1.7

Content warnings: depictions of a tortured child (detail below; skip if you prefer surprises)

• A young-appearing character is depicted with bruises and a necrosed arm, implied to be the result of torture.

~.~

“Are you kidding me?” Minerva groaned. “It’s like we’re going in circles!”

Dani could understand the frustration. Once the group had left Mateen’s floor, they’d ended up back on the medieval castle floor. And then the floors had moved yet again, and the next staircase down had taken the group to Felix’s floor. Dani had no idea how close they were to the bottom, and seeing the same floors over and over again was just making everything more confusing.

“Wow,” Mateen said dryly. “It’s almost like someone designed this place to be as inconvenient as possible. You know, to prevent people from escaping.”

“Can we just punch a hole in the floor and jump through to the bottom?” Joshua grumbled.

Kai pondered that for a bit. “It could work,” he said slowly. “But consider this—if we can get down the remaining sets of stairs before the floors move again, we’ll still reach the bottom.” Joshua did not seem thrilled at that answer, and Dani had to agree with the angry pigeon man for once.

"Aw, I want to burn a hole in the floor," Minerva pouted. Mateen raised an eyebrow.

“Mmhm.” Xe paused. "Off topic, but what happened to your hair, exactly?" Minerva's eyes lit up menacingly, her hands aflame, and Mateen backed up, hands raised defensively.

"The guards decided to cut it all off, but actually, I was gonna ask you to fix it, if you don't mind?" Minerva said sweetly, batting her eyes. "It would be a great way to make up for the stuff you did in the past." Mateen rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sure," he grumbled. He put a glowing red hand on Minerva's hair, eyes closed, and took a deep breath. Slowly, Minerva's hair grew out again to mid-back length, her locs regaining their sheen. Streaks of hot pink weaved their way through her hair. Minerva grinned.

"Thanks, Mateen!" She skipped off towards the stairwell like she hadn’t just threatened a man. Dani had to admit that she liked Minerva’s style.

“Sooo, are you always a doormat?” Peter asked, edging up to Mateen. Mateen gave them a withering look.

“Let’s just go,” xe groused. “We’ve wasted enough time.”

~.~

Lian counted themself lucky that the group only had to go up one staircase to get to the next floor. Something told them that the same was not true for the other team.

As the group walked up the stairs, Silpa waved a hand, and a few of the metal steps wrenched out of place. Lian watched in awe as the pieces of scrap metal rotated around Silpa, fashioning themselves into a prosthetic arm, and with a click, the arm settled into place at Silpa’s shoulder joint. She flexed the fingers on the arm experimentally.

“That’s so cool,” Lian mumbled under their breath.

“Thanks!” Silpa said with a grin. “Wish I had my tool belt, but this’ll have to do.” Lian jumped, then smiled sheepishly at Silpa. They hadn’t known the immortal could hear them.

As the group exited the stairwell, Lian was immediately aware of a high-pitched mechanical hum emanating from everywhere at once. It made it hard to focus on anything. Karyme in particular seemed to be struggling with this—she had her eyes tightly shut, as if in pain.

“Hey, Lian, any chance that you can cancel out sounds?” Rae asked.

“Hmmm.” It couldn’t be too hard—after all, noise cancelling headphones worked the same way. Lian screwed up their face in concentration, focusing on creating a sound bubble around the group, and they smiled in satisfaction as the hum came to a stop, replaced by the dulcet tones of High School Musical 2.

“Oh thank god,” Ilia breathed. “There’s no way I would have been able to use my powers like that.”

“And this is better for stealth, how, exactly?” Morgan snarked. She paused. “Why this movie, anyway?” Lian grinned.

“Come on!” they said light-heartedly. “This is the best of the three, you know.”

“About stealth,” Silpa said, tapping her chin in thought. “That might be a moot point. There’s no one on this floor except for Ven.”

“Why?” Morgan asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “There were no guards on Haku’s floor, and you’re saying there aren’t any guards here, either? This seems too easy.”

