep out tonight.

I got comfortable by resting my head over my palms, but it was quickly interrupted by a rustling sound emerging from the distance. I straightened my spine and focused on where the sound was coming from. Upon noticing, I stood to my feet, preparing to strike—as if I know how to work my powers when I needed them—whatever that was hiding. My mind was alarmed, believing that Dolus had returned once again. Though if that were to be it, the macaws would've fled by now, and the fireflies would've remained hidden, instead, everything stayed the same.

"Who's there? Show yourself, and my powers will not strike you," I hold my hands out, positioning them like any beings with magic would before they attack.

My eyes begin to make out a figure approaching in front of me. Judging by its vague yet gleaming body, it wasn't a normal person.

"Stay back!" I warn, but it keeps getting closer.

"Jon, it's me," my heart skipped a beat when I heard the familiar voice I thought I'd never hear again.

"No, no! You're not real! You're not real!" My voice cracked, unable to say anything else.

"Jon, look at me."

I blinked my visions back, and my arms fall to my side, as I crash on my knee, my eyes finding it hard to accept what I'm seeing. It's a lie. It has to be. I was tricked before, and this is just another one of Dolus's twisted schemes to mess with my head.

And it's working.

"Alex."