"Gather up, children! Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath, the real work can begin," Reginald declared, stepping back onto the ground level from the left staircase. "Ah, the myth of the seven bells, eh?" Five questioned. "Exactly! Somebody's been paying attention!" The old man nodded. "So we find the bells, and then what?" Diego inquired. "No, no, no. The bells are just a metaphor for this. The sigil," Reginald flipped his booklet around for the others to see, and inside were the sketches of a star and an array of lines, dots, and squares all connecting. "The sigil," Five again spoke up.

"Correct, Number Five. The sigil is the key to the seven bells. Once we find this symbol, we're one step closer to resetting the universe," Reginald explained. "What do we do when we find it?" Sloane asked. Reginald paused as he looked over at her. "I don't know," he admitted, making everyone gasp. How could Reginald not know where the sigil is? Was this mission all for nothing? The Hargreeves silently asked themselves. "Excuse me? We're here because you said you have a plan," Viktor spoke up, folding his arms across his chest. "I do, up to a point," Reginald clarified.

Lila snickered as she shook her head, muttering they would be stuck in this hotel, forever staring at the walls and eating bad sushi. "Finding the sigil is our only way out of here and the best chance we have at resetting the universe," Allison stated. "Funny how you and Dad are on the same page," Luther glanced over to her, his eyes squinted, his voice dripping with venom. But Allison could only respond with a dirty glare before focusing her attention on Reginald. "Okay, so where do we start?" Viktor broke the awkward silence. "We'll split into groups. I will go with Allison and Sloane, Ben, Luther, and Five with Viktor," Reginald answered.

"No, we want Allison," Luther furrowed his brow. "Ben for Allison," Five clarified. "We've trained together, so it makes more sense if we take Allison," Allison rolled her eyes, claiming that was unnecessary and that she was perfectly capable of going with their dad. "Why not?" Viktor inquired, but Allison couldn't give a good enough reason. "Splendid idea. Allison, you go with the Umbrellas. Sparrows, stick together. Everyone takes a different floor. We must find that sigil," Reginald instructed.

"What about us?" Diego asked. "Nobody needs to hear your endless bickering, so you're a duo. Now, spread out, leave no stone unturned, and meet back here in 30 minutes," Reginald brushed them off. With that final statement, everyone separated into their groups and took the elevators, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the sigil. As the Umbrellas and Sparrows broke off into the elevators, the lift was filled with silence, only broken by the soft and rather ominous elevator music. While Luther didn't say it out loud, he had a sneaking suspicion Allison was their father's accomplice. And while he didn't want to believe she could also be behind Astrid's murder, his gut was trying to tell him something he didn't understand.

The doors slowly opened, and the Umbrellas followed each other out of the lift and into the hallway, searching every nook and cranny in every hotel room for the sigil, but finding it was easier said than done. "Someone went through a lot of trouble to hide this thing," Allison commented as she looked under one of the beds and then the dresser. "How big is it supposed to be?" Viktor asked. "You know, dear old Reg didn't say," Allison replied snarkily. "Really? That's surprising. I figured you'd know more about his plan," Five spoke.

Allison could feel the tension behind her and turned around to see them looking at her with suspicion. "What is that supposed to mean?" she inquired. "I saw you and him in the White Buffalo Suite during the wedding," Five said, slowly walking towards her. "Five, I don't know if now's the best-" Viktor tried to stop him, but Five was persistent. What is he doing? What's going on? Luther looked between the three of them. Had there been some conversation Luther had not been involved with? It had to be about Allison. What else could it be if they were questioning her about?

"You know, I heard you blacked out last night," Allison recalled. "I did, and it took me a while to remember what I saw, but I do remember, Allison," Five admitted. "You and Dad made some kind of deal," Luther's eyes widened upon hearing that. He knew Allison was a dangerous person to be around, especially in her darkest times, but never in his life did he imagine her trading away one of their sibling's lives like they were rare Pokémon cards. "Wh-what do you agree to?" Luther asked, trying to keep his voice from trembling with anger.

