After Tadao and the rest had left the treehouse, Lulu knocked beside the door and entered the room chin lowered. “I’m sorry, is this a bad time?”

I turned my gaze to Agnes, and he looked away, unable to meet Lulu’s eyes. “Agnes?” I asked.

“It’s fine,” he sighed.

"Agnes said it's fine." I translated his words since Lulu can't understand his language.

"I-I…" Lulu fidgeted as she stuttered her words.

She closed her eyes and kept her hand at her side, then took a deep breath before opening it again. The wolf-girl inched toward Agnes and extended her hand in his direction. She stopped and waited for him. I noticed her trembling legs. Despite Lulu's fear, she managed to get closer and face her fear head-on. I think Agnes respected that, so he let the wolf-girl scratch the back of his ear.

A joyous smile appeared on her face, "My dad used to tell scary stories about them, and I guess I used to believe it, but now, I think that he's wrong."

Lulu looked at me and moved her arm away. "Miss Andre, one of the village kids saw you enter our old trophy room... and with Agnes being a harpy, I understand now why you were acting weird. I'm sorry for everything."

Lulu bowed her head in hope for Agnes and me to forgive her, but it shouldn't be her the one who asks for forgiveness, it should have been me. She didn't do anything. It wasn’t her who hunted those Harpies. I'm the one who was being weird about it and accidentally made her feel uncomfortable.

"To tell you the truth, I don't need your apology… because you did nothing wrong," Agnes said, and I translated it to Lulu.

A smile replaced that worried frown after she heard what I said.

"Agnes is right. It was me who was being weird about it. Agnes was okay with it, but I.. don't know. It's hard for me to forget what I’ve seen, I just need more time to...deal with it."

"In the meantime, let’s move on and be here, together, with each other," I stood and grabbed Lulu by her hand then pulled her toward us for an awkward and forced group hug.

As we embraced each other, I felt Agnes's body squirm as he tried to get out. while Lulu's cheeks turned red as she said, "Excuse me, Miss Andre, I don't mind the hug, but...umm, you're naked right now."

I took a peek at myself, and yep, I was naked. I sighed, "I got to stop waking up naked."

After a normal, but badass and slightly painful suit up, all thanks to Lulu for doing my laundry while I was out, I was all ready for my journey back to the Underworld. I extended my hand, and my hatchet vibrated before it flew toward me. However, with ease, I caught it mid-air and then twirled it around before sheathing it.

"Ooh damn...I make this look good," I muttered to myself.

"You’re done admiring yourself?" Agnes leaned against the wall with a raised eyebrow.

"As a matter of fact, I'm not done yet." I posed and flexed my muscles to show off my well-defined body.

Agnes rolled his eyes, annoyed by the woman he called his sister. He bit his bottom lip, enough to feel the pressure, but not enough to cause any pain. Afterward, his lips parted and he looked at me with worried eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Andre? You might find something you don't like or worse, you might get horribly hurt."

"I have to do it," I sighed.

“Have to do it? That’s full of crap, you never once cared about your past since we first met. It’s not for you, isn't it? It's for that--”

“Agnes!” I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.

He gritted his teeth and glanced away before looking back at me, “It’s always about that woman.”

“It’s not always about her, it’s about me… I wake up every day to nightmares, Agnes. How am I supposed to live like that? Yeah! I may brush it off like nothing, but it isn't. I have to face it, whatever it is.”

“I-I’m sorry, Andre… I just don't want to see you get hurt. Remember the last time you go to the Underworld? You came out with scars…”

There is no denying the fact that me going to The Underworld was a horrible experience. The scars on my arms and stomach that I obtained there are proof of that. However, I stand by my point, I know the nightmare and the voices will only get worse until I truly confront it head-on.

"It's going to be okay, Agnes."

"You said that but what if! What if you never be the same."

Lulu barged into the room with a sack over her shoulder, she looked at us with wide eyes. Apparently, she had come at a bad time, "Here's the item you requested."

"Thank you, Lulu." I walked to her and took the sack of items then exited the treehouse.

"Andre!" Agnes called out to me as he stormed out of the treehouse.

