Cris was ready for an attack as soon as they’d decided to follow Levi’s bait, but nonetheless, he was shocked by how quickly he and his companions were targeted. And surprisingly, Levi and Mara weren’t part of it. At least not directly.

  Four other students were hiding in the shadows, presumably having been lying in wait for Cris and the others. All four of them were older boys and carrying large weapons. Two had swords, one some kind of staff, and the fourth a mace. They didn’t seem bothered about restraint, their eyes clouded over and weapons raised.

  Elsa was quickest to react, ducking underneath a thrust from the one with a staff and kicking at his knee. He fell over immediately, causing another to trip which opened up a chance for Finn to fire off a shot with his slingshot. Cris was next, managing to channel enough energy into his fist for a similar, if not as forceful, punch as the one he delivered against Levi during their sparring match. He sent it out against the two with swords, the shockwave of hot air blasting them both backwards.

  “Ugh…they’re useless,” Mara muttered, watching in disgust as the four attackers groaned and rose back to their feet. Then, her posture changed and she grinned as her voice took on a melodic quality. “Form up.” The four quickly took position in front of her and Levi.

  “Can’t fight us yourselves, huh?” Cris snapped. “Need bodyguards? What’s the point in baiting us anyway?”

  Levi smirked. Cris was ensuring he didn’t look directly at Levi’s eyes, but he still wanted to keep an eye on him. “All part of the game, Parker. Looks like you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve, though. Figuring out how to channel your Spirit Guide, huh?”

  “Seems to be working out okay, yeah,” Cris said. “Guess that’s what’s got you and American Idol here nervous.”

  “What a weird reference,” Finn muttered.

  “Yeah, I don’t know anyone who watches that,” Elsa added.

  “Cris, you need to touch up on pop culture,” Heidi finished off.

  “Are you guys on my side or not?!” Cris rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what do you want us for?”

  Mara was apparently irked by the comment, though, stepping forward with fire in her eyes, although she maintained her ever present smirk. “Please, Cris, let’s be real here. You’ve been of interest the moment you used magic to kill a demon during the night of your extraction. Of course we’d target you and of course we’d use whatever tactics available to fight against you.”

  “You’re a tough guy,” Levi admitted. “And something about your magic is interesting.” He pulled something out of his pocket. It looked to be some kind of ornate, wooden box. Cris immediately knew what it was. One of the treasures. Probably the highest value one. Strangely, it seemed to almost blur in the air as Levi waved it around. “We could’ve walked out of here well before you arrived and won this thing. I don’t care, though. I’m S-Rank. Mara will get there eventually. What we wanted out of this, was to see what you’ve got.”

  “What’s so interesting?” Cris asked. “You beat me in our sparring match.”

  “You smacked him across the room, dude,” Finn said. “No one’s ever done that.”

  “He’s right,” Levi said. “That power…it’s different. Something about how you’re Awakening…”

  “The council gave you these games as a test, right?” Mara added. Her voice changed as she asked the question, and Heidi and Finn both perked up.

  “Yes!” both of them said, before shaking their heads and snapping out of it. It didn’t seem to matter if they were prepared for it. Mara’s Siren Song was going to be a problem.

  Cris was growing further and further suspicious. This wasn’t developing as he’d expected it to. Did they want to fight him or not? There wasn’t as much malice in their words as he’d expected. This was too…conversational for him. At least with Levi. Mara still creeped him out.

  “What’s your point?”

  Mara smirked. “We just want to know more about you, Cris. What it is that makes you…tick.”

  Cris was surprised to see Levi turn his head towards her slightly, almost as though he was curious about something. “All I want to do is figure out what the hell this spirit world is all about so I can survive it and figure out what happened to my friend and why.”

  “Don’t you want something more than that?” Levi asked. “You have a chance to be one of the top students here, Parker. That’s what we need to figure out. Can you get there?”

  “I don’t care about your rankings.” Cris raised a fist, the pieces of steel glowing as he pooled his power. “I don’t care much about your school either. And I definitely don’t want to be pulled around on a leash by your council.”

  Mara narrowed her eyes. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, shivering slightly, before continuing. “The council isn’t everything, Cris. Babylon isn’t everything.”

  Levi frowned. “What’s your point, Mara?”

  Heidi seemed to tense next to Cris, grabbing his arm and gesturing to the walls of the Labyrinth. They seemed to be growing darker somehow, almost as though the shadows were blending in with them. It reminded Cris of something, and he glanced at Finn, who also seemed to be watching the walls uneasily.

