Hades returned to his room, feeling exhilarated. There was no greater satisfaction than ending the life of a pathetic man. Stripping off his outer layers, he changed into something more comfortable before settling into the chair by the window, gazing out at the vast, expanse of the forest.
His eyes were unfocused, lost in thought. Silence stretched across the room, until a subtle shift in the atmosphere filled the air. The temperature plummeted, the air turning icy, a sign of his moggly's presence.
"Ouch! That damned table," a voice muttered irritably from behind him.
Hades didn't turn. "What do you have for me this evening, Grim?" he asked, his tone even.
"My lord, I bring news," Grim rasped, his voice low. "Not particularly good news, but something I believe will interest you."
"Go on," Hades prompted, finally shifting his gaze slightly to the side.
Grim detailed everything he had seen and overheard in the past few days, his words laced with intrigue. As he finished, a slow, knowing smile curled on Hades' lips. His eyes gleamed with dark amusement.
"How interesting, little witch," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, clearly pleased with the information.
~~~
Lilith changed into her nightdress before collapsing onto her bed, eager for a peaceful night's sleep. It didn't take long before the gentle pull of slumber enveloped her, dragging her into its embrace.
But barely five minutes had passed when her eyes snapped open, only to find herself submerged in the depths of a dark lake. The surrounding darkness was so thick that she couldn't even see her own hands, no matter how close she brought them to her face.
Panic surged through her. Her heart pounded as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. Desperation fueled her movements as she attempted to swim toward the surface, an absurdity in itself, as Lilith had never learned to swim. The mere sensation of being engulfed in so much water made her stomach churn with nausea.
Just as she neared the top, a blinding light burst forth from nowhere, forcing her to shut her eyes tightly to shield herself from its intensity. When the brightness dimmed enough for her to open them again, what she saw made her blood run cold.
Dozens of rotting, decayed bodies floated in the water, their lifeless eyes wide open, staring straight into her soul. Their grotesque forms bobbed unnaturally, their expressions frozen in eternal terror.
Lilith's breath hitched in horror, and she renewed her struggle to reach the surface. But as if on cue, the corpses suddenly stirred. With inhuman speed, they lunged toward her, skeletal hands grasping at her arms, legs, and torso.
A scream tore from her lips, but it was swallowed by the water as the lifeless bodies dragged her down, deeper and deeper into the water.
Lilith felt herself being pulled through multiple timelines, until she found herself lying on the cold ground. Snowflakes drifted down, landing softly on her face as she struggled to her feet.
She scanned her surroundings, her breath hitching in disbelief. She was standing in her village, right in the middle of the market square. The very place where she had nearly been killed.
The air was thick with fog, and the ground was covered in snow. The metallic scent of blood clung to the air, staining the snow with dark patches. Lilith choked on a muffled cry. There were no bodies in sight, but she knew, the blood belonged to humans.
Summoning her courage, she took a step forward, then another, moving cautiously through the eerie silence. The stillness was so profound that the faintest sound reached her ears with clarity. That was when she heard it, a strangled, desperate cry in the distance.
Lilith's heart pounded as she sprinted toward the sound. As she neared, she saw someone lying motionless on the ground and her breath caught in her throat. It was the same woman she had seen in her dreams before.
"I... I..."
Lilith crouched down, keeping a cautious distance, close enough to see the woman's face, but not close enough for her to reach out and touch her.
"W-what happened to you? Who are you?" she asked, her voice low.
The woman's lips trembled as she let out a choked sob. "Y-you must save us. He is going to kill us all. He will kill us all." She repeated the words over and over, her voice rising in desperation.
Lilith's brows furrowed in confusion. "Who? Who is going to kill you? What must I save you from?"
But the woman gave no answer, only continued her frantic repetition, her vacant eyes locked onto something Lilith could not see.
Lilith sighed, realizing she wouldn't get any more information from her. She straightened, taking a step back. That was when she noticed something, a small piece of white paper tucked into the woman's jacket.
Squinting, she carefully reached forward and pulled it free, unfolding it with shaky hands.
DEATH AWAITS YOU!!!
That's what was written on the paper multiple times in different styles of hand writing.
Before Lilith could process what she had read, Aloud, piercing sound shattered the stillness of the air, sending a sharp pain through Lilith's skull. She clamped her hands over her ears instinctively, but it did little to muffle the unbearable noise. A violent shiver ran down her spine as the sound reverberated through her body, bringing tears to her eyes.
Her vision blurred, her limbs grew weak, and before she could fight it, darkness consumed her.
When Lilith's eyes fluttered open, she was gasping for air, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Panic surged through her veins as she sat up abruptly. A sharp, throbbing pain pulsed in her head, making her wince.
She reached up to her ears, her fingers coming away slick with something warm and wet. Dread pooled in her stomach as she slowly brought her hand into view. Blood. Her face drained of color.
Scrambling out of bed, she stumbled toward the mirror, her breath hitching as she saw the thin trail of blood dripping from her ear. Without thinking, she grabbed a cloth from her dresser and wiped it away harshly, as if erasing the evidence would make it all disappear.
Her reflection stared back at her, pale, shaken, and exhausted, like someone who hadn't slept in years. What was happening to her? These dreams were eating away at her.
With a shaky breath, she crawled back into bed, pressing her back against the wooden headboard. She shut her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply, willing her heart to slow its frantic pounding. Only then did she notice the golden light seeping into her room. Morning had arrived.