Papercut

Chapter 13 - Interlude

I didn't say a word so she walked back up, leaving me in the cold darkness of that hellish dungeon.

"Damn. I really am stuck down here, I can't use my powers and I—this is bothering me."

Pulling on the chains that bound me, I started to bend my elbow a bit, in an effort to break the chains.

"Almost...almost.."

Snatching forward, my left arm thrust through the air as the chain snapped, being followed by the right. I got to thinking in my head, trying to devise a strategy to get out of there. I wanted to confront the consortium, but not locked up in the dungeon of some demon inferno.

I walked closer to the bars of the cage, trying to get a closer inspection to see if there were any faults. I got close enough to where I could smell it if it even had a scent. It was rather bright too, shining like someone was pointing at you with a flashlight. I plopped down on the ground, sitting cross-cross.

"This energy counters my powers so that idea is out of the window. UGH! Why couldn't they just use regular bars."

It was getting frustrating being stuck down there, waiting on my impending doom. I wanted to leave and I wanted to do it quickly.

"What was it, that Olivia said earlier?"

[A few hours earlier]

" Being an ice hybrid, your powers are being heavily suppressed in the underworld. Now If you'd kindly come back."

[Present]

"Aha! She said my ice hybrid abilities. She must've forgotten about my divine energy!"

Which then I remembered I couldn't use properly.

"Well, there goes my backup plan."

Sighing, I was about to give up. I was truly trapped with no escape plan.

"She knew I didn't master it, that's why she never mentioned it. Maybe I am really stuck...but...maybe if I tried it again."

I released my divine energy, causing it to forme into that glowing blob I hate so much.

"Focus...come on, you got this!"

Like every time before it, the energy vanished, exploding like a firecracker.

"Ouch, dammit."

I noticed the sound of footsteps treading down the stairs. I was anxious until I realized it was one of the demon guards that was sent down here. I assumed it must've checked to see if I was still here and then I felt something. My body started to get cold and I heard that girl talk again, the Ghost Witch.

"I can help you..."

"Aren't you busy having Funtime with my life, besides, what could you give me that I don't already have."

Her voice got louder and more furious, but I believed that only I could hear her since the demon didn't even flinch.

"Stupid Girl! While it's true you have a lilliputiabally minuscule portion of Omnidea's soul, you only have access to less than one-hundredth of my power."

"So, what's your point?"

"I can allow you to unlock up to one-tenth and this time it's yours to control."

"Nice try, you're just saying that so they don't rip you out of me. Even if I did want to, I don't trust you. Last time you took over, you killed lots of innocent people, so forget it."

"Had I not taken over you would've surely been dead, you should be thanking me! Take the offer, I'm being generous here!"

I was thinking of taking the offer because honestly, I didn't have any other plans, but it didn't feel right. When she takes over, I hate myself. She makes me do regrettable things, so I don't know what to do.

The demon guard walked closer to the bars, he peeped and started to leave, pacing his way towards the exit. I really don't want to do this, but what other option do I have. Damn. The ghost witch scoffed, waiting on my answer before I sighed once more.

"Alright you win, I guess we're doing this."

[Meanwhile, on the outside of the castle the consortium's leader arrived hoping to meet Hades, but was met by Olivia instead.]

"So this is your true form, I must say you made a risky move coming here that way. No projections this time I assume?"

"Where is Hades?!"

[The True Leader started to raise their voice.]

"Calm down, father is on his way but I can give you her, free of charge."

"What is this—?"

[The consortium's "Leader" was beginning to get suspicious of Olivia's actions]

"Look, lady—"

"Logica..."

"Whatever Logitech. Do you want her or not, I have other business to attend to."

"Bring me the child"

[As Logica finished her demand, Olivia looked up at the castle, noticing there were clouds forming right above it.]

"This was always a possibility, but one I had not thought was as probable."

[Olivia rushed back into the castle, making her way through the twists and turns of the halls in said building, towards its bas.e.m.e.nt]

[Amelia's prison cell]

"This is..."

I could feel this intense pressure on my body, I was flowing with energy and it felt even different than divine energy, maybe easier to use. I hadn't even realized my back sprouted small wings until I felt a little gust of wind hit my ear. The entire bas.e.m.e.nt's temperature began to drop rapidly, so swiftly in fact that the demon guard fell out on the floor from Hypothermia. I guess it happened so quickly he hadn't realized it.

"Inside of the clouds...I can see. I can control the crystals of ice."

It was almost unreal, I could see inside of the clouds that formed over the castle's top, almost like a third eye as well as control the ice crystals that laid dormant inside. I forced them to bump and grind against one another and jumped aside and as they discharged a violent bolt right through the ceiling, making me an escape route before I could finish my blink.

"Woah. The underworld, it's still suppressing my powers, yet the boost the ghost witch gave me, it's a direct counter. How strong could I get if I wasn't being suppressed."

Ice is more complex than I thought and I felt I could do more with it than just freeze things, it was my gateway to stop the consortium and change Olivia's mind. I'll show her that there's more to life than just dying. With my small wings, I thrust against the air, shooting myself through the hole as I flapped over the bottom layer of the castle. From my point of view, I could see a large portion of the underworld and it was stunning, in an evil way.