  “Cris, didn’t you say something about that place you got taken to having weird shadows?” Finn asked.

  “Scared of the dark, Finn?” Mara asked, smirking once again, although Cris could see her glancing uneasily at the walls, too. “Maybe we need to…” She shivered again.

  “What’s up with you?” Levi asked, appearing to tense up somewhat. Nonetheless, he raised his hands, and Cris noticed him holding two mirrors with those fishing line-like strings that likely attached to more. He was preparing to fight.

  Mara ignored him, smiling as she raised an arm, calling for her little army of controlled students to get ready. “Attack,” she then ordered, the group running immediately.

  Cris didn’t need to wait for the others this time, having pooled plenty of energy within his fist by this point. He punched forward with all his might, pushing out every ounce of heat and energy within himself that he could muster. It worked just as he’d hoped.

  Whoosh!

  The four attacking students were lifted right off their feet, gasping in pain from the blast of heat, before being thrown back. Levi and Mara ducked, barely holding on themselves, and turned in alarm as they watched the four boys thrown further along the tunnel and crash hard to the ground behind them. They rolled along the ground a few extra feet, and then came to a stop, none of them stirring further.

  “Holy…” Levi gaped at Cris, before laughing slightly. “You certainly are something…”

  Mara seemed to be in slight distress, wincing as she glanced at her hand. Cris was pretty sure he could see that it was slightly red. Levi’s actually seemed to be the same. Were they burned? Had the heat wave been that hot?

  “Yikes, dude!” Finn laughed out. Cris glanced at him, surprised to see him wincing as well, his face all sweaty. Heidi and Elsa were the same. “Cool it down a notch, kay?”

  “Sorry.” Cris tried not to grin, actually feeling somewhat proud of what he’d apparently just accomplished. But suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his hands, and he looked down, quickly pulling one of his gloves off and seeing that the fist he’d punched with was all red as well. It seemed he’d somehow managed to burn himself with all that heat.

  “You okay?” Heidi asked, looking alarmed.

  “Yeah, it’s not that bad,” Cris said, wincing slightly. He slipped the glove back on, but noticed it felt strange. Almost rough. Another quick glance showed some of the material seemed to have melted, although none of the others seemed to notice.

  “You really are growing, aren’t you?” Mara said, having finally managed to recover, although her hand seemed to be held awkwardly at her side. “Strangely, though. It’s…not normal.”

  “Guess we don’t have our bodyguards anymore, huh?” Levi noted, grinning. “That’s fine. It was meant to be a straight fight between us, huh Parker?”

  “Guess so,” Cris muttered.

  “I’ve still got soldiers,” Mara murmured, smirking once more. “Finn. Aim and fire.”

  Cris’ eyes widened and he ducked immediately, knowing what Mara had just done. He heard the sound of the ball speeding through the air and the quick thud as it made contact. He managed to avoid it, but it didn’t sound like it had hit the wall behind him. Instead, it had hit something softer. He heard the sound of a body falling to the ground.

  “Elsa!” Heidi shouted in alarm.

  Cris turned, eyes widening as he saw Elsa crumpled on the ground, out cold with one of the slingshot bullets next to her. Finn was a few feet away now, his slingshot raised with another shot ready. His eyes were blank, but he appeared to be straining, his whole body twitching in discomfort.

  “Damn it!” Cris hissed, pooling energy in his fist again and preparing to throw another heat wave towards his companion.

  “Hold it, Cris!” Mara snapped. “Otherwise Heidi’s next.”

  “Huh?” Heidi blinked in surprise, looking up and seeing Finn aiming towards her, ready to knock her out just like Elsa. Cris could still attack, but the slingshot would release first.

  Cris clenched his fist, but let the heat dissipate. “Plug your ears, Heidi. Don’t let her use you, too.”

  Heidi did as told, although Cris wasn’t really sure how effective it would be. Nonetheless, it still seemed like his allies were out of commission. Somehow he seemed capable of resisting Mara’s voice, but he was still wary about it. And obviously Levi had the ability to freeze him cold. It wasn’t an ideal situation.

  “Nice one,” Levi said, grinning as he raised up his mirrors again. “All right, Parker. Looks like it’s time for round two!”

