The next morning seemed different from all others. The minute Elyssa awoke and her eyes fluttered open, she felt an uncomfortableness in the air. It was far different than the feeling she normally awoke to, one of hope and cheerfulness, where everything seemed a bit brighter than it really was. It was that feeling that kept her going in spite of all the troubles she had endured, in spite of becoming a succubus and losing her magic. She knew she had Dantes, and that there wasn't any problem they couldn't overcome together.

That feeling was now gone, replaced by feelings of guilt and filth. She hated it. She hated everything about feeling that way, and it weighed even more heavily on the doubts she had already begun to have. Maybe everything up to this point was just the honeymoon phase, and now how they truly felt about one another was beginning to seep through. She wondered if that was her reason for leaving centuries ago.

She rolled over, trying to shake the doubts she was having. To her surprise Dantes was still there, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Normally she liked seeing him in the morning, but these feelings made his presence a not so pleasant surprise. From the looks of it, he was feeling exactly what she was.

"You're up..." he said hesitantly as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"...Yeah. Just woke up...And you're...you're still here?"

"I was about to lea...did you want me to leave?"

"Oh," she responded, avoiding giving an answer to his question and allowing an awkward silence to ensue.

When the silence became unbearable, he finally stood up and grabbed his pants from the floor.

"You're leaving?" she asked, with a bit of surprise in her voice that caught him off guard.

"Yeah, I thought...it sounded like that's what you wanted. It is, isn't it?"

Again, she didn't answer. He hung his head as he continued to dress.

"Maybe I'll see you later," he finally said, grabbing his shirt from the floor and sliding it over his head. His eyes caught hers as he did and she quickly looked away.

"...Okay," she replied softly under her breath as he started to leave the room, "Wait..."

He stopped in the doorway. She could feel her heart racing in her chest, and she wasn't even sure quite what to say next. Why did she stop him? She asked herself that question over and over again in that moment, and didn't have an answer.

"...What do you want?" he finally asked when she didn't continue. His voice was heavy and low. It wasn't angry sounding but sad and defeated, almost like he was ashamed and didn't want to be there. It wasn't much different than how she was feeling at the moment.

"Would you...would you mind staying here a bit longer?"

"...I thought you wanted me to leave," he responded without looking at her.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't not say that either though. I thought..." he stopped, taking in a breath and letting out a deep sigh.

"Thought what?"

"...Never mind. It's complicated."

"Yeah. It is...Would you...Could you lay back down with me?" She didn't know what made her ask that question, or why she'd want him to with the way she was feeling. Maybe it was an attempt to fix the way she felt inside, a hope that by lying together she'd allow herself to feel close to him again.

He looked at her with confusion on his face, "You don't want me to leave?"

She shook her head, but it wasn't exactly convincing, "You leaving like this, it just feels...wrong. Like that's all you were here for."

He had started walking over towards her, but stopped the moment she said those words.

"How did you want me to take that, or should I just pretend you never said it?"

"I didn't mean...I mean I just...I..." she tried to stammer out a reply but it was already too late.

"I can't believe you said that. You couldn't even say you wanted me to stay, and then..." he shook his head as his voice trailed off, "I don't know if I can do this with you. Not again."

"Do what?"

As she asked, she wondered if this was how they ended the last time. Maybe she was right, and this was the cause of her disappearance in the past life. It seemed in this moment that there was nothing that could stop this downward spiral that had come from out of nowhere.

"Are you...are you leaving me?" she asked when he didn't answer. The second she said the final word, the waterfall of tears started. She didn't know or understand what brought it on. A moment ago she wasn't sure they would work, she may have even contemplated moving on herself. Hearing the words out loud though, it changed everything.

"I didn't say that," he retorted, "I just mean..." Before he could finish the phone in his pocket began to ring.

"I didn't ask you to leave either, but obviously I'm being accused of it," she fired back at him between tears as he fumbled for his phone that had stopped ringing. It beeped as a text came through.

"Can we talk about this later?"

"No, I want to talk about this now!"

