The alleyway where Dantes stood was dark, lit only by the a flickering overhead light several yards away. It cast an eery shadow upon him that made him look far more dangerous than he was. If anything, he was more fraught with worry and fear than the angry setting he now stood in made him appear.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door that creaked open behind him, and Annette's head peeking out.

"You okay?" she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that his mind was jumping around like a live wire.

"It's going to be fine. If anyone can get through this, it's Elyssa," Annette continued. Her words though didn't help. He could hear the doubt in her voice, the same doubt he now struggled with.

"Does it have to be her?" he asked, "I mean I could..."

"Die? How would you do that? By unleashing the other version of yourself onto the world without even knowing what the results would be...Without even knowing if dealing with him would change anything?" She shook her head.

He knew she was right, but it didn't mean he had to like the answer.

"If I could, I'd do it myself. But I can't. My mom doesn't have her magic, so she couldn't bring me back. Neither does Elyssa. Of the three of us left who had magical powers that leaves only me with the ability to bring someone back to life. And Elyssa's the only one that can die, and has her head on to a point that she can reason what she's doing when she passes over...There's no other way."

"...And Shannon?" Dantes hated to ask, but he hated putting Elyssa in even more danger. It felt selfish of him, but he was feeling desperate.

Annette shook her head, "I thought of that too. I was afraid to bring it up and involve even more of our friends. It doesn't matter though. She's away. Something about preparing for the end of the world with the tribe. At this point, even if she was willing, we don't have the time to find her and bring her here."

"End of the world?" Dantes' ears perked up at the mention of it. Granted, it had been talked about among humans for centuries. Even the angels and demons had talked about such a possibility and accused the other of plotting for it. For all the wars, and the death and destruction, it had always been a distant thought used to compel the masses to fight. No one actually wanted to destroy the world, not completely at least. They just wanted to do enough to line their pockets and enslave anyone not on their side.

"You don't think we're moving in that direction?" Annette asked upon seeing his expression.

He shook his head, "I don't know. There are those who will burn it down and reshape it. They'll create a hell on earth...but completely destroy it? No one, not even the demons have been willing to go that far."

"I hope you're right. Things seem different now though. Something's changed in the world. I can feel it, and it scares me to think of what could be ahead," Annette responded. The fear in her voice was more than evident. It gave Dantes pause to his own thoughts on the matter. Could the world have reached a point where destroying it was now an option?

"We should get started," Annette added after a long silence between them. She started to walk inside and noticed Dantes hadn't moved.

"You coming?" she asked.

"Give me a second."

"You really shouldn't worry so much. Like I said, everything's going to be fine. We'll get through this. We always have. And when everything's over, you and Elyssa..."

"May not be. At least the way it's looking," he finished grimly.

"I knew there was something else bothering you."

"It's complicated and it's not going well. By the time this is over...I don't think there'll be an us. At least not in that way."

"...I'm sorry."

"I am too. I'll have to find a new place to live, somewhere far away...," he said as he tried to summon a weak smile, "It's probably for the best. Too many memories here. The cove, her...I was fooling myself to hold onto it...Like you said, things change and if something as large as the world can change, what hope do we have?"

"Yeah...I guess you're right...You never know though. Things change all the time, sometimes in ways we never expect...have hope," her voiced trailed off.

She waited a moment but never received a response. She knew she likely wouldn't but it was worth a try. It didn't really matter. She needed to believe in it herself because she was on the verge of the same despair she could see Dantes struggling with. It would do them no good if both of them lost that basic instinct for survival and change. One of them needed to hold onto that light, that beacon of something better in the future.

Right now it was her burden, and she knew that as they journeyed forward, he at some point would carry her in the same way. It was who they were. It was what they did for one another, what all their friends did. For now she would put that idea, that thought in his head, that all was not lost. In time he'd come to believe in it again, just as he always had. For now though, he needed a few moments alone.

"Yeah...hope," he repeated quietly, almost to himself as Annette disappeared inside. The idea had stuck, just as Annette had hoped it would. Maybe if he repeated it often enough he'd believe it, although at the moment he personally wasn't counting on it. At least, just as Annette expected it would, the seed had been planted.

He paced for several minutes. His head was in a million different places at once. Focusing on just one thought seemed almost impossible. He knew that his only thought at the moment should have been about getting Elyssa down to the shop, and preparing the ritual with Annette to find the whereabouts of the three fates. His mind though didn't want to cooperate.

Instead, he found himself worrying about Annette's ability to bring Elyssa back from the dead once the attempt was over. If something happened to her, or Annette failed, he'd never forgive himself. Even more so, he didn't know how he'd go on without knowing she was okay.

Even that thought though brought on even more ideas that swirled inside his head. What if they didn't make it after everything? The first time he lost her it sent him into a spiral of depression and despair. Could he handle going through it a second time without having her in his life? He'd have to run, and chances were that there was nowhere that would be far enough away.

Maybe Annette had a spell that could help, one that would erase any memory he had of Elyssa. He wondered for a moment if that was possible, or would fate have a different plan to bring everything back full circle. If it came down to that it might be worth a try, assuming he could sum up the courage to go through with it.