  Cris chanced one glance at Levi’s eyes, seeing the lenses on his sunglasses beginning to change. He quickly looked away, raising up his hands and doing what he could to channel his spirit energy. And then, a moment later, the mirrors shot out, reflections of Levi’s face appearing through the air.

  There was no time to pool the energy in his hands as he did before, so Cris merely whipped his hands outward and produced a couple smaller gusts of air. It was enough to give him the room to rush forward, the lines of mirrors blown off to the sides. Levi was ready as he came, though, the other boy aiming a punch his way as Cris charged.

  “Oomph!”

  The fist struck him in the chest, but Cris was ready to take it, using the opportunity to grab onto Levi’s arm and tighten his grip as hard as he could. Levi seemed to realize what Cris was up to, gasping and shaking his arm. It was a little too late, though, and heat pooled within Cris’ hand and he released it in as concentrated a way as he could. It wasn’t perfect, but he heard Levi hiss in pain before he managed to deliver a kick strong enough to knock Cris back.

  “You’re good, Parker,” Levi murmured, getting some space between them. Cris remained wary, also keeping an eye on Mara in case she attempted to try anything. She merely kept her smirk plastered on her face, though.

  “I learn quick I guess,” Cris muttered, flexing his fingers. In the hand that had been burned earlier, he felt further discomfort from his attack on Levi.

  “Quickly,” Mara corrected, before coughing and shaking her head.

  Cris rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

  “Excuse me?!”

  “I said shut up. Been wanting to say it since I met you, actually.”

  “Levi! Get this done and over with!”

  Now it was Cris smirking, noticing Levi almost stifling a laugh. Cris was no fan of him either, but at least Levi seemed authentic. Mara not so much. Even though most people seemed to have a general idea of her, she still seemed to think her act could sway them. Of course, maybe she simply “talked” them into it, much like she had while posing as a student at his school.

  “Lighten up a little, Mara. This is what the Academy Games are all about!” Levi whipped out his arms again, his reflections popping up everywhere.

  Cris averted his gaze immediately and focused on the warmth in his chest again. He aimed another blast of warm air towards the line of mirrors, but Levi seemed ready for that, manipulating them so they seemed to almost cut through the air. Suddenly, Cris found himself bound. The lines holding his arms tightly to his body. He shut his eyes, knowing that Levi’s eyes were locked on him from multiple directions now, ready to freeze him.

  “Frozen solid again, huh?” Levi said, chuckling lightly. “Expected a little more after that last exchange to be honest.”

  “You won’t be disappointed then,” Cris said, his hand burning further as he pooled energy within it. Suddenly, he felt the tightness of the bindings loosen, and he chanced another glance down, hearing Levi gasp.

  “What the…”

  Cris backed away as the lines fell away, smoking and beginning to burn. Had he somehow produced fire? Or was the heat just so much that the lines were smoking. His hand was in a great deal of pain now, though, and he shook off the already damaged glove, seeing that it was now essentially in ruins. His other one, which had been used less, was still all right, though.

  “What’s…up with you?” Levi asked, his voice low.

  “No idea,” Cris said, flexing his hand. “But I think it’s about time we see how you like these burns.”

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  Levi’s hands shook, but he reached into his coat, pulling out what must’ve been another line of mirrors. Apparently he was prepared for situations such as this. Cris readied himself, though, knowing that if he was ever going to beat Levi, he’d have to be prepared for a drawn out brawl.

  With his eyes averted as much as possible to avoid catching Levi’s gaze, however, Cris didn’t realize the other boy was hesitating. He was a little thrown off, noticing a strange silence gripping those around him. He turned his gaze to Mara, rather than risking looking towards Levi.

  And Mara had gone deathly pale.

  “Hehehehehehehe!”

  Cris frowned, looking around in confusion as he heard giggling echoing around them. It wasn’t Mara, who seemed a likely culprit, and it definitely wasn’t Heidi or one of the knocked out students. In fact, it seemed like a younger person’s laugh. A young girl’s laugh.

  Cris’ eyes widened, and he looked at the walls of the Labyrinth again. The shadows were continuing to grow. They seemed to almost be peeling off the walls like tendrils. And back towards where Cris and the others had come from…a fog seemed to be spreading.

  A chill seemed to pass through the air, but nonetheless, Cris was beginning to sweat. He knew what this was. He knew who this was. He focused on the warmth in his chest, eyes darting around. He couldn’t worry about Levi right now.

