Irini was currently walking down the corridor towards her sister's chambers. She knows she should be in a hurry but instead she was dragging her feet. Erica hasn't been feeling well the last couple days despite being in prime health,physically speaking. She wouldn't come out of her room and she was neglecting her duties.

As a result,the entire third class was close to falling into chaos. Marriages were dissolving over pointless reasons,like a badly cooked dinner or a fight for a favorite show. Engagements and romantic relationships seemed to suffer a similar fate.The carriers of this class were sensing their mother's distress and it prevented them from working.

Also,the humans seemed all too eager to destroy any bond in their lives, all the more so now that their emotional stability was close to nonexistent due to the close connection between the girls of the third class and the humans.

Irini knocked on the door when she arrived in front of her sister's chambers. As usual,she got no reply so she let herself in.The room was dark and the only light present was coming from the corridor. It was most unusual.Erica loved to have at least one candle lit up at all times,if not for its light then for the chance to enjoy the quiet and majestic dancing of the flame.

Irini left the door open because without the light coming from the corridor she couldn't see a thing and Erica had refused to install any electrical devices in her room so there were no switches to open ceiling lights. She continued to walk inside the room carefully while trying to find her sister. Unfortunately for her the window to the next room was open and a strong breeze of air was invading the room making it colder and closing the door behind her. Irini turned around in a desperate attempt to save her only source of light but she failed.

The door closed and she was left in the darkness.Suddenly she heard the sound of another door closing. She turned around again in panic only to see that the door to the main room had been closed as well. How did it happen? The air was strong enough to move the wooden door that connected the apartment to the corridor but there was no way it could have closed the big metallic door that connected the anteroom with the bedroom.

Unless....Irini moved carefully towards that door trying to open it, thankfully she was right in front of it when she lost the light,but she couldn't. It was locked. Erica had locked her out of her bedroom.

-Erica! Open the door. This isn't funny

-Darkness never is.Why don't you try to open the corridor door again? That will make you feel better.

-You know I have bad night vision. If I try to walk to the other side of the room I will probably break something.

-You will. I can assure you of that because I know you.

Irini just gave up after her sister's answer and let her body slip against the wall and sit on the floor.

-What's wrong sister?

-What do you mean?

-I thought we had stopped playing this game of ignorance since the previous multiverse.

Erica didn't answer but Irini heard her sister approach the door and for a moment she hoped she was coming to unlock it but instead Erica sat down with her back against the door,opposite of her sister. Irini got worried when she heard Erica breathe out a painful sigh that almost turned into a sob. If the door wasn't made of metal,Irini would break it down.But Erica's breathing told Irini that her sister had managed to regain her composure. But,what was the point of trying to appear strong when no one can see you?

-I was thinking of what you said. That you were afraid of moving because you may break something so you sit alone in the dark. Life is somewhat like that. When darkness enfolds us, we want to stand still and do nothing. Just wait until the sun comes back so we can make the right decisions.But life is more cruel than darkness. Even if you do nothing,you still hear something breaking. And it's usually the one thing you love most of all.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

-Erica,what are you trying to say?

Suddenly the corridor door opened once again and light dominated the room once again,only now it was unwanted by Irini. She wanted to hear the voice of her sister inside the darkness just a while longer. It seemed as if it spoke alongside her. She lifted her eyes to see who had dared disturb this sacred nothingness only to see short curls which the bright light hid their true shape and made them look more like tentacles in the head prepared to strangle you and lead you to the inevitable.

-Andromeda

Andromeda seemed untouched by her sister's almost relieved call. She walked right across the lobby to the metallic door,ignoring Irini who was still curled up on the floor,and banged on the door loudly,so much so that the loud noise of the metallic sound echoed across the room causing Irini,whose head was still in touch with the door, a splitting headache.

-Erica. Come out. Fate has requested our presence.

Irini stood up quickly and touched Andromeda's arm

-Please,Andromeda. Something is not right. I haven seen her like this since she broke up with Shakespeare.

Andromeda took her eyes away from the door and leaned to whisper in Irini's ear

-Trust me. I know she is not alright.But Fate has ordered the guards to keep an eye on us and if we don't come out of this room,all of us,in the next five minutes she is going to come down here herself. And I want to avoid that at all costs.

