Chapter 33

Into The Black

The flight they had was the longest yet. For almost twelve hours the teens were stuck on the plane and it seemed to help settle their nerves, for most of them at least.

For Klaus, the wait was unbearable. He found that there was nothing worse than being told it was time, only to wait for what felt like an eternity.

His mind was running at a hundred miles a minute. It created issues out of shadows made of uncertainties that unceasingly gnawed at his brain.

It was Amelia that finally put a stop to it with a simple question; "what are you so worried about?"

Klaus had not realized that she had come to sit on the chair on the opposite side of him.

He regarded her for a moment. She was composed and stoic as always. Over the last few months, she had grown out of the strange habit of avoiding him.

She placed something on the table between them. Klaus looked at the amber liquid dubiously and snorted while picking up the glass of whiskey. "Aren't these for refined gentlemen?"

She chuckled at the memory of when they first met. "Maybe I just want to see you pull a face again? It will calm your nerves, or so I'm told."

Klaus took the glass, glanced at it, and then downed the contents. He tried not to, but she got rewarded with the face. She chuckled, and Klaus could not help but join her.

He asked accusingly. "Was this to calm my nerves or yours?"

She shrugged, mirth still lingering in her eyes. "Can't it be both?"

Klaus put the glass down. "It probably can."

They lapsed into silence. A lot had happened since that first meeting between them.

She spoke first. "What is the problem? Why do you look like a cat on a hot plate?"

The frown that was smoothed out by the banter re-emerged. "Information, or rather, the lack of it. I know we are probably in the same boat as a lot of the teams. I am struggling to relate. From what I saw, they all seemed so carefree at the party. It makes me feel like they know something I don't."

Amelia smiled. "It certainly looked that way, didn't it? From my perspective, we are the ones that know something they don't."

Klaus frowned. "Explain?"

She leaned forward. "Look at how Leo has changed. He is a prime example. Pride was right, we had heard the stories, were told of the dangers, but it didn't feel real."

Klaus drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair while mulling over what she said. "Why do you think so?"

Amelia yawned. "You have to understand. The branches here are small. Consequently, teens mean little in the grand scheme of things. They are honestly not important."

Klaus was willing to accept her reasoning. "What do you know of guilds in the Secret Worlds."

Amelia's eyes hardened. "I know that someone close to me died to give me that word."

Klaus was unsure of what to say, so he leaned forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a slight nod, and he removed his hand. "I think that word will be the key to information that we will need. I have been thinking about it a lot. If travel between the worlds is possible then they will need some kind of waystation. Places where travelers can rest and recuperate, especially since we are just beginners."

Amelia turned pensive at his words. "They do call it the introductory worlds."

Klaus nodded. "I hope that there will be guilds set up at these waystations. Representatives of each family.” He gave her a knowing smile. “Who here deals in information?"

Amelia sat up straighter. "You mean to say that we have to find the guild that represents my family?"

Klaus nodded. "Yes, I hope so. The alternative is too worrying to imagine."

Amelia sat back in her chair. "As long as you know that my name will not win you any favors."

Klaus could only nod at that.

Klaus managed to get some sleep after the talk. He got woken up by Pride shaking his shoulder. With her were the other demons.

"We are about to land and this is as far as we can go. There are a few last things we need to say."

Klaus was not sure how to feel. He had never experienced what a family was. A part of him imagined the demons to be sort of family. His gaze went to Silence. The demon had treated him the best of all of them. He had guided Klaus through countless practice sessions.

If Klaus ever had an older brother, he imagined, he would be like Silence.

His dragon part did not want to accept Pride or Pain, but Klaus would have to see them again to enact any kind of revenge.

Pride sat down. "We made you bring nothing, because you will need nothing. Our influence beyond this world may be small, but we were able to secure some resources for you."

Klaus felt the plane start to tilt downward.

Pride continued. "There will be someone waiting for you. A man, he goes by the name of Barbos. Do not trust him. He will approach you with a phrase: Demons belong in hell. You will reply with; Pride sends her regards. Do you understand?"

