The Chimera (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 2)
Chapter Thirty: The Underworld Part Two

Ashley sensed immense distress in her friends’ auras. Earlier, she had tried to persuade them not to come here but she was only met by fierce protests. If they were facing anyone else Ashley would have ignored them but this was Ethan they were dealing with; Ashley knew he would never hurt anyone unless provoked.

Trying her best to remain calm, she looked at Richard. His face was staring at the powerful ocean waves that crushed against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff on which they stood. She couldn’t help but imagine just how hard all this was for him. Back at the school, just after Ethan had left, Richard was the one most against her coming to this place. She knew Richard meant well, but this was something she had to do.

She now had a chance to finally know more about her father. Her mother— without telling anyone— had been secretly searching for him and maybe after this was over, closure would come to both her mother and herself.

“Richard, I have to do this,” Ashley said, moving closer to Richard. “But you don’t have to be here.”

“Under no circumstance will I leave you alone with that monster.”

There was no hint of affection in Richard’s voice; his emotions were under the control of his hatred for Ethan. “Look Ashley, if replaceing out about your father is all you want then there many other ways we can resort to.”

“Richard, I...”

“You are letting your feelings overshadow your judgment, Richard.”

Everyone was startled by the voice that suddenly spoke. Ashley turned behind her and saw Talya— wearing a black coat— leaning against a tree with her arms crossed. Talya walked towards them and her brown eyes looked intensely at Richard.

“What are you doing here, Talya?” Richard asked in a distant voice.

“Wow... And here I thought our time in Lideth had brought us closer,” Talya replied, placing one hand over her hip. When Richard gave no reply, she sighed and said, “As hard as it is for me to believe, Ethan was the one who invited me here. Apparently, he was sure that the half-breed would accept his offer. Whatever it is that he wants in the Underworld it must be important since he's neglected to kill me.”

“All the more reason to prevent him from going there,” Richard said. “You of all people Talya know that there is nothing good that comes from making deals with him.”

Talya’s eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. “Richard, are you so blinded by your own selfish desires that you cannot see the opportunity presented to us by this situation?”

With barely enough time to contemplate what Talya had just said, Ashley saw Ethan appear from the edge of the cliff. To everyone, it looked as though he had just walked right out of thin air but he only came out of his Pocket Dimension; which was inaccessible to everyone except those who knew the secret words to chant.

Even though Ashley was sure Ethan heard what Talya was saying earlier he made no comment about it and more shocking what he did next.

Ethan walked past Ashley, towards Samantha and the rest of her friends.

“Is something wrong?” Samantha asked Ethan.

“Not particularly,” Ethan replied. “I just wasn’t expecting to see the little mermaid’s entire party here with her. My brother and the Sea-witch are more than capable of guaranteeing her safety.”

“Well, we’re her friends. And we will not let her face any danger alone,” Samantha replied, but this time she smiled. Ethan on the other hand kept looking at her. It may have been Ashley’s mind playing tricks on her, but she was sure Ethan looked as if he was worried for some reason. He seemed really keen on making sure Samantha left.

“I assure you, no harm will come to your friend,” Ethan finally said. “But if I may...”

Ethan offered his hand to Samantha and she looked just as perplexed as everyone. Reluctantly, Samantha gives him his hand. Ethan then chanted a few words and Ashley saw Samantha close her eyes and take in a deep breath.

“What was that?” Samantha asked after opening her eyes.

“Walk towards the cliff and you will see,” replied Ethan, his hands resigning into the pocket of his dark red leather coat.

There was no hesitation in Samantha’s eyes as she did what Ethan had asked. She walked to the cliff and without stopping, she suddenly vanished.

“What happened?” Luke suddenly exclaimed, his eyes wide and fixed on Ethan. Before Ethan could reply Samantha came back with a wide smile on her face.

“I never really had the chance to appreciate how beautiful your place is last time,” Samantha suddenly said, as she walked out of the Pocket Dimension.

Ethan walked towards Ashley but before he could say or do anything. Richard stepped in.

“Last time you got this close to Ashley I was too weak to stop you,” he said.

Ethan, who usually had a reply for everything, remained silent and moved to the edge of the cliff. There he chanted some words and said, “You and your friends should be able to enter. The spell that kills any normal human whenever the sun rises has been temporarily lifted.”

After saying those words, Ethan walked into the Pocket Dimension.

