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Chapter Text

Public transportation was basically Hell on wheels. People crowded into your space all the time. The loud chattering of people could make you grind your teeth. But the absolute worst was how filthy everything was, or so it was in Baxter’s mind.

“I can’t believe I let you two drag me onto this germ infested vehicle,” complained Baxter.

He wished that he had brought his hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

“So you’ve kindly told us the last ten fucking times,” Crymini grumbled beside him, scrolling through her Twitter account.

“The public buses aren’t so bad, Baxter,” Villa said in front of him. She leaned over the headrest of her seat to look at him, “They can actually be fun! In fact I remember this one time that-“

“I can’t deal with your chatty stories today, Villa,” complained Crymini, her head suddenly throbbing.

“God, why did I have that sixth beer at the party last night?”

“Serves you right,” said Baxter.

Crymini growled.

“Oh lighten up on her, Baxter. It was Halloween last night, the best time to party all night long!” Villa cheered.

“And it’s because of that party that you two are both in this mess to begin with. I told you to finish your reports Friday, before Halloween, but nooo, you both were too focused on what costumes to wear for yesterday!” said Baxter.

“Can it, nerd boy,” growled Crymini, not wanting another lecture from him today.

Villa whined, “But it was Halloween last night, Baxter. How can we not party? It’s so unfair that our teacher assigned us book reports on Halloween weekend.”

“Fuck! Not so loud, Villa,” cursed Crymini, groaning in pain.

“Well, I have no pity for either of you. You both deserve this. I just don’t understand why I’ve been dragged along,” complained Baxter.

“Oh come on, Baxter. You love hanging out with us. Besides, how many boys can say they hang out with two hot chicks all the time,” said Villa.

“Plus we need your help, nerd boy,” Crymini threw out there.

“Ah ha! I knew it!” he shouted, pointing his finger between her eyes.

Crymini growled in pain.

“Well, yeah there’s that too,” Villa admitted, “But only because you are the smartest kid in our class, if not the ENTIRE school.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” he said as he crossed his arms. “But I can understand why you came to me, for I am above those imbeciles to the highest degree.”

“And that’s why we need your help, oh great one,” said Villa with a mocking bow before returning back to her phone.

The day before Halloween, Friday the 30th, their history teacher gave them an assignment to do a group culture report and to turn it in on Monday. The pairs and cultures were picked by their teacher. Crymini and Villa were paired together, and their chosen assignment was Mexican culture. Baxter was paired with another student and they were assigned to Portugal. Baxter being Baxter had demanded his partner to finish their assignment as soon as school was let out, no exceptions. Whereas, Crymini and Villa had other plans. Such as getting ready for the Halloween party on Saturday.

Now it was Sunday, November 1st. Their report was due tomorrow and they hadn’t even started it. So naturally they went to Baxter’s house, dragged him out of bed, onto the bus, and headed for the history museum, in the hopes of getting their report done.

Crymini groaned in pain when the sunlight got into her eyes, “It’s too early for this shit.”

“It’s almost noon,” said Baxter.

“Fuck…” she grumbled.

“We’re here!” Villa declared loudly, making Crymini’s headache worse.

The bus pulled up in front of their stop, right across the street from the history museum.

Baxter, Crymini, and Villa tumbled out of the bus and crossed the street.

Being students they were allowed in, free of admission, to the museum. That was especially nice since all three of them were flat broke, spending all of their money on their Halloween costumes.

The museum was quiet today, even for a Sunday, with only a few people and a couple of families roaming about.

As soon as they were allowed in, Baxter headed straight for the map of the museum, looking for the cultural Mexican exhibit that they needed. Both Crymini and Villa let him take charge since this was why they brought him here in the first place. That and it was sometimes easier, and better, for their own peace of mind to let him be in charge.

He turned to face them.

“Alright! I know where we need to go, follow me,” he declared.

Crymini rolled her eyes but followed Baxter with Villa. It’s not like they hadn’t visited this place before. They’d been here a few times on a school field trip when special touring exhibits rolled into town. Certain exhibits were only here for a certain amount of time. It just so happened the touring exhibit this year was the Mexican culture exhibit, which was perfect for Crymini and Villa. With this exhibit they would definitely learn more here than anywhere in the library or online. Plus it would be the perfect photo opportunity.

“So, Baxter,” Villa started, coming up to walk by Baxter, “Anything you can tell Crymini and I about the exhibit? Since your mom works here and all?”

Baxter thought for a moment, “From what my mother has told me, the exhibit, surprisingly enough, is owned by a private collector in Northern Mexico. It’s been traveling for a few years now, and has one more stop before it’s returned back to Mexico. Not much else to tell, other than it actually does hold quite an impressive collection of Dia de los Muertos décor, the largest one known of.”

“Sounds exciting!” Villa squealed.

“It’s quite impressive. I saw it when it first opened to the public,” said Baxter.

“Oh I can’t wait-“

“Fuck!” Crymini yelled.

Villa and Baxter looked to Crymini behind them, who looked quite upset.

“What’s wrong, Crymini?” Villa asked.

Crymini didn’t answer but just pointed in front of them.

Baxter and Villa looked in front of them to where Crymini was pointing, only for their hearts to drop.

The section of the touring exhibits, the second floor of the museum, was closed off in front of them.

“No!” Villa quickly rushed over to the red roped area. A giant sign in front of them that said the exhibit was closed.

“Hey nerd, you said that the exhibit was still available,” Crymini glared at Baxter.

“It was, the last time I checked,” he growled, turning his head to glare at her, “But they must have changed the dates at the last minute.”

“What do we do now, Crymini? All the libraries are closed, and the teacher said no internet searches either?” Villa whined.

“Give me a minute to think,” said Crymini.

Villa groaned, “We are so doomed. I can’t afford to fail this class. My dad is going to kill me!”

“What did you expect,” Baxter crossed his arms and turned away with a huff, “Serves you both right for putting your assignment off for so long.”

Villa pouted, “You don’t have to be so mean about it, Baxter.”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

“Hey, nerd,” Crymini called.

“What is it,” he answered.

“Is this the only exhibit up here?” Crymini asked.

“No, there are some small wax exhibits down the hall,” he answered.

“Are they popular?”

He thought about it, “Not really. Mother said they were talking about removing those since they don’t really draw crowds in.”

“So other than this exhibit, there’s no other reason for people to come up here?” she asked.

“I suppose so,” said Baxter.

“Great, then it’s settled,” said Crymini.

“What is?” asked Villa.

“We sneak in, get the info we need, and leave before anyone notices,” Crymini answered.

“Are you crazy!?” exclaimed Baxter loudly.

They both shushed him.

“Crymini, we could get into serious trouble,” said Villa.

“We would be arrested is what would happen!” stated Baxter.

“So I guess you don’t mind flunking history class and making your old man so mad that he grounds you for a year then?” She asked as she looked at Villa.

Villa froze for a moment.

“You cannot be considering this,” Baxter hissed.

“I really can’t fail, Baxter. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt anything just get a quick peek. We’ll be in and out without anyone noticing,” said Villa.

“Yes it would. If they closed this area off that means they are taking the exhibit down and storing it away for the next trip. Everything in there is even more fragile now!” he explained frantically, “If you two sneak in there, I will have no choice but to turn you in.”

“Cool. I get to touch junk then,” said Crymini, already walking over and lifting the red rope.

“You come back here!” he ordered, pointing to the floor in front of the red rope.

“Sorry, Baxter,” Villa gave him a guilty look before chasing after Crymini, going under the red rope.

“I will report you two!” he yelled.

“I’m still going to touch a whole bunch of junk without anyone stopping me,” Crymini taunted him, knowing that it would get to Baxter.

And it did.

“Wait! Do NOT touch anything!” Baxter shouted, chasing after the girls.

The large exhibit room inside was dark. Natural sunlight was not allowed in as it may damage some of the older sensitive exhibits. It was tough to see but they managed. In the darkness, they couldn’t really see too much other than black shapes and shadows of objects in the large area. There was almost an eerie feeling in the air that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on edge.

Crymini and Villa huddled together as they slowly navigated through the room, Baxter picking up the rear.

“I can’t see anything,” Villa whispered, “How are we going to do our report if we can’t see?”

“Didn’t think that far,” Crymini whispered, looking around the dark room. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“We should leave,” Baxter whispered firmly.

Crymini shook her head, “No way.”

Something at the far left moved, making Villa jump and cling to Crymini’s arm, “What was that?” She whispered.

“What?” Crymini asked.

“I could have sworn I saw something move,” whispered Villa.

Crymini shook her head, “No way, there isn’t-“ a small shuffling sound came from her left.

“You hear that?” Baxter was the one to ask, hearing the sound as well.

Okay, maybe Crymini was starting to regret coming in here.

“Maybe we should go back,” Villa suggested.

“Agreed,” said Baxter.

Another soft shuffle came. This time it sounded closer.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Crymini finally agreed.

Together, they slowly backed away before turning around to the exit only to be met with a shadowy figure.

Villa yelped, hugging Crymini.

“My, my, we have some naughty children that seem to have wandered into places that they shouldn’t be,” came a voice from the shadowy figure.

Villa whimpered.

“I’m afraid,” suddenly a flashlight appeared from underneath a man’s chin, showing his terrifying grin at the three students, “That naughty children need to be punished.”

Both Crymini and Villa cried out.

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

Suddenly the lights in the exhibit room turned on, lighting everything around them, revealing a brown haired man in a security guard outfit, holding a flashlight under his chin and grinning.

Behind the guard, the one who turned on the lights was another man, or they thought he was a man, dressed in a female tour guide outfit, with blonde hair.

The tour guide narrowed their eyes at the guard as they came towards him.

“Are you being a fucking creeper again?” asked the tour guide.

“Oh course not, my dear!” the guard’s voice was a lot more chipper, putting the flashlight away he said, “I merely found these poor children lost so I thought I might help them.”

The three teenagers looked at him with angry glares.

The tour guide didn’t look convinced at all.

“Yeah, sure you were,” said the tour guide before he looked at the teenagers, “What are you three doing in here? Don’t you know this area is off limits?”

Baxter was the one to answer, “Yes, we are aware. And we are very sorry for trespassing, and won’t do it again. My-“

“We just wanted to finish our school report!” Villa suddenly cried, standing in front of the guide and guard, with big fat tears, “Our report is due tomorrow, we haven’t even started it. The libraries are all closed, and we’re not allowed to go online because our teacher will know! And if I fail this class, my dad is going to be so mad at me! He’s going to ground me forever, take my car away, and he won’t... He won’t… he won’t let me go to cheer camp!” she burst into tears.

The guide and guard looked uncomfortable at the crying Villa.

“Okay, kid. Relax you guys aren’t in trouble,” the guide said, trying to make Villa stop crying.

Villa sniffed, “We aren’t?”

“No,” said the guide, “Now will you stop crying?”

Villa sniffed but nodded, wiping her tears.

“So here’s the deal. I’ll let you guys have a look around for fifteen minutes, after that ya leave without a fuss and we won’t report ya,” said the guide.

“We?” said the guard, crossing his arms in indignation.

The guide sent the guard a glare, “Yes, we.”

“I don’t remember-“

Guide gave him a hard look that would promise trouble if he didn’t agree.

The guard lowered his arms and coughed nervously, “Yes, 'we' indeed. We will not report you if you agree.”

The guide smiled before looking at the kids, “Sound fair?”

“Oh yes!” Villa answered, looking happier now.

“Sweet,” said Crymini.

“Now hurry up,” said the guide.

Not wanting to waste this chance, the teens turned to get started, only to gasp at the exhibits now illuminated under the dozens of lights.

The whole place was filled with bright colors of reds, oranges, greens, blues, and many more. There were colored statues of skeletons, a wall full of sugar skulls, large colored photographs of past events of The Day of The Dead in Mexico, beautiful tapestries, old Aztec looking relics, and so much more. It was all so beautiful and amazing that they didn’t know where to start.

It was Baxter that pointed to the old Aztec relics, “Start there. That is some of Mexico’s oldest history.”

So they did.

Crymini was in charge of taking photos while Villa was in charge of taking quick notes of what was important and what to look back on in some of Crymini’s photos, who also took shots of the description boards on the items. They managed to take notes of everything in the room, and with time to spare. They had only three minutes left. There was nothing that they hadn't checked out.

Crymini was trying to take a shot of a large statue in the room when, in the back of her camera shot, something caught her eye.

“What’s that?” she asked out loud.

Baxter looked up from a photo he was looking at, “What’s what? He asked.

“That,” she pointed to the back.

Looking at what Crymini was pointing to, there was indeed something they missed.

“Oh wow!” said Villa, moving toward it.

In the corner was a large, old looking ofrenda that was covered in gold and covered in colorful clothes and fake marigold flowers. There were many old looking photographs on the ofrenda, some looking to have dated back to the late 1800s. At the top of the ofrenda stood two statues, one of a skeleton with four arms, dressed in a beautiful red dress, with a large red sombrero hat. The other was also a skeleton but looked very spooky for it was dressed in black and red clothes, horns on their head, and large black wings on their back.

“What is this?” Villa asked.

“That’s, the Magne family’s ofrenda,” said the tour guide, coming up from behind them, “Or so they claim.”

“It’s so beautiful. But why is it here? I thought these things have to stay with the family?” asked Villa.

“Well, the last Magne family member passed away almost ten years ago, so there was no one to inherit their ofrenda. So a private collector purchased it, and gave it to the museum, in a way to honor the Magne family, and to remember the tale of the Remembered.”

“What the fuck is that?” Crymini asked, taking a picture of the ofrenda.

“You kids never heard the story of The Remembered?” asked the guide, almost looking insulted.

“In our three years of High School education, I must admit I’ve never heard of it either,” confessed Baxter.

“And if the nerd hasn’t heard of it, how the fuck are we supposed to know it?” asked Crymini.

“What do they teach you kids these days anyways?” said the guide, shaking his head.

“Can you tell us the story? It sounds super interesting if it has such a pretty memory like this,” Villa asked, pointing to the ofrenda.

The guide thought for a moment, “I don’t know... Your time is kind of up now for you to be in here.”

The guard quickly moved to the side, silently watching from the shadows.

The teens’ expressions dropped in disappointment.

“Ah, why not!” said the guide, smiling.

Villa squealed in excitement.

“Before we begin, I think it’s important I introduce the two most important characters in our story, who are these statues,” said the guide, pointed to the red dress skeleton, “That one is known to many as La Muerta, but to some that know this story very well, they know him as Angel Dust.”

“Him? It looks more like a girl. Are you sure?” Baxter questioned.

“Do you want me to tell this story or not?” The guide asked with a glare.

“He’s sorry,” Villa apologized for Baxter, “Please continue.”

The Guide glared at Baxter for a moment longer before looking to the next skeleton with the black wings, “And that one there is known as Xibalba, or to some, Alastor. These two beings play an important role in Mexican culture. Angel Dust rules a place called The Land of The Remembered. It is where those that have passed away go and rejoin their families. Where there are endless celebrations. Alastor, on the other hand, rules a place called The Land of The Forgotten. It is where souls go that have no one to remember them. Where they suffer in despair until they slowly disappear from existence, a death for the dead.”

“Sounds spooky,” said Villa.

“I have a question,” asked Crymini, raising her hand.

“What is it?” The Guide asked.

“Why is he lurking in the shadows?” Crymini pointed to the smiling guard in the shadows, feeling unnerved by him.

“Ignore him, he’s just looking for attention,” The guide waved him off, not even looking at said guard.

Crymini didn’t feel any better.

“Actually this story is anything but spooky. It’s filled with hope, dreams, adventure, and love,”
said the guide, “And our story all begins on the night of Día de Muertos, where these two immortal beings decided to make a bet.”

Chapter Text

1911

In central Mexico, there was a beautiful, rich city called Pentagrama City. The city was built and owned by the Magne Family. They were French immigrants who came to Mexico almost two hundred years ago, shortly after America broke away from the British. Like the other immigrants of their time, they came looking for a better life.

The mayor of the city was Lucifer Magne, the richest man in the city. He was also a famous bullfighter, much like many others in his family before him. And the heir to the Magne fame and riches was his only daughter, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Magne.

Charlie was the sweetheart of Pentagrama City, for everyone loved her. Her smile was like that of a thousand suns and she was always so willing to cheer people up when they were down. It was hard to stay mad at her. But while Charlie was seen as gentle and kind, her father was harsh, not cruel, but certainly not a kindhearted man to those that displeased him. You could say Lucifer was a fair and strict kind of man.

Tonight was Día de Muertos and the whole city was in celebration. There was live music, booths for food, and games. There were little knick knacks from local artists and decorations everywhere as far as the eye could see. It was like a giant fiesta.

Charlie stared out the window of her room, looking down the colored streets. Everyone walking by was headed to the cemetery. Their arms were full of offerings and marigolds to give to their departed loved ones.

“Charlie, you need to finish getting ready.”

Charlie, a ten year old girl with long blonde hair, smiled at the other girl in her room.

“But Vaggie, you should see the streets! They’re so beautiful!”

Vagatha, or ‘Vaggie’, was Charlie’s best friend, and maid, who was the same age as Charlie.

“I know but we can’t go and join everyone until you finish getting dressed,” said Vaggie. “We don’t want to keep your papá waiting.”

Charlie pulled herself away from her window and moved back to the center of her room, where Vaggie waited.

“Please lift your arms,” Vaggie asked.

Charlie lifted her arms up and above her head while Vaggie tied a large ribbon around Charlie’s waist, making a perfect bow in the back.

“There we go. You can lower your arms now,” Vaggie told her.

Charlie lowered her arms and moved over to her full length mirror. Her dress was a beautiful blue with black frill trimming, and a large black ribbon that Vaggie tied around her waist.

“You look great,” said Vaggie.

“Only thanks to you, I wouldn’t look this great without you,” said Charlie. “You also look nice in your dress too.”

Vaggie blushed, looking down at her plain white dress, “This old thing? It’s nothing special.”

“Of course it’s special, Vaggie. Your mamá made it for you,” said Charlie.

A sad smile came to Vaggie’s face, “Do you think she would be happy to see me wear it tonight, for her?”

Charlie nodded, “I know she would. But, I think it needs a little something.”

Vaggie watched curiously as Charlie rushed over to her bedside table, where a vase of marigolds sat. Charlie plucked two out of the vase and rushed back over to Vaggie, placing a flower behind her left ear.

“There!” exclaimed Charlie.

Vaggie touched the flower, smiling, “Gracias.”

Charlie beamed, placing her own flower in her hair.

“Now we match!” said Charlie.

Vaggie giggled.

“Charlie! We need to go!” outside her door, she heard her father calling.

“We should go,” said Charlie, grabbing Vaggie’s hand, “come on, Vaggie.”

* * *

The cemetery was in celebration as families and friends entered and decorated the tombstones of the dead in bright colored shrines. Marigold petals covered everything from the graves to the church itself. It was tradition to make a path for the dead to find their way here from the other side, so they could rejoin their families tonight.

It was indeed a beautiful night with so much love in the air.

It made Alastor want to vomit.

From the shadows a tall, red horned being appeared from an abandoned grave by the church, gliding across the cemetery. His red eyes looked over the living, both the young and the old, but mostly the old. He stopped behind an old man that was praying at a grave with his family. The old man looked quite frail and gray, possibly close to being one foot in the grave already.

Alastor snickered at his own joke.

But yes, so old, so weak, and oh so ready for his thread of life to be cut.

His smile growing wider and more sinister, Alastor slowly reached out to the poor unsuspecting soul whose last moments of life were about to come to an abrupt end.

“No!” a hand smacked Alastor’s hand away.

Alastor reeled his hand back, cradling it to his chest, as he glared up at the one that had smacked him.

“Was that really necessary?” Alastor asked, to whom mortals called his counterpart, but to Alastor, he called him his husband.

Angel Dust rested all four hands on his hips, glaring at Alastor.

Unlike Alastor, Angel was dressed in a bright festive red dress with a large red sombrero, covered in marigold flowers. His face was painted to look like a sugar skull, like many other mortals do on this night, painting their faces to honor the dead

“On this night? Yes. You are not taking any lives tonight, not while I’m around,” declared Angel.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Alastor said quietly.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, mi amor!” Alastor smiled.

Angel eyed him, not believing him for a second.

“Shall we observe the festivities like every year, mi amor?” Alastor offered his arm.

“Depends,” Angel took his offered arm, “Are you going to behave?”

“Of course!”

“I highly doubt that.”

The two began to walk together through the cemetery, unseen to mortal eyes.

“I wish you would have more faith in me. I do know when to restrain myself,” said Alastor.

Angel laughed, “You!? Restrained? Babe, no offense but I’ve known you long enough to know that you are anything but that.”

Alastor rolled his eyes.

They passed a grave, covered in lit candles, a family praying beside it. With a flick of
Alastor’s wrist all the candles went out, startling the youngest child in the family. Alastor chuckled in amusement at the child’s distress, earning a glare from Angel, who snapped his fingers, lighting the candles that Alastor put out.

Alastor’s grin dropped a little at that.

“Come now, Angel. Please allow me the honor of letting me have a little fun once in a while,” he protested, “The Land of The Forgotten is so dull and mundane that I go insane from sheer boredom down there.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault that you were put in charge of that place. That’s just the luck of the draw,” said Angel.

“Perhaps, but I did come so close to having the Land of The Remembered within my grasp,” Alastor said, clutching his free hand into a fist, a light snarl on his face.

Alastor was jerked back, realizing that Angel suddenly stopped. He looked very upset and refused to look at Alastor.

“So you have regrets then,” mumbled Angel.

Alastor tensed, realizing his mistake, “No! Of course not, mi amor! I have never regretted that decision.”

Angel pulled his arm away from Alastor, wrapping his arms around himself as he turned his back to
Alastor, giving him the cold shoulder now.

“Angel, you must know by now how much I love you, and my feelings for you will never change. I don’t regret the decisions and the sacrifices I made,” Alastor came up behind Angel, resting his hands on Angel’s upper forearms, coming close to whisper into his ear, “You, are my marigold, mi amor, the brightness in my cold heart, which only you may provide. If I was given the choice to change our past, I wouldn’t dare change a thing if it meant losing you.”

Angel’s face heated up for a moment before he regained his composure and turned to face Alastor with a coy smile.

“You are quite the sweet talker, you know that,” Angel purred, resting his hand on Alastor’s cheek.

Alastor had a smug look on his face, “I sweet talk only you, mi amor.”

Angel smirked, pulling his hand back, “Keep the sweet talk up tonight and you might get lucky.”

Didn’t matter if Alastor kept it up or not, Angel was still going to jump his bones at the end of the night. It had been a while for them.

Alastor smiled, gently removing Angel’s hand from his cheek but held on to it, “Patience, the night is
still young.”

“Oh come on,” Angel purred, one of his free hands running up Alastor’s chest teasingly, “Let’s go find a nice little quiet spot for ourselves.”

“No, no,” Alastor said as he stepped back from temptation. He waggled his finger playfully, “Not until we play a little game first.”

Angel pouted, standing up straight with his hands on his hips, “What kind of game?” He asked suspiciously.

“Oh nothing much,” said Alastor, “Just perhaps a wager… of who gets, oh, let’s say, the Land of The Remembered.”

“I knew it!” exclaimed Angel, “You asshole.”

“Oh come now, mi amor. I may not regret the decisions that I’ve made,” said Alastor, “But that still doesn’t mean that my goals have changed.”

Angel glared at him, “Of course, you always have an angle.”

“You make it sound as if I’m so cold,” said Alastor.

“That’s because you are.”

Angel sighed, “Alright, what is it?”

“Just a simple little bet, mi amor. Nothing more,” said Alastor.

“For the Land of the Remembered?”

“Correct.”

“And what do I get out of this little bet of yours?”

“That’s the best part, anything you wish.”

“Anything?”

“Anything,” said Alastor, grinning.

With so many years of being with Angel Dust, Alastor had learned what made his husband tick. How to make him go along with his schemes. Out of all the things that Alastor had learned about his husband, he knew Angel had a hard time resisting making bets in his favor, much like Alastor.

Call it growing egos, or pride, either way, neither of them would back down from a good bet.

Angel thought for a moment before a smile slowly formed on his face.

“Alright, what did you have in mind?” asked Angel.

Alastor’s grin grew, “Let’s see what I’ve got tonight.”

* * *

Charlie quickly dragged Vaggie behind a tombstone, and just in time too as Helsa came around the corner. She was looking for Charlie, Vaggie, and her brother, who were all playing hide n seek.

Vaggie shushed Charlie, who was trying not to giggle, but was having difficulty herself in trying not to smile.

“I know you are around here, Charlie,” Helsa huffed, “You’re not as smart as you think you are. I can hear you giggling!”

Charlie covered her mouth as best she could, her giggles quickly dying.

Helsa approached their hiding spot, “No point in hiding. You might as well give up! You’re not even good at this game.”

Vaggie looked annoyed.

Quietly, Helsa approached the tombstone that she knew Charlie and Vaggie were hiding behind. If she hadn’t seen them disappear around it at the last second, then Charlie’s giggling would have given them away. She really was a loser.

“Found you!” Helsa said as she jumped around the tombstone.

Charlie and Vaggie squealed, running from Helsa as she gave chase.

“Get back here!” yelled Helsa.

“No way!” Charlie yelled, pulling Vaggie along with her through the maze of tombstones.

They dodged a few people in the cemetery, some paying no mind to them, while others yelled at them for almost running into them.

Eventually, Helsa managed to corner them at the church, trapping them near the courtyard.

“Ha! Nowhere to run now,” said Helsa.

“That’s what you think!” Charlie declared, rushing over to an opening with Vaggie.

But it was blocked off once Helsa noticed said opening.

Helsa smirked in triumph as she watched the shocked look on Charlie’s face, reaching out to tag Charlie.

“Fear not my lady!”

Suddenly Seviathan appeared and jumped in front of Charlie and Vaggie, blocking Helsa from tagging them, allowing Charlie and Vaggie to flee.

“Thank you, Sev! You’re the best!” Charlie called over her shoulder.

Seviathan smiled, blushing slightly.

Helsa scowled, stomping her foot, “No fair! You’re supposed to be on my team!”

“It’s hide and seek, there are no teams,” he told her.

“You’re my brother, you’re supposed to always be on my team,” she shouted, “Not Charlie’s!”

Seviathan was about to argue when their mother came around the church, looking for the children.

“Ah, there you are,” said their mother, coming closer, “What are you two doing all the way out here? And where is Charlie?”

“I don’t know,” Helsa glared at Seviathan, “She was here but Seviathan let her run off a moment ago.”

Seviathan glared at Helsa.

Their mother sighed, looking around to see if she could find Charlie.

“Charlie!” she called, “Your father wants you back now. No more playing.”

It only took a moment before Charlie emerged from her hiding spot with Vaggie, and shuffled up to Helsa and Seviathan’s mother.

“Are we in trouble?” was the first thing Charlie asked.

“No,” she shook her head, “It’s just time to start the celebrations now. You do want to see your mamá after all, right?”

Charlie nodded.

“Good, now come along children,” she gathered her children, along with Charlie and Vaggie, and they headed back to where their families were buried.

The Magne family had a private burial area in the cemetery, away from the common folk. Their graves were a thing of beauty, even in death. Their stones were exquisite masterpieces, made only with the finest stone, and created by the very best artisans in the city.

The Magne’s burial plots had a stone wall to keep out those that were not Magne family or grounds keepers. Of course, the wall wasn’t very tall to begin with as it ended at your shoulders with a small metal fence trim at the top.

Of course, the Magne Family wasn’t the only private burial plot. There were other rich families here in Pentagrama City. The von Eldritch family was one of them, as well as one of the oldest families in the city along with the Magne. In fact, the von Eldritch family had helped build Pentagrama City, being one of the first traders behind the Magnes.

Helsa and Seviathan’s mother, Bethesda von Eldritch, brought Charlie and Vaggie to Lucifer, who was waiting for them at the gate.

“Thank you, Bethesda,” said Lucifer.

“Of course. I think we were all getting a little rambunctious for the families here,” said Bethesda.

“It’s hard for children to not be joyful at this time. After all, how often do you see your whole family together,” Lucifer laughed lightly.

Bethesda smiled, “SÍ, it is indeed more a night of joy than grief.”

“Papá!” Charlie pulled on Lucifer's sleeve, “Can we go see Mamá now? Is she ready?”

“Sí, sí hija,” said Lucifer, smiling at her, “She’s ready to see you.”

Charlie’s smile brightened as she turned to Vaggie, “Let’s go see Mamá, Vaggie!”

Not waiting for Vaggie to respond, Charlie pulled her into the Magne’s private burial plot with a laughing Lucifer following behind.

All the tombstones of the Magne family were like shrines, tall and grand. Each one created with care and detail, making each of the marked graves a little more unique than the next. They were beautifully decorated with marigolds, clothes, lit candles, and offerings of items the deceased had enjoyed in life. The further in Charlie and Vaggie went, the better the shape the tombstones were in.

Up front were the older graves for family members that had died long ago. The tombstones there were weathered down by both time and the elements of nature, while the ones in the back were new and in better shape. Here were family members that hadn’t passed that long ago and ones that Charlie sort of remembered.

In the very back they came to Charlie’s mother’s tombstone, Lilith Magne.

Charlie’s grandmother, Mimzy, was putting the last bunch of marigolds on the tombstone when Charlie came over.

Vaggie let go of Charlie’s hand, stepping back with the other servants to let the Magne family pay their respects.

“Oh abuela, it looks so beautiful!” Charlie exclaimed, hugging her grandmother.

“Sí, hija. Your papá wanted to make sure your mamá got the best treatment this year,” said Mimzy, handing the last marigold to Charlie.

Charlie took it from Mimzy, smiling sadly at it before she placed it right next to the portrait of her mother.

“I miss her,” said Charlie.

“I do too, hija,” Lucifer came up behind Charlie, kneeling down beside her, “It’s hard, I know, that your mamá has to celebrate Dia de Muertos this year on the other side.”

“Do you think she’s here with us?” asked Charlie.

“Of course she is,” answered Mimzy, “She, and all our family, is here with us right now. Can’t you feel them?”

“I don’t know,” said Charlie.

“Just close your eyes, and picture them,” said Lucifer.

Charlie closed her eyes and began to picture her family that had long since passed away. She remembered her other grandmother, Rosie, who had passed only four years ago, tall and beautiful with a dazzling smile. Then she remembered her great grandfather Husk. There weren’t many memories of him for he had died long ago when she was still very little, but she remembered that she loved him very much. His grumpy face always made her smile. And then her mother’s smiling face appeared, clear as day, making Charlie feel warm and fuzzy at the memory of her.

“I think I do,” said Charlie.

* * *

Later on, Vaggie was freed from her duties with the Magne family to go and pay her respects to her family.

Her family's burials were not as grand as the Magne’s but they were still nice in Vaggie’s opinion.

She brought a few things to decorate their tombstones, some clothes, candles, and marigolds.

It wasn’t much, nor was it fancy, but it was enough for Vaggie and she thought it would make her parents happy to see the work she put into their tombstones.

“Hi mamá, papá…,” she said, standing in front of her parents' graves, “Sorry I couldn’t do much for you guys…this is all I can afford really. But I hope you like it.”

Silence.

“I miss both of you so much, but I know you are happy with grandmamma and grandpapa over there,” said Vaggie, “I still miss you guys so much. Do you miss me?”

“Of course they do, Vaggie!”

Charlie’s sudden appearance startled Vaggie.

“Charlie, what are you doing here? Don’t you want to visit your family?” asked Vaggie.

“They will still be there when I go back. It’s not like they can go anywhere,” Charlie said with a smile, “But you are alone, and you shouldn’t be alone on Dia de los Muertos.”

“But I’m not alone, silly,” Vaggie teased, pointing to her parents.

“True, but you shouldn’t be alone in remembering them either,” Charlie stepped forward, unraveling a cloth bundle in her arms to pull two loaves of bread out, setting them down on Vaggie’s parents’ graves.

“You didn’t have to do that,” said Vaggie, smiling.

“Of course I did! I remember them being good people, Vaggie. They were always so kind to me and they loved you very much. I wanted to remember them too,” said Charlie.

Vaggie blushed.

“Besides, you need offerings!” said Charlie, “And I knew you really hadn’t had the chance to bake bread for them, with me keeping you busy and all.”

Vaggie opened her mouth to tell Charlie it wasn’t her fault.

“You’re supposed to keep her busy, it’s her job.”

Helsa and Seviathan had come over to join them.

Charlie frowned at Helsa, “Vaggie has the right to be with her family, Helsa. As well as bring them gifts.”

“Gifts are important, Helsa,” said Seviathan with a smile, stepping forward towards Charlie and offering her a small bouquet of Laelia Orchids,

“These are for you Charlotte, to give to your mamá. I hope she would like these.”

“Oh, Seviathan!” Charlie exclaimed, taking the flowers with a large smile and a blush, “Mamá will love these! Thank you so much.”

Seviathan smiled smugly, making Vaggie frown at him.

Helsa rolled her eyes, “Jeez, if you two are going to be like this then I don’t need to be here.”

She then smirked devilishly, “And I’ll take Vaggie with me since I’m sure she doesn’t either.”

Helsa pulled Vaggie to her side, smirking at the angry look Charlie was suddenly giving her.

“I just want to visit my parents in peace. Is that too much to ask?” Vaggie said, pushing away from Helsa.

“She is right. We should respect her wishes and leave her to visit her family,” said Seviathan, taking Charlie’s hand, “Come along Charlotte, let’s go take the orchids to your mamá.”

Charlie hesitated for a moment, looking to Vaggie, then at Seviathan and back down to the flowers in her hands.

“…Okay,” she murmured out, she hesitated for a brief moment before allowing Seviathan to take her back to her family’s private burial.

* * *

“Now this is entertainment!” Alastor exclaimed.

Alastor and Angel watched in amusement as the von Eldritch children took Charlie away, leaving a sad looking Vaggie behind.

“It’s one complicated love triangle,” commented Angel.

“More like a love square,” said Alastor.

“Seems like the Eldritch boy is wooing the Magne girl, who is clearly attached to the little peasant, but is also smitten by the Eldritch boy. Then you have the Eldritch girl who seems to be purposely taking the peasant girl away from the Magne girl!” Alastor laughed.

“It’s all fucked up,” Angel chuckled.

“I think we have found our wager, mi amor,” said Alastor.

“You sure?” asked Angel. They watched Vaggie face her parents’ grave and kneel down to pray, “It’s a pretty fucked up situation.”

“Afraid you might lose then?” Alastor teased, leaning in towards his beloved's face.

“Hell no! I ain’t afraid,” Angel spat right back with a determined grin.

“Then it’s settled,” Alastor declared, leaning back, “We will see who will win this poor little peasant's heart!”

“Huh?” Angel looked confused, “Don’t you mean who will win the Magne girl’s heart?”

“No, no! That’s far too easy!”

“What do you mean too easy?”

“Mortal love is easy to predict in these situations. If it was a bet on who the Magne girl would fall for, the answer would be too obvious. But if we bet who the peasant girl falls for, that would make it more interesting with all those obstacles in her way. Such as the von Eldritch boy trying to pull the Magne Girl away, who actually seems quite a bit smitten with him already. And then the von Eldritch girl trying to pull the peasant girl to herself, whether it’s for personal gain, or if there's romantic feelings involved, who cares! It’s all chaotic!” Alastor laughed.

Angel rolled his eyes, “You and chaos, I swear. Sometimes I feel like you should have married that instead,” he grumbled.

Alastor chuckled lightly, “I may love chaos mi amor, but I would never trade you for anything.”

Angel blushed a little before shaking his head to regain his composure, “This is the bet then, these four brats?”

“Of course, unless you have another idea? I believe this will be very entertaining for us. I bet that the von Eldritch children will prevail. The Eldritch boy will keep the Magne girl busy while the von Eldritch girl will win the peasant girl,” said Alastor.

“Alright,” said Angel, “Then I bet that the Magne girl will win the peasant girl over.”

“And the terms? Mi amor?” asked Alastor.

Angel thought for a moment before smirking, “If I win, then you have to stop meddling in mortal affairs.”

“What!?” Alastor exclaimed, his smile unnaturally wide with a bit of lip curled, “You cannot be serious!”

“Those are the terms, Smiles. If you don’t like it then the bet is off,” Angel smirked smugly.

“Making mortals miserable is the only entertainment I have,” argued Alastor with a pout.

“Take it or leave,” said Angel, enjoying how frazzled Alastor looked.

If Angel was going to bet The Land of The Remembered, something precious to him, he needed to make sure Alastor was betting something that he would consider equal, something that was precious to him.

Alastor continued to glare at Angel, angry at his husband, who knew how much joy he got in meddling with mortal lives.

Soon Alastor calmed and his smile returned back to normal, “Very well, mi amor! I accept your terms! But if I win, then we switch roles where I rule the Land of The Remembered and you rule the Land of The Forgotten!” Alastor extended his hand to Angel, his hand glowing green, “Do we have a deal?”

Angel looked down at the hand with slight disinterest, thinking for a moment if this bet was really worth it.

“Alright,” Angel reached out and took Alastor’s hand, shaking it, “You have a deal, Smiles.”

“Excellent!” said Alastor, shaking firmly.

The green light died down, sealing the deal.

Alastor moved to let go of Angel’s hand but Angel refused to let go, instead he tugged Alastor forward so he could wrap his many arms around him and nuzzle his neck.

“Now that that’s out of the way, let's go fuck,” said Angel as he finished sucking a hickey into his lovers neck. He giggled as he started dragging a flustered Alastor behind him to a more private setting.

Chapter Text

A week later Charlie accompanied her father to the city square of Pentagrama City. He needed to discuss some business with Fredrick von Eldritch, Helsa and Seviathan’s father, as well as one of Lucifer’s business partners.

Of course Vaggie came with Charlie, for wherever her mistress went she went too.

While Lucifer and Fredrick discussed business with each other, Charlie and Vaggie wandered off with Helsa and Seviathan, this time playing tag in the square.

Charlie was 'it' and she was chasing everyone around the square. They were all laughing and squealing in delight as any child would.

Vaggie dodged Charlie’s outstretched hand, running to the left and dived under a table stand.

Charlie was about to give chase until Helsa came up behind her, pinching her arm.

“Ow!” yelled Charlie.

“Too slow, loser!” yelled Helsa, laughing.

“You’re mean, Helsa!” Charlie yelled back, chasing after her, “I’m going to get you!”

“You have to catch me first, loser!” yelled Helsa, picking up speed.

Charlie chased Helsa down to the market area, while Helsa threw insults over her shoulder at her.

They were quite loud, and disturbing the peace a bit, as people in the market area gave the girls annoyed looks but continued on their way.

Back at the von Eldritch’s large store of imported goods, Lucifer and Fredrick watched the two girls run amok with all their yelling. They were both using slightly foul language, which both fathers would deny they had picked up from them.

“I swear,” Fredrick began, with a large sigh, “That girl’s attitude has only grown worse this past year. I don’t even know where she gets it from. Seviathan doesn’t behave like this.”

“Charlie has been a little difficult to handle at times, but nothing too serious,” said Lucifer before he frowned, “I didn’t think it would be this hard to raise Charlie without Lilith.”

“Lilith was a good woman,” said Fredrick, “It was unfortunate that she left us so soon.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing with Charlie,” sighed Lucifer.

“Ah, so I am assuming you heard back from Stolas in Spain then?” asked Fredrick. “What did he say?”

“Stolas has agreed to take them in and that his wife has openings for them. He’s expecting them anytime now,” said Lucifer.

“Excellent! Perhaps traveling abroad will do them both some good. Bethesda has been pestering me for Stolas’s reply. She will be happy to hear the
news.”

* * *

Charlie would never admit it but she was having difficulty keeping up with Helsa. The other girl was faster than her, something that Charlie liked to blame on the fact that Helsa had longer legs than her.

Helsa ducked around the corner of a stall just as Charlie tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground.

“Charlie!” Vaggie cried out as she saw Charlie fall.

But Seviathan beat her to it as he was instantly at Charlie’s side, helping her to her feet.

“You okay? That was a bit of a nasty fall,” Seviathan asked.

“I think so,” Charlie answered, standing up straight only to hiss lightly.

“What’s wrong?” Vaggie asked.

Charlie winced, looking down at her left leg. Pulling her skirt up to her knee, they saw a nasty scrape that was starting to bleed.

“I will fetch you a wet cloth,” said Seviathan, before taking off to find what he needed.

“Let’s get you off your feet,” said Vaggie, taking Charlie somewhere to sit down.

Charlie winced a little with every step but fought through the pain as she made it over to a little bench. Vaggie helped her sit down before rolling Charlie’s skirt up to her knee to check on it. At this point it was bleeding a little more now as evidenced by some blood on the inside of Charlie’s skirt. That’s going to be a pain to clean out of Charlie’s white dress, Vaggie thought.

“Vaggie! Look!” Charlie exclaimed, pointing to something across the street.

Vaggie looked up to see where Charlie was pointing to. It was a store, not just any store, but a music store filled with musical instruments. In the display window were two beautiful hand carved guitars, a chocolate colored guitar with silver trimming, and a red stained one with gold trimming.

“The guitars?” Vaggie asked.

Charlie nodded with a big smile, “Sí! Aren’t they beautiful! The red one looks almost exactly like the one my mamá used to own when I was little. She used to play it all the time and sing to me at night,” her smile softened, “I mostly remember this one song she would always sing to me when she tucked me in at night.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Vaggie, sitting beside Charlie.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot about it,” Charlie looked at the red guitar again, “I guess seeing that guitar just suddenly brought those memories back. I always wanted to sing, like my mamá. Did you know she used to perform for people? She was famous here in Pentagrama City for her songs. I wanted to be just like my mamá.”

