It was dark,despite the fact that the light of the torches dominated the corridor. It seemed like a constant darkness was always present,the kind that you don't see but you can feel in every fiber of your being,that a simple fire was not enough to penetrate. It needed something more. It needed life.

The sound of metal clicking made them hide quickly behind a corner. When the soldiers were gone Paimon signaled them to follow him and after they walked fifty meters or so,he opened a door and they all hid inside,safe,for the time being.

The moment the door closed behind him they all breathed a sigh of relief. Haures was the first to speak after he settled Thanos down on the bed,who surprisingly hasnt woken up despite the sound of doors opening and closing,metal armours banging against eachother due to the close proximity of the guards doing patrols and random screams of Shadows being tortured.

-We need a plan. We didn't come here to hide.

-You are right but there is no need for us to get caught when we just arrived. Paimon,are you sure no-one is coming in here?

-This is my old room and I used to be away a lot for obvious reasons so there is no danger of my past self walking through these doors and I highly doubt anyone would dare set foot inside the chambers of one of the Princes. We can stay here for as long as we need to.

-But that only solves one of our problems. We need to interact with them. Eve must come in contact with Fate and befriend her if necessary in order for us to find her weak spot and use it.

-We will need disguises for that.

-Not necessarily. The multiverse itself has something that resembles an "immune system" to avoid the interaction between past,present and future which could break its structural consistency of energy lines. So the moment we stepped out of the portal our energy lines immediately started swifting and changed our appearances and energy signature to match this time period. We can still see each other as we normally are but only us. As long as we dont touch our past selves we have nothing to worry about technically. The problem is to the eyes of the guards and everyone else we are still strangers,meaning intruders. And we all know what we did to them at that time.

-If we are done with the preschool physic's lesson Eve should have taken an age 5 but obviously didn't,can we get back to the matter at hand? I...

At that moment the door suddenly opened and for a moment everyone's breath caught in their throats until they saw it was only a little girl who obviously was trying to hide from her friends in midst of playing but Haures was still concerned and tried to kick her out but the little girl proved to be faster than him and easily escaped his grasp and moved to the center of the room where she stood looking all three of them curiously and excitedly.

-No,I am not going. I am hiding.

Eve decided not to follow Haures's somewhat aggressive approach and knelt down in front of the child trying to look as kind and unthreatening as possible because if this girl got scared and started screaming,they would all be in big trouble.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

-Don't be afraid,sweetie. We are hiding too so if you don't make a sound none of us is going to get caught. What's your name,little one?

-Johanna, ma'am and I are not little because I have a big brain and even bigger ambitions.

-And an even louder voice

Johanna pouted hearing Haures's rude remark but she quickly got over and showed him her tongue mockingly and approached him trying to look threatening while in truth she was adorable.

-Yeah,I speak loudly because even though I am little I have learned that no one really listens even though they have ears so if I cannot be heard at least I won't be ignored.

-Maybe everyone doesn't listen to you because you are just a small child.

-The brain has no age.

She turned around and her eyes shone brightly when she spotted Thanos still asleep on the bed and she started clapping excitedly.

-A baby!

Haures's protective instincts kicked in right away and he lifted Johanna up before she had a chance to make two steps.

-Yes and you are staying far away because if you wake that baby up I am going to be mad.

-I am not scared. So what is it? A boy or a girl? It looks so peaceful so it must be a girl. And such a white complexion,are you sure it is alive? Maybe you should put me down so I can go check. Is it yours? No of course not,you are too grumpy,what woman would have you? And you don't even look alike anyway. Did you find it on the street? Om some basket?

Haures was listening dumbfounded at her rambling while Paimon was laughing so hard he had landed on a nearby armchair, holding his stomach from the laughter. Eve seemed to try to hide her smile but it was obvious that if she could,she would laugh just as hard as Paimon. Johanna didn't stop talking until Haures put her down but still blocked her way to the bed.

-You didn't tell us why you are hiding.

Johanna turned to Paimon who had asked her and she immediately lost her smile and a look of fear appeared on her face,not sure if she could trust these strangers but eventually she decided to take the risk.

-Haures is after me.

That sentence got everyone's attention and Eve hugged her, trying to reassure her fears.

-Why is he after you?

-He fears that I will reveal his secret.

Eve casted a look at Haures standing besides her but his eyes didn't show any indication of understanding what Johanna was referring to,so Eve turned back to the small child who was nuzzling in her chest

-Which secret,dear?

-I am not allowed to say but it was something I did for him and he wants to pretend it never happened

-He regretted it?

-No he just wants to present a different version of how it happened. I can't tell more.And now he is chasing me because he doesn't trust me and wants to erase my memory and send me home and I don't wanna go.

Eve knew she couldn't ask for more because it would seem suspicious but her eyes spotted Haures talking to Paimon secretly and quietly and that confirmed her suspicions that they were hiding something from her.

-When are we,Paimon?

-I am not sure. I didn't exactly calculate the date

-Well,maybe you should have because I have a fairly good suspicion about the time of our arrival and if I am correct,our mission has become ten times more dangerous.

At that time someone started banging at the door violently and demanded they open it. It was not clear how the guards knew someone was in the room but they must have heard their voices as they walked outside the room. Eventually they broke it down and bursted inside the room.Surprisingly,they paid little attention to the three unknown persons inside the room and just moved to grab Johanna who was now hiding behind Eve.

-Johanna,our lord and master has commanded you to obey him and you have refused to submit to his will. Now we must force you to do it using violence.

But as he moved towards her,he found Eve blocking his way. The guard looked at her stunned as if he was seeing her for the first time

-Step aside ma'am. I don't know who you are and I haven't seen you before and I choose to temporarily ignore you and your two male companions' intrusion as this is a matter of the greatest importance but don't force me to act in a way I don't want to to a lady.

-This child is under my protection. And as you can see from my face,hear from my voice and feel in your body I am much more dangerous than I am letting on. So don't provoke me and go inform your master that he is having guests and that if he harms one hair from this little girl's head then he will also feel as you feel now.

The rest of guards moved to their direction threateningly but their leader took a step back, clearly afraid and ordered them to stand down as he informed Eve that her request will reach Haures right away and that they should wait here.

After they left all of them,and mostly Johanna,were staring at Eve stunned.

Eve caressed Johanna's hair and tried to sound reassuring but Haures's natural tendency to speak the truth at all times and places, uncaring of the consequences,was making it more difficult for her.

-Don't worry. I think I am starting to think of a plan.

-That's what I am afraid of.