Ashley and the rest followed behind. Soft gasps, came out of Luke and Claire’s mouths when they finally entered and saw Ethan’s Manor.

“Hey Claire,” Luke said. “Remember that old book we stumbled upon in the library achieves.”

“Yeah, it was an account of the strange happenings in Ravenhill,” Claire replied. “It did mention something about how some people were seen to disappear on at a certain cliff and were never seen again.”

Talya suddenly cut into the conversation and said, “This Pocket Dimension is probably hundreds if not thousands of years old. Sometimes the magic that keeps people from entering begins to weaken and even the most ordinary are able to enter.”

“Talya,” Ashley said. She was about to ask what she meant when she had earlier said that their being here was an opportunity. But that was when she realized that Ethan was walking at a distance from them and could probably hear them clearly.

“You wanted to ask something, half-breed?” Talya asked, in a rather unwelcoming tone.

“Never mind,” said Ashley.

Samantha came to her.

“Hey Ash,” she said. “Don’t you think something is off about Ethan?”

“You do realize he can hear you right?” Ashley replied with a smile; a smile which grew even wider when she saw Ethan look back at her and turn away.

“Oops,” Samantha said and giggled.

“You seem to be handling all this quite well,” Ashley said to Samantha.

“Well, I have to admit that I was a little terrified at first but after Ethan assured us that you would be safe... I just believe him for some reason,” Samantha said, looking in Ethan’s direction.

“We’ve only known him a few days and one thing is for sure... He always keeps his word,” Ashley commented. A part of her was hoping to get an emotional response from Ethan but he kept walking until he reached the door of his mansion. He left it open after entering and when everyone had entered, the door closed.

“Magic house?” Claire asked.

“More like ‘magical owner’,” Samantha said to Claire whilst pointing at Ethan.

“Now then,” Ethan said. “Little Mermaid, if you don’t mind...” He gestured his hand towards his right; inviting Ashley over.

Richard held Ashley by her hand.

“Richard?”

“Answer one question, Ethan,” Richard said. “Why did you ask this of Ashley in the first place? Why bring Talya here? I know you have the power to enter the Underworld on your own. You offered her a chance to see her father... That wasn’t out of the goodness of your heart. So what do you get in return?”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Ethan.

“You were always quite the inquisitive one weren’t you, little brother?” Ethan turned and faced Ashley. “My brother is right in saying that I can go to the Underworld anytime I choose. However, it is not a matter of how to get there... It’s about where we are going once we arrive.”

“And where are you going exactly?” Richard asked.

“That’s none of your concern,” replied Ethan. “However, there is one other thing I neglected to mention before... and it’s the main reason I have you here, little brother. To enter the Underworld, the little mermaid will have to agree to be physically linked to me.”

“Richard!” Ashley screamed when Richard suddenly dashed at Ethan and grabbed him by the neck. Two large wings of flames had come out of his back and an orange glow was burning in his eyes as he looked at Ethan.

“And in what world do you think I will ever allow such a thing to happen to her?!” Richard shouted.

“Richard stop--”

“Stand back Ashley!”

Ashley was shaken by the tone of Richard’s voice. The room was getting hotter by the second and Ashley so that Samantha, Luke, and Claire begin to stagger due to the intense heat that was building up.

“Little brother”

Ethan swiftly snapped Richard’s neck. Richard fell to the ground and Ashley run to him.

“He will be fine,” Ethan said. “You must know by now that that isn’t enough to kill a dark creature.”

“He shouldn’t have come here,” Ashley said, caressing Richard’s face. The purple marks around his neck were already starting to fade and his neck began to heal. As the room cooled down, Ashley asked, “What did you mean by physically linked?”

“He means he plans on using you as a shield. Being physically linked means whatever happens to him will happen to you. When the Chimera enters the Underworld, his soul will be separated from his body. His body will be vulnerable and can easily be destroyed. Which is why he needs you?” Talya laughed. “And here I thought the Chimera would never resort to such cowardly tactics.”

“Ethan, is that true?” Ashley asked,

It took a while for Ethan to answer.

“Little Mermaid, use your claws to slightly cut your palm,” he said.

“Use my... What?” Ashley was both scared and confused. She gathered her thoughts together and did as Ethan asked. After extending her fingernails into claws she clasped her hand into a fist, gritting her teeth as her claws pierced her palm. Even Talya was surprised when she saw Ethan’s hand bleeding and there were four claw marks on his palm.