“Maybe you can ask your papá to get it for you,” suggested Vaggie.

Charlie shook her head sadly, “He won’t. Papá wants me to focus on carrying on the family tradition of being a bullfighter. Everyone in our family are famous bullfighters, he says that music is a distraction.”

“But music was important to your mamá,” said Vaggie, “Your papá must know that.”

“He does. But when mamá passed away it-“

“I’m back!” Seviathan returned with a damp cloth and a churro in his hands. Helsa was slowly following behind Seviathan, looking slightly annoyed, with a dry cloth in her hand.

“You got a churro for yourself while Charlie was hurt?” Vaggie said angrily, glaring at him.

Seviathan scoffed at Vaggie, “Of course not. I got it for Charlie,” he offered the churro to Charlie.

“For me?” Charlie’s face brightened as she took the churro from Seviathan.

“To make you feel better,” said Seviathan, “Now, let me look at your knee.”

Charlie pulled her skirt up enough to show Seviathan her injured knee.

Seviathan hummed, “Doesn’t look too bad.”

“She’s covered in blood, how is that not bad,” Vaggie hissed, not liking how Seviathan wasn’t taking Charlie’s injury serious.

“It’s not a serious injury,” said Helsa, coming to sit beside Vaggie, “It’s only a little scrape.”

“Looks can be deceiving. I’ve scraped my knees before and it’s not as bad as it looks,” Seviathan calmly answered, bringing the wet cloth to Charlie’s knee, “This might sting a little, but we need to clean it,” he told her.

Charlie nodded in understanding.

Seviathan touched Charlie’s knee, causing her to hiss lightly, as he gently dab the blood off her knee. To ignore the pain Charlie started to eat the churro, distracting her as Seviathan continued to dab her knee clean. It didn’t take too long for the bleeding to slow and to clean the dirt off before Seviathan took the dry cloth from Helsa’s hand, wrapping it around the injury.

Charlie finished her churro as Seviathan completed bandaging her, standing up to brush the dirt off his pants.

“There, you should be good as new,” said Seviathan.

Carefully Charlie moved her knee, bending it a little before slowly standing up and putting weight on it. It still hurt a tiny bit but it was more likely sore than anything. Other than that Charlie felt much better.

“Thank you, Seviathan,” she said.

Seviathan blushed but smiled, “It was no problem at all.”

Helsa rolled her eyes, looking beside her to see that Vaggie wasn’t amused at the scene before her either.

She nudged Vaggie a little, gaining the other girl’s attention.

“Those two are so gross, aren’t they,” said Helsa.
Vaggie paused a moment, looking back at Charlie and Seviathan, and frowned.

“Sí,” she quietly agreed, “I kind of wish Charlie didn’t have goo goo eyes for him.”

“Just want her to have her goo goo eyes on you, right?” teased Helsa, “Or you can make goo goo eyes at me if you want, I wouldn’t mind.”

Vaggie’s face turned red.

“Are you okay, Vaggie?” Charlie asked Vaggie, suddenly noticing how red her face was, “Do you need to get out of the sun? Is the heat getting to you?”

“I-I’m fine,” Vaggie stuttered, looking away from Charlie.

“We were just talking about how gross you two are,” Helsa bluntly said.

“What?” Now Charlie was turning red, “N-No we’re not.”

“You totally were,” Helsa jumped off from the bench, standing in front of Charlie with a smirk, “We were also talking about how maybe we should leave you guys to make goo goo eyes at each other, or better yet we’ll go somewhere to make goo goo eyes together.”

“Helsa!” Now Vaggie’s face was a deep red.

“What? It’s not like Charlie cares about us. Nor you,” Helsa laughed.

That’s when the first fist was thrown.

* * *

Lucifer and Fredrick’s conversation came to a halt when they heard a ruckus from the market area, as well as a large crowd forming. Curious to the sudden interruption, both men went to check and see what had everyone’s attention. What they didn’t expect was to see their daughters, rolling around on the ground, biting, kicking, and punching each other, while Vaggie and Seviathan tried to pull them apart.

“Helsa!” Fredrick yelled.

“Charlotte!” Lucifer yelled.

Both men rushed over and pulled both their daughters away from each other. The girls were a mess, bruises on their faces, hair messed up, and clothes completely dirty.

Quickly, they hauled them back to the von Eldritch store, away from prying eyes, with Seviathan and Vaggie quickly following behind them. Once inside the store, Charlie and Helsa were set on the ground, facing their furious fathers.

“What were you two doing out there!?” Lucifer demanded, clearly angry.

“She punched me!” Helsa declared, pointing to Charlie.

“You were asking for it!” Charlie yelled at her.

“You-“

“Enough!” yelled Fredrick, “We don’t care who started it. You are both young ladies, and you should behave as young ladies.”

“This behavior you two have is unacceptable,” said Lucifer before looking at his daughter, “Your mother would be very disappointed in you for this.”

Charlie flinched, feeling even worse.

“Which is why I am sending you to Spain to stay with Stolas and his family to learn to be a proper lady,” said Lucifer.

“What?” exclaimed Charlie, “But papá!”

“No buts, it’s already been decided,” said Lucifer,

“You leave in three days.”

Helsa snickered.

“You as well, Helsa,” said Fredrick.

“What? I don’t want to go to stupid Spain, especially with her!” Helsa yelled, pointing to Charlie again.

“Papá, please don’t make me go with Helsa,” Charlie pleaded.

“Both of you brought this upon yourselves,” said Lucifer, “Stolas is expecting both of your arrivals.”

Charlie could only stare at her father in shock, feeling as if she was going to cry.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to cut our meeting short, Fredrick,” Lucifer told him.

“Sí,” he agreed, “I’ll have to speak with Bethesda about Helsa’s trip.”

“Come along Charlie,” was all Lucifer said, turning on his heel and leaving the store, not looking back to see if Charlie was following or not.

* * *

Charlie sat alone in her room after they returned home. Lucifer had sent her up to her room, ordering her to stay there for the rest of the evening until dinner, and that Vaggie was not allowed to tend to her mistress until tomorrow morning. Not looking at her father Charlie raced upstairs, hiding her tears, and barricaded herself in her room. That was almost an hour ago.

Why was her father doing this? Why was he sending her away? She didn’t want to go to stupid Europe.

Charlie could feel the tears forming again, not sure if she could cry anymore. Her tears from earlier had already made her eyes so sore.

A gentle knock came to her door.

Charlie quickly wiped any leftover tears away, not wanting to show anyone that she was still crying.

“C-Come in,” she answered with a bit of a shaky voice.

The door gently creaked open and in came her grandmother, Mimzy.

“Hija?” Mimzy quietly called from the door.

“You can come in, abuela,” Charlie said as she finished cleaning her face.
Mimzy came into the room, smiling at Charlie.

“Supper will be ready soon. You should go wash up,” said Mimzy.

“I’m not hungry,” Charlie mumbled, lying down on her bed, back facing Mimzy.

“Your papá told me you didn’t take the news so well,” said Mimzy, slowly moving over to Charlie, with her cane in hand.

Charlie didn’t answer her grandmother, nor look at her when she felt the edge of her bed dip a bit, signaling that her grandmother was sitting behind her.

“Can you please look at me, hija?” Mimzy asked.

She didn’t move at first, making Mimzy worry a little, before Charlie finally sat up and turned to face Mimzy.

Mimzy smiled, “There’s that pretty face,” she said.

“Why is papá sending me away?” Charlie asked her.

“Oh hija,” Mimzy pulled her into a hug, “Your papá loves you and only wants the best for you. He’s not sending you away for what happened with Helsa today.”

“He’s not?”

“No. Your papá has been speaking with Stolas for the last few months about your stay there.”

“He has?”

Mimzy nodded, squeezing Charlie to her side, “Sí, he’s been planning this for a while now. Stolas’s wife runs a school to help teach young girls to become young properly educated ladies.”

“But can’t you do that?” asked Charlie, “Teach me instead of me going to Spain?”

“Hija, I’m too old. I don’t have the energy to do so many things anymore. Not to mention things have changed a bit since I learned to become a young lady,” said Mimzy, “Besides, going to Europe is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You will be able to see things that most people would only dream of. You’ll see the world, hija. Not many would be able to do so.”

“It’s definitely a golden opportunity.”

Mimzy and Charlie looked up to the door to see Lucifer coming in.

“I am sorry, hija. For being so harsh to you,” said Lucifer, sitting down on the other side of Charlie, “I don’t want you to think that I’m sending you away because I’m angry with you, because I am not.”

“Abuela already told me,” said Charlie.

“Well, like abuela said, you will see and learn things that not a lot of people have the privilege to. You may even love it there, hija,” Lucifer said as he stroked her hair.

“What if I don’t?” she asked.

“You remember Stolas and his family from their last trip here don’t you?” asked Lucifer.

She nodded.

She did remember Stolas. He was a funny man that made Charlie smile and was always kind. He had a daughter her age that had come with him, Octavia was her name, and she and Charlie had gotten along great.

“He will be watching out for you and Helsa. You will be in good hands. Besides, you get to see Octavia again as well,” he told her.

She smiled at that.

“Plus,” Lucifer stood up, looking very excited, “You will be learning from the best bullfighters in the world in Spain.”

She looked at him, “What?”

“Sí! I went to Spain when I was a boy. My father sent me there to learn from Spain’s star bullfighter!” he sighed wistfully, “Those were wonderful memories.”

“But I don’t want to be a bullfighter, papá,” said Charlie.

“Nonsense,” Lucifer waved her off dismissively.

“I was a beast in the arena,” said Mimzy, looking suddenly fierce, “A beast!”

“The family tradition continues,” Lucifer sighed happily.

“… Yay,” Charlie fake cheered with a frown.

* * *

It was finally time for Charlie and Helsa to leave Pentagrama City for Spain.

Charlie was dressed in her traveling clothes, adjusting her bonnet to help shield her eyes from the setting sun, watching Vaggie and another servant unload Charlie’s luggage from the carriage.

Beside them was Helsa’s carriage, her luggage also being unpacked, which Charlie noticed was twice as large as hers.

The train station was silent this evening, with only a few people at the station minding their own affairs.

“Come along, Charlie,” Lucifer took her hand, walking them into the station to check in.

Lucifer and Fredrick checked the girls in while Bethesda took them to the side, checking to be sure everything was in order.

Once the girls got their tickets, they moved on to the platform, where their train waited to depart in twenty minutes.

Lucifer hugged Charlie tightly to him.

“Be safe, hija,” he told her.

“I will, papá,” she hugged him back sadly.

Lucifer pulled back, allowing Mimzy to hug Charlie.

“I will miss you, abuela,” whispered Charlie.

“Me too, hija,” whispered Mimzy.

Charlie pulled away from Mimzy.

“Excuse me,” Mimzy sniffed, turning away from Charlie so she would not see her tears.

Charlie smiled at her grandmother’s poor attempt to
hide her tears. She turned her attention to Helsa, Vaggie, and Seviathan.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” she told Vaggie and Seviathan.

“I will miss you too,” Seviathan said to Charlie.

Helsa coughed, “What about me?”

“You can stay there,” Seviathan told her.

She glared at him, “I’m your sister.”

He shrugged, “Yeah, so?”

Charlie snickered at the bickering siblings before turning to Vaggie, who was carrying a large case.

“Did we forget to load something?” Charlie asked
Vaggie, noticing the large item.

Vaggie shook her head, “No, it’s a goodbye gift, for you.”

“For me?” Charlie pointed to herself.

Vaggie nodded, handing it over to Charlie.

She accepted the gift, placing the large box down so she could open the lid and look inside. Charlie gasped in shocked awe.

It was the red guitar with gold trimming that Charlie had seen in the market a few days ago, the one that looked like her mother’s guitar.

“Oh Vaggie,” she pulled it out, hugging it to her, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just something to remind you of home when you are homesick,” said Vaggie.

“Thank you,” Charlie smiled, feeling as if she was going to cry.

The train whistle went off, signaling it’s near
departure.

“Charlie, you need to hurry,” Lucifer called.

Charlie quickly hugged Vaggie, “I will be back soon. And then I will play for you.”

Vaggie hugged her back, “I look forward to hearing you play.”

“Charlie!” Lucifer called again.

“Goodbye,” Charlie pulled away and rushed towards her father, standing with the train conductor.

The conductor took the ticket from her father, who Charlie gave one last hug, and boarded the train.

Inside the train stewardess helped Charlie find her cabin, getting her settled in while helping put her carry-on bags away.

A minute later another stewardess came in with Helsa, getting her settled in as well. Charlie did her best to ignore Helsa, sitting as far as she could from her, up by the window, bringing her guitar to her lap.

A minute later the train whistle went off and the train gave a soft jerk as it pulled out of the station.

She watched for a moment as the scenery of Pentagrama City went by in the setting sun, the last sunset of her home.

Feeling sad Charlie decided to turn her attention to the guitar in her lap. Slowly she played a few chords, getting a feel for the guitar, before an old song of her mother’s came to her.

“~Remember me…~” she sang quietly, “~Though I have to say goodbye… Remember me, don’t let it make you cry~” a image of Vaggie’s smiling face came, making Charlie smile, “~For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart… I’ll sing a secret song to you each night we are apart… Remember me…~”

Chapter Text

10 years later.

The sun rose on Pentagrama City as the train from the port of Manzanillo pulled into the stage, slowly coming to a stop.

Charlie quietly snoozed against the window of her cabin, she gave a bit of a snoring snort as the train jerked to a halt.

“Wh- what?” she mumbled, jerking awake.

Helsa chuckled in amusement across from Charlie.

“I wish I had a camera to take a picture of that,” she teased.

Charlie glared at her before looking out the window.

Her mood did a complete one eighty when she saw that the train had pulled into the station for Pentagrama City, they were finally back home.

Two stewardesses came to their cabin to help collect their belongings and escort them off the train. As soon as Charlie stepped down from the train car she immediately felt back at home. She had been gone for so long. Just being back in her beloved city sent a warm glow to her heart. It looked like the station had grown a little bigger, as well undergone some kind of remodeling a little bit too, since the last time they’d seen it. The place looked good though.

It didn’t take the girls long to have their luggage unloaded from the train and wheeled out in front of the station for them. There, they were greeted by Bethesda, with a carriage waiting for them.

“Hija,” Bethesda said, moving towards Helsa with open arms.

“Mamá!” Helsa rushed over and hugged her mother.

Bethesda let go of her daughter before turning to Charlie with a smile, hugging her as well.

“It’s so good to see you, Charlie,” she said.

Charlie returned the hug.

Once the hug was over Charlie looked around, “Is my papá here?” she asked.

“Sadly he has some arrangements he needs to finish up but he asked me to come get you for him,” said Bethesda.

* * *

It had been ten years since Charlie had seen her old bedroom and she was happy to see nothing had changed at all, as if it had frozen in time.

She highly suspected that this was her grandmother’s doing. Her grandmother was always a sentimental person and knew it was hard on her when Charlie left for Spain. It actually made Charlie happy to see that her old room hadn’t changed at all. It made her feel like she could pick up right where she had left off, except for her toy box and dolls in the corner. She would probably have to store those somewhere.

It took about twenty minutes for the servants to bring her things up and put everything away before Charlie wandered downstairs to go see her
grandmother.

While in Spain, her father visited quite often but her grandmother had only visited twice in Charlie’s ten year stay. Her grandmother’s health wasn't what it used to be and she had grown frail. So traveling across the ocean was not something she could easily do anymore. It made Charlie sad that she couldn’t see her very much but understood and only wished that her grandmother would take care of herself first.

A servant told Charlie that her grandmother was in the sun room, knitting, much like she did every day.
Charlie rushed to the sun room, giddy to see her grandmother, it had been four years since she had last seen her.

Their sun room was a large space that was partly open to the outside, it let in the fresh air to help cool the house. The room was filled with fauna, both of foliage and blooming flowers that Charlie could only ever find back home. In the center of the room was a sitting area with couches, armchairs, and tables. And in the center was her grandmother, knitting away in a wheelchair.

“Abuela!” Charlie rushed over.

Mimzy looked up in time to see Charlie rushing towards her. At the sight of her granddaughter, she smiled.

“Hija,” said Mimzy fondly as she hugged Charlie when she kneeled down beside her.

“I missed you so much,” said Charlie.

“So have I,” Mimzy released Charlie, “Sit, sit and tell me everything about Europe.”

“It was amazing!” Charlie sat down on the couch beside Mimzy, “I miss it so much already, the art, books, and even the music!”

Charlie spent the next hour telling Mimzy everything that had happened during the past four years since they had last seen one another. From her lessons in etiquette, to the culture of Spain, and the time spent with Stolas’s family. She left out the small details like the time she was forced to spend with Helsa and some spats between them. But there were very few of those since Stolas’s wife wouldn’t have any of that in her class, or home. She also avoided anything that was bullfighting related as well.

“And how was your training as a bullfighter?” Mimzy asked.

Of course she would ask Charlie.

Charlie fidgeted nervously in her seat, smiling as best as she could.

“Oh! It was great. I’ve learned so much,” she said with a strained smile.

“I am pleased to hear that, and I’m sure your papá will be as well,” said Mimzy.

A maid came into the sun room with a tray of tea for them, placing it on the center coffee table.

“Gracias,” said Mimzy.

The maid bowed and left.

“Do you want me to pour for you, abuela?” Charlie
asked.

“Sí, if you wouldn’t mind,” Mimzy answered.

Charlie prepared Mimzy’s tea, remembering how her grandmother liked it.

“Here you go, abuela,” Charlie handed it to her.

“Gracias, hija,” Mimzy accepted the tea with shaky hands.

Charlie nervously watched Mimzy take the cup weakly in her hands, afraid she may drop it, but didn’t. Once her grandmother was settled she made herself a cup of tea.

“Abuela,” Charlie began, “Have you seen Vaggie? I was hoping to see her as soon as I returned home.”
It had been ten years since they had last seen one another. They had written to each other whenever they could. Vaggie wasn’t able to visit Charlie in Spain since she was only a servant and a child at that. She couldn’t go along like some of the adult servants that had been with the Magne family for a long time. It was hard for Charlie not to see her best friend for so long but they had kept in touch after all this time.

“She's away on an errand for your papá,” Mimzy answered, taking a sip of her tea, “She should be back by tomorrow. Don’t worry, hija. She’s just as anxious to see you as well.”

Charlie smiled.

“Hija!” Lucifer entered the sun room.

Charlie grinned, setting her tea down before standing up.

“Papá!” She cried as she rushed over and hugged him.

“So good to have you home,” said Lucifer, “I apologize that I couldn’t be there to welcome you home at the station.”

“It’s alright papá,” said Charlie, once she released him, “Helsa’s mamá said you had some business to finish up, I know you are a very busy man.”

“Which is what I want to speak with you about, Charlie,” said Lucifer, leading them back to the couch.

“What is it papá?” Charlie asked.

Lucifer smiled, “To celebrate your return home, and your training, I have arranged a bullfight for you for everyone to see!”

Charlie froze up, “A bullfight? For the whole city to see?”

“That’s right hija! You will be able to show everyone here in Pentagrama City what you have learned in Spain, bringing pride to our family,” Lucifer declared.

“That’s wonderful, hijo,” said Mizmy, looking back to Charlie in excitement, “Isn’t it, hija?”

“Sí,” Charlie started sweating, “It’s wonderful.”

Mimzy noticed Charlie’s strange behavior, “Everything alright? Aren’t you excited?”

“Of course, abuela,” said Charlie, “I’m just… surprised is all.”

“And you will finish the bull this time, right?” Lucifer narrowed his eyes on Charlie, still smiling.

Charlie paled at that.

“Senor Trench has informed me that you have done well in your training but failed to kill a bull,” said Lucifer.

“That’s not true!” Charlie argued, “I did finish one off right before I returned home.”

“A lightning bolt doesn’t count,” said Lucifer.

Charlie stared at him, “Oh,” was her answer.

“Oh hija,” Mimzy sighed in disappointment.

“But why do I need to kill the bull? We don’t need to,” Charlie argued.

“It’s how it is and every Magne has always finished the bull, no exceptions,” said Lucifer.

“But papá,” Charlie protested.

“Besides you don’t want to disappoint Seviathan, do you? Fredrick informed me that he is coming home tomorrow to see you,” said Lucifer.

“Seviathan is coming home?” asked Charlie, surprised by the news.

From what Charlie understood, Seviathan entered the army three years ago and had already made a name for himself as a decorated war hero. He was always on the move, going from town to town with his brigade to help those in need.
It had been awhile since he’d been home himself.

“Sí, so you must make sure that tomorrow’s fight is the most spectacular fight that all of Pentagrama City has seen!” declared Lucifer.

* * *

The arena of Pentagrama City was the size of the roman colosseum. It was one of the oldest buildings in the city, one of the few buildings that Charlie’s ancestors had built. Lucifer had always told Charlie that this place was the pride and joy of the Magne family.

Charlie wasn’t fond of the arena. She didn’t find joy in it. In fact, Charlie hated it.

When she was little she always looked for ways to avoid watching matches where her papá performed, hating how the poor bull was tortured and tormented and then killed for entertainment.

‘It’s not right’, ‘we shouldn’t do this’, but no matter how many times she had told her family how cruel the practice was and how much she was against it, they never listened.

Charlie was getting ready for her fight, dressing in her Manado clothes that Mimzy made just for her. Her grandmother was an excellent seamstress, and her grandmother had made most of Charlie’s clothes when she was young.

“How are you doing, hija?” Mimzy asked her from outside Charlie’s dressing room, “Does it fit?”

“Sí, I’m just tucking in my shirt,” she told her.

“Good, good,” said Mimzy.

Charlie started to put her socks on when she noticed she couldn’t find her shoes?

“Abuela,” she called.

“Sí?”

“Have you seen my shoes? I can’t find them,” asked Charlie.

“I know. We left them at the house but I have sent word to someone to bring them here. Hopefully they will be here soon with them,” said Mimzy.

“Oh, okay,” Charlie answered.

She sat down to put on her long knee high white socks that fit tightly around her calves. Once they were on she rolled her pants down a little over the knee high socks, and then put on the tassels.

“Ah! Thank goodness,” Charlie heard Mimzy say, “Gracias for bringing them so quickly. I’m sorry to ask you to do this on such short notice after just returning home, Vagatha.”

Charlie froze.

Vaggie?

“It’s alright, señora,” she heard a voice, a voice that Charlie was sure was Vaggie, “It’s no trouble at all.”

Quickly Charlie stood up from her chair and rushed to the door. She tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground in the most unladylike manner possible.

“Charlie?” Mimzy called, hearing Charlie fall.

Charlie didn’t answer her, instead she quickly got back onto her feet and scurried to the door. She flung open her dressing room door, startling Mimzy that held her shoes in her hands.

“Hija?” said Mimzy.

But Charlie ignored her, looking around for any sign of someone that would look like Vaggie.

At the end of a long corridor she caught sight of someone disappearing around the corner.

“Vaggie?” she called out.

Charlie chased after her, trying to keep up with Vaggie, before she’d lose her. Rounding the corner she saw the door ahead of her close behind someone that had just walked through it. Quickly, she rushed towards and burst through the door to the outside of the arena, where hundreds of people were roaming about. Charlie tried to look among the crowd of people, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone who might look like Vaggie.

Running into the crowd Charlie tried to look at the faces around her to see if any one of them looked
familiar to her.

But unfortunately she didn’t see Vaggie anywhere.

She was gone.

Feeling the bitter disappointment churning in her, Charlie turned to head back inside, bumping into a tall blonde woman walking with a man.

“Oh! Sorry,” said Charlie, stumbling a little, head down in dejection, almost running into another person.

“No problem, toots,” said the woman in a man’s voice.

Charlie stopped and lifted her head blinking in confusion, she turned around to see that the woman she ran into was gone with her partner.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and headed back inside to finish getting ready for her match. Not to mention she burst out of her room so fast she probably had her grandmother worried, which she felt a little guilty about.

“There you are hija!” said Mimzy once she saw Charlie coming back, “What was that all about? You had me worried.”

“I’m sorry abuela,” Charlie apologized, “I was just hoping I would get to see Vaggie.”

“You will see her soon enough,” said Mimzy,

“Actually you have a visitor waiting for you inside.”

“I do?” asked Charlie.

“Sí, you rushed out of here so quickly you missed them. Now go inside, don’t keep them waiting.”

Charlie hesitated for a moment before she slowly entered the room to see someone standing in the middle of it.

It was a young man, her age, dressed in a soldier’s uniform covered in medals, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Hola,” Charlie greeted, entering the room with slight hesitance.

The man looked up in Charlie’s direction, smiling brightly at her.

“Charlotte?” he asked.

She stared at him for a moment before she slowly answered, “Sí.”

The man's smile grew, “It’s so good to see you! I’ve missed you so much.”

“Gracias?” Charlie said hesitantly.

He chuckled, “You don’t recognize me, do you?”

“Not really, I’m sorry,” said Charlie.

“Charlie, it’s me. Seviathan,” he said.

“Seviathan?” Charlie looked closely at the man before her, seeing that it is indeed Seviathan, “Oh my god, Seviathan!” Charlie smiled and hugged him.

Seviathan laughed, hugging Charlie back.

“It’s so good to see you,” said Charlie, pulling away, “Look at you! You’ve been busy I see.”

“You mean these old things?” Seviathan said, pointing to his medals with a smug smile.

“Papá said that you’ve become quite the hero,” said Charlie.

He laughed, “Oh stop, you’re embarrassing me,” he then handed her the bouquet, “These are for you.”

“They’re beautiful, Seviathan!” Charlie exclaimed,
taking the flowers with a large smile.

“I just wanted to see you for a moment before your match. We’ll catch up afterwards. I can’t wait to hear about your time in Spain,” said Seviathan.

“You could ask Helsa about Spain if you are too impatient to hear from me,” Charlie asked.

Seviathan gave her a look.

Charlie laughed, “Right, I forgot who I was talking about.”

Seviathan shook his head with a chuckle.

“Charlie!” Mimzy’s voice came from the door, “It’s almost time!”

“I’m almost finished,” she called.

“Well, I’ll take that as my cue to leave then. Good luck out there, Charlie,” Seviathan took her hand
and kissed it, “I will be cheering for you.”

Charlie blushed.

With a wink, Seviathan left Charlie to finish getting ready.

* * *

“Ahh, there is nothing like the smell of death in the morning to really get the blood pumping,” declared a chestnut haired man wearing glasses, a large smile on his face. He was slowly walking up the steps of the stadium with a lovely looking creature on his arm.

“I swear you get off on the sight of blood,” his partner, a tall being in a beautiful dress, said while hiding their face behind a fan, “I would think there was almost something wrong with you.”

They reached the very top of the stadium, where there were less people milling about. They could see the whole stadium from up here. They were poor seats, as you couldn’t see very well down below to watch the violence. But for the duo, they weren’t here to see the fight.

“Oh, but mi amor,” the chestnut haired man allowed his partner to take a seat first, before sitting down himself, “As lovely of a sight blood is when pouring out of a bleeding heart, it’s nothing compared to the absolute rapture that is you.”

The fan snapped shut, revealing the face of a beautiful blonde man, smirking in his partner’s direction.

“Smooth talking devil,” said the blonde, leaning in to peck his partner on the cheek.

The chestnut haired man laughed, “Only for you, my Angel.”

Angel chuckled fondly as he settled back in his seat, “I suppose I should feel lucky then?”

Alastor’s smile grew, shrugging his shoulders in mock confusion.

The crowd started to cheer when a figure appeared from the performer's entrance. They started walking to the center of the arena.

“Ah, the entertainment is about to begin,” said Alastor.

It turned out to be the announcer down below, the crowd let out a loud cheer at the recognition that the show was about to begin.

Once the crowd settled, the announcer spoke, “Citizens of Pentagrama City! Today we welcome home three of our city’s pride and joys! Not only has Pentagrama City’s hero returned, Seviathan von Eldritch, but also two of our beautiful darlings have come back from Spain, Charlotte Magne and Helsa von Eldritch!”

The crowd cheered loudly.

“And today, Charlotte Magne’s father, The renowned Lucifer Magne, has put together a match to show what our lovely Charlotte has learned from some of the greatest bullfighters Spain has to offer!”

The crowd grew louder.

Angel opened his fan again and started to fan himself, “Seems like you’re not the only one who’s turned on by blood,” he teased.

Alastor grunted in response.

“Now,” said the announcer, “Welcome back the von Eldritch children!” he pointed to the booth to his right.

It was then that both of the von Eldritch children appeared from behind the curtain, causing the whole stadium to go mad. Seviathan and Helsa both came out at the same time, each one trying to step in front of the other to see their adoring audience.

After their appearance, their parents came out, followed by Lucifer and Mimzy.

They took their seats in the booth.

“As a welcome back for the princess of Pentagrama City, we have arranged an opening performance of the finest musicians in the city!”

A mariachi band came out to the center, where the announcer stood, beginning to play.
Above in the booth Fredrick took this moment to lean in close to Seviathan.

“You saw her?” he asked his son.

Seviathan sighed, “Sí, papá.”

“And you gave her the flowers like I told you to?”

“Sí, papá,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Fredrick narrowed his eyes, “And?”

Seviathan glared at him, “And what?”

“Don’t be foolish, boy. Did she accept them?” Fredrick asked harshly.

“Sí papá, she accepted them,” Seviathan growled.

“Don’t talk to your papá like that,” his mother quietly hissed, so Lucifer and Mimzy wouldn’t hear them.

“I don’t understand why you are making such a big deal out of this,” said Seviathan, his posture slumped in annoyance.

“Have you gone loco, hijo?” questioned Fredrick; looking over to Lucifer to be sure he hadn’t heard them, “If you marry Charlotte, our family will be set for life. We would own Pentagrama City, the von Eldritch family.”

“Ugh, just picturing her as my sister makes me sick,” Helsa fake gagged.

“Do we need to send you back to Spain, hija?” her
mother asked harshly.

Helsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “No, mamá.”

“Fredrick!” Lucifer called cheerfully to his old friends, “It’s so nice to see your family all together again. You and Bethesda must be so happy.”

“Sí, it’s wonderful to have them back,” agreed Fredrick, smiling at his son, who didn’t look so thrilled.

“We knew Helsa was returning home but it was such a nice surprise to have Seviathan visit us,” Bethesda smiled sweetly.

That was total bullshit. His parents had demanded him home once they received word that Charlie and Helsa were returning, so he could ‘woo’ Charlie.

“I am happy to see you’re home as well, Seviathan,” said Lucifer, “And I am sure Charlie is just as happy.”

“Hijo,” Mimzy gained Lucifer’s attention, “Where is Vaggie? Charlie will be disappointed if she doesn’t see the match.”

“She’s on her way, mamá,” said Lucifer, “She’ll be here soon.”

“Vaggie?” Helsa questioned, “You mean the little peasant that followed Charlie everywhere?”

“Sí,” Lucifer answered, “She’s been very helpful while Charlie has been gone. You can say she became another hija to me.”

“Really?” Helsa opened her fan, hiding her face from Lucifer as she made a disgusted expression at the thought of Vaggie as some fake noblewoman.

“Señor Magne,” someone called gently from behind them.

Helsa lowered her fan to turn to see who dared come into their private box, ready to sneer at them only to freeze in shock.

A beautiful, yet, familiar woman walked into the box, moving with such grace and elegance that Helsa could never possess, and she had gone to school to be a lady! Her dress was simple but beautiful, lined with lace and in shades of pale pink and gray, a matching fan was held in her delicate
hand.

“Ah Vaggie! We were just wondering where you were,” Lucifer said happily, getting up from his seat.

Helsa stared in shock. Holy shit that was Vaggie!?

Vaggie smiled bashfully, “I apologize for the lateness. I’m embarrassed to say that I got lost.”

“It’s alright,” said Lucifer, leading Vaggie to their seats, “You remember Helsa and Seviathan.”

“Sí,” she answered, stepping forward to bow to them, “Hola Seviathan, hola Helsa. It is a pleasure to see you both here today. I hope your trips went well.”

Not only was Helsa in shock, but so was Seviathan, not believing that this was the same lowly peasant girl from when they were kids.

Bethesda elbowed Helsa in her side.

Helsa coughed, regaining her composure, “Sí, it was fine,” she answered.

“Sí,” Seviathan answered slowly, not quite out of his shock, “I had a pleasant trip.”

The mariachi band finished their performance before starting the next song, which was Charlie’s intro.

“Ah! Charlie is about to come out,” Lucifer announced, “Come sit, Vaggie.”

“Sí, Señor Magne,” Vaggie answered, sitting in the vacant seat between Lucifer and Mimzy.

“And now!” said the announcer, “I am pleased to welcome back Pentagrama City’s own princess, the only daughter of Lucifer Magne, Charlotte Magne!”

The crowd broke out into a large cheer and the music played louder when Charlie slowly walked into the arena, her red cape draped over her shoulder.

“Yeah! That’s my girl!” Angel cheered loudly from above, standing up from his seat and holding his fists in front of him in a fighting stance.

Alastor drew back from him a little bit, giving Angel a look.

Angel turned and looked down at him, “What?” he asked.

Alastor rolled his eyes at his husband's oblivious nature before noticing that they had a few people staring at them. He sent them all a creepy smile that quickly made them turn away, out of fear.

“Sit down,” he lightly growled at Angel, pulling him back down beside him.

Angel scowled at Alastor but did as he was told.

Charlie looked up at the roaring crowd around her, feeling her anxiety kicking in even more than it was a minute ago. Boy, there were alot of people here to see her fight. Was the air starting to get thin?

She looked up to the private box where she immediately saw the von Eldritch family, as well as Lucifer and Mimzy, as well as…

“Vaggie?” she whispered under her breath, staring up in shock.

It was Vaggie; she knew it in her heart. She’d
changed so much since the last time Charlie saw her, she looked so beautiful.

“Now!” the announcer brought Charlie back, “Let the fight begin!”

The crowd cheered as the announcer quickly got out of the arena and the bull was let loose.

Charlie turned around to face the bull, trying to remain calm as she attempted to remember all of her training with Señor Trench. The number one rule of bullfighting is to remain calm and collected; do not panic, for when you panic you start making stupid mistakes that will end up costing your life.

The bull came charging out, thrashing its head as it ran around the arena. Once the bull discovered it couldn’t find an opening, it turned its attention to Charlie, who stood ready with her cape in hand, and charged at her.

Watching the bull’s movements Charlie dodged at the last second as the bull ran past her, not even hitting the red cape.

The crowd cheered in delight.

Above Lucifer smiled at his daughter while Vaggie quietly sat next to him, fan hiding her lower face.
Charlie was magnificent. She moved with such grace and form that any bullfighter would be jealous to have. Señor Trench told Charlie that many fighters he’s known have struggled to gain that art form while it just came to her, as if it were second nature. The whole point to bullfighting was to put on a show, to flirt with death in the most elegant way possible, as if you were dancing with the Grim Reaper himself.

In Spain, Charlie took a few ballet lessons, a request from Señor Trench to Stolas’s wife, who happily agreed and enrolled Charlie in a performing arts school. Ballet was a perfect way to teach Charlie what she needed in the arena.

A few times Charlie would look up to the box to see what Vaggie’s reaction would be. It was difficult to tell since her face was hidden behind a fan but when Vaggie lowered it enough Charlie caught hints of a smile. That alone encouraged Charlie to keep going, to see that Vaggie was enjoying watching Charlie dance with the bull, to put a smile on her face.

The dance continued on a few more minutes until Charlie noticed one of the arena workers gesturing her over to him. She gave one more twirl, dodging the bull as it ran off to the other end of the arena, giving Charlie the chance to go over and meet the man.

The man didn’t say anything to Charlie, instead handing her twin swords.

It was time to finish the bull.

“And you will finish the bull this time, right,” Lucifer’s words echoed in her head.

She released a deep breath, turning to face the bull with her swords in hand.

The bull was turning around and Charlie prepared to strike the bull down when it would come charging at her.

She could do this.

She would do this.

For her family.

Charlie glanced up to the box to see her father wearing a proud smile on his face, while her grandmother looked almost ready to burst into tears of joy to see her granddaughter following the family tradition.

But Vaggie…

Vaggie looked distressed, saddened at what she was seeing.

She couldn’t do this….

She wouldn’t do this.

“No,” Charlie whispered under her breath.

The bull came charging at Charlie. But instead of striking the bull she dodged it as it hit the wall.

Charlie stuck the swords into the ground and stepped away from them.

“What is she doing?” Lucifer hissed in outrage.

“This is wrong!” Charlie shouted to the audience, “We shouldn’t kill innocent animals for entertainment!”

Vaggie smiled brightly.

The crowd began to boo at Charlie.

Helsa laughed into her hand, “I knew she couldn’t do it.”

“Please!” Charlie pleaded to the crowd, who was now throwing food at her. She dodged a tomato, “We don’t need to kill the bull.”

“Oh Charlie,” Vaggie whispered.

Lucifer growled, standing up from his seat and stormed out of the box.

“Vaggie,” she looked to Mimzy while hiding her face with her fan, “Please wheel me out, right now.”

Vaggie nodded, calming her features back to polite indifference and removing her fan from her face. She stood up from her seat, and wheeled Mimzy out at her request.

Down below, Charlie didn’t see her family, or Vaggie, leave as she tried to avoid thrown objects.

But unfortunately, she forgot that the bull was still in the arena with her.

The bull charged her from behind.

“Charlie!” Seviathan yelled, seeing the beast heading right for her.

But it was too late. When she looked behind her, the bull was already on her. The most she could do was move a little bit out of the way but still got
caught as she was thrown up in the air.

The crowd stopped booing at Charlie and gasped when they saw her being thrown into the air and
plummet back into the ground, unconscious.

Seviathan immediately jumped from the box as the bull’s handlers came out and herded the bull back into its pen.

“Charlie!” Seviathan rushed to Charlie’s side, kneeling beside her as the medics came out.

* * *

Alastor chuckled in amusement as the medic team carefully picked up an unconscious Charlie and moved her out of the arena with Seviathan following close behind.

“Too bad, my dear,” Alastor began, “It would seem that I have won our wager. Good try, mi amor,” he grinned at Angel.

Angel glared at Alastor.

“You sure are a cocky bastard,” said Angel, opening his fan before standing up from his seat.

“I wouldn’t call myself cocky, just sure of myself,” said Alastor.

Angel rolled his eyes, “Either way it’s not over yet, asshole.”

Alastor looked at him with a raised eyebrow, standing up from his seat. He stepped out, then allowed Angel out, and offered his arm, “Really now. Please enlighten me how this isn’t over then. Her own family, as well as the girl, left her to face the bull alone. Seviathan was the only one that came to her aid.”

“That’s the problem,” Angel took Alastor’s offered arm, walking down the steps, “You are only focusing on the after, not the before.”

“What is that supposed to mean? The most important details always lay in the after, the before always changes,” stated Alastor.

“True. But sometimes that’s not always the case,” Angel smiled from behind his fan.

The look of joy on Vaggie’s face when Charlie refused to kill the bull was proof enough of his victory.

Chapter Text

It was dark, that was the first thing Charlie noticed. Next came the pain, every inch of her body hurt. It felt like she had been hit by something at full force. She heard humming. It was faint but it was there. The humming was nice, and so soothing, as well as alluring, as if it were a siren’s call that beckoned Charlie to follow it into the light.

So she did.

She groaned in pain as she slowly opened her eyes, finding that her vision was very blurry while her head throbbed. She didn’t know where she was but saw what looked like her ceiling back in her room. Was she home? The color looked familiar. Something blocked her view, a blurry form of someone.

“Charlie?”

Her eyes widened. She recognized that voice, it was the same voice from outside her dressing room.

Trying to focus her vision, while ignoring the pain,

Charlie was able to make out the form of Vaggie above her.

“Vaggie?” Charlie asked weakly.

Vaggie sighed in relief, smiling down at her, “Sí, it’s me Charlie.”

Charlie smiled weakly, “Hola.”

Vaggie chuckled, “Hola to you too. How are you feeling,” she dabbed Charlie’s forehead with a wet washcloth.

Charlie groaned, “Like I was run over.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Vaggie dipped the rag back into the water, “You got hit by the bull pretty hard. You’re lucky it's horns missed you.”

Now she remembered. Well, sort of remembered. It all happened so fast that she only remembered bits and pieces. All she remembered was seeing the bull coming right at her before being sent flying into the air.

“Now that you're awake, I’m going to go fetch the doctor,” said Vaggie, standing up from her seat.

“Wait,” Charlie reached for her, weakly.

Vaggie smiled at Charlie, taking her hand in hers, “I’ll be right back.”

“You promise?” Charlie mumbled.

She nodded, “I promise.”

Charlie nodded, before letting go of Vaggie’s hand.

Vaggie quickly left the room to fetch the doctor, as well as inform Lucifer that Charlie had regained consciousness. She was kind of hesitant to inform Lucifer, knowing that he wasn’t too pleased with Charlie right now for what had happened in the arena. But Vaggie had formed a strong bond with Charlie’s family when she was studying abroad; it felt wrong not to tell them, even if Charlie may not want to see them yet.

In no time, Vaggie returned with the doctor that immediately went to work checking Charlie over for any serious injuries they may have missed.

After asking Charlie a bunch of questions, checking her pulse, reflexes, and so on, the doctor declared that she was fine.

“You don’t seem to have a concussion, which is good. That was what I was most concerned about,” said the doctor, “Other than the nasty bruises you will soon receive, you seem fine. You are very fortunate Señorita Magne, to walk away with only minor injuries.”

“Doesn’t feel like minor injuries,” Charlie grumbled.

“Sí, you took quite a hard hit from the bull. But count your blessings that it wasn’t anything worse than soreness you will be feeling for some time.”