Carefully he slid his phone from his pocket. He stared at it for what seemed like forever as he debated calling her. He wondered how he would explain what was needed. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation. In fact it was one he'd prefer not to have. At this point though it was necessary, and the more time he spent drowning himself in his thoughts were valuable seconds lost to maybe changing things for the better.

Before he let himself get lost in more thoughts and worries, he dialed the number and waited patiently for Elyssa to answer. It rang a few times and someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello?" Before he could even finish the word, he was met with a dial tone.

He called again, "Elys..?" Another dial tone before he could finish.

He tried a third time. It rang a few times before being picked up again.

"Hello?" he tried again, a bit hesitant and expecting to receive the dial tone once once more.

"What do you want?" Elyssa's voice came from the other end, sounding cold and annoyed.

"I uhh...we need your help," he stammered back.

There was a moment of silence before she replied, "...And who's we?"

"...Annette and Alicia." His response was followed by an awkward silence, "You there?"

"Yeah. I'm here. Are ummm...are they okay?"

"It's not good. We don't have a lot of time either. We could really use your help."

She didn't hesitate in giving her answer, "Where?"

"The shop. Annette's setting everything up right now."

"Okay."

"Hey...It's...it's dangerous. If you're not up for it, we'll find another way," he replied. She could hear in his voice that he wasn't happy with whatever the plan was.

"If there was another way, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be calling me."

"...Yeah. Still though."

"It's okay. I'm leaving right now. I'll be there as fast as I can."

"...Thanks. I'll see you in a bit." There was another awkward silence. Neither knew what to say next, especially with how strange things had become between them. They both tried to say goodbye, but it was uncomfortable and tense. By the time they had both hung up neither felt particularly excited about seeing the other. In fact, both were dreading it.

It wasn't a dread out of hate or dislike, but one of the unknown. It was the ineptness one feels when they find themselves torn between emotions and confused in how to deal with them. It was the place one finds themselves in when relationships start to fall apart and tear at the seams, and the struggle of not knowing whether to hold on or let go. Dantes and Elyssa had reached that point. They loved each other too much to move on, and yet there were too many questions as to why they shouldn't.

For the next half an hour until Elyssa arrived, Dantes found himself asking himself those questions. So many things had changed since they had found happiness with each other centuries ago. Her disappearance had nearly killed him, and when they saw each other again he had found himself torn between the love he felt for her and the pain she had caused him. Now that they were together again, he wondered if their differences and circumstances in how they had grown would stop them from ever finding the happiness they once had.

When Elyssa finally arrived she found Dantes still sitting in the alleyway. It was a struggle for him to even face her, and she wasn't feeling much different.

"That was quick."

"Yeah...I uhh, I probably drove a bit faster than I should have."

He nodded in response and then pointed to the shop, "Annette's inside. I think she's almost done."

"Are they okay?" she asked with worry in her voice.

His response was merely the grim look he gave her and nothing more. She knew from that response that things were likely worse than she imagined.

"Inside then?"

He nodded in reply as he stood up and led her back into the shop without another word being spoken between them. They found Annette in the back, not far down the hall from where Alicia was being held. She was busy moving things around, and had already stacked a huge pile of junk in the corner. In the middle of the room she had set up a cot, surrounded by various runes and other magical symbols.

Annette looked up upon hearing Dantes and Elyssa standing by the door. To Elyssa's surprise, she was met with a warm smile and a long drawn out hug from Annette.

"Are you okay?" Annette asked, whispering quietly in her ear while still holding her tightly. Elyssa was slightly taken aback by the warm reception. It seemed out of sorts seeing as they hadn't really had any contact since Dewdrop's death and Elyssa's casting of the dark magic.

"...You're not...You're not angry with me?" Elyssa stuttered back, her eyes getting damp with tears.

Annette pulled back slightly, her warm eyes locking onto Elyssa's.

"I've missed you. Let's leave it at that for now."

"I've missed you too," Elyssa replied as she pulled Annette back close to her. Elyssa held her for what seemed the longest time. She just couldn't bring herself to let go.

"How's your mom?" Elyssa finally asked, breaking the silence. Her question was once again met with a grave silence.

"I'll show her. You finish up here, okay?" Dantes jumped in when there was no response.

Annette nodded, "Hurry back though. We need to get started soon.

Dantes led her a few rooms down to where Alicia was being held. He paused for a second, listening at the door for any noises directly on the other side. The response was eerily quiet. Slowly he turned the door knob and slid the door open, his eyes carefully watching for any movement or attack that might occur.

"You're locking her in a room?" Elyssa whispered to him. From the way he was handling it, she knew things were far worse than she originally thought. It was as if he was worried of a demon on the other side, and not the warm, intelligent, and caring woman Elyssa remembered.

In reply, Dantes held his finger to his lips motioning for Elyssa to be quiet. He pushed the door fully open and then stepped aside.