  She appeared right in front of them, between Cris and Levi, the air warping as she did so. It was almost as though she had stepped into their world. The shadows drifted towards her as though she were some kind of magnet. Despite the darkness, her red eyes glowed, and her pale, bloodless face seemed to be illuminated.

  “Excellent work, Miss Keres.”

  Cris clenched his fists, ignoring the pain in the one, and stepped back. A quick glance towards his teammates showed him that Finn had been released from Mara’s hold. He and Heidi seemed well aware that the situation had become worse, however.

  “M-Master…” Mara squeaked out, sounding much different than even moments earlier.

  “Mara?” Cris finally looked up at the other boy, seeing Levi staring at his companion in bewilderment. “What…what is this?”

  “Ah…Mr. Ofkus.” Anna grinned evilly in his direction, and suddenly Levi’s eyes widened and he clutched his head.

  “GAAAHHH!” He screamed in utter agony, causing Cris and the others to stagger back in alarm. “NO! I DIDN’T…MEAN…TO!”

  It ended as quickly as it started, but Levi was left crumpled on the ground, gasping for air. Anna glanced at him pitifully, before turning her gaze to Cris. “Not as strong as you, Icarus. No…his sins are…much greater.”

  “Please…” Mara squeaked again. “I…did…as you asked.”

  “Oh yes,” Anna said. “Yes, you did.” She then turned on Mara and raised a hand. Much like Levi, she screamed in terrible agony, pleading for mercy from some unknown figure, before collapsing and gasping for air. “Now keep quiet like a good little servant. You did nothing of your own free will.”

  “You…p-p-prom…ised.”

  Cris felt himself shaking. This was twisted. He had no fondness for Mara or Levi, but whatever Anna was doing was essentially torture. He remembered the pain he’d felt when she’d attacked him, but for some reason, he was pretty sure they were feeling it far worse.

  “I believe I told you to keep quiet,” Anna said darkly, shadows moving out and taking hold of Mara, beginning to bind her tightly. Her eyes widened and she began to scream in pain before the tendrils moved to her mouth, wrapping around it. Her eyes began to roll upwards as Anna once again raised her hand and that torturous magic took hold once more.

  “Stop it!” a voice suddenly screamed. Cris’ head snapped up, turning towards where it had come from. Heidi had gone nearly as pale as Anna appeared. “Wh-What is…this? Leave her alone! Who are you?!”

  Anna did, in fact, stop. She appeared more dangerous than ever as she turned towards Heidi, however. She tilted her head, appearing like a curious little girl. The smile was that of the devil she was, though, and Cris readied himself to move.

  “One of Conrad Rainier’s other little pets, hmm?” Anna raised a hand. “You’re a pitiful creature, Miss Engel. Scurry away like the little kitty you are.”

  “No!” Cris raised a hand himself, ready to fire off a blast of wind, but he was too late. Someone else acted first.

  “Hm?”

  Anna glanced at her hand, tilting her head curiously once more. A fishing line-like thread was wrapped around it, along with many tiny mirrors that extended further along. Each one reflected a pair of eyes. Eyes glowing in a greenish yellow light. Cris followed the line, knowing the attack wasn’t aimed at him.

  “What…the hell…are you?” Levi growled out. “What…is…this?”

  Anna didn’t move for a moment, and Cris almost began to believe that Levi had actually frozen her. However, a moment later, the shadowy tendrils extended from the ground and seemed to slice the thread that bound her hand. Even worse, the line of mirrors began to smoke as the shadows spread along the line, before dozens of little fires began to burn before reaching a stunned Levi.

  Levi let go of his line, but kept his gaze trained on Anna. Still, she didn’t move, but she did begin to laugh. “Oh, perhaps you are of greater interest after all, Mr. Ofkus.”

  Levi’s eyes continued to glow, and Cris could see the anger in his expression. But as Anna turned and looked him right in the eyes, that anger turned to confusion. And then to realization. And then to utter horror.

  “How the hell…”

  “Hm? Did you think I was a regular little girl, Mr. Ofkus?” Anna asked. “An unusual student at your school, perhaps?”

  “What are you?” Levi asked with a growl. “How can you deal with my petrification stare?”

  Anna blinked, and Levi stumbled back. Cris wasn’t sure what it was he saw until a moment later, when Anna turned her gaze to him and he saw that her eyes had gone completely black, much like the shadows she controlled. Finn gasped in horror upon seeing it, muttering about how it looked like Rainier’s ability.

