The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 69: True Hell, Part One

Tap tap tap tap!

Saril crawled down the side of the pit, Salem and Mono hanging onto her back with Sapphire dangling in the maid's free hand. Jasper flew ahead to the bottom, quickly racing back up.

"There's ash at the bottom!" She shouted. "You can drop safely!"

Saril let go of the wall, the Heroes plummeting into the pile. Almost instant they burst free from the ash, stumbling into the dark cavern. Mono gritted her teeth. "Can't see a thing!"

"L-let me try something," Salem said. She drew her rapier and held the blade in front of her, taking a deep breath. She had seen Yin do it a few times, and if she had some sort of magic then it shouldn't be impossible for her. She flicked her wrist, the strange and otherworldly glow emanating from the blade. The darkness was pushed away, exposing their surroundings.

"Seriously, what's the deal with that magic?" Jasper asked. "Summer and Jack seemed wary of it."

"This is not the time to think about such menial things!" Mono snapped. Jasper looked like she wanted to argue, but the fairy didn't say a thing. They ran deeper into the cavern, Salem leading them with her glowing sword. They ran until the light of the exit disappeared behind them, and skidded to a halt when Salem's magic caught something shiny. The princess jogged towards it, her eyes widening.

"Th... The Relic of Choice!"

Saril scuttled forward and picked up the crown, gently tapping her nails against the metal before holding it out to Salem. "Um... These things sound really important. Do you think we need them?"

Salem took it from the arachne's hands, tying it to her belt with the lamp and straight sword. The Relic of Creation was tied to her back. "I wouldn't doubt it," she answered. "The First Vao didn't have them in his possession at the end of the First Timeline. They vanished when the Gods started the Third Timeline."

"Then how did he-"

"I don't know, Jasper! What do I look like, an encyclopedia!?"

"Well excuse me, princess..."

Jasper's question still echoed in Salem's mind. When the Second Timeline began, the Relics were returned to their Vaults. Salem hadn't gone after them back then due to being focused on revenge, but she knew for a fact they didn't exist on Twist. And if they had gone to the Graveyard, then they would have immediately been secured by New Atlas. Someone would have told her by now if the First Vao stole them back. Which meant he never even cared about the Relics enough to want them in the first place.

They ran through the dark again, their feet driving into the ground at full force, their weapons drawn. If the First Vao was in danger, then that meant they'd be fighting the Blood soon. It wasn't until Mono's hammer blocked Salem's path that they skidded to a halt, straining their ears in the deafening silence. At first, the only sound was their heavy breaths. And slowly, their ears picked up a new sound.

It sounded like someone was sobbing just beyond view. Salem's jaw clenched, the princess inching forward.

The darkness grew around them, replaced with the Darkness controlled by the owner of the Reality. It grew almost too thick to even see the glow of Salem's rapier, the princess forcing her magic to work harder.

And as the Darkness parted, they were finally able to see him. With Ashley's gas mask in their possession and her armor scattered across the floor, he wore his old attire, the one they saw him wearing in the real world.

They had come face-to-face with the First Vao Dusty Branwen.

Before Mono could run for him, Salem grabbed her collar and pulled her back, the monoeye swatting her hand away. "Let go-"