Things were moving so fast all of a sudden. Klaus managed a nod, and the demons looked at each other before Pride spoke once more. "Then there is only one more thing. After you go to the other side, you and your team members will experience what others call; The flood."

Gluttony smirked, and Silence punched him.

Pride gave them a withering stare. "The flood is when your bodies experience being fully saturated with magic for the first time. It will be a high, unlike anything you have ever felt. You will feel invincible."

Her eyes grabbed him and she said with seriousness. "No matter how invincible you feel, you will not be. Remember that, especially because of your ancestry. Mixed bloodlines get it worse and they may change physically."

Klaus sat back. "Are you saying I could change into my dragon form?"

Pride shook her head. "I am saying that you could grow horns. Billy could grow another head. We don't know."

Klaus closed his eyes, trying not to imagine Billy with two heads. "Shit."

With that, Pride stood up and moved away. The others followed, but Klaus stopped Silence by grabbing his wrist.

The demon looked at Klaus with curiosity.

Klaus felt awkward, and his new disposition did not enjoy relying on others or giving thanks. He also knew to give credit where credit was due. "Thanks for the training and support, Silence."

The demon gave a rare smile and then put a fist over his heart before bowing. Klaus followed his actions.

They held eye contact for a second, Silence gave him a nod and left.

Klaus and his team were on their own.

The next few things went by in a blur. The plane landed, and a bus waited for them. On it was a simple triangle in gold.

The team boarded and came to a stop. Familiar faces greeted them.

"Cousin!" Shouted a familiar blonde in an overly familiar way.

With her sat Elise and Rohit.

She gestured at him to come over. Klaus gave the others a look that said it all and made his way over. He had been on buses before. If not for the circumstances, the mood others gave off was like that of a field trip.

"I'm so happy to see you again." Said the Blonde.

Rohit was ignoring his existence, and Elise just gave him a nod.

Klaus felt something brush against his mind and lashed out with all the training Lilith had given him. Elise cried out and grabbed her head.

Klaus ground into her. His thoughts were like nails ripping and tearing at her own.

Elise was both surprised and aghast. Klaus's mind felt alien. Compared to the first time they encountered each other it was large, beastly even. In it were pride and rage that chopped and chewed at her thoughts like Pacman gobbling up pellets.

She lost consciousness soon after the encounter. Klaus tried to worm his way into her mind, but her core defenses were ironclad and easily rejected his own. He did not have their ability to disguise himself and would have to overwhelm her if he wanted to advance. He was not instructed on how to do so.

Chanelle looked between Klaus and Elise. She was unsure of what had happened, but she could guess. She closed her eyes and looked at Rohit. The facade of friendliness slipped from her face. "Please take your fiance away."

Rohit said nothing and did as he was told. Klaus looked at the guy with narrowed eyes. Compared to the antagonistic behavior he showed before, the guy was acting very docile.

Rohit took Elise and moved further up towards the back.

Chanelle smiled at Klaus. "Now that the unpleasantries are over, we can have a chat."

Klaus was a bit surprised with himself, but a moment of introspection revealed the cause of his decisive ruthlessness; Morgose. The woman had left a big impression on the teen, and a part of him would never forgive her.

Klaus sat down and took a deep breath to focus on his cousin.

Seeing that she had his attention, Chanelle started to speak again.

"You will be happy to know that my brother is safely in prison, and we have fulfilled our end of the bargain."

Klaus looked at his cousin, biting back a snide remark. If they had not, she would not be sitting there. Acting like it was done as a favor did not garner any sympathy from the young dragon.

She waited for a beat for him to say something, but he did not.

Chanelle sighed. "You are very hard to please."

Klaus snorted. "How about you just get to the point. I know you want something."

Chanelle regarded him for a long moment with pursed lips. "You are the first generation from your faction to enter the Secret Worlds in almost a hundred years. We, on the other hand, have been sending people through at regular intervals. I've been told in no uncertain words that I will have ample support."

Klaus was expecting it, he was just hoping that the difference would not be so high. "The point?"

"You are so droll. My point, dear cousin. Is that you will have almost no support on the other side. We can offer you that." She finished primly while looking at her nails.