I looked back down and could see Olivia standing at the bottom, looking through the hole the lightning had carved through the ceiling.

"You escaped."

She snapped again, but nothing happened. I could feel everything around me stop, but I could move as if nothing my changed. It must've been the surge in power I'd been given by The Ghost Witch.

"How are you moving?"

"Never mind that Olivia, you don't have to do this, there's more to life than just giving yourself to death."

"I've already seen the future we all share, thousands of bodies populating the soil of graves. It's inevitable, why resist when you're going to die anyway."

"You're not even listening—

I heard Hades' voice come from somewhere, cutting into the conversation.

"But I am."

I could see him as he stood at the bottom of the the castle, next to the entry. Next to him it was some boy, whose face I couldn't make out and then I looked twice. It was Noah..

"Hades.."

"Now, now don't be shy. One of your friends is here and he wanted to say hello."

Hades grabbed Noah's arm, holding it up forcing him to wave as his hand dangled in the air. I could see his face too, his eyes, even his skin, they looked lifeless as if he was a zombie.

"What...what did you do to him you asshole?!"

"Did you know it's unladylike you swear, didn't your parents teach you any better or were you a problem child?"

"Don't talk about my family, you don't know anything about them."

"Oh?"

Hades stomped his foot on the ground and the ground near started to shake a bit. When it stopped, 2 arms pierced the dirt as they stuck their hands through, like zombies arising from the grave. A few seconds passed and they'd gotten their entire bodies out of the ground, I could see both of them clearly as they stood next to one another like mindless slaves.

"Carter.."

"You recognize him ?"

"They died, how are they here, what are you planning Hades."

"Planning? Oh no, this is a simple business offer. I own their souls, but I can bring them back to living world for a small fee."

"Define small."

"The ghost witch. Give her to me and I get to sell her for my profit and you get your friend and brother back."

"This is a trick, you're going to lie and double cross me, I'm not dumb Hades."

"Oh but it's quite the contrary, for what would I gain for tricking you and keeping their worthless souls."

Hades is smart, he knows that if he brought my friends and family into this that I'd have no other choice but to surrender. I looked down at Olivia who didn't say anything, but heard every word her father said, even through those thick walls.

"Okay Hades...you win."

I flew down, only a few feet away from Hades and the others, before my feet touched the hot soils of hell.

"Release their souls Hades, then you can have this stupid witch."

Someone snatched me from behind by my hair, it was some lady.

"Who..who are you?"

"I am Logica and I'll be taking that Ghost witch of yours."

My hair in Logica's hand, I looked over at Hades.

"Are you going to release them?!"

"I could fool you and keep their crummy souls, but unfortunately I am a man of my word."

Their skin, faces, their whole bodies looked as if they were healthy and regular people before fading away in a burst of flames.

"I sent them back to where I found their souls, not like that matters to you since you'll end here. Logica how are we doing this deal?"

She looked at Hades with the ugliest grin imaginable

"What deal!?"

"You promised three trillion gold on the spot."

"Oh did I?"

As she finished her sentence her hand became intangible and she reached into my abdomen, trying to forcefully rip out my soul as I agonized in pain.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I let out the most nigh-deafening scream, so loud it began to cause the building next to us to collapse, but not before Olivia leaped through the hole and next to her father.

[Hades was rather agitated that he'd been deceived by Logica, but he tried to not lash out his anger as much]

"Trickery on the god of the underworld. That's very unfortunate you see, because my daughter saw this possibility and warned me of it."

"Oh and what would you two possibly do to stop me when I'm so close."

Still hurting I looked up at her and grinned.

"What's so funny child? Laughing at your own demise?"

"Idiot...my souls aren't going anywhere. Have you heard...of divine protection."

"That is an ability only possessed by gods and deities, I am no fool."

She continued to try and rip out the ghost witch, ending up playing tug of war with Divine Protection and then I heard a pop. A wave of cold aura flooded the entire area, even reaching the clouds I'd made. I could see it all, that's the one-tenth the ghost witch had given me, even the smallest atoms. My eyes had become like super microscopes and the aura, it stopped everything. At least 10 kilometers, all molecules has their motion set to zero, everything was motionless as a result of her trying to remove my soul. I assumed it was a side effect of what would happen if you tried to challenge divine protection. I pulled myself from her as her intangible arm phased from my abdomen, I was all in one piece.

"Well that's the consortium's leader I'd bet, but what about Olivia and Hades?"

It seemed those two had left. I assume Olivia already saw this as a possibility as well.

I turned back around to the consortium's leader as she stood there, almost seeming like a statue.

"I'm not going to kill her, but I shouldn't leave her here, I have questions. I have to get out of here so I can interrogate her and meet up with Noah & Carter."

I noticed on her side she had a brown bag before I grabbed and looked into it. Luckily she had three Maka Beads.

"I thought you could only get these from Apollo..."

Maka beads are created by gods like Apollo. He told us that as long as you want to go somewhere that exists, the Maka bead is a one way trip. I put two in my pocket and threw the other on the ground as it broke and sent a cloud of smoke up, covering me and Logica. All I could see was black...

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like