You have returned my lord; the boy will only understand what I tell him. and to your divine plan things shall continue to conform.” 

The spire master. in her ruined cathedral said to herself by the fire of her library. the only human resembling cathedral of the dark realm. it was only natural for a human to seek shelter, and she had no doubt that Adonis would be drawn to her spire. for what comforts other than a creature's den. or the smoldering hallows of the ancient realm around her could seduce him? The angry god and the human vessel’s desires had aligned like a rare stellar conjunction. unlocking the door here. Only the great master Herahsh could have foreseen. from the shadows. in front of the bookshelf wall, a red pair of eyes looked out at her. she could make out the silhouette of its nakedness. its alligator-like ebony skin and woodcolored nails. came with a deep voice so petrifying. She stood from where she sat in respect.

“You’ve spoken to my contender” he said. 

“Yes “

she dropped her eyes away. they gave her visions of the Infernum’s fury and gore, it frightened her.

“He is here … ready to display his worthiness “she said

“My children chant and thrall for his power to shake the walls of Gehenna. and so do I… make sure he is guided to pact with me “

Nexus looked over at the fire without a response.

“you’ve been away too long priestess; you fear the light of hell “

“She is necessary “

nexus swallowed.

 “But her work is not for my faint heart”

“...then a translator is all you will ever be “

Nexus looked back into its eyes with a confidence he did not expect. 

“When the three titans fall, what is to become of him?”

it made a guttural amphibian like purr in response.

“Guardian.”

  Adonis now laid eyes on the foggy magmatic world. that looked like the preliminary stages of Earth's fiery creation. Windstorms polluted with cinders, that only hit the sides of his face. Adonis more creature than himself was indifferent of the hostility of the environment he found himself in. He followed the way until he approached an old metal gate embedded in an arching frame of rock. one side of the gate was welded from the bottom to a cooled piece of earth and the other, ajar. He squeezed himself through the open side. solar rays gleamed there through the smoke and darkness of the farthest side of the realm. The ember charged air blew in his direction, while he stood there in front of the charred cliffs. 

Behind him spears and torches were exiting the mouth of a cave. hunched over in a primitive and lethal posture a tribe of men painted in the white soot of the land appeared and formed around him. They shouted in their language behind Adonis, but Adonis remained standing over the volcanic world.

One of the pale tribesmen took a squad of three soldiers.

out of the nine or ten that watched their backs. They approached the strange looking outsider, going for the kill. Adonis grabbed the mid thrust spear and pulled the tribesman into him fast enough to get him into an arm bar holding the weapon at his throat. At that point there were all kinds of noises coming from the warriors, stomping their feet on the ashened ground for what purpose? It seemed to call on their dogs. a four-legged race with the features of a hyena. their bodies were covered in bone-colored quills. three of them came from different large pockets in the ground. Adonis pushed the tribesmen off him and back into the crowd of spears that opened momentarily to welcome him back in. 

The tribesmen he saw, warped to western men wearing Civil War uniforms. to visions of their battle wall of bayonets and flags. The creature could only see the enemy and its hatred boiled over. Adonis beat his chest and shouted back at them but before any battles could begin a flute whistle shot off a long single note. 

All men were silent now their spears and backs straightened.

listening to the distant serenade. Somewhere in the creature's memory bank it remembered the sound of the call itself…Adonis’s breathing slowed, and he returned towards that cliff edge where he could hear it better. Concentrating on the sound the creature could make out a spire through the fog, miles beyond its location. 

The song stopped after a few more notes. Then, the tribesman started to talk amongst each-other. Some had left to go inside the cave and returned with a dark round bowl filled with what looked like mashed fruit.

An elderly lady, darker wrinkled skin with long braided hair. 

decorated with small animal bones like the necklace around her throat. offered what was inside the bowl to Adonis with a long wooden spoon. Adonis turned to face her, expressionless. 

She brought it to his lips waiting for him to open his mouth.

when he did, she slid the spoon into his mouth and watched him receive the soft slush like mixture. The elder, fed him another once he swallowed the first. And the red veiny ring around his honeycolored eyes receded, and Adonis started blinking, looking as if finally, he had regained his consciousness again. 

“Where am I?”

Adonis pleaded towards the elderly woman his posture not as threatening as it was before he received the strange mixture, the fruity taste still lingering on his tongue, it had semblances of blackberry and… mango? 