It is unknown if Erica heard them or not but she unlocked the door and stormed out of the room so fast that she nearly knocked Andromeda and Irini over,who didn't get the chance to even see Erica's face,they just started running after her.

Despite the fact that they had been summoned,they had to wait fifteen whole minutes to be allowed entrance to the throne room. However degrading it may be,it was not unpleasant because they all knew what kind of welcome awaited them.

When they were finally permitted audience with Fate they walked inside with her heads looking down as she had ordered them in their previous meeting.They didn't see her face,they only heard her footsteps as she approached them.

The next thing they saw was Erica falling down,touching her cheek in pain to the spot where Fate had hit her.This enraged Andromeda and Irini but there wasn't much they could do. If they attacked Fate now,no doubt she would take it out on Erica later

In the meantime Fate was busy towering over Erica shouting and insulting her.

-I was much too lenient with you. I gave you the necessary time to mourn and get over it. And how do you repay me? By choosing to condemn your daughters to death and causing me even more troubles than I already have!

Irini couldn't stop herself from asking the following question

-Pardon the intrusion,your Majesty,but why should she be grieving?

Fate started laughing loudly and clapping her hands as she started walking in the room

-She didn't tell you! Oh,how thankful I am for her cowardice.That means I get to inform you of the greatest joy I have received since my return.Paimon called your precious Erica about ten days ago to tell her the news. Eve is dead. And that means my claim to the throne is now solidified.

Fate wasn't looking at their direction.She had her back in their direction.There was no point in trying to savor their expressions as they were looking at the floor anyway. But she did hear the sound of them falling to the floor.She turned around to see that all of them had fainted. She let out a disappointed sigh. She was expecting screams and curses,not this.

After a few failed attempts to wake them,she decided to call Johanna. They were going to be severely punished for this.Johanna came as soon as she could but not soon enough to avoid Fate's yelling. She didn't care however. She reacted only to those she respected. It only took a few minutes for Johanna to realize what was wrong with the three High Spirits and she felt truly afraid.

-Well? What is wrong with them?

-What did you do?

--Excuse me? Careful how you speak to me before I get angry

-Careful what you say because I am currently the only one who can at least keep them alive and I haven't seen anything like this ever since Mary's collapse after Eve's previous life's death in the previous multiverse

-Cut the history lesson. What is wrong with them?

-Their bodies just shut down. A shock shook them so hard it affected their very will to live so the body stopped working to preserve the basic functions. So I will ask one again, what did you tell them?

-.....I told them that....Eve has died. Erica has known it for days now but I wrongfully assumed that the others knew as well.

Johanna stumbled back and she almost fell alongside the bodies as if she was about to collapse herself. She felt like she couldn't breathe but she believed she could find the strength to shout but she failed.Instead,she ran out of the throne room in panic but not before telling Fate to transport each and every one of them to their rooms.

Johanna was close to panicking but she needed to collect herself because right now she couldn't even remember the tools and equipment she needed. Almost as soon as she left the throne room she bumped into someone and fell on the floor. Whoever stood in her way didn't make any move to help her and that aggravated her even more

-Watch where you are going! I have the worst day of my life already and I don't plan on inventing a new kind of messed up day!

-Every one of your days is your worst.

Johanna looked up in shock only to see Haures staring down at her with a smirk on his face. She stood up quickly.

-Haures! What are you doing here? I thought I told you to rest and certainly not use portal transportation.Why doesn't anyone take into consideration what I say anymore?

-Relax. I took it easy for almost two weeks.I won't lay down in bed for 40 days. I have business to attend to.

-Well,maybe you should stay home for 40 days. Paimon is with Thanos?

-Of course. If you ask me that, you must be very confused right now. Thankfully,this day is your lucky one,more than you know.

-I doubt it but humor me.

Haures took a step to the left and Johanna fell back down to the floor again. A tall girl was standing behind him that she didn't notice before.She was wearing blue jeans and a bright green shirt that matched her bright skin complexion. Her brown eyes and brown curly hair seemed to contradict her white skin but it was beautiful nonetheless.

-Eve. You are back and you....are alive.

Johanna couldn't stand on her feet from the relief,joy and excitement. Which dissolved when Eve asked her next question.

-Yes,I'm happy to be back.Where are my sisters anyway? I can't feel their presence anywhere in the palace.