"Yes?" I said jokingly, pretending that the conversation earlier never happened.

Agnes gritted his teeth together, then took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulder, "There's no way of stopping you, isn't it?"

"You know me too well," I smirked and get on my bike.

In the corner of my eye, Lulu stood in the doorway, I gestured her to come and with ease, she walked toward me. When she stood inside my arms reach, I grab her and pull in for a hug. Her ears perked up in surprise as she glanced around, confused by the embrace.

"I'll come by whenever I can, goodbye, my little woofy, and say my thanks to your parents. I'm sorry, I couldn't see them before I leave." I rubbed the top of her head and her ears relaxed to my touch.

And just like that, I said my goodbyes to Lulu before I went to the underworld with Agnes.

***

I felt my hand trembling as I gazed upon the cave entrance to the Underworld. Last time I was here, I almost died, but it's not all gloomy, at least I get to meet Shin, Hades, Persephone, and many others. So why am I so terrified right now?

"Miss Andre, thanks again for the delectable meat, I'll be sure to share it with the rest of my people."

Fortunately, Kraus managed to interrupt my sinking thought, I turned and looked at him with a smile, "The meat is from a crystal-horned stag, I asked a friend of mine if I could have some and she said yes."

"Thank you again for it, but I wonder, you're not here just to give me a piece of meat, am I right?" His left eyebrow perked up as he stared at me.

"You caught me… I'm going back in." I stared back at the cave maw.

"I can sense something heavy behind those words of yours, I won't push further. However, I have to inform you that you're allowed to go in and out as you please as per requested by Hades."

"Oh, that good news, I think. How's your arm?"

"Healing in record time, thank you for asking."

"Where's Shin?"

"The Lord's son is tending to other matters."

"Can you quit stalling? You're the one wanted to come here, but if you don't want too, we could always go back." Agnes intervened with an aggressive tone.

"Here I go," I grabbed the sack and took a deep breath before I marched toward the cave.

Agnes gritted his teeth and yelled out, "Please! Make sure you come back safely, or… I scratch your bike."

"I'll try…" That was my last word as I entered the cave.

Into the cave I go, at first there's only darkness and silence, but as I marched deeper, a glimmer of blue light greeted me and brighten the path in front of me. Arrived in a vast section of the cave, I was surprised that Cerberus was gone from his napping spot, he should be here.

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

Suddenly, a small creature leaped onto me, I managed to catch it, but slipped and fell down the downward slope. I protected the creature from the rough terrain with my own body as we rolled down the hill. Stopping at the bottom, I let out a breath of relief and took a peek inside my arms.

"Cerberus?! How did you get so small?" I said with my eyes widened.

The three-headed dog, fierce and adorable at the same time snuggled its head against my chest. I patted its three head in order, right, middle then left. In response, it let out a cute bark and licked my finger. I lifted it up and lay it down beside me. It hopped around me with joyous intent, while waiting for me to get up.

I turned my head and searched for the sack. After finding it, I stood up and walked to it. Cerberus circled around me as I make my way. I grabbed the sack off the ground and reached in. Without further ado, I revealed the content, and inside it is another raw meat.

"Guess who steak this is?"

Cerberus barked and yelped in happiness. I saw their tongues hanging out, and drooling at the sight of the succulent meat. I tossed it onto them and their head enlarged like in a horror movie. It aggressively tore the meat apart between the heads, after they finish devouring the meat, the heads return to puppy size.

"Good boy?" I said while momentarily horrified by what I saw.

The middle head burped out a small blue flame and that somehow makes me love them even more. However, it's time for me to move on, I headed toward the door and noticed Cerberus is following me.

"No… you can't come with me, you have a job to do."

Cerberus barked at me, and in some way, I understood it as a disagreement.

"It's too dangerous." I ignore his barks and grab hold of the doorknob.

Cerberus started to bite and pulled the back of my jeans. I glanced down and the little dog is relentless, it wanted to come with me, even so far as to stop me from going through the door by chewing the bottom of my jeans.