  “Ah…Mr. Murphy,” Anna said, turning as she heard Finn’s voice. “You’re not…quite wrong.” She blinked again, her eyes returning to normal. “The Shadows of Hell. When your teacher channels his Spirit Guide, he is, in fact, capable of seeing into, or through, the Shadows of Hell. An essence of them do, in fact, gloss over his gaze.” She blinked again, her eyes going black once more. “I use a much purer form, however.”

  Finn swallowed nervously, but raised up his slingshot, aiming carefully. “You really do have the soul of a demon. You’re twisted!”

  “Ah…Rainier’s been telling tales, has he?” Anna sighed, as though she was disappointed. “And here I was, looking forward to the grand reveal.” Her gaze returned to Levi for a moment, before she smirked once more. “Well, one poor soul here is ignorant I suppose. Yes, I am, in fact, a devil. I have the soul of a demon where my Spirit Guide would reside. Although my case is…unusual.”

  “Unusual how?” Cris asked, unable to stop himself from posing the question.

  “Well, Icarus, my old Spirit Guide is still within me. It simply…shifted. You see…” She paused, her gaze briefly shifting to both Mara and Levi, before returning to Cris. “Some Spirit Guides…are monsters by their very nature. Mine was…is a creature from the underworld. A fury. A terrible…wretched creature. But one so beautifully suited to peeking into the true nature of another’s soul. The sins they bottle so deep inside.” She raised a hand and waved it.

  “GAAAHHH!” Finn screamed in agony much like Mara and Levi had before. His slingshot fell to the ground a moment before he did. He clutched his head, eyes wide with terror. “NO! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” He collapsed a moment later, not moving.

  “Finn!” Heidi shouted, reaching out to him, but unable to move while she supported Elsa’s still prone figure.

  “What the hell is this?” Levi asked again, this time turning to Cris. “Do you know this girl…this thing?”

  “She approached me before,” Cris admitted, swallowing uneasily, but feeling a small sense of relief when he noticed Finn breathing. “Like she says, she’s a devil. Rainier thought so anyway. We were wondering if the council was working with her, but…” He glanced at Mara who seemed to be passed out now herself.

  “Mara didn’t do this on purpose…” Levi said, although there was hesitation in his voice. “Come on…you can see that.”

  Cris looked around, realizing only now the absence of cameras. Once again, he looked in the direction they’d come from, seeing the dark fog that had overtaken the path. “Did you know she’d taken you into a different realm?”

  “Huh?” Levi looked around. “I…This is so much like the Labyrinth, though.”

  “Oh, it is the Labyrinth,” Anna informed them. “It is merely…another level. The level I needed you to be. Just beyond the border of your protections. The strongest of your protections anyway.”

  “We didn’t go far enough to be beyond Babylon’s borders!” Levi argued. “How is that possible?”

  “For a so called top student at your academy, you are a bumbling buffoon aren’t you?” Anna stated, shaking her head. “Think, boy. Did I say it was beyond the borders on the surface?”

  Cris’ eyes widened for what felt like the hundredth time. “We went down.”

  Anna grinned. “Yes, Icarus. And now we are very close. Very close to bringing you to the depths of Hell.”

  Cris decided he’d had enough, though, raising his hand with his remaining glove upwards. A hot gust of wind shot out, striking Anna where she stood. Alarm flashed across her face and she staggered back, wincing as she held a hand to her chest.

  “Nasty boy…” she muttered, staring down, appearing somewhat perplexed. “Heat and wind…so it may very well be true…” She glanced at the little fires along the ground where she’d burned Levi’s mirrors, and Cris was almost sure he saw a flicker of worry cross her face, before she managed to bring her grin back. “Very intriguing, Icarus. Very intriguing indeed.”

  Cris ignored her, pulling his dagger out to give himself an extra weapon. He noticed Heidi doing the same, while Levi readied another line of mirrors. Cris wasn’t sure what good that would do, but he supposed it was at least one other person on their side for now.

  Anna was ready for the triple threat, though, and she seemed eager to face it, grinning wider and raising her arms. A moment later, three thick tendrils of shadow shot out. Heidi was the first to be hit, her dagger snatched and shattered, while she was thrown ten feet from Elsa. Cris was next, his dagger snapped in half before he was slammed against the wall of the Labyrinth. And finally, Levi was sent high in the air, his line evaporated in an instant, while he went crashing hard to the ground.