Klaus looked at his team members. The danger was not only for him but to them as well. "What do you want in exchange?"

She gave him a Cheshire grin. "We want some of our assets back. We know that the Sciencia returned some of it."

Klaus chuckled, causing his cousin to frown. "I knew they had to trade something for the info on the potion fruits. Now I know what."

Klaus took out his phone. "I was lenient with you people. Gave you a way out, even saved your life, yet you still tried to endanger mine."

She looked at the phone and her hands started to shake. "Don't be hasty."

The phone rang twice, and Pride answered.

"Pride, I need you to do something for me. Spread a rumor that the Fallen Roth accepted potion fruit from Lilith and then refused to give it after accepting the fruit."

Pride gave a simple, "will do", and then put the phone down.

Chanelle was expecting worse, but what Klaus had done was nearly just as bad. If other branches found out, or even other families.

"Why did you do that, do you not want my help?" she said, her voice barely contained.

Klaus put his phone away. "You approached me believing the playing field was even or maybe in your favor. I came here not expecting your help. You could actively try to stop or hurt me, but know this. Should I survive any attempt on my life or that of my team members'; I will have your family wiped from existence. The playing field is even now. Don't upset the very delicate balance you have once more placed it under."

Klaus got up and turned to her. "I will keep your proposal in mind. The thing is, we don't know all the facts or what awaits us on the other side. Until then I will not make a decision. We will speak about this on the other side, if and when it changes."

"Klaus, we will not talk again." Chanelle was livid.

He shrugged. "Cousin, just don't test my resolve on this."

As Klaus walked away, he could feel her eyes bore into his back. He smiled and almost felt like he should thank her. What had happened put him in the perfect mood to face what was coming. He no longer had the jitters. They had trained for this, and he did not think those present would have had the same opportunity, or rather, displeasure to be trained by the very boogymen used to scare the spoiled scions.

When he sat down next to an excited and smiling Liz, he smiled back at her, but for a different reason.

His mind had a peculiar thought. 'If they fuck with me, I will become the new boogeyman.'

Amelia sensed something in his smile. She leaned over and asked what happened.

For a moment he wanted to be mean. The Sciencia family was not innocent, but he doubted that Amelia could have known. He had a suspicion that she was considered as some sort of hostage by the branch on this world.

It would make sense if history could be believed concerning what happened in power struggles within hierarchical families.

Instead, he shook his head and simply stated. "The Sciencia have been busy little bees."

Amelia looked at her hands. Klaus had the same look on his face when she voted Leo in. "I am not sure what they did, but I apologize."

Klaus waved his hand. "If I believed you had something to do with it, we would be having a different conversation."

Klaus stood up and walked to the front where all his team members could see him. "I made Leo a promise once. I said that if we all worked together I would make sure that all of our goals were realized. This promise counts for you all, but I expect the same from you. We don't know what is waiting for us on the other side, but I remember what we have gone through. We remember that in the last three months I have saved each one of you at least once and you have done the same for me."

Klaus looked over at the other team. Rohit sat with Elise far to one side. Other groups sat just as scattered and apart from each other.

"The other groups are divided. We have had some rough times, a rocky start." Klaus looked at Leo and smiled when he said the last part.

"Looking back, I think it ultimately worked in our favor. I know what all of you want and need to some degree. You know what my goals are. We can make it work, we have to." Klaus let out a deep breath. He was pulling heavily on what the team captain used to say when they were on away games.

Beatrice was the first to speak. "That was so cheesy!"

Klaus coughed and looked away while they chuckled. He still did not miss how they sat straighter and smiled with ease.

He awkwardly went to his seat, and for the first time took in their surroundings. They were traveling through a barren field, towards a mountain. Now and then, they would come across a checkpoint.

The golden triangle was on everything, much like the Red Tree of his own family.

"Do any of you know what family these people are from?" he finally asked.

It was Fred that replied. "They are not from a family. They call themselves The Wayfarers. Supposedly a group that stays neutral in all things." Fred clenched his fist. "They keep track of who enters and exits the Secret Worlds. They are also the bearers of bad news should anyone die or be brought back injured. They are the ones that told my family about my sister."

