HIGHWAY TO HELL 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐺𝐸𝑀 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑆𝐿𝐴𝑌𝐸𝑅

𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓

"D-don't you have anything to say to your creator? Before you strike him down?"

"No."

The Slayer kicked the tomb open, the stone broke into pieces. He pushed it open, and stepped out. He had his armor on this time, yet he didn't have his helmet.

He now recalled what happened. Demons war, The torch of Kings, fighting the. .Copy of him, yet in 'their world'. And Spinel— SPINEL! Where the hell did she go!?

He started to look around, trying to find her pink face- clothes- everything! Anything at all. He had to find her.

"WAIT! Don't let him leave me!!" She shouted as they laid his body in the stone coffin. The mark of the beast was on both the outside and the inside of it. "P-please!! Please- I can't be alone again!!"

She tried to get out of the Maykers grasp, yet they kept a grip on her. "DOOMY!!" She screamed, tears filling her charcoal black eyes that looked a deep brown in the light. Light. . .It has ways of fooling us, just like reality itself.

He walked over to the round arena, where he had fought the copy. The body was gone. Disintegrated. Leaving nothing but the red armor. And there, The Slayer found his helmet, vines growing on it. This left it stuck in the ground.

Spinel. . It was like the first time he met her. Vines keeping her twisty legs to the ground. He picked his helmet up- no problem. The vines snapped, like hers. He dusted it off, just a bit and then he put it on.

The helmet of his turned on. He started to look around yet again for his friend. How long was he out? Gems can't age, so it didn't matter. Any demon outside of hell would be destroyed. That means. . .No interruptions. For now.

He opened a portal and went to his ship.

Looking around, nothing changed a bit. Yet he recalled when Spinel gave him the flower. So sweet. . He looked over to the corner of the ship to see a warp pad. He had remembered installing it so Spinel could visit anywhere she recalled, in which she couldn't. All she could remember was—

THE GARDEN!

He dashed over to the warp pad as fast as he could and he warped there without a second thought. He ran down the stair case that he used the day he met her. She was here alright. Yet she wasn't here currently.

The garden didn't change, all except one tiny thing. Something new, colorful. Unlikely to be seen here. The hell flower- a few. They were growing by the fountain, some even growing inside of it.

The Slayer walked over and gazed at them. He saw that around it, color was starting to come back to the destroyed garden. Yet the rest still looked dull. Dead. Abandoned. . .

Did he leave her?

It wasn't his fault, yet how could he leave her? He had to find her and he had to do it quickly. He walked around and took one last look before leaving the place.

He warped back, thinking of the other places she could've ran off to. Where would she run off to? She always followed him, like a puppy. How could he find her. .He had no clue, and nothing she left behind.

He lost his best friend.

The Slayer grappled to the ship, scooping up Spinel as they were tugged. "—Are you crazy!?" Spinel said as she held on, watching the demons and titans below fight each other. "Because that's the Doomy I know and love!"

Doom walked off of the bridge that sank back into the water, and walked onto the grassy terrain. He remembered Spinel being amazed by the place. And when they were riding the Dragon-like creature.

She stood on its back and fell off, causing Doom to have to swoop down and get her before she fell. Due to how fast she was falling, she could've been shattered. If he wasn't there, she could've been.

On multiple occasions.

The same species of dragon flew over to him, landing and coming to a stop. He hopped on its back and the dragon became airborne once again. Air catching under its wings only made it go higher.

After a good bit of flying, the dragon landed not too far from The torch of Kings. The beacon still flared, and fire danced on its sides. Flurries of blue fell from it and went out mid air.

He hopped off of the dragon, and it flew away. He couldn't get Spinel out of his head— it was all he could think about. Something that just. . Didn't fit with the terrains color scheme caught his eye.

Red.

The small speck of red stood out. He walked over and it was yet another Hell Flower, also known as a spider lily.

Spinel's been through here.

It looked like it had been recently planted. This was known because of the soil patted around it. He looked around and found footprints. This was recent alright.

He recognized that shape from anywhere. Without a second thought, he sprang up and followed them, ripping the Hell flower out of the ground and carrying it with him.

The only thing he needed to see was something pink. She'd stand out like someone decorating up for Christmas in the middle of October. All he saw for now was sage, blue, amber brown, and chalk white.

"Useless, huh?" A voice said, sounding distant. The Slayer stopped in his tracks to hear the voice. Was reality playing tricks on him? Just like light?

"Why would he follow a trail of flowers. .It's been what? H-how many years now. .?" Where was she. What was she doing. His eyes darted around and he walked forward. The more he walked, the closer the voice grew.

". .One hundred years?. ."

He stopped. He's. . He's been gone for that long!? No. . There was no way— That didn't matter!! He was so close to finding her- to say he was sorry.

"If he's been gone for this long. . .If I've been planting these flowers for nothin'- is he really my friend?" He found her. He was a good twelve feet behind her. Her back was turned to him, as she looked up.

He took a deep breath, and walked forward. She heard something behind her and she snapped her head around. She threw a punch, and her fist being caught.

"Who're y—. .Doomy?"