“closer to my birth star than I have been in hundreds of years…”

One of the tribesmen handed off his spear and walked up to Adonis, putting his arm around him, he handed Adonis a crystalfilled vial of the same substance he had just taken. while guiding him into the cave.

  Emma was asleep when the knock on her door came, at first, she was excited, thinking it was Mom and Adonis telling her the great news that he had been discharged but it was just a doctor paired with Dr. Sutherland and the Sheriff. 

“Can you sit me up?” she asked Dr. Bentley, and she came over to help Emma sit up right putting a pillow behind her and sitting down in front of both men she was with. 

“ Theres been an incident that your Mother in law was involved in , these two men are going to release some details that will be very hard to take in , I want you to know you have every right to any services from us you might need , let them know and I will be here “

Dr. Bentley sat across the room and seemed to mind her business by taking out her phone, Dr. Sutherland pulled a chair close, he was up first.

“Hi, is there a chance that you remember me?”

Emma nodded with a worried frown on her face and said. “I heard about what happened with Marthus, I’m sorry”

Sutherland gave her a faint smile “he’s receiving the best medical care he can as of right now, unfortunately he will never be able to work with us again”

“oh “  

Sutherland took a long pause before what he had to say next, with a long inhale right before getting into it.

“The review did not go well, and Adonis did not take it well either. There was a reaction from him that was more severe than anyone could have predicted. and because of that the facility can no longer inhabit, the patients had to be moved “

“What about him, what about Mom?” Emma eagerly asked 

Sutherland looked over to the police officer who had no other choice but to give her the clearest details.

“Adonis is out there somewhere, he’s responsible for more than a hundred deaths including the death of his mother.”

The tears welled in her eyes, she did her best to hold them back, but her body started gasping, trying to release the outburst of sadness, until her body forced her to. Sutherland left his contact information as well as other information that would allow her to find and take care of Rebecca’s body.

The day had passed so silently, unable to move, unable to do anything she loved to do to pass the day. Forced to think just to pass every hour. With beautiful memories that once comforted her but now tormented her. 

Sunlight felt great on the back of her neck even while she cried. there was a light tapping on her door and Bentley walked in.

“it’s beautiful outside, you should let me drive you around “

Emma nodded, unable to wipe the tears from her face. Bentley helped her with another nurse to aid Emma into a wheelchair. Wheeling her down the hallway, past a few nurses to the backyard they had for patients staying long term.

It was a garden, the building itself was the walls surrounding this square-shaped land. where she could see the bright cloudless sky. Her eyes traced the contrails made by a passing jet; she followed it until the building would allow her to see it no more.

The entire yard was smoothed-out cobblestone, it wasn’t meant for running or throwing a ball. it meant more for lounging and relief. The benches, placed in more scenic areas, such as the water fountain. and giant slabs of concrete flowerpots that Doctor Bentley wheeled her around. Emma liked stopping to observe the various kinds of plants and flowers that had grown. Emma agreed to settle down by the water fountain, surrounded by carnations and marigolds. There was a bench where Bentley could also sit.

“Can you put the blanket over my head, it’s cold “

Bentley carefully pulled the quilt over her head and made sure she was wrapped and warm before they started talking.

“It’s not much but it is a lot better than being in that room alone”

“I wish it was just a bit warmer”

 Emma said looking straight up at the sunlight.

“Well. It is September “

Emma sat back in her chair, her eyes fixated on the water streaming and the flowers billowing gently to the cold air.

“Is there anything else you need? I mean… with the process”

Emma glanced over at Bentley, who was covering her eyes from the blinding sun. then looked down at her hospital socks resting on the cold wheelchairs leg rests. 

“Um… Adonis wouldn’t want me making that decision by myself. “She nodded agreeing to her own idea “yeah… I’ll wait for him to come back; we’ll make the decision together “

Bentley leaned closer softening her voice to the topic he approached her with.

“Do you know where he could be?”

Emma shook her head no and kept looking out at the garden around them.

“I just know he’ll be back, there’s no way he would propose and just leave me. We’ve known each-other too long. I refuse to believe that I’ll be left alone again.”

“Hun, I was just asking because the authorities need help, and it would shed some light on this terrible mystery”

“I know, and it’s fine. He’ll be back. He has to come back…”

Doctor Bentley let her be as long as she wanted, until she started getting too cold to be outside anymore. Bentley wheeled her away to go back inside.

“Can you call my friend, tell her to come visit? “

Doctor Bentley brought over a phone and dialed the number Emma gave and held up the phone for her.