Monsters. There were living, breathing monsters in the Underworld.

Maruble's heart was still hammering. Even though he knew the creature couldn't fit through the tunnel, and there was no way it could have followed them, he couldn't stop glancing over his shoulder— imaging its eyes peering at him from the darkness.

Of course, there were monsters in the godlands, mostly in isolated parts of Esilwood, but to his knowledge, they rarely left their forests or attacked anyone unprovoked. Maruble had always avoided those dark, sprawling woodlands. Unlike the more curious gods, he was happy to live his life far away from anything with a taste for flesh.

And yet, that creature was worse than anything he could have imagined. It was unnatural; something in his head kept telling him it was wrong. Shuddering, he shifted his focus away from the darkness and focused on the light.

Sarah nudged him. "You doing okay?"

"Fine."

"You don't look fine," she said. "Not that I blame you. That thing was pretty freaky."

He blinked. "Freaky?"

She nodded meaningfully. For a human, Sarah was adapting to the concept of monsters and the Underworld more quickly than he'd expected. Perhaps better than he was. And while Maruble had heard that humans were resilient, even most Altans wouldn't risk walking into Death's realm— not even for their own kin.

"I can't stop thinking about the chains," he admitted.

"Why?"

"They looked old— like someone placed the creature there on purpose but then forgot about it," he explained with a frown. "Or decided to abandon it. But there has to be a reason it was in that room specifically."

Sarah nodded thoughtfully. "You think Death didn't want people going into the next tunnel?"

"Something like that."

Maruble shrugged but kept his gaze ahead. His eyes were beginning to play tricks on him in the dark. Even if that creature had followed them, they wouldn't be able to see it, not even with the light of the torch. And so he opted not to look at all— for his own sanity. When the tunnel's exit finally came into view, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"Finally," murmured Sarah.

Maruble opened his mouth to agree and then frowned. As they approached, the light became more and more dull. It was murky and shrouded in what looked like dense fog. He stepped forward and placed his hand inside, turning it over carefully, only for it to disappear.

He shook his head slowly. "Just like the darkness."

"Maruble," said Sarah quietly. She turned to him slowly, eyes wide. "I think something's moving in there."

His heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath, Maruble leaned forward and squinted at the opaque light— when something cut through it. Sarah's face went pale. He jerked back as more figures moved through the fog.

Whatever the creatures were, they seemed anchored to the room. Maruble placed his torch on the ground slowly and let the fire flicker out. Even though the tunnel was open, none of them tried to go through the exit, meaning that they might have a chance— maybe. If they were quick.

He grabbed Sarah's hand.

She blinked. "We're going in?"

"We are," he said with a nod, not quite meeting her eyes. "Don't let go of my hand."

"What if we get separated?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but let's not find out."

It was the only chance they had. Their only chance to save Jacob. They had faced one monster in the Underworld and lived. What was one more?

Maruble took one last look at the darkness behind him, and even though he didn't know what the next room would hold, the pounding in his heart eased. Relaxing his shoulders, he took a deep breath and squeezed Sarah's hand.

"Let's do this."

They stepped into the light, and the world disappeared. The sounds of the cave became distant and muted. It reminded him of plunging into the lake, letting the water cover his head and blanket his senses. Maruble squinted his eyes, but there was no seeing ahead of them. Anything outside of a few inches was shrouded in fog.

Tugging his sleeve, Sarah motioned to the left.

Something moved. Whatever it was, it seemed to be the size of a person, but something about the way it carried itself was unnatural. He still hadn't gotten a good look at it, and part of him didn't want to. Maruble pulled her closer to him but continued moving through the room.

"Don't slow down," he whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. "There has to be an exit on the other side of the—"

A face appeared in front of them. The creature was humanoid, but only in the sense that its body was shaped like one. Its body was white as chalk, and where its eyes and mouth should have been, there were only deep holes— like a sheet covering a corpse.

Maruble swore and took a step back.

Sarah's voice trembled. "H—Hello?"

The figure tilted its head, considering them, then jerked forward.

"Help," it rasped. "Help me. Help me. H—Help."

Another face appeared in the light, and then another, and another. Maruble spun around. Faces moved around them, but the fog was so thick that he couldn't tell what was real and what was a trick of light. The creature shifted, and more voices joined it. Around them, the chattering grew louder and louder.

