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The nightfall beamed through Fallarbor Town, and as such, in the sky the moon shone brightly. With it, came the rain, wetting trees, crops and all buildings alike.
Serena, who had sailed away to the Hoenn Region to further exercise her performing skills after successfully becoming the Kalos Queen, was quite disheartened to learn that, due to the weather, she wouldn't be able to take her Pokémon with her—due to her self-consciously reminding herself how much of a hassle being rained on was—which ultimately led to her not partaking in any Pokémon focused activities. So, to save her little companions the pain, Serena decided to drop them off at a Pokémon Center for a few hours, imagining that in there they would have a much greater time than with her through the heavy rain.
To pass the time, she would revisit an activity she grew fond of during her sails to Hoenn — urban exploration and photography. She was no professional by any means, but she had enough experience to operate cameras nicely for still photographs, which led her to decide to leave out her Pokémon resting at the Pokémon Center, while going out to take photographs of various places and landscapes under the moonlight.
However, by a moment of sheer luck—or rather a lack thereof—a few minutes passed after she dropped off her Pokémon at the Pokécenter, and just like that, the rain was gone.
It seemed like it would eventually return, which meant she would possibly not get to take her companions with her, and since she had already dropped them off, there was no good in suddenly backtracking now.
And so, Serena went on for long walks through the town, photographing the little to no nice sights she had along her trail, talking to locals for directions and proceeding like that. Eventually, the volcanic-looking surroundings began to look less and less like such, and slowly turned more green in colour, albeit simultaneously appearing more deserted and lacking in activity.
During her trail, she would start to tread with more haste, as the clouds slowly forced their way back into the sky, threatening to bring the rain back with them, and because of that, the blonde barely paid attention to her path directly and, eventually came to find herself in a rather isolated, open area.
Standing lonely and far from any other places, Serena came to find a house. From far away it seemed fine, although lacking in lighting, which she shrugged off as the home owners just having strange beliefs that the rain could burn down the bulbs or something. So without many other options, no umbrella, and a wish to keep her camera safe and sound, she decided to go towards the house, in hopes of getting some refuge for at least a few hours if the rain really did come.
Although, as she approached, she came to realise that the lonely little house was simply abandoned. It was a farmhouse unlike any of the other buildings she passed through in her trail. It was barely standing its ground, with a busted roof, and plants and weeds growing all over the walls.
Normally, she would find herself twisting her nose at the sight, but instead, be it due to morbid curiosity, a lack of other options or both, she actually felt… excited? She felt that, since she was already halfway towards the house, she might as well explore it, and perhaps get some better, more interesting pictures than the ones she'd taken thus far.
As she went on her way to the little house, tall, overgrown grass and crops began to make their presence known, tickling Serena's skin with each step, which, while uncomfortable to walk through, only served as more reason for her to want to essentially just trespass and explore this decayed, abandoned house, knowing she wouldn't be invading somebody's active abode.
She would take a few more steps through the overgrown grass, eventually finding, in the middle of the patch, what seemed to be a dead insect. It was far from small, its length matching that of her foot, a bit longer than it even. Its shell was shiny, and it looked like a centipede of sorts. Serena had never seen that before, so she took a photo of it to save for later, wanting to ask about it to local meteorite researchers back in Fallarbor Town in hopes of learning about that new, weird bug type.
The lady then made her way to the house, now standing right before the small set of stairs leading to the front door of the ominous looking house. She'd inhale and exhale, almost as if mentally shoving away her fears of stepping inside and possibly encountering some ghost-types, as she had nothing to defend herself with, let alone a Pokémon with her.
After reassuring herself that it would be all right, she walked up the stairs and tried to look inside the lonely abode through the dust-covered windows, failing to see much. Then, she reached for one of her pockets, bringing out earbuds and an mp3 player, plugging the earbuds on it before starting to play some music to lighten up her inner mood.
She then marched to the front door, and, with one light movement, would twist the doorknob, only for the door to open itself up with ease, accompanied by a creaking sound that echoed faintly under those mouldy, dusty walls.
