There's Nothing You Can Do About It.

Betrayal?

"What is wrong with you, Rayna?!? You've risked our whole life our home, just for yourself? We let you in as our own, we care for you, and this is what you do? You go tell the leader of Hell himself we're here just so you can get tortured less? I really thought you were something more than a selfish brat." Zaarvi yelled. I felt my eyes getting watery. He was right and there was no denying it. I should have just rotted in Hell. But it was too late.
"We don't need you, Rayna. We did so much for you. I thought I could trust you! You're our enemy now. It's time to part ways." Salus said. And with that, she pushed me off of the cavern. I dropped down and landed with a plop. I opened my eyes to find a pair of faces covered with soot and ash. "Rayna?!" One of them screamed. She dropped down onto the ground and couldn't stop crying. The other hugged me tight. "Mom? David?"
"Oh, I was hopeful we'd find you, I knew it! How did you get here? I thought you survived?" David said.
"Well, it's a long story. But we have to go find Lucia."
"Who?"
"Never mind, just come with me."

I thought I knew what I was doing, but I really had no idea. I don't even know why I wanted to find Lucia at the time. She betrayed me, didn't she? But at the same time, I knew she wasn't lying. 

"So what is this place?" I asked, getting curious.

"It's our hell. We're forced to work day and night building a huge statue in honor of Satan." 

"Oh.....that sounds bad." I didn't have time to even worry about the chains on my family's feet. If fact, I didn't even noticed them not coming with me. How foolish I was. In my head, I was contemplating on which was worse: rotting away in the orphanage, or rotting away in hell. What was wrong with me? 

"Wait!" David yelled. 

"Yeah?" I looked back and noticed the chains. But that wasn't what he wanted to tell me. 

"Th-there's something on your back......." He gasped. 

I put my hand down my back till I felt something slimy. I squeezed and tried to get it off, but it was latching on. I pulled hard until it finally came off. A huge black parasite was in my hand. I screamed and dropped it immediately. 

"KILL IT! KILL IT!" Both David and my mom were yelling. Right. I stomped on it as hard as I could. Black blood flowed out of the creature and oozed onto the red dirt. I panted, in shock with what just happened. Was that the reason I had been so oblivious and blinded by everything? How I forgot my family up there? Hetcher Street was just a distant memory now. I hoped that I would see things more clearly now. 

"Okay, we need something to get rid of the chains." I told them. 

"But what?" 

Just then, I heard a loud whoosh, and the Faarena elves appeared right before us. 

"Why are you here? I thought you'd abandoned me?" I asked. 

"We saw the Gunda parasite on your back. It weakens its living host and deprives it of common sense." Salus said. 

Wow. That was harsh. Nevertheless, I was very thankful they were back. 

"Let me concentrate and I can get these chains off your family." There was silence. Salus closed her eyes and put her hands out. Purple streams came out, and as soon as they touched the chains, they melted away. 

"Get on the sleds! Everyone grab and bucket of water and pour it down below. As soon as we get to the eternal staircase, we drop down. Carry weapons! Warriors, prepare to dive off from your sleds and fight the remaining hell bombers." Salus commanded. 

I got on a sled with Zaarvi, Ethyne, and Salus. I knew I didn't need to apologize for my actions, because it wasn't my fault, but I felt like I should. 

"Here." Zaarvi handed me a bucket of water. He didn't look at me. 

"Zaarvi, I'm sorry. I wish I had never given you away, but the good news is, you fled the cave. We'll make it out of this, and when we do, I'll make it up to you." He looked as though he didn't have the heart to tell me something. I ignored it, and started pouring water down. Hell bombers started melting and oozing into yucky slime in an instant, and we were soaring right to the staircase. I was thinking about how great it would be when this was all over, and I would have my normal life back, but I noticed a glint of red behind me. 

"Guys......Satan's behind us......he's gaining on us!" I yelled. 

The warrior elves bit a pill and jumped off. 

"What are they doing?!" 

"Just wait." The warriors sprouted wings and glided towards Satan. A full out battle started. Hell minions swarmed through the air. 

"Here." Zaarvi handed me a silver sword with an etching on it. It said "Etiamsi pugnam amittis, pugnam viceris." I slashed the hell minions that were gliding through the air. We were getting closer and closer to freedom. A painful scream came from behind the sled. I looked back to see a red claw hand fall to the ground. Satan swung his black wings and flew back to his palace. Yes! We had done it! The warriors returned back into the sled and David and my mom looked completely terrified. I laughed. We glided towards the metal staircase and landed. 

"They say it takes an eternity to climb." Ethyne calmly said, looking up. 

"Then we better get climbing!" I said, with a hint of fear in my voice. 

"Don't worry, Rayna, we have enough food and water." Zaarvi calmly reassured me. 

I looked up. That was a long way to climb.