The Devil's Tear

Chapter 6- An Unknown Figure

Demetri staggered across the uneven ground of the dense forest, breathing heavily. He wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand, and focused his vision on the small white gravestone that was pushed into the soil. His eyes filled with tears and he fell to his knees in front of the gravestone.

No sound could be heard except the slight rustling of the drooping leaves of the exotic trees surrounding Demetri and the scuttling of the tiny creatures that inhabited the forest. Demetri sobbed quietly as he wrapped his arms around himself.

The gravestone read the name Allegra Lyte. Demetri had discovered his little sister's burnt body in a fallen cottage where she faced off with Artemis. He visited this grave whenever he could; Allegra had been the most precious existence to him. 

 But as soon as he retrieved the tear of the Devil, Lord Xerxes would fulfill his promise of bringing Allegra back to him, and granting him the power to finally wipe Artemis from the face of Tytania. His once red, pulsating heart had now been coloured black.

-

"Artemis!" Rosy called out. "Artemis!"

Euphrosyne searched for a light in the tangible darkness that enveloped her body. The darkness was suffocating her.

"A-artemis," she tried again. When there was no response, Rosy let her naked body loose and fell to the apparent floor' of the darkness. She shut her eyes. Was she going to die? Artemis had promised to stay with her. Maybe her father was right to not have trusted Artemis.

"Euphrosyne," a god-like voice called. It wasn't Artemis'. Rosy's eyelids fluttered open, and a single light shone ahead. A figure emerged from the light. A man, in his early twenties wearing a simple white full-sleeved shirt and white trousers that clung to his perfect body, materialized.

The first thing Euphrosyne noticed was his mismatched eyes. One of his eyes was a warm sky blue, while the other was a dark, midnight blue. His hair was perfectly golden, waving gently over his ears and forehead. 

Euphrosyne squinted, and thought, God?

The man laughed. His laugh was musical; it was God-like. 

"I'm the farthest thing from God, Rosy," he admitted sheepishly. 

"Am I dead?" Rosy asked.

"Of course not," the man furrowed his brow, "You're just asleep."

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" Rosy asked all the questions at once, hoping her words weren't completely incoherent.

"I just came by to visit," he smiled, "You doubt Artemis?"

"Stop reading my thoughts," Rosy muttered, her cheeks flushing.

He cocked his head sideways, making his fair hair fall to the side.

"You didn't tell me who you are," Rosy prodded. She realized she was naked, and let out an involuntary yelp. She covered her body to the best of her ability with her arms, and glared at the man, who wore a baffled expression. 

"I'm..." The man began, but the world around them began to break apart. The encompassing darkness was replaced with blinding light. 

"Rosy?" Artemis' voice broke through her dream. Rosy squinted.

"Wait! Sir!" She shouted, but she had fully awoken from the dream, and Artemis was scratching her forehead.

"Sir?" Artemis asked. Rosy's breath hitched in her throat. She could never get used to Artemis' intense beauty, even after a moon together with her.