Serena wouldn't question the lack of a locked door, and simply stepped inside, already feeling curious about what she could find inside.
The blonde would then make her way through the small house's rooms, singing along with her music while taking pictures of the decaying walls in various angles, as well as taking pictures of some of the framed photos that were hung on the walls, curious about the story behind the family depicted in those photos, taking a clear note over the ghost-types seen in some of the photos, which did bring back some of her fear from earlier, since various creaking noises would echo throughout the house as she wandered, although Serena tried convincing herself that it was simply the decrepit state of the house not doing it any justice.
And since she was already inside and exploring the place, she stayed and took more pictures. Taking photos of the kitchen, bedroom, living room, and also checked out the pantry, which had nothing but accumulated dust on the lonely, empty shelves.
After that, she would take a moment to take a look at all the pictures she had taken inside the house while she made her way to the front door to go outside, planning to check the weather and go to any nearby town if it seemed fine. She was quite proud of some of the angles in her shots, and her curiosity only stirred further as she looked at the pictures with more caution, trying to see if any detail stood out to her in relation to the framed family photos, which, combined with the bewilderment over the reason behind the house being abandoned, only made her more curious.
But as she viewed the pictures, she noticed that, right at the corner of one of them, almost out of sight, what seemed to be a face hung out of the bedroom door.
Almost on cue, she then heard a creaking sound behind her followed by a light thud like something or someone accidentally stumbled on some of the furniture littered about.
Worried, Serena slowly turned to face the sound's origin, only to be surprised by a hex maniac — She looked like what you would expect to see in a hex maniac in that region, although her skin looked too pale to belong to anything alive, with hollowed out eyes and a wide open mouth missing its teeth. She held out her hands to her face, those which looked all bloody and wounded.
The dishevelled one happily greeted Serena with a simple “Hello”, who stepped back due to shock. Her earbuds fell to the floor thanks to the sudden sharp movements, and she also happened to stumble on her own legs, falling to the floor, with her back facing the back exit door.
The hex maniac would simply stand there eerily, looking at Serena while mimicking the very song she was listening to and singing along during her short-lived urban exploration, which only seemed to spook out the blonde further.
With heavy breaths and a now dizzy head, the woman would try reaching for the exit door, desperately running her hands along the decayed wood, not finding the doorknob like that, so with a growing pit in her stomach she reluctantly faced the door, reaching for the doorknob once more but failing to open it due to her brain derailing into countless paranoid thoughts, leading her to hallucinate the lack of a door.
She'd then face the hex maniac once again, and, as she continued mimicking the once happy song's melody with a haunting, ghoulish voice, she swiftly disappeared and reappeared before Serena, fading into the dark only to come back, getting closer and closer each time.
Hex eventually found herself right before Serena, who would instinctively reach for her camera and snap a picture in hopes of that doing anything to aid her, which by a sheer miracle worked and caused Hex Maniac to recoil, covering her face because of the camera's sudden flash of light, giving Serena enough of an opportunity to run deeper into the house once again, rushing to the bedroom, specifically the closet.
She shut herself inside of it, and held her hands over her mouth, desperately trying not to make noise, afraid of being found out. She tried calming her breath and her fast beating heart, she really did — But as she finally began to feel her breathing starting to steady even if just a tad, there came the sounds outside the closet.
Sounds of somebody… Something thrashing, the sound of footsteps pacing around the room in search of her… That made her let out the tiniest gasp/whimper, which was enough to make all noises outside come to a complete halt.
Serena swore something bad would happen and, amidst pleas inside her head combined with other thoughts of her cussing herself out for ever coming up with an idea as stupid as exploring this abandoned house on her own, the noises came back.
This time, Serena could hear the hex maniac starting to once again mimic the song she was listening to — humming it, singing gibberish during unclear verses, and just singing some of the lyrics with that same haunting voice, all while the footsteps resumed.
The closet door then suddenly began to get knocked at, then banged on. Harsh fist-pounding directly to the already decrepit, dusty surface with a nauseating sound that drilled into Serena's skull, bringing her anxiety to its peak while she held down the door in hopes of keeping the hex maniac away.