"Careful, and don't step into the room," he warned her as she took a few steps forward to stand at the entrance. It was almost pitch black inside, and it took a few moments for Elyssa's eyes to adjust to the darkness. In the furthest corner of the room, she finally spotted Alicia. Without even thinking Elyssa almost ran towards her, stopped only by Dantes grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"She's not well," he continued.

"What happened to her?"

"We're not sure but it had to do with that injury from the shadow creatures. We've tried everything and nothing's worked. She's only getting worse," Dantes replied.

Elyssa continued standing at the entrance, squinting into the darkness as her eyes carefully watched Alicia. At first, Alicia just sat silently in the corner while emitting the low humming sound. Once again, she was frozen as if she was merely a statue.

"That's odd. It's almost...she reminds me of that Doctor Who statue thing, but with sound," Elyssa finally said when she could pull her attention away from her. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see a silly smirk on Dantes face.

"What?" she asked.

"I kind of thought the same thing."

"You would...nerd," she said, jabbing him playfully in the ribs.

"What's the old saying again? Takes one to know one?" he replied, trying to appear playful in spite of the doubt he was feeling.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Obviously he wasn't very good at hiding what he was feeling, particularly when it came to angst.

"I'm fine."

He could tell by looking at her that she wasn't buying it. She knew him too well, and his feelings were something he had never been good at keeping secret.

"Okay then," she responded. Within that instant her whole demeanor had changed. The friendly, playfully tone that he so loved about her and missed had turned sour.

Before he could say another word Annette's voice drifted from down the hall, "I think we're set here."

It distracted Elyssa for a second and when she turned back towards the room, Alicia was in the doorway, blocked from moving beyond it by the runes that trapped her inside. Her gaze was locked onto Elyssa. She didn't move and the low hum continued from her throat. It startled Elyssa, and she stumbled backwards into Dantes arms.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just...just a bit surprised," Elyssa responded, her voice shaking as she stood back up and steadied herself.

"Freaked me out too the first time."

"Yeah. It really is kind of like one of those blasted angels from Doctor Who. I literally looked away for only a second." She shook her head and made a double take, "Can she hear us? I mean Alicia, is she still in there?"

"I don't know. She's been like that for awhile, and it's getting worse more quickly than it was. If there's a way to reverse it, I don't think we have much time to figure it out."

Elyssa nodded in agreement.

"I'll get the door. You should talk to Annette," Dantes spoke. Again Elyssa nodded and started towards the room where Annette was preparing, but not before glancing back over her shoulder with sadness at Alicia's state.

When she finally entered the room where the spell was to take place, she found Annette sitting beside the cot. She had a look of worry on her face but also grave determination.

"It's going to be alright," Elyssa said upon seeing her.

Annette forced a smile in return, "Did Dantes tell you about the spell?"

Elyssa shook her head. She hadn't even bothered to ask but she was willing to do anything to help her friends. After seeing Alicia's state, there was no way she could say no to whatever it was they needed. She could tell from Annette's reaction, and the deep sigh that came along with it, that it was much more dangerous than she had thought.

"What exactly is the spell?"

"...It's...it's basically a resurrection spell."

Elyssa's brow scrunched up in confusion as she slowly asked, "...Who are we...resurrecting? Isn't that dangerous or is it like a past lives sort of thing?"

"...It's definitely dangerous. There's a...structure you could say to past lives. Things end before they begin again. A resurrection is essentially defying those rules. It's messing with time and disrupting the tidy wrapping life is supposed to have," Annette replied, choosing her words very carefully as she did.

Elyssa noticed that Annette hadn't answered her first question. The lack of an answer left a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, "Annette, who are we resurrecting?"

There was a long pause as Annette struggled to look Elyssa in the eyes, "...You."

"But I'm not dead."

Annette didn't answer her. She could barely look at her. Before Elyssa could protest she felt a hand touch her gently on the shoulder, and a second later Dantes quietly whispered into her ear, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

She turned to him. She could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute in her chest, "You're going to kill me?"

Now it was Dantes turn to remain silent. He too looked away.

"So that's it? I have to die? And just what is that going to achieve?"

Annette was the one that chose to answer, "The three fates. That's the purpose, to find them."

"The three fates?"

Annette nodded, "I've tried everything. Every spell, everything to push whatever it is in my mom out has failed and we're running out of time. The fates, they know everything almost from the moment time began. If there's a way, they'll know."

"I don't understand. Why do I have to die to find them?"

It was Dantes turn to explain, "The fates disappeared long ago. No one knows where they are, but they're also connected to everything. The easiest way to find them is through their spiritual connection to the world, and the only way to do that..."

"...Is for me to die," Elyssa said, finishing his words, "Wow. You guys don't ask for much, do you?"

"If you don't want to do it...I..." Dantes started before she could cut him off.

"No. It's okay. I just...I knew it was a big thing, I just didn't realize...Okay, then. What do we do?"

"There's another problem," Annette spoke up, catching Dantes and Elyssa's attention.

Almost in unison they replied, "Another problem?"

Annette looked down at the wound on her arm she had received from her mom. It had grown to almost twice it's original size.

"What is that?" Elyssa asked.

"Her mom, she infected her." Dantes responded.