Eternal

Chapter 1: A Dive into Cold Water

"Dude, the food was poisoned! Don't eat it!" Alexandria shouted. She was sitting on an ikea recliner, enjoying a marathon of 1980's 'Tetra Man and the Fighters of the Infinity'. In said episode, Tetra Man's love Sybil was dating another man. He was attacked from the shadows by an unknown assailant, and assumes it to be his lost love.

"Look behind you! What are you doing?!" She continued to barrade the TV, never forgetting to assault Tetra Man's terrible decisions.

"Hey. Kid. What're you watching?" A white cloaked figure came out from the right hand corner of the room. His auburn beard tangled down his face, accompanied by a scar that ran across his forehead. An old pocket watch dangled from his belt. Alexandria wasn't surprised--he usually carried it.

"Nothing. Just the Tetra Man marathon on TBC. You knew this show when you were a kid. Right, Max?"

"Of course. I still watch this show when I get the chance!" He came around the couch and watched Tetra Man for a while, taking his time to comment on how well made 80's shows were, especially with their intense plot lines. He even recited the lines of a particular scene.

After a few minutes, he sauntered to the edge of the room. A rusted metal door heralded the team's logo.

"Don't go... I'm so bored!" Alexandria whined. Her head turned lazily as Max headed out the door.

"Sorry, Kid. In 25 minutes, there's going to be a breakthrough in quantum computers. And an assassination, I think. Maybe next time you can freeload. Sound good?" He persuaded. The door unhinged from the breeze, ushering in the chill of the night.

"Maybe..." The green-skinned eleven-year-old grumbled. Her partner shut the entrance from behind himself. She shifted positions on the couch, letting out a sigh.

"Hello." Said a menacing voice.

"Huh?" Alexandria jumped out of her seat before looking around uncertainly. The voice's owner stood in the corner of the room. He was a boy concealed by shadow.

She directed her finger towards him, "Eli... You... Were you there the entire time?" She laughed worriedly.

"Yeah." He said, arms crossed. A dark hood concealed his dirty blonde hair, accompanied by a flowing robe. A belt wrapped around his waist, with a slot for the necromancer's infamous reaper scythe. It lent Elijah West one of his many names--the Reaper of Souls. Most people just called him the Stygian Mage.

"Invisibility." he grumbled, "I do it all the time."

"What? You serious?" She eyed him cautiously, "And that doesn't even... freak you out or anything?"

"No." Eli replied, "Now if you're finished, I have to go, too." He stepped out of the darkness and turned towards the door. He muttered some incantation, causing his scythe to appear. Alexandria hardly cared, her thoughts trained on other matters.

"Eli, you can't leave! Even if you're the creepiest person I've ever met, there's no way I'm staying here alone." she sighed, "We haven't done anything together. And Max is out, so I can't even hang with him! One more episode of Tetra Man, and I'm going to hurl..." she paused, "What do you have to do, anyway?"

"Ghost hunting." Eli stated flatly. As if to contradict his emotion, a wicked laugh erupted from behind him.

Alexandria grinned "Oh. Hey Velve."

Velve, a.k.a Velveteen, was a plush bunny--the pet of Life Force. After being animated by a demon some time ago, the Stygian Mage had captured him and employed him for his own devices. She didn't know the entire backstory--just that Eli had found a disturbingly evil spirit possessing the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

Eli threw his scythe over his shoulder, turning away from Alexandria. Velveteen piggybacked from his rear.

"Westacre. Nevada. Twenty-four hours of driving, if we step on it. Let's go, Velveteen."

Velveteen chuckled. His contrabass voice rang through the room "Yes! Demons! Gnashing snakes, slithering serpents from the depths of Hell! They rise! They plot! Rising, plotting, to succumb all that oppose them!" he grinned "And we, we shall consume them! In their entirety, we shall consume their souls!" His plush tongue swayed in his cotton mouth, like some venomous reptile.

"Wow!" Alexandria gasped "You actually do that stuff? Like those people on Bio channel? That's so not boring. I need to help! Please?" She pleaded.

Eli cracked his knuckles "Sure."

"Really? Yes!"

"I was kidding."

"Awww..."

"That was a joke."

"Wait so..."

"Yes."

"Yes! I get to go ghost hunting!" She punched the air. A sudden thought struck her "Wait. Do you use Ouija boards or holy water to destroy the spirits? Or do you have some crazy cool powers to defeat them?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't even answer the question!"

"Are we going, or are we talking?" asked Eli impatiently.

"Um, I guess we're going..." Alexandria grumbled. Eli had succeeded in breaking her hype.

The Stygian Mage could be such a downer. It seemed to Alexandria that his heart was as dark as his outfit.

The two gathered their belongings. Eli carried a light load, as usual. Alexandria wondered how he managed--it must have been some kind of magic.

Together, they stepped into the night. Twinkling stars guided them down the headquarters, through colossal branches and gigantic leaves.

They were both unaware of the dangers that awaited them.

* * *

The two heroes stepped out of the boundary that defined the Peluca Animal Reserve. They continued to walk through the empty forest until they found the area that normally housed the team's vehicles. Currently, there was only one.

A black jeep stood in the narrow walkway, surprisingly clean amidst the forested environment. It had just occurred to Alexandria that this would be the first time her and the Stygian Mage would be riding in it alone, and she instantly took the open opportunity.

"I call shotgun!" She stated, adamantly.

"No."

"Aww!" She whined "Why not?"

"No weapons." Said Eli, his stern expression raining down on her, crushing every one of her hopes and dreams like bugs on a windshield.

"That's not what I meant!" She cried. She frowned, taking the other side of the car for herself. There was no use in asking for it.

The car roared to a start as it made its way out of the forest and onto the open highway. After about five minutes, Alexandria turned to Eli.

"So... How do you fight demons?" She asked, curious and excited.

"Forcefully."

"Oh." Well, I'm not going to get any information from him. I might as well amuse myself this entire ride, she thought.

She began to occupy her mind with other things. She examined his hands, the typically bright green skin was now a tan olive shade. When had been the last time that he had stepped out into the sun? She would have to make a point of it as soon as they got to Westacre. Excited for the coming day's events, she allowed her eyes to close restfully. Before she knew it, Alexandria was in a deep sleep.