“What is this?” Talya asked.

“It’s not I who holds the little mermaid’s life but she holds mine,” Ethan looked at Ashley. “Simply put, if you die, I die. But what happens to me will have no consequences on you..." He sighed. "And now that everything is cleared up, it’s time for the Sea-Witch to send us to the Underworld. As you cannot directly perform the spell on me the little mermaid will act as my ticket there.”

“And what makes you think I will not kill the Half=Breed myself,” Talya asked with an intense look at Ashley.

“Because you’d be dead before you even lay a hand on her”

“Ah little brother, you’re already awake,” Ethan said as Richard stood up, stretching his neck.

“As always the Chimera is a thousand steps ahead of me,” Richard said. “So I am to play the role of your bodyguard while you’re gone. But why bring Talya here? There are countless witches out there who’d more than gladly give their lives to serve you.”

" ‘Keep your friends close but your enemies even closer’ isn’t that how the saying goes?” Ethan replied.

"′ Whether friend or foe, death, darkness, and destruction he will bring to you all’" Richard spoke. “I recall that’s from a poem about you, Chimera.”

There was a brief silence in the room and Ashley’s body was as stiff as a rock. She didn’t know how to intervene whenever these two brothers were like this. So she did the first thing that came to her mind.

“We are wasting time here,” she said.

Ethan and Richard turned to her.

“The little mermaid is right,” Ethan uttered. Ashley flinched a little when a small spark of fire shot out of one of Ethan’s fingers. When it landed on the floor it inscribed two large circles with bright orange flames burning as high as her knees. The flames weren’t spreading and only burnt around the circle. Ethan walked into one of them and gestured at Ashley to stand in the other.

Slowly walking into the circle, multiple symbols began to glow wherever she stepped in. Ashley faintly overheard Talya mention something about ‘soul protection spells’ to Ethan but didn’t inquire about it.

All her friends were worriedly staring at her.

“I will be alright guys,” Ashley tried reassuring them. She wanted to mention that one of the most powerful beings in the realms would be there to make sure no harm came to her but Ethan was probably the reason why they were all worried. In all honesty, Ashley too was afraid. The uncertainty of why Ethan needed her for this was eating her up all this time. She kept telling herself that this was a chance to finally replace out the truth about her father but was it really the only reason? Ashley threw a gaze at Ethan. Strangely. she caught sight of him looking at Samantha. When he noticed her watching him, Ethan turned away.

Something was wrong here. Ethan’s actions that night weren’t consistent with the way he usually was. Samantha too had noticed it earlier. Ethan had gone as far as to cast a spell on himself that physically linked him to Ashley. Right now, she literally held his life in her hands and yet, he didn’t seem to be the least bit concerned about that. There was also the fact that he allowed all of Ashley’s friends to enter his Pocket Dimension; almost as if he didn’t want to have an argument as to whether or not they should come.

But something else bothered Ashley even more and that was something she hoped to replace out from him once they were alone.

However, Ashley was sure about one thing; something had happened to Ethan after he met with her earlier that day.

“Are you ready, Half-breed?”

Ashley was pulled back to reality when she heard Talya’s voice. Talya stood on the other side of the fire circle Ashley was in.

Nodding her head slowly, Ashley asked, “Are you sending us to the Underworld now?”

“Indeed... To be honest, I had thought about killing you once we met again, but I guess this counts too.”

Ashley was unsure whether Talya was joking or serious.

“So how does this spell work?” Ashley asked.

“It’s quite simple actually... The magic circles created by the Chimera will create a portal connecting our world to the Underworld. This portal is different in the sense that only souls can pass through and my job is to keep the portal open for as long as you are there. The moment I cast my spell you will die and so will the Chimera. Both your souls will enter the Underworld and the rest will be up to you.”

“I see.” Ashley gave Ethan a quick look and said, “I am ready.”

Talya took a step back. A deadly smirk crossed her face as she raised her arm and it was then that Ashley realized that something; though it was too late. What felt like a hot wave enveloped Ashley’s body and everything went black and silent.

Ashley was unsure of how long she’d been unconscious. A cold wind was blowing against her body and as she slowly opened her eyes all she could see was a grey sky with dark clouds. She was surrounded by a thick fog which restricted her vision to only a few meters. When she tried to stand her body fell to the ground like a puppet loosed from its strings.