Her breathing became uneven once more, with her letting out soundless gasps for air while staring wide eyed at the door, afraid that, if she were to look away or blink for even a fraction of a second, it would disappear, or worse.
The hex maniac kept pounding on the wood trying to push it open, while her ghoulish words continued to echo through those otherwise lonely halls. She was no longer singing along, and was instead repeatedly chanting “Let me in” and “Help me” to Serena, accompanying those unheard demands with a fit of giggles/whimpers that only screamed bad intentions to the terrified blonde.
Serena, who was shaken to her boots didn't even consider heeding to the demands of the Yūrei, although much to her surprise, the noises outside would once again come to a complete halt after a few more moments, but she wasn't having any of that.
She remained still with her hands tightly gripping the door, to the point where she could feel her fingers turning colder—and by extension pale—which did not concern her at that given moment. She was focused solely on holding that door closed for as long as she possibly could. After a few more minutes of doing just that, her hands began to ache due to the lack of fresh blood circulating properly, which led to Serena finally letting go of the door.
By this point, her breathing turned steadier, and, even if she was still frightened to do anything else, she could feel air filling her lungs somewhat decently once more, even if said air was accompanied by massive amounts of dust.
Serena had made a rather big mistake by removing her hands from the door, however. By taking her hands off the wood to help blood circulate to her fingers again, she had left the door completely on its own. And with nothing stopping it from being opened, before she could even understand what had happened, the decrepit wood would start moving on its own, being dragged and pulled outside with ease.
Serena immediately tensed up at that, and before she could even reach out for her camera in hopes of using the camera flash to aid her once again, the hex maniac came into view with her body staggering its way into the closet.
Not having any room to run, Serena did the only thing she could do, which would be to try backing off, dragging her body further inside the small space of the closet like it would help her in any way.
Of course, it did nothing other than bring Serena's adrenaline and anxiety to a peak once again, while Hex staggered her way closer to Serena.
Now throwing herself to the floor as well, Hex would crawl over to Serena, with her wounded hands making their way to the space between both of Serena's ankles as she stared at the blonde with those wide, lifeless carved eyes.
Her smile still looked the same — huge, unnaturally so, with her teeth missing and dry blood all around her mouth.
She let out strange noises, similar to heavy breathing mixed with growling and whimpering, like a dog acting manic after its owner attempted to remove its precious bone treat from it.
Serena did not react, did not budge, did not even blink or breathe. She just sat idly, unblinking while sharp chills ran down her spine, with her mind telling her that if she did not act now, it would really be the end of her story — with her body being found in an old, decrepit, less than ideal house. The thought made her skin crawl. She was NOT about to let herself be found in such a filthy place! But her mind derailed once more. What could she do to escape? She had nowhere left to run off to anymore, after all.
Though as Hex leaned closer and closer and Serena instinctively closed her eyes tightly, what came after surprised Serena to no end, since, instead of having her life flashing before her eyes, she just felt her arms getting tugged on.
And before any assumption could be made from her end, she could feel Hex taking her hands, only to intertwine fingers with them. Serena, out of confusion, reluctantly opened up her eyes, trying to understand what happened.
Much to her shock, the hex maniac wasn't really doing anything at all. She simply held hands with Serena while continuing to stare intensely at her direction, as if afraid the blonde would vanish from her sight if she stopped looking at her.
Serena could hear her own heart drumming in her chest, and, while every fibre of her being told her to get away, she did not shove Hex off, but neither did she respond to the touch.
She continued watching with confused, yet afraid eyes while the deceased occult woman leaned a few inches closer, only for her to speak up with that hoarse, haunting voice of hers.
“...Sing… the song…” She muttered, her voice barely understandable amidst the broken gibberish coming from her, coming off in broken bits of sentences that came across more as a request than a demand. Serena would look dumbfounded at the request, not understanding it at first, but feeling even more confused when she did finally get what Hex wanted.
Swallowing hard, Serena would look at the Yūrei with a puzzled, awkward expression before attempting to talk to her, now assuming that she could understand speech and wasn't just a mindless freak of nature.
