The Darkness

After they tidied things up with the rest of the merchants in the area, they headed back to the castle. Serafina propped her head up against the window, having little rest since the nightmares appeared. As she did so she caught eye of a little girl dressed in red outside the window, standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring at the queen. The people on the sidewalk didn’t even seem to know she was there but knew to avoid where she was standing, proving the queen’s theory. As the car passed the little girl remained in sight long enough for Serafina to watch a man walk through the child, reducing her to mist.

The Nain Rouge.

They got to the castle where someone unexpected was waiting for Serafina in her bedchamber. She drew her gun that was hidden in the waist of her pants and held out in front of her, pointing it at the unknown man. The man from her dream.

“Who the hell are you and how did you get here?” She asked.

He stood up from her bed and held his hands up before saying, “I’m not here to hurt you Nikita.”

She clicked the safety off, “I don’t know who you are talking about but I am certainly not Nikita. You have five seconds to tell me who you are before your brains become wall decor.”

He set his hands off and nodded, “I should have known you wouldn’t remember- no worries. The name you know me by is Thanatos.”

She set her gun down and scoffed, “Thanatos? As in the Greek God of death, ‘Thanatos’?”

He had to be shitting her. There was no way that Greek Mythology was real. But that would explain the power of death radiating off of him so much that it almost choked her.

“Precisely. And I’ve been ordered to bring you home.”

“By who?” She asked, narrowing her eyes.

“By your family.”

She couldn’t help laughing her ass off, “See that is how I know you are bullshitting me. The Dark doesn’t want me anymore, hell they’re the ones who killed me.”

A knock sounded at her door and she opened it to reveal the Light King.

“Lorenzo. Is there a reason you are here?” She asked him, standing in the way of the entrance so he wouldn’t be able to come in. He looked over her shoulder at the man who called himself Thanatos and gently moved Serafina out the way so that he could come in.

She looked at him in disbelief before shutting and locking the door, “Please, come in.”

“I thought I smelled death. What are you doing here Thanatos,” Lorenzo asked the man.

“Wait hold up, you know him?” Serafina asked in disbelief, pointing at the man clad in black. The two ignored her and continued talking to each other.

“Your parents sent me to get her.” Thanatos said simply.

“However,ever, she doesn’t remember anything!” Lorenzo protested.

“They believe the time has come for her to remember, even if they have to force her.”

“Hold up. No one is forcing me to do anything!” She yelled.

“I mean this in the nicest possible way Serafina, but shut up.” Lorenzo said to her, causing her to raise her eyebrows at him.

“Lykos, Limir is dead.” Thanatos told him softly.

Lykos? Limir? Were those two playing a prank on her? By the grief-struck look on Lorenzo’s face it would appear not.

“Are you sure? Could he be playing one of his tricks? He is the god of tricks after all.” Lorenzo tried to bargain with Thanatos. In Fae religion- also known as Uleluty- Limir was the Aphin, or created, God of Tricks.

Thanatos shook his head, “I’m sorry Lykos, I know what good friends you two were.”

“Sorry to break up this obvious heart-breaking moment between you two but if one of you does not start telling me what the hell is happening, I swear to the gods I will sing a death song!” She yelled, having enough of the two acting as if she wasn’t in the room.

Thanatos nodded at Lorenzo, or Lykos, before telling her, “Everything will be explained but you have to come with us, Nikita- Serafina.” He corrected himself.

She looked back at Lorenzo and he nodded, “Trust him. He will never let anything bad happen to you. I give you my word as King of the Light.”

She turned to Thanatos, “You do anything even remotely shady and I will kill you, painfully.” Her eyes turned the fiery red and she glared at him.

Serafina was a nice person- the nicest you could ever come across- until you crossed her. Then she showed a fury so powerful that the devils head would turn with wonder. She was the deadliest person for that.

He smiled at her, “Yeah you’re Nikita, all right.”

He held his arm out and created a rift between the worlds. He stepped into the rift and left Lorenzo and Serafina standing in front of the rift.

“Here goes nothing,” She took a deep breath and stepped in.

In a flash she was in a white throne room, standing next to Thanatos. A few seconds later Lorenzo was in the same room and then led her around the mystical place.

The entire thing was a plain white and black and it seemed empty.

“Oh, Lykos you’re back!” A woman shouted jumping into his arms. She was dressed in a white Chiton with brown sandals.

“It’s good to see you too mother,” He laughed setting the gumptious woman down.

Mother? Serafina thought. Now that she thought about it, no one could remember Lorenzo’s mother or father. When she was Dark and about to ascend the throne, she would’ve met him before Lamia’s announcement that Serafina would take the throne. But she has no memory of that encounter happening.

“I’ve missed you, my son.” She smiled at him lovingly as if he had been gone for centuries.

Thanatos and Serafina stood awkwardly behind them, watching the encounter without saying a word.

Lorenzo’s mother finally realised that someone else was there and turned towards the two, gasping when Serafina came into view.

She looked at Lorenzo before looking back at Serafina, her hand covering her mouth and tears in her eyes, “Please tell me she’s real.”

“I did as you asked Niana,” Thanatos said backing away from Serafina.

The woman jumped into Serafina’s arms, crying, “It really is you, Nikita. My beautiful daughter has returned.”

Serafina slowly wrapped her arms around the woman, still not understanding how she could be the daughter to the Goddess of Death.