Leo put his hand on Fred's shoulder. "I will make it right."

Fred only nodded.

It wasn't long before they reached the mountain. A bunker-like building opened and allowed the bus to drive right into it. The mountain swallowed them whole, and in doing so, allowed them into a complex that resembled a warehouse to Klaus.

The bus stopped, and the team made their way outside. Klaus barely put his foot outside the bus before he was enveloped in a hug. He was surprised but recognized Lilith's scent immediately. He fiercely hugged her back.

She stepped back a moment later and regarded him for a second. "You have changed."

Klaus smiled at her. "Some things happened."

She smiled back. "Good things?"

He nodded. "Good things."

The other team exited the bus, and Lilith saw Elise being carried by Rohit. She frowned.

Klaus saw where she was looking and said with steel in his voice. "She tried to read my mind."

For a moment, he thought Lilith would admonish him. The dragon in him actually dared her to. She must have seen it in his eyes because she broke eye contact.

Klaus felt a little hurt at that, but even stranger than that. Her defiance was turning him on. It awakened an urge in him to dominate her. "I have left them alone despite what happened because of you. This may prove to put me and my team in danger."

She kissed him and spoke into his mind. 'I know, and I'm sorry. It's just... old habits.'

Klaus nodded, but she could see that he was acting a bit stiffly. She understood him more than anyone else could. He was loyal to a fault and expected the same from others. To him, it was all or nothing in any kind of relationship. She was half right.

She would have to try and show and explain to him, but how would she explain to someone who had never had familial bonds. Especially when you were conditioned from a young age to give everything for the family.

Despite being away from them and what had happened, she still carried a shadow of it in her heart.

She still had one night to explain. They would go through the gate the next day, and she did not want to part ways with it hanging over their heads.

A man stepped towards the two groups. He was unremarkable in every way. The bored attitude visible in his every action did not help the image at all.

"Hello everyone, if you would please follow me to the common rooms, I will get you settled in." The man started to walk away, uncaring if anyone followed or not.

Klaus and the others followed along until they reached a corridor. It was a simple double door set into the cavernous hall where the bus stood. There were trucks as well. Men in work suits had tablets with which they checked contents that were being offloaded and loaded on these trucks.

The hustle and bustle were left behind as soon as they went through the doors. Fred let out a whoop when he saw what must have been an entertainment center. Teens sat all-around chatting and laughing.

Klaus looked at them confused, their actions seemed callous to him.

Fred gave Klaus a pleading look. The latter shook his head. "Don't forget why you are here and who these people are. We don't know what abilities they could have. They could read your mind like the Dalmora, or even something worse. We stick together, for now at least. Once we find out where we are going to stay, arrangements can be made."

Lilith was looking at Klaus, unsure of how to process the statement. 'Why am I feeling so sensitive about things?'

Klaus saw her look.

Amelia coughed, her cheeks were turning red.

Klaus continued to follow the man, and they soon went through another door. He heard Leo comfort Fred. "Come on, man. You know Klaus has no chill, but he is probably right."

Beatrice was pointing out what she thought were attractive guys to Amelia, but she seemed more interested to stay as far away from Klaus as possible.

Billy was right behind Klaus, glancing around warily. He would give Klaus and Lilith strange looks from time to time.

Liz had the strangest reaction. Klaus came to a stop when he realized the teen was not moving and looked in the direction that she was.

His gaze landed on a woman who was seated on a couch and chatting with three other people. She was gesturing around and smiling animatedly. The resemblance between them was uncanny. The woman was just as busty, if not more so. Unlike Liz, who dressed reservedly most of the time, she was not.

Liz was unsure of what to do. Her sister never dressed in front of her like she was dressed at that moment. She never smiled the way she was smiling. It was like Liz was looking at another person.

They had not spoken once, ever since Liz left with Klaus and told her about the assets that would be given to them. Liz had wanted to phone her sister. She wanted to ask why she had lied to her, and as a result, put her in so much danger. She never worked up the nerve to do so.