“Thank you, doctor,” said Charlie.

“Everything alright?”

Charlie tensed up, hearing her father’s voice.

Lucifer entered Charlie’s room, wheeling Mimzy in.

“Ah, Señor Magne,” the doctor stood up to meet
with Lucifer.

“How is she?” Lucifer asked.

“There is no concussion, that’s the good news. That was the possible injury I was most concerned about,” said the doctor.

“That’s good to hear,” Lucifer answered.

“She’ll suffer from some major bruises but other than that she should be fine,” said the doctor.

“Thank you for everything, doctor,” Mimzy was the one to answer.

“Vaggie,” said Lucifer.
She quickly stepped forward, “Sí, Señor Magne?”

“Please show the doctor to the door,” he ordered.

“Sí, Señor Magne,” she gave a little bow before turning to the doctor, “If you would please follow me.”

Charlie wanted to reach out to Vaggie, plead with her not to leave her alone to face her family.

Vaggie looked over her shoulder, sending her an apologetic look as she left with the doctor.

Once they were gone, Lucifer looked back at Charlie with the most disappointed look that Charlie had ever seen, and to make matters worse, her grandmother wore the same face.

“Papá-“ she began.

“Quiet,” Lucifer said so harshly that Charlie actually flinched at the tone, “You’ve disappointed us today,
Charlotte.”

He used her full name, that wasn’t good.

“I know-“

“Let your papá speak,” Mimzy was the one to cut in this time, and that seemed even worse.

“You have brought shame to not only myself, but to our whole family. You have disgraced the Magne name! Our Ancestors are likely rolling in their graves at the stunt you pulled today! And to make matters worse, you made the rookie mistake of turning your back on a bull and got hurt in the process!” Lucifer ranted.

“I’m sorry, papá,” Charlie apologized, on the verge of tears.

“Don’t apologize!” he yelled, “A Magne never apologizes!”

“Ever,” agreed Mimzy.

“But-“

“No more arguing!” Lucifer yelled, “You are no Magne.”

Charlie was now crying.

Lucifer continued to glare at Charlie for another moment before he let out a resigned sigh, running a hand down his face.

“Look hija,” he started, “We are having a big fiesta tonight in a few short hours, to celebrate your return. Come down when you are feeling well enough. We’ll talk more about this later.”

Charlie only nodded, still sniffling as she wiped her tears while her father and grandmother left.

Honestly she wasn’t surprised by her family’s reaction. As soon as she made the decision to not kill the bull she knew she would receive her family’s anger. But it still hurt to hear her own father tell her she wasn’t a Magne.

Vaggie came back, after seeing the doctor out, stopping at the door when she noticed Charlie wiping her red eyes.

“Charlie?” Vaggie asked, coming over to her, “Are you okay?”

“Oh, uh,” Charlie wiped the rest of her tears away with her sleeve, “I’m okay, Vaggie.”

“You sure?” Vaggie sat down on the edge of the bed, “You don’t seem okay.”

“I am,” Charlie smiled, “Just… I disappointed my family, is all. Papá and abuela aren’t too happy with me for not finishing the bull. But… I just couldn’t do it, Vaggie. It wasn’t right.”

“I know,” Vaggie comforted her, “But you did what you knew was right, and not what anyone told you to do. You stayed true to yourself, Charlie. Your family may not be proud of you, but I am.”

Charlie looked to Vaggie, noticing how close she was to her now, astonished by how beautiful Vaggie had become over the years.

“Thank you, Vaggie,” Charlie said, hiding her blush.

If Vaggie saw Charlie blush, she didn’t say anything about it; instead she moved her focus onto a familiar guitar in the corner of the room, by her window.

“You kept it,” Vaggie said mostly to herself than to Charlie.

Charlie followed Vaggie’s gaze to the guitar, “Of course I did, why wouldn’t I? It was a gift from you before I left. It’s important to me.”

Now it was Vaggie’s turn to blush, which Charlie thought was quite adorable.

“When you are feeling better I would love to hear you play it,” said Vaggie.

“I can do it right now,” Charlie offered.

“No, no you are still recovering,” said Vaggie, “I want you to do it when you can actually put your all into it and not have to worry about you fainting or something,” she teased.

Charlie pouted a little but gave in, “I suppose that’s fair.”

“Now,” Vaggie stood up, “I hate to leave you, Charlie. But I must head downstairs to help prepare for the fiesta tonight. You rest up, and when you are ready I will see you down there.”

“Okay,” said Charlie.

Vaggie gave one last smile to Charlie before she left, leaving Charlie alone to rest up for tonight.

* * *

It took some time, and help from one of the maids, but Charlie managed to rise from her bed, feeling sore as hell. It probably wasn’t the wisest idea for her to get up so soon when her body was still recovering, but she needed to join the party downstairs. She’d already disappointed her family enough as it was, she couldn’t afford to disappoint them anymore tonight, even if she was in agony.

Charlie headed downstairs and went to the courtyard, where the party was taking place. The party was already in full swing when Charlie arrived. Music filled the air, as well as the random chatter of their guests, while food started to be served.

Many people were at the party Charlie didn’t recognize, nor remember. It had been ten years since she’d been home after all, and so much had changed. Even her own home had changed, as well as the courtyard. She could see her grandmother had been busy out here; gardening was her favorite thing, besides knitting.

She soon found her father at the center of the party, speaking with Fredrick and Bethesda.

Putting on a brave face, Charlie moved towards her father, figuring it would be best to get it over with and please her father in some way.

“Buena noches, papá,” Charlie greeted politely, giving him a little curtsy.

“Ah, Charlotte!” her father said happily, “I’m happy to see you managed to make it down here tonight. Are you feeling better?”

“Just sore is all, papá. It doesn’t really hurt anymore,” she lied, it still hurt a lot when she moved in certain ways. But she didn’t need her father to know that.

“Oh, Charlotte,” Bethesda moved to hug Charlie gently, careful not to hurt her, “I was so worried. We saw that beast throw you in the air. Poor Seviathan was very scared for you; he jumped down into the arena to check on you.”

“He did?” Charlie asked in surprise.

Fredrick nodded, “Sí, he cares for you very much.”
“He will make a fine husband one day,” Bethesda casually said, “He’s become quite the strong, handsome young man too.”

Charlie blushed a little.

“Sí, the people of Pentagrama City are proud of him. How long is he staying home for anyway?” Lucifer asked.

“A few days, if not more,” Bethesda answered.

“He has some business he needs to see to first before he can return to his duties,” added Fredrick.

“Oh, there he is now,” said Bethesda, who noticed her son coming out into the courtyard, “Seviathan!” she called.

Hearing his mother’s call, he moved over to their group until he was standing at his mother’s side.

“Buena noches, mamá,” he said, before he noticed Charlie, “Charlie, I’m so happy to see you. I was truly worried that you were seriously hurt.”

“Your mamá was just telling me you jumped down to help me in the arena,” Charlie said with a little blush.

“Well, of course. I will always come to your aid,” he then took her hand and kissed it.

“Oh uh,” Charlie stammered, feeling a little embarrassed as well as uncomfortable, “Gracias,” she took her hand away.

Seviathan frowned at her actions.

“It’s been so long since you’ve last seen each other. Seviathan you should tell Charlotte about all the medals you have earned,” Fredrick suggested.

“Sí, you’d be proud of all his accomplishments,” said Bethesda, “We’ll leave you two alone.”

Bethesda and Fredrick quickly steered Lucifer away from them before he could protest at the
sudden withdrawal, leaving the two alone.

“So,” Charlie started, fidgeting nervously, “You’ve been pretty busy, I see.”

“Sí, I was just recently promoted to Captain, the youngest in a generation, I’m told. It’s quite the honor, there was even a huge ceremony for me with all of Mexico’s famous figure heads there,” Seviathan bragged.

And that’s all he did. He bragged and boasted about himself, not letting Charlie have a chance to get a few words in. It was kind of irritating actually.
Seviathan was telling Charlie another story of one of his medals when she caught sight of Vaggie entering the courtyard with a tray of food to set on the table.

“- Of course they didn’t see it but I caught it right away-“

“That’s great, Seviathan,” Charlie interrupted him, “If you’ll excuse me,” she told him and quickly rushed off to chase after Vaggie.

Seviathan watched in annoyance when he saw Charlie chase after Vaggie. Growling lightly to himself he stormed off, grabbing a drink off a tray from a server that passed by him. He found a quiet place in the courtyard, away from any prying eyes, and downed the whole drink, letting the alcohol give him a pleasant tingle.

But, of course, his mother quickly tracked him down with Helsa following behind.

“Hijo! What are you doing over here?” she hissed, “Where’s Charlie??? I gave you an opportunity to spend some alone time with her and you are wasting it over here, drunk?”

“I’m not drunk, mamá. It’s just one drink,” he growled at her, “And I was talking to her before she decided to run after that gutter peasant. Why do I have to do this, can’t you and papá just arrange something with señor Magne? Doing all of this is so tedious and annoying.”

“Your papá is trying but señor Magne is not budging yet. You need to make a good impression on him and show the Magne family that you are a good match. Even if you have to act like you are,” said Bethesda.

“I am acting! What do you think all this prince charming shit is about! I don’t do this out of the kindness of my heart,” said Seviathan, “I put on a show to get what I want, not to mention step on others to get where I am.”

“Well it seems like you’re a shit actor if Charlie doesn’t want anything to do with you,” said Helsa, smirking.

Seviathan glared at her.

“Stop it! Now, you two!” Bethesda ordered, “That’s enough.”

“She started it,” Seviathan grumbled.

“Enough messing around,” his mother took his empty glass, “Now go find her and woo her!”

“It’s not going to help if she keeps chasing after Vaggie,” he spat Vaggie’s name out like it was poison.

He had a point. It was no secret that the two girls were very close to each other when they were younger, perhaps a little too close for Bethesda’s liking.

She turned to Helsa, “You used to like Vaggie, correct Helsa?”

Helsa’s face scrunched up in disgust, “Please mamá I would rather chop off my own arm than spend any alone time with a low born like her.”

“But you used to?” Bethesda asked again.

“No, I only pretended to be, just to annoy Charlie by taking her away,” said Helsa.

Bethesda hummed, forming a plan in her head.

“What are you thinking, mamá?” asked Seviathan.

“I’m forming a plan,” she answered, “Helsa.”

“Sí?”

“I want you to woo Vaggie.”

“What?” Helsa asked incredulously, “Are you loca?!”

“Vaggie must be removed from the situation in order for your brother to woo Charlie. The girl will only be in the way, so we need you to remove her,” said Bethesda.

“Can’t you get someone else to do it?” asked Helsa, “Someone other than me?”

“We can’t find anyone; we do not have the time. This has to happen tonight. Besides, from what I understand she fancies women over men. So this is perfect for you,” said Bethesda.

“But I don’t want to do it!” Helsa argued.

“You will do this,” her mother glared at her, “If you don’t you will be disowned from this family. Do I make myself clear?”

Helsa wanted to argue more about this but knew a lost battle when she saw it.

She sighed in defeat, “Sí, mamá.”

* * *

Charlie chased after Vaggie, trying to get just a moment with her to talk. However, she kept being stopped by everyone who was eager to talk to her, making it impossible to get to Vaggie. She had no choice but to be polite and talk with these people that she didn’t know. She was the heir of the Magne family; the city was to be hers one day, so she needed to be respectful to her people. But, of course a few minutes extended to more minutes and a few people became ten more people.

To make matters worse Seviathan found Charlie again. It’s not that she didn’t like Seviathen, they were childhood friends, and they grew up together.

But she just didn’t want to deal with him right now.
“Señor,” Seviathan politely cut into the conversation that Charlie was trapped in, “I don’t wish to be rude but I was wondering if I may borrow señorita Magne to join me on the dance floor.”

“Oh! Of course, señor von Eldritch!” said the man goodnaturedly, “I’m sorry señorita Magne for taking up so much of your time.”

“No, no it’s okay,” said Charlie, “It’s nice to see my people again, and I’m always happy to talk to them.”

“Señorita?” Seviathan offered his hand to Charlie.

Charlie hesitated about taking Seviathan’s hand, not really wishing to dance right now but didn’t want to be rude. Plus, she needed a way out of the conversation she had been trapped in, so this was the best way out.

She took Seviathan’s offered hand.

He flashed a charming smile, leading Charlie onto the dance floor.

They stopped in the center before Seviathan turned
to face Charlie, her hand placed in his, as they began to dance.

“Gracias for the rescue,” she told him, “I don’t mind talking to people but I’ve been meeting with everyone nonstop. It’s a little overwhelming.”

“Of course,” he told her, smiling, “I’ll always be here for you whenever you need me.”

Charlie smiled.

Off to the side of the dance floor, at the edge of the party, Vaggie watched Charlie and Seviathan dancing together, smiling at one another. The sight of them together somehow made Vaggie sad, even though she shouldn’t be, right?

“They didn’t take long to get cozy with each other.”

Vaggie looked to her right to see Helsa standing beside her.

“It kind of makes you want to puke,” said Helsa.

Vaggie looked at Helsa, “It’s not my place to speak of that, señorita von Eldritch.”

Helsa smirked, “No, I suppose it isn’t,” she watched her brother dance, “But I won’t tell anyone if you wish to speak your mind, even if it’s about my brother. I don’t care much for him anyways.”

Vaggie didn’t answer.

“I know you never liked Seviathan, it’s not that hard
to figure out, even when we were kids,” Helsa pressed.

“Señor von Eldritch was a child then, he didn’t know any better, and neither did I,” said Vaggie.

“Maybe, but I seem to remember the times when he did pick on you, called you names…He did it all in front of Charlie,” Helsa smirked as she watched Vaggie’s reaction. The hurt was etched on her face when recalling those painful memories.

“And she did nothing to stop him, or try to defend you. Too busy fawning all over him, ignoring you, even.”

Vaggie flinched.

“But I always appreciated you,” said Helsa.

Vaggie looked to Helsa, a small glint of vulnerability in her eyes.

Perfect.

“You?” Vaggie started, “actually appreciate me?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” asked Helsa, pretending to be shocked by Vaggie’s question. She needed to sell this.

“I just thought… when we were little you were just kidding,” Vaggie suddenly became bashful, “I didn’t take any of that serious.”

“I wasn’t,” Helsa whispered, raising her hand to gently place a strand of hair behind Vaggie’s ear, “You are very special to me, Vaggie. I want you to know that.”

“E-Excuse me,” Vaggie excused herself, quickly rushing out the courtyard, face as red as a tomato.

Helsa smirked, watching Vaggie practically run from her, knowing that Helsa managed to hook her.

Across the way she saw her parents, looking to Helsa, waiting for a response from her. Her smirk grew as she gave them a nod, confirming that she accomplished her mission.

Her parents smiled in triumph.

* * *

Charlie caught Vaggie from the corner of her eye, noticing her face was beet red as she rushed back into the house. Charlie wondered what happened to make Vaggie run back inside until she’d notice Helsa smirking at Vaggie’s retreating form. Of course this would be Helsa’s doing, it usually was.

“Everything alright?” Seviathan asked.

Charlie turned back to him, “Oh, I just saw something is all.”

Seviathan gave her a strange look, “You sure?”

She nodded, “Sí, I’m okay.”

The music finished, as well as their dance. The dancers applauded the musicians before another song started up.

“Would you-“

“I’m sorry, Seviathan. I’m not feeling too good, I think it’s from the injuries I took from the bull,” Charlie lied.

“Oh,” said Seviathan, “Well alright. You take it easy. Don’t overdo it.”

She smiled, giving a little curtsy, “I will, gracias Seviathan.”

He bowed, “Gracias, Charlie. You rest well.”

Carefully Charlie walked out of the courtyard, looking as natural and lady-like as possible. But as soon as she was out of sight from any prying eyes Charlie took off in the direction she was sure Vaggie ran off to.

Judging from the direction she was heading towards it looked like the servant quarters. Heading that way Charlie bumped into one of the other servants coming from there, asking if Vaggie was there.

“Si, señorita. I just saw her a moment ago heading up to her room,” answered the servant.

“Which room is hers?” Charlie asked.

“It’s on the second floor, the last room,” said the servant.

“I see, gracias,” Charlie thanked her before she turned and made a beeline to her room.

She didn’t know what she and Helsa were talking about but by Vaggie’s reaction Charlie didn’t like it at all. She wondered what mean things Helsa had said to her to make her rush out so quickly.

Charlie grabbed her guitar from her room and quickly rushed out to the back where the stables were.

If she remembered correctly then Vaggie’s room would be facing the stables, she thought as she passed through the courtyard.

Rushing out to the stables, Charlie was a little careless in not drawing attention to herself and didn’t notice that Seviathan had come to check on her.

Seviathan watched Charlie run off to the back of the mansion.

Curious what she was up to, he followed.

* * *

Vaggie splashed her face a few times, trying to calm her nerves.

Why was she so flustered? It’s only Helsa, there’s no reason for her to act like this.

It’s true that Seviathan was never really nice to Vaggie when they were little. And it always angered her that he would put on this nice fake act whenever Charlie was around. Helsa wasn’t wrong about that.

Seeing them both out on the dance floor this evening had made something ugly rear up in her chest.

She sighed, leaning against her dresser where her wash bowl sat, looking up to her mirror. She looked a little better, a little calmer, but she still looked distressed.

Splashing her face a few more times Vaggie reached for her towel to dry her face.

That’s when she heard the soft melody of a guitar.

Confused, Vaggie looked up and searched around her room, trying to figure out where it was coming from. It wasn’t the guitars playing from the courtyard; her room was too far from there to hear it. Plus, this guitar sounded much closer than it should be.

Then someone started singing, someone very familiar.

“~I love you too much. To live without you loving me back.~”

It was coming outside her bedroom window, towards the sables.

“~I love you too much. Heaven's my witness and this is a fact.~”

Vaggie unlocked her window and gently pushed it wide open, where the singing was louder.

“~I know I belong. When I sing this song.~”

Vaggie looked down and quietly gasped when she saw Charlie down below, playing her guitar while she serenaded her.

“~There's love above love and it's ours. Cause I love you too much.~”

Charlie smiled when she saw Vaggie looking down at her, smiling right back.

“~I live for your touch. I whisper your name night after night. I love you too much. There's only one feeling and I know it’s right,~” Charlie found the courage to keep singing, “~I know I belong. When I sing this song. There's love above love and it's ours. Cause I love you too much.~”

Vaggie leaned out on the windowsill, listening to Charlie singing to her, admiring how lovely her singing voice was.

“~Heaven knows your name, I've been praying. To have you come here by my side. Without you a part of me is missing. Just to make you my own, I will fight.”

But Vaggie wasn’t the only one listening to Charlie singing.

Above on the stable roofs, invisible to mortal eyes, Angel sat on the roof as he watched Charlie sing her heart out to Vaggie. He smiled fondly as he watched this touching moment between the two girls.

“~I know I belong. When I sing this song. There's love above love and it's ours. Cause I love you too much~”

From the shadows of the stables, even out of Angel’s sight, Alastor watched the scene with a smiling snarl. He clenched his hands tightly, his claws piercing his palms, making them bleed.

“~I love you too much. I love you too much. Heaven's my witness and this is a fact. You live in my soul. Your heart is my goal~”

Of course, Alastor wasn’t the only one angered by this. Seviathan watched in silent contempt from his hiding spot around the corner of the manor, angry that Charlie was serenading a low class servant.

If he didn’t do something soon then all of his efforts in trying to get Charlie to marry him would be for naught.

That’s when an idea hit him.

His father may have pestered Lucifer about having their children marry, and received a no from it. But what would happen if Seviathan asked Lucifer himself, a highly decorated hero from a well-bred and high class family?

With that idea in mind, Seviathan went to seek out Lucifer.

“~There's love above love and it's mine cause I love you! There's love above love and it's yours cause I love you!~”

Charlie stepped closer to Vaggie with every verse, looking straight up at Vaggie with the biggest smile.

“~There's love above love and it's ours if you love me! As much…”

Vaggie clapped when Charlie was finished, unable to hide the smile on her face.

“Bravo,” said Vaggie.

Charlie blushed, looking away from Vaggie for a moment, feeling embarrassed.

“Not too much?” Charlie asked.

Vaggie giggled, “No. It was perfect, Charlie. You were wonderful.”

Charlie smiled brightly, “Only for you.”
Vaggie blushed furiously.

“I’m coming up,” Charlie declared, already rushing back in.

“Charlie wait!” Vaggie tried to stop her but she was already gone.

Giggling, Vaggie closed her window up and left her room to meet Charlie halfway instead of letting her rush up here.

From the roof of the stables Angel chuckled in amusement at the girls' lovable antics.

* * *

“Normally I’m not one to decide these things. I’m not old fashioned, you understand.”

“Of course señor.”

“But in this case I think you would make a fine husband to my daughter, as well as a son-in-law.”

“So Seviathan has your blessing then?”

“Sí.”

“Thank you señor Magne, I am truly honored.”

Lucifer smiled at Seviathan, “I would welcome you to the family but I feel as if you already have been for a long time.”

Seviathan smiled, “The feeling is mutual.”

“Hijo,” Mimzy said from beside Lucifer, “Are you certain this is wise?”

“I hope you are not upset with Seviathan in any way, señora Magne,” asked Fredrick.

“No, no it’s not that señor,” she said.

“Then it’s settled,” declared Fredrick, “As soon as Sevaithan asks Charlotte we will begin the arrangements.”

“Speaking of,” Lucifer looked around the courtyard,

“Where is Charlotte?”

“I believe she went to the stables. She’ll be back,” Sevaithan said casually, keeping an eye on the opening that Charlie would have to come through from the stables.

And sure enough she came rushing out with her guitar.

“There she is,” said Seviathan.

“Ah, Charlotte!” Lucifer called.

Charlie was so focused on meeting Vaggie upstairs that she didn’t hear her father calling until a second time.

“Charlotte!” Lucifer yelled a little louder.

Charlie stopped, looking towards her father’s direction to see him waving her over.
Hesitating for a moment, Charlie looked off towards the direction of the stairs before moving towards her father.

“Sí papá?” she asked.

Lucifer smiled brightly at her, looking very pleased with something, “Seviathan wishes to ask you something?”

“Oh?” She looked at him.

From the staircase Vaggie came rushing down to only stop at the bottom to see Charlie standing with her family, Seviathan, and Fredrick.

Seviathen took a deep breath before he kneeled down onto one knee in front of Charlie, taking her hand.

Charlie froze as she stared down at Seviathan.

“Charlotte Magne,” he began, “We have known each other since childhood, growing up alongside one another, facing hardships together. So, I ask you. Will you marry me?”

Vaggie gasped in shock, placing her hands over her mouth as she felt a terrible sinking weight in her stomach.

Charlie stared down at Seviathan, in shock, not believing what was happening.

“What?” was all she could get out.

“I know this is sudden,” said Seviathan, “But don’t worry, your father agreed for you.”

“You what?!?” Charlie turned to Lucifer.

“Seviathan is a good match for you,” began Lucifer, “You are of marrying age so it’s time for you to find a husband. Seviathan is a fine young lad that you have known for a long time.”

“Your papá is right,” agreed Mimzy.

Vaggie hugged herself, helplessly watching Charlie as she looked between her family and then to Seviathan, fearing that she would accept his proposal.

She gave a little jump when she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see it was Helsa, giving her a look of sympathy with a gentle squeeze.

“Well, Charlie?” asked Seviathan, “Would you do me the honor of being my wife.”

“I…” she hesitated, finally noticing that all eyes were on her now, “I-“

“Captain von Eldritch!”

A soldier from Seviathan’s unit came rushing out into the courtyard.

Seviathan looked irritated before he stood up to glare at the approaching soldier.

“What is it?” Seviathan demanded.

The soldier looked a little hesitant to answer, seeing his captain angry, but the crisis of the situation overrode his fear.

“The town hall has been set ablaze,” he reported.

Seviathan’s anger was washed away in an instant.

“What?”

Everyone in the courtyard began to whisper, concerned over the news they heard.

“How did this happen?” Lucifer asked, outraged.

“Why is this not being taken care of?”

“We are trying to, señor,” answered the soldier, “But our soldiers are being overwhelmed.”

“What do you mean ‘being overwhelmed’,” demanded Lucifer.

The soldier didn’t answer him; instead he turned to face Seviathan with a grim expression, “It’s her, sir. The Mad Bruja.”

Chapter Text

“Gather our remaining forces and head for city hall immediately,” ordered Seviathan, standing back up on his feet, rushing out of the courtyard, “fetch my sword and pistol!”

“Seviathan!” his mother called to him, looking quite distressed.

But it fell on deaf ears as he continued to give orders.

“We must move before she moves on to the market area. If the rumors of her are true we must stop her before innocents die,” Seviathan gave another order.

Bethesda turned to her husband, “Fredrick.”

“I will go with him,” he told her, already following after his son.

“So shall I,” said Lucifer, “This is my city after all.”

“Hijo,” Mimzy called to Lucifer but he was out of the courtyard with Fredrick, quickly following after Seviathan.

“What’s happening?” Charlie asked, confused as to what was happening, “Abuela?” she looked at Mimzy.

“I don’t know hija,” Mimzy answered honestly, “But I think it might be best to let your papá handle this.”

Something didn’t feel right about this situation.

“I think I should go too,” said Charlie.

“No, hija,” protested Mimzy.

“She is right, Charlotte,” Bethesda stood beside her, looking worried, “It may not be safe.”

“Which is why I have to go, I can’t let papá get hurt,” Charlie declared as she rushed off after Lucifer.

“Charlie!” Mimzy cried after her.

Charlie ignored her grandmother as she quickly followed after the men, passing both Vaggie and Helsa, not paying either of them attention.

“Charlie!” Vaggie called at her.

* * *

The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, was one of the greatest revolutionary upheavals of the twentieth century. Many brave soldiers on both sides of the revolution fought valiantly and lost their lives. After the war had ended, many of the surviving soldiers returned home to their loved ones. Others retired in peace and quiet, away from everyone that wished to ask them about their time in the war, trying to recover from their scars.

Then there were those that wished to continue as if nothing had changed at all.

These soldiers were perhaps the most dangerous to Mexico.

And it wasn’t because they wanted their side to win.

These soldiers were a different kind of breed. One that had only one goal in mind.

To cause harm to those around them.

They wanted to shed blood just because of the joy they would get from killing and watching the light in their victim’s eyes slip away.

The most famous of these soldiers was The Mad Bruja.

A deranged woman with no known past, a being that had appeared seemingly out of thin air and joined the war. No one knew who she was; she had no name to give for she didn’t have one to begin with, or so she claimed. So they started to call her Velvet for she always dressed in red shades of velvet.

She quickly gained a terrifying reputation during the revolution, for she killed without hesitation, a large smile upon her face when she would plunge a knife into her victims. But the most horrifying rumor that followed Velvet was that she would tear her victims’ hearts out while they were still beating and offer them to the heathen gods, the Aztecs.

After the war she carried on with her kills, gaining a cult-like following, as she went from town to town with her followers, pillaging and killing to their hearts content only to vanish into thin air when help arrived.

Earning her the name, The Mad Bruja.

By the time Seviathan arrived, city hall was already covered in a roaring blaze with a few of the neighboring buildings catching fire as well. Civilians ran out of the burning buildings, screaming in fear and terror, as a few brave men tried to put the fires out in vain. Seviathan’s first instinct was to order his men to help put out the fires until he saw the rest of his troops fighting what looked to be bandits.

No, these weren’t bandits; these were Velvet’s cult followers. Just their clothes and painted faces was enough for Seviathan to know.

Fredrick and Lucifer caught up to Seviathan, stopping beside him as they stared at the scene before them.

“Querido Dios,” whispered Fredrick.

“Papá, señor Magne,” Seviathan drew his sword, “I want you two to focus on putting out the fires, while my men and I focus on these crazy cult followers,” he ordered before he rushed off and joined the fight.

“Come on, Fredrick!” said Lucifer, running to help put the fires out.

Fredrick hesitated to follow Lucifer, watching Seviathan charge into danger. He wanted to go after Seviathan, to protect his son, but knew he would only be in his way before he finally went after Lucifer.

Charlie arrived five minutes after the men took action on the scene.

She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. It was a longer run than she had thought from her home to city hall.

There was chaos everywhere around her, from the roaring fire to the fighting soldiers, which made it impossible to navigate through and find her father.

A scream caught Charlie’s attention as she turned in time to see a young girl being chased by a terrifying man, one of the invading bandits, Charlie figured. Seeing that the woman needed help Charlie quickly looked for anything that could be a weapon for her to use.

There was a damaged wagon near where Charlie stood, large pieces of broken wood lay nearbythat would make an excellent club. Rushing over to the wagon she grabbed the largest and solid piece of wood she could find, and then charged at the bandit from behind.

It all happened so fast that the bandit didn’t have time to react before Charlie brought her club down on the bandit’s head, knocking him out cold.

“Are you okay?” Charlie asked the terrified girl.

“S-Sí” she shakenly answered.

“Find somewhere safe to hide,” said Charlie, “Quickly!”

The girl jumped but took off running at Charlie’s order.

Charlie sighed in relief, to see the girl managed to run to safety.

“Well that’s not very nice.”

Charlie whipped around to a woman standing behind her. Just one look at the woman alone told Charlie that she was with these ruffians that were invading her city. She wore strange red velvet clothes, had her hair up in two large messy pigtails, and wore a crazy smile on her face.

“Who are you?” Charlie demanded to know, gripping her weapon tightly in her hands.

The woman ignored her, looking down at the unconscious bandit at the ground.

“Answer me!” Charlie demanded once more.

The woman slowly looked up at her, not fazed at all by Charlie’s demands. She pouted at Charlie.

“That was so mean of you, taking out someone from behind. The poor guy didn’t do anything to you,” she said.

“He was attacking an innocent girl. I say that gives me more than enough reason to attack him,” said Charlie, glaring daggers at the newcomer.

“Really now,” she smiled, “So it’s justice because he attacked someone, right?”

Charlie didn’t answer.

“Well if that’s the case,” the woman’s smile suddenly twisted into a sinister one as she pulled a knife out, “Then I suppose it’s justice for me to attack you for attacking him!”

The woman took off, eyes manic as she made a mad dash towards her. Her knife was raised and aimed right at Charlie’s throat.

She moved so fast that Charlie barely dodged her in time, falling to the ground to her right. If she had been just a second later she might not have made it home. But Charlie didn’t have time to lower her guard, for the woman was already on her again, swinging her knife right at Charlie’s face. This time though Charlie blocked the attack with her club, causing the other’s knife to be embedded into the wood. The woman scowled furiously as she tried to pull her knife free from the wood but it would not budge.

Seeing an opening Charlie raised her foot and aiming for the woman’s stomach, shoved her off hard.

“Oof!” came out of the woman as she was sent flying back, landing hard on the ground.

Quickly Charlie scrambled back onto her feet; barely having time to brace herself for another attack. The incensed woman was already on her again, with another knife in her hand! For the love of god, how was this woman so fast?

Charlie dodged the swings that the woman made, using her club to block the attacks, hoping maybe she could get the woman to stab her other knife into the club. But it didn’t seem to be the case this time, the woman was actually being careful not to lose this knife.

The woman moved way too fast for Charlie, forcing her to be on the defensive as she kept being pushed back by the woman.

To Charlie’s horror she felt her back hit a solid surface, trapping her with nowhere else to run.

The woman laughed as she continued to try to slice through Charlie’s defenses only to be blocked. But that didn’t discourage her one bit as she continued hacking away at the club until finally the wooden club snapped in half, leaving Charlie open.

With a crazy smile the woman raised her knife, ready to strike Charlie in the heart, when a fairly large stone hit her in the back of the head.

“Ow!” yelled the woman, placing a hand on the back of her head where she had been hit.

“Leave her alone!”

Charlie’s head jerked up, looking over the woman’s shoulder and staring in shock to see that it was Vaggie that threw the stone.

The woman turned around to glare at Vaggie, just in time to see another woman running up behind Vaggie, looking out of breath.

“Shit, you run fast,” Helsa panted beside her.

Vaggie glared at the woman, who stared at Vaggie,
unimpressed.

“Back off, you bruja!” yelled Vaggie.

The woman giggled, “Well, that’s what they call me.”

Vaggie growled in anger, suddenly pulling out a fairly large dagger, which had been strapped to her thigh.

Helsa looked at her, flabbergasted, “Did you have that on you the whole time?” Helsa asked.

Vaggie ignored Helsa, getting ready to attack the woman that had Charlie pinned.

“Vaggie, no! It’s too dangerous!” yelled Charlie.

“Vaggie?” the woman mumbled, looking back and
forth between Charlie and Vaggie and Helsa, before she suddenly smiled, “Oh! You must be Charlotte Magne!” the woman happily exclaimed to Charlie.

Charlie looked at the woman, surprised that she knew her name. How did she know who she was?
“Luckily for you my dads’ said that I’m not allowed to kill you,” the woman quickly backed off of Charlie, turning to Vaggie and Helsa, “Same for you two, Vagatha and Helsa von Eldritch.”

Vaggie kept her face schooled to a threatening stare while Helsa and Charlie looked very
confused.

“Velvet!”

Suddenly Seviathan and some of his troops surrounded Velvet and Charlie, pointing their weapons at Velvet. Charlie froze where she stood, afraid to move while so many guns were pointed at her, while Velvet on the other hand, looked at all of them with a lazy smile, unfazed by the guns pointed at her.

Vaggie and Helsa quickly backed up to allow Seviathan toward to deal with Velvet.

“Velvet, you are under arrest for the crimes against the country of Mexico,” declared Seviathan.

Velvet giggled, “Crimes you say? It was war, little boy. It was kill or be killed during the revolution.”

“Sí, that may be true, but that does not excuse you for the actions you made after the revolution, the innocents that you and your men have killed.”

“You made it sound like it was all just senseless killing,” said Velvet, smiling, “They didn’t die in vain. It was for a noble cause that they participated in.”

“Human sacrifices to heathen gods are not a noble cause!” Seviathan hissed.

Velvet shrugged, “Potato tomato.”

“Enough of this, arrest her,” he ordered.

Guns clicked, and more were trained on her in case she decided to do something funny.

She giggled, “As fun as it would be to stay and play with you guys a little more, I don’t think I’m allowed to right now. If I did it would ruin all of our plans.”

“What-“ Seviathan began to demand what she was talking about when the earth shook from a huge explosion from city hall, knocking everyone to the ground, except for Velvet.

Wasting no time at all she took the opportunity and ran as fast as she could before Seviathan and the soldiers realized that she was gone. Seviathan was first to get back on his feet, groaning in pain from the fall, only to curse when he realized that Velvet was gone.

“Find her!” he ordered, “We can’t let her escape!” his pride refused to let that lunatic run free after attacking his own home.

His men quickly did as they were ordered. They split up into two groups as they went towards the direction that Velvet ran off to.

“Charlie!” Vaggie rushed passed Seviathan, “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” Charlie answered, dusting herself off, while checking over herself.

“Are you stupid or something?” Helsa said, coming over to the two girls, “You could have gotten yourself killed by that psycho.”

Charlie turned red in embarrassment, “I suppose that wasn’t the smartest move on my part.”

Helsa sighed, resting her hands on her hips, “Well, you’re alright now so that’s what counts.”

“Are you sure you aren’t hurt, Charlie?” Seviathan was the one to ask, taking Charlie’s hands into his.

“I’m okay, everyone. Really I am,” she said.

“You have no idea how horrified I was when I saw that Velvet had you cornered like that. She would have killed you without hesitation,” said Seviathan.

“Who was she?” Charlie asked.

“Her name is Velvet, but to many she is known as the Mad Bruja. She’s a wicked and vile woman that loves to kill, as well as a cult follower that follows the old ways of the heathen gods. She’s been a real problem after the war.”

“Captain! We need help to put out the fires!” one of the soldiers called before running off with two buckets of water in their hands.
“Come, we need to help,” said Seviathan, as he followed after the soldier with the girls in tow.

* * *

It took most of the night for the fires to finally be put out, with the help of everyone in Pentagrama City.

“The damages to city hall and the neighboring buildings are too soon to tell. We will have to wait until morning when the sun is out to get a better idea,” Lucifer said, looking quite exhausted.

“There was almost another building in the market that caught fire. But I don’t think it’s as bad,” said Fredrick, looking just as exhausted.

“What of your men, Seviathan? Any word back,” Lucifer asked.

“Sorry señor. We lost sight of her. I apologize for failing the city,” said Seviathan.

“Don’t apologize, hijo,” said Fredrick, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder, “You did what you could. From what I’ve heard of the Mad Bruja, she’s slipped through everyone’s fingers, not just yours.”

“But she almost hurt Charlie. How can I call myself a man,” said Seviathan.

“She may have tried but you stopped her,” said Fredrick.

“And I am truly grateful for that,” said Lucifer.

“Will she come back?” it was Helsa that asked.

“I don’t know,” Seviathan said honestly, “The places she attacks are all at random. But she always stays up north, I don’t know why she came this far south all of a sudden, let alone attack here.”

“Then, we just need to be ready for her next time,” said Charlie, “If we all band together-“

“You will not fight,” Lucifer said firmly to Charlie,

“You were nearly killed by the Mad Bruja, what if you are not so lucky next time.”

“She caught me off guard, papá. I didn’t know who she was nor what she was capable of,” Charlie argued.

“No one is that lucky twice, hija,” said Lucifer,

“Which is all the more reason to accept Seviathan’s proposal. He will protect you.”

“I would protect you, no matter what, señorita,” said Seviathan.

Charlie looked between Seviathan and her father, feeling very trapped.

“I…” she hesitated, not sure how to answer his proposal.

Behind her father she caught sight of Vaggie, looking quite crushed for some reason, with Helsa coming up beside her to whisper something in her ear. That alone made Charlie upset, especially when Vaggie smiled a little and nodded at Helsa.

“Perhaps we will talk more about this in the morning,” Lucifer said suddenly, letting out a large yawn, “I’m sure mamá is worried sick about us. We should return home, hija.”

“I think that might be a wise idea,” said Fredrick, yawning.

“Should we check on everyone first before we return home, papá?” Charlie asked a little worried about everyone that helped in fighting the fire with them.

“Sí, that might be a good idea,” said Lucifer.

“Papá,” Helsa turned to her father, “I’m taking Vaggie home, and then heading home myself.”

“Alright, I will tell your mamá what happened and inform her that you are fine. But hurry home,” he told Helsa.

Helsa nodded before turning to gently take Vaggie’s arm in hers and headed back to the Magne’s home.

It killed Charlie to see them walk away together like that, she wanted to take Vaggie home herself, but the wellbeing of her people sadly came first. So she was forced to watch Helsa take Vaggie away.

“Come, hija,” said Lucifer, “The sooner we are sure everyone is alright, the sooner we can return home and to our beds.

Charlie sighed, “Sí, papá.”

* * *

Velvet hummed a happily little tune all the way back to the hideout from Pentagrama City, surprisingly in a good mood, even if she didn’t spill as much blood as she would have liked.

But all was not lost.

She jumped off the wagon in front of an old temple that looked to be in ruins. It was built into the side of a small mountain.

In the 1920s, the people of Mexico had been getting better at excavating the old ruins of the Aztec and Mayan people. They took great care to learn about their ancestors and learn more about what their lives were like when they used to worship the heathen gods. So far Velvet and her followers had been fortunate enough that this place hadn’t been discovered yet, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Moving to the wagon, two of her followers pulled out a large moving bag, with a muffled voice inside.

“I’ll take it from here,” she said once they dropped the bag. She grabbed the bag and started dragging it inside the temple.

Even though the temple was their hideout, only Velvet was allowed in, the rest of her men camped outside of the mouth of the temple. She dragged the struggling body bag deeper into the temple, paying no attention to the muffled screams or struggles.

The deeper she went, the darker the temple inside became as the light from the entrance slowly disappeared. Velvet knew this temple pretty well by now and so was unafraid of the creeping darkness. She ventured deeper and deeper until she arrived at the heart of the temple which was lit by torches.

“Voxxie! I’m home!” she called, “And I brought you and Val dinner!”

“That you Vel?”

Velvet rolled her eyes, “Of course dummy! Who else would it be?”

Shuffling could be heard from the other side of the large room from where Velvet stood. In the shadows something began to move. Abruptly a man emerged from the shadows, or something that at least resembled a man once.

The form was a man but that’s where it stopped. His skin was a dark ash gray, almost a black coloring, depending on the lighting, with black short shaggy hair. His face looked to be a mangled mess if it wasn’t for the strange glowing red eyes. Running right down the right side of his face, from the eye to his chin, was a nasty glowing red scar that seemed to pulse in the darkness, almost highlighting the unusual neon blue cracks all over his skin that looked like broken glass. The clothes that he wore were obviously once nice and possibly expensive at one point. Now they just looked like dirty old rags.

“You only got one?” Vox asked, looking at the struggling bag beside Velvet.

She shrugged, “There were complications.”

“Fuck that!” he yelled, “You know we need sacrifices to keep ourselves stabilized in the world of humans.”

“Sí, sí, you’ve told me several times already,” Velvet waved him off, “Where’s Val anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Vox shrugged, scratching under his arm.

“I’m right here, you assholes!” a voice came from
above them.

A red and white moth fluttered down to Vox and Velvet, hovering in front of Velvet’s face.

“You almost gave us away, tonight!” the little moth
yelled at her.

“Huh?” she tilted her head to the side, “What did I do?”

“You told them that you knew their names, dumbass!” yelled Valentino.

“Oh come on, there is no way they would have figured it out. They’re mortals, like you guys said. They’re not that smart,” she said.

“You just insulted yourself,” Vox pointed out.

“But I’m special!” she grinned.

