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Together We Stand

"Bev! Y-you weren't supposed to br-bring him until later!" Bill snapped, crossing his arms and scowling. "You're sp-spoiling the surprise."

"It's not that much of a secret. I mean, what the gift is," Bev said, making Richie furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. She winked. "What matters is how you use it."

"What is it?" Richie asked.

Bill scoffed and threw Richie the parcel. He and Bev watched while Richie opened it, revealing a large black cloak.

"I don't even know what to say... mainly because I don't fucking know what this is," Richie said, lifting the cloak up and turning it around.

Bev and Bill grinned, pulling their own cloaks out, making Richie raise an eyebrow. They put theirs on, looking out the window and seeing how the sun only had five hours left in the sky.

"We're going over to the North," Bev said, flipping her hair out of her face. "But it's a long walk, so we have to get going. Flying will sell us out."

Richie's jaw dropped in shock. "What?!" he asked, following Bev as she walked out the door. "What do you mean by that?!"

Bev just smiled and Bill clapped his hand on Richie's shoulder, following her. Knowing he had no choice, Richie pulled on his own cloak and trailed after his friends until they reached the tree line.

They walked until they heard the crashing sounds of the Black River. By that time the sun was nearly set, golden hues flowing through the trees and illuminating the silvery eyes of the demons.

The river was named appropriately, charcoal waves crashed against the shore, giving off a somber and depressing feeling to the group. They stood before it, Richie walking right up to it and sitting at its edge.

It reminded him of the first time his father had brought him there, informing him of the separation between the two groups. He told Richie of the war between the Underworld and why the Angels and Demons had aligned. He also said the only way to defeat the rage of the river was to unite the two sides, as in having a Demon and an Angel come together in peace and love, but everyone knew it wouldn't happen. It was a sad story, ending in separation and unresolved rage, but it was what had happened and nothing would change it.

"Rich? Are y-y-you okay?" Bill asked, watching how focused Richie seemed on the river.

"Uh, yeah," Richie said in a dazed voice. "Should we cross now or later? Dad told me that it's hard to cross because it makes you feel weird, so I think we should get it over with and rest on the other side."

Bev smiled and held her cloak in her arms, spreading her wings. They were black like Richie's and Bill's, but the veins were red and made her own unique.

"It's up to you, birthday boy," she said with a wink, lifting off the ground.

Richie and Bill followed her, mesmerized by how long the Black River stretched. It was a quarter mile wide, and it took nearly twenty minutes to cross, since the river made them all feel depressed and lost.

They finally landed, all of them thoroughly exhausted. It was dark by then, so they all made their cloaks into makeshift beds, settling down and closing their eyes.

Sleep came easily, but Richie didn't stay asleep for long.

•••

When Richie woke up, he was still tired. It confused him, since he figured he'd be more awake, but when he saw Bill and Bev still sound asleep, he realized he just hadn't slept much.

Usually Richie slept late, but he felt nervous so he couldn't sleep. There was a strange pit in his stomach, stopping him from rest. He narrowed his eyes and looked around, before gazing at a new sight.