“I’m not complaining,” Felix said with a shrug. “And besides, it makes sense that there wouldn’t be any people here, considering Ven’s power.”

“Which is…?” Rae prodded.

“Emotional manipulation,” Silpa replied, her expression grim. “With that stupid humming sound, though, I doubt Ven could use their powers for very long.”

The journey to the center of the room was a quick one, and honestly, Lian appreciated the opportunity for rest. They were starting to grow tired, and their body still ached from being tossed up onto the stone wall earlier. Out of curiosity, Lian checked their watch. Ah.

“It’s 2 AM,” Lian mumbled. They decided to conveniently omit the fact that it was now 2 AM on their birthday.

“We’ll get you out of here soon,” Silpa said smoothly, placing a reassuring hand on Lian’s shoulder. “Just bear with us, okay?”

“And how do you know that?” Morgan pressed.

“Simple,” Felix said dismissively. “We can read the future.”

Ah. It wasn’t like they should trust the immortals after the blackmail and manipulation, but Lian found themself trusting Silpa’s words anyway. Who better to believe in than someone who knew what was going to happen, after all?

Lian couldn’t help but gasp as the group approached the prisoner on this floor. Metal shackles chained their wrists to the floor and ankles to the ceiling—fine, fine, Lian was almost used to seeing that. It was how young the prisoner looked.

The prisoner was a kid with chin-length black hair, blonde bangs, and dark skin. They looked to be no more than ten years old, and Lian knew that this person was immortal, but it still felt like looking at one of their own students. The prisoner’s face was blotchy and misshapen from a series of bruises traveling up the left side of their face, ending in a black eye, and their left arm was shriveled and black.

Lian felt a strange connection to this person. They felt… familiar, in a way.

“You came,” the prisoner said, their voice cracking. “I—you’re here.”

“Of course we are, Ven,” Felix said gently. “Of course we are.”

Silpa rolled her shoulders. “My turn.” She walked up to Ven and effortlessly cracked the metal shackles all at once, and Felix was there to catch Ven as she fell. As the floor started to move again, an unfamiliar voice rang out over the intercom.

“Hello, remaining supers!”

Felix and Ven froze. Silpa cursed.

“Looks like the jig is up,” she said grimly. “The Necromancer is making his move.”

~.~

The bottom floor, as it turned out, was very similar to Haku’s floor. Everything was white—the ceiling, the tile floor, the walls, the doors. There were two doors, actually: one to the left and one at the end of the narrow hallway. Dani shuddered. The space felt too clinical for comfort.

This is the Soul Extraction Chamber, Kai explained, gesturing to the door to the left. But the barrier device is probably in the prison's security center, at the end of the hallway.

The Necromancer is in there, Mateen added, pointing a thumb towards the Soul Extraction Chamber. And so is... Jinal. Kai tensed.

I'm going in there, he said immediately.

Not alone, you're not, Mateen shot back.

As the two immortals began to bicker, Peter started sneaking off towards the security center, and Dani had to grab their wrist to stop them.

Where are you going, motherfucker? Dani snapped. Stay still for once in your goddamn life.

Aye aye, Cap’n! Peter replied with a mock salute. He made a gesture like he was zipping his lips. Dani rolled her eyes.

Minerva facepalmed. Fine. Boys, you distract the Necromancer, I guess. I'm gonna make sure the kiddos don't die in the Security Room. With that, Kai darted into the Soul Extraction Chamber without a second glance.

H-hey! Wait! Mateen followed Kai with a disgruntled expression on his face, leaving Minerva and the four mortals in the hallway.

Why is wind man so eager to go to his death? Juli asked.

Because, Minerva said grimly. His wife is in there.

…Oh. Juli’s expression softened.

Enough of that, Joshua snapped. Let’s get this stupid barrier disabled so we can go home.

The door to the security room was made of metal, with no window to look through, leaving the group with no way to tell what was waiting for them.