“...I-I…”
“...You want me to… T-To sing. T-The song…? THAT song…?” The blonde seemed unsure of what Hex wanted at first, but piecing it together she came to understand it briefly after asking that, and she only got more confirmation of it when Hex nodded to answer her question.
“...O-Oh,” She swallowed hard, before breathing in and out. “...O-Okay. I'll… sing it…” She added with an unsure, somewhat wary tone and expression, which went unnoticed by Hex who only seemed to be interested in the song.
After a moment or two of mental preparation, Serena would then start singing, her voice soft and slow, rhythmic too. She was trying not to embarrass herself by missing a note, and also trying her best not to miss a note because of spikes in anxiety or fear of the occult lady who was still blocking her way.
The song she sang was the same she was humming to and singing along during her small exploration, which was likely the reason why Hex wanted to hear it in specific.
It was a slow, mostly upbeat tune, talking about the lyrical speaker wanting to find their romantic pair, wanting to be referred to by their beloved as “the one”. The song progressed with the lyrical speaker saying how, even if the rain came, they would still find their way and meet their other half, while also metaphorically asking for their beloved to link their hands together, never to be apart.
It continued, with the lyrical speaker saying how they wished to metaphorically become one with who they loved, and to never leave their sight just as the lyrical subject wouldn't do to them. The song continued like that, repeating those same verses, before it finally ended, with a shaky Serena holding out the last note for a few seconds.
The hex maniac seemed to enjoy the singing… It was hard to tell, but judging by the lack of movement from her, combined with how she was still gripping Serena's shaky hands with those cold ones, the blonde assumed she didn't dislike it.
“...T-There…” Serena spoke up after a moment of awkward, deafening silence, looking at Hex with a worried expression.
Surprisingly enough however, the hex maniac didn't attack, didn't speak, didn't do anything of what Serena expected her to do. Instead, the Yūrei let go of Serena's hands, before clasping her own hands together, like she was satisfied and happy with the song.
Her off-putting appearance did not do justice to lessen Serena's fear, but at least that simple action meant Hex wasn't as ready to end her off as she thought, although what came next twisted that attempt of reassurance into confusion, and slight dread.
“...You are the one… Yes, you are… the one…” Hex's haunting voice echoed again, repeating those words like they meant much more than they should, which irrationally worked to scare Serena.
“...S-So… Um…” Serena began, looking a bit more worried now, since nothing else would come to occur post singing aside from that. She would even reach a reluctant hand to Hex's head, afraid she would try biting it off or something of that nature, but doing so anyway out of a lack of options. Luckily, her fears were confirmed to be just presumptions, as Hex did not budge at all at first.
For a moment, Serena's shaky, reluctant hand remained still on the occult one's head, but the second she tried to move it, Hex quickly latched onto her arm to keep it there, like she didn't want her to move it away. Serena flinched due to how sudden it was, but obliged.
Keeping her hand on Hex's head, she began to slowly, carefully move her fingertips, digging slightly onto her scalp and scratching it lightly — an action that, surprisingly enough seemed to appease the hex maniac, who tightened her grip around Serena's arm and leaned closer into her palm as well, looking almost like a puppy asking its owner for more pampering, if the puppy was a bit bigger and more vicious-looking.
“Y-You don't need to grip my arm…! I-I won't pull away, okay?! Geez…” Serena spoke, trying to get the Yūrei to let go of her arm, which already seemed to get more noticeable marks where Hex was gripping. The unkempt one upon hearing those words then proceeded to slowly let go, trusting that Serena would not pull away.
Keeping her word, Serena did as she claimed she would and continued to scratch Hex's scalp lightly, moving her fingertips slowly and carefully while looking worried but far less than before. The hex maniac didn't seem nearly as dangerous as before, which actually did bring Serena's anxiety down a tad bit, even if she was still wary and weirded out.
For a moment she even forgot she was in that abandoned house with a weird-looking Hex maniac stalking her around no less, it almost felt nice for a moment or two. She felt scared of that moment ending, as that would mean something unpredictable would come next, so she just allowed herself to lower her guard for that given moment.