“Focus here!” yelled Valentino, “It’s not the mortals I’m worried about; it's Alastor I’m more concerned about! If he was watching you fight the Magne girl tonight, and saw that you knew all three of those girls by name, it would tip him off that there’s something wrong!”

Velvet blinked.

“Luckily for you I was there to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid. The stars are in our favor tonight, I couldn’t sense Alastor or Angel Dust around,” said Valentino.

“Wait! You attacked Pentagrama City?” asked Vox.

“Hey, you guys were bitching to me about finding sacrifices and that was the closest place,” Velvet defended herself, crossing her arms. She looked away with a grumpy sigh, “I at least had enough restraint not to kill the girl.”

“Either way we made it very clear to you not to go there because of the wager!” yelled Vox.

“Yeah, yeah,” Velvet waved Vox off.

“Even though I told you repeatedly not to go there,” Valentino glared at Velvet, “you actually may have helped push things along in our favor.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Vox.

“Once they had all the fires out, I saw the von Eldritch girl walking home the peasant girl, leaving the Magne girl looking quite upset,” said Valentino.

“And that’s… bad?” Vox asked.

“No, you idiota!” Valentino was suddenly in Vox’s face, “That’s good! It means the Magne girl is going to do something to try to win over the peasant girl! And when Alastor sees this he’ll realize he will lose the wager and cut the Magne girl’s life short himself.”

“I thought you didn’t want her dead?” Velvet asked, “I could have done it easily tonight.”

“No! You two are fucking idiotas!” Valentino groaned in frustration, “For our plans to work Alastor needs to be the one to do it. That way when the Magne girl realizes what he has done she will try to find a way to return to the living, and to do so she needs to go through the Land of The Ancients.”

“But Val, she’s mortal, she can’t-“

“She can Vox, trust me on this. She is the key to regaining what we’ve lost and leading us to Alastor and Angel Dust’s demise,” said Valentino,

“As soon as they made that silly wager ten years ago they didn’t realize they sealed their own fate,” he chuckled.

“Of course…” agreed Vox.

Valentino stared at him, “You don’t get it do you?”

“Of course I do,” Vox said defensively, “I… I knew that girl just has to do the thing, in order to get the other thing? Right?”

Valentino sighed, “I’m surrounded by morons.”

“You guys want your sacrifice or what?” Velvet asked, lugging the bag closer

“SÍ! I need something to help me heal this fucking headache Vox has given me now!” yelled Valentino.

“Hey!” yelled Vox.

Velvet rolled her eyes before she threw the squirming bag on top of the altar in front of them. A series of screams echoed throughout the cavern until a dead silence took its place.

* * *

Alastor flew out of the shadows and landed on top of the Magne home to watch Helsa and Vaggie returning back.

“Gracias for walking me home,” said Vaggie.

“It’s no problem. After tonight it would be scary to walk home alone,” said Helsa.

“What about you then? You have to return home on your own, will you be okay?” Vaggie asked, concerned.

“I’m a big girl, I can defend myself. And judging how you suddenly pulled a knife out from under your dress, you can probably take care of yourself as well,” said Helsa.

Vaggie looked embarrassed but smiled, “I suppose so.”

“Well it’s getting late, and I am tired,” Helsa said, suddenly brushing a strand of hair out of Vaggie’s face, making the girl even more embarrassed, “Have a good night, Vaggie. Sleep well.”

“G-Gracias you sleep well too… Helsa,” said Vaggie before she turned and quickly entered the servant house for the Magne household.

Once Vaggie was gone Helsa smirked before walking home.

“How splendid,” Alastor chuckled before he disappeared.

* * *

Vaggie returned to her room but didn’t turn in for bed quite yet. Her mind was still buzzing and her body was still high on adrenaline from tonight's events.

So many things had happened at once and they all could have gone terribly wrong. But everything worked out okay, no one was seriously hurt, but that didn’t stop Vaggie from worrying. The image of Charlie being pinned by Velvet had terrified Vaggie beyond words. She could have easily lost Charlie tonight.

She was looking at a small photo album that she made a few years ago; filled with old pictures of her old family and new ones of her new family and friends here in the Magne’s home.

So focused on the photo album that Vaggie almost missed a letter slide under her door.

Putting the book down Vaggie moved over to her door and kneeled down to pick up the letter. On the front was just her name and nothing else, making it impossible to tell who sent it.

Moving over to her bedside, where the lamp sat on the bedside table, she opened the letter and unfolded it to see a very familiar handwriting that belonged to Charlie.
Vaggie smiled as she read the letter

Vaggie,
Please meet me in the rose garden of the courtyard before sunrise.
I will be waiting.
Charlie.

Before sunrise, huh?

Vaggie thought she probably should get some sleep while she could, considering how late it was and she had chores to do in the morning. But it was almost dawn already and she couldn’t say no to Charlie anyways.

“I wonder what she’s up to,” Vaggie whispered to herself.

* * *

As soon as Charlie slipped the letter under Vaggie’s door, she quickly, but quietly, rushed out of the servant quarters and headed for the courtyard.

There was a lot she needed to prepare for before Vaggie came to the rose gardens. The rose garden was the most private place on the property, as well as the most beautiful spot.

Grabbing a box of candles Charlie rushed outside and headed for the rose garden, passing a shadowy figure that watched from the darkness.

Alastor slowly emerged from the darkness, shaking his head with a tsk, “Now this simply won’t do,” he said with a grin.

His shadow stretched out from underneath him, pulling itself off the surface as it came to Alastor’s side with a glowing green grin.

“I’m afraid I must ask you to fix this, old friend,” he told his shadow.

The shadow’s smile grew before it transformed into a black snake.

* * *

It was almost dawn. Vaggie could see the small pink and blue hints of light in the sky as the sun rose from her bedroom window. Quietly, Vaggie snuck out of her room and tiptoed down the hall until she reached the stairs. Moving a little quicker now Vaggie ran into the courtyard to see a trail of candles, lighting up the walkway, which led to the rose garden. Seeing the soft glow of the candles light the pathway to the garden caused a small flutter in Vaggie’s chest.

“Oh Charlie,” she whispered, following the trail at a slower pace now.

Vaggie admired the light of the candles, making the gardens look enchanting as music off in the distance could be heard. It was a low soft guitar melody at first but the closer Vaggie got to it the louder the music became, followed by someone singing, who she believed was Charlie.

“~Wise men say. Only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you~”

Vaggie followed the path all the way to the rose garden, where she found Charlie standing in the middle of a ring of candles, singing.

Charlie smiled at Vaggie as she walked up to her, “~But I can't help falling in love with you.~”
Vaggie smiled.

“I want to show you something,” Charlie put her guitar down on a stone bench before slowly turning Vaggie around, looking out in the open plains outside of Pentagrama City, “I don’t know if you have seen this. But this is a special place that my mamá and I would always come to, to see the sunrise. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful sights in the world.”

The sun slowly made its ascent into the sky as it’s golden orb rose from the earth, casting a warm glow across the land and the skies turned the most beautiful color.

Vaggie gasped at the beauty that Charlie promised.

“It’s amazing,” said Vaggie in awe.

“It is,” said Charlie, “Or at least it used to be.”

Vaggie looked at Charlie, confused.

“It was… until I saw you,” Charlie suddenly kneeled down before Vaggie, making her gasp.

“Vaggie, I know I’m a bit of a screw up, and I may not make my family proud of me. But I know that you deserve far better than what anyone here can offer you, even more than what I can give. And that is my love for you,” confessed Charlie.

“Charlie,” said Vaggie.

“Even so, I just wanted to let you know, that with all my heart, that I would never ever stop loving you,” declared Charlie.

Vaggie then kneeled down with Charlie, “And I will never stop loving the woman that never stops playing from the heart.”

Charlie’s smile grew radiant, she felt like her heart was about to burst from pure joy.

A rustling in the grass went unnoticed to Charlie but Vaggie noticed it right away as a large black snake appeared from the grass, moving right for Charlie.

“Snake!” Vaggie quickly shoved Charlie away as the snake struck.

Vaggie cried in pain as she felt the snake bite her leg.

Everything happened so fast that Charlie barely saw the black snake disappear back into the grass as Vaggie swayed and fell to the ground.

“Vaggie!” Charlie cried, rushing over to her side.

Vaggie lay motionless on the ground as Charlie went to check her. She could feel the warmth in Vaggie’s hands fading. Her body grew cold to the touch, shocking Charlie.

“No,” she whispered in horrified disbelief, holding Vaggie to her chest.

“No, Vaggie please tell me you’re okay.”

Her glassy eyes stared ahead into the heavens as no answer came from her once pale rose lips.

Tears started to fall from Charlie’s grief stricken eyes.

“Vaggie please,” she pleaded, “You can’t be gone, you just can’t.”

But she was.

Charlie let out a keening cry of anguish as she held Vaggie.

Her cries were so loud that the morning gardeners must have heard her for they came rushing down.

“Señorita?” one asked.

Charlie looked up to the gardeners, still crying.

At the sight of Vaggie in Charlie’s arms the gardeners quickly rushed over to help.

But as soon as one touched her hand, they dropped it, feeling how cold it was.

“She’s gone,” said the gardener.

Just hearing that Vaggie’s death was true made Charlie weep inconsolably.

One of the gardeners rushed back up to the house while the other two stayed.

“Señorita, we should move her to the house,” said one of the gardeners.

Charlie didn’t answer but nodded in agreement that they should take her up.

It was difficult to allow the gardeners to take Vaggie away from Charlie. But she wasn’t strong enough to carry Vaggie inside so she had no choice but to let them take Vaggie away from her.

Now Charlie sat alone in the rose gardens, falling apart now that she was all alone.

“I’m so sorry, Vaggie,” she sobbed, “If I didn’t ask you to come here, then you would still be with me.”

A looming shadow fell over Charlie from behind.

“I-I don’t think I can live without you,” Charlie confessed in a whisper.

“Do you mean that?”

Charlie whipped around, gasping as she stared up at the tall form of Alastor.

“Do you love that girl enough that you cannot live without her?” he asked Charlie.

Charlie hesitated for a moment but answered, “Sí, I wish with all my heart to be with Vaggie again.”

“Are you sure?” he asked once more.

Her tears dried up as she looked up to Alastor with the most serious expression that he had even seen the girl wear, “With all my heart.”

His smile grew wide, “Done,” he snapped his fingers.

The black snake emerged from the grass once more, quickly morphing into the form of a scorpion as it scurried up Charlie’s body and stung her in the neck.

Charlie winced in pain but soon let out a heavy rattled sigh as she felt her life slipping away.

“Vaggie,” was the last thing she whispered before falling to the ground, dead.

Chapter Text

Anthony fell down the small flight of stairs, landing on his shoulder hard, making him cry out in pain.

A scoff came from above him, “You’re so damn noisy. It’s a fucking pain.”

“Sorry Val,” Anthony apologized, getting back onto his feet.

Valentino glared at Anthony from his throne above him, surrounded by skeleton maidens serving him.

“You’re also so damn clumsy. You need to watch yourself before you break something,” said Valentino, pulling one of the maidens closer to him.

Angel slightly scowled, ‘You’re the one that fucking pushed me, asshole,’ he thought bitterly.

“What the fuck are you still standing around for? Go finish your chores!” ordered Valentino.

“Sí señor,” Anthony bowed and left Valentino’s throne room in a hurry before he made Anthony stay any longer.

He wanted to put himself as far from that bastard as possible.

The Land of The Remembered was supposed to be a joyous and colorful place. Where there were celebrations and fiestas every day. A place where you were reunited with your family…

Well they had the colorful part right. The joyous part, that was debatable, even though everyone said it down here but Anthony could tell that they all had been basically brainwashed into believing it. Not when Valentino ruled over the land with an iron fist and threatened anyone that didn’t follow his wishes. For he could send you to the Land of The Forgotten with just a snap of his fingers. If he wasn’t bad enough, Vox was even worse. That bastard’s job was to help the newly dead arrivals reunite with their families. But no, he and Valentino used that as leverage over people to get something out of them.

That’s how they got Anthony in the beginning.

It had only been a few years now since he and his twin sister died in a tragic accident on their way to their new home, with their pops, crossing the Atlantic. His pops got into some serious trouble back home and was forced to flee their home country and go to the new world. Instead of going to North America where most of the settlers were heading, he moved his family closer towards Middle America where the Spaniards settled. Less noticeable he would tell his kids.

But of course during their first week in the strange new country tragedy fell upon them as both Anthony and his sister were caught in a horrible cliff slide accident that cost them their lives. So you could imagine Anthony’s confusion when he found himself in this strange new land that was beyond anything he could have imagined heaven would be. And of course in his confusion and vulnerable state, it was easy for Vox and Valentino to sink their claws in him.

Vox promised Anthony that he would help find his sister as long as he met with Valentino first. So Anthony agreed to meet this Valentino as long as it meant he could reunite with his sister, Molly. Valentino was a devil with a silver tongue that gave Anthony false promises if he swore service to Valentino for the rest of his existence.

From there it wasn’t hard to figure out what happened next.

Anthony agreed and quickly learned it was the worst decision he’d ever made in his life. And he did mean life.

As soon as he shook Valentino’s hand Anthony’s skeleton form melted away and he regained his flesh back, which was a shock to him at first. But it was also quite obvious why he was granted his flesh back.

Valentino liked to gain pleasure from flesh more than bone.

Anthony winced in pain as he leaned down and picked up a large empty bucket and went out to the courtyard of Valentino’s castle, fetching pails of water for Valentino’s bath later. Why couldn’t the bastard fill his own bath with a snap of fingers, being an all-powerful immortal, couldn’t he easily do it? Anthony was sure he just enjoyed watching him suffer.

With a pained grunt Anthony lifted his arm to lift the pail into the large fountain, filling it with water. With the first bucket filled he tried to pull it out but cried in agony when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. He wept bitterly, falling forward on the edge of the fountain as he held his wounded shoulder.

“Fuck!” he cursed, “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” tears rolled down his cheeks as he slid down to the ground, crying in the open air.

God, why is this happening to him? Did he not suffer enough in life as it was?

His pops already hated his guts so much that there was no way he could count on him to keep Anthony’s memory alive. His brother was a bit of a different story. They may have not had the best relationship as brothers but Anthony knew that his older brother didn’t hate him like his pops did. In fact, he was probably the only reason why he hadn’t been sent to The Land of The Forgotten yet. But as soon as his brother did die, so would Anthony’s memory.

His existence was truly cursed.

“Why can’t I just die alone in peace,” he whispered.

“Now that would be quite dull darling.”

Anthony whipped his head around, quickly scrambling onto his feet at the new arrival in the garden with him.

The being before Anthony was one that he hadn’t seen before. Not during his time here in the Land of The Remembered.

He was a tall dark man that was dressed in red, with a large sharp tooth smile, black wings, and large antlers on the top of his head.

“W-Who are you?” Anthony asked shakily, suddenly feeling very frightful of the man before him, “What do you want?”

“No need to be afraid my dear fellow,” the stranger said casually, strolling up to Anthony, “I was just passing by when I heard your cries. So I came to check.”

Anthony felt embarrassed, “I-I’m fine now.”

“Really?” the stranger pressed on, “You don’t seem to be fine to me.”

“Mind your own damn business, fucker,” Anthony scowled at him, returning back to lift the bucket out of the fountain only to yelp in pain again.

“It would seem you have hurt your shoulder,” the stranger pointed out.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Anthony hissed.

“Let me help you with that”

Before Anthony could protest the stranger snapped his fingers and a green glow wrapped around Anthony’s shoulder. Once the glow was gone Anthony carefully moved it realizing that it was healed.

“There we go,” declared the stranger, “Good as new, I do say.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Anthony answered hesitantly.

“And here I thought that Valentino took better care of his toys,” said the stranger.

Anthony glared at him, “What makes you-“

“My dear fellow, before you finish that sentence, I have known Valentino for a very long time,” the stranger’s face twisted into a light snarl, “as well as Vox, both dreadful fellows really.”

“You don’t like them? I take it?” Anthony asked.

The stranger chuckled, “Would any sane person here?”

“Good point.”

“Which makes me wonder why you are here?”

“What do you mean?”

The stranger gestured to Anthony’s appearance, “You are flesh, while the residents here are of bone. Clearly you are a favorite of Valentino’s, are you not?”

Anthony glared at him a little, before looking away, “I guess you could say that...”

“Oh? Dare I sense derision in the ranks?” He asked with a smirk. “Care to enlighten me of your situation dear?”

Should he? He didn’t know who this bastard was, he just showed up out of nowhere. He could be working for Val for all he knew.

But… he was the first person in a long time that actually talked to Anthony like a human being, caring about his own wellbeing. How long had it been since he’d had someone like that, someone other than his siblings that cared about him? The answer was too long. At this point there wasn’t much to lose, the guy had already sussed out that he didn’t exactly like his boss and he figured it might be nice to vent to someone for once.

“I made a bad deal, that’s all,” he finally told him.

The stranger hummed, “Valentino managed to get his claws into you I take it?”

“Sí.”

“I would be lying if I said I was surprised. But this is how those two operate, so I can’t.”

“I wish I could go back and not take that deal. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have never taken it,” said Anthony, “I hate Valentino so much, and Vox too. I wish I could kick them both off their high horses, just for everyone’s sake, not just my own.”

“What would you do, if you could?”

Anthony looked up to the stranger, “Pardon?”

The other’s smile grew, “What if I could… provide you the opportunity to knock them off their high horses as you say. Would you take the chance?”

This guy couldn’t be serious.

Anthony laughed, “Yeah right, that’s a nice idea amigo. But Val is untouchable. Vox maybe, but Val is too smart. He would end me if he knew I was even talking about this to anyone.”

“Oh I highly doubt that,” said the stranger, “You are far too important to him to simply dispose of if he gave you flesh again.”

Anthony scoffed, turning back to the fountain to pull the pail out of the waiter.

“I’m nothing special to that bastard. All I’m good for is either a good fuck or a good punching bag. I’m nothing but-“Anthony turned around only to come face to the face with the other, startled at how close they were.

Up close, Anthony couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was, as well as notice how dangerously close he was to his teeth.

“I wouldn’t say you were nothing,” the stranger brought his hand up to Anthony’s face, gently running a sharp claw up his cheek before pushing a strand of hair out of Anthony’s face, “You are far from that, my dear.”

Anthony shivered at his touch, as well as his voice. It did things to Anthony…

“You are special, my dear. I can see it,” the stranger placed a claw under Anthony’s chin, raising his face to really come face to face with the other, “You deserve better than this.”

“And you’d be the one to give it to me?” he

questioned.

The stranger chuckled, making Anthony shiver, before he released him and stepped away.

“Perhaps I am, or perhaps I am not. But who am I to tell you what to do if you are happy being under Valentino’s thumb here in the Land of The Remembered,” said the stranger.

Happiness was just a façade here. Sure most of the denizens here seemed happy but Anthony knew that everyone, that weren’t brainwashed, were terrified of Valentino. He ruled the land within the guise of happily ever after but that was never the case. Fear was his poison of choice and none would escape it. No one was really happy here, even in the afterlife.

“What’s in it for you?” Anthony questioned.

“Pardon?” asked the stranger.

“Say that somehow you could get rid of Valentino for me. And that’s a big ‘if’, what do you get out of this?”

“Well it’s quite simple,” he answered Anthony like it was the most obvious thing in the world; “We both want Valentino and Vox gone from this land and it will need a new leader once that happens so I’m just here to… be prepared when it does.”

There was more that he wasn’t telling Anthony. But at this point he didn’t really care about what the other’s motivations were. If this guy could somehow get rid of Valentino, and he had a feeling he could, he needed Anthony to do so, and Anthony would be free and finally be reunited with his sister.

The chance was too tempting to pass.

“You need my help for this, right?” Anthony asked.

The stranger nodded.

“If I help, I have conditions.”

“Oh? And those are…?”

“That I am free from all servitude, including yours. And that I wish to be reunited with my sister,” Anthony demanded.

The stranger thought for a moment, “Sounds perfectly doable to me.”

Anthony was probably going to regret this decision but honestly what else could happen to him? As soon as his brother died, and his memory of Anthony with it, he was gone either way.

His only goal at this point was just to see his sister one last time.

“Alright, I’ll help you get rid of them,” said Anthony.

The stranger’s smile grew, creeping out Anthony a bit.

“Wonderful,” the stranger extended his hand to Anthony, “Shall we shake on it?”

With slight hesitation Anthony raised his arm and shook on it as a green glow came from their joined hands, sealing the deal.

Anthony expected the other to let his hand go as soon as the deal was sealed. What he wasn’t expecting was the stranger to bring his hand up to his lips and gently lay a kiss atop it, making Anthony’s heart flutter like crazy.

“What is your name, my dear?” he asked.

Anthony gulped, blushing, “Anthony. What about you?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anthony. I am Alastor.”

* * *

Charlie slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the starless night sky above her.

Carefully turning to her side, Charlie pushed herself up on her knees, noting how strangely easy it was, as well as how much lighter she felt, before she tried to get up onto her feet. She must have moved too fast for she suddenly felt dizzy, bracing herself against a nearby tree until the world stopped spinning around her. Once the world finally settled Charlie pushed herself away from the tree before pausing abruptly.

Slowly, Charlie removed her hand from the tree and brought it up to her face, shocked.

Her hand was bones, nothing else.

Looking to her other hand she saw that it too was just bones.

“What?” she whispered to herself in confusion.

That’s when she heard faint music coming from behind her. Slowly turning around Charlie gasped in amazement.

Before her was a large brightly colored city of Aztec buildings, where thousands, if not millions, of skeletal people walked around down below, celebrating.

Suddenly a bright shooting star came down from the darkness, landing right in front of Charlie. She jumped back and shielded her eyes as it blinded her from its arrival.

Once the light died down, Charlie realized that a tall figure was standing before her.

“Hiya sugar!” they greeted Charlie in a cheery voice, “Welcome to The Land of The Remembered!”

The figure was a tall woman, or at least Charlie assumed it was a woman. They were a white fluffy being with what looked like fur all over them and big long hair, flowers decorating the length of it. They had four arms, as well as four legs, reminding Charlie a little of a spider. The being would have been scary to Charlie if they didn’t wear a warm sweet smile.

“Who are you?” asked Charlie, “Where am I?”

“It’s okay to be a little confused at first, it’s completely normal,” said the woman, “There’s no need to worry, I’m here to help you. My name is Molly, and you are dead.”

“I’m dead?” Charlie repeated, slightly shocked until she remembered the scorpion.

“Yes indeed. And only a few days before The Day of The Dead,” said Molly, summoning a clipboard in her hands, “Now, name please?”

If Charlie was dead and here then that means Vaggie must be here too.

“Vagatha!” Charlie said in excitement.

“Vagatha, Vagatha…,” Molly mumbled, searching her list as she knotted her brows together in confusion, “I’m sorry sugar, I don’t see your name here, which is very odd.”

“Oh no, I’m just looking for someone named Vagatha,” Charlie explained, “My name is Charlotte Magne, or Charlie Magne for short.”

“Charlotte Magne?” Molly mumbled to herself, wondering why that name sounded familiar to her until she remembered, “Oh you’re Charlie, oh! Oh…” Molly’s face suddenly fell at the realization.

Charlie frowned in concern, “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Oh no, no, everything is just fine. I just realized I’m going to have a headache coming my way soon,” said Molly.

Charlie still seemed concerned.

“Now that I have your name, I can take you to reunite with your family,” Molly said cheerfully, changing the subject.

“My family?” Charlie’s face brightened up, “Maybe they can help me find Vaggie? Where are they?” she looked around.

“They’re not here, but I know where they are,” said Molly, “Just follow me.”

A large hot air balloon suddenly floated down to Charlie and Molly, the door opened to reveal that no one was operating the balloon. Charlie looked at the balloon curiously as she slowly got in with Molly following, closing the door to the basket behind them. Molly reached up and pulled the cord down to release the flame and the balloon took off.

As they took off into the sky Charlie stared down at the city below her in awe, amazed at the sight before her. The city seemed to go on for miles and miles, endlessly as if it had no limits.

Looking at one of the larger towers they floated by, Charlie noticed a colorful little thing flying beside them. It landed on the ledge with other equally colorful things, they looked like animals.

“What are those?” Charlie asked, pointing to the animals.

“Those little guys are Alebrije,” answered Molly. “Really??!?” Charlie squealed in excitement, “Real Alebrijes!”

“Sí, they are spirit guides for the families here in The Land of The Remembered, every family has one. I’m sure your family has one too,” answered Molly, giggling as a cute hummingbird Alebrije flew by them, “They are very friendly so don’t be scared of them, some of them do have intimidating appearances.”

The hummingbird flew to Charlie, getting close to Charlie’s face and she smiled in wonder. The hummingbird tilted it’s head at her for a moment before flying off elsewhere.

Charlie giggled as she watched it fly away.

Molly pulled the cord a few times, looking over the edge as she searched for the Magne family until she spotted them.

“Over there!” she pointed down below.

Charlie followed to where she was pointing to, seeing a small parade of floats.

“That’s where the Magne family is,” said Molly.

Chapter Text

“My family is down there?” Charlie leaned over the edge of the basket.

“Sí,” said Molly, “Let me lower us down. We are a little too high up still and please don’t lean so far out, you’re making me nervous.”

“Don’t worry, I’m being carefaAHH!” Charlie leaned a little too far than she meant to and tumbled over the edge.

Charlie screamed as she fell, heading right for a large float that was decorated as a large garden filled with roses. Charlie landed in the center of the float, where a large basket filled with rose petals lay. Thankfully they softened her landing as the petals flew from the basket. Spitting out petals from her mouth Charlie rolled out of the basket, landing on her butt in quite an un-lady-like fashion.

“Now that was quite a landing there,” someone from above landed in front of Charlie.

Charlie slowly looked up to see a tall thin skeleton woman with a large smile, black eyes, and short silver hair. Even if she was just a skeleton, Charlie instantly recognized her.

“Rosie the Daring?” Charlie asked.

“Sí, I was quite famous for fighting bulls without a cape, as well as the first woman to ever bullfight, showing that it was not just a man’s sport,” she paused for a moment, looking closely at Charlie before her smile grew joyful, “And you are little Charlotte!” Rosie said helping Charlie up, “I haven’t seen you since you were just a wee little thing.”

“I am,” smiled Charlie, “But you can call me Charlie, abuelita.”

“You’ve become quite a fine young lady, like your mamá,” said Rosie

“Mamá?” Charlie repeated.

“We’re all here, sweetie,” answered Rosie.

“I get to see mamá again?” Charlie said, more to herself than to Rosie.

Rosie chuckled in amusement, “Sí, she is on the second to the first float up front,” she pointed to the float that looked like a colorful wedding cake.

“How do I get there?” Charlie asked.

Rosie stepped away from Charlie in time for a fake bull to come charging forward from behind Charlie, sending her flying to the next float.

Charlie landed on the deck of what appeared to be some sort of old ship that looked to be dated back to the 1800s.

“Halt!” Someone cried out, suddenly she was surrounded by hundreds of short little skeleton guys, all dressed the same.

“Huh, hola,” Charlie greeted, raising her hand in greeting, “Who are all of you?” she hope that these guys weren’t part of her family, they seemed a little on the… dumb side.

“What’s going on down there!” a loud voice came from above.

Charlie looked up to see what looked like a tall skeleton man on the ship's sails. The man jumped down and landed before Charlie, proving indeed to be tall. The man was dressed as a nobleman that looked to have come straight out of the middle of the 1800s, with long black hair and a large top hat.

“Hmmm,” the man leaned down to Charlie, squinting his eyes as he inspected her, before his face lit up in recognition, “Ah you must be the one known as Charlotte! Who plays the guitar?”

“Sí that’s me,” said Charlie, “But you can just call me Charlie, señor…. uh?”

The man glared at her, “You cannot truly be a Magne if you have never heard of Sir Pentious Magne! The man that was famous for fighting bulls with only one arm behind his back!”

“Oh!” Now she remembered who he was, his portrait was in the family library, “You’re my great-great uncle! Tío Penny!”

“Penny!?” Pentious looked insulted at the nickname.

“Sorry, that’s what I always called you when I was a little kid. It just kind of stuck with me,” Charlie apologized with a sheepish smile.

“You know,” of the short skeletons came up to Charlie, “Boss man can sing.”

“He’s got a pretty voice,” another came up to her other side.

“A really pretty, pretty voice,” another added.

“Silence!” ordered Pentious.

The little skeletons quickly backed off.

“But they are correct. When I was young I always dreamed about singing in the opera one day,” said Pentious.

“Really?” Charlie said with a large smile.

“Sí, but of course they told me music would only be a distraction from following the family tradition,” he said sadly with a smile, “Crushed my dreams.”

“I understand that feeling,” Charlie chuckled sadly.

“Oh no!” one of the little skeletons yelled as a fake cannon broke free, it’s neck swinging around and sending Charlie flying to the next float.

Charlie screamed as she landed in an open area of another float. This one was decorated in red, black, and white colors. There were large decks of cards everywhere on the float, as well as what seemed like casino chips. Suddenly three piñata bulls came all charging her at once until they stopped right before touching her, confetti raining down on her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing punk?” came a rough scruffy voice, as a skeleton of an old man with combed back salt and pepper hair, sideburns, and a permanent scowl came into Charlie’s view.

This ancestor Charlie instantly recognized as she had beloved treasured memories of this man, who had been known for gambling his life by facing three bulls at once, her great grandfather, Husk.

“Papí Husk!” she squealed, tackling the man.

“Hey, get the fuck off of me!” Huck cursed out loud.

“Papí, it’s me!” Charlie pulled back to look at him, “Little Charlie, remember.”

“Charlie?” he grumbled, squinted his eyes to get a better look at her.

She smiled brightly at him.

“Charlie!” he suddenly exclaimed happily, before smacking the back of her head.

“Ow!” She whined.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” he scolded her, “You disgrace the family name by playing the dumb guitar and you can’t finish one bull!”

Charlie rolled her eyes, she figured she would just let him rant at her rather than argue with him.

“You are a fucking clown, you know that!” he scowled at her.

“Good to see you too,” she grumbled.

His scowl melted away after a while before he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “Either way kid, it’s good to see you. I missed you, hija.”

Charlie smiled, “I missed you too papí.”

He grunted, unable to hide his smile.

“Your mamá will be so happy to see you,” he said.

“Where is mamá?”

“Right in front of us, kid.” He pointed to the float in front of them.

Sure enough, it was the same float that Rosie showed to Charlie.

“Mamá?” Charlie whispered reverently, moving forward.

“She should be at the very top,” Husk told her, smiling as he watched Charlie jump onto her mother’s float.

Charlie immediately raced up to the top of the wedding cake-like float, almost climbing it a bit as the steps were so steep. But that did not discourage her in any way as she raced faster to the top knowing that her mother was there waiting for her.

The closer she got to the top the more she began to hear music playing.

At the top, she found a small mariachi band performing near the edge where a single skeleton woman with long blonde hair, that looked just like her mother, began to dance. Two colorful Alebrije goats with wings were hopping around her in merriment.

“~Que el cielo no es azul. ¡Ay mi amor, ay mi amor! Que es rojo, dices tú ¡Ay mi amor, ay mi amor!~” Charlie’s mother, Lilith, sang beautifully, “~Ves todo al revés. ¡Ay mi amor, ay mi amor! Creo que piensas con los pies. ¡Ay mi amor, ay mi amor!~”

Lilith was just how Charlie remembered her when she was little. Her mother somehow was able to make everyone around her listen to her whenever she sang. Charlie could see the people above on the higher roads stop to watch her sing.

“~Tú me traes un poco loco. Un poquititito loco. Estoy adivinando. Qué quieres y pa' cuándo. Y así estoy celebrando. Que me he vuelto un poco loco,~” Lilith continued to sing, unaware of Charlie watching her as she continued to dance.

Watching her mother sing and dance brought so many wonderful memories back when she was a child. It made Charlie so happy to see her mother again that she couldn’t resist jumping in to sing with her, just like when she was a little girl so long ago.

“~Chiflado tú me vuelves. Y eso está un poco loco,~” Charlie sang, completely catching Lilith off guard as she whipped around to see Charlie behind her. Shocked that she was here, “~Tu mente que despega. Tú siempre con ideas.~”

“~Con mi cabeza juegas. Todo es un poco loco,~” Lilith began to sing with Charlie as she smiled brightly at the sight of her daughter, “~Con mi cabeza juegas. Todo es un poco loco!~”

Together they danced around each other as the music grew louder with their joy upon meeting one another once again.

“~Con mi cabeza juegas. Todo es un poco loco. Con mi cabeza juegas. Todo es un poco loco,~” they continued to sing as the Alebrije goats hopped around them in a circle, “~Un poquititititititititititititito loco!~”

The music ended and everyone clapped for them from above, it was a splendid performance. But neither Charlie nor Lilith heard their applause for all that mattered to them right now was the two of them.

“Mamá,” Charlie said first, tears forming from her eyes in her unbridled joy.

“Oh Charlie,” Lilith rushed to her daughter, who met her halfway, wrapping her in a warm embrace.

Charlie sobbed into her mother’s chest, unable to wrap around the idea in her mind that her mother was really here, that she was really hugging her.

“I missed you so much, hija,” Lilith whispered above Charlie, gently stroking Charlie’s hair.

“So have I, mamá,” Charlie sniffed.

Lilith smiled, holding her daughter a few more moments before she finally pulled away to look at her.

“As much as it fills my heart with joy to see you here, hija, I have to know why you are here. You shouldn’t have died so young,” said Lilith.

“Well, mamá,” Charlie whipped the tears from her eyes, before smiling up at her, “I’m here to be reunited with the love of my life, I couldn’t live without her.”

“Oh?” responded Lilith.

“You will love her, mamá. Vaggie is smart, brave, kind, she’s just amazing.”

Lilith smiled, “I’m sure that I will. If she makes you that happy then that is enough for me.”

“She’s somewhere down here, I just don’t know where,” said Charlie.

“Well, I’m sure we will find her. With the whole family looking for her, we should find her in no time,” said Lilith, “How is your papá doing?”

“Papá is doing alright, he misses you just as much, mamá,” answered Charlie.

Lilith laughed lightly, “Knowing him he’s just as lost without me.”

Charlie giggled, “He is.”

The Alebrije goats suddenly began to jump on Charlie, bleating happily at her.

“Razzle, Dazzle, off,” Lilith ordered.

“It's okay mamá,” Charlie laughed, kneeling down to their level to get a better look at them.

“These two are the Magne’s family spirit guides. They help all the members of our family,” said Lilith.

“Hola guys!” Charlie greeted them cheerfully.

The Alebrije goats bleated back at her, licking her face.

Lilith’s float began to slow down.

“Come, hija,” said Lilith, taking Charlie’s hand gently, “Let’s go see the rest of the familia.”

Lilith led them to the other side of the float, which must have been at the front of the procession, since down below was an open area with the whole Magne family gathered together. As they descended down the stairs Charlie could easily recognize other family members from photos and stories that her father and grandmother told her about. There were a couple of members that Charlie didn’t recognize, one of them was a strange woman that seemed to be harassing Pentious.

“Charlie, I want you to meet your distant cousin,” Lilith told her as she led Charlie to the woman and Pentious.

Up close Charlie could see that the woman, even as a skeleton, was close to her own age, just from the way she spoke and stood. Her clothes were that of a uniform from the revolution, but tattered, and she was wearing an eyepatch with an X on it. Her pinkish blond hair was pulled into a high ponytail, only her long bangs were free from the red dyed leather strap holding up her hair.

“This is your cousin, Cherri Bomb,” he mother introduced, “she fought in the revolution.”

“And won,” said Cherri, with a smirk.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Charlie,” said Charlie.

“Hey there,” Cherri offered her hand to Charlie, who took it, “It’s finally nice to meet ya. Edge Lord was just telling me about you.”

Pentious glared at Cherri, “Please refrain from calling me that hideous name.”

“Whatever you say,” Cherri’s smirk grew, “Edge Lord.”

Sir Pentious’s glare intensified on Cherri.

“There you are sugar!”

Charlie turned away from Cherri, looking behind her to see Molly’s tall form moving towards her through the Magne family.

Molly sighed in relief when she saw Charlie was in one piece, “You gave me a bit of a scare there earlier.”

“Sorry Molly,” Charlie said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling guilty for scaring her, “I wasn’t paying close attention to what I was doing like I thought I was.”

“Honestly I wasn’t too worried since I knew the fall wasn’t going to kill you since, well, you’re already dead,” said Molly.

“Sí, I suppose that is true,” agreed Charlie.

“Molly,” Lilith came up beside her daughter, looking at the tall woman, “Charlie is looking for someone down here. Can you help us find her?”

“I would but,” Molly summoned her clipboard, “there is no Vagatha on my list.”

Charlie’s expression fell.

“Perhaps Angel Dust will be able to help,” said Rosie.

“Who?” Charlie asked.

“Angel Dust rules the Land of The Remembered,” said Cherri.

“If anyone can help, it’s him,” said Lilith, “And it so happens that Angel Dust has invited the whole Magne family to a feast at his castle.”

“Really?” both Charlie and Molly asked.

“SÍ,” said Lilith.

“We’re actually here,” said Husk, pointing to the large castle ahead of them.

“Oh wow!” Charlie stared in awe.

“Oh, well,” Molly said with a hesitant smile, “That was… nice of him.”

“Let’s hurry!” Charlie took off for the castle, jumping off the float.

“Charlie!” Lilith called after her.

“I like her!” Cherri laughed, running after Charlie.

“Damn kids,” grunted Husk.

Lilith shook her head before turning to Molly, “Molly would you mind?”

Molly smiled, “Of course.”

With a snap of Molly’s fingers she transported the whole Magne family to the front doors of Angel Dust’s castle. A few minutes later Charlie and Cherri finally reached them.

“How did you guys get here first?” Charlie asked, surprised to see her family here first.

“If you were patient, you would have known kid,” said Husk.

“Be nice, papá,” said Lilith, smiling.

“Is everyone here?” Molly asked.

“We are,” answered Lilith.

“Then please follow me,” Molly raised her hand as the large doors opened.

Inside was a grand hall that shone brightly, filled with light, color, and high ceilings that seemed to reach the heavens. The floors were non-existent and all that could be seen was an empty white abyss with thin white mist floating above. The only way across was a large broken pathway that floated over the abyss, moving back and forth to form a shaky path.

“Watch your step everyone,” Molly said as she started down onto the broken path that formed back together for her.

The Magne family followed after Molly, walking across the broken path, Charlie being the last one to follow. She stopped to stare at the path, uncertain. Pentious stopped when he noticed her hesitating.

“It’s alright, Charlie. We are safe here,” he told her.

Charlie slowly took her first step onto the path, seeing that it was solid under her feet, and followed after the rest of the family with Pentious.

The path seemed to continue on forever as the broken walkway formed before them. Finally, they arrived at another set of large doors at the end of the hall. As they neared the doors they slowly opened up on their own to reveal a grand dining room, decorated for a fiesta. Tables were filled with food and drinks and at the center of the room was the largest table filled with the finest foods. At the very end of the largest table was a grand tall chair with its back facing them.

The Magne family smiled at the feast and moved closer to the center table while Molly hung back.

“This place is amazing,” said Charlie.

“Hija,” her mother called, “Go ask him,” she pointed to the tall chair.

Charlie looked to the chair, feeling nervous about approaching Angel Dust for help. But she needed his help to find Vaggie, who was somewhere here.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie stepped up to the other end of the table, kneeling down, “My dear señor,” she began, “I am looking for the love of my life, Vaggie. Can you please help me find her?”

Silence came.

Charlie looked to the chair, her anxiety growing worse, as she looked back to her family for help. Lilith looked a little confused herself and gestured to Charlie to try again.

“Please, Angel Dust. I need your help,” she asked once more.

“No one can help you here, my dear.”

Suddenly a pair of black wings appeared from behind the chair, startling everyone, as well as Charlie as she quickly scrambled away from the table and to her mother’s side.

The chair spun around to reveal a smug looking Alastor with a goblet in his hand.

“I’m afraid Angel Dust is no longer here to help any of you. The Land Of The Remembered is under my rule now,” Alastor announced.

Gasps broke throughout the room.

“It’s you,” said Charlie.

Husk groaned, “Why are you here?”

“Ah! Husker my dear boy! I didn’t see you there,” said Alastor, “I didn’t know this was your family.”

“Sure you didn’t,” grunted Husk.

“You know him, Papí?” asked Lilith.

“I wish I didn’t,” he answered, “I’ve had dealings with this bastard in the past, it's best that none of you know of them.”

“And I couldn’t have done them without you, old boy!” Alastor raised his goblet to Husk.

“Where’s fruity boy? What did you do?” Husk narrowed his eyes at Alastor.

“I did nothing to him,” Alastor kept his smile but actually sounded offended, “We simply made a wager for who would rule the Land Of The Remembered and he lost, nothing more.”

“Bullshit!” Husk cursed.

“Papí,” said Lilith, “Please calm down.”

“You did something,” Husk pointed to Alastor, “And I have a strong hunch it has something to do with Charlie.”

“To do with me?” Charlie pointed to herself.

“It ain’t any coincidence that you’re here kid,” he told Charlie, still glaring at Alastor, “and that he just so happened to win whatever wager they had.”

Alastor just smiled.

“You know him, right kid?” Husk asked Charlie.

“Sí, he was there shortly after Vaggie passed, and then when I…” Charlie trailed off, realizing something, “Oh no.”

“What is it, hija?” Lilith asked.

“He appeared after Vaggie got bitten by a snake, and died, but she-“

“But she didn’t, did she?” Alastor finished for her, his smile growing large as his eyes shifted to Molly in the back, who remained quiet, “Isn’t that right, my dear sister.”