There's two people in there, Minerva noted. But we can definitely take them. She grinned and set her hands alight. Five supers versus two normal guards doesn’t sound like much of a fight.

Uh… Peter looked from Minerva’s hands to Juli and back again. Welp, hope I don't get melted, I guess. Let's do this! Minerva melted the locking mechanism, and then Peter slowly nudged the door open.

As it turned out, Minerva was right—it wasn’t much of a fight. As soon as the door was open, both guards fell to their knees, hands raised in surrender.

"Please don't kill us!" one of the guards cried.

"We can pretend to be unconscious for you, just please, please don't hurt us!" the other one yelped. Dani made a face. Of all the despicable people she’d encountered in her time with the mafia, she hated cowards like this the most. At least the other guards had been willing to fight for their cause.

Peter, tie these clowns up, Dani groused. Peter did another mock salute. Dani suppressed the urge to punch that stupid grin off his face.

"So, uh, what cars do you guys drive, and what locker numbers were your stuff in?" Peter asked, materializing some rope to tie up the guards’ hands. Minerva seemed content to let Peter do his thing—she remained at the door, warily scanning the hallway.

"Uhh... I drive a Volvo and my stuff was in locker 13?" one guard whimpered. The other guard frowned.

"Why is this important, anyway?" he asked.

"Because, I moved everyone's car keys around," Peter said cheerfully, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Dani facepalmed.

"Here,” Peter added. “I have your keys with me, you lucky dog.” He tucked the Volvo keys in the guard's shirt pocket. "Do you guys have any snacks? I'm starving."

As Peter continued to chatter with the guards, Dani took a look around the rest of the room. The walls were lined with screens displaying views from the multitude of security cameras in the facility, and ten computer consoles took up most of the room. The one in the center had a series of switches labelled with different barrier names.

Dani’s gaze fell on one of the external cam screens. The physical appearance of the prison was totally different now—the crystals were no longer glowing, with the exception of the indigo one, and the collection of liquid shadows around the bottom half of the prison was thinner, less dense.

Joshua stormed over to the central console and examined the switches.

“Just hit them at random!” Peter suggested.

“No,” Joshua said thinly. After a bit of contemplation, he flipped a single switch. There was no indication that anything had changed, but Minerva’s grin widened, and she flexed her fingers experimentally.

"Oh, I felt that one! I think teleportation is back online!" she cheered. “Okay, let’s see…”

She moved to the center of the room, a glowing pink hand extended in front of her, but nothing happened. Minerva flicked her wrist a couple of times, then frowned at her hands.

"Why, Minerva, what is the matter?" Dani froze. His back was to the door, but the unfamiliar voice still sent chills down his spine. Slowly, he turned around to face the intruder, and when he saw who it was, his blood ran cold.

A man who looked to be in his early 20s was standing at the entrance to the security room, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe. His black hair was styled in an undercut, and his dark skin glistened in the light, which glinted off of his mirrored sunglasses. Dani would have recognized this face anywhere.

The Necromancer was here.

"I see that you've disabled most of my security system. Unfortunately, you won't be able to escape while I'm standing here," he gloated. "Though... I'm surprised you're still helping The Ennead," he added, looking at the four mortals in the room. "After what they've done to you, they don't deserve your pity."

“It’s not pity, buddy. It’s just good ol’ fashioned blackmail,” Peter said, cracking his knuckles.

The Necromancer laughed. "Blackmail, hm?” He grabbed Minerva’s wrist and twisted it behind her back. She flailed in his grip, but as silver and black flames materialized around his hands, her resistance waned. There was clear panic written all over her face.

“You think Haku was the only one smart enough to find you?” The Necromancer continued, gazing over the mortals. “I've known who you are for a very long time. I just decided to let you be. But them?” He gestured to Minerva. “These nine have no qualms with using you like chess pieces and throwing you away, and that's exactly what they'll do if you help them leave here alive."

"Hello? That is such a fucking lie!" Minerva snarled. "You're the one who treats mortals like they're food!" As she spoke aloud, she simultaneously spoke telepathically, and Dani presumed that the message was sent to everyone except The Necromancer.