Taking in a deep breath, Ashley sat up and realized that she was completely naked and what covered her body was an old dusty black coat. She looked around again.

That’s right. I am in the Underworld, Ashley thought.

“I see you’ve finally awakened,” a voice came from behind. It was Ethan.

Ashley turned and saw him dressed in black leather boots, trousers, and a black dusty shirt. Standing up slowly, Ashley said, “How long have I been out?”

“Roughly, three days,” Ethan answered.

“Three days! Everyone back must be worried,” Ashley exclaimed, while at the same time holding her coat tightly to keep it from falling.

“Don’t worry little mermaid,” Ethan said. “Where we are right now, three days does even come close to one second back on Earth. Even if we, were to return now, it would probably be right at the moment Talya killed you. However, there are more aspects to this place that I don't have the patience to go over, even with the almost unlimited time we have.”

Ashley gave out a sigh of relief. She noticed some clothes laying on the ground and assumed they were for her. After picking them up, she looked at Ethan, who was staring at something in the far distance. A small smile crept its way across her face as she began to put on the clothes. They did fit her well. Black boots, leather jeans, and blacktop and coat; Ashley wondered if Ethan had randomly picked these or if he actually did spend time choosing them.

Ashley felt her body tingling and could almost picture her face becoming red when she realized that he probably was the one who covered her with the coat.

That means he saw me while I was...

Shaking her head viscously, Ashley threw away that thought.

“Is something the matter?” Ethan asked, looking at her with curious, yet slightly confused, eyes.

“Nothing really,” Ashley replied with a nervous smile. “So, Ethan. You said, that three days here isn’t even a second on Earth. So long how are we going to be here and just what is it that you are after?”

“The answer to your first question is not quite simple. Different regions of the Underworld correspond to different time densities.”

“So, there are places in the Underworld where three days would maybe be a hundred, if not a thousand, Earth years?” Ashley asked.

“I often forget how astute you are little mermaid,” Ethan said. Ashley knew it wasn’t exactly a compliment to make her feel good about herself. Ethan always pointed out facts and that’s what all that was.

Ashley walked closer to Ethan who again was staring at something beyond the fog.

“What is out there, Ethan?” she asked.

After being silent for a few seconds, Ethan said, “Memories of the past.” He let out a sigh. “I guess there is no avoiding it this time.”

Ethan started walking and Ashley followed. It seemed he was able to see clearly in this fog. Ashley heightened her vision and everything started becoming clearer. It looked like they were surrounded by desert land. Looking up, Ashley realized that they were neither moon nor stars yet everything around appeared to be lit up by a grey light. There was no color and everything around looked like a scene from a black-and-white movie. The air, though cold, carried no natural scent with it and Ashley couldn’t detect any sign of life.

“This truly is the land of the dead,” Ashley said. “It’s vast, yet empty. No life, no color. I have heard many myths about the Underworld but I never dreamed that I would ever be here. That’s right... You still haven’t answered my other question. Why are we here Ethan? What are you after?”

Ethan stopped walking. The fog was becoming thinner and Ashley could see a few rocky hills in the distance ahead of them. But that wasn’t why Ethan had stopped moving. Ashley noticed that there was a set of footprints that appeared to have been made by someone barefoot.

Quickly squatting down to take a closer look, Ashley said, “These look human. Someone was here!”

“The footprints haven’t been covered by the wind,” Ethan commented. “Whoever made these is still close by.”

“Ashley?”

If they were ever a moment Ashley felt both great happiness and sorrow at the same time, it was at that time. She couldn’t believe her own ears.

“Ash, that’s you right?”

Ashley’s body was shaking; overwhelmed by all the emotions surging through her. Her eyes burnt hot with tears and a lump formed in her throat, making her unable to speak even if she wanted to. Slowly, she turned.

It was her, Ashley thought. She had the same pearl green eyes, short smooth brown hair but it was her voice that sent burning waves in Ashley’s heart.

“Ashley, it is you right?”

Now, just like Ashley, her eyes were becoming wet with tears. In that dark cold monochromatic realm called the Underworld, Ashley saw the first bit of colors and it wore a lovely creamy white dress and lit up the realm with her lovely. And like everything about her, she carried one of the most beautiful names Ashley had the greatest pleasure of knowing.

“It is me... Alex, I am here,” Ashley said with a little smile.

***

Thank you so much for reading this chapter!!!