The hex maniac seemed calmer on her own, too — simply straddling Serena's lap while receiving those light touches, failing to react in any abrupt manner that could possibly startle the blonde.
“...”
“...S-So… You were… asking for help just a little while ago, w-weren't you…?”
“...And you keep saying that… I'm the one, whatever that means…” Serena began speaking, her voice reluctant, almost clogging in her throat and refusing to come out, but as she began to talk, she slowly just kept on going while Hex seemed to listen intently with those unblinking, concerning hollow eyes.
“...I want to help you…!”
“...I… Don't know how exactly I could do that, though. But… We c-can figure it out…!” The blonde added, trying to sound cheerful like she usually did, but ending up doing a poor job at that, given the circumstances and how little she knew about it all in the grand scheme of things.
Hex wouldn't react at first, letting those words sink in, apparently unable to process all that was said at once and immediately. Then, after finally making sense of what was told to her, she reached a hand towards Serena's chest and pressed her icy cold palm against her beating heart region, letting it sit there before she once again repeated the four words the blonde had heard the most today.
“...You are the one…!” Her voice echoed, this time having a somewhat more insistent tone to it, not sounding as hoarse as the other times she'd said those words, although not fully clear either. It seemed as if she really wanted to get the idea across, and she got just that, technically.
After hearing those words yet again, Serena would put her thinking cap on, trying to remember anything that could possibly make these words make sense — something she failed to do, as nothing seemed relevant enough. However, one bit of a memory she had from long ago stood out, and somehow, remembering about that, she would speak up in a somewhat surprised tone.
“...Wait, wait…! I remember that, all the way back in Kalos and when I was a kid, I saw a hex maniac during my stay in Lumiose City… She told me the whole opposite of that…”
“...I don't remember what she looked like, I barely got to see her before she just… vanished like a ghost! But…”
“...Could THAT be what you mean…? And, to be more specific, could you be that girl?!”
As if shame and fear never made their way into Serena's body, she spoke with her voice growing more and more curious and clearly excited as she slowly pieced together what, to her, made the most sense.
And for a moment, she really did think that her theory was correct, but as Hex understood what Serena was asking her, the Yūrei simply tilted her head to the side, like a confused wild animal not understanding an action. Serena immediately took it as a sign for her to speak slowly so that Hex could properly communicate with her.
“...S-Sorry about that… (Ahem…!) So, as I asked… There was this girl in Lumiose City who was probably a hex maniac, and once she ran into me, she said I was ‘not the one’, then vanished before I could even ask her anything…” Serena started, with Hex nodding as the blonde spoke, indicating that she got that part and that she should continue speaking.
“So, since you keep telling me the opposite of that sentence, I thought that, maybe, you two are related in some way…”
“And so came my other question — Are you that girl?”
Serena slowly went over it once more, with Hex surprisingly enough, nodding. Serena was surprised because, not only did that mean she got it right, it also meant that Hex herself remembered the occurrence despite it happening years prior to this.
But now confusion settled in as, despite having some answers to her questions, Serena still didn't know why she suddenly went from not being the one to being just that.
Be it out of fear or just momentary satisfaction with those answers however, Serena nodded firmly after receiving her answers, and so, the blonde silently settled with her newly-obtained knowledge while still slowly scratching Hex's head.
“...”
“...S-Say, you're a spirit, aren't you…?” Serena asked, with Hex for once nodding almost immediately after she finished speaking.
Serena wasn't aware of the general situation regarding the weird centipede-like bugs, so she just did not even think of asking about it, and so, to her, Hex was just a restless spirit, nothing else. And that alone made Serena less afraid of her, feeling like a fountain of fear was washed off of her.
“I see…”
“T-That helps, so thank you!” Serena for once, after hours of pure terror, would smile a light smile at Hex. The Yūrei herself seemed rather surprised by the action, leaning closer to inspect her features. The blonde one allowed that to happen, not feeling anywhere as scared of her as before. Then, after a bit of inspection from the occult lady's end, Serena would speak up again, now looking a bit more optimistic than before.
“So… To help you… What to do to help you…” She pondered for a moment, before talking once more.