He glanced down at the message on the phone, "I can't. I want to. I really do. I want to fix this but this is important."

"And I'm not?" she asked. Before she could finish he was gone. It was as if he was never there. The quietness permeated the room, and the heaviness of it overwhelmed her as she slumped back down onto her bed.

"...are you cheating on me?" She said the words quietly to herself as she rolled over and buried her head into her pillow, her back heaving as she sobbed heavily. The multitude of feelings didn't make any sense to her. They were mixed and overwhelming in a way she had never felt. As she cried herself back to sleep, she told herself she never wanted to feel this way again and she wondered what she could do to ensure that happened.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The wind stung his face as he ran towards Annette's shop, taking the back alleys to avoid being seen. He wished the stinging sensation he was feeling was more intense, that the pain would drown out the thoughts that were now running through his head.

The conversation with Elyssa repeated itself over and over again in his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't stop even though there were more important things to worry about at the moment. Why did he say what he said? Why hadn't he handle the conversation better than he had? More importantly, why didn't he think before he spoke? It was something he'd never forgive himself for.

Yet as he asked himself those questions, her own part of the conversation gave him pause. Something was up with her. She wasn't acting like herself, and he worried that the demon side of her was taking an even bigger hold. At least he hoped that was the reason for her odd behavior. If so, that made him feel even guiltier for what he had said.

He shook his head again. What was he thinking? If anyone should feel guilty it was her. She obviously didn't want him to stay. She couldn't even say she did when he first asked. Then, to accuse him of using her for intimacy. What gave her the right to do that?

He loved her too much to make her do something she didn't want to. If she had said that she wasn't comfortable with him, and there wasn't the succubus problem to contend with, he would have willingly backed off to give her space. Maybe that was the right thing to do now since she was obviously having issues with it. The idea pained him, but it seemed the only choice he had. It seemed like the right thing to do, or at least he hoped it was.

The thought brought to his mind the conversation with Annette the day before. Maybe his fears were justified. Maybe Elyssa really didn't love him and it was just the succubus, and the need and desire to feed that had led her to him. Even worse, maybe she really had changed since he knew her all those centuries ago and in the end their relationship would be doomed.

The thought scared him. He didn't know if he could handle losing her again. It would be the final nail in his coffin, and would ensure that he'd have an inner battle of his own to contend with. If such a thing would come to pass, would he even care enough to fight off the transformation or would the hopelessness overwhelm him to the point of giving up before the struggle had even begun.

His theory had been that the demonic version of him trapped between worlds had helped him to fight off the transformation into a full fledged demon. There were definitely holes in that theory though that he hadn't been able to completely figure out. If he was being completely honest with himself, he knew the other part of that battle to retain his humanity was the tiny inkling of hope he had held onto in one day being with her again. In spite of avoiding her for centuries, in spite of the anger he had held for how she had ended things, that hope had always been there.

This was wrong, he thought to himself. Not knowing, being stuck in the limbo of not being sure whether she cared or not, and letting himself give into the hope of being together again placed them both in grave danger. He had let himself get caught up in old feelings, and allowed his guard to drop. It was a mistake, at least in this moment of time, and that reflection gave him extra assurance that backing off a bit might be a better idea. At least for now, and until he knew if it was the succubus or her that desired him.

He wondered if he could adjust to that outlook, to pull back on the feelings he had for her. It would be one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. Those emotions, once he had allowed himself to feel them again, had unleashed themselves like a waterfall. Being what he was, they were felt more strongly than any human could ever imagine and at times had become overwhelming.

Maybe if he lied to himself enough, told himself that they were just close friends, he could convince himself that everything was okay for the time being without getting so wrapped up in her that losing her would devastate him. It would be hard, but while they journeyed down this rocky road, it might be possible. That was his hope at least.

The buzzing from the phone in his pocket interrupted his thoughts. He pulled it out and glanced at it. It was another text from Annette, this one more urgent than the last. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had almost forgotten where he was. He realized it wasn't much farther to her shop, maybe a few blocks at most. His worries of Elyssa and their own problems and how to handle them would have to wait.

