Death's Apprentice

“Lily! Where have you been?!?”

The little girl looked around in shock at the chaos around her. It seemed that half of them were running one way, and half of them were running the other way-deep down into the tunnels.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“You need to go down with the Greeters and Savers and the other children deeper into the caves. Helen found us.”

“What?”

For a moment, Lily forgot everything about the Builder she had just talked to.

“Wait-why did you say you? You’re coming with me right?” she asked, beginning to panic. Arno looked down at her grimly and put his hands on her shoulders, kneeling down to look her in the face.

“They need anyone able to fight to go to the front lines Lily. I have to help. Go with the others to safety while we sort this all out.”

“But-but-.” Lily stammered, trying to think of something to convince her Guardian to stay with her. Arno kissed her on the forehead and gave her a little smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back-I promise.”

But the fear in his eyes betrayed him.

“Arno!! Don’t go!!” she begged as he stood and started to run the other direction. She tried to run after him, but was soon picked up by Marissa.

“Come on Lily-we can’t have you caught up in all of this. You need to stay safe.” The woman told her as she dragged her down into the tunnels.

“But Arno! I-I can help! I-.”

It was then that she remembered the Builder’s advice.

“I FORGOT TO TELL ARNO SOMETHING!!” she screamed, thrashing around.

She wasn’t the only one.

“But Brie and Talin are still back there!” Chin cried angrily as Garry dragged her down. Star was crying and Fish was arguing with a Saver about how they could go back and fight. Lily didn’t think all of this was fair. They could help!

She looked up at the Greeter carrying her as the woman’s bun bobbed up and down with each stride.

“Sorry for this Marissa.”

“Sorry for wh-OW!”

Lily bit the woman’s arm, causing her to drop her in surprise. The little girl took advantage of this and started to run the opposite way of the crowd, making her way towards the battlefield.

“If Lily’s going, then I am too!” she heard Fish exclaim. She glanced behind her to see Fish, Star, and Chin running behind her, despite the protests of the Greeters and Savers trying to get them to safety. The ground beneath them rumbled, and Lily could hear the screeching of dark entities echoing from a distant cavern.

“Children! Stop!!” Someone cried.

“Looks like we need a lift!” Star exclaimed, pulling something colorful out of her pocket. She flicked her hand, and a large carpet unfolded and laid itself a few feet in front of them, hovering slightly in the air.

“Jump on the magic carpet!” Fish gasped, out of breath. Lily dived for it, and as soon as the four of them touched down on it, it took off, zooming past the chaos of people trying to make it to safety. It sped up as there were less and less people, and eventually, they found themselves flying down an abandoned tunnel alone, the sounds of the fight ahead bouncing off of the walls. For a moment, things seemed relatively quiet. Then they rounded a corner into the battlefield and looked down into utter chaos.

Reapers, Time Keepers and Guardians alike were fighting the shadows side by side, and some of the Dreamlanders and Earth workers worked on barriers. As they flew over the heads of their friends, Lily could see Morpheus riding on his two headed flying cat, being chased by a hoard of shadows. Sgt. Downey was shouting orders to his Guardians, holding out an odd looking gun and pointing it at the things coming for him. The Fate workers seemed to know what moves were coming next, but they were barely staying ahead as they dodged and wrapped golden string around them to hold them down. Lily could see Sarah and Alma down there as well, roots and plants coming from seemingly nowhere and lashing out at the enemy. George and his Timekeepers all raised their staffs and sent themselves into fast forward, moving faster than the eye could see. But despite all of their efforts…

It looked like they were losing.

They kept getting knocked back, and some even seemed to be unconscious somehow. Others started to cower in hopeless fear. Then there were those who were fighting their hardest but were obviously getting tired.

Death was the most powerful of them all. He was in a duel against Helen, dark spindly appendages coming from each side, and the shadows seemed to mix in with his dark cloak as it billowed out behind him.

