Hades looked worse for wear. His hair was wild and messy, his eyes wide with glee and insanity.
"A bad thing, wasn't it? Poor Wakiza thought being a spy for me could get her a suitable position in my domain. Shame things like these never work out."
Adreanna could only stare at the god across from her.
"H-how?!" She managed. Styx only stared, eyes filled with fear and apprehension.
"Wakiza, my dear. She placed her soul into yours, allowing me to see whatever you saw. She thought that'd help her be free of the curse. Thought I'd save her. Foolish girl."
Wakiza had been his pawn, planting a piece of her soul into Adreanna so that Hades could find her. It had all been for nothing. Yggdrasill was dead. The majestic tree was barren, its ethereal, radiant leaves losing their shine.
They adorned the ground. The branches were sharp to a point. The corpse of an enormous beast lay sprawled alongside it, bound by a single chain. Fenrir, the divine spirit betrayed by his friend, forced to guard Yggdrasill forever.
Around them, a circular body of water flowed.
"What did you do to this place?" She asked, fearing the answer. Hades chuckled.
"Me? I did nothing. No, this was all Hekate's fault. Yggdrasill has been dead for centuries. The moment Mother found it, she ripped it apart, ensuring we could never use it."
"Bu-but the Hadeans. They told me you wanted to find Yggdrasill to get new followers." She stammered, trying to stall for time. Hades was weak for now, likely having used much of his power to get here.
Don't underestimate him.
There was a stiffness in the way he moved, but he could kill her with just a glance. They both knew that.
"All a game. I love games, don't you? You were so easy to manipulate. I've had my fun with you. I couldn't do it before, not with you in the mortal realm. My followers were useless."
"You had plenty of chances in the underworld." She replied. He chuckled.
"Die in the underworld, you become nothingness. A void. You fade away. I didn't want you to fade. I wanted your strength. That spark within you, the seed of divinity. It holds the key to immense power. You are the last witch, Adreanna. You're special, in a way I still haven't placed yet."
"Why do you want it?" She asked.
"Everything in this world, its power, comes from belief. That strengthens them. But you're different. When I devour your magical core, there will be no limits to my power. The entire multiverse will be open to me!"
She watched in terror, quickly understanding the implications of what this meant.
If Hades got her magical core, his power would be unlike anything the world would ever see. He would no longer be bound to the belief of his followers. Nothing would hold him back after that.
He would destroy everything.
I can't let that happen.
"Draw your sword!" He commanded, throwing a blade at her. It clanged onto the floor. She lunged, barely dodging as he heaved his blade onto her neck. It hit the earth with a thud.
Styx snarled, his talons stretched out to attack. Hades screamed as they scored blood-filled grooves on his forehead, missing his eyes. She struck the blade into his shoulder. A burst of power erupted from his body as she did so, but the damage was done. Blood splashed onto the floor.
He roared with fury, jumping upwards and aiming for her head. She could barely dodge again, the sword burying itself into the soil. They couldn't go on like this. She had to use her magic.
Dropping her sword, she stretched out her hands.
"Incendare"
Fire erupted from her fingertips. They didn't even touch him, twisting around him. He smirked, clenching his fist before hurling the flames at her.
Styx flew into his face, clawing at his eyes.
Hades screamed, his eyes crying with blood as he slapped the raven away. He fell to the ground with a terrible screech.
Time seemed to slow as Adreanna tried to fight what could not be defeated. Using spells her darkest imagination hadn't shown her, she fought until she could fight no longer. She'd put up a good battle, but this was Hades. The Lord of the Dead.
The One True God.
He gripped her throat, dragging her towards the stream.
"It was a wonderful effort, I must admit." He gloated.
"But you could never defeat me. Do you know why? Because I'm a god. The God of the Dead. What were you the god of Adreanna?"
Even if she could find the words to reply, she couldn't. The light of death was shining again. She could see him closing his eyes, muttering the words to his spell. Even if she wanted to fight, she couldn't.
He wrapped his fingers around her throat. She had no more strength. As the world faded, the warmth of her power receded, leaving a terrible cold in its wake.
Would she die now? She supposed she would. What else could happen? Hades had won.
It had all been for nothing.
"Where am I?"
She wondered, glancing around the whiteness. She had seen it before while fighting the jaguar spirit. She'd come a long way from then, but not long enough.
"Hello there, Adreanna."
"Mother?" She turned around. There she was, Alice Lucian, in the flesh. Her father stood beside her. They were both smiling, their hair white and teeth missing. It was a gruesome sight, but she didn't care.
