I’d neutralized the demon with one swift stab, but it had still managed to sink its claws into my left side. I held my hand over the wound, which was starting to gush. The sister hadn’t noticed but I knew I had to get out of there. Take San… I mean Grayson with me and recover on the Other Side.

There are three planes of existence. The first is the living side, which is the only one most perceive on a conscious level. The second is the Other Side or Latum Alterum. Every living thing has a soul as well as a physical form. When the physical form dies the soul is sent to Latum Alterum to be reincarnated back to the realm of the living in a new body, oblivious that any of this happens.

The third plane is one created by the soul to sustain itself. The soulscape, which is essentially the subconscious. Anything the soul perceives is translated and created in the soulscape, defining their “reality.” Even after a soul is cycled into a new body the information from past lives will remain in the soulscape, though it isn’t consciously perceptible outside of dreams. The soulscape is essentially its own world created from a soul’s experiences. When a Seraph enters chrysalis, they explore and become aware of their own soulscape. After they emerge they have the ability to sense the auras souls and to enter the soulscapes of others.

The place we where at on the Other Side was somewhere between Caelum and Infernium. A labyrinth of darkness of miles on end. This was a safe place, at least for now, and my wound would heal itself faster here.

Hours passed in the void. I laid on… whatever the floor was made of, and stared up at the black abyss, which looked the same as the floor or the random walls on either side of me. I used to find this place unnerving, but now it was oddly calm. In the living world things changed constantly, I could go to a place I went to a decade before and have it be almost nothing like I remember. This place never changed. It was the same a thousand years ago, and it would be the same a thousand years from now.

Grayson is still sleeping. Some of his hair is turning blue already, matching his aura. Even watching him sleep he reminds me of her. He seems so peaceful, his chest going up and down as he breathes. San was always the most caring and empathetic Seraph, and I’d missed her so much.

After a moment I realized something was off however. Every few moments, his face twitched. At first first it was subtle, barely noticeable, but then it became more apparent. This wasn’t something that normally happened in chrysalis.

I decided to enter Grayson’s soulscape. Even if it was nothing it’s not like I had anything better to do. I laid back down and concentrated, focused on the soul’s aura, connected it with my own.

When I opened my eyes I was in a familiar place. The ancient ruins of the Greek civilization which was just outside my hometown. I played here as a kid, and later took San here when we had time to relax. Grayson was close. But I couldn’t determine where. I also felt other auras, ones that didn’t belong to Grayson and that weren’t figments of the soulscape. One was very familiar. One I hadn’t felt in a long time but…

“Did you miss me Thalia?”

But not one I had ever wanted to see again. She emerged from behind one of the ruins. The eight seraph. The traitor and master of demons.

Sabreal.