A Light After Endless Darkness

Chapter 10

"Aynna," said Elizabeth tightly, holding the letter with trembling fingers. "Go home."

"But-"

"GO. HOME."

Aynna popped up and rushed home, glancing behind her as Elizabeth rushed into the house.

Luckily, Sydney had locked himself in his study, leaving her free to go upstairs and close the door, leaving her with her thoughts.

Okay... so Zarix had found her. And that was bad. And instead of coming to kill her he... Wrote her a letter? What kind of sense did that make? If Elizabeth found out someone she'd tried to kill was still alive, she would've tried to finish the job. She wouldn't have tried to become their pen pal!

So... what, was he trying to scare her? Mission accomplished, if that was the case. Was it just another one of his sadistic taunts? Or was it... something else?

Only one way to find out.

With trembling hands, she opened the letter, and allowed herself to read the message scrawled in blood coloured ink.

Elizabeth,

You will notice you are in the possession of a letter from me, and that means I know where you are. And interestingly, I am not addressing this letter to some long forgotten corner of the Twilight Realm. Which means you have escaped.
If I were not so annoyed, I would almost be impressed.

You have disobeyed a direct order from your master. According to the Ancient Rites, I could kill you for your disobedience if I so wished, but unfortunately, there is still use for you. So I will give you a choice. You may meet me at midnight tonight in the Grove of Poultry, summon my sword, and return to the realm from which you came. Or, you may stay right where you are, and watch as I slaughter everyone you have grown to care for, one at a time.

Furthermore, I would suggest you put any ridiculous ideas about bringing your sword and battling me to rest; we both know you are not strong enough to defeat me.

You have until midnight tonight to decide.

Your master,
Zarix, Master of Darkness.

Elizabeth had to read the letter several times before she was able to fully process its contents. Zarix wanted to... meet her at midnight? That was so... cliche'd, and convoluted, she almost burst into peals of hysterical laughter right then and there. But then she realized the full magnitude of the truly awful situation she was in. She had to either follow his cliche'd orders, and probably die, or just stay here, and let everybody around her die.

Sydney... Jackson... Aynna... Hagen and Ana...

All of their lives could be spared if she just returned to the land of the monsters...

... or...

... or she could play this game Zarix had seemed to invent.

She sat at her desk, picked up her pencil, and wrote a letter of her own, for her own bizarre reasons.

Zarix,

Hm, that's funny, I seem to remember you being revoked of your title for locking a little girl in actual Hell for seven years. And even if you were still a master, you are no longer my master. You made that perfectly clear when you banished me.
Also, wow, are you SERIOUSLY still focused on that stupid sword? I mean, you'd think after seven years, you'd find a new magical mcguffin to obsess over. The Chalice of Chastity, perhaps, or the Flail of Fear. Or maybe take up a new hobby. Instead of torturing children, maybe try crocheting.
In case you aren't getting it, I'm not going to meet you at the "stroke of midnight" anywhere, and I'm sure not showing up to give you the sword, even if I did have it. So with that said, if you want to hurt me or any of my friends, you'll have to defeat me first. Because I am very much out here, and very much not defeated.
And just so you know? That tree behind Master Sydney's house is my handiwork. Still think I'm not strong enough to defeat you?
Hating you more every day,
Elizabeth