While she watched her sister smile, anger bloomed in her heart. Her fists started to ball, and her teeth clenched.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and Klaus' voice filled her ears. "We are with you."

His voice felt like an anchor that grounded the anger and kept her rational.

She looked over to him and the others. They all gave her smiles or nods of encouragement. Liz realized she was not the same girl as before. She had good friends and was no longer as isolated.

She fixed her hair, took a deep breath, and walked over to the woman sitting on the couch.

They made it halfway before they were noticed. Klaus watched the woman warily.

He noticed her demeanor change. She seemed surprised to see her sister, and the smile on her face flickered out of existence for a second. She soon recovered and plastered it back on, but her eyes remained cold.

His years on the streets made it easy to recognize her look. It was not friendly.

"Sister!" Said the woman and got up intending to run over and give Liz a hug.

Liz held up her hand to stop the approaching woman. "I know what you did, Abby. I know what you hoped for."

The smile faded from Abigail's face, and she frowned. She then looked at Klaus and the others warily. Her gaze paused on Lilith for a few seconds, and the frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

"The stigmata, you encouraging me to use it as much as possible. It had me thinking. All the years you kept me isolated and away from others as much as possible; It was never meant to protect me." Liz took a deep breath, she wanted to cry but would not allow herself to. Not in front of her sister at least. Enough tears had been shed.

Abby put on a shaky smile. "I don't know what you are talking about. We are family, and I would never do that. I told you to never use your powers. Now, stop this nonsense and introduce me to your friends."

Liz shook her head. "They are not just friends, but my new family."

The other three people got up. Two were male and one was female.

"Abby is there a problem?" asked one of the men.

Liz ignored them and turned to Klaus. "The assets you promised me, have they been transferred to my family?"

Klaus was not sure. He had given instructions for it to be done, but he never followed up on it. "I don't know, why?"

Liz thought about it for a second. 'Klaus could probably reclaim it.' This world was under his thumb. She was not sure how she would handle the situation, and she was doing this on a whim. Regardless, she still wanted to do it. "Can you please take the assets back, and let your people run things? All I ask is that you put some of the income in a trust for me."

Liz turned back to Abby. "I don't want my sister to have access to it."

Liz could not have known, but her words were like nails into Abby's coffin. She was using some of the assets to negotiate a deal and get herself a team, just as Lilith tried with the Fallen Roth before.

Their parents had died when Liz was just a young girl. This put the two females at the mercies of the other members.

Her family had a small presence in the world they were on. The older members were gone most of the time and she had been given authority to do certain things when it regarded Liz. With her sister finding a team, she was no longer required to babysit. Her prison sentence was over. The problem was that she did not have access to anything to barter with until Liz delivered the pie that fell out of the sky.

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had not told the family about the assets. It meant that she could not tell the family that Liz was taking it back. If they were to find out what she had done. They would end her.

Abby swallowed. "You can't do this to me. I made you who you are. I trained you, taught you. Without me, you would be nothing."

Liz nodded. "It is true, you made me who I was, and they made me better. You have sacrificed a lot for me, but not out of choice. Instead of taking it out on the people that were the cause, you wanted to kill me. I would have done anything for you, if only you had allowed me a chance. You taught me most of what I know, because of that. I'll not tell the family what you have done, but this is where we go our separate ways."

Liz felt hollow as she turned away. Many scenarios had played through her mind while she thought of what would happen in the past few months. What she would say. What she would do. She hoped her sister would apologize or something, anything to make it right. She now understood nothing would make it right.

The serious atmosphere was broken by the Wayfarers' representative. "Can we move on now?"

Klaus looked at Liz for confirmation. She nodded, and Klaus gestured for the bored man to continue.

Abby just watched her sister go. She knew that nothing she did could change what happened.

They were taken through a door and up some stairs, cut into the rock of the mountain. They went down a hallway and then through a door marked with the number two hundred and thirty.

The man disappeared soon after, without a word. The room they were in had a large window that was cut into the mountain. In the middle of the room were chairs arranged in a circle. They were carved out of the mountain itself, circularly. Pillows were then placed on them to make it more comfortable. As a result, one had to take a few steps down some stairs to step into the circle.

