Time here feels wrong.
I have no idea how long I have been pacing this place. Minutes could be hours. Hours could be days. Nothing changes. The air stays the same. The light never fades. The strange sticky floor clings to my shoes every time I take a step.
At first it felt disgusting.
Now I barely notice it.
What I do notice is the anxiety sitting in my chest.
Because what kind of situation is this?
My best friend is possessed by something ancient. That same thing claims to be my great grandfather. And somehow Avalon and I were dragged into whatever twisted story he plans to tell us.
Avalon has barely spoken since we arrived.
He stands near the wall with his arms crossed, staring into nothing like his mind is miles away. Normally his thoughts are loud. Chaotic. Impossible to ignore.
Now there is almost nothing.
I understand it though. My own head feels like a storm.
Still, the silence is starting to get on my nerves.
I stopped pacing and turned to him.
"Hey brother, what do you think he's been doing since?" I asked.
Avalon only shrugged.
That was it.
No explanation. No guess. Just a shrug.
My jaw tightened in annoyance.
"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath.
Fine.
If Avalon was going to act like a statue, I would handle it myself.
I turned toward the staircase and cupped my hands around my mouth.
"Lilian!" I shouted.
Nothing.
No footsteps. No response.
Did Avalon not call him Drasos earlier?
"Drasos!" I yelled again, louder this time.
The answer came right behind me.
"Time for dinner."
The voice brushed the back of my neck.
I jumped and spun around.
Lilian stood there casually like she had been there the whole time.
My heart was still racing.
Did she just teleport?
I rubbed the back of my neck and rolled my eyes before taking a few steps away from her.
"You can't do that," I said.
"Do what?" she replied calmly. "You called. I answered."
"Don't appear behind people like that," I snapped. "Where are we having dinner?"
Honestly I did not care about the food.
What I cared about was the story she promised.
"My species does not eat," Lilian said calmly. "And your brother here can testify. I could have suggested a tour of the underworld, but your frail human body would not survive it."
The air in the room turned stiff.
Underworld?
Species?
My eyes slowly shifted to Avalon.
"What does Avalon know about you?" I asked carefully. "And what species are you?"
For the first time since I woke up here, a thin line of nervousness crept into my voice.
Lilian did not answer me.
Instead she turned her gaze toward Avalon, who had been silent the entire time.
"Do you not think it is time you take off your disguise?" she asked him.
Avalon did not move.
Did not blink.
The silence stretched.
Then Lilian's expression darkened.
"Whoever is inside that body," she growled, her voice dropping into something colder, "just know you will be punished. Now I command you to show me your real self."
Sweat suddenly appeared on Avalon's forehead.
My stomach dropped.
"Okay now this is crazy," I said quickly, panic rising in my chest. "Is my brother possessed too?"
"You are my only great grandchild," Lilian replied without even looking at me. "You do not have a brother."
That sentence confused me more than anything that had happened today.
"What are you talking about?" I said, shaking my head. "I have a twin brother. Or at least… that is the memory I was shown."
The words left my mouth slowly.
Uncertain.
Because suddenly I was not so sure anymore.
What if those memories were not mine?
"What gave it away?"
Avalon finally spoke.
The question was directed at Lilian.
She smirked slightly.
"I can hear your thoughts, dummy," she said. "I cannot do that with humans. That was when I knew you were not one of them."
Her eyes narrowed at him.
"So tell me. What rank do you fall under?"
"Can someone explain what is going on over he…"
My words died in my throat.
Avalon's body began to change.
Bones cracked.
His frame expanded, stretching taller and wider as something dark twisted beneath his skin. His eyes burned with an unnatural glow and his features warped into something monstrous.
Something not human.
Not even close.
A demon.
"What the hell…" I whispered.
My heart was beating so fast it hurt.
For a second I just stood there staring at the towering creature in front of me.
I might actually be the only normal person in this room.
"So there never was a twin brother?" I asked quietly, betrayal tightening in my chest.
Then something clicked in my head.
Earlier Lilian said she knew he was not human because she could read his mind.
But Avalon and I have always been able to hear each other's thoughts.
My hand flew to my mouth as the realization hit me.
"Am I possessed?" I blurted out.
I completely ignored the giant demon standing a few feet away from me.
"No dear," Lilian said calmly. "Exim here is a master in witchcraft. I am sure he cast a spell to read your mind."
Some of the tension left my chest.
Just a little.
So his name was Exim.
But that only created more questions.
Why pretend to be my twin brother?
Why stay by my side all this time?
And most importantly…
What was all of this for?