Kai, Mateen, what the FUCK are you two doing? Minerva yelled. You're supposed to be keeping the Necromancer busy!

We are, Kai bit back. If he's in your area, it's because he split into two.

Aw fuck, Minerva groaned. Kiddos, you better run.

Running won’t help, Mateen said thinly. He’ll just hunt you for sport. Dani shuddered. She had been hunted for sport too many times in her short life already. Peter made a big show of standing up, and as he did, he spoke telepathically over the crystal.

So, maybe we should stall?

Meanwhile, The Necromancer continued to talk. "There's no difference between you and me," he said casually, looking Minerva straight in the eye. "You use mortals as tools, and I use them as a source of energy. What's the difference? And besides…" His grin widened.

"You see mortals as food, too. You just refuse to admit that to yourself."

“Hmmmm.” Peter walked up to the Necromancer cockily, examining him with great interest. “So, question. What if we switched sides? Helped you get them back in prison? Is that an option?”

"Well, of course. The Soul Stealers are always looking for new recruits, after all, and my vision of the world, frankly, is much better than theirs," The Necromancer replied, gesturing towards Minerva.

"That's not—" Minerva spluttered. "You just want to rule the damn world! Make mortals your servants! That's not right!" In the corner, Joshua stiffened.

“Oh, hmm, hmm. What is your vision of the world, exactly?” Peter wondered. “I’d like to know what I’m signing up for. Just so we’re clear, I don’t mind being food, but I like to think I’m best enjoyed as the last course.”

"Oh, I see," the Necromancer said lightly. "The Ennead didn't tell you how Yaran's curse works, did they? It's just like them to hide things like this." He zapped Minerva with a pulse of black flames, and she slumped forward, seemingly unconscious. Dani inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves. Just let him talk, she reminded herself. We’re stalling.

But stalling for what, exactly?

"The curse fucks us up on a fundamental level,” The Necromancer explained. Somehow, Peter had gotten The Necromancer to enter Evil Exposition Mode, and for the first time in recent memory, Dani thanked her lucky stars that Peter was there.

“The curse splinters our souls into pieces. And above all... it turns us from beings of physical matter into beings of energy,” The Necromancer continued. “Just as beings of physical matter must consume food to supplement and replace the matter they lose, we must consume energy to replace the energy we lose by existing. And we don't just need that energy—we hunger for it. And I simply think that perhaps, I shouldn't have to pretend that I don't have that need. So every now and then... I knock off a few mortals who've pissed me off."

Dani shuddered. She’d had the unlucky pleasure of watching The Necromancer kill before. She could still hear the screams of the victim ringing in her ears as their body slowly turned to ash.

“Ah, I see, I see,” Peter said, nodding sagely. “But beyond that? What does your ideal world look like?”

The Necromancer shrugged. "I believe mortals cannot manage themselves. When left to their own devices, they simply kill each other, and what a waste of soul power that is! So I direct the scum of the earth to do my bidding, and if anyone resists my authority, well... you've heard of what happens to those who resist the Soul Stealers."

"Why, certainly," Peter agreed. He sounded genuinely impressed, but Dani knew it was an act. Peter was never impressed with anyone but himself. "However, given that I am not simply powerless like the other mortals around me, I must ask, what do you have to offer me that these incompetent immortals do not? What benefits come with the job?"

"Let me be very clear. Your choices here are to join me, or to serve as bait and watch as I slowly kill your teammates who are still scampering around above," the Necromancer huffed.

Peter didn’t flinch. "I'm aware of what my choices are. I just want to understand why I should make either choice. After all, if death is at the end of the line for both of my choices, then the journey is more important than the destination here."

The Necromancer narrowed his eyes. "Actually, I think I'm done with this. Time for you to die."

He snapped, and a wave of energy pulsed outward from him. Dani suddenly felt weak as hell, as if he’d lost a pint of blood, and his muscles felt like jelly. She had no control as she collapsed to the floor, woozy and disoriented. Before Dani could recover, black straps of light sprang up from the floor, binding his wrists and ankles. Fuck.