Around the room were doors, which Klaus suspected, led to rooms where they would be sleeping.

Liz made her way towards one. Klaus aimed to follow, but Lilith held his hand. "She will need some time."

Klaus nodded and allowed Lilith to pull him towards one of the doors.

Fred, who was getting a notification on his phone, jumped up and shouted: "My sister is here."

He turned to Klaus. The young dragon smiled at seeing the excited expression on Fred's face. "Well go fetch her then. I need to meet my employees after all. Leo will you please."

He interrupted Klaus with a wave of his hand. "I was planning on going anyway."

Klaus took in everyone with his eyes and then said loudly. "We move in groups. No one is to walk around on their own."

Beatrice whispered into Amelia's ear when Lilith and Klaus disappeared behind a door. "Do you think they are going to, you know?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Amelia elbowed her. "Let's go walk around if they are going to do that. I don't want to be close by."

Leo pulled on Billy's arm. "Let's go, buddy. I don't think you want to stick around here."

Billy looked between the door and Leo. "I think you are right."

Lilith closed the door and turned to Klaus. She wanted to talk about what happened, but as soon as she turned around, her lips were captured by Klaus'.

Lilith tasted like coffee and something sweet.

Her breath caught, and her heart hitched at the sudden kiss. Klaus pressed his body against her, broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers. For a moment, the two just breathed each other in deeply.

"Since I saw you, I wanted to do that." Klaus finally said.

Lilith smiled. "I thought you were angry with me."

Klaus bit her ear. "Angry? Well, maybe a little annoyed, but not angry. She is your family, but Lilith, if she crosses the line. I will not hold back. Understand?"

Lilith nodded and leaned into him.

"Enough about them." Klaus picked her up and she laughed. He put her on the bed. Klaus pulled his shirt off and threw it to the side, then gave her a feral smile.

Lilith raked her eyes over his upper torso, and then gave him a teasing smile in return.

Klaus got on the bed, grabbed her leg and pulled her towards him. "It is time I remind you that you belong to me."

She bit his chin and snorted with amusement. "I belong to no man."

Klaus' chest vibrated with a growl. "Then it is a good thing that I'm not just a man."

The others quickly got back to the common room. Fred struggled through a throng of people coming through the double doors.

Leo stood nervously to one side. He had met Fred's sister a few times. She was the same age as his older brother and the two actually got to know each other through him. When he had gone to Fred's house. The family was not welcoming at all. Considering what his brother had done, he did not blame them.

He hoped that she would not hold it against him as well. The people coming through the door slowed to a trickle and finally stopped completely. Left behind were two people in a tight hug.

Fred and his sister, who was standing on her own feet.

The two broke contact and turned towards Leo. Fred had the biggest grin. Seeing his sister walking again was the biggest signing bonus Klaus could have given him.

The two made their way over to him. Leo felt his heartbeat quickening. Fred worshipped his sister, in a way, she was his hero. Their dad had been injured a long time ago and could no longer support the family. The mother and father were illegal aliens. Not from one country to another. No, they had come from the Secret Worlds. This made it hard for the parents to explain the circumstances to their children.

As a result, Fred's sister was the main breadwinner in the family. Leo was nervous because if the sister did not accept him. It would put their friendship under a lot of strain once again.

She regarded Leo for a moment. "I heard you fought with your brother?"

Leo nodded.

She narrowed her eyes. "Who won?"

Leo shuffled in one place and then answered. "The steward interrupted, so it was still undecided. I think I had him beat, though. My brother holds his shield too high out of fear. It blinds him-"

"- on his left side." She completed with Leo and then smiled.

Leo nodded, feeling relieved. "My brother is an asshole. I intend to make up for it."

She shook her head. "The way he acted cannot be blamed on you. Besides, your team leader more than made up for it."

Fred frowned in confusion and turned to his sister. "What do you mean?"

"I was not the only one that got healed. Father can swing a sword again. They were also given citizenship and jobs. Apparently, Mr. Roth is planning on opening a whole bunch of orphanages and they needed caretakers. The job comes with housing and other benefits."