"A deal with Dad? Please tell me you're joking," Allison scoffed. "He's not," Viktor confirmed. "Answer the question," Five spoke nonchalantly. "You're out of your mind," Allison remarked. "You and Dad make a deal. Now Astrid is dead," Five reminded her. "Okay, Astrid was killed by whatever the hell that thing is!" Allison rolled her eyes. "And what about Klaus?" Viktor questioned. "He didn't make it into the tunnel!" Allison yelled, starting to crack under the intense pressure. "You know, your deal is costing people their lives. If you care enough about this family, you should stop being a part of Dad's schemes,"

Allison folded her arms across her chest. "Do you really think that I made a deal with Dad to kill Astrid and Klaus? You're unbelievable!" The Rumor stormed past them and went back to the hallway while the rest of the group looked at one another. "Nice going, Five," Viktor said, exasperated before he took off after Allison. The Ape-man and the time traveler looked at one another. "Do you think we should go after them?" Luther asked. Five bit back a sigh, realizing they had no choice. Even if Allison was gambling with their lives, they all had to stay together and continue searching for the sigil.

With a slight nod, Five and Luther walked back into the hallway. But as they walked towards the end of the corridor, they realized something was off. It was now blocked off by a wall and decorative tree. "Viktor? Allison?" Five called out. "You think they went that way?" Luther looked over his shoulder. "Oh, never mind," he noticed the other end of the hallway was blocked off by a tiny table and numerous paintings. "All right, so now the fun starts," Five muttered sarcastically. They stepped back into the hotel room and walked through another door connected to the same room, finding themselves trapped on a different floor. The number right next to the door used to say Floor 3, but now it said Floor 5.

"Five, call me crazy, but I think the hotel is shifting," Luther spoke slowly, confusion and worry wracking his body. "For the first time in your life, I think you're right," Five mumbled. "Come on, we'll find our own way back,"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, don't forget to check under the plants," Ben instructed Sloane while he leaned up against the wall, not being very helpful. "Well, how about you get off your ass and start inspecting the walls for hidden compartments," Sloane glared. "Hey, uh, here's a wall and, uh... Oh, here's another wall," Ben spoke sarcastically. Sloane's anger was beginning to reach its peak, and no matter how hard she tried to swallow it down like a bitter pill, her temptation to scream at him was rising to the surface. "What the hell is wrong with you? People are dying left and right, and you're acting like a sulky teenager," Sloane snarled.

"You sound just like dad," Ben chuckled. If anything Ben said got under her skin, that little comment was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Why is it so important for Dad to like you? He doesn't define you or us. We made our mark in this world without him!" Sloane snapped. "As the Sparrow Academy, but they're gone now," Ben clarified. "He was never a Sparrow. He was our dad and a shitty one at that. You don't need him!" Sloane could feel tears of anger and grief forming in her eyes. "Easy for you to say when you've already got a new family," Ben remarked.

Moments with Astrid replayed in her mind. Their first meeting in the hallway, the late-night sleepovers, the wedding, and as she remembered the fate that befell her dear wife, she choked up. "And the best part of that family just died," She stated. "Oh, boohoo. You're still grieving a woman you knew for what? A few days?" Ben spat. "That woman was MY wife. MY WIFE! And yes, she was the love of my life! Even in death, she still is!" Ben rolled his eyes as he once again leaned up against the wall.

"I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm actually glad to see you guys," Five's voice echoed down the hallway as he and Luther caught up with them. "What's wrong?" Sloane asked. "The hotel is changing. We've been walking around in circles, but it's like the thing is alive," Five explained. "We should get to the lobby," Ben spoke, stating the obvious. "We tried it. Whatever direction we choose, we end up in the same spot," Luther shook his head. "Or maybe you guys have no sense of direction," Ben squinted. "Okay, lead the way then, Magellan," Five scoffed. With a roll of his eyes, Ben brushed past the Umbrellas as he led them down another hallway, hoping they would find the way out this time.

