𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕗 ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕤....? (𝚁𝙴𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴)

∙∙·▫▫ᵒᴼᵒ▫ ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 28 | 𝔸 ℝ𝕖𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕣𝕠𝕨▫ᵒᴼᵒ▫▫·∙∙

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I know I've been gone for a while, whether it felt short or long, but I've been busy working on another project and schoolwork. I realized I was getting a bit lazy by delaying the chapters I wanted to write and post, so here I am with a new chapter! Enjoy, everyone!

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Claire knew she'd died—yes, she remembered that. But wasn't she supposed to be at the gates of Judgment by now?

Instead, she found herself in the Underworld, seated in a boat with a cloaked ferryman whose face was obscured. He occasionally answered her questions with brief replies, though they had exchanged only a few words since she'd climbed aboard.

Silence stretched between them as Claire looked around her strange surroundings. Souls and bodies drifted aimlessly, lost in an eternal gloom. Claire sat curled up with her arms hugging her knees, glancing occasionally down at the water—or, more accurately, the souls beneath it.

Making matters worse, she had no payment for the ferryman. Yet he had offered her a ride across the riverbank of souls, saying she'd "figure it out" once they arrived. Though she knew hopping into the boat was a risky choice, her fear of this gloomy, eerie world had overridden her reason.

Time seemed to blur. Claire was at a loss, still trying to understand why she'd ended up in Hell to begin with.

Did I do something wrong? Claire wondered, sifting through her memories. Maybe it was that time she helped Eryx hide a body—or two. It was obviously a crime to help with something like that... but it was Eryx, she reasoned, conflicted. Deep down, she didn't regret helping her childhood best friend. Eryx had her reasons, and it wasn't like she ever preyed on the innocent... except maybe the occasional animal.

Eryx had always been there for Claire, sometimes more than her own loved ones. It wasn't that Claire felt unloved by her family, but Eryx provided her with a feeling she couldn't quite name.

"We're here," the cloaked figure's voice jolted her from her thoughts, sending her heart racing. She'd been so lost in her own mind that she hadn't thought of a way to pay for the journey.

"I...," she began, but then—

"CLAIRE!"

A familiar voice echoed through the gloom, startling her. The ferryman, unfazed, gave a small nod.

"I believe someone you know was here earlier," he said. "I think she's paying for you."

Before Claire could process his words, a woman stepped into view. Fair-skinned with violet eyes, she locked gazes with Claire, both of their eyes widening in recognition.

"Mom?" Claire's voice escaped in a whisper, an instinctual reaction as memories stirred. She barely noticed when her mother handed payment to the ferryman and led her off the boat.

"Claire..." Lisira's voice was filled with wonder and emotion.

It took only a moment before Claire recognized the one person she thought she'd never see again.

"Mom," she repeated, this time with certainty, tears glistening in her eyes. Lisira knelt and pulled her into a firm but gentle hug. "Of all people... it's you," she murmured, and Claire broke into sobs, clinging to her mother.

The reunion they'd both longed for had finally arrived, though bittersweet. Lisira held Claire tightly, silently grappling with the reality of their meeting.