Screeeech!! The four kids on the flying carpet whirled around to find that they had been noticed by a few of the dark entities. The rug jerked forward, weaving in and around people and things to get away. Fish and Star began chucking things out of their pockets and throwing it behind them, trying to deter the monsters flying straight at them. The carpet meandered through the air and looped around and turned as dark entities came for them. The carpet flew close to the ground and rolled when Lily wasn’t suspecting it. She felt herself falling, and then crashed to the ground as the rug soared back up into the air, with Fish, Star, and Chin still on it.

The little girl rolled and skidded to a stop, feeling dazed. She looked around in the confusion, wondering what to do or how she could possibly help.

Then she saw Arno.

Her Guardian was fighting five entities at once, light emitting from his fingers. A powerful wind came from him, pushing them back, his hair rippling away from his face and his jacket ripping around his torso. His face was illuminated by the light. Then suddenly, a shadow came from behind him and knocked him off his feet.

“Arno!!” Lily yelled, running over to him. The Guardian jumped back onto his feet as the dark entities began to circle back around.

“Lily??” he said in a panic. “What are you doing here?!”

“I forgot to tell you-.”

Screech!!

The dark entities seemed to have realized that Lily was there as she made it to her Guardian. They began to surround and circle them-too many for the little girl to count, and their screeches seemed to turn into something that could have been laughter, but more likely resembled a scratchy violin. There were too many for Arno to handle by himself; that much was obvious, but he stood by her nonetheless, standing his ground.

“Arno!!”

“Lily!”

They could hear distressed voices calling their names as the people around them realized what was happening, but all they could see were the shadows as they rose around and above them like some dark tornado that they were in the center of. Arno did the only thing that he could think of doing. He lifted his hands and braced himself.

They all seemed to come at once, and there was a bright light as Arno held them back as best he could. Lily could hear yelling and the light grew brighter and brighter as the dark entities pounded against him. Then they drew back as her Guardian collapsed.

“ARNO!!” Lily cried in horror. The man groaned as he struggled to push himself up off the ground and keep his eyes open.

“No…” he croaked. “L-Lily…”

The little girl looked up at the darkness swirling above them.

They were coming for her now.

What had the Builder said? There was light inside her… There was light inside of them as well, and it would eat them alive. Lily stood as tall as she could and thrust her chest out, balling her little fists and standing in front of her Guardian.

“I’m not scared of you!” she yelled at the dark entities. “I have the light!!”

The shadows descended as the little girl raised her hands into the air. Lily closed her eyes and thought of Arno, and of Death, and the goodness that lay somewhere in the monsters surrounding her. She thought of the light within herself, willing it to come out and save them.

Something similar to an explosion happened. There was a boom and a blinding brightness that made Lily see spots as the dark entities retreated and withered away. The little girl stood there in surprise and blinked her eyes until she could see properly again. Then, she ignored the battle still going on around her and turned to her Guardian.

“Arno? Are you ok?”

The soldier blinked in shock himself and stared at her.

“How did you do that?” he asked, shakily standing up.

Before she could answer, she heard a raspy laugh coming from Helen the dark entities turned inward on themselves and wisped away to nothing.

“Are they going away?” Lily asked.

“I don’t think so… Why else would Helen be laughing?”

As everyone started to look around in confusion, the dark entities seeped up from the floor and latched themselves unto the fighters, bringing them down to the floor struggling. Lily and Arno stood there as no one seemed to notice that they were no longer surrounded by shadows.

“I can’t go like this!!” Sgt. Downey gasped.

“Death! What do we do?” Alma exclaimed.

“I’m too young to die!!”

“You’re already dead George.” Brie said grimly.

“Oh yeah… Well I’m too young for… whatever… happens neeeext!!”

Death struggled against the dark entity and then broke free in one last struggle.

“No. We can do this! We can win!” Ten of the shadows reached up from the gound and pulled him down all at once, his cheek pressing into the cold stone floor.

“Deeeeeathhhhh…” Helen hissed, sounding less and less human. “Where isssss your powerrrrrr? IIIIII waaaaant iiiiiit.”