Suddenly, the floor of the Hotel Oblivion bounced up and down, taking the group of Umbrellas and Sparrows by surprise. The dim hallway suddenly filled with a bright golden light that could blind you almost instantly if you looked straight at it. "We need to keep going," Luther led the group to the end of the hallway. And as the hotel continued to shake as if it was in an earthquake, the siblings kept looking around for the guardian. They turned into the next hall, stopping dead in their tracks. 15 feet away stood a tall metal figure with a mask covering his face, in one hand a sword. He snarled at them, whipping it around a few times.

"Really? A samurai?" Ben rolled his eyes upon seeing the looming metal creature. And the longer Sloane stared at it, a jolt of rage coursed through her body, and she impulsively ran towards it, a loud growl of vengeance escaping her lungs. The guardian waved his sword around, trying to slice her, but Sloane was quick to use her powers, jumping over him and attempting to hurt him by pushing his armor into his body. But it did no good, as the guardian didn't even flinch. "Revenge looks good on her," Ben smirked.

"Just shut up and help us kill this damn thing!" Luther glared as he and Five grabbed the nearest weapons they could find, and started attacking the guardian. The metal of Five's axe and Luther's metal staff clanged against his armor and sword, the two handheld weapons tried to overpower one another. Five struggled to push forward and force the guardian back. The battle continued into the laundry room, and none of the Hargreeves dared to back down until the guardian was dead.

But the guardian's strength was beginning to take a toll on all of them. Luther's staff split in half with one swipe of the sword, and Sloane could feel what was left of her adrenaline rush slipping away. With few places left to turn to, the four Hargreeves hid behind the washing machines, hoping for even just a fraction of time to gather their strength. "You've hit him with your axe five times. He should be dead by now!" Ben glanced at Five, who was still clutching his axe. "The armor. It's like hitting cement!" Five explained.

"I saw there was a space between the backplates. We need to get behind him!" Luther mentioned. "Let's kill this thing!" Before anyone could stop her, Sloane jumped out of her hiding place and bounced off the wall. But the guardian was quick to dodge her and hurdled a small throwing knife in her direction. Sloane howled in pain the second it collided with her arm, sending her toppling back to the ground. As the metal beast was about to go in for the final blow, Luther poked out of his hiding spot and pounded his fist against one of the machines, turning the guardian's attention to him.

And the moment it locked eyes with him, Luther charged towards him, attempting to tackle and knock the sword out of his hands. But the guardian threw him across the room. Fortunately for Luther, he narrowly missed the sparking electrical box and the blazing inferno from one of the laundry baskets. With the guardian distracted, Five blinked behind him and tried to swing at the backplates, but the guardian smacked him and knocked him to the ground. As Five held his cheek for just a brief moment, out of the corner of his eye, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Ben rose above the washing machines, his tentacles poking out of his chest.

With a thrust of his hands, Ben's tentacles immediately wrapped around the guardian's torso, his grip tightening as the guardian fell backward. But even the tentacles were no match for the guardian. Within one swipe, it broke free, slicing off three of Ben's tentacles. With a cry of anguish, Ben fell back against the machines, clutching his chest and trying to catch his breath. As the guardian aimed his sword right at Ben's chest, Five swung at the guardian's back, the axe's blade piercing the spot Luther had mentioned earlier.

The guardian lay dead on the ground, and everyone panted with relief. They were one step closer to escaping Oblivion. But they weren't out of the woods yet.

A/n: Just wanted to say Happy Pride Month, peeps! 🏳‍🌈 Sorry I kept y'all waiting for so long, but I finally want to give you all the ending you've been waiting for! Stay tuned for the final chapter of Higher Love! And thank you all so much for 11.4K reads! I don't know what I did to deserve you all and your support!

With Love,

Dusk Marie ☔💖