I forgot the feelings that flying brings. Pure joy. True freedom. Only downside is I can't fly as high as I want because I don't have my face mask. It's an O2 mask that covers my nose and mouth, my high tech glasses block the wind and has communication abilities.

A drive from Fort Worth to Lubbock is about a four hour drive, the flight there took us about 2 hours. It took us that long because I wanted to see if Scatty's and Tifa's flying maneuvers had improved. Those two recovered within the first 30 minutes of us leaving. Zeke only recovered when we landed about 75 miles away from base.

"I need you to take this," says Mistress Nyx while holding out a pill the size of a NyQuil, but the color is midnight black. I wrinkle my nose in disgust, "There has to be another way. I just got my wings back." The pill neutralizes the nanobots in my bloodstream. Making me a normal human.

"Sadly, there is not," she says. "When you left, we lost our support with the High Council."

"Thanks, Death. I had to step in and be a Dealer when you left," Zeke chimes in, in his gruff voice. He was rewarded with a glare from the Mistress for his comment; which promptly shut him up.

"Any supporters of the old ways still on the council?" I ask, knowing Lady Nyx would understand. She nods, thankfully understanding what I am truly asking.

"There are," Tifa pipes up, who is silenced by a look from Nyx.

"There are," repeats Nyx carefully. "Are you saying you will take the pill only if you get to challenge the current ruler of the Underworld?"

I nod in agreement. "Aye, I am. Who is the current ruler, anyways?"

My mistress sighs, "Saber of the Black Rose, Seraph."

Internally, I am panicking. Externally, I appear calm, cool and collected.

I try to keep my voice level as I say, "Could be a lot worse. It could be Damos."

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"He's dead," Scatty says in her Celtic accent. "Seraph killed him in the last duel for the throne. Damos was the previous ruler. Aoife was forced to watch Seraph behead Damos, then had her eyes removed from her head as a punishment for insubordination." Bitter resentment was apparent in her tone. Aoife, pronounced as E-fa, and Damos were forbidden lovers. Scatty, Nyx and I approved of them being together but Seraph was promised Aoife, so she was forced into that relationship.

I mad dogged the fuck outta her until she made eye contact with me, I ask her, "Tell me Aoife still lives." She gives me a curt nod in reply.

Nyx softly says, "Aoife lives, yes. She does hate you more than these three though."

"My sister will try to kill you, Master Marethyu," Scathach says, using my formal assassin name, which is pronounced as Mer-eth-ew.

"Scathach," using Scatty's full name-- pronouncing it as Sca- Tawk, I say, "she may try to kill me. But I will restore her sight before I kill Seraph. That I promise you."

I take the pill and shudder. Immediately, my sight goes out, all my senses shut down. I am in a coma for five seconds, but those five seconds feel like five lifetimes. My wings are gone, I feel naked. My eyesight is not sharp anymore, without my glasses I am legally blind.

All the wounds that I acquired at the warehouse open back up. My left hand is mangled again. I grabbed a pistol by the barrel and the guy pulled the trigger, blowing off my left ring finger and my middle finger was left hanging on by some muscle, skin, and a tendon. I was stabbed in the left kidney, shot in the right shoulder and left knee, numerous cuts, scrapes, and hairline fractures.

I come to the youngling working on stopping the bleeding and trying to stabilize me. He works with surprising speed and ease, as if he has done this one too many times. "Who trained you?" I ask him.

"The Lady of Fire," he replies. "Firehawk. My name is Phoenix." Searing pain ignites in my left hand. I look down to see him literally setting my left hand on fire.

"What did you do to cause this?" he asks.

"Grabbed a pistol by the barrel and the jackass pulled the trigger," I say. "Never realized it until i popped his eyes out with my thumbs."

I black out from the pain and come to a while later. I groggily sit up. "Lay down," Phoenix commands me. Mistress Nyx laughs, "You think Scatty and Aoife are stubborn? Try him. Master Death is worse than the Shadow Warrior Twins. I should know, I've patched all three of them up."

"We need to go," I tell them. "Regardless of my wounds, Phoenix. I'll rest on the way there. Even fifteen minutes of sleep is better than none." With that Mistress Nyx carries me and we land in front of the Underworld main entrance in fifteen minutes.