All eyes shifted to Molly.

“Molly?” Charlie was the first ask, “Vaggie is dead, right?”

Molly shook her head, looking both sad and guilty, “No, sugar. She’s not.”

* * *

Voices were the first thing she heard when she slowly came to, along with a sense of deep grogginess that refused to leave. Her body felt numb as though she couldn’t move an inch. It would have made her panic if she wasn’t so out of it. But the numbness didn’t last too long and she slowly raised a hand to her face and strained to push herself up into a sitting position. She must have moved too fast as everything was spinning around her now.

What happened to her?

Even her tongue felt numb.

Her head felt heavy but she could start to hear not only voices but the sounds of crying from outside the room.

Gathering what little strength she had regained, she got up to her feet and walked towards the door. It was a little wobbly at first but she made it to the door and opened it. The voices grew louder, as well as the crying, and she followed the noise down the hall, crashing into the wall a few times.

When she reached the end of the hall she saw someone round the corner, she couldn’t make out who it was since her vision began to blur a little. They looked towards her only to gasp loudly at her sudden appearance. They rushed forward and caught her weakened body before she fell. She felt herself being cradled in their arms.

“Mamá!” they called, “Get señor Magne!”

It took her a moment to recognize the voice through the haze, her vision clearing.

“Helsa…” she said weakly, “What… what are you doing here?”

Helsa lowered her to the floor, propping her up against the wall.

“Don’t you remember?” Helas asked.

She shook her head weakly.

“Vaggie, you got bitten by a snake,” said Helsa, “We thought you died.”

“A snake?” Vaggie repeated weakly before it came back to her, “Charlie!” she lunged forward, but immediately regretted it as her head was spinning again.

“Easy,” Helsa scolded lightly.

“Charlie,” she repeated, “What happened to Charlie?”

Helsa’s face fell, looking to the ground.

“Helsa,” said Vaggie, “Where is Charlie?”

Helsa sighed, looking quite grim, “I’m sorry, Vaggie. But Charlie…. Is dead.”

* * *

“She’s alive,” Charlie repeated in shock.

Alastor smirked, “My shadow transformed into a snake, merely paralyzing her into a temporary death.”

“Snake?” Charlie repeated.

“Cheers,” said Alastor.

“Wait a minute!” Charlie glared up at Alastor, “I got stung by a scorpion! You cheated!”

“You fucker!” yelled Husk, furious at this new discovery, “You fucking killed my granddaughter!”

“I am going to find Angel Dust and tell him that you are a big fat cheater!” Charlie yelled

Suddenly Alastor was in front of Charlie, in the blink of an eye, towering over her with a horrifying smile.

“My dear,” he said sweetly in the beginning, “You won’t be about to reach him in The Land Of The Forgotten, no mortal has ever made it there,”

His eyes began to glow red as his smile grew inhumanely wide as the room grew dark, “I’ve waited far too long to rule over this land, and I will not allow some lowly mortal to stand in my way.”

Charlie backed up, terrified, into her mother’s side who wrapped her arms around her daughter protectively.

Alastor returned back to normal as the room lit up, “And once Vaggie marries the von Eldritch girl, I will have completed the wager and come out as the winner.”

“No,” Charlie whispered.

“Sí, my dear,” said Alastor, “Now if you all will excuse me, I have a wedding to prepare for. Enjoy the feast everyone!” with that, Alastor sunk into the shadows and disappeared.

“Are you alright, hija?” Lilith asked Charlie.

“No mamá, I’m not,” Charlie began to cry; “I- I died for nothing. Vaggie is alive and I’m dead. I don’t know if she will marry Helsa or not, but I know that she might like her, and-“

“Shh,” Lilith soothed her.

Charlie wiped her tears.

“Charlie,” Molly slowly walked up to her, “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Once I knew who you were I wanted to tell you but I couldn’t, and I feel so awful about it.”

“It’s okay, Molly. I’m not angry at you,” said Charlie, “But I need to fix this. I need to get to Angel Dust.”

“Hija, that’s dangerous,” said Lilith.

“Stay here with us,” said Rosie.

“We’ll have awesome fiestas every day and the whole place will be jealous of us!” said Cherri.

“It sounds wonderful and I’m happy to be with you guys. But I can’t stay. I need to return to Vaggie,” Charlie declared before turning to face Molly, “Molly, is it possible for you to take me to the Land Of The Forgotten to see Angel Dust?”

Molly shook her head, “I can’t, that would be breaking the rules.”

“Is there any way for me to get there then?” Charlie asked.

“Well,” Molly thought for a moment, “The only way for you to get there is through the Cave Of Souls. But you must enter the Land Of The Ancients to get there, which very few have.”

“The Land of the Ancients?” Charlie repeated.

“It was once the home of the Aztec gods before they disappeared,” explained Molly, “It’s very dangerous though Charlie. The Aztecs were a warrior-like people, only the strong survive.”

“Charlie, please hija, don’t go. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Lilith pleaded.

“I can’t mamá, I can’t live without Vaggie. She’s too important to me, she’s my other half,” said Charlie.

“I’ll go with the kid to make sure nothing happens,” Husk suddenly announced, placing his hand on Charlie’s shoulder, “If you were anything like I remember, you’ll find trouble no matter what.”

“Gracias, papí Husk,” said Charlie.

“Then I will go as well,” announced Lilith.

“Mamá?”

“I understand how you feel, Charlie,” Lilith placed a kiss on Charlie’s forehead; “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t miss Lucifer, which is why I’m coming.”

“You have your family’s support,” said Rosie.

Charlie looked at her whole family, seeing all their smiling faces.

“Gracias, everyone,” Charlie said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Chapter Text

Anthony knew this was a bad idea, he shouldn’t have let those sweet words from that smooth talking devil affect him, but he did.

It had been weeks? Months? Years, now? Anthony didn’t know anymore. He’d lost all sense of time once he joined the dead.

They would have secret rendezvous when Anthony was sure Valentino didn’t need him, or want to torture him. Vox was a bit of an issue at first since the bastard seemed to know where everyone was in this damn place. But Alastor assured him that Vox couldn’t find him, no matter what, so Anthony was safe. Their meetings didn’t last for long, perhaps an hour at most before Valentino could notice that Anthony had been missing for too long. They talked a little bit, or at least Anthony talked about himself as Alastor listened to him, only giving Anthony bits and pieces about himself. However, mostly during these meetups Anthony would give Alastor a report on Valentino and Vox, telling Alastor anything that would help to bring them down. He didn’t know what the other was planning but he was sure Alastor had some sort of plan forming.

Anthony was quite positive that Alastor was just using him to get to Valentino and Vox, after all why would any immortal waste their time on him? But at this point Anthony didn’t really care because for the first time in a very long time, this man made Anthony feel special, wanted, even if it was fake.

During their secret rendezvous Anthony started to find that he was beginning to care more and more about his appearance before meeting Alastor. Whether his hair looked nice, or his clothes were clean and wrinkle free. It was at this point he knew he had to be careful now, for he was starting to gain strong feelings for Alastor, which could lead to his demise one day.

It was almost time for their meetup, and Angel knew he needed to leave soon and fix himself up before then. But Valentino was making him stay longer than Anthony liked. He was in a nasty mood and that only meant trouble for him.

Anthony sported an ugly bruise over his left eye, along with a little blood at the corner of his mouth that he wiped off with his sleeve. His body hurt, but not too bad. He’d suffered much worse in the past. If he didn’t leave now he would be late, so he didn’t have time to clean himself up as he limped his way to the gardens of Valentino’s castle.

There was a secret place there that neither Valentino, nor Vox knew existed. Neither of them really even cared to come this far out into the gardens in the first place.

There was a large gazebo tucked away, surrounded by a thick jungle of foliage and flowers.

Alastor was already there waiting for Anthony when he came limping up to the gazebo. He turned, ready to shower Anthony in false sweet words but stopped when he took in the mortal’s sorry looking appearance. Anthony looked at Alastor, curious by this new behavior. Alastor had never fallen silent like this before.

“Sorry for being late,” Anthony said, limping up to the gazebo.

Alastor didn’t answer, staring at him.

Anthony groaned in pain as he sat down on the bench. Okay, maybe Valentino roughed him up more than he thought.

Hearing Anthony in pain broke whatever spell was over Alastor as he suddenly smiled at him.

“Rough day, darling?” he asked.

“Tch, that’s an understatement,” grumbled Anthony, wishing now he could just go to bed already.

“Well Valentino was never one to be nice to his own toys,” Alastor laughed for a moment, but it didn’t last long, as he noticed that Anthony wasn’t even focused on him, instead he stared off into the distance.

Seeing the mortal like this, did something strange to Alastor.

“Do you wish to talk about it?” Alastor offered, feeling a little awkward.

“What do you want to know about Val? I want to go to bed,” Anthony said quietly.

This won’t do, Alastor thought. He didn’t like seeing this.

“How about we skip that tonight,” offered Alastor, sitting down beside Anthony, who looked at him curiously.

“You really want to skip hearing gossip on those two?” Anthony asked.

Alastor shrugged, “A little break never hurts.”

Anthony looked at him skeptically, like he didn’t believe him, but didn’t question it either.

“Whatever you say,” grumbled Anthony, before wincing when a slight sting came from the bruise above his eye.

Without asking Alastor raised his hand over Anthony’s head and a green glow emanated from it as he waved it over his body, healing him.

“Better?” Alastor asked.

Anthony breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them.

“How about some music?” Alastor suggested.

Anthony shrugged.

With a snap of his fingers Alastor’s shadow came to life. The shadow had a guitar in his hand and began to play a nice soft melody. It wasn’t much but at least it cut through the awkward silence that Alastor had found himself in with Anthony. The music helped lighten the mood and it made Anthony feel a little better. Music had always helped him through tough times.

Anthony then began to start humming softly to himself. Alastor caught the sound, but remained silent as he listened to Anthony.

Suddenly Anthony stood up from the bench, moving off the gazebo and into the garden, swaying to the music a little.

“~Ay, de mi llorona. Llorona de azul celeste,~” Anthony sang so quietly that Alastor almost missed it, “~Ay, de mi llorona. Llorona de azul celeste.~”

Alastor slowly moved down the stairs as Anthony’s singing grew a little stronger.

“~Y aunque la vida me cueste, llorona. No dejaré de quererte,~” Alastor’s shadow looked at him, waiting for Alastor to give him the okay before more shadow figures appeared to form a band now, “~No dejaré de quererte!”

The music grew louder as Anthony started to dance and sing louder, “Me subí al pino más alto, llorona. A ver si te divisaba. Me subí al pino más alto, llorona. A ver si te divisaba.”

Alsator smiled, an actual real smile, seeing how happy and alive Anthony was for the first time since he’d met the mortal.

“~Como el pino era tierno, llorona. Al verme llorar, llorab! Como el pino era tierno, llorona. Al verme llorar, lloraba!~”

Anthony was lost in the music, forgetting where he was or who he was with, as he let himself finally be free.

“~La pena y la que no es pena, llorona. Todo es pena para mí. La pena y la que no es pena, llorona. Todo es pena para mí,~” as Anthony sang, he did not notice Alastor coming up behind him, “~Ayer lloraba por verte, llorona. Hoy lloro porque te vi. Ayer lloraba por verte, llorona. Hoy lloro porque te vi,~”

Alastor stood behind Anthony for a moment, riveted at the sight before him.

“~Ay, de mi llorona, llorona. Llorona de azul celeste,” Anthony sang until he felt a body slide up behind him, and hands gently took his in their own. He looked over his shoulder to see Alastor smiling at him before singing along with Anthony without missing a beat, “~Ay, de mi llorona, llorona. Llorona de azul celeste.~”

Alastor quickly whirled Anthony around until they were chest to chest, face to face, dancing to the music.

“~Y aunque la vida me cueste, llorona. No dejaré de quererte,~” they sang together as they danced around the garden, forgetting the world around them, all that mattered was this moment between them, “~Y aunque la vida me cueste, llorona. No dejaré de quererte.~”

There was a burning passion that Anthony felt inside of him as Alastor drew him even closer, their movements sinuous in their tight embrace. Angel could feel every inch of the other’s body against his and a hot lick of desire raced through him at the thought. It felt like Anthony was under some sort of spell as he found himself lost in Alastor’s eyes.

“~No dejaré de quererte,~” Alastor sang by himself now as Anthony was captivated by his actions, “~No dejaré de quererte. No dejaré de quererte,~” Alastor dipped Anthony with a final, “~Ay, ayy!”

The music finished and the shadows disappeared and returned to Alastor. Meanwhile, Alastor and Anthony remained still in their final stance, breathing heavily from the exertion of the dance as well as their heightened emotions. They continued staring deep into each other’s eyes as their breathing calmed, faces so close that they could almost kiss.

Anthony wondered if Alastor would kiss him there at that moment, he hoped that he would.

But whatever spell had fallen over the both of them broke in an instant as Alastor’s eyes widened at the realization of their situation. He brought Anthony back up out of the dip and released him as he slowly backed away.

It didn’t take long for Anthony to notice that Alastor looked freaked out. He watched as he backed further and further away from him, like a mouse trapped by a cat. His face was usually hard to read as it was always in a perpetual smile but he could see it was strained, almost as if it was forced, and his body language was tense and….frightened?

“Al?” he began, “Are you-“

“I have to leave, I’m sorry,” Alastor said quickly as he disappeared into the shadows, leaving a shocked, confused, and….disappointed Anthony behind.

* * *

Rain fell over Pentagrama City, thunder heard off in the distance.

Vaggie sat by the window of Lucifer’s office, watching the rain as Lucifer and Mimzy began plans for Charlie’s memorial. The von Eldritch family was there with them, Fredrick and Bethesda helped with the funeral arrangements when some of the decisions were too hard for Lucifer. Helsa and Seviathan were in the room too but stayed on the other side, quiet, giving Vaggie room. She clearly didn’t feel like speaking to anyone.

A knock at the door came before it cracked open and a servant’s head popped in.

“Señor Magne, the lawyer you requested is here,” said the servant.

“Gracias, please send him in,” said Lucifer.

“Lawyer?” Bethesda asked.

“Is everything alright?” asked Fredrick.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Lucifer told them, “Mamá and I have agreed to get things finalized.”

Fredrick didn’t follow.

The servant opened the door, allowing the lawyer that Lucifer summoned, to enter.

“Señor Magne,” the lawyer bowed respectfully, “I am truly sorry for your loss. You have my family’s blessings.”

“Gracias,” said Lucifer, “Please sit.”

The lawyer took the vacant seat.

“I am assuming that these are the witnesses?” the lawyer said.

“Sí, but I haven’t had the chance to inform them yet,” said Lucifer.

“What’s going on, Lucifer?” asked Fredrick.

“Helping the preparations for Charlie's funeral wasn’t the only reason I summoned you both here today,” Lucifer confessed, “Mamá and I have decided to make a change in the will now with….Charlie’s passing.”

“Sí,” Mimzy sighed sadly beside him, “It was hard but it’s the right thing to do.”

“You’re changing your will?” Fredrick asked in shock.

“Correct,” the lawyer answered, pulling the papers out of his briefcase, “and according to señor Magne’s wishes, he’s leaving everything to one person after the existing members of the Magne family are gone.”

“Mamá and I have talked about it for a long time, and we have both decided to leave everything to Vaggie,” announced Lucifer.

Vaggie jerked her head around and stared at Lucifer and Mimzy, in shock.

She wasn’t the only one, the whole von Eldritch family looked just as shocked as she was.

“Y-You can’t be serious,” stuttered Fredrick.

“We are,” Mimzy answered.

“Señor, I’m honored,” Vaggie stood in front of Lucifer’s desk, “But I am not worthy of such a gift.”

“Vaggie, you have served under our family for a very long time, as well as grown up under our watch. We cared for you after your parents passed and I’ve come to see you as my own hija, especially when Charlie was studying abroad,” said Lucifer.

“Señor Magne, I’m not sure what to say,” said Vaggie, touched.

Fredrick and Bethesda looked to one another, in shock.

“Now, I need your signature here, Señorita,” the lawyer held the pen up for Vaggie to sign.

* * *

Molly couldn’t take them to the Land of the Ancients, but she was able to transport them to the edge of Land of the Remembered, where the road to the Land of the Ancients began.

“If you follow this path it should take you to the Land of the Ancients. Once you get there, be sure to be on guard. I can’t tell you what you’ll find when you get there but just be careful,” warned Molly.

“Thank you again for all your help, Molly,” said Charlie.

“You’re welcome, sugar. I just wish I could be more helpful to you is all,” said Molly.

“You’ve done more than enough,” said Lilith, smiling.

“One more thing, The Land of the Ancients only allows you limited access,” Molly warned.

“What do you mean by limited access?” asked Husk.

“It’s hard to explain but the land is kind of… picky, of its visitors,” Molly answered, “I don’t know how it works but there are places there that even immortals like me cannot visit.”

“Why? Isn’t it your land too?” Charlie questioned.

Molly shook her head, “No, we are different from the Aztec gods. Angie and I are actually young compared to other immortals, like Alastor, and Alastor has been around for a very, very long time. But as old and powerful as he is, even he’s not fully welcomed there. The land only allows a chosen few in certain places, from what the stories tell. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you any more, that’s all I know about it myself.”

“It’s alright, I think we get the picture,” said Lilith.

“We should get going,” grunted Husk.

“I wish you all good luck, and hope you can get to Angie to set things right. Goodbye,” Molly waved farewell before disappearing in a ball of light that shot into the sky.

“Well, let’s get going,” declared Charlie and began down the path with Lilith and Husk following behind her.

* * *

“You said I just had to keep her away from Charlie! You never said anything about marrying her!” Helsa hissed.

“Shh!” her mother hushed her, looking around the hall they were in to be sure no one was eavesdropping, “Well, plans have changed. Now that Charlie is dead, your brother can’t guarantee the future of our family. But you can.”

“I don’t want to marry that gutter trash,” Helsa argued, “She’s low-“

“She’s high class now,” Sevaithan said from his spot against the wall, “You heard what Señor Magne said, he sees her as his own now. So that makes her something.”

“Your brother is right. She’s no longer considered low class because he’s put her as his heir in his will. She will now be seen as upper class, making her worthy of you to marry,” Bethesda said firmly.

“But mamá-“

“No buts,” Bethesda cut Helsa off, “Your papá will try to sweet talk Lucifer in order for you to gain Vaggie’s hand in marriage.”

Helsa growled, crossing her arms.

Fredrick soon came out into the hall, looking for his family.

“Bethesda,” he called quietly, “The lawyer has left, this is our chance.”

“We’re coming,” Bethesda told him before facing Helsa, “You will do this for the family. You will ask her tonight. Lucifer shouldn’t refuse your proposal, not after losing Charlie so suddenly. He will want to make sure Vaggie will be cared for when he is gone.”

Helsa glared at her from a moment before she sighed in defeat, “Sí mamá.”

Bethesda smiled as she led both of her children back into Lucifer’s office to see Mimzy, Fredrick, and him were speaking together with Vaggie staring out the window. Bethesda nudged Helsa forward to Lucifer’s desk, earning a glare from her daughter.

Helsa stepped forward, standing beside Fredrick, coughing into her fist to get Lucifer’s attention.

“Ah Helsa,” said Lucifer, “Your papá was just telling me and mamá your intentions for…” he trailed off looking towards Vaggie.

Helsa nodded, “Sí, señor.”

“It would be good to know that she would be taken care of,” said Mimzy.

Lucifer nodded, “Indeed. With Charlie gone, I… just want to make sure one of my hija’s will be cared for when we are gone. So you have our blessing,"

“Gracias,” Helsa bowed a little.

“But, you still need to ask her,” Lucifer told her, before looking at Vaggie, “Vaggie, can you come over here for a moment. Helsa has something to ask you.”

Vaggie slowly pulled away from the window and walked over to Lucifer’s desk, her hands in front of her.

“Sí?” she asked quietly.

Helsa glanced at her parents to see them encouraging her to ask.

Helsa coughed, gaining Vaggie’s attention, “I was hoping, under different circumstances, to ask you this, Vagatha. But, would you do me the honor of marrying me?” Helsa asked.

Vaggie blinked in surprise a little at Helsa’s sudden proposal before turning to look at Lucifer.

“Señor?” she asked.

“I know this is not the best time, Vaggie. But it would make me, and mamá, happy to know that you will have someone to take care of you when we pass on,” he told her.

“If it will make you happy... then I will accept Helsa’s proposal,” Vaggie answered with no emotion in her voice.

Helsa blinked in surprise. Well that was easier than she thought.

Lucifer clapped his hands together, “Wonderful, we will plan the ceremony right away. And with the Day of The Dead only two days away, we can make it a real celebration!”

“That sounds splendid,” Fredrick agreed with a big smile that Bethesda shared with him.

In the corner of the office, where a slight hint of darkness lingered, Lucifer and the others didn’t notice a shadow moving along the walls and slipping under the door.

In the darkness of the hall, the shadow quickly moved down and through the many rooms of the Magne’s home before moving out into the courtyard. It ventured deep into the gardens and headed for the rose garden where Alastor stood, waiting. The shadow returned to its normal form and slid up behind Alastor to whisper into his ear the news of Vaggie accepting Helsa’s proposal. Hearing this Alastor’s smile grew.

He had won the wager.

* * *

“How far is this damn place? My feet are killing me…” Husk cursed out loud.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer, papá,” Lilith answered, she was starting to get tired herself.

The further they traveled away from the city, known as The Land of the Remembered, the more the jungle environment they found themselves in grew around them.

“We must be getting close,” said Charlie, stepping over a fallen tree.

“I did not know this existed outside The Land of the Remembered,” commented Lilith as she stepped over the log with Husk’s help.

“These are the old lands, why would we come out here, and from what we know, not all are welcomed here to begin with,” commented Husk.

“Mamá! Papí Husk! You must come see this!” Charlie called from a small hill she stood atop.

“We’re coming hija,” Lilith called as she and Husk marched up the hill.

Lilith and Husk huffed and puffed when they reached the top, not expecting it to be so steep.

“Now, what is…” Lilith trailed off once she saw the view.

“Well fuck,” Husk gasped.

The land before them was a lush jungle that went on and on for miles. It was so vast they couldn’t see an end to the green blanket of trees in the far distance. In the jungle they could see Aztec ruins that had aged over time, as well as what looked like large temples everywhere. Overall, it was a stunning view.

“The Land of the Ancients,” Lilith whispered in awe.

Chapter Text

“This place is fucking huge,” exclaimed Husk, “How are we supposed to find a cave in all of this?”

Charlie groaned, “It will take forever to look through this place.”

Lilith studied the land, looking for any sign that could possibly be their destination.

“There,” she pointed to a decent sized mountain in the jungle, the only real mountain since the rest looked more like large hills in the jungle, “That must be where the cave is.”

“You think so, mamá?” Charlie asked.

“It would make sense,” grunted Husk.

Lilith shrugged, “We have nothing else to go on, hija. It’s the only place I would think it would be.”

“Well, I guess we should get going,” said Charlie as she started down the steep hill they stood on.

Lilith and Husk carefully followed Charlie down, being sure not to slip and fall. Lilith came close but was caught by Husk as he helped her all the way to the bottom where Charlie waited. Once everyone was at the bottom, there was a marked path that led deep into the jungle. There was a large stone tablet at the entrance, strange writing filled it’s surface as well as many peculiar pictures.

Charlie looked at the tablet, unable to make heads or tails of it. She shrugged before entering the jungle.

The jungle looked quite similar to the one in the mortal realm, the only difference being it looked more vibrant and full of life. In fact, there were flora here that Charlie had never witnessed before, whether it be from the mortal world, or native to the land here. There were a couple of animals here as well but they weren’t skeletons at all, not like back in the Land of the Remembered, or even Alebrijes. These animals reminded Charlie more of the old pictures of the Aztec drawings that she saw in books, as well as an artifact she had seen in her father’s office.

“This place is amazing,” Lilith said, in time to see what looked like a monkey quickly rushing by from above them in the trees.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Charlie stared in awe at a pretty bird sitting high above them.

“I can see this place definitely being worthy of the gods,” said Husk, looking disinterested compared to Lilith and Charlie.

“What’s that?” Charlie suddenly stopped, pointing somewhere to the left, deep in the jungle.

Looking past the trees, Lilith and Husk could see that Charlie was pointing to a large area full of flowers, hummingbirds flitting about everywhere, zipping from flower to flower.

“It’s just a bunch of birds and flowers,” grunted Husk.

“How beautiful,” Lilith said, stepping towards the meadow.

As soon as Lilith left the path she was suddenly repelled and bounced back by a powerful force.

“Mamá!” Charlie rushed to her mother’s side, “Are you alright?”

“I-I think so,” Lilith groaned, sitting up with Charlie’s help.

Husk moved over to where Lilith stepped off the path, before being repelled. He didn’t leave the path, just standing at the edge of it, as he studied their surroundings. Slowly, Husk raised his hand up, extending one finger forward to only be repelled by some hidden force.

“Damn,” he cursed, “This must be what Molly was talking about.”

“I didn’t think it would be that aggressive,” Lilith stood up on her feet with Charlie’s help.

“The Aztecs were aggressive to begin with. It wouldn’t surprise me if their magic was the same,” said Husk as he stepped back from the hidden barrier, “We’ll just have to be careful at this point.”

“It seems like the marked path we’re on is safe enough,” said Charlie, looking down the path that led deep into the jungle, “It hasn’t prevented us from moving forward so far.”

“I think this path is the only safe place for us to go. Anywhere else is possibly off limits,” said Husk.

“Noted,” said Lilith.

“Do you hear something?” Charlie suddenly asked.

“Hear what?” asked Husk.

“Shh, listen,” she said.

They remained quiet for a moment, listening for a few seconds until Lilith and Husk heard something.

“It almost sounds as if someone is crying?” said Lilith.

“And it sounds like more than one too,” Husk narrowed his eyes, looking up ahead.

“Let’s go check it out,” said Charlie, already heading towards the direction of the crying.

“Hija! Wait!” Lilith called but Charlie was already far up ahead of them.

But Charlie didn’t hear Lilith as she ran ahead. There was definitely someone crying for sure, and they might need her help.

The jungle foliage began to lessen as she came out into a clear area where an old Aztec statue, with a small platform and an altar at the center, sat. Like the pyramids they had seen from a distance, the statue and platform had weathered and crumbled over time from the lack of proper care.

Charlie was so caught up with the ruins that she almost missed the small group at the foot of the statue.

“Oh Moxxie!” a woman cried.

Charlie focused her attention on the group of four, not expecting what she found.

The group of four was far from human looking. They were of flesh and not of bone, meaning they must not be from The Land of the Remembered. Perhaps they were natives of this land.

The first one was a tall female looking wolf with long hair, standing off to the side, looking disinterested as the other two of their group were kneeling on the ground. Those three were red skinned beings with horns, yellow eyes, and black and white markings on their skin.

“Moxxie, please stay with me!” the red female cried.

“You were such a good man, Moxxie. An annoying idiot, but a good one,” said the one with the long horns.

Charlie coughed loudly, “Excuse me. Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Does it look like everything is ok? Dumbass...” asked the wolf.

“Loonie! Don’t be so mean, show some manners,” the red one with the long horns said before turning to Charlie, “I’m sorry about that, Loonie has a hard time hiding her grief.”

“No I don’t,” said Loona.

He waved her off.

“It’s okay,” said Charlie.

“My name is Blitzo, the o is silent, these two are my minions, Moxxie and Millie,” Blitzo introduced.

“It’s nice to meet all of you, I’m Charlie,” it was her turn to introduce herself, “I heard crying so I came running to see if everything is alright.”

“Unfortunately everything is not alright!” Blizto had tears suddenly forming in his eyes, “The poor, stupid idiot went and got himself bitten by a venomous snake and probably only has moments to live.”

Charlie gasped, “Oh no!”

“Charlie!”

Lilith and Husk appeared at Charlie’s side, finally catching up with her.

“Don’t run off on us kid,” Husk panted out.

“Sorry papí,” said Charlie.

“Who is this?” Lilith eyed Blitzo and the others.

“This is Blitzo, and his friends,” Charlie introduced, “I just met them and one of them is in serious trouble.”

“Yes, poor Moxxie has gotten bitten by a snake because he was being too careless, and didn’t heed my warnings,” Blitzo began to cry, “His little brain just couldn’t understand the dangers of this jungle, and before we knew it, he got attacked! Too weak and helpless to do anything to prevent it.”

“I see,” said Lilith.

“Huh,” Hush suspiciously eyed Moxxie, “Shouldn’t he be moaning in pain if he’s dying?”

Loona stepped beside Moxxie, kicking him in the head.

Moxxie let out a cry of pain, and then started moaning.

“See, he doesn’t have much longer!” cried Blitzo.

“Uh huh,” Husk said, still suspicious.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Charlie.

“Charlie, I don’t think we have the time,” said Lilith.

“But mamá, we can’t leave them here, knowing that they need our help,” Charlie argued.

“Please help us,” Millie pleaded, “I don’t know what I would do if Moxxie, my honey bunny, was…” she then burst into tears, holding Moxxie close.

Moxxie groaned again, after Loona kicked him one more.

“See. We can’t leave them like this,” Charlie told Lilith.

Lilith didn’t seem so sure, looking at Husk, and sharing a skeptical look. He shrugged at her before crossing his arms. Clearly saying ‘it’s up to you.’

“… I suppose, we could help them,” Lilith answered slowly.

Charlie smiled brightly at Lilith before turning around to Blitzo and the others.

“Tell us what you need us to do to help,” she said.

“Thank you,” Millie sniffed.

“The only way to cure Moxxie is a feather from the Resplendent Quetzal,” said Blitzo.

“Why do you need a damn feather?” asked Husk.

“Resplendent Quetzal birds are sacred animals here, said to have healing properties in this land. Unfortunately they are difficult to capture and you are just asking for a curse over your whole family if you kill one, even by accident,” explained Blitzo.

“You’re making this harder for us to want to help you,” Husk scowled.

“Hey, I don’t make the rules here, it is how it is,” said Blitzo.

“There must be an easier way,” said Charlie.

“Well,” Loona said from the back, gaining everyone’s attention, “There are these sacred pools.”

“Sacred pools?” Charlie repeated.

“They are the pools that were once said to be where the Aztecs would bathe when they were still here. But with them gone the wildlife has taken over them, and it’s said that the Resplendent Quetzal are practically fond of that place, rumored to be their main nesting grounds. I’m sure you would be able to find feathers there,” explained Loona.

“That’s probably our best option,” said Lilith.

“Where are these sacred pools?” Charlie asked.

“Not far from here,” Blitzo then pointed to the left, behind him, “There should be a path that will be able to take you to the pools.”

Moxxie groaned in pain, sending a small glare to Loona who looked ready to kick him again.

“Please hurry!” Millie cried, “I don’t know how much time my Moxxie has left.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get a feather and be back before you know it,” declared Charlie.

“Get going already,” grunted Loona.

“Right,” said Charlie as she, Lilith, and Husk headed to the direction that Blitzo pointed to.

“Good luck!” Blitzo yelled with a wave.

It wasn’t hard for Charlie and her family to find the path that Blitzo was talking about. It was clear as day, on the obviously marked path, as was the one they were on earlier.

Journeying down the path, they kept their eyes and ears open for any signs of birds around, anything that may look like the Resplendent Quetzal birds. Charlie had never seen one in person. Pentagrama City was not their natural habitat so they never appeared there. But she had seen them in books. Drawings of what they looked like and knew that they’re colorful birds with long beautiful tail feathers. So far they’d seen other birds, ones that Charlie was sure didn’t belong in the mortal world, while others she easily recognized having seen them in the courtyard of her family’s home when she was little.

“I wonder how much farther the pools are?” Lilith asked out loud.

Husk shrugged, “Beats me.”

“We haven’t seen any Resplendent Quetzal birds yet, so we must still have a ways to go,” said Charlie.

Husk sighed in frustration, “You sure you want to help them kid? We’re just wasting time doing this.”

“Papí Husk, you know we can’t leave them,” she lightly scolded.

But Husk was unfazed, “Have you ever seen one of these birds in real life?”

“Well, no,” Charlie admitted, “But I’ve seen them in pictures.”

“Well that makes it even better then,” Husk grunted.

Charlie was about to answer back when Lilith gasped.

“Look!” she pointed ahead of them, up in the trees.

Looking up ahead, Charlie and Husk could see a lone bird sitting on a low branch, picking under its wing.

The bird was 36 to 40 cm (14–16 in) long, plus up to 65 cm (26 in) of tail streamer, most likely a male for its length. Its body was a lovely green (showing iridescence from green-gold to blue-violet) and red breast. At the right light they could see the feathers shine in a variant of colors: green, cobalt, lime, and yellow, to ultramarine. Overall, it was very beautiful to gaze upon.

The bird pulled its head out from under its wing, looking at Charlie and the others curiously, who froze in place, trying not to scare the bird away.

Suddenly the bird flew off, flying down the path.

“Hurry!” Charlie called, chasing after the bird with Lilith and Husk following.

The bird stayed low under the trees, making it easier for Charlie and her family to keep it in sight, it was also surprisingly slow at flying. In a way, she wondered if the bird was trying to stay in their sight, like it wanted them to follow.

The jungle around them started to grow thicker as their path became thinner the longer they chased the bird, making her worry that they may actually lose sight of it now. Charlie picked up her speed, finding how much faster she was now that she was just a skeleton, leaving her family behind as she ran ahead.

Suddenly Lilith and Husk were repelled back as Charlie ran ahead of them, not noticing they fell back from a hidden barrier.

“Charlie!” Lilith called, quickly getting up to her feet and chased after her daughter, only to be repelled again.

“The fuck?” Husk moved forward, raising his hands to only hit a solid invisible surface, “It’s another barrier.”

“But how did Charlie get through?” Lilith asked, trying to look for an opening in the hidden barrier.

“I don’t know,” answered Husk.

“Charlie!” she called again as Charlie disappeared from their sights, helpless from where they stood.

* * *

Charlie jumped over a fallen tree, landing in some greens, while trying to keep up with the bird in her line of sight. The path disappeared some time ago for Charlie, as she pushed her way through the foliage of the jungle. A task that was growing harder by the second.

She stumbled over a hidden tree truck in the greens, falling into the large leaves in front of her. Quickly getting back up to her feet, Charlie realized sadly she had lost sight of the bird.

“We lost it,” Charlie sighed, turning around, “We’ll have to- Mamá?”

It was then that Charlie realized that she was alone.

“Mamá?” She called out, “Papí Husk.”

There was pure silence, only the sounds of the jungle floating around her.

Charlie groaned, “Great, now what?”

Not only was she alone now, but also lost in the jungle.

Going back was an option but there was no guarantee she would find her way back so easily when everything in the jungle looked the same, not to mention she didn’t give herself a chance to look for landmarks. The other option was to chase after the bird in the direction it was heading to, which hopefully was the sacred pools. That was at least some kind of landmark she could work with. Maybe she could find a high enough tree, or hill, she could climb up to help her find her way back.

Yes, that was a good plan.

With her mind made up Charlie headed off where the bird disappeared too.

The greens started to become thicker the further she went, taking much more time as she fought her way through, while also watching her footing.

Battling against a large plant, that’s when Charlie heard something.

It sounded like… whispering.

And it was coming from up ahead.

“Hola?” she called, “Is anyone there?”

There was no response as the whispering continued.

Not sure what else to do Charlie followed the whispering.

As she followed the whispering they started to grow louder but Charlie couldn’t make out anything they were saying, it almost sounded like it was muffled, or in another language. They were loud enough now that Charlie was sure they were behind this large leafy planet on the other side.

“Hola?” Charlie called again.

As soon as she spoke the whispering suddenly stopped.

Confused now Charlie pushed the large leaves aside only to scream.

A giant fanged face greeted her, terrifying her for a second until she realized it was an old statue of a large serpent.

Charlie placed a hand over her heart, trying to calm her beating heart.

Once calmed Charlie scooted around the large statue, paranoid it might come to life now, only to be greeted by another statue. Quickly backing away from the statues Charlie turned around, half prepared to see another statue, but instead gasping at what she saw.

In front of her was a large body of water, with a large waterfall, multiple streams coming down a large beautiful rock cliff with blooming flowers growing between the rocks. By the water the greens of the jungle looked to be incredibly healthy, compared to the rest of the jungle, with blooming flowers everywhere and full green foliage. It looked like paradise.

“Oh wow,” Charlie whispered under her breath as she moved to the water.

The closer she got to the water’s edge the more she could see how much of the wildlife was thriving here, a few fish jumped out of the water, monkeys making sounds in the trees, and a few other critters she didn’t recognize taking a drink of water.

Now that Charlie thought about it, she was parched. Being dead she was surprised that she could still feel hunger and thirst. Lilith told her that they didn’t need to really eat and drink, but had the option to do so, and Charlie would learn to ignore those needs.

Kneeling down at the edge of the water Charlie took out a small water pouch and dipped it into the water to fill it up. Once it was filled Charlie pulled it out and started to bring it up to her lips when something on the waterfall cliff caught her eye.

At first Charlie thought it was just foliage growing from the rocks but upon closer look she noticed the texture was off, that it didn’t look like any foliage that she had ever seen. A breeze came through, causing it to move, catching some sunlight as it showed what it really was.

It was a feather! A feather that looked to belong to a Resplendent Quetzal bird!

Charlie quickly capped her water pouch and put it away in her jacket, as she rushed around the water’s edge to get to the waterfall. Moving to get a better look Charlie could definitely see that it was indeed the feather she needed, and it looked like there were a few of them up there as well. Charlie began to climb up the side of the rock wall, trying to keep to the drier parts as best she could to avoid slipping and falling on the wet rocks. But considering she was already dead the fall wasn’t going to kill her anyways, but the idea of falling still wasn’t fun.

As if she jinxed herself, her left foot gave out from under her and the rocks that had been under her foot fell and landed in the rocky water below. Readjusting her footing Charlie continued up to the feathers above, being extra careful, testing the rocks to see if it would hold her weight. Another two feet up and Charlie finally reached where the feathers were embedded into the rocks. Now seeing the feathers up close Charlie was startled to see how much bigger they were, like a lot bigger. The feather itself was twice as long as her arm.

Making sure she had a strong grip on the rocks, she reached for the quill part of the feather and began to pull it out of the rocks. The feather was wedged in good, refusing to give no matter how hard Charlie pulled at it. Charlie moved her hand to get a better grip of the feather, wrapping her arm around a tree root growing out of the rocks, she began to pull harder. After a few tugs she could feel that the feather was finally starting to give. Giving one strong tug, the feather finally gave, startling Charlie for she wasn’t ready for the release and almost lost her footing beneath her.

She laughed happily in triumph as she held the free feather in her hand.

With the feather out Charlie took this moment to enjoy the view from the side of the cliff, noticing how pretty it was up here and that she could see a good portion of the jungle. She even could see the large statue in the distance where Blitzo and the others were, now giving her a better idea of where she needed to go.

She prepared to climb down when something interesting caught her eye.

Around the little lake and waterfall she noticed that the earth around this place almost looked like it was carved out, and not by the elements of nature. The earth itself looked like it was carved, as if something large had slithered through this area once upon a time.

Charlie suddenly felt very uneasy and began to look around for anything that big that could make those markings. She knew she shouldn’t worry too much about it since the imprints on the terrain looked like they were made long ago. Seeing as the flora around the area had grown over it and there were no signs of new disturbed earth either.

But still Charlie quickly hurried down, gripping the feather tightly in her hand.

* * *

Lilith paced back and forth, worried over Charlie, while Husk still tried to find a weak spot in the hidden barrier, to no avail. Charlie had been gone for quite some time now and Lilith was beginning to really worry. Even though they were dead it was hard to say what would happen to Charlie in the Land of the Ancients, as it was already proving to be difficult to traverse with all the unknown powerful magic here. Anything could happen.

A rustling in the jungle up ahead caught Lilith and Husk’s attention, just in time to see Charlie running out and back onto the marked path with a large feather in hand.

Lilith sighed in relief to see Charlie was unharmed.

“You okay, kid?” Husk asked once Charlie reunited with them.

“Sí,” she panted a little, “I am fine. What happened though, I lost you guys?”

“There was a barrier that blocked us,” answered Lilith.

“A barrier?” questioned Charlie.

Husk nodded, hitting said barrier, “See.”

Charlie stared ahead in surprise to see that Husk couldn’t pass through the same area that Charlie had just come from seconds ago.

“But then how did I get through?” asked Charlie.

“We’re not sure, hija. But I am glad you are safe,” Lilith hugged Charlie.

“Is that it?” Husk pointed to the large feather in Charlie’s arms.

“Sí, I think so,” she held it out for Lilith and Husk to properly see it; “It looks like it, just… bigger?”

“Where did you find it?” Lilith asked curiously.

“At the sacred pools, or what I assume were them,” Charlie answered.

“Well considering this damn fucking barrier is here,” Husk knocked on said barrier again, “I think it’s safe to say it is.”

“Let’s hurry up and take the feather to them,” said Lilith.

“Good idea, mamá,” Charlie agreed, quickly moving forward down the marked path with Lilith and Husk following.

Charlie was so glad to be back on a clearly marked path again, starting to recognize her surroundings again on their way back to the large statue.

It didn’t take too long to get back to Blitzo’s group, who were still hovering over Moxxie.

Loona was the first one to notice them back, smacking Blitzo on the shoulder, pointing in Charlie’s direction. Blitzo followed to where Loona was pointing at to only smile at Charlie’s return.

“You’re back!” he said, then noticing the large feather, “And you got the feather! Great work.”

“Is this the right feather, it’s very big,” Charlie asked.

