𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 [𝙸]

t h r e e

"There you go." he spelt out, "A shortcut."

"Are you sure it will lead upstairs?"

"I am sure."

"Are you one hundred percent positive?"

"Charmeine," Lucifer's voice dipped from irritancy, "you either believe me or you don't. It's entirely up to you."

I nodded taking Lucifer's words into account. I needed to prove myself to Lucifer that I wasn't like the others. I was doing this for me now not the Fates. They could wait, for now, I needed to learn to play the games Lucifer would throw at me. I couldn't die on the battlefield so soon.

With one last curt nod, I pressed my palm against the glass and pushed forward.

I stumbled forwards, the air pressure switching from out behind me. The sudden change pushes me onward, almost losing me my footing.

Okay, so the transition wasn't as smooth as I had hoped.

Raphael was nowhere to be seen. But his whereabouts weren't at the top of my mental priority list. I had to figure out what Lucifer's surreptitious words unravelled to meant. What Lucifer had said confused me. Another realm? Exactly how many realms are there?

If there was only a way to know if Lucifer was telling the truth.

One question remained; November seventeenth. The question was never leaving simply. It had to link to everything else dipped in the spread of unknown. What happened before? And why was Raphael so reluctant on telling me? Another question - why has nobody revealed the Fates identities?

Were they hiding something?

No- stop it Charmeine. You're allowing Lucifer's words to contradict your thinking.

"Charmeine, you return!" Raphael's bright voice shone through the front room like metaphorical sunshine. He appeared before me, entering through the double-glazed doors leading out from the courtyard clad in sage gardening gloves and a large, thick brimmed hat. It swooped low on his head, the brim cutting through his nose.

"Raphael," I said, taking a breather to recollect my mangled thoughts. I followed him to the cream sofa, taking a seat.

"How did your first visit go?" he asked, removing his grass-stained gloves.

"Honestly?" I recline into the sumptuous comfort of the sofa. "I don't even know. I am a mixture of emotions."

Raphael looks surprised. "So soon?"

"Mm, say, Raphael, how many realms are there?"

"Five I think; Heaven, Light Paradox, Earth, the Underworld, Underworld volume two."

"Underworld volume two?"

"Yeah. It's an odd title I know but there are multiple layers of the Underworld but they all filter down into two realms - why?"

"Nothing. Just something Lucifer said."

"Which was?"