"Mother! Father!" She cried, reaching out to hug them. Around them, dozens of other people, all she'd never met before, stared at the spectacle. Who were they?
"What is this place?" She asked.
"We don't know, dear. Our magic tethers us here somehow."
"Are they all witches?" She asked, referring to the crowd behind them.
They nodded.
"What about William?" She demanded. "He has to be here, right? William?!" She cried out, trying to find him in the crowd.
Her parents sighed. "He died in the underworld, Adreanna. For good. He isn't here."
"No..." She held back her tears. They wouldn't ruin this moment. Nothing could.
"Listen to me, Adreanna. You have to go back." Her father told her. Her eyes widened in anger.
"Go back? Are you mad?!"
Her mother sighed. "Adreanna, listen to me. You must return. It's the only way you can stop Hades. He'll destroy everything if you don't."
"I don't care! I don't have to go back, ever! I can die and be here with you." She pleaded.
"Then do it." Her mother commanded.
"You can't stop me."
Adreanna said decisively, stepping forward. Or at least, she tried. Doubt filled her mind. Could she really do this? Of course she could. This was a chance to stay with her parents forever.
She tried and tried. Every time she did, her mind pulled her back.
They chuckled.
"You can, but you won't." Alice said.
"Of course I will. Just let me-"
"Then why haven't you done it by now?" Alice demanded.
"I..."
She had no idea how to respond. Sighing, she relented.
"Let's say I choose to return. How would I do that?" She asked.
"Take our magic. All of it. It'll give you the power to kill Hades."
"But that's what's keeping you here! It's magic that tethers you to this world. Without it, you'll..."
She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. Her mother sighed.
"We're already dead, love. We have no place among the living. At least now we can do some good."
Adreanna shook her head.
"I don't want to, mother. Please, don't make me do this." She pleaded. Her father sighed.
"You have to, Adreanna. It's the only way."
She knew they were right. She felt it echoing through the deepest crevices of her soul.
But it still hurt.
She nodded. "Do it."
She wished it would never end. But as their power flowed through her, filling every muscle in her body, she knew it had to.
"I love you."
She whispered, gazing longingly at her parents' faces. They smiled at her, fading away as they whispered back.
"We know."
The cold water burned her lungs. Above her, the snarling face of Hades still gloated.
"Well? Tell me, Adreanna. What were you the god of?" He mocked. That mock turned to a scream as he crashed into the opposite side of the river.
The cold was fading, chased away by the blistering heat inside her. Her flesh bubbled, struggling to control her newfound strength. Hades stared at her in awe and fear.
So insignificant...so small.
I can squash him like a bug.
Why had she waited so long? She was full of energy. Her legs carried her in long, powerful strides. Styx was awake, staring at her with the same fear she saw in Hades.
"You're right, Hades." She announced. He could only watch as she gathered her power, reveling in his fear. She drew out the next words, squeezing out every drop of fear and terror she could.
"I'm not a god. I'm the Devil herself."
Her eyes burned as the magic released itself onto her enemy. Hades screamed in agony, the sound ringing in her ears as the light faded.
He was a terrible sight to behold.
Every inch of skin had been burnt away, revealing the inner workings of his body. Strange, parasitic creatures burrowed through his flesh. What dark pacts had he made with these eldritch abominations? How far would they go to protect their host?
It didn't matter. The power she had accumulated was already leaving her, but its job was done. She lifted him by the throat, his skinless flesh splattering blood all over her skin. She growled animalistically, feeling the energy pulsating inside him. It tempted her.
Sharp fangs emerged from her lips. Wakiza had lied to her, but she served her purpose. Adreanna was now at least partially a vampire, and it was time to take what she needed.
She plunged the fangs into Hades' neck.
Millions of voices all screamed together in unholy unison as she greedily sucked his blood away. It tasted disgusting, but she drank every drop. Agony filled her mind while she drained his power away.
His blood was like fire burning through her body. But she drank, sucking every bit until, finally, he slumped to the ground. The screams stopped, the tiny parasitic entities all lay unmoving.
The pain returned a thousandfold.
She screamed, feeling the true extent of what she had done echo throughout the endless cosmos. The world faded in and out in vivid flashes. Colors she had no name for filled her vision. Dimensions upon dimensions, all opened themselves to her.
Would she die now, her flesh destroyed by a power greater than she could ever imagine?
Or would she rise, holding inside her a strength unlike anything the world had ever seen?
All these meaningless thoughts faded away as the world turned black.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