  “Please, children, don’t draw your weapons on someone simply trying to guide you to the comforts of Hell. Your spirit world…it’s no place for you. Especially you, Icarus. You’re…much too good for the forces of Heaven.” Anna tilted her head once more and made a welcoming gesture with her hand. “Come…come be a hero of Hell. Anna Tas…Satanna…wills it to be so.”

  “Like hell he’d join you…” Levi said, his voice somewhat muffled as he was almost speaking into the ground. For some reason, the flames from his burning mirrors seemed to be growing larger, the lights flickering upon his face. “Satanna, huh? You fancy yourself Queen of Hell or something? You’re no queen, little girl.”

  Anna narrowed her eyes and than snapped her fingers. Tendrils of shadow shot out, binding Levi just as they’d done with Mara earlier. Levi merely laughed as he was bound, though, apparently taking pleasure in his taunt. But only a second later, he screamed in agony once more, before passing out.

  Anna’s gaze then turned to Cris again, and she was no longer smirking. Cris didn’t hesitate, though, immediately getting back to his feet and holding his remaining gloved hand up, the steel glowing on the knuckles with his pooled energy. “Go back to Hell!” he shouted, firing off as hot a blast as he could.

  Anna gasped as the attack struck, blowing her back, just as the shadowy tendrils had done to Cris and the others. She struck the wall herself, crying out as she fell to the ground. Her eyes went wild with fury, though, and she raised her hand quickly.

  Cris felt it immediately. The horrible pain. The horrible memories. David lying dead, the demon overtop of him. The blood pooling around him. The demon relishing the taste of his spirit energy. The monstrous creature turning to him.

  “Gah!”

  But something else was hurting Cris. And it seemed to anchor him, pulling him away from those dark thoughts. He blinked, looking down, seeing his hand. His bare hand. His bare, very red, hand. He looked down further and noticed his remaining glove, melted and burned from his last attack.

  “Ugh! You are a frustrating one, aren’t you?” Anna snapped, before turning away. “Very well. Your little friend will suffer instead.”

  Cris glanced towards Heidi, seeing that she was only just recovering from Anna’s previous attack. She only realized what was coming next a fraction of a second before it came, her gaze going to Cris. She tried to smile, but the agony gripped her immediately.

  “AAAHHHH! GAAAHHH!”

  It was horrible. Far worse than Mara’s. Far worse than Levi’s. Far worse than Finn’s. Whether it was Anna’s frustration or whatever was in Heidi’s past, it was enacting a terrible pain on her. The kind of pain that could drive her mad. Or even kill her.

  “AAAHHH! MOM! NOOO! I’M SORRY! PLEASE!”

  “NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!” Cris roared, leaping to his feet, the heat welling up within him.

  He blinked and he was gone from his place on the ground by the wall. In an instant, he reached Anna, his fist pulled back. She blinked in alarm, stunned to see him so close. He punched forward with everything he had, driving his fist, his burning fist, hard into her stomach.

  “URK!”

  Anna gagged as she was sent flying back into the Labyrinth wall, the stone crumbling around her as she fell. She groaned for a moment, and then went quiet, not moving. Cris winced, feeling tender throughout his body. Every movement seemed to burn. He ignored it for the moment, though, turning to Heidi.

  Somehow, she was still awake. She thought herself weak, but there she stood, rising back to her feet mere moments after unthinkable torture. She looked horribly pale, however, and she stumbled as she attempted a step. Cris rushed to catch her, ignoring the heat throughout his body.

  “Heidi…” He wasn’t sure what to say, and merely held her as she took a few shuddering breaths.

  “That was…horrible…” she said weakly. “My worst…my worst…”

  “It’s okay,” Cris said. “I know.”

  If he’d seen David’s dead body, he figured he knew what Heidi had seen. And if it was true that traumatic events were largely what Awakened Spirit Guides, then he was pretty sure Mara, Levi and Finn had also had a haunting view of their pasts as well. Anna’s ability was truly terrible.

  But what did she mean about sins? he thought, remembering her alluding to her ability having something to do with that. He supposed it didn’t matter at the moment, though.

  Once Heidi had managed to recover a little more, they quickly moved to check on Finn and Elsa. They were able to rouse both. Finn was stunned to see that Cris and Heidi had survived after what he’d experienced. Elsa seemed embarrassed to have missed it.

  “Knocked out before she even showed up. Some teammate I am,” she muttered.

  “Hey, that was my fault,” Finn said. “Pretty lame to let Mara get in my head so easily even though we knew what we were getting into.”