“Wait here Arno.” Lily said to her Guardian, remembering the counsel the Builder had given her. From what she had just seen, she knew that Helen and her shadows were really no match for anyone here. They just had to let out the light. They could win. Lily could win against Helen-no matter how powerful she seemed to be.

Unhappily and hesitantly, Arno let her go, reminded that she had just done what he himself could not.

“I’m here if you need me.” He said encouragingly. She nodded, and then started walking.

She ignored the surprised and confused looks at the aspect of a little girl walking straight into the fire calm and composed.

“Lily-what are you doing here sweetie?” Alma gasped in a panic, trying to free herself from the shadow squeezing her.

“Are you mad little girl? Get out of here!!” Sgt. Downey yelled.

“Lily!”

“Lily no!”

The last person to see her was Death as she stood beside him. He did not say anything. He stared at her with almost curiosity.

And hope.

Helen rolled back her head and laughed.

“You arrrre ssssimply becominnnng a nuisance little girrrrl.”

“I’m really not scared of you anymore.”

“We’ll sssssee about thatttt!” She screeched and came down toward the little girl savagely.

“LILY!!”

Everything stopped.

No one dared to breathe. Lily was holding up her little hand, which was resting on what was left of Helen’s inky black face as the dark reaper froze. Helen opened her mouth to say something-to laugh to screech-no one knew, but no sound came out. The woman began to shrink back to her normal size, and then with a pained expression and a burst of light, she disintegrated.

No one could believe what they had just seen.

“Dude.” George said, breaking the silence.

Lily began to feel herself grow taller and taller, her face darkening in shadow and her hair and dress blending with the darkness.

“LEAVE.”

All of the other dark entities retreated in horror and left them all to their own.

It was over.

As simple as that.

Everyone still seemed rather speechless at what had just happened, but relief was apparent in all.

“Now… how did a little girl do by herself what we all couldn’t do together?” Brie asked in disbelief.

Lily came back to herself and smiled up at everybody, who was gathering around her.

“The dark entities only have power if you let them. We have more than they do. The light will always overcome the dark!”

“And how did you find this out?” Death asked, amused.

“One of the Builders told me.”

“Again with these Builders!” Byron exasperated. “Who are these guys?”

The little girl simply smiled up at the reaper before him. “You’ll find out later.”

Death kneeled down to her level. “Lily. I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know how any of this was possible, but it’s all thanks to you.”

“No it isn’t. Everybody here helped me out at some point or another.”

Death chuckled. “One day Lily Hoagen, you are going to make a fine Death.” The little girl threw her arms around him in as big of a hug as she could give.

“Thank you. I think you make a pretty good Death yourself. “

Lily felt him squeeze her.

That’s when the mist started.

Death stood up in surprise, looking down at himself.

“What? Now?! It can’t be-it’s too soon!”

“I think we’ve done everything that was needed to be done Jeremy…” Sarah said sweetly, walking up to him, mist forming around her as well.

“But Lily isn’t ready yet.”

“Look around you. She’s more than ready. Everyone here will be more than willing to help her.”

Death looked up to see Arno picking Lily up and holding her in his arms.

“Don’t worry sir. She’s in good hands.” he said with a smile. Lily waved.

Death turned to his wife as the light started to circle around them. He put a hand on her cheek, as the oldness of their skin faded away and he was looking at the young girl he married.

“I love you.” he said softly.

“And I love you. Always and forever.”

They leaned in and kissed as the mist overcame them and they disappeared in the light.

They were all left staring at where they used to be.

“What now?” Chin asked.

“Well, it looks like someone’s the new Death!” Arno said cheerfully, poking Lily, who laughed.

“I guess we should start trying to rebuild the Inbetween… It’s kind of a mess right now…” Talin commented.

“It’s ok. The Builders will take care of it.” Lily told them.

“...Will we… see these…Builders?”

“Probably not.”

Fish and Star turned to each other and shrugged.

“I guess we’ll take your word for it… Death.”

The little girl smiled. “Please. Just call me Lily.”