I stared at the doorknob while ignoring Cerberus, I wanted to go in, but stop because a sense of fear and dread are waiting for me on the other side, and out of nowhere, I smiled when a thought suddenly appeared. I looked down, and continue to smile. Using my hands, I carefully lifted the little dog and placed him on my head. Cerberus happily rested on top of me, and I felt its heartbeat calming my nerves.

"Your right, it's better with a company. Let's go," Cerberus barked cheerfully.

I grabbed four coins off the ground and placed it into my pocket. With a deep breath, we went through the door, and the same disorienting feeling brushed over me. I shook it off and walked toward the river. Like I expected, Charon the ferryman is already there, waiting for us on his boat with his thin ghastly hand extended to us.

He's creepy as I remember, the full cloaked figure, hidden under the darkness of his own loose robe, dread and foreboding.

Using the two coins I picked up earlier, I boarded the boat with Cerberus. The three-headed snored as it slept on my head. At least with Cerberus by my side, I should be safe. The boat sway left to right as The ferryman pushed the boat away from the shore.

It was an uneventful ride, but I kept glancing around expecting trouble, like the nightmare I had, or Hecate's Hellhounds coming for me. Yet, there's nothing here, only an unending desolate shore as far as I can see and the silence with occasionally burp coming from Cerberus.

After another hour, a wave of drowsiness washed over me, my body slumped forward and I was about to fall asleep when the boat tremble. I opened my eyes as wide it can and looked at The ferryman, he remains calm and undisturbed. Occasionally, the small waves crashed against the boat's body causing the tremble just like earlier.

I peeked over and I couldn't believe what is swimming under us. The size of a small town, a many-headed serpent in which they called the Hydra. It as clear it can be under the murky water, thank god I didn't have to fight that.

Cerberus hopped off my head and barked happily at the Hydra beneath us. Suddenly, water spouts up in the distance, as tall as two-story height. The discharged seem to be some sort of response from Hydra as Cerberus hopped around in joy after it saw it.

The Hydra keeps spouting water up in the air as our ride continues. During it, I found myself to be calm and less worried. I think the Hydra just helped me composed myself, of course, none of it would have happened if Cerberus didn't come. As a reward, I scratched the back of its ears and it shakes its tail in response.

So adorable.

After another long ride, we arrived upon a dark cave at the end of the river with two archways perched alone in front of it, one made of horn, another ivory. My body jerked an inch forward after the boat suddenly stopped. Looking back, the ferryman remains silent and stiff despite his boat stopped in the middle of the river.

"What should I do now?" I peeked over, and there was no sign of land near us.

Cerberus leaped into the river, I wasn't managed to catch him before he dives in. However, my sight has deceived me as Cerberus stood on the murky water, confounded by the situation, I vaulted out of the boat. The moment my feet touches the water, I felt the floor underneath it.

I sighed deeply, then I stood upright with the hatchet readied in my hand. In the back of my eye, the ferryman had disappeared with no trace at all, not even a ripple of water.

Creepy as ever.

With no way to get back, the only way left is onward. I walked toward the archways, leaving a small ripple of water behind me. My heartbeat becomes louder as I covered my distance.

Whispers, whispers, whispers, three-voice distinct to one another, spouting gibberish that doesn't make sense to me or anyone. However, for whatever reason, I think Cerberus couldn't hear it because its ears or heads didn't even respond to the whispers.

To fos...

A small headache brushed over me causing me to stop and press my two fingers against my temple, "The Light?" Cerberus stopped and turned to look at me with a confused tilt.

The whispers stopped as suddenly as it came. I shook it off and kept walking until I reached the sandy beach. Cerberus walked around the archway rather than walk through it, I followed the three-headed dog, fearing something might happen if I go through that.

As I was getting closer to the cave, Cerberus stopped and growled at the entrance. My grip tightened around the handle, fearing something bad might happen. As a naked young man with kind eyes and dark wings revealed himself from the darkness, with a single step.

"You... I know you… but, I can't remember."

"Truth,

Truth,

You came for the truth,

But what kind of truth,

The truth of your youth,

The kind that will not sooth."

