Bella and I struck the ship at the same time, screaming upon impact. I made small choking noises from the pain, and my tears covered the wooden floor below me. I tried to move my legs, and found that I couldn't. Terrified and unable to move, my eyes flew open. I stared desperately at Bella, but she was out of ideas as well. She seemed to be in, if possible, in a worse state than me. Blood flowed from her mouth, staining the deck. One of her arms was bent at a horrifying angle. I couldn't bear to look at it any more, but I couldn't look away.

I knew we were dead. Or worse.

Probably worse.

I could feel the Shadows hurling toward us, and there was nothing I could do. If my legs had been working properly, I would've blocked out the pain and jumped desperately out of the ship. Anything to escape from what was coming next.

The black fog swirled around us, and I felt the ship beginning to move. Overcome with pain and sheer terror, I closed my eyes and tried to block out everything around me. Maybe if I pretended that I wasn't about to be tortured, I wouldn't be.

If only things worked like that. I felt the ship slow to a stop, and we were (more gently) tossed out of the ship. I fell on my back, which was covered in cuts and bruises. I tried to scream, but was silenced by the Shadows. The fog formed the shape of a person again, and it glared fiercely at both of us.

"Would either of you like to explain the little trick you pulled?" he snarled, in a way that a father might lecture their child.

Neither of us responded, but I did let out another gasp of pain as I attempted to lean on one of my legs. Definitely broken.

"EXPLAIN!" His arms dissolved into black fog, and slapped both of us. Even Bella shrieked loudly that time. I could feel blood in my mouth, and it spilled out onto the ground a few seconds later.

"What is there to explain?" Bella hissed, her voice muffled and twisted. I couldn't turn my head to see what was wrong with her mouth. "We almost beat you. There's no way you can keep attacking and attacking the gods, and expect to win. There's too many of them, and only one of you. You don't have followers anymore. You killed all of them!"

I bent my neck slightly to get a better look at the Shadows. I was preparing for him to deliver another blow onto each of us for that comment, but no more pain was delivered. Instead, his arms flew further out and surrounded us. This time, it seemed to... heal us?

"What? Why?" I gasped, able to turn my head fully now.

He glared back at us. "We attack tomorrow around noon. You better be fully healed physically so as not to harm me. And you better get used to being combined."

A flash of light, a painful collision, and Bella and I were one person again. Belyssa cried out in pain, struggling to stand up. However, as each second went by, we could feel the pain decreasing further and further. We would be back to full health by morning.

"Now, I suppose you've learned your lesson," the Shadows said in a stone cold voice. "Because this isn't a game. If you split apart again, I will ignore the gods. I will go straight for the weak mortals, and kill everyone you love. Then, I will go for the gods. Do you want to see the old man die before your eyes? Do you want to see Jeriah be killed, Alyssa? It's up to you."

The black fog swirled around us, making it so that we couldn't move. "Relax, girls. None of them have to die if you don't fight your inevitable future."

With that, he was gone.

And I didn't know what to do next.

Alyssa? Bella asked hesitantly. Are you okay?

Physically, you mean? I'm getting better, at least...

No. I didn't think it was possible to let out a sigh in your thoughts, but she did. I mean... are you okay with trying again tomorrow?

The Shadows said he would kill Jeriah, though! I thought back. I wanted to cry, but no more tears would come out.

I know. And it's up to you. Now, seeing how the Shadows like to manipulate people, I'm going to take a guess and said that he's going to kill Jeriah and the others regardless of whether or not we split up. He would just delay their death until after the gods are gone. You know that, right? Her voice was gentle, but firm at the same time. She knew I was hurt, but we both knew what the right thing to do was.

I... I guess. What if he tries to kill us? Because it seems like we're causing him more trouble than actually helping him, I realized. He might just get fed up and kill us both.

Alyssa, I've been trapped here for over thirty years. Dying is my biggest wish at this point. She paused to let her words sink in.

Oh. Somehow, I hadn't thought of the idea that Bella didn't want to continue living. Well, if you're fine with dying, I am too. We're trapped in this place forever, and I would rather die than stay here for the rest of my life. I'll just do whatever I can to prevent the death of my friends before I go.

So, it's a deal then? There was a bit of hope in her voice. We're going to split again?

Yeah, I thought, pushing all my fears aside. We're going to split again.