  “You guys have been great,” Cris said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Finn gave a mock gasp. “Our little Cris…complimenting us?!”

  “Did Hell freeze over?!” Elsa added.

  “Actually still kind of toasty in here,” Finn pointed out.

  “Oh shut up,” Cris muttered, shaking his head. His attention then turned to Levi and Mara. “Guess we should wake those two up…right?”

  “Anna said we’re not really in Babylon’s borders, right?” Heidi said. “Can’t exactly leave them here.” She pointed to where the four other students were that Mara had brainwashed. “Them too.”

  “Right.” Cris sighed. “Well let’s-”

  Whoosh! Tsss!

  Cris barely ducked out of the way in time. A thick, black tendril of shadow sailing just past his head before crashing into one of the small fires remaining from when Levi’s line of mirrors was burned. The flames hissed where the shadow struck, dissipating quickly, although those that remained seemed to almost grow larger.

  That didn’t matter at the moment, though, as the sounds of stones being kicked to the side were heard, and Cris and the others looked over to see an enraged little girl stalking towards them. Anna appeared battered and bruised, but still very much conscious. And very much a threat.

  Cris glanced back, seeing Finn and Elsa still trying to properly rouse themselves, while Heidi looked on the verge of throwing up. If anything, they were in a worse situation than before. He could feel the burns throughout his body, but he knew he would have to summon one last blast if there was any chance of getting out of this.

  “Icarus Parker…” Anna snarled, her eyes glowing brighter red with the flames flickering within them. “I will drag you to the depths of Hell myself.”

  Cris started to move forward, but couldn’t help wincing from the burns throughout his body. How would he be able to summon enough energy to repel this devil? He didn’t know. But he could hear Finn and Elsa behind him, each readying for one last clash themselves.

  “I’ll send you back there on your own,” Cris snapped back, gritting his teeth as he raised a hand. He started to step forward, but stumbled. He began to fall.

  “Hold on!”

  Cris glanced up in surprise, seeing Heidi holding him up, using her wounded arm in the process. He supposed it wasn’t broken after all, but he was surprised to see that it didn’t look as bad as it did before.

  “I won’t just drag you down, Icarus Parker,” Anna continued, the rage building within her. “I’ll drag your friends down as well. The demons will feast well tonight, and they’ll join poor David in Purgatory before their souls join our ranks as well.”

  Her words sparked the fire within Cris, and his eyes flashed angrily as he raised up his hand. The light around them began to glow brighter, the flames expanding as heat welled within him. Even though his gloves had been burned, a glow began to surround Cris’ hand.

  “What…is this…?” Anna appeared alarmed. “You can’t…not so soon.”

  Cris ignored her, gritting his teeth and focusing on the warmth in his chest. The warmth that spread throughout him. It didn’t matter that his hand was burning. It didn’t matter that his body was burning. Anna raised her own hand, apparently desperately trying to counter what was coming.

  But it didn’t affect him.

  Cris saw David, giving him the shirt off his back as he suffered from his broken nose. Cris saw Finn, skulking in the halls, declaring himself the “Friendly Neighborhood Bat-Boy”. He saw Elsa, sitting next to him in class, the two making quips about Mara. He even saw Levi declaring that Cris would never join Anna.

  And he saw Heidi. Heidi walking with him to school. Heidi giving him a backpack. Heidi stepping in front of him as a demon stood imposingly in front of them. Standing tall after Anna’s torture. Sitting across from him at that cafe.

  Cris smiled. He wasn’t letting Anna do such a thing.

  “Leave my friends alone,” he snarled, the light around them shining brighter. The flames crawling forward, inching towards a startled Anna. “AND GO TO HELL!”

  Cris felt a searing pain throughout his body, but it in no way matched the immense satisfaction he felt as the flames around them burned brighter and brighter, extinguishing the shadows around Anna. His heat wave shot forth, striking Anna right in the face. He was sure he could see it reddening and almost melting right in front of him.

  Anna screamed in agony worse than any she had been able to inflict on his friends and she desperately waved her hands, managing to summon one last shadow to her side, which pulled her just enough to the side where she was able to snap her fingers.

  The air around her warped.

  And she was gone.

  Cris fell to his knees, gasping for air. Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but smile. He turned first to Heidi, and then to Finn and Elsa. His teammates. His companions. No…his friends.

  “Let’s get out of this hellhole…and go home.”