“Yup, that’s the right feather. The birds get pretty big here,” Blitzo assured her.

“I’ll take that,” Loona said, stepping forward to take the feather from Charlie.

“We can’t thank you enough for doing this,” said Blitzo, who looked ready to cry now, “You have no idea how much this will help.”

“Of course, it’s the least we could do,” said Charlie, “If there’s anything-“

“Well now that’s been taken care of, we’ll be going,” Husk cut Charlie off.

“We wish for the best for all of you,” said Lilith, starting to steer Charlie away, “Good luck.”

“Mamá?” Charlie asked but her mother didn’t answer, just pushing her forward.

“We would stay but we’re short on time,” was all Husk said as he and Lilith quickly led Charlie away from them, not waiting to get roped up into their drama any more than they already were.

“Sweet kid,” Blitzo waved at them before smirking as soon as they were gone, “but bad judge of character.”

“Fucking finally,” said Loona.

“Alright, great job everyone,” announced Blitzo.

Moxxie groaned, sitting up while rubbing his head.

“Moxxie, that was the WORST acting that I have ever seen, would it kill you to sell it a little more that you were dying,” criticize Blitzo.

“Sir, I already told you I was not the best candidate for this to begin with,” complained Moxxie before he glared at Loona, “and did you really have to kick me in the head?”

“Yeah, because they were getting suspicious, you dumbass,” said Loona.

“We were fortunate to have Millie here to work her crocodile tears. Which by the way, splendid work Millie, you really sold it,” said Blitzo.

“Thank you, sir,” said Millie, “But I kind of felt bad for tricking them like that.”

“We had to Millie, it’s our only ticket out of here and back into The Land of The Remembered, after being banished,” said Blitzo.

“You mean after you got us banished,” Loona pointed out.

“If I recall, sir, it was your fault that we were forced out here into this savage land to survive on our own to begin with, all because you had to make a move on Alastor’s sister-in-law,” Moxxie glared at him.

Biltzo scoffed, “The bastard was overreacting.”

“Then you turned around and hit on his husband, right in front of him!” Moxxie added.

“Your point?” asked Blitzo.

“Let’s just call them up already and tell them the job is done,” Loona growled, feeling annoyed.

“You’re right Loonie, let's get this done with,” said Blitzo.

Moxxie and Millie quickly moved to the clearing, standing right across from each other. They raised their hands out in front of them, closing their eyes, as a green glow began to form around their hands. Before them, the glow extended out to the other, forming a large mirror of green energy in front of Blitzo.

“Hola!” Blitzo called out.

Some noise on the other side came, as well as some muttering, before a picture formed to reveal Vox.

“Is that you, Blitzo? Did you get it?” Vox called.

“Sure did,” Blitzo gestured to Loona’s direction who was walking up the altar, “And you were right about the kid being able to get to the pools.”

Vox smirked, “Excellent! Now we just need to transfer it. Are you ready?”

Loona reached the top of the altar, placing the large feather on a large stone table, before stepping back.

“Whenever you are,” said Blitzo.

Vox stepped out of sight, calling out to Velvet. There was a moment of silence before a bloody scream of agony caused Blitzo to jump, just as a bright light from the mirror and altar flashed.

Loona covered her eyes from the bright light, which lasted for a second, before it died down. With the light gone she looked to the table to see the feather was gone and in its place was a bloody bleeding heart.

“Ew,” she said.

“The transfer is completed,” said Blitzo.

“Good job, Blitzo. And as agreed, when Valentino and I return back to power, you and your minions will be welcomed back into The Land of the Remembered.”

“Can’t wait! It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” said Blitzo, before ending the call.

* * *

With green glowing smoke gone in front of Vox, he then moved over to the altar where Velvet stood after finishing the human sacrifice.

On the bloody altar, where the heart had been moments ago, was a long large feather.

“This is it?” Velvet asked, picking up the large feather, “All that trouble for a lousy feather?”

“Be careful with that!” Valentino yelled, fluttering over to hover in front of the feather, “That is no ordinary feather.”

“It looks like one to me,” muttered Velvet.

“Well it’s not, for it came from no bird,” said Vox as he came over to look at the feather in awe.

Valentino fluttered over to Velvet’s side and landed on her shoulder, “Listen closely, this feather is from Quetzalcoatl himself.”

Velvet looked startled at the news, “You mean the Great Feathered Serpent?” She looked up to the ceiling over the cave temple to see a large carving of a giant serpent with feathers and wings.

“Sí, Quetzalcoatl resided in the sacred pools in The Land of The Ancients, an area that is completely off limits to all, except those that are deemed worthy to enter his nest. As expected, the Magne girl was worthy to enter, which is why we had to let Alastor kill her rather than let you do it. We needed to make sure she had a reason to go to The Cave of Souls, which you need to go through The Land of The Ancients to get to,” Valentino explained.

“Okay, I understand that much. But I still don’t get what the whole point was to get it?” asked Velvet.

“It’s simple,” a wicked smile appeared on Vox’s scarred face, “Because Quetzalcoatl’s feather is the only thing that can kill an immortal.”

Chapter Text

Anthony didn’t know what to expect when the day finally came. He didn’t quite feel joy, or relief, like he half expected to. No, the word he was looking for in this moment was… satisfaction.

He didn’t know what Alastor was planning, or how he was going to do it. He simply told Anthony it would be too much for his little mortal mind to wrap around for him to understand, and that he didn’t want to hear any questions either. So when the day finally came that Alastor told him it was finally time, he had to be there to see it.

And it was worth it.

Vox was kneeling on the floor of Valentino’s throne room, clenching his bleeding and battered face that Anthony was sure would scar over time, glaring up angrily at Alastor who sat on Valentino’s throne.

Speaking of Valentino, that was the best part.

The former ruler of The Land of The Remembered, and his abusive master, was nothing but an itty bitty little moth, helpless to do anything after Alastor turned him into the pathetic form. It made Anthony smile as he watched the whole thing from his front row seat.

“You bastard!” Vox cursed at him, his face still bleeding, “You’re going to pay for this!”

Alastor chuckled in amusement, “Oh dear Vox, I have been waiting for this moment for the last few hundred years in the Land of The Forgotten. I just believed it was finally time for me to be entertained by all the festivities that you and Valentino have enjoyed here in the Land of The Remembered.”

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!” Valentino yelled loudly, even in his tiny little form.

Anthony smirked.

“Oh?” said Alastor, raising a brow, “Then do tell me how it should be, because I am sure that this is not what Quetzalcoatl had planned.”

Both Valentino and Vox fell silent at that.

Anthony didn’t know what Alastor was talking about but hey, the defeated expression on their faces was gold.

Suddenly, he wobbled and his vision went a little fuzzy for a moment.

That was weird.

“If he was still with us, I’m certain he would be appalled at what you’ve done to the place, and you two would probably receive a fate worse than banishment,” Alastor said, summoning a goblet.

“Banishment!?” both Valentino and Vox yelled.

Oh this just got better, Anthony thought as his smile grew with Alastor’s smile, “You two should be thanking me that I’m just banishing you two to the mortal world.”

“The mortal world!” they both yelled.

Suddenly Valentino’s little form fluttered over to Anthony and got in his face, “You little fuck! You think you can get away with this! You think Alastor will protect you from me after what you did! You will regret this! Mark my-“

Alastor snapped his fingers and green smoke appeared around Valentino, forming a cage, which then teleported him to Vox’s hands.

“That’s enough of that,” taking a slow sip of his drink, “I would prefer it if you didn’t harass poor Anthony,” Alastor calmly said, noting Anthony was a little pale from Valentino’s sudden verbal attack.

Anthony’s vision went fuzzy again as his legs suddenly felt weak, so much so that he almost fell, but he caught himself at the last second. He was a little more shaken up by Valentino’s sudden verbal abuse than he thought.

“Any last words before I banish you two?” Alastor asked them.

“You will both suffer greatly for this!” yelled Valentino from his cage.

“Just wait, Alastor!” Vox yelled next, “One day we will return and you’ll truly regret-“

Alastor rolled his eyes, “Alright that’s enough goodbyes.”

With a wave of his hand, both Valentino and Vox were engulfed in shadows and disappeared from the throne room.

“Ah, finally some peace and quiet,” said Alastor, standing up from Valentino’s throne that was now his, and strolling over to Anthony.

Anthony stared at the spot that both Valentino and Vox had been, only moments ago, shocked at the fact that they were truly gone.

A goblet suddenly appeared in front of Anthony, startling him a bit. He looked up to see that Alastor was offering him one.

“Smile my dear! This is a time to celebrate!” said Alastor, “I expected you to be more thrilled.”

“I am, I’m just… shocked is all,” he answered, “Are you sure they’re really gone?”

“My dear, they are banished to the mortal realm now, powerless. They have no way of getting back here without regaining their power,” answered Alastor, “Of course if they did somehow find a way to get their powers back they can’t do it.”

“How come?”

“Because I have it,” Alastor’s grin grew devilish, “They can’t defeat me as long as they remain the way they are, hopeless and weak.”

Anthony chuckled, feeling a little bit better now, knowing that there was no way Valentino and Vox could ever hurt him again, “Getting a bit cocky aren’t we?”

“Not cocky at all, my dear. Just sure of my abilities,” he answered.

“Whatever you say,” he smiled, “I just can’t wait to see Molly again. After all this time I can finally be with her.”

“After our toast, I will be happy to reunite the two of you, completing our agreement,” Alastor raised his goblet to Anthony.

“Of course,” Anthony laughed lightly, taking the second goblet from Alastor’s other hand.

… Only to watch it fall right through Anthony’s hand.

Both Anthony and Alastor stared in shock when Anthony raised his hand, seeing it slowly fading.

Anthony suddenly felt very weak, finding it hard to stand on his feet. He found himself slowly falling backwards. Alastor quickly caught Angel before he fell to the floor.

He felt fragile, held carefully in Alastor’s arms as he looked up into Alastor’s face. He saw for the first time since he’d known the man, not a fraction of a smile on his face.

“What’s happening to me?” Anthony asked in a feeble voice.

“You’re being forgotten,” Alastor said.

His eyes widened in horror as Anthony’s body slowly began to fade in his arms.

“Forgotten..,” Anthony said slowly, his eyes feeling heavy, “Arackniss…”

“Who?” asked Alastor.

“My brother, he’s the last person to remember me,” he chuckled weakly, “He must have finally kicked the bucket.”

“No,” said Alastor, “Surely someone alive still remembers you.”

“There is no one, no one that gives a damn about me anyways, to even care about keeping my memory alive,” Anthony felt so tired, he just wanted to sleep.

“But you have yet to see your sister, the deal has not yet been completed,” Alastor weakly protested, not sure what to do.

“It would have been nice to see Molly before I faded.”

“You still can.”

“Come on, Al. You know that’s total bullshit, even for you,” Anthony chuckled, sleep sounded nice, “As for our deal, I release you from it.”

“What?”

“Even if I didn’t see Molly, at least you helped me gain my freedom, and that’s good enough,” Anthony said before he finally closed his eyes.

“Anthony!”

Anthony’s body faded away into nothingness, leaving Alastor alone in the throne room.

* * *

It finally stopped raining some time over night but the dark clouds lingered over the city, fitting for the mood everyone felt.

Vaggie spent most of time in her room the last few days, only coming down to eat and finish her chores. Lucifer cut back on her duties, allowing her a break, and giving her time to not only grieve over his late daughter but prepare for her wedding.

Everything happened so fast the last few days that Vaggie hadn’t had much time to process everything. She still wasn’t sure why she accepted Helsa’s proposal, she was just going through the motions, not really thinking, just acting on impulse. Now she wondered if she’d made a mistake.

Helsa had been kind to her when she and Charlie returned home, not to mention she always flirted with her when they were kids. But that might have been more her trying to get under Charlie’s skin. Vaggie wasn’t sure. But it made Lucifer and Mimzy happy to know that she would have someone to care for her once they passed on, so it was enough for her to feel confident that she’d made the right choice.

“Vaggie.”

Vaggie looked away from the window, standing by the dining table with a pitcher in her hand. She looked at Lucifer at the head of the table, who looked concerned.

“Sí?” she asked.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Her silence was enough of an answer for him.

He smiled sadly at her, “I wish I could tell you ‘you will be ok’ but I would be lying to myself if I did.”

“It’s alright, señor. I know you loved Charlie just as much. I can’t imagine how much pain you are feeling right now. I apologize for not considering your feelings,” said Vaggie as she placed the pitcher on the table.

“There is no reason to apologize to me, Vaggie.” said Lucifer, “She was just as important to you as she was to me.

Vaggie smiled.

“Now, where is mamá this morning?” Lucifer asked out loud, noticing that Mimzy had yet to come down for breakfast yet.

Vaggie noticed as well that Mimzy wasn’t there, which was odd since the woman, even in her old age, managed to rise early and be the first one down for breakfast before the rest of the family awoke.

A maid quickly rushed into the room, looking quite distressed, “Señor Magne.”

“Sí?” he replied.

Vaggie noticed then that the maid looked like she was on the verge of tears, “It’s señora Mimzy,” she paused, looking to be fighting tears, “She has passed away in her sleep.”

* * *

“Well, this place gives me the creeps,” said Husk.

He wasn’t wrong.

After traveling through the jungle for so long, and getting lost at least twice, they finally reached the mountain and began to climb it. After climbing up the first mile, they found an old stone stairway that led all the way up to the top, making the climb much easier. Even with the climb being made easier now by stairs it was still a hard journey for them as they climbed for what seemed like hours until they finally reached the top. They found a large, old temple that had at the center a large cave opening. It was at the end of a large flora ridden passageway with multiple jaguar statues lining the path.

“Something doesn’t feel right about this,” Lilith stated, staring down the path with uncertainty.

“I’m sure it’s fine, mamá,” said Charlie, starting down the path, “We’re almost there, so let's hurry!”

But Lilith didn’t seem so sure. She looked to Husk, who simply shrugged his shoulders before following after Charlie.

With no other choice, she let out a sigh, and followed after Charlie with Husk.

The first few minutes, or about halfway to the cave, everything seemed fine. It looked as though Lilith was worried over nothing.

Until they heard a low growl.

“What was that?” Husk whispered.

“I-I don’t know,” answered Charlie.

“Shh,” Lilith quickly hushed them.

The growling was growing closer, and it sounded like it was more than one.

Suddenly the sound of grinding rocks came from Lilith’s left. They looked up in time to see neon green vines crawl up the Jaguar statue, reaching up to its eyes where they began to glow green. The statue stood up from its sitting position, throwing its head around for a moment before it set its sights upon Charlie, Lilith, and Husk. Slowly, they backed away from the growling statue, trying not to make any sudden moves.

Another loud growl came from behind them, turning in time to see another statue that suddenly pounced on Husk.

“Papí Husk!” Charlie yelled.

Husk’s head went flying into the air, heading right for Lilith, who jumped up and caught him.

“You okay?” Lilith asked.

“Does it look like I’m okay!?” he yelled.

More growls and grinding rocks came from down the path they had come from, seeing more statues coming to life as they jumped down and started to head for them.

“Run, run!” yelled Husk.

Charlie and Lilith didn’t hesitate at Husk’s command and started running to the cave at full speed.

The Jaguars hissed and growled behind them, giving chase, while Husk’s body tried to stop them but failed.

“Charlie, don’t look back!” Lilith ordered, noticing that the statues they were passing were covered in green vines.

This was the second time since Charlie had dropped down here that she was glad she was a skeleton. If she still had flesh, she wouldn’t be moving as fast as she was now and the jaguars would have caught up to them by now.

The cave was not that far from them now, they were mere seconds away from reaching it.

The roars behind them grew louder as Charlie was sure the Jaguars were at their heels now, pushing them to move faster.

Charlie and Lilith reached the stairs and quickly rushed up the steps and into the mouth of the cave where the jaguars seemed to stop their pursuit.

Outside the entrance of the cave the jaguars paced around, glaring at them as they tried to find a way in, through some sort of invisible barrier it seemed.

“They can’t come in,” said Lilith.

“Ha! Take that you fuckers!” yelled Huck’s head from Lilith’s arms.

A loud roar came from a jaguar, making both Charlie and Lilith jump.

“Let’s get out of here while we can,” Charlie said as she moved quickly into the cave with her mother following.

The Cave of Souls was not what Charlie had imagined it to be. The place was dark, dreary, cold and wet, much like any other cave you would find. It was actually kind of disappointing. Perhaps if they went deeper into the cave they would find something that would take them to the next phase of their journey. But after a few minutes of carefully stepping through darkness and the jaguars falling silent, there was still nothing.

“This is The Cave of Souls?” grunted Husk, “This place looks more like a shithole to me.”

“Papí, have some respect,” Charlie lightly scolded him.

Husk rolled his eyes in response.

“What’s that,” Lilith suddenly stopped, seeing some sort of glow deep in the cave.

In the heart of the cave, deep inside, there was the faint flickering of light that slowly grew stronger and stronger from the other end, as well as getting bigger?

No, it wasn’t getting bigger; the light was coming right at them, and quickly.

Charlie quickly grabbed her guitar from behind her back, raising it up in the air as a weapon. It pained her to think she would have to use her guitar like this, the same guitar that Vaggie gifted her, but it was the only thing she had to defend them.

The light was now bright and quickly making a beeline right for Charlie and her family.

Charlie was ready to fight, prepared to make the first swing when the light suddenly stopped in front of her.

Blinking, Charlie looked down to see what looked like a strange girl with short pink hair, yellow skin, one large eye, and a candle on the top of her head.

“Hola!” said girl with a smile and a wave, “I’m Niffty!”

Charlie stared at Niffty, not sure what to do until she heard her mother coo behind her.

“How cute,” cooed Lilith.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Charlie Magne,” said Niffty.

“H-how do you know my name,” Charlie asked in surprise, lowering her guitar.

“I know everyone! Because I’m the Candle Maker,” Niffty said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “I also know your mamá, Lilith Magne. And as well as your great grandfather, Husk.”

Charlie looked to her mother, who just shrugged.

“Oh dear me, where are my manners!” exclaimed Niffty, “Please come in and rest!” she clapped her hands together.

Suddenly the ground under their feet began to move as it rose up into the air and then charged forward.

Charlie focused on keeping her feet planted to the ground so she wouldn’t fall down, or fall off the moving disk that they found themselves on. The ride wasn’t very long, less than a minute perhaps, before the disk they were on brought them into a brightly lit area with a few waterfalls and candles strewn about everywhere.

“Welcome to the Cave of Souls! My home,” declared Niffty.

“Huh, not bad,” said Husk.

“I’m sorry for the mess! I was not expecting you to be here so soon. I was sure you would be another day,” Niffty said.

“You knew we were coming?” asked Charlie.

“Of course, I’m the Candle Maker,” said Niffty.

That didn’t really explain anything.

“There are so many candles here,” said Lilith.

“Every candle you see lit represents a life in the mortal realm. And over there,” Niffty pointed to a small section in the bottom corner, “Is your home, Pentagrama City.”

“Wow, there are a lot of them for our city,” Charlie said in awe.

Niffty then summoned two candles from their city, one lit and one that had burned out, both hovered in her hands.

“This candle,” she raised the lit one, “Represents Vaggie’s life. Lit with life and burning with passion to live a life at its fullest,” she then lifted the burned out one, “And this one is Charlie’s. Sadly extinguished from life, flame burned out of existence, basically dead as a doornail.”

“Wait, you know Vaggie?” Charlie questioned.

“Sí,” Niffty sent the candles away, “I know she is the reason you are looking for Angel Dust, so you can get back to the mortal realm.”

“How do you know?” Charlie asked.

“I’m the Candle Maker,” Niffty said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“So you basically babysit a bunch of candles?” said Husk.

“Nope! My job is to keep everything in balance, which is why I knew you would come looking for Angel,” Niffty explained.

“So you know about the wager then?” asked Charlie.

“Sí,” she nodded her head.

“Then you can help us, Niffty. Alastor cheated in the wager, you must fix this,” Charlie pleaded.

“Surely this must go against the rules of keeping things in balance,” asked Lilith.

“Well,” Niffty began, “It would have been if Alastor didn’t tell me about the wager as soon as it was made.”

“So you know everything then?” asked Lilith.

“And that he cheated,” asked Charlie.

Niffty nodded her head, “Sí.”

“Then why did you let the bastard get away with it,” growled Husk.

“Because, The Land of the Remembered doesn’t have a true leader, not anymore,” said Niffty.

“But isn’t Angel Dust the ruler?” asked Lilith.

Niffty shook her head, “No, Angel never was.”

“WHAT?” Charlie, Lilith, and Husk said together.

“Which is why it’s not breaking the rules,” Niffty smiled.

There was a pause.

“I’m confused,” said Husk.

“So am I,” agreed Charlie.

“Let me explain from the beginning for you,” said Niffty.

Niffty clapped her hands as the platform they stood on rose up high to the ceiling, where the waterfalls began. Above it they came to a large beautiful garden filled with flowers and Aztec ruins that looked to be in excellent condition. The platform moved to the edge of the gardens entrance, allowing Niffty and the others to hop off of it and into the gardens. Niffty lead them to a small Aztec structure, covered in vines, with a small flight of stairs leading up. Niffty quickly rushed up the stairs and waited for the others to follow.

“What is this?” asked Charlie.

“This is our beginning,” said Niffty, before pulling some of the vines away to reveal Aztec hieroglyphics.

There was an image of Alastor and Niffty on it, along with two others that Charlie did not recognize. And above them was a large serpent covered in feathers with a large headpiece.

“We weren’t always here,” Niffty began, “Our birth was almost three hundred years ago. You see, the world was changing, and the old ways began to fade. The Aztec gods knew that their time was coming to an end and it was time for them to leave this world. So when the time came for them to leave, they all disappeared, never to be seen again, all except for one that stayed behind.

“Quetzalcoatl was the last to leave, only to set up the new world for the next generation. First, he created a place for those that had passed on, but were still remembered by those that had once loved them in the mortal realm, The Land of the Remembered, next came another place, only for those that had no one to care or bother to remember them after their death, The Land of the Forgotten. Once these two lands were created he went and made those that would rule and watch over the souls of those that would come to these lands.

“From his blood, he made Alastor,” she pointed to Alastor’s image, “Who would rule The Land of the Forgotten. Next, from his fang, he created Valentino,” she pointed to a large being that oddly looked like a moth, “who would rule The Land of the Remembered.

“But with these two rulers, there needed to be someone to watch the balance of these lands and make sure everything stayed in proper order. So then from his tears, I was born!” Niffty happily exclaimed, pointing to an image that looked like her, “And last, he needed someone to help guide souls in The Land of the Remembered to their family and loved ones. So from his scales, Vox was born,” she pointed to the last being up there.

“With the lands, and new rulers created, Quetzalcoatl finally left this world to allow us to rule in the Aztecs' place,” she finished her story.

“I think I remember hearing that name before, Valentino, and Vox,” said Husk.

“What happened to them?” Lilith asked.

“Well you see, shortly after Quetzalcoatl put us in charge both Valentino and Vox started to abuse their power and become cruel, not following the tasks that Quetzalcoatl gave them. I tried to get them back on track since it’s my job to keep everything in balance. But they ignored me and told me to butt out of their business and stay in my cave,” she pouted at the memory.

“They sound awful! How could they do that,” said Charlie, feeling angry at how mean Valentino and Vox could be to Niffty.

“Which is why when Alastor told me he wanted to rule The Land of The Remembered long ago, I didn’t stop him,” Niffty began, “I know I should have tried to stop him. But honestly, Valentino and Vox were out of control and needed to be dealt with. That’s why I let Alastor handle them. He managed to overthrow the both of them and banish them to the mortal realm.”

“So he ruled the Land of the Remembered back then?” Charlie asked in shock at this new development.

Niffty nodded her head, “Uh-huh!”

“What about Angel Dust then?” Charlie asked, not seeing him anywhere up there.

“Oh, that’s simple. Angel Dust is actually a mortal,” answered Niffty.

“He was mortal?” repeated Charlie.

“Sí, Angel Dust was mortal and died about two hundred years, if not less, and ended up in the Land of the Remembered,” said Niffty, “But Alastor made Angel immortal and gave him The Land of The Remember to rule.”

“Why would that son of a bitch do that?” asked Husk from Lilith’s arms, “That seems unlike him.”

“That’s not my story to tell, you have to ask him that yourself. But in order for Angel to be immortal he needed one of the lands to keep that status, and shortly after that, Angel made Molly immortal to take over Vox’s role while Angel took Valentino’s.” Niffty finished.

“I don’t agree with what you allowed Alastor to get away with to do this to Charlie,” said Lilith, “But I do understand why you allowed him the first time, to be rid of those two bastards.”

Niffty nodded in agreement, “It was for the best.”

“But Niffty, that was a long time ago, what Alastor did was not fair, and he’s not overthrowing a tyrant. I need to go back to Vaggie, you have to help set things right,” Charlie pleaded.

“Well,” Niffty thought for a moment, “I’m not supposed to really meddle, but I think I can help bend the rules just this once.”

“Really?” Charlie smiled brightly.

“I like you! It’s nice to make new friends after all,” said Niffty.

“So you will allow us to pass then?” asked Charlie.

“I’ll do you one even better, I’ll take you to Angel myself,” declared Niffty.

Niffty suddenly rushed down the stairs and moved deeper into the gardens while Charlie and her family quickly followed her. Niffty waited for them to join her at a vine covered wall, before turning to face the wall and waving her hand. The rocks rumbled and began to pull apart, while the vines drew back like curtains, to reveal a large stairway leading down.

“This path will take you right to The Land of The Forgotten,” she told them before going down the stairs.

Charlie and Lilith looked at one another for a moment before slowly following Niffty down the stairs as the rocks behind them closed back up.

It didn’t take them long to reach the bottom of the stairs where they entered a small cavern lit by green flames, lighting the way out of the small tunnel. Niffty rushed out of the small tunnel and waited for Charlie and Lilith to catch up with her at the mouth of the cave.

Charlie stepped out of the cave and looked over the realm that was The Land of the Forgotten.

The Land of the Forgotten was a dark and dreary place, absent of all life and color. Everything looked to be covered in layers of ash that fell from the sky. There were people of course, many people in fact. But they were lifeless zombies of grays and greens, remaining motionless where they stood.

“This place is… awful,” said Charlie, looking at the people with pity.

“The Land of The Forgotten isn’t supposed to be a happy place,” Niffty said solemnly, “These people are now just forgotten souls that no one in the mortal realm remembers anymore.

Charlie moved over to the closest person to her, being careful not to touch them as she waved a hand in front of their face. They remained motionless, their dead eyes staring at nothing ahead of them. Charlie quickly stepped back, feeling shivers down her spine.

“Over there,” Niffty pointed ahead of them, where a tall, dark, ruined looking castle stood, “Is Alastor’s castle. That’s where we will find Angel Dust.”

Charlie’s eyes filled with determination, forgetting the lost souls around her for a moment, “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

The Land of The Remembered was finally his, after waiting for so long, planning every little thing, and gaining Niffty’s permission to overthrow Valentino and Vox, he did it. In Alastor’s opinion he should have ruled The Land of The Remembered in the first place, not those two greedy selfish bastards. But Alastor couldn’t go against Quetzalcoatl’s wishes at the time either, the god had plans, but even he couldn’t foresee how they would all turn out after he disappeared with the other Aztec gods. No, it was for the best that Alastor did what he did, even Quetzalcoatl would not stand for what Valentino and Vox did, and the old god would be both devastated and furious.

He did the right thing. Quetzalcoatl would have been happy, even Niffty agreed it had to be done, he should be happy with his victory.

But then why did it taste so bitter?

He sat alone, in the dark of the throne room, sitting comfortably in Valentino’s throne. He let his thoughts wander in the darkness, barely noticing the doors opening and a little figure quickly scurrying inside until they stood in front of him.

“Hola!” Niffty greeted happily.

Alastor looked at Niffty, trying to put on his best smile, even though he knew it was a poor attempt.

“Ah, Niffty dear, I was not expecting to see you so soon,” he said.

If Niffty saw his poor attempt at a fake smile she didn’t say anything about it and just smiled back at him.

“I just came to check on you as the new ruler of The Land of The Remembered. You have a lot of responsibilities to take care of, with you ruling two lands now,” she told him.

“Just that?” he asked in amusement, knowing there was another reason she wanted to come.

“Well,” her large eye darted everywhere in the throne room, unable to help but notice the mess that Valentino left.

Alastor chuckled lightly, “I am not going to stop you if you want to clean.”

Niffty’s smile grew as she pulled her large feather duster out and got to work.

“You know, when you first told me your intention of wanting The Land of the Remembered I was very hesitant. I wasn’t sure if you were joking or not, you’re hard to read sometimes. But then Valentino started to neglect his duties, treated the citizens poorly-“ Niffty continued to chatter away as she cleaned.

Alastor didn’t pay too much attention to her chattering, thoughts focused elsewhere, focused on the events of just yesterday.

He could still feel the weight of Anthony’s body in his arms as he slowly disappeared with a sad pitiful smile on his face, hislast memory of Anthony. A memory that bothered him more than he wished to admit.

Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Anthony? Why wouldn’t this pain in his chest go away?

Sensing his distress his shadow appeared by his side, looking worried.

“-silly to think that,” Niffty continued to chatter, “And when you told me you teamed up with one of Valentino’s servants, wooing him to your side in order to take him down, I was surprised. But you always have a plan so I figured you knew what you were doing. I almost felt bad for the poor mortal, tugging on his heart strings like that, seducing him to follow your whims. But it seemed to work out for you; you got him to be completely smitten with you, if not in love with you.”

In love?

Was Anthony really in love with him?

He shouldn’t be surprised, that was the point of approaching the mortal to begin with, while he was at his weakest and most vulnerable moment. So why did it surprise him when he heard Niffty say it out loud?

“It was kind of cute from what I saw, you even looked like you were in love yourself,” said Niffty, paying no attention to Alastor as she cleaned.

His eyes widened.

Was he in love?

With Anthony, why a mortal?

That’s impossible!

There was no way he would fall for a lowly mortal, no matter how adorable they might be, to the point Alastor would think of them more often than he would like to admit…looking forward to seeing them…to spending time with them…

“Damn it,” Alastor whispered under his breath, rising from his seat and quickly marching out of the throne room.

Niffty was in the middle of dusting when she noticed Alastor quickly exiting the room.

“Alastor?” she called.

He ignored her.

Curious as to what he was up to, Niffty chased after him, joining his side in time for the shadows to engulf the both of them and disappear in the blink of an eye.

When they reemerged, shadows having gone, Niffty found that they were back in The Land of The Forgotten. Before she could even ask why they were here Alastor spread his wings and took flight, leaving Niffty behind.

The Land of The Forgotten was large with many poor forgotten souls here, to find one certain individual soul was next to impossible. But Alastor was determined, he didn’t care how long it would take him to search, he would search for centuries if he had to.

He had to find Anthony.

The only thing that might help Alastor in his search for Anthony was that he was still made of flesh while the other residents here were of bone, making his search a little bit easier.

It seemed like hours to Alastor as he searched from high above in the sky, not seeing anyone that looked to be of flesh. Alastor was starting to lose hope of finding Anthony, fearing that perhaps he had disappeared for good, until he saw his shadow waving at him and gesturing for Alastor to follow it.

It found Anthony.

Not wasting a second Alastor quickly flew down below and followed his shadow, leading him deep into the outskirts of the land, where a few of the unfortunate souls lingered. This was possibly one of the worst areas of this land that you could be in. Out here was darker, colder, and more treacherous to travel through on foot.

It made Alastor sick to his stomach when he caught sight of Anthony in this place.

Alastor landed a few feet away from Anthony, rushing forwards to him, and stopping only inches away.

Anthony looked terrible. His skin that was once a beautiful silky pinkish pale was now an ugly ash gray color, while his beautiful blue eyes that had once held a bit of a twinkle of mischief in them were now dead and a dull green color. Even his beautiful blonde hair was a whitish gray color that looked greasy up close. He truly looked as if he belonged here among the dead, and Alastor hated it.

“Anthony,” Alastor gently whispered, raising his hand out to him, afraid to touch him for a moment before he cradled his cheek.

Alastor winced a little when he touched Anthony, not expecting for his skin to be so cold.

Anthony didn’t move, didn’t even react to Alastor’s touch.

“Anthony, please look at me?” Alastor asked him.

There was no response.

“Anthony, please?” Alastor pleaded, moving his head so he could face Alastor.

But looking into those beautiful eyes of his Alastor couldn’t see anything but an empty void, making his heart break.

“It’s going to be alright, mi amor,” Alastor told him in a shaky voice, gently taking Anthony into his arms, holding him bridal style, “Everything is going to be alright.”

With his wings spread Alastor took flight again, returning to where he left Niffty behind.

* * *

“Alastor! Wait up!” Niffty called, trying to keep up with Alastor’s quick pace through the jungle of the Land of The Ancients.

“I can’t do that, my dear,” he told her, not looking back, Anthony still cradled in his arms.

Niffty huffed, quickly scurrying over to Alastor’s side, “You don’t have a plan,” she said.

“Of course I do,” Alastor didn’t look at her.

“Alastor, I know this mortal means a lot to you but he’s a lost soul now. He can’t come back,” said Niffty.

“Don’t say that!” Alastor snarled out furiously, pulling Anthony closer to him.

Niffty drew back a little but still stayed with him.

“Okay,” she said carefully, “So what are you planning, may I ask?”

“I’m taking him to the sacred pools,” he answered.

“What!” Niffty yelled, stopping for a moment in shock before scurrying back to his side, “How are you going to get there! No one has ever passed the barrier before! What makes you think you can get past it?”

“By force of course.”

“Quetzalcoat himself made that barrier, around his own home. There is no way you can break it.”

“Of course I can! Just watch.” Alastor’s gait was determined as he strode towards his destination.

Niffty sighed in frustration, “I know you really care for this mortal but there is nothing we can do for him. We have to let him go. I know it’s hard for you to hear that, but you can’t- OOF!”

Alastor stopped two steps ahead of Niffty, looking down to see her sitting on the ground rubbing where her nose would be.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Niffty stood up, brushing the dirt off of her dress, “I think I hit something.

Alastor looked around Niffty to see if there were any low hanging branches that she may have possibly hit, but there were none around.

Niffty stepped forward with a cautious step, raising her hand in front of her until she hit an invisible barrier that she couldn’t pass.

But Alastor could.

The realization dawned on Alastor as he quickly turned on his heel and took to the skies.

Quetzalcoat’s barrier allowed Alastor in, giving him access to the sacred pools.

He didn’t know how he was able to get in, or why he was allowed in, but Alastor wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth as he sped to the sacred pool.

In a few moments, he arrived at the sacred pools, scaring a few animals as he landed on the shore of the water. This was the first time that Alastor was able to see the small lake that had once been the home of Quetzalcoat himself. It was here that the great god would rest in these waters, cooling his body from the heat of the jungle. Rumor had it that since Quetzalcoat rested in these waters for so long that some of his magic infused with the water, giving the lake not only a source of life but of healing properties too.

Alastor slowly stepped into the water, feeling the temperature, but mostly to see if it would reject him. When nothing happened he stepped further into the water until it came up to his knees. He shivered as he felt the raw ancient magic flow in him to the point it almost felt like it was too much. If this had been another time, and the situation was different, Alastor would have figured out a way to harness the old god’s power that he left behind and use it for himself. But this was not the time for selfish wishes. He needed Quetzalcoat’s power to help save Anthony.

Kneeling down Alastor slowly lowered Anthony’s body into the water, watching in fascination when a large gray cloud of ash washed away from his body as he was submerged underneath.

Alastor didn’t know what to expect when he brought Anthony here. Hell, he didn’t even expect to really get past the barrier at all. What would happen next was for fate to decide.

Nothing happened for the next few minutes, making Alastor worry that Anthony was too far gone for Quetzalcoat’s magic to reach him.

Then something began to happen.

Anthony’s body slowly began to glow, a bright white light enveloping him that blinded Alastor a bit. It was difficult to say what was happening, especially with the blinding light, but Alastor could just barely make out that something was happening to Anthony’s body… that it was growing longer, and slightly bigger.

When the light finally died down, there was a large splash in front of Alastor, along with the sound of someone gasping for air.

In front of Alastor, was Anthony, but it was not the Anthony he knew. No, this was something he had not expected.

Anthony was no longer the small pale blond human, but a strange white furry creature covered in pink spots. He had six arms and long hairy looking legs with strange looking feet.

It would seem that even with the old god long gone; he still had a sense of humor.

Anthony was breathing heavily as he quickly looked at his surroundings, not sure where he was, or why he was in a lake, until he noticed Alastor kneeling beside him in the water, staring up at him in shock.

Anthony’s breathing began to calm, “Al?” he asked quietly, not daring to hope that this was real.

Alastor could only stare in shock, unable to believe that it actually worked.

“Is this real? Where-” Anthony hesitated, confusedly looking around, “Where are we? Why are we here?”

Instead of answering Anthony’s questions, Alastor flung himself into Anthony, startling the other as he pulled him into a tight embrace.

“A-Al?” Anthony asked, surprised by this bold move from Alastor.

“I thought I’d lost you forever,” Alastor whispered in his hair, cheek resting upon the top of his head.

Anthony didn’t know what Alastor was saying until a memory flashed in his mind of him slowly fading before disappearing.

“I was forgotten,” Anthony stated.

Alastor nodded in his hair, bringing him closer.

“My brother died and I was forgotten, and I went to the Land of The Forgotten.”

“Sí.”

Anthony looked around the place they were at again, finally taking in the beautiful scenery now that he was calm.

“Where are we?” he asked again.

“We are in the Land of the Ancients,” Alastor pulled away but gently cupped Anthony’s face, taking in the strange, but lovely, new features of his, “These are the sacred pools, where Quetzalcoat resided long ago. I used his lingering magic in the water to save you from the effects of Land of The Forgotten.”

It was then that Anthony caught his reflection in the water, but it was not his face that he saw, but a strange white and pink fluffy creature looking back at him.

Quickly, pulling his face out of Alastor’s hands, he stood up and looked down at his now naked, or at least he thought he was naked, body, wobbling on his new legs. Alastor immediately stood up beside Anthony, taking in his much taller form, ready to catch him if he needed to. It was the right call as Anthony quickly lost his balance, falling back into Alastor’s waiting arms, making them both fall back into the water.

“What the fuck happened to me!?” yelled Anthony.

“It would seem that Quetzalcoat’s magic might have worked a little too well,” said Alastor.

“Who the fuck is Quetzalcoat!? You’ve already mentioned them before!”

“I’ll tell you later,” Alastor chuckled, “But it would seem that you are no longer a mortal.”

“No shit,” Anthony grumbled, lifting his foot up into the air, noticing how ugly it looked.

Alastor hugged Anthony from behind, drawing him closer to his chest.

“I thought I lost you, though,” Alastor whispered in his ear, “I couldn’t bear the thought of not having you with me.”

“Al…”

“So please stay with me.”

Anthony’s eyes widened, “What?”

Alastor raised his head, turning Anthony’s head to be able to look into his eyes, “Stay with me, forever. We can finally have eternity together.”

Before Anthony could utter another word, Alastor raised his chin up as his lips met Anthony’s in a slow loving kiss.

It was the first kiss that they had ever shared during their whole affair, and honestly, Anthony wasn’t expecting one from the beginning. But now here they were, sharing their first kiss, filled with so much love and devotion that it made Anthony’s head spin and left him breathless.

Alastor was the one to pull away first, smirking in amusement at the dazed smile on his Anthony’s face.

“Anthony… Mi amor…,” Alastor whispered against his lips, “Be mine.”

Anthony’s eyes widened at Alastor, surprised at his proposal, before tearfully smiling at him.

“Si,” he answered softly as he moved back in for another sweet kiss.

* * *

“Tony?”

Angel Dust was so lost in thought that he almost didn’t hear his sister calling him.

“Tony,” Molly called again, “Are you in there?”

“Huh?” Angel looked up, finally noticing Molly in front of him, waving her hand in his face, “Sorry, Molls. I was lost somewhere else.”

Molly looked a little concerned, “You okay?”

“Sí, I’m fine,” he assured her with a smile, “Now what were you saying.”

Molly still gave him a look but seemed to drop it for now, “I was saying that I have a few ideas to help spruce up this place. Not make it seem as dark and dreary. Now I was thinking over here-“

Angel stopped listening to Molly again, lost somewhere else in his mind, but mostly in the past.

It was hard to believe that it had been so long since Alastor brought him to the sacred pools and turned him immortal, thus saving him from the cruel fate of being trapped in the Land of the Forgotten as a former shell of himself. In order to keep his status as an immortal, and not disappear forever, Alastor gave him the Land of The Remembered, or as Angel liked to joke sometimes, his wedding gift to Angel.

As happy as Angel had been, marrying Alastor, and starting his new life, a new name to go with it, Angel still missed his sister dearly, regretting that he never did see her again.

Alastor knew something was bothering him and asked Angel what it was one day. Angel told him it wasn’t anything important and not to worry, but in time Angel finally caved and told Alastor what was really bothering him. And like any newly married husband that wished to please their bride as much as they could, Alastor went to Niffty, and asked if he may search for Molly and try to make her an immortal, like Angel. Niffty gave him her blessing, informing Alastor that they did need someone to take Vox’s role in order to restore the natural balance. That is, if they could get back into the sacred pools, again. But that last part was of little concern to Alastor at the moment as his new bride and himself set off to look for Molly in the Land of The Forgotten. It took longer to find Molly since she was a skeleton, and not made of flesh like Angel had been, so she didn’t stand out as easily, but they eventually found her.