One whispered hastily, "Where are you?"

"Don't you love being dead?" another sang.

"Tick tock. Tick tock."

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"You," one hissed.

"Don't leave me," said a figure through muffled sobs. "Please don't leave."

Dread bolted through him. Whatever this place was, it was wrong— just like the chained creature. A creeping thought entered his mind, and no matter how hard he tried to shove it aside, he couldn't stop wondering. Had all of these once been human? How long had they been suffering here?

Interrupting his thoughts, Sarah shook him desperately and said, "We should go."

He nodded. There would be time to think about all of it later. For now, he needed to get them to the next exit.

"Try not to look at them," he said urgently. "It seems to get their attention."

They continued inching through the room. Each step felt like a lifetime as figures moved around them, but Maruble kept his head forward, hoping they would eventually find the next tunnel. More than once, he almost collided with one of the creatures but moved around them carefully. Neither of them spoke— not wanting to draw attention. Instead, they ignored the bodies slipping through the fog and shared the occasional wary look.

Until one of them grabbed Sarah's arm.

"Sarah." Its blank face appeared in the light. Sarah tore her hand away, but it was undeterred. "Sarah, is that you? Is that— is it?"

She shuddered. "How do you know my name?"

"Sarah." At first, its gaze seemed soft— almost caring— but then its voice rumbled, "Don't you dare leave me, you little brat."

It jerked forward, and Maruble pulled her back.

"You can't leave," the figure said, laughing shrilly. "Never, never, never."

Maruble tugged her arm. "Sarah, we need to keep moving. Now."

"How does it know my name?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"I don't know."

Tears slid down her face as they continued. The creature followed them, still uttering her name as they made their way through the fog. It didn't take long for more to join in, and the braver ones tried to reach for them, but Maruble shoved them aside. It was getting harder to think with the sheer volume of their voices. Not only that, but they still hadn't seen any sign of an exit.

Behind him, Sarah finally asked, "Was that my dad?"

The words made a chill run down Maruble's spine— but she didn't notice. Her eyes were locked on the tall figure still following them. Hesitating, he finally shook his head.

"I don't know what that thing is, but I'm certain it's not your dad."

"How do you know?" Her head snapped to him. "It said my name. It— he knows me."

"They must have heard us talking," Maruble said, panic rising in his throat. "It doesn't know you, Sarah. It's one of Noctavius' tricks."

"I— I have to know."

Sarah stopped suddenly. Maruble tried to grab her again, but she pushed away his hand and let the figure approach. Ignoring his warnings, she looked up at the creature and slowly reached for it.

Voice trembling, she said, "Dad?"

The figure grabbed her hand. At first, the two only watched each other. Maruble held his breath, fighting down the urge to run— when the creature suddenly flinched. There was a loud crunch, and Sarah's scream echoed through the fog.

Maruble lunged.

He shot fire into the creature's face, and to his horror, it lit up the figures surrounding them. There were so many— more than he could count— and they had all been following. As the figures stumbled away from the flame, Maruble suddenly had an idea.

He lifted his arms and formed fire between his hands. Sweat dripping, he shot a ball of fire through the light. It raced down the hall of the dead, weaving through the twitching bodies, and then finally disappeared. There— that had to be a wall.

"This way," he shouted.

The two of them burst into a run.

Blank faces passed them in white blurs. Sarah was sobbing behind him, but either because of her hand or because of her suspicions, he wasn't sure. Either way, they didn't slow down until they reached the far wall. Easing himself along it, Maruble kept a quick pace as he felt for an exit.

There had to be one. There had to be—

And that's when he saw it.

There was a door along the tunnel walls. It was ornate and looked out of place in the strange room. Hope surged through him as he grabbed the door handle and pulled—but it wouldn't budge.

"They're coming," said Sarah, her voice shrill.

"It's stuck."

He pushed against the door again, but nothing happened. There was movement behind him, and the voices of the figures were getting louder. Maruble took a deep breath. Gathering all of his strength, he stepped back and slammed his body into the door.