It only took a few more minutes for him to make it there, and he slowed his speed to a walk as he exited out from the alley and around to the front door. He wondered what was going on as he entered the building. The messages had said it was urgent that he come, but Annette never gave a reason why.

It was quiet inside, but not in a way that gave way to a sense of danger.

"Annette?!" Dantes called out as he wandered towards the back of the store, "Are you here?"

He didn't receive an answer, but as he neared the area where they were holding Alicia he could hear a ruckus.

"Annette?" he said again, quickening his pace.

As he rounded the corner to the hallway, he saw Annette covered in paint and frantically trying to draw symbols on the outer walls.

"What's going on?" he asked, rushing over to help her.

"The runes, they're weakening," Annette yelled as she started to paint another symbol.

Dantes grabbed another paintbrush, "What do you need me to do?"

Annette motioned towards another symbol on the wall, "The one on the upper right of the wall, paint the same thing to your left. It has to match exactly," she ordered.

Just as Dantes' touched the tip of the brush to the wall, it shook.

"What is that?" he asked as he desperately tried to paint.

"It's mom. She's been doing that for the last hour!...Hurry." The pounding on the walls became louder and the time between shorter.

"There, there, and now over there too," Annette commanded as she pointed to different places on the wall for Dantes to repeat the symbol. He drew them as fast as he could, moving from spot to spot, and at one point almost covering Annette in a broad stroke he took across the wall.

"Done!" Dantes yelled, as Annette also applied the last stroke of her brush too. They paused for a moment. The pounding on the walls had stopped.

"Is that it?" Dantes asked as he walked over to the door and peeked inside. He turned back to Annette with a quizzical look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she walked over and looked inside the room herself. She hesitated a moment as she glanced around, stuck her head in quickly for a better look, and then looked at Dantes with the same confused look he had.

"Where is she?" Annette asked.

"I...I don't...," he stopped, "Do you hear that?"

They both listened for a moment, and they could hear breathing coming from the room.

"She doesn't have her magic anymore, does she?" Dantes asked, a bit perplexed.

"Invisibility spell? Even if she could cast, and I don't think she can with how far gone she is, I can't see her casting a spell that takes that much energy."

"She's still in the room though, right? I mean, that is her I hear breathing, right?" Dantes asked, still perplexed.

"I think so...Who else could it be?"

Dantes stuck his head back in the room, trying to pinpoint where the breathing was coming from. His eyes scanned the room slowly, trying to adjust to how dark it was. As he listened, his eyes went up the wall tracking the sound. Perched above, and hanging from the ceiling was Alicia staring down at him.

Suddenly she disappeared, as if the ceiling had absorbed her and a minute later she materialized from the floor in front of him. He jumped back, almost knocking Annette to the ground in the process, as Alicia reached out to grab him.

Alicia continued to lunge forward, held back by the invisible force blocking her passage from the room. The symbols and magic had held up to their relief. Although looking at Alicia, they became worried. She barely resembled herself. Whatever was happening, the changes were happening even faster than before. She was even taking on the powers of the shadow creatures with her ability to sink into the darkness of the walls and reappear somewhere else.

"We have to fix this fast. You have any leads yet?" Dantes asked, glancing down at the wound on Annette's arm. She knew what he was thinking. He was worried about how much time she had herself. Without anyone with the ability to use magic their cause was hopeless, and it wouldn't be long before Annette's powers started to leave too.

"I might," Annette replied, "but you're not going to like it."

"So you have a lead?"

"I have a way to find them but there's a catch," she replied grimly.

"I think that's par for the course for us."

Annette nodded to him in agreement, "We need Elyssa though."

"...Okay."

"...And she has to die," Annette finished. Dantes didn't say a word, but she could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't happy with what she had said. To find the fates location was risky, and if it wasn't done exactly right Elyssa would never return. But if they didn't attempt it, it would only be a matter of time before Elyssa and the others lost control of themselves.