As for returning to the sacred pools they found that like before Niffty couldn’t enter, but this time, Alastor couldn’t either, only Angel and Molly were allowed in. Angel took Molly to the sacred pools and did what Alastor told him to do when he first brought Angel here. Watching his sister transform was weird but also an amazing experience and he was finally reunited with her after all these years.

After Molly was made immortal, none of them were allowed back into the sacred pools again.

Everything was in balance once more and Angel and Molly took their jobs very seriously, helping all the new arrivals reunite with their families.

But as perfect as everything was, and how happy Angel and Alastor are, Angel knew that Alastor still wanted the Land of The Remembered, and wouldn’t stop trying until he gained it for himself. Angel tried to ignore this fact but sometimes he couldn’t help but worry about Alastor’s desire for the Land of The Remembered. He would sometimes wonder if Alastor was having doubts about giving it to Angel.

“You’re making that face again, Tony,” said Molly as Angel snapped out of his thoughts of the past again.

Angel looked up to her, “What face?”

Molly rolled her eyes, “The face you wear when you have something heavy on your mind. Now tell me what’s wrong, and don’t tell me it’s nothing again.”

Of course Molly could see right through him, he could never hide anything from her.

“Do you think I made a mistake, Molls?” he asked.

“Sí,” she answered right away.

“That was fast,” he said.

“Only because you two are idiots,” she said, “Why do you guys always have to make bets between each other?”

“Because it’s fun?” he argued weakly.

She gave him a look.

“Don’t look at me like that!” he huffed, turning away from her, “I don’t need you judging me right now when I’m questioning my own marriage.”

Molly was taken back, not expecting that.

“What do you mean, Tony?” she asked gently.

Angel didn’t answer right away, not sure where he should start, or even what to tell Molly to make her understand.

“I-“

“Angel Dust!”

Angel heard someone yell his name. Confused as to where it came from until he turned around to see a small group running towards him and Molly.

Upon a closer look, Angel immediately recognized the new arrivals.

“Charlie?” he asked, surprised to see her here in the Land of The Forgotten, “How did you get here?”

At that moment Niffty appeared from behind Lilith’s skirt, smiling and waving at Angel, “Hola!”

Angel chuckled at the sight of Niffty, “Of course, Niffty brought you here…as well as your mamá and…,” Angel looked closer, “Is that you Huskie?”

“Of course it’s fucking me!” Husk’s head yelled from Lilith’s arms.

“Why are you a head?” Angel asked, amused.

“Why are you asking fucking dumb questions? Are you going to help me out, or not?” Husk continued to yell.

“Well with that attitude, I feel like I don’t wanna help ya,” Angel turned away, crossing his arms.

Molly jabbed him in the side, sending Angel a glare.

Angel rolled his eyes at her.

But with a snap of his fingers Husk’s body returned back to him.

“Oh thank god, that was horrible,” Husk sighed in relief.

“Angel,” Charlie took two steps up the small flight of stairs, looking to Angel, “I know about your wager with Alastor, he cheated!”

Angel froze for a moment, shocked by the news, before a burning anger started to boil within him.

“He did what?” he growled.

“Yeah,” Charlie nodded, “he tricked me into thinking Vaggie was dead by having a snake bite her, but it really put her into a deep sleep, and convinced me that I should follow her into death by killing me with a scorpion. Because he knew I couldn’t live without her!”

That would be something that the bastard would do, no doubt about it.

Rage completely took over Angel’s shaking form as his eyes started to glow a raging hot pink.

Molly quickly stepped away from her brother, stepping down beside Charlie.

“I suggest we all cover our ears,” she advised before doing so herself.

Everyone followed Molly, just as Angel started screaming.

“ALASTOR!!!”

The shadows in front Angel started shifting and gathering together, until Alastor was revealed, rising up from the shadows.

“You called, mi-“ Alastor stopped, noticing not only an angry Angel in front of him, but the group behind him, Charlie and her family, “Oh.”

“You son of a fucking bitch!” Angel cursed loudly, “You cheated! Again!”

Alastor put on his best smile, “Now Angel, you must be confused, I did no such thing. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding.”

“You’re lying!” Charlie yelled, coming up to stand beside Angel, who looked quite small now standing before him, “You know very well what you did. You even confessed right to my face.”

“What proof do you have?” Asked Alastor, “Surely you don’t believe her, Angel.”

Angel’s eyes shifted to Alastor’s quivering shadow, hiding behind him.

“And I suppose that it’s a HUGE coincidence that your damn shadow can turn into anything, even venomous animals, that just so happened to poison both Vaggie and Charlie around the same time.”

Alastor didn’t answer.

“I fucking knew it!” Angel yelled, pulling at his hair, “This is so like you to pull this shit! You couldn’t play fair and had to cheat in order to make sure you would win!”

Behind Angel, Charlie and the others watched him yell and curse at Alastor.

“Should we be here?” Lilith was the one to ask first, “I feel like we are intruding on something private.”

“Hell no,” Husk smirked, enjoying watching Alastor squirm under Angel’s wrath, “This is the best damn thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

“I don’t know why I expected anything else from you!” Angel yelled, looking even more upset than at the beginning, “I just thought…,” he paused, before he let out a heavy forlorn sigh, “Maybe, we shouldn’t be together anymore.”

Loud gasps came from behind Angel but he ignored them, his attention solely focused on Alastor, who looked taken aback at what Angel said.

“You want to separate?” Alastor asked, in disbelief, “But why?”

“Why?” Angel growled, feeling angry again, “WHY?? Because of this,” he gestured to Charlie behind him, “shit. You couldn’t handle the idea of losing. You were so desperate to have the Land of The Remembered that it didn’t matter that you shoved me in a shithole down here without a second thought, especially when I was close to being a permanent resident here! Do you not know how this makes me feel? Being reminded that no one fucking cared about me enough in life to remember me? Not even my own pops who never gave a damn about what happened to me? No! You never did! All you cared about was your own ambitions rather than your own husband!”

Silence fell over them.

Alastor stared at Angel in shock, “Angel, I do care about you, so very much. I went through so much to bring you back to me. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

But Angel didn’t look convinced.

“Please, think about what you are saying,” Alastor pleaded.

“I have, that’s all I have been doing since I’ve been down here, thinking about our relationship,” Angel said as he stared at Alastor in resigned misery.

Charlie looked between the two, not sure what to do in this awkward situation. But she didn’t have time to wait any longer; she came down here to get Angel to help her return to Vaggie.

“Angel Dust,” Charlie called him.

Angel looked away from Alastor and down to Charlie.

“Please, help me go back to Vaggie. You know that I was deeply wronged and that I don’t belong here. Please, You must help,” she pleaded.

Angel nodded, “You are right, kid. You don’t belong here,” Angel shifted his gaze to Alastor, glaring at him, “It’s only fair that she goes back, no arguments.”

But Alastor did not look convinced.

“Al,” Angel said in a warning voice that he better do this.

But Alastor did not seem fazed by Angel’s tone, merely looking at him with a cold look.

“And why should I?” he asked.

Angel’s glare hardened, “What the fuck do you mean ‘why should I?’ because this is your entire fault to begin with you asshole!”

“You wish to separate from me and now you are making demands of me?” his chuckle was hollow, “It doesn’t work like that, Angel Dust.”

Angel sneered at him, “Why are you such a bastard?”

Alastor smiled cruelly, “I don’t see what I get from this, so why should I do anything?”

“Then let’s make a wager,” said Charlie.

“A wager?” Alastor and Angel said together, looking at Charlie.

Charlie nodded, “I will do any challenge that you throw at me, no matter what it is. But if I win, you must send me back to the mortal realm, alive once more.”

Alastor scoffed at Charlie’s offer, “And what makes you think there is anything I want from a little mortal like you? I see no gain for me. You have nothing.”

“But I do,” said Angel, gaining Alastor’s attention, “If you win, Alastor, I will take you back.”

“Angel, are you sure?” Charlie asked, surprised at Angel’s offer.

“I am kid,” he smiled down at her, “I believe in ya.”

Charlie smiled up at him before looking at Alastor with new determination, “You name the task, anything you want, and I will beat you.”

Alastor scoffed in response.

“What,” began Charlie, “Are you afraid you might lose?”

Niffty quickly appeared beside Charlie, “Charlie, I wouldn’t push him too much,” she warned her.

“I can handle anything he throws at me,” said Charlie.

“So what do you say, Al?” Angel turned, and smirked at his now ex-husband, “Sound good enough for ya?”

Alastor stared at Angel before he smiled and turned to face Charlie, “Very well, I do believe we have a deal then.”

Charlie smiled while everyone behind her cheered.

“Now then,” Alastor stepped towards Charlie, his smile growing darker as his eyes stared right into hers, making her very nervous, “Tell me, my dear. What keeps you up at night? What eats at you inside? What, pray tell, is your worst fear?”

Charlie’s determination grew smaller as she faced Alastor, her confidence now gone, but she refused to show weakness.

But when she quickly glanced away from Alastor, it sealed her fate.

Alastor’s smile became sinister, “Got it.”

With a snap of Alastor’s fingers, everyone disappeared from the Land of The Forgotten.

Chapter Text

Today was the day of Vaggie’s wedding, as well as the first night of Día de Muertos. It wasn’t exactly purposely planned that way, since everything happened so quickly, but it was kind of nice for Vaggie to know that she would have her family with her tonight on her wedding day.

And maybe Charlie would be here with her, too.

The thought of Charlie still pained Vaggie greatly, and that pain she was sure she would carry with her until the end of her days, until she could finally reunite with Charlie in the afterlife.

Sadly, Charlie wasn’t the only loss that the Magne household was facing. Mimzy’s sudden passing the other day was still hard to bear but not completely surprising. She had been a frail old woman after all, who had heart problems for the last few years, and Vaggie would be the one to know as she was there to help Mimzy with those doctor appointments. Lucifer of course took the news very hard, and like her, wasn’t too surprised to learn the news that her heart just finally gave out. The small blessing they had was that she at least passed away peacefully in her sleep.

Speaking of Lucifer, Vaggie hadn’t seen him at all today, not even at breakfast.

One of the other servants told her that he was called outside of the city borders to help overlook the damage to the main road. Apparently with all the rain they had over the last few days it had created a large mudslide over the main road, blocking anyone from coming in or out by wagon, horse, or even by foot. Hopefully they would be able to clear the main road soon since it was their only way out of the city beside the train, and a lot of the traders used that road to get here.

The wedding ceremony was only a few hours away and Vaggie had finished putting her wedding dress on in her room. It was a simple white wedding dress, the same dress her mother wore when she married her father. That thought put a smile on her face as she looked at herself in the mirror on her dresser, next to the photograph of her parents. How she wished they were here with her, to hold her and kiss her and tell her how proud they were of her.

A knock at her bedroom came, bringing her back to the present.

“Sí?” she called.

The door opened to reveal one of the maids, smiling at her, “Your chariot is waiting out front to take you to the church.”

“Gracias, I will be down soon,” Vaggie told her, smiling.

The maid nodded and left Vaggie’s room, closing the door behind her.

Once the door was closed Vaggie let out a large sigh. Sending one last longing look at her parents, Vaggie grabbed her bag, which was filled with what she needed to finish getting ready at the church, and headed downstairs.

* * *

“What?” Lilith blinked in surprise, the light around her now gone.

Everything happened so fast that Lilith didn’t even know what was happening before it was over. The last thing she really recalled was being engulfed in a large flash of light back in the Land of The Forgotten, so blinding that it hurt her eyes. And then, the light was gone as fast it came, followed by the noise of a roaring crowd.

Blinking her eyes Lilith found that they weren’t in Alastor’s castle anymore but now in a massive coliseum with a large cheering crowd in the stands.

“What’s going on?” Lilith asked.

“The fuck?”

Lilith looked to see Husk beside her, looking just as lost and confused as she was.

“Papá? What is happening, where are we?” she asked.

“Lilith! Husk!” Lilith turned around to see the rest of their family here as well, “What is happening?” It was Rosie that asked.

“We were in the middle of dinner when a bright light engulfed us and brought us here,” said Sir Pentious.

“We’re not sure,” answered Lilith.

“Wait, Mimzy?” Husk asked, noticing the newest arrival, “What are you doing down here?”

Mimzy shrugged, “Eh, cholesterol.”

“Lilith, where is Charlie,” Rosie asked, noticing she was not with them.

“Charlie!” Lilith quickly looked around, remembering the deal she made with Alastor just a moment ago, but she was not with them.

“There she is!” Cherri Bomb exclaimed, pointing down below to the center of the arena.

Lilith and the rest of the family quickly rushed to the railing, looking down to see Charlie.

“Charlie!” Lilith called.

* * *

Charlie didn’t know what was happening. One minute she was in the Land of The Forgotten, making a wager with Alastor to gain her life back, and the next a flash of light blinded her and she found herself here. The colosseum was packed full of people, yelling and cheering all around her, making her even more confused.

Where was she?

“Charlie!”

She heard someone calling her name faintly behind her, turning around to catch sight of her whole family above in the stadium.

“Mamá!” she called back but didn’t know if she could hear Charlie.

The crowd suddenly grew louder as they cheered and whistled.

Confused, Charlie looked around until she caught sight of a large private box above her where four immortals stood. Alastor, Angel Dust, Niffty, and Molly.

“Charlotte Magne,” Alastor announced loudly for all to hear, “In order to win, and return back to the mortal realm, among the living, you must defeat every single bull that the Magne’s family has ever slain!”

The gates around Charlie began to open as skeleton bulls began to come out.

“And if you fail,” Alastor continued, catching Charlie’s attention, “You will be forgotten, forever!”

“No!” yelled Lilith, “That wasn’t part of the agreement!”

“Shit!” Husk cursed loudly, looking at the number of bulls increasing.

“Our family has slain hundreds of bulls over the years,” said Rosie.

“This will not be an easy feat,” said Pentious.

Charlie nervously looked around her, noting that several bulls had begun charging at her already. Not sure what else to do Charlie quickly untied her red cape wrapped around her waist and let her training take the lead.

“Vamos, toro!”

* * *

“You are a fucking asshole, you know that?” Angel told Alastor, arms crossed over his chest and not looking at him, “That last bit was not part of the deal.”

“If I didn’t add that part, then there would be no risk in this little game,” stated Alastor like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Angel scoffed.

Alastor sighed, “Come now, Angel. There is no need for this.” Alastor was frustrated at how difficult his husband was being about this.

Angel ignored him, giving Alastor the cold shoulder now, how mature.

“Mi amor, you have to understand I didn’t mean to upset you,” said Alastor placatingly.

But Angel didn’t answer, focused on the fight below him.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” Alastor looked at Molly, pleadingly.

“Don’t look at me, I’m staying out of this,” said Molly.

“Oh no!” Niffty yelled.

Down below they saw Charlie getting thrown into the air by a bull and landed on the back of another.

Angel gasped at the hit the poor girl took.

“You know, there is time to save the poor girl,” said Alastor, “You can call off this wager for her, and I will not allow her to be forgotten forever.”

“And what?” Angel finally looked at him with a glare, “And forgive you for all the crap you pulled during all of this? Yeah, no fucking way you’re getting off that easy. What makes you think I will come crawling back to you? You should be crawling back to me!”

“Haha! You are too funny,” Alastor laughed, “The idea of me, crawling and begging you? That’s quite amusing.”

Angel growled, incensed.

Niffty looked back and forth between them as they continued to argue above her, forgetting that Niffty was even there. This was really nothing new for Niffty, she’d witnessed them fighting plenty of times in the past that it wouldn’t faze her. But this was the first time she saw them this serious to the point of splitting up. She loved her friends very much, and wanted the best for them, so seeing them like this made her very sad. They loved each other very much; she knew that and anyone with eyes could see it too. But this was the first time that she’d seen Angel truly hurt because of Alastor, to the point that he couldn’t forgive his husband for doing him wrong.

She just hoped they could bounce back from this soon.

* * *

“-should be able to open the road again, señor Magne.”

Lucifer hummed in response, looking over the steady progress that the men had already made today on the road. The man in charge of the project finished giving Lucifer the updated report. It seemed like everything was moving smoothly and that they expected to finish this up sooner than planned.

“That’s excellent news to hear,” said Lucifer, “I was hoping to be able to make it in time for the wedding.”

“Ah, that’s right. Vagatha is getting married today to Helsa von Eldritch,” said the project manager.

“Sí, since Vaggie’s family is no longer with her, we're the closest family that she has. It’s important that I make it in time,” said Lucifer.

“Don’t worry amigo. I will be sure you get there in time,” said the project manager.

Lucifer chuckled lightly, looking around the work site only to notice that they were the only ones present.

“Where are the workers?” Lucifer asked.

The project manager looked around, noticing that they were gone as well, “Where did those lazy bums go?”

“Perhaps they took a quick break,” suggested Lucifer.

“They can’t do that without checking in with me first!” the project manager scowled before storming off to look for the workers.

Lucifer took this time to look at the work already done, before his eyes shifted up to where the mudslide had come from to the now slick slope that used to be a cliff. It was quite a mess with so much work to be done. They wouldn’t have everything completely finished today but as long as they opened the road enough for everyone to get through it was a start.

Footsteps came from behind Lucifer, catching his attention.

“Did you find them, amigo?” Lucifer turned around to see the project manager had returned or at least his body did, before he fell to his knees and landed face first on the ground.

“That depends on who he was looking for,” Velvet smiled with a giggle.

Lucifer immediately went for the sword at his side; he carried it everywhere with him, an old habit of being a bullfighter for so long, drawing it out as Velvet’s men appeared around her. He eyed each one, all heavily armed, as he was horribly outnumbered. But Velvet was the one that made him the most nervous. He didn’t know why she made him so nervous, but the strange spear in her hand really set him on edge.

The spear was as long as her, a simple wooden spear that was sharpened at the end. But the sharp end of the spear wasn’t a standard point. Instead the pointed end looked to be the quill of a large, long blue feather that was tied to the spear.

That feather was dangerous, he could feel it.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Señor Magne,” Velvet said happily, “I’ve heard so much about you! All good things of course.”

“I wish I could say the same about you,” said Lucifer, noticing a large red and white moth flying over to Velvet and landing on her shoulder.

He could swear that the moth was staring right at him.

Velvet pouted, “That’s too bad,” before a crazy smile appeared on her face, “Maybe I can help change that.”

Lucifer got into a fighting stance, facing Velvet.

Velvet giggled, “I can’t play with you right now. For you see,” she held the spear in both her hands, “this isn’t for you, and Val and Vox told me not to let this out of my hands under any circumstance. So you will have to play with one of my men instead.”

With a snap of her fingers, a large brute came out from behind her group, face horribly scarred, and possibly the most heavily armed of them all.

Lucifer scoffed, “Bring it on.”

* * *

Lilith gasped loudly as she watched Charlie almost get trampled only to be jabbed in the back by another bull that came up behind her. If she was alive Charlie would have been dead already from the sheer amount of bulls running around her, charging at her with their horns, all going for the kill. It was awful to watch but she couldn’t look away, not when her daughter was fighting down there for her very existence.

“This whole thing is completely bullshit!” Cherri Bomb cursed, “This is totally rigged!”

“Is there anything we can do for her?” Mimzy watched in utter distress as Rosie tried to soothe her but struggled herself.

“Alastor set it up to make sure he would win,” Husk growled, “There’s nothing we can do to help her. This is something that Charlie has to do herself if she wants Alastor to honor his deal.”

As much as Lilith hated to admit it Husk spoke the truth. There was nothing they could do to help Charlie, facing this unfair match that Alastor crafted cleverly for Charlie to lose.

Another bull charged at Charlie, catching her in its horns and throwing her into the air, landing hard in the sands of the arena.

It was too much for Lilith to bear.

A bright light flashed behind Lilith, confusing her for a moment, until she heard a very familiar voice.

“What is happening? Where am I?”

Her eyes widened as she recognized that voice. She would know that voice anywhere.

Lilith whipped around, and sure enough, stood Lucifer, freshly dead, looking lost.

“Lucifer!” Lilith exclaimed, rushing to her husband.

Lucifer looked towards Lilith's direction when she called his name, confusion melting into happiness, smiling at the sight of his wife.

“Lilith!” he rushed to her.

Lilith met him halfway, hugging him.

The audience let out a loud gasp.

“Shit!” yelled Husk.

“What’s happening?” Lilith asked, pulling away from Lucifer.

“She’s not doing too well,” answered Pentious.

“Who?” Lucifer asked, looking at Lilith.

“Charlie. She’s fighting every bull that the Magne family has ever slain in order to return to the mortal realm, and be among the living,” Lilith explained, bring Lucifer to the railing with her, “But Alastor, the one she made the deal with, has set the odds against her.”

“Charlie! Your old man is here!” Cherri Bomb yelled down to her.

Down below Charlie was knocked to the ground, struggling to get up until she heard Cherri yelling to her.

“Papá?” she said to herself, looking up to see that her father was there, standing with her mother.

“Charlie!” Lucifer yelled down to her, “You have to win! Velvet is heading to Pentagrama City with her men, ready for an invasion. I do not know what she is planning but you must win in order to warn everyone!”

“Everyone?” Charlie said out loud.

Then that meant that Vaggie was in danger too!

With new found strength Charlie quickly got up to her feet, ready to continue fighting the bulls. However, she watched as they all ran past her, gathering together in one spot behind her. A hurricane of smoke, sand, and bones appeared in the center of the arena sucking all the bulls in as they all charged in. Charlie couldn’t see anything until the smoke disappeared and the sand settled. Only then was she able to see the gigantic bull that had formed together from the congregation, roaring right into her face.

“Now that’s a whole lot of bull,” Molly said, in shock.

Angel glared furiously at Alastor, who just innocently shrugged at him.

“Oh boy,” said Niffty, seeing the bull charging right for Charlie.

* * *

Vaggie heard the music beginning to play, signaling to her it was time to walk down the aisle to meet her future wife. She looked around, hoping to see Lucifer somewhere since he was supposed to walk her down in her father’s place, but there was no sign of him anywhere. It was a little strange that he wasn’t here yet. She knew he was busy getting the main road opened but she at least figured he would be here in time to walk her down the aisle.

“You must go,” one of the nuns whispered to her.

She nodded, knowing she needed to go but couldn’t help but hesitate for another moment to wait for Lucifer until the nuns pushed her forward. She glared at them but moved forward and began to walk down the aisle.

The church was beautiful, courtesy of the von Eldritch family who made sure the girls had their dream wedding. It was nice and all but it wasn’t Vaggie’s style. She preferred to have a lower key wedding, simple and nothing flashy. But honestly, during all the planning, Vaggie found that she just didn’t really care for the wedding planning, still lost in grief.

She finally met with Helsa and the priest at the end of the aisle. She was dressed beautifully, in her own wedding dress that belonged to her mother, if she remembered right. She offered a small smile to Helsa before she turned to face the priest that started to speak.

Vaggie only half listened to the priest, while her mind wandered off somewhere else. Helsa, meanwhile, just looked impatient, like she wanted this whole thing to be over with already. Helsa glanced behind, over her shoulder, to see her family sitting right behind her. Her mother was giving her a look that clearly told her to knock it off and stand up straight. Helsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes before facing the priest again.

“Vagatha,” the priest began, “Do you take Helsa von Eldritch to be your beloved wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Vaggie nodded solemnly, “I do,” she answered in a quiet voice.

“And do you, Helsa von Eldritch,” the priest turned to Helsa next, “take Vagatha be your beloved wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Helsa opened her mouth to respond until the church doors slammed open.

“Pentagrama City is under attack by The Mad Bruja!”

Everyone in the church quickly began to panic as Seviathan immediately sprang into action, “Men! Take up arms! Everyone stay inside the church while we force them out before they enter the city!”

“Captain, we can’t do that,” one of his soldiers told him.

“And why not?” Seviathan demanded.

“Because she’s outside the church.”

Cold dread washed over Seviathan as he quickly rushed to the doors.

“Seviathan!” Fredrick called after him, quickly following his son with his wife at his heel.

Seviathan reached the doors and flung them wide open to see Velvet grinning madly at him with her men behind her, all heavily armed.

“Hola!” Velvet said cheerfully with a wave.

* * *

Charlie jumped out of the way as the giant bull came charging at her, the ground shaking under its giant footsteps.

This was going to be her greatest challenge yet, this is where her training would make the difference between life and death.

Pulling her red cape out Charlie tried to treat this as another bull, one that was normal and not a gigantic skeleton bull that was made from the bones of bulls that her family had slain.

Yeah that sounded weird, either way.

It seemed it was working well for Charlie. Once she stopped looking at it as a monster but another bull she soon realized that it actually behaved like a normal bull.

Until a giant ring of fire surrounded them, limiting their movements.

Wonderful.

There were a few close calls with the bull. Charlie almost got trampled by it several times due to its size and her diminutive stature compared to it. This particular charge was a little too close for comfort as Charlie literally had to throw herself out of the bull’s way while it hit the wall behind her hard. The force of the impact of the bull hitting the wall was so strong that it sent out a shockwave, sending Charlie flying into the air, hitting the ground as her guitar skidded a few feet away from her.

“The beast is knocked out, kid!” yelled Husk, “This is your chance!”

“It’s time to finish this!” yelled Rosie.

Up above Alastor snapped his fingers, materializing a sword in front of Charlie, by her guitar, and watched her curiously as she moved towards it with a limp.

Charlie stood in front of the sword, ready to reach for it but stopped herself when she looked at her reflection in the blade. She heard her family from above, she looked up to see them cheering her on and telling her to finish the job and slay the bull.

Slaying the bull, while it’s down, would guarantee her victory. She would be alive again, reunited with the love of her life, and be able to save her home.

She just had to slay it.

… But could she?

Taking a deep breath Charlie reached out, passing the sword and picked up her guitar instead.

“What is she doing!?” yelled Husk.

Lilith watched Charlie picking her guitar up with a little smile until she looked to Lucifer to see him shaking his head in disappointment. That action alone made her heart drop.

The bull got back up, backing away from the wall and into the ring of fire, facing Charlie with a roar as its whole body was set ablaze.

Charlie ignored the bull for a moment, playing a few chords to get the right tune she wanted.

The bull came charging at her, horns hitting her as it tossed her into the air.

Charlie hit the ground, grunting a little at the impact but forced herself to get up and pick up guitar again.

Standing up, Charlie faced the bull with determination as she began to play from her heart.

Charlie started with a soft melody, finding the right tune, as the words came to her, “~Toro I am humble, for tonight I understand, Your royal blood was never meant to decorate this sand!~

The bull stood in front of Charlie, watching her, as she began to sing.

“~You've suffered great injustice. So have thousands before you,” Charlie sang.

The bull then started to charge for Charlie but she refused to move.

“~I offer an apology,~” the bull then skidded to a stop, it’s foot only an inch away from Charlie, “~And one long overdue….~”

The Bull glared down at Charlie, not moving for a moment, fire still covering its body.

“~I am sorry, toro, I am sorry,~”

Charlie’s family watched with bated breath as Charlie faced the bull down. They gasped when the bull started to lift its foot into the air, hovering its foot over Charlie.

But Charlie continued to sing, “~Hear my song, I know I sing the truth. Although we were bred to fight,~” she smiled up to the bull as it looked ready to stomp her.

Alastor watched with glee while Angel and Charlie’s family could only watch in horror at Charlie's imminent demise.

“~I reach for kindness in your heart tonight,~” the bull dropped its foot next to Charlie, purposely missing her, making her smile even more as she kneeled down on the ground, “~ and if you can forgive. And if you can forgive, love can truly live.~”

Soon, the ring of fire around them slowly disappeared as did the fire covering the bull’s body.

The smile on Charlie’s face never left as she stared up at the calm bull now, “~And if you can forgive, and if you can forgive, love can truly live,”

The bull took a few steps back from Charlie before slowly dropping to the ground with a loud grunt, shaking the ground.

Charlie stood up from her kneeling position, moving to the bull and placed a gentle hand on its muzzle. As soon as she touched the bull, its body started to become marigold petals.

“~And if you can forgive, and if you can forgive. Love, ~”Charlie stepped back, playing her guitar again, as the petals reached for the stars, “~love will truly live…~”

A single petal began to fall towards her from the group as Charlie reached up to let it gently land in the palm of her hand.

The crowd cheered loudly.

“She did it!” yelled Niffty.

“That was amazing!” Molly squealed.

“Looks like the kid won,” Angel smirked, looking at Alastor.

Alastor stared in shock, unable to believe that Charlie beat him.

He lost. He had lost the wager against a lowly little mortal. But most importantly, he had lost his husband for good. His beautiful, kind, loving husband.

“It would seem so…” Alastor whispered to himself, a painful twist in his gut.

Down below, Charlie smiled as she lifted the petal up into the air, watching it fly away as it joined the rest to the darkened sky above, happy to know that all the bulls her family had slain could now rest in peace.

“Charlie!”

Charlie turned around to see her mother rushing towards her, her family following behind, engulfing Charlie in a tight hug.

“I am so proud of you, hija,” whispered Lilith.

“Gracias, mamá,” Charlie returned the hug.

“Hija,” Lucifer came up to them, looking stern, “A Magne never apologizes.”

Charlie pulled away from Lilith, “Papá, I-“

“But you just proved us all wrong,” Lucifer finished, smiling at Charlie, “I am sorry, hija. I should have been a better father to you.”

“Oh papá, there is nothing to apologize for. I love you, and I just wanted to make you proud, that’s all,” said Charlie, a tear falling from her eye.

“I am,” Lucifer smiled.

Charlie rushed to Lucifer, hugging him tightly, as Lilith joined in the hug.

The rest of Magne family finally reached them, cheering and congratulating Charlie for her win, while the crowd cheered with them.

“Charlotte Magne!”

Charlie pulled away from her family and looked up to where the immortals stood.

“According to the ancient laws,” Niffty began, taking Alastor’s hand in her left, while taking Angel’s hand in her right, who also grabbed Molly’s hand.

Together, they all stepped forward, and announced as one, “We give you life!”

Suddenly Charlie was slowly lifted up into the air as a beam of light engulfed her. The onlookers could see her bones disappearing as she started to become flesh and blood again.

“Good luck, hija!” said Lilith.

“Don’t die too quickly, kid,” said Husk.

And in a bright flash, Charlie was gone.

* * *

Seviathan didn’t know what to do, he didn’t expect for Velvet to move so fast into the city, let alone come here. But why did she come here? What would she gain from disturbing her sister’s wedding, while ignoring the rest of the city? It didn’t add up.

His men were horribly outnumbered, and there was no way of informing the other troops in the city of Velvet’s arrival.

Seviathan stood in front of his family, protecting them as best he could from Velvet if she were to decide to attack. The only one that seemed to refuse Seviathan’s protection was Vaggie, who stood her own ground with a sword in hand. He had to admit, in her wedding dress, Vaggie looked like some sort of white warrior goddess right now.

“Velvet,” said Seviathan, staring her down, “Surrender peacefully now, or else we will take you in by force under the orders of the Mexican government.”

Velvet thought for a moment, “Hmm, nah that sounds boring. Besides, this seems like it would be so much more fun to get into a bloodbath,” she giggled.

Damn, this wasn’t looking good.

“We are not going to go down without a fight,” Vaggie suddenly declared.

Seviathan looked at Vaggie like she was crazy, “What are you doing!?”

But Vaggie ignored him, “We are not afraid of you. The people of this city are a lot stronger than you think we are, as well as proud. We love our city and we will defend it from psycho lunatics like you! So leave us in peace or else!”

The people in the church that came out cheered with Vaggie, showing that they too weren’t afraid of Velvet either, and that they would fight to protect their home.

Velvet didn’t look impressed as she stared at all of them with a bored look on her face.

“This is your last warning, leave!” warned Vaggie.

Velvet giggled, “My, aren’t you the bossy one. I admire your determination though, very brave of you. But you see my dads have been planning this day for a very long time, so I’m afraid I can’t do as you ask. Therefore, men, let’s have some fun!” she snapped her fingers.

Velvet’s men roared, drawing their swords out, charging toward the church when suddenly the ground started to shake, making them pause their assault. Everyone stumbled around as the shaking grew, fearing that it was an earthquake, when a beam of light shot out of the ground, blinding everyone. Once the ground stopped shaking, and the light vanished, a new arrival stood in front of Velvet’s men, the last person that anyone had ever expected to see again.

“Charlie?” Vaggie asked in shock. Her voice wavering as she prayed she wasn’t imagining things.

It was Charlie, standing before them, alive and well.

Vaggie rushed over to Charlie, who turned to Vaggie in time to catch her in her arms.

“Charlie, how are-“ Vaggie tried to ask but was interrupted when Charlie suddenly brought her closer and kissed her in front of everyone.

The kiss didn’t last too long, perhaps only thirty seconds, before Charlie pulled away, facing Velvet with a glare, while Vaggie stood there in a slight daze.

“You,” Charlie said, stepping forward, facing Velvet, “I will make sure to avenge my papá’s death,” Charlie drew her sword out, the same one she received from Alastor in the fight.

Vaggie came out of her daze when she heard Charlie say that her father was dead, shocked at the news. A hushed silence fell over the crowd as everyone also realized what she said.

“Oh?” Velvet continued to smile maniacally, tilting her head to the side, “And you are going to stop me, all alone?”

Charlie wanted to say yes but that would be an empty threat, and Velvet knew it. Even with Seviathan and his men with him, they were still greatly outnumbered by Velvet’s men.

Suddenly the ground started shaking again and bright blinding lights appeared behind Charlie before disappearing and revealing a large group of skeletons.

“Mamá? Papá?” Charlie stared at her family in shock, “What are you all doing here?”

“You didn’t think we would let you fight alone now, did you hija?” asked Lilith.

“But how did you get here?” she asked.

“It’s Dia de Muertos, Charlie!”

Charlie looked up to the roof of the church to see Alastor, Angel, Niffty, and Molly.

“And on our day,” said Alastor, “we have a bit of…”

“Leeway,” finished Angel and Molly, together.

“Good luck!” cheered Niffty.

“Gracias!” Charlie shouted with a wave.

“Uhh, Charlie?” Vaggie reached for her, staring at all the skeletons with uncertainty.

Charlie turned to Vaggie, remembering she was standing with her, “Oh! I almost forgot. Everyone, this is Vaggie!” She said as she introduced her amor to her family.

“Hola Vaggie,” everyone said together.

Vaggie continued to stare at them, slowly lifting her hand to wave at them.

“Vaggie, this is the whole Magne family,” Charlie introduced.

“This is your family?” Vaggie asked in shock.

“Hola, Vaggie,” Lucifer greeted, “Sorry I couldn’t make it to walk you down the aisle.”

“Señor Magne?” Vaggie asked in surprise to seeing him really dead.

Lucifer grinned before looking behind him, at the church to see everyone staring at them in shock, along with the von Eldritch family.

“Hola Fredrick!” he greeted them happily, “You remember Lilith?”

Fredrick didn’t answer, still shell shocked.

Lilith smiled and waved, “Bethesda, good to see you. You are looking well.”

“I-I,” Bethesda stuttered for a bit, “You look well too,” not sure what else to say to a skeleton.

Charlie turned to face Velvet with new confidence, her family behind her now.

“Last chance to leave, Velvet,” warned Charlie, “You can’t beat all of us.”

But Velvet’s attention wasn’t focused on Charlie but on the immortals on the roof of the church, smiling at the sight of them.

Charlie got a nasty feeling in her gut at the way Velvet was looking at them.

“Hey!” Charlie yelled loud enough to gain Velvet’s attention back to her, “Did you hear us?”

“Relax, I heard you. You told me to leave while I can, or we will get into a showdown, yada, yada, yada,” Velvet said, waving her large knife around.

Seeing the knife flash in Velvet’s hand, immediately caught Lucifer’s attention.

That was not the weapon she was holding when he was killed. He remembered she mentioned something about not letting it out of her hands no matter what, so where was it now?

“Hija,” Lucifer rushed to Charlie’s side, “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, papá?” Charlie asked.

Velvet burst out laughing, “You stupid girl,” she looked to Charlie with a sinister smile, “Have you really not figured it out yet?”

Charlie looked at her, lost.

Up above, the four immortals watched the affairs of the mortals down below.

“What’s happening down there?” Molly asked, noticing that something was off.

“That girl…” Niffty trailed off, trying to remember where she’d seen Velvet before.

Alastor watched with curiosity before speaking, “It would seem that there is some form of history with th-GAH!”

Hearing Alastor’s cry, Angel turned to face him. A sharp intake of breath was heard from all nearby as Angel beheld the horrific sight in front of him.

Pierced right through Alastor’s chest was a large wooden spear with a large long blue feather attached, the tip of the quill acting as the spear, blood pouring from the wound.

“ALASTOR!!!!” Angel cried out.

Chapter Text

“ALASTOR!!!”

Charlie looked up when she heard Angel scream. She watched in horror as Alastor fell to his knees, a spear struck through his chest, blood falling everywhere.

“Shit!” she heard Husk swear beside her.

“What’s happening?” ask Lilith, “I thought immortals couldn’t bleed?”

“They don’t,” answered Husk.

Laughter could be heard, coming from one of the large mausoleums, a strange and ill looking being climbed up and stood on top.

“Take that you son of a bitch! I’ve been waiting for centuries to do that to you! Hahaha!”

“Is that… who I think it is?” Molly asked.

“It’s Vox!” said Niffty.

Angel growled in pained fury, cradling Alastor to him gently, “That bastard, I’ll kill him! I thought he kicked the bucket a long time ago!”

“Even if Vox lost his powers, he’s still immortal,” Niffty explained.

Alastor coughed up blood, “Need,” he grunted, “To hold on.”

“Al, stay with me!” Angel urged frantically, “Please don’t leave.”

But Alastor weakly shook his head, “That’s not what I mean.”

Angel looked at him, confused, watching Alastor struggle with something.

Vox jumped down from the mausoleum, landing not so gracefully, as a large moth flew away from him and towards Velvet.

“What’s happening?” Charlie asked, looking more confused than ever.

“Don’t worry,” said Velvet, “Just wait and watch, he can't hold on to it much longer.

“Charlie?” Vaggie moved closer to her, looking frightened now.

Above, Alastor let out a loud grunt of pain before he cursed loudly as two strange orbs of light rose from his chest, one of neon blue and the other a lavender color. As soon as the lights were freed they darted down below, the neon blue heading for Vox and the lavender heading to the moth by Velvet’s group. The two orbs of light hit them and they began to glow.

The moth started to glow as it sank behind Velvet’s group, a large explosion of smoke coming up, along with dark laughter.

A tall being rose from the smoke, a humanoid moth being with lavender skin, glowing red eyes, four arms, and a white fluffy fur collar around his neck, stood tall before all of them. He was dressed in fancy flashy clothes, something that you would only see the rich wear, showing off their vast wealth.

Charlie and Vaggie huddled together as the monster stood tall before them, smiling down at them with a wicked look.

“Alastor took their powers when he banished Valentino and Vox long ago, but he could never use them, only keep them. Now it seems that their powers have returned to them,” Niffty said with dread, watching Valentino return to his true form.

Angel could only watch in horror at the sight of his former master, his power returned to him, as he held on to Alastor.

“Ah, that’s much better!” Valentino said with a happy sigh, his large wings extending out in a large stretch.

“You look good, Val,” said Velvet, smiling.

Valentino smiled down at Velvet, “I’m feeling good and It’s all thanks to you, Velvet,” he patted her head.

“What’s going on, w-who are you?” Charlie demanded.

Valentino finally looked down at Charlie, grinning at her.

“Ah! And there she is,” he said, “The star of our show that made all of this possible!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Charlie.

Valentino chuckled, “I suppose I should introduce myself to you lowly mortals,” he cleared his throat, “I am Valentino, the true ruler of the Land of The Remembered, born from the fang of Quetzalcoatl himself.”

Charlie immediately recognized the name, remembering the story Niffty told her of how cruel Valentino and Vox were to the people of the Land of The Remembered. They neglected their duties to the point that Niffty allowed Alastor to overthrow them.

This was not good.

“And thanks to you, little princess,” Valentino pointed to Charlie, “I have regained my powers back, and soon Alastor will be gone forever.”

“Me?” Charlie pointed to herself, “How did-“

“The only thing that can kill us is Quetzalcoatl himself. And since he is no longer here with us, a feather of his could do, which you delivered right to us,” said Valentino, smiling cruelly.

Feather? The only feather that she could recall was…

“I was tricked,” Charlie whispered, remembering that Blitzo told her to get a feather for them.

That feather wasn’t to help heal their friend; it was a weapon to kill Alastor.

What had she done?

“It’s my fault, this is all my fault,” whispered Charlie, tears streaming down her face.

“No hija,” said Lilith, before glaring at Valentino and Velvet, “You did nothing wrong, you’re a victim to their schemes.”

“You bastards are not going to get away with this,” said Husk.

“Oh, I think we already have,” said Valentino, shifting his gaze up top to see Angel holding onto a dying Alastor, “Now to finish some business.”

“No!” Charlie stepped forward, sword raised to Valentino, “We are not going to let you win!”

“Charlie is right,” Lucifer stepped up beside her, sword drawn, “You will have to deal with the Magne family now.”

Everyone cheered.

Velvet’s grin grew wild, her men pulling their swords out.

Charlie looked to Seviathan and his men, “Will you fight with us, Seviathan? For our city, our families?”

Seviathan looked at Charlie, still shocked by the events that just happened, realizing that she was speaking to him now. He looked back and forth between Charlie and Valentino before he drew his sword with determination, nodding to her. Charlie smiled, looking back to Valentino.

Valentino glared at her before smiling, “You really think you can win against us?”

“We won’t know unless we try,” declared Charlie.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

A black whip-like tentacle suddenly wrapped around Vaggie, lifting her up in the air, and away from Charlie.