"Is he rhyming?" I asked myself.

Cerberus turned its attention and directed its growl at the beach. Mass bubbles appeared on the water's surface and headed toward the land. A giant amalgamation of human body parts and animal body parts, in a form of a blob-like creature, rolled up the shore, disgusting and terrifying.

My eyes widened and my lips frown in disgust at the creature. I took a step back and raised my hatchet beside me.

Water poured out from the creature many mouths, some are human-looking while others are animalistic in nature.

"Fear,

Fear,

What do you fear?

It’s not the monster,

Or horrid creatures,

What you fear…"

The creature molded and shaped its own body, turning anew. The sound of bones snapping and crunching can be heard from where I stood. The hair on the back of my neck raised as the sounds bounced in my eardrums

"Is what you see in the mirror…"

The creature's final forms is that same naked young man, just like before, but showers with blood, twitching non-stop, two black wings on his back, and that cold eyes, instantly caused me to remember them both from the nightmares.

I backed away from the creatures until my back touched an item. I glanced back, and it caused me to stumble away from the item. It's the sword, the crossguard one from the same nightmares. A mouth appeared on the hilt.

"Lock,

Lock,

Lock away,

Deep inside,

To keep the truth at bay,

When the lock break then you'll be satisfied."

"What in the Hades name are you?" I brought the hatchet in front of me, attempting to keep the distance between me and them.

The creatures backed away, not because of me, but as I glanced behind, Cerberus had transformed to its full-sized, and a blue fire had dripped out of its jaws.

"I am Morpheus," The normal one spoke.

"I am Phobetor…" The nightmare version spoke in a deathly and nightmarish voice.

"I am Phantasos." The sword spoke.

"We are Oneiroi, blacked winged daemons, God of Dreams."

"Why did you called me here?"

"We were asked."

"By who? Hypnos?"

Dogs howl can be heard in a close distance, I glanced back and Cerberus had joined the howls as well. I looked around and saw red eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Hellhounds…" I muttered to myself after they revealed themselves.

"Twenty or more of them."

For some unknown reason, Cerberus shrunk down to his puppy self and ran off. I turned around, and a hooded woman holding a flaming torch stood on the water, a few meters away from the shore. I couldn't see her face, but Cerberus seems to know her as it rubbed its head against her heel.

My mind was washed with a sudden headache as the well of knowledge flooded my head with information. Images of Persephone, torch, night, heaven, sea, earth, a polecat, and a black she-dog flashed in front of my eyes.

I lowered my weapon as I realized who she is, "Hecate, the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy."

"We have brought her as you requested," The Oneiroi proclaimed.

The Oneiroi walked, shambled, and rolled toward the archways. They entered their chosen archways causing their body to slowly turned into golden glitter, and slowly floated away into the dark sky above.

"You?"

"Yes...I am here to restore the natural order, order that Hades has...disrupted. He should have known better, but I suppose... an outside party has swayed his decision." Hecate spoke with a long pause in the middle of the sentence as she walked up the shore bare feet, and with gentle prints left behind.

"The natural order? My memories. Hades… he did this to me, he took my memories away, but why? Wait! What do you mean sway his decision? Who is the other person?"

"All be revealed...once you drink this...potion," She reached in her cloak and revealed to me a glass vial containing the blackest of black liquid I have ever seen.

"What if I don't want to take it? What if I don't want to know?" I hesitated to take the vial.

"Then...my time will be wasted… as I could not force you to drink it, and it's all entirely up to you...after all, your choices matter." She slowly retracted the vial back into her cloak in a weird way to tempt me, and yet it works.

I snatched the vial off her hands and placed it against my lips. The pungent smell of the dead snuck up into my nose as the liquid swirled from the sudden action earlier. My heart thumps like never before after I lifted the vial end slightly.

Closing both eyes, I chugged the whole thing down. It tasted bitter and thick as it looks, I felt it sticking to the wall of my throat like a putty.

I heard someone calling my name, "Andre!" But it so distant and almost like a whisper.

My sight blurry, my strength leaving me, and I couldn't stay awake any longer.

Everything becomes black.