“Well… if you're a restless spirit, it must mean you have things left pending, right…? S-So… let's start from there…!”
Hex nodded once, now letting out small groans and whimpers as if trying to speak but hurting from that fact itself. Serena took note of that, and immediately poked Hex's cheek lightly as to get her attention, before speaking up once again, this time in a calmer and much friendlier tone.
“...H-Hey, you don't need to talk, okay? You can just… nod! Or shake your head, depending on if I get something right or wrong. W-We don't need to rush, right? So there's no problem in taking things slow…”
Hex tilted her head to the side at first, but then nodded slowly once she understood what Serena was trying to convey, and then the two began the small questionnaire.
“Alright…! Let's start with a simple one then. Are you trying to seek revenge?” Hex shook her head ‘no’.
“...Okay… So… are you looking after a loved one or a child?” Hex once again shook her head, making Serena ponder for a moment, before she continued.
“...Hmm… So then, did you… umm… happen to suffer a… violent death…?” Hex finally nodded, which caused Serena's face to drop instantly, now looking more sad than anything, now that she knew this spirit was likely not a malicious one whatsoever.
“...I see. Did you… at least happen to have a funeral ceremony after…?” Hex shook her head ‘no’, which only made Serena's frown grow significantly larger as she took a moment to sort out her mental notes, before continuing again.
“Oh… I see. (Sigh…) Well then, for the last question, would you say you passed on without having your feelings corresponded by someone you loved?” Hex tilted her head to the side, unsure of how to respond — it was seemingly more complicated than just a plain black and white, yes or no response. Serena thought that that could be the case, so she just nodded in response to Hex's confusion, before going silent for a moment.
“...O-Okay. I think that's… all? I know more about you now, thanks to that. S-So… you know… I'm sure we can solve your situation together.”
“...I used to be reeeal unsure of myself when we met, I bet you could tell. But I'm not that kid anymore! And if there's something I learned throughout the years, it was to never give up! So I'm going to do my best to help you…!”
Serena's words suddenly turned much more determined and energetic, almost like she had recovered all the energy she lost after stepping inside this old, decaying household. Hex seemed surprised for a moment, if any emotion could even be conveyed through that creepy, frozen expression to begin with.
That was it — She really was the one. Even if she had been scared half to death not long before this, even if she had been personally chased down inside that house, she somehow still bounced back, and managed to remain hopeful. That was what changed in Serena, and what made her go from not being the one, to fitting that very same bill she unknowingly failed to meet all those years ago.
Due to that realisation, Hex would abruptly lean closer to Serena's face, only to change routes completely before just… throwing herself fully on top of the blonde, pressing her icy cold face against her chest, wanting to be close to her, to feel warmth and to feel her heartbeat, having this one sign of human emotion left in her body as she quickly wrapped her arms around Serena's back and waist, clutching desperately like she didn't want to let go after getting her hands on the one, on her one.
Serena didn't flinch at all this time, she allowed it to happen and, surprisingly enough, went out of her way to reciprocate the embrace as well, gently holding her palms against the cold surface of the hex maniac's back while also slowly patting it in a comforting, gentle manner.
“...There, there... It will… all be okay soon!” Serena comforted, feeling Hex's head slowly pushing itself up and down against her chest, slowly but surely, like a nod, which she took as such.
More restless groans and whining noises would leave Hex's body as that happened, with her refusing to let go for even a second, while the blonde photographer just sat idly, letting the Yūrei follow with those possessive, terrified embraces, although she would speak up once more in an attempt to reassure Hex that her plans didn't revolve around getting on her good side, then running off as fast as she could and as far as she could.
“...Hey, hey! Don't worry, I'm not going to disappear… It's a promise! So there's no need to be scared, okay?!” She spoke in an almost light-hearted manner, like she was just talking to a friend rather than the very person who was lurking around that old house, who stalked her as she ventured into it, and who she saw as a terrifying creature not even too long ago.