It crashed open. Maruble fell inside, and Sarah tumbled in behind him. To his relief, none of the figures followed them inside. They only watched from the door. He sat on the floor, trying to catch his breath as his mind reeled. After a long moment, they turned and vanished in a swirl of fog. Maruble breathed a sigh, and then his eyes flickered to Sarah's hand.

"How bad is it?"

"Sorry— I just thought." Sarah shook her head quickly, wiping away the tears. "That was stupid. It's just— it knew my name. How did it know?"

Maruble pushed himself to his feet and grabbed her hand gently. He pursed his lips. The creature had broken a couple of fingers, and they were twisted at odd angles.

He said grimly, "You're lucky it didn't break your wrist."

"It was my own fault." She bowed her head and looked away. "I just need a minute."

Once the thudding in his heart died down, Maruble looked around the tunnel as Sarah gathered her thoughts. Unlike the last two, the torches in this area were already lit, and the ground was much more even. If they were lucky, they had been through the worst of what the Underworld had to offer.

Just like Sarah, he had questions that he didn't know the answer to. Fear still gripped his heart as he thought about the monsters roaming Death's realm. Did anyone else know they existed? Surely, the Court of Balance wouldn't allow such things to exist. Not even here.

After a while, Sarah met his eyes. "Okay, I think I'm ready."

She took one last look at the fog and then followed him.

Guilt rose in his stomach. Truthfully, Maruble didn't know if the figure had been her father or not. It was a lie told in a panic. There was a very real possibility that Death was keeping real souls trapped in the Underworld. But that was the frustrating thing— he couldn't tell. Maruble clenched his jaw.

Sarah deserved to know. If she figured out he had lied about her father's soul, he wasn't sure she would ever forgive him. But, before he could speak, Sarah interrupted his thoughts.

"Do you hear that?"

Maruble frowend. "It that—"

"Music," she said dreamily. "It sounds like a piano."

For a moment, the Underworld felt like a living, breathing thing. The torchlight danced around them as sound filtered through the tunnel. Maruble trailed after the sound. Cradling her hand, Sarah followed behind him.

It was soothing— like a shred of hope in a forgotten place. The sound became louder, and eventually, they could hear someone's foot grazing the pedal. Maruble approached the end of the tunnel and peered around the corner.

Maruble gaped. Next to him, Sarah inhaled sharply.

The tunnel opened up into a large ballroom. While the Underworld had mostly been made of stone, the floors here were made of shimmering marble. Giant pillars lined the room, spanning from floor to ceiling— and the ceiling was neck-breakingly high. It was the only part of the room that still looked like a cave, but the large calcite hanging down seemed to only add to the effect.

In the center of the room, someone was seated at the piano. Even as they stepped into the room, he continued playing and paid them no attention, as if this place had been made for him. As they moved closer, a strange smell lingered in the air. Maruble scrunched his nose but didn't stop.

It wasn't until they were a few feet away that he stopped playing. Slowly shutting the lid, he brushed away the dust and finally turned to them. Sarah gasped.

The man's face was cracked and oozing in places. While some parts of his skin looked normal, others were shredded or covered in sores, and in some places, it seemed like it was peeling off. The man smiled, but even that seemed painful given his... condition.

Maruble's stomach lurched.

"Ah, you must be the God of Fire," said the man, itching an arm. "I hope you didn't run into trouble on your way here."

Maruble didn't skip a beat. "Did the God of Death send you?"

"Oh— oh no." Somel chuckled. "Excuse my phrasing, but Noctavius wouldn't be caught dead here."

Sarah stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"Ah, I should have introduced myself." The man straightened and then winced at the motion. "My name is Somel. As I'm sure you've noticed, I am the God of Rot."

"I don't understand," said Maruble, studying Somel carefully. "If Death didn't send you, then why are you here?"

"I know that you're here to save your friend, and I can help you." The God of Rot motioned to the room around him. "I know things about the Underworld that even Noctavius doesn't know. And, as I'm sure you've noticed, help is hard to come by in a place like this."

Maruble hesitated. "Why would you help us?"

Rot looked between them. For a moment, an emotion crossed his face that Maruble couldn't read. The god finally sighed and stood from his seat. Somel dragged the chair underneath the piano and turned to them. This time, he wore a soft smile. It almost looked sad.

"I have a friend that needs saving, too."