Leo felt surprised and looked in the direction they had come from. 'We all have to live with the decisions we made? What bullshit.' He smiled.

Fred just froze, his brain took some time to catch up. Leo could see the gears moving in his friend's head. That is why Leo could grab a hold of him before Fred took off. "I suggest you don't bother Klaus at the moment."

Fred looked at Leo accusingly. "Why?"

Leo gave him a look. "Klaus is with Lilith."

"So?" Fred did not look dissuaded

Leo rolled his eyes. "Fred, Klaus is with a beautiful woman who he has not seen in three months. They are busy."

Fred finally seemed to get it and rubbed at his hair. "Right."

The sister just looked between the two, not quite comprehending what was going on. She did get the gist of it, though and chuckled at her brother's embarrassment.

Klaus and Lilith only appeared five hours later. It was already afternoon. Klaus had tried to coax Liz out of her room, but she did not want to come.

He found his team laughing and playing a card game together. There were a few others with them. People he did not recognize. They were older and looked to be in their twenties.

Fred was able to clear away all suspicions when he jumped up and pointed at a woman. "This is my sister, Beth."

"Bethony, this is Mr. Roth."

Klaus gave her hand a shake. It was not soft like expected, but rather hard and calloused.

Klaus then introduced Lilith. The others became a bit guarded after hearing she was a Dalmora, but nothing strange happened.

The rest of the people were a team Bethony managed to put together after getting backing from Klaus. They were all from lesser-known families. They were a bit nervous at first. Everyone had heard about Klaus Alexandros Roth, the guy that took assets from the other Roth faction and who had demons at his command.

After Klaus played a few games with them. The atmosphere loosened up, especially with Beatrice being in the conversation.

Even Lilith ended up having some fun.

Klaus looked over the gathered people and found himself happy and sad at the same time. What was happening, the chatting and laughing were all things he had missed in his life. It was mostly his own fault, he understood that. He had been so focused on achieving his goal that he put everything else to one side.

There were bullies, yes, but not everyone around him was. Some avoided him, being afraid they would be bullied as well. Others never cared either way. When he thought back, there were definitely moments where he could have made friends. Friends were a distraction, though and he did not have enough social skills.

He wondered if he would have changed anything. The answer was a resounding no.

While they sat and played, people were called as their turn to go to the other side came up.

It was finally time for Fred's sister to go and the two had a heartwarming farewell.

Klaus wanted to urge his team members to get some sleep, but he knew there would be none to be had.

Amelia and Beatrice eventually went to fetch Liz. When she showed up, her eyes were puffy and red, but no one commented.

The games continued.

The next to go was Lilith. Her team was apparently, already waiting on the other side.

"Is there a way for me to contact you on the other side?" Klaus had to ask.

Lilith smiled when he asked and dug in her pocket before taking out a locket. It was emerald green and silver. It had the shape of a dragon. "There is a spell you can learn. It will take time depending on your aptitude and the further away we are from each other, the bigger the energy cost will be. She hung it around Klaus' neck and then cut off a lock of his hair, which had grown considerably longer over the three months. "I will be taking this."

Klaus did not bat an eye and nodded. "When will I see you again?"

She put her forehead against his, and they melded their minds together. Between them passed everything they felt for each other and more. Klaus felt her reluctance to leave, but also the resolve.

'I will see you when I see you.' She finally thought at him, before planting a long kiss on his lips.

Then she was gone. Klaus looked at the door through which she had gone and clutched the locket tightly. "See you when I see you."

Klaus only watched as his team played the rest of the night while fiddling with the locket. They had the sense to leave him alone.

Their team was finally called. The same bored man appeared and led them through a series of corridors and checks. They then had to write their names and were finally let through into another room.

It was empty except for strange runes carved into the rock below. The runes formed a triangle.

A voice spoke through a loudspeaker making them jump. "You all first-timers?"

Klaus and the others nodded.

The man chuckled. "Well, you are in for the experience of a lifetime."

The runes started to light up in blue ethereal light. "Clench your buttcheeks boys and girls. Transference in three, two, one."

Everything went black.