For a moment, Hex herself forgot about all of that, as the body itself felt seen, and not by scared eyes, but concerned, yet friendly ones. The chimera didn't even have a say in any of this, the host, albeit already dead for ages was acting on her own emotions and on her own accord, and, even if for just a moment, the bugs didn't feel the mindless desire to expand and to grow, nor to make Serena their new host as their improved and perfect vessel which was their original idea.
The two would stay like that for a little while longer, before Serena eventually let out a small sigh, only to shift positions slightly, feeling her butt dormant since she sat down in that same spot for far too long now.
“...Ouch. Hah…”
“...Hey, we should get moving.” Serena slowly spoke, her tone gentle and calm, nothing like her behaviour from before. It comforted Hex, who just nodded silently, still clinging to Serena, who after a bit of effort due to having an entire body on top of her weighing her down, got up from the dusty, dirty closet floor, and, while still having Hex clinging onto her, walked out of it, noticing by the bedroom window how it had been so long in fact, that the dark sky was already turning into a gentle sunrise.
The blonde would slowly get Hex's hands off of her—who did not appreciate it, but allowed it to happen—after successfully getting the occult woman to stand up on her own. And after thoroughly dusting herself off, she went back to the closet, grabbed her camera and attached it back to her neck before going back to Hex, only to silently signal for her to come closer.
When she did, Serena wasted no time before lifting her off the floor bridal style. It took her some effort, but she persisted and began to carry the hex maniac outside of the bedroom, before finally walking out through the kitchen's exit door rather than the front door, starting to head towards a town seemingly close by. As she walked, Hex clung to her tightly, digging her nailless fingertips into Serena's shoulders, which did not fail to get her attention.
“...Are you alright?” Serena asked, looking confused and a little worried now, before continuing to speak calmly.
“Don't worry, we're just heading to the nearest town my eyes can see. I'm just sooo tired, ugh…”
“But… I'm not brushing off what I said I’d do. I told you I'd help you, no? As soon as we're out there, I'll get you a proper ceremony, so you won't just be forgotten…”
“...”
“...Actually, I never caught your name, now that I think about it… But I'll figure it out. I took many photos of that house anyway.”
The hex maniac would silently listen to Serena speaking, saying nothing aside from the occasional groans and whining, and while she wanted to speak out her name, she remembered Serena telling her that it was fine if she didn't talk at all, and simply remained silent. Although, the fact that Serena was still so dead set on getting her a proper ceremony did something to Hex.
Her heart didn't do any flips, she had no heart anymore, physically. If anything the centipedes were turning and churning inside of her, but Hex was certain she felt something.
As Serena continued to walk, the occult woman would quietly dig her fingers into her shoulders once again to get her attention, and when the blonde stopped walking to see what it was, Hex, with some effort, leaned closer to Serena's face only to then push her cold, stiff lips against Serena's warm and soft ones, planting an untrained kiss at that moment.
Serena felt shocked at first, confused too. She initially displayed no reaction whatsoever, but as Hex kept their lips pressed together, she slowly pushed her own lips against Hex's, sealing the promise she had felt compelled to fulfill.
By corresponding the kiss, Serena indirectly fulfilled one of Hex's still pending businesses, and by sealing that kiss on her own accord, Serena would set the final nail in the coffin. She pulled away a few more moments after, and once she did, she would come to realise how Hex had grown even more unresponsive.
Serena didn't flinch, didn't pout — didn't cry, let alone smile or laugh. The very creature or thing that she had been so terrified of for the past many hours was in reality just a victim in the grand scheme of things. And while she didn't know the full story of what had happened to Hex, her mind was made up, and she was determined to do her at least some justice, both for the sake of keeping her promise, and for the sake of preserving the memory of their first encounter years back, wanting to preserve it as something odd, but meaningful rather than just the full-blown terrorising night that it had been.
And so, Serena Yvonne Gabena ends up surviving that night and that encounter. She would then take another look at the corpse in her arms, looking at the smudged blood around her mouth, assuming she too had some in her lips, before lifting her face up to face the horizon as the sun rose, resuming her walk as she got further away from the lonely little house in the middle of nowhere, passing through the waves of overgrown crops and grass while watching the sunrise with a new objective in mind.