The Necromancer tossed Minerva to the side and sauntered over to the intercom. Dani writhed on the floor, trying to get free as he spoke.

“Hello, remaining supers! I have taken your friends prisoner in the Security Room on the bottom floor of this prison. If you do not come here right now, I will kill them, and then I will find and kill you as well. Felix, Silpa, Ven, if you come anywhere near this floor, I will kill the mortals where they stand!”

~.~

Felix and Silpa exchanged looks as Silpa lifted Ven onto her back, piggy back style. You should probably go, Silpa said quietly. Felix nodded in agreement.

Are you guys going to be okay? Lian asked, their voice full of hesitation. Ilia snorted. These guys were immortal. Of course they’d be okay.

It’s you we should be worried about, Ven mumbled from atop Silpa’s back. They sounded half-asleep.

Yeah, Silpa agreed. She laughed, and it was a mirthless sound. We've been in prison for fifty years. Anyone who cared about us is dead. All of you have people to live for, lives to go back to.

Except me, Ilia realized. She’d been frozen in time for fifty years. Her parents were probably dead, and her friends were probably reaching old age. It was a sobering epiphany.

What about the other ones who are imprisoned? Karyme asked. There’s nine of you, and we’ve only freed seven.

Well, Felix replied, his voice clinical and detached. One of the remaining prisoners is in the Soul Extraction Chamber. And the other… His expression looked pained. Silpa and I can go break them out. Ilia swallowed. That was a blatant lie, and she didn’t need future sight to know it.

What does The Necromancer even want from us? Rae asked, arms crossed. We’re just a bunch of mortals. Why—why does he want us to go down there?

Felix and Silpa exchanged grim looks. He's definitely going to try to kill you once you're down there, Silpa said firmly. But—you won’t die. You’ll make it out of this alive. This is going to sound rich, coming from us, but you have to trust us.

Ilia suppressed a bitter laugh. Trust? After the way her life had been ruined by the Ennead?

She didn’t argue, though, as the group parted from Silpa, Felix, and Ven. They headed down the four sets of stairs in silence. The air was thick with worry for the other four mortals, mixed in with worry about their own lives, and as the stairs ended, Ilia couldn’t help but shudder.

Let’s go, Karyme said gently, placing a hand on Ilia’s shoulder. There’s nothing else we can do. Ilia swallowed her fear and nodded.

The hallway was white—blindingly so—and sounds of fighting echoed through the door on the left. Despite that, Ilia felt drawn to the door at the end of the hallway. Somehow, she knew that’s where they had to go. That’s where The Necromancer was.

The group made it about three steps into the room before the most intense, searing pain Ilia had ever felt shot through her body. She fell to the ground, eyes squeezed shut, teeth clenched around a scream. It felt like her heart was trying to jump out of her chest, and her muscles were on fire. Royal blue flames flickered erratically at her fingertips.

Ilia reached out with her mind, trying to see if any of her teammates had escaped the attack. She couldn’t sense any of them.

The clack of shoes against tile echoed through the space. Ilia’s thoughts were starting to get hazy—it was too hard to put anything together amidst the pain—but then a foreign voice rang clearly in her mind.

You want to know a secret? The Necromancer asked. Ilia could hear the menacing grin in his voice. This whole floor is a Soul Extraction Chamber!

That was the last thing Ilia heard. As the pain overtook her, her vision went white.

~.~

Somewhere above, Felix and Silpa exchanged determined looks. On another floor, in the darkness, a prisoner's shackles began to shatter (were the shackles ever what was keeping them here in the first place?) because dammit, for the first time in five decades, they had someone to protect, and by god, they weren't going to fail now. In the Soul Extraction Chamber, Mateen was pinned against the wall, and Kai was pinned to the floor, but Kai somehow found it in him to smile. And Minerva? Minerva started to laugh.

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