“Vaggie!” Charlie yelled.

The black tentacle came from a now healthy looking Vox, his clothes no longer in a ragged state. The thing that really changed about Vox was that his human face, or head, was replaced by a strange heavy dark fog that had bright large red eyes and a large fanged smile.

“Haha! It feels so good to be me!” Vox laughed.

“You let her go!” Charlie charged at him only to be knocked back by another tentacle from Vox.

“Ha! Don’t get cocky, stupid mortal!” Vox grinned, raising another tentacle right at Charlie to stab her, “Say bye-bye!”

“Charlie!” Lilith and Lucifer yelled, rushing toward her.

A giant ball of webbing shot at Vox, catching him off guard as it wrapped around him.

“The hell!?” He yelled, falling backwards while the tentacle around Vaggie slackened, giving her a chance to get away.

Once freed Vaggie quickly rushed to Charlie’s side, helping her up, as a giant form from above jumped down, and stood in front of Charlie and Vaggie.

“Molly?” Charlie looked up to Molly, her back to Charlie.

“Are you okay, Charlie,” Niffty suddenly appeared at Charlie’s other side, startling Vaggie.

“Sí, I’m fine,” Charlie said, standing up, “I thought you guys couldn’t get involved in this kind of thing.”

“Normally no. But now that we know that Valentino and Vox are heavily involved, and threatening the balance, we must stop them,” explained Niffty.

“Besides,” Molly started, her glare remaining on Vox, “There’s some unfinished business that’s been long overdue.”

“Vox!” Valentino yelled, “Stop screwing around and take care of that pipsqueak and imposter!”

Vox growled, pulling the webs off his body, and standing up to face Molly and Niffty.

“You two are dead!” he yelled, shooting tentacles at them.

“Velvet! Don’t just stand there, get them!” Valentino ordered.

“You heard the man,” yelled Velvet, grinning madly, “Get them!”

Velvet’s men let out a war cry and charged forward.

“Bring it!” Cherri Bomb was the first to react as she rushed forward with the rest of the family, and Seviathan’s men, clashing with Velvet’s men.

Vox rolled his eyes at the battle going on before he set his sights on Charlie and Vaggie, grinning, as he made a move towards them, only to be blocked by Molly.

He scolded her, “Out of the way, fake!”

“No. I’m your opponent,” Molly said firmly, “I will not let you destroy any more families.”

“Destroy?” he laughed, “I was just doing my job of reuniting them.”

“Only when it benefited you and Valentino,” Molly spat, “You made me jump through hoops to be able to see Anthony, promises you never intended to keep, while Valentino locked him up and abused him for years! I will not let you hurt anyone else!”

Molly’s eyes began to glow bright neon pink as her fangs and claws grew, crouching down to the ground on all eight limbs. She truly looked like a spider demon.

Before Vox could react Molly lunged at him, sinking her fangs into his arm.

“Gah!” Vox cried out.

“Molly and I can handle Vox,” Niffty told Charlie and Vaggie, “Go help and protect your people.”

“Gracias, Niffty,” said Charlie.

Niffty smiled at Charlie before zipping off to help Molly.

“You ready to fight?” Charlie looked to Vaggie, sword in hand.

Vaggie smirked at her, her sword once more with her, “I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.”

Hand and hand, Charlie and Vaggie charged into the fray, together.

Velvet’s men were fierce fighters, with a hunger for blood and death. Against the living they were greatly feared but against the dead it was a different story.

Rosie laughed as she dodged each attack, dancing between each swing of the blade that was aimed at her; she was like a ballerina flirting with death. That was what Rosie, The Daring was known for.

“Oh come on,” Rosie taunted, kicking a man in the face; “Surely you can do better than that!” she laughed.

“You were always a bit of a flirt,” Mimzy commented, dancing beside her.

“Ah darling, that’s what makes it exciting,” Rosie continued to laugh.

Mimzy shook her head, smiling, as she tripped a man.

A large explosion came from behind them, making them lose their balance for a moment.

Cherri Bomb laughed, holding two bombs in her hands, throwing them at any unfortunate soul that caught it, unaware it was lit until it was too late.

“Now that’s how you go out, with a big bang!” declared Cherri with a laugh.

Pentious scoffed beside her, “Really? Bombs are how you fight? It’s so barbaric.”

“Hey, it’s how I helped win the revolution, old man,” Cherri said.

“There’s no style in it. Not like with a sword, where there is perfect form with it,” said Pentious.

Cherri rolled her eye, catching sight of someone trying to run away from her.

“Hey wait up lover boy! Who said you could leave!” She yelled as she gave chase.

Pentious rolled his eyes at her, before turning his attention to some fool that dared to challenge him.

“You utter fool! You think you can take on the great Sir Pentious?” said Pentious as he waved his sword around intricately in his hand, “You will regret ever facing me in the art of fencing!”

“It’s not fencing if they are trying to kill you,” Husk told him, not far from where he fought a twig of a man that thought it would be a good idea to fist fight with Husk.

That was a bad idea.

Husk smirked at the idiot who swung at him heavily, Husk easily dodging it before delivering his own hit, landing his fist right in the middle of the guy’s face. After that, the guy was out like a light before he even hit the ground and Husk moved on to the next chump.

“Lilith, do you remember the night I proposed to you?” Lucifer asked, kicking a man in the stomach.

Lilith hummed, punching another in the face, just like Husk, “How could I forget? You made yourself a complete fool that day, in front of everyone.”

Lucifer gasped, looking hurt even though Lilith knew he was far from that, “How could you say that! I worked very hard on that day to impress you! It wasn’t my fault that everything didn’t go according to plan.”

Lilith laughed, dodging a hit.

“It’s no laughing matter, Lilith,” Lucifer pouted.

“You looked so upset that day, I couldn’t help but say yes,” giggled Lilith.

“So you accepted my proposal out of pity then?”

“Naturally.”

“Oh Lilith, how you wound me!”

Lilith laughed, striking another man.

“This brings back memories of that day,” said Lucifer.

“Sí,” Lilith looked not too far from where they fought to see Charlie and Vaggie fighting together, “And it would seem the tradition may continue.”

Charlie and Vaggie worked together as they took down their opponents, forming an unstoppable duo. Anyone that dared face them didn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately, they found that Velvet wouldn’t go down as easy as the others.

So far Velvet, other than Valentino who just watched the chaos unfold, seemed to be the biggest challenge.

As much as Charlie and Vaggie worked well together in a fight, Velvet proved to be a real challenge for them as she seemed to predict their moves and dodge half of their attacks with ease.

Velvet struck Charlie down, attacking her blind spot, when Vaggie was ambushed by one of Velvet’s thugs.

“Charlie!” Vaggie yelled, seeing Charlie fall to the ground, her sword three feet away from her.

She tried to rush to Charlie but was blocked by another stupid thug.

Velvet giggled as she stepped towards Charlie, “It’s too bad this has to end for you like this. Knowing that you were just a tool for Val and Voxy to use, I would hate myself for that.”

Charlie glared at her but quickly scrambled back from Velvet’s approaching form.

“Luckily for you, you’ve already died so you know how it goes,” Velvet said, raising her sword to deliver the final blow.

“Charlie! No!” yelled Vaggie.

Velvet continued to grin madly at Charlie until she stumbled forward, crying in pain, as something hard smacked into the back of her head.

“I wasn’t too thrilled about getting married today, but bitch! How dare you ruin my wedding day!” cursed Helsa, holding a large broken piece of wood that looked to be a large club.

Charlie blinked in surprise, watching Velvet fall to her knees for a moment, holding her head in pain, before looking back at Helsa, who was offering her hand to Charlie.

“Don’t stare at my offering all day, loser. The bitch is going to get back up soon,” said Helsa.

Charlie took her offered hand, standing back up.

“Helsa,” Charlie stared at Helsa, “Why did you help me? I thought you hated me?”

“Don’t get me wrong princess, I do. But I don’t hate you so much that I’m going to stand on the sidelines and watch you die. Not to mention this is as much my city as it is yours. I’m not letting these bastards destroy it,” said Helsa.

Seviathan quickly appeared at Vaggie’s side and helped her defeat the thug, allowing her to rush towards Charlie.

Valentino rolled his eyes at Velvet’s failure, before looking over to see Vox struggling against Molly and Niffty.

“I’m surrounded by idiots,” he muttered, pinching the bridge between his eyes in frustration, before his eyes shifted to the roof of the church.

Above, he could still see Angel hovering over a dying Alastor.

Valentino grinned, “Time to take care of some unfinished business.”

Valentino spread his wings, flapping them for the first time in centuries, a large gust of wind blew around him as he flew up to the roof.

Charlie stumbled a little bit at the sudden gust of wind, almost losing her footing before noticing a large shadow flying over her. Looking up, Charlie saw Valentino heading right for Angel and Alastor.

“We need to help them,” Charlie said, looking at Vaggie.

“Why?” Helsa asked.

“Because it’s my fault that they are in this mess, we can’t let Valentino win, not after what he and Vox have done to us,” Charlie said with determination.

“Then let’s go,” Vaggie took Charlie’s hand in hers, “We’ll stop him together.”

Charlie smiled at her.

“Yeah right,” Velvet stood back up, facing them with a giggle, “Like I’m going to let you go and bother Val.”

Charlie glared at Velvet, getting ready to fight her again when Seviathan and Helsa stood in front of Charlie.

“You’ll be fighting us, now,” stated Seviathan.

“You are going to pay big time,” said Helsa.

“Seviathan? Helsa?” Charlie looked between the two of them, “What are you-“

“We can handle her, Charlie,” Seviathan looked over his shoulder, smiling at her, “It’s my duty to bring her in and make her pay for her crimes.”

“So we can handle her just fine,” added Helsa, “We don’t need help from you. You’ll just get in the way.”

Charlie smiled at them, not sure if she should tell them thank you without getting Helsa all huffy at her. But she had a feeling that they knew what she wanted to say anyways.

“Come on,” Charlie looked at Vaggie, “we need to hurry,” she rushed back into the church with Vaggie in tow.

* * *

Angel instantly regretted telling Molly and Niffty to go and help Charlie, as they jumped down from the roof, leaving him alone, desperately trying to stop the bleeding from Alastor’s chest. The spear wasn’t helping matters, it was hindering his progress to get to the wound.. Removing it wasn’t an option either as trying to move it would make the bleeding even worse, but it was also stopping Angel from trying to save his husband!

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Angel cursed; his hands trembling and soaked in blood over Alastor’s wound.

“An…gel…,” Alastor said weakly, coughing up blood.

“Shh, try not to speak. Save your energy,” Angel shushed him, eyes glistening in anguish, “We need to stop the bleeding.”

Alastor grabbed Angel’s hand, “Angel.”

Angel was now in tears as he looked helplessly at Alastor’s pale face.

“I,” Alastor coughed up more blood, “… need you to remove the spear.”

“Are you fucking nuts!” yelled Angel in distress, “That thing is barely keeping you alive.”

“This thing is actually killing me more than helping me,” Alastor replied before grunting in pain.

Angel looked hopelessly lost.

“I don’t know what those bastards did,” Alastor paused, wheezing a bit, “but this thing is hurting me more the longer it stays in my chest. Get it out.”

“Are you sure?” Angel looked at the spear with uncertainty, afraid of causing more irreparable damage.

“I am, mi amor.”

“But if I take it out-“

“Don’t worry; I have that taken care of. Please, remove this damn thing now.”

Angel hesitated for a moment, still not sure before he let out a sigh of defeat, “Okay.”

Alastor was already lying mostly on his side, because of the spear, making it a little easier for Angel to be able to pull it out. The spear was already halfway through Alastor, so regardless of which end he pulled it from it was going to be painful.

“You ready?” Angel asked, grabbing the spear from the front.

Alastor nodded, bracing himself for the coming pain.

“On the count of three I’m going to pull,” Angel told him, “One, two, and three!”

Alastor let out a loud growl of pain and frustration as Angel quickly pulled the spear out of his chest.

Son of a bitch! That hurt more than he thought it would!

“Al!” Angel threw the spear to the side, barely paying attention to the fact that it slowly disappeared into nothingness, once freed from Alastor’s chest, “You’re bleeding really bad!”

Alastor didn’t answer him, weakly raising his hand in the air, doing a little flick of his fingers, as the shadows quickly rushed to him and filled the spot in his chest where the spear was, stopping the heavy bleeding for now.

Seeing the bleeding slow down made Angel sigh in relief before looking at Alastor, who was smiling at him.

“Mi amor,” Alastor weakly raised a hand to Angel’s cheek, cradling it in his palm, “please don’t cry,” he used his thumb to softly wipe Angel’s tears.

“Al,” Angel took Alastor’s hand in his, “Tell me what to do. There must be something we can do. You can’t die, you said so yourself.” Hoping against all hope that he could save his husband, the love of his life.

“It would seem… that I was wrong,” Alastor said hoarsely.

Angel let out a sob of profound grief.

“Anthony…”

Angel let out another sob, hearing his old name from Alastor.

“Please do not cry for me. I do not deserve it.”

“You are my fucking husband!” Angel sobbed louder, “of course you deserve it.”

Alastor chuckled, “I’m still your husband?”

“Of course you are!” said Angel fiercely.

Alastor hummed in response, feeling his strength draining.

“Al, please, don’t leave me,” Angel pleaded, holding Alastor’s hand to his mouth as he brushed his lips against his skin so gently.

“I am sorry, mi amor,” he coughed up blood, “I’m sorry for everything. You deserve someone better than me.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Angel argued, adamant that Alastor would not die.

“I hope that you will one day forgive me. I never meant to hurt you, mi amor,” said Alastor, closing his eyes.

“Al, please, please don’t leave me,” Angel pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

“Sí, don’t leave yet. This party is just beginning.”

A large gust of wind came from behind Angel, blowing dust everywhere around them.

Angel stayed beside Alastor, staring up in dread at Valentino’s towering form.

“My, now isn’t this a pretty sight,” Valentino grinned, “The great Alastor, nothing more than a weak, helpless, bloody mess on the floor, barely clinging to life.”

Alastor weakly glared at Valentino, trying to hold Angel’s hand with what little strength that he had.

Valentino’s gaze shifted to Angel, taking in his new appearance.

“And you…I heard that some new immortal took my place as the new ruler, but I didn’t think it would be you,” he laughed, “What’s that dumb name you go by now? Ah, that’s right Angel Dust. Too bad you look far from an Angel, more like something that the underworld rejected and spat out.”

Hearing Valentino laugh like that made Angel flinch, old memories of unpleasant times he was forced to spend with Valentino, being taunted and tortured.

“I will make a deal with you, Angel cakes,” said Valentino smirking, “Since I know that you mindlessly got roped into helping this bastard, I’ll show you a little mercy. I will spare you and forget your betrayal to me, as long as you step aside and let me finish Alastor off.”

The fear that once filled Angel quickly turned into rage as he quickly moved his body over Alastor’s. Like Molly, his eyes began to glow neon pink, fangs and claws sharpening, looking like a demon.

“Come near him and I’ll rip your fucking throat out!” Angel hissed.

He would not let Valentino anywhere near Alastor, even if it cost him his life, a second time.

Hearing Angel’s response, Valentino frowned, glaring down at Angel.

“Are you really going to defy me? You better think carefully of what you are doing here,” Valentino warned.

“I have! I knew Alastor was using me from the beginning when he came to me about overthrowing your sorry ass, as well as Vox’s. But I didn’t care, I would rather be a pawn to get rid of you two than be a slave to you for the rest of eternity!” declared Angel.

Alastor looked at Angel, surprised by the news. He didn’t know that Angel was aware of that when they first met.

“But you know what,” Angel continued, “Even though he's a selfish, arrogant asshole, I still love him for who he is. I don’t care that he tried to use me in the beginning because in the end I fell in love with this silly bastard who went through such great lengths to save me from being trapped in the Land of The Forgotten. And if that isn’t love then I don’t know what is. But I will NOT let you touch him!”

Valentino scoffed, before laughing, “How cute, you really think he loves you? That bastard doesn’t even know how to love, let alone care for anyone else other than himself.”

Alastor weakly sneered, moving to respond but coughed up blood.

Angel hissed at Valentino, “Say what you want. But it still changes nothing, you fucker.”

“Fine,” Valentino growled, moving to strike Angel and Alastor.

Angel prepared himself to defend him and Alastor from Valentino when a spear came flying, embedding into Valentino’s forearm. Valentino cried in pain, stumbling back a little.

“You leave them alone!”

Charlie and Vaggie made it up to the roof in time to see Valentino move in to strike them. Vaggie, being the first to react, threw her spear, which she grabbed on the way up, right at Valentino.

“Charlie? Vaggie?” Angel said in surprise, to see the girls here.

“You!” Valentino hissed.

Charlie and Vaggie quickly rushed to stand in front of Angel and Alastor, facing Valentino.

“Why are you two up here?” Angel asked, still in shock.

“We’re here to help,” Charlie answered.

“Help?” repeated Angel.

At that moment Alastor shifted a little, looking to Charlie and Vaggie’s backs, “W-Why would you help us?” he asked, “After what we did…”

“Shh, save your strength,” Angel gently hushed him, before looking at Charlie’s back, “But yeah, why help us?”

“Because,” Charlie looked over her shoulder to them, smiling, “It’s the right thing to do.”

Angel and Alastor looked at her, confused.

“I don’t hold any grudges against either of you for the wager you placed on us, even though it may have gotten a little out of hand when I died,” she sent a pointed look to Alastor, “I know there were no cruel intentions behind them. Not like his,” Charlie turned back to Valentino, glaring at him.

Valentino removed the spear from his arm, throwing it to the side for Vaggie to catch before it went over the edge.

“Oh?” Valentino looked at her curiously, “And I’m different from them somehow? How so? Because last I checked you were also pawns in their little game as you were for me, but I didn’t kill you. How am I the bad guy in this?” Valentino gave Charlie a hurt look, which she knew was fake.

“Don’t think you can fool me to think you are a good person, let alone a victim in all of this. Niffty told me everything about you and Vox, how you abused your power and treated the people in the Land of The Remembered. You are a tyrant that only hurts those under you for sick pleasure, even in death, where they are meant to rest in peace and be with their families. I will not allow you to do so again!”

Valentino glared at her, “So you really think you, a lowly mortal, can stop me? Where did you get the guts to challenge me?”

Charlie didn’t answer him, instead thinking of Vaggie and her family, their love giving her strength.

“Well,” he began, opening his wings wide, “If it’s a second death you wish, then I will be happy to give you one, permanently!”

Chapter Text

Valentino was the first one to make a move when the ground under him started to give.

“What?” He looked down to see the roof cracking under his feet.

Around him a shadow quickly sawed its way through the roof, making a half circle around Valentino since he was already standing on the edge. He made a move to fly when said shadow grabbed both of his ankles, keeping him grounded to the crumbling roof as he fell with it. Valentino yelled as he fell backwards, landing on a few graves, a short way from where Vox, Molly, and Niffty fought.

Charlie and Vaggie stared at him in surprise, peering over the broken edge to see Valentino groaning, slowly sitting up.

“Idiot!” they heard Angel curse behind them.

Charlie looked to see that Alastor had his free hand in the air, forming a shaky fist that he was struggling to hold.

“I told you to save your strength,” yelled Angel.

Alastor ignored Angel, breathing heavily as he looked at Charlie and Vaggie.

“Apologies, but I figured that you two would be at a disadvantage up here on the roof,” explained Alastor.

“Sí, it’s not the best place to be,” Charlie slowly agreed, noticing that there really wasn’t any room up here.

Releasing his fist Alastor started to twirl his hand in a small circle as it began to glow green. Suddenly all four of them were engulfed in Alastor’s shadows, surrounding them in darkness, before abruptly dissipating to show they were back on solid ground where the fighting continued.

After the shadows were gone Alastor’s hand fell to his side and his body went limp.

“Alastor!!!” Angel screamed.

Charlie looked to see that Alastor was now unconscious, unmoving in Angel’s arms. It almost seemed like he finally died if it weren’t for his shadow, still actively moving around him, but even the shadow was starting to fade.

Niffty suddenly appeared by his side, noticing that Alastor wasn’t doing so good, and helped Angel stay calm.

Valentino cursed loudly as he stood up, glaring furiously at them.

“Vox!” he yelled.

Vox stumbled back, missing one of Molly’s web shots.

“Stop screwing around and get serious! I’m getting tired of this bullshit,” Valentino hissed.

“I am!” Vox yelled before smirking at Molly’s direction, “But I can kick it up a notch.

Molly glared at him, baring her fangs.

“Let’s see if you have the reflexes of a spider, sweetheart,” said Vox.

He turned his attention away from Molly and sent his tentacles to a large tombstone, ripping it out of the ground and sending it flying towards Molly. The tombstone flew right at Molly, who barely had time to dodge it. She stared in horror at the ruined grave before looking to Vox.

“What have you done?” she asked, unable to believe that he had defiled a grave like that, especially on the Day of The Dead.

But Vox paid no mind to her words as he tore another tombstone out and threw it at her.

Valentino turned to the ruined graves that he landed on, picking up a large stone piece that looked like a shield, before throwing it towards Charlie and Vaggie.

The girls dodged Valentino’s attack, the stone piece landing in the spot where they once stood, shattering into hundreds of little pieces. Seeing the force of the thrown stone sent shivers down Charlie’s spine as she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t dodged it.

Vaggie made another attempt to throw her spear at Valentino, who unfortunately, expected the attack and easily caught her spear, breaking it in half. She could only watch in horror as her favorite spear was so easily broken, it was a gift from her father.

Charlie charged Valentino, sword raised to strike. But Valentino easily dodged the attack, smirking at Charlie, as if taunting her, making Charlie seethe in anger. She swung her sword against him but the bastard kept side stepping her attacks.

Valentino laughed, “You are going to have to try harder than that, sweetheart,” he taunted.

His laughter was cut short when he let out a cry of pain.

Turning around, he glared to see Lucifer with his sword, along with Lilith.

“Leave our hija, alone!” Lilith warned.

Valentino glared at them, reaching over to tear out another tombstone, Lilith’s tombstone. Charlie watched in horror as Valentino basically destroyed her mother’s grave, noting that both her parents also watched in disbelief, just as her mother suddenly let out a pained hiss, struggling to stay on her feet. It almost seemed like her mother was actually in pain when Valentino tore her tombstone out of the ground. Lucifer grabbed hold of Lilith and quickly pulled them back as Valentino tried to squish them.

With him distracted Vaggie rushed over to her broken spear, picking up the blade, and rushed back to Charlie’s side. Together they hurried towards Valentino, his back facing them as he focused on Lucifer and Lilith, unaware of the danger behind him.

But before Charlie and Vaggie could reach him, they fell to the ground when something grabbed their ankles. Charlie looked down to see that it was one of Vox’s tentacles.

Vox grinned at them, “Oh no you don’t.”

Vox pulled both Charlie and Vaggie away from Valentino and sent them flying through the cemetery.

Charlie flew far across the cemetery, hitting the ground painfully and skidding across the ground until she stopped at the edge of the gardens of the cemetery.

She groaned in pain when she finally stopped, not sure what was broken since everything hurt, and there was a ringing in her ears. Everything was spinning; her vision was blurred so much that she couldn’t make out where exactly she was in the cemetery. The only thing she could see was the trimmed rose shrubs in front of her and the slightly long grass around the base where she noticed that something was staring at her.

It was a small snake, or at least she believed it was. The snake was a bright blue color, with teal mixed into the scales, something that she had never seen a snake possess before. But the oddest part was that it was covered in… are those feathers?

She shook her head, making the spinning stop, looking back to see the snake was just a regular non-venoms garden snake. Her sudden movements startled it as it quickly slithered back into the bushes, away from her.

Her body protested when she stood up, grabbing her sword, and headed back to the fight.

All around the battlefield were now destroyed graves, as well as offerings and decorations that families made earlier today for their families for Day of The Dead. Seeing all the destruction made Charlie’s heart break, seeing how careless and disrespectful Valentino, Vox, and Velvet were being to these graves.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, their side wasn’t doing too good.

Seviathan and Helsa were struggling against Velvet, while her men were starting to overpower the soldiers and some of the brave citizens that had volunteered. Her family was fighting against Valentino now, but were not making much progress against him. Molly and Vaggie, who seemed alright, were struggling against Vox, dodging his attacks while he kept them as far away from him as possible.

This was not good. At this rate they would not last much longer until Valentino, Vox, and Velvet would win, and then everyone would be at their mercy.

‘There must be something I can do, but what?’ Charlie thought in panic, not noticing that some of the small stones from the damaged tombstones were rolling around her feet.

Vaggie was knocked back by Vox’s tentacle, grunting in pain as she fell.

Charlie watched in horror as a tentacle sharpened and aimed right for Vaggie’s chest but was pulled away from the attack by Molly at the last minute.

Angry, Charlie readied her sword and about to charge for Vox when she heard a large rumble behind her.

It was then that she noticed the stones, both small and large, rolling by her. Following the stones’ path Charlie turned around to gasp to see them all gathering together in an open spot in the cemetery. But that wasn’t what made her gasp, it was that from all the graves, both ruined and untouched, green smoke started to come out and follow the rocks.

Charlie quickly backed away before she turned and rushed by Vox, heading straight for Molly.

“Molly!” Charlie yelled.

Molly looked up to see Charlie running to her.

“What’s wrong-“ Molly started to ask before Charlie quickly crashed into her, spinning around, clinging to one of Molly’s arms.

“What is that?” Charlie pointed to the smoke and rocks.

Molly looked to where Charlie was pointing, as well as Vox, to see the gathering rocks and green smoke.

“What the?” Vox was the first to ask out loud.

Molly blinked, surprised at this strange turn of events, not sure what was happening.

“Niffty,” Molly called, “You might want to come and see this, now!”

Niffty left Angel and Alastor’s side, rushing over to Molly, Charlie, and Vaggie, blinking in surprise at the smoke and rocks.

“What is that?” Molly asked, suddenly feeling very nervous.

Niffty stared in surprise, not sure what to say, “I don’t know,” she answered.

Suddenly the earth under their feet gave a rumble, and the sky suddenly became dark, catching everyone’s attention.

The gathered rocks and green smoke suddenly began to sink into the earth as a large hole appeared, sucking it all in. But the hole didn’t stay empty for long as a large glowing green smoke-like skull, with a large feather headdress, appeared from within it.

Everyone stepped back at this, startled by the appearance of the skull, as a cold feeling of dread filled the air.

The skull’s empty sockets began to glow green as it opened its mouth wide, showing off its sharp canines, green smoke tentacles coming out of its mouth. The tentacles acted like slithering snakes as they covered the ground, heading right for them until half of them suddenly broke off into different directions. A whole group of them passed Lucifer and Lilith, going for Velvet and her men, grabbing them around the legs and starting to pull them towards the skull. They cried out as they were pulled, trying to break free from their hold but found that it was impossible.

One smoke tentacle grabbed hold of Vox’s leg, pulling him to the skull.

“The fuck!” Vox cried out, using his own tentacles to grab hold of something.

Valentino watched in shock as Velvet’s men were being pulled into the skull’s mouth, disappearing into the darkness as they cried out.

“Val!” Velvet cried out, barely holding onto a gravestone as she was slowly losing her grip.

But before Valentino could respond, he missed the smoke tentacle heading right for him, grabbing hold of his leg as he too started to be dragged in.

“Hell no!” he cursed, trying to fly away but found he couldn’t.

Valentino, Vox, and Velvet were the only ones left now as they struggled against the tentacles that tried to pull them to the skull, which seemed to be opening its mouth wider.

Velvet finally lost her grip as she was pulled into the mouth, screaming as she disappeared inside. Vox quickly followed as the trees he was holding onto broke and he quickly followed Velvet in. Valentino was the last one left, desperately trying to fight back against its hold.

He yelled and cursed, flapping his wings back, but it was all in vain.

He growled loudly, turning to look at Charlie, before grabbing her arm.

“If I go, you’re going with me!” he yelled, no longer struggling against the hold now.

“Vaggie!” Charlie screamed.

“Charlie!” Vaggie quickly grabbed her hand, pulling back.

Molly quickly grabbed hold of Vaggie, with Charlie’s family rushing to their aid, to help pull Charlie free from Valentino’s hold.

However, Valentino refused to let go, proving to be a lot stronger and smirking at their poor struggle as more smoke tentacles wrapped around him, pulling him in even harder.

Vaggie held onto Charlie as best she could but found that her grip on Charlie’s hand was slowly losing grip until it slipped.

“Charlie!” Vaggie cried out.

They could only watch in horror as both Valentino and Charlie disappeared into the skull’s mouth, closing down on them with a burst of energy and a flash of light blasting throughout the cemetery, sending everyone backwards.

Slowly Vaggie sat up, quickly looking over to see that the skull was completely gone now as the sky of the setting sun returned.

“No,” Vaggie whispered, tears forming in her eyes, “No!”

Slowly, everyone stood back up, noticing that all the damaged tombstones were repaired, as well as the offerings and decorations. But the thing that caught everyone’s attention was the Marigold flowers that started to blossom everywhere, covering the grounds and the tombstones in golden flowers. And at the spot where the skull had once sat was a large batch of Marigold flowers.

The sight of the blossoming flowers would have been so magical and beautiful for everyone, if it weren’t for the fact that Charlie was once again lost to them, perhaps permanently this time.

Lilith moved over to Vaggie, kneeling down beside the girl, as she pulled the tearful Vaggie to her in a consoling hug.

The batch of Marigold flowers started to rustle a little bit, catching everyone’s attention. Slowly Charlie’s head popped through the top of the pile of flowers and she sat up fully, holding her head in pain.

Her normal black matador clothes that she wore were now white, with gold marigold flowers embroidered along the edges. She wore a beautiful flower crown of Marigolds as well as lei of Marigolds, making her look like she was glowing in the setting sun.

Charlie stood up from the flowers she laid in, looking down at her changed appearance.

Vaggie stood up from Lilith’s hold, taking a few steps towards Charlie, “Charlie?” she asked in awe.

Charlie looked up to Vaggie, smiling, “It’s me, mi amor.”

Vaggie rushed to her, pouncing on Charlie, who welcomed her with open arms.

“I don’t understand, what happened? What was that?” Molly was the one to ask.

“I think,” Niffty began, “What we saw might have been Mictlāntēcutli.”

“Who?” asked Lucifer.

“Mictlāntēcutli was the Aztec god of death, as well as the lord of the underworld,” explained Niffty, looking across the now repaired cemetery, “When Valentino and his group started to destroy the graves, showing very little respect to the dead, it must have triggered something. I think he wasn’t happy that they did this, especially on Dia de Muertos. I think they must have been dragged into the underworld for their actions.”

“But how did Charlie survive?” asked Molly.

“Well,” Niffty plucked a Marigold, smiling at it, “The lady of death spared Charlie. The Marigolds are a giveaway, for they are Mictēcacihuātl’s signature.”

“Huh, I guess the old gods are not as gone as we thought they were,” said Husk.

“I guess not,” said Lilith.

“Al!! No!!”

Everyone’s attention was brought back to the two immortals in the back, catching Niffty’s attention as she rushed back to their side.

“What’s wrong?” Niffty immediately appeared by Angel's side.

Angel was inconsolable, looking at Niffty and sobbing out harshly, “He’s not breathing! Please help me! I- I can’t lose him, I just can’t!”

Niffty paled as she immediately got to work to try to help Alastor again.

Angel rocked back and forth on his knees, silent tears running down his face as he held his hands together and whispered prayers to anyone that might listen to help.

“Please, please Al, I love you so much, I don’t say it enough but I will if you just come back to me…”

Everyone gathered around them, silently watching, hoping that it wouldn’t end this way. Molly moved over to her brother’s side, kneeling down beside him, comforting him, as they watched Niffty.

After a few seconds Niffty’s expression dropped as she stepped back and looked at Angel sadly.

“There’s nothing I can do for him,” she told him.

Angel broke into an anguished keening cry, sobbing into his sister's shoulder. Molly looked at her brother-in-law, crying softly too.

Charlie moved to Niffty, “Are you sure, Niffty? Is there nothing we can do for him?”

Niffty shook her head, “I’m sorry, Charlie. But Alastor was hit with a spear that held Quetzalcoatl’s feather. Quetzalcoatl was the one that created us, and is the only thing that can kill us too.”

“So what happened to the feather?” Vaggie asked.

“It must have disappeared once the job was done,” said Niffty, “There is nothing that can save Alastor, other than Quetzalcoatl himself. But he’s gone.”

“What about that place that Charlie got the feather from?” asked Husk, “Can we go get another or something.

Niffty shook her head, “Chances are that Charlie won’t be allowed back in there. It was the home of Quetzalcoatl himself, that place is sacred because it’s where he rested.”

An idea hit Charlie, “What if we had water from there? Would that work?”

“Sí, it would. It’s said to have healing powers; it healed Angel and Molly’s souls and made them immortal. But we still can’t get to it,” said Niffty.

“Well, lucky for us,” Charlie pulled a small water pouch, “I’ve got some right here.”

Niffty gasped, along with everyone else.

“I was going to get a drink of water there, because I was parched, until I found the feather. I kind of forgot that I had it with me,” Charlie explained.

“Charlie, quickly give it to me,” said Niffty.

Charlie handed the water pouch to her as Niffty moved back to Alastor’s side.

“Angel, lift his head for him to drink,” ordered Niffty.

Angel sniffled but did as she asked, carefully lifting Alastor’s head a little, desperate to save his husband.

Niffty opened the water pouch and brought it up to Alastor’s lips. She opened his mouth a little more to allow the water in, being careful not to spill it. Once she was sure he had enough she closed his mouth to keep it in.

“Hold his jaw closed and see to it that he swallows it,” she ordered Angel.

Angel nodded.

Niffty moved on to Alastor’s wounds, pulling his clothes aside to reveal the wound where the spear hit him. She poured the water on the wound to see that the water washed the wound away to reveal healed skin as if it was never there in the first place.

A moment later a large gasp came from Alastor as he coughed loudly.

Angel cried out in relief, flinging himself onto Alastor, and trapping him in a tight hug. Alastor fell backwards when Angel threw himself at him, but weakly returned the hug.

“I was afraid I’d lost you,” Angel whispered, trembling from head to toe in his emotional state, against the top of Al’s head, “Please, never do that to me again.”

“I will try, mi amor, I will try,” Alastor said as their lips drifted toward one another, joining in a sweet loving kiss, relieved to be safe and together once again.

Charlie smiled at the couple, watching Angel and Molly help Alastor stand up.

“Charlie.”

Charlie turned to see Seviathan walk up to her, hugging her, with Helsa slowly following behind.

“I am so happy to see you are okay,” said Seviathan, pulling away from her.

Charlie smiled, “I’m glad you guys are okay too. I’m sorry that you got mixed up in this mess, but gracias for your help.”

Helsa scoffed, “Oh please, you would be dead without us, again.”

Charlie smiled, knowing that was Helsa’s way to say ‘you’re welcome’ and ‘I’m glad you are okay’.

“I suppose everything ended up alright,” said Charlie.

“Not quite,” said Lucifer.

“Papá?” Charlie looked at him.

“If Helsa is alright with this,” Lucifer looked to Helsa, who nodded to Lucifer with a smiling, knowing where he was going with this, “I think we have a wedding waiting for us,” he said, turning Charlie around to face Vaggie, gently pushing her down to one knee.

* * *

“… Vagatha. Do you take Charlotte Magne as your wedded wife?” the priest asked.

Inside the church, the whole place was covered in marigold flowers and candles were lit everywhere.

Charlie and Vaggie stood in front of the priest, facing one another with large smiles on their faces. Charlie’s family and Molly sat on the left side, watching with joy, while Fredrick and Bethesda sat on Vaggie’s side with frowns on their faces. But standing behind Charlie, as her best man was Seviathan, smiling, with Helsa as Vaggie’s maid of honor, trying to hide her smile.

“I do,” said Vaggie, holding her Marigold bouquet closer to her, smiling brightly as she said it.

“And do you, Charlotte Magne, take Vagatha as your wife?” the priest asked.

“I do!” Charlie said, trying to hold still instead of bouncing in joy like she wanted to.

“Well by the power vested in us,” Niffty said in front of the priest.

“We now pronounce you, wife and wife, you may kiss the bride,” said the priest.

Charlie and Vaggie met each other halfway, sharing their first kiss as wives, as everyone cheered in joy.

Lucifer sniffed, watching his daughter finally get married.

Lilith wrapped her arms around Lucifer’s arm, “She’s going to make a great Magne.”

Lucifer nodded in agreement.

Above, on the roof of the church, Angel smiled down as Charlie and Vaggie kissed and everyone cheered.

“Well, it seems you have once again won the wager.”

Angel looked up to see Alastor walk up to him.

Angel smirked a little, “It was kind of obvious that I was going to.”

Alastor chuckled lightly, looking down at the pair.

“I am sorry for everything, Angel,” Alastor looked to Angel, “I have done nothing but cause you pain. The first time that we met, I only wanted to use you to gain what I wanted; I was wrong for doing so. Can you forgive me?”

“I’m not sorry,” said Angel, shrugging happily.

Alastor looked at him, confused.

Angel smiled, taking Alastor’s hands in his, “If you didn’t come to me that day, wanting to use me to take down Valentino and Vox, then we wouldn’t have fallen in love and be where we are today. I never regretted that moment in our lives, and I don’t regret you either.”

“So you forgive me?” Alastor asked, feeling hopeful.

“I do,” Angel said with a mischievous smirk as he pulled Alastor to him, wound his hands behind Alastor’s neck slowly, and tilted his head to give Alastor the deepest, most loving kiss of his afterlife.

Down below, Charlie and Vaggie came out of the church, now newlyweds, to be greeted by the cheers of the people of Pentagrama City that had arrived at the cemetery to celebrate Day of the Dead.

The Magne family came out of the church, behind Charlie and Vaggie, swarming around them as they congratulated them and welcomed Vaggie to the family. Together, they moved to the graves of Vaggie’s family, to introduce Charlie’s family to them, and celebrate tonight as one big family fiesta.

“Who would have thought it would be this hard to get to the point that we are now,” said Vaggie, walking arm and arm with Charlie.

“Sí, I faced so many challenges so I could be reunited with you,” said Charlie as she nuzzled Vaggies hair with her nose in affection.

Vaggie blushed a little, “I can’t believe you did all those things to be with me, facing immortals, fighting giant bulls.”

“And I would do it all over again, just for you,” said Charlie, leaning down to kiss Vaggie.

“Charlie!” Lilith called to them, “The feast that the von Eldritch family has prepared for us is ready.”

“Coming mamá!” said Charlie.

Lilith smiled at the two girls, turning back to join her husband’s side.

Charlie looked at Vaggie, smiling, “You ready, señora Magne?”

Vaggie giggled, “I am, señora Magne.

* * *

“And on that night, the two families joined together as one, to celebrate the lives that both Charlie and Vaggie would share together until the end of their days. And even their love still lives in those that still remember them today,” the tour guide finished the story.

Villa sniffed, “That was so beautiful.”

Crymini nodded, trying not to cry.

“Alright kids, it's closing time,” the guard suddenly appeared between Villa and Baxter, making them jump, “now get out.”

“Wait, seriously?” Villa looked at her phone to see what time it was, “Shit!”

“Fuck! We need to get going if we want to finish the report,” said Crymini.

“I told you this is what happens when you wait until the last minute,” said Baxter, following the girls out of the exhibit.

“Thank you for everything,” Villa turned to the tour guide, waving at him, “This report will be awesome!”

“Yeah, what she said,” said Crymini as she quickly followed Villa out with Baxter.

The tour guide shook his head with a smile, watching the trio leave and disappear from their sight.

“That tale never gets old,” the guard strolled up to the tour guide, his mortal appearance melting away to reveal Alastor’s true form, “It brings back so many wonderful memories.”

The tour guide smiled, chuckling lightly as his appearance melted away to reveal Angel Dust’s form.

“Depends on what is wonderful to you,” said Angel, turning towards his husband.

Alastor’s smile grew, taking Angel’s hand in his.

“That Story reminds me not to take things for granted, to appreciate things that we have in our lives and to not forget what is important to us,” said Alastor, kissing Angel’s hand.

“Am I one of those?” Angel teased, coming closer to Alastor.

“You, mi amor, are the most important of them all,” Alastor dipped Angel, closing the distance between their lips.

Angel giggled, wrapping his arms around Alastor and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss, enjoying the moment.

After a moment Alastor stood up with Angel in his arms. Still high from their kiss, Angel couldn’t resist teasing him a bit as he drifted his hands down Alastor’s back and squeezed his butt with both hands, his tongue sticking out at Alastor playfully.

Alastor was by now used to the saucy minx trying to fluster him so instead he decided to surprise him with something they hadn’t done in a long time.

“Would you care to dance?” Alastor asked.

Angel raised a brow, not too put out that Alastor didn’t take the bait, “A dance?”

“Why not? We haven’t had a nice quiet moment like this in a while, nor have we danced together for a bit, just the two of us,” said Alastor, “Plus, it is Dia de Muertos after all, a time of love and celebration.”

Angel laughed, “Alright, but we need some music.”

With a snap of Alastor’s fingers, a small group of shadowy figures appeared with instruments in their hands.

Alastor took Angel in his arms and they began to dance together as the shadows began to play a very familiar song that Angel hadn't heard in a long time. It was their song. The very same song that had played when Angel and Alastor first danced together all those years ago, when Angel was still mortal.

“I love you, Alastor,” he said, content to be led in his husband's arms. “And I love you, Anthony, mi amor,” Alastor said with a soft smile.

Angel looked at Alastor with a loving smile and eyes full of soft affection while they danced together in the large exhibit, the world celebrating their day, El Dia de los Muertos.

The End