The sunset light hit Lief in the face, dyeing the parking lot asphalt a garish orange.
And there she was... Dorothy.
His mind went into shock not only because she was an unwanted guest, but that she had crossed the Underworld to appear on campus. To wait for him..?
He didn't believe it.
He could feel her... That dark force, dense and undisguised, that she wore like a coat.
And the worst was the cold shine in her eyes: the trace of a barely disguised amusement.
Lief felt, irremediably, like a trapped mouse.
"Lief Connor."
Dorothy pronounced his name as if she were savoring it, "Do I scare you so much that you don't even stop to say hello?"
The question floated in the air with an annoying confidence, as if they were old friends. Lief put his hands in his pockets and adopted a posture of indifference.
"Say hello? I didn't know we were at that stage of friendship," he replied with a dry tone. "In fact, I didn't know we were at any stage at all."
Letting out a soft laugh, Dorothy took two steps toward him.
"No friendship? How mean~."
She stopped right in front of him, invading his space and raised a hand and, with an exasperating slowness, pointed a finger directly at Lief's heart.
Lief's survival instinct screamed at him to move away, but he didn't move, he stood firm.
Dorothy's sharp fingernail touched the fabric of his jacket.
And with it a needle of ice pierced the clothes seeking his skin, charged with an ancient malice, something that smelled of the grave.
But before that rot could take root in him, Lief's power reacted. A wave of bluish heat surged from inside him and disintegrated the icy intrusion on contact.
Dorothy's eyes widened slightly. The surprise lasted barely a second before transforming into absolute delight.
"My~ Now you bite harder," she murmured withdrawing her hand and looking at him with shining eyes. "So, tell me one thing... what plans do you have for Christmas?"
"...."
Lief blinked, unable to process the tonal whiplash of the conversation.
The death threat had disappeared so fast that it left him off-balance.
"Excuse me?"
"If you don't have plans," Dorothy's smile became wider and perfectly symmetrical, "we could go spend time at my house."
Lief arched an eyebrow, letting sarcasm drip from his words. "Your house? You mean a trip to Hell, with that intoxicating aroma of sulfur and all its eternal tortures? I'm sorry, I don't have time in my schedule for that."
"No, no." Denied Dorothy, unmoved by the mockery and without losing composure extending an invitation. "The Underworld is not the hell that that group of savages worships. Come, be my guest of honor."
"...."
Lief kept silent, measuring the implications of her proposal, until finally he shook his head firmly.
He didn't even bother to invent an excuse. He simply turned around toward his motorcycle.
"I haven't lived long enough for a visit yet. See you, Dorothy."
Seeing Lief was really walking away, her voice reached him, tinged now with a hypnotic and seductive nuance that halted his steps.
"You don't have to die to be able to go, you know."
Lief turned slowly, and for the first time since he had seen her, caution was replaced by genuine curiosity.
"How?" he inquired, looking at her again. "Tell me the details."
Seeing him already interested, Dorothy's smile became more satisfied.
"It is very simple. I can open a temporary 'door' for you. You could cross with your physical body, as a living being, and you would also have the guarantee of leaving safe and sound," she explained. "Of course, I am not asking you to risk your skin for nothing."
"I knew it," Lief commented with a mix of cynicism. "Speak, what is the cost of the trip?"
Dorothy's expression shifted, acquiring a dangerous solemnity. "You see, recently, a living person arrived in the Underworld unexpectedly. His soul, for me, is... a burning beacon, the most delicious taste imaginable. I need you to help me track him and bring him."
"A living person?" Lief frowned with disbelief. "Did he enter by accident?"
"Perhaps, but the how isn't relevant," said Dorothy, making a subtle gesture with her head. "The important thing is that he is there, and I need him found."
Lief crossed his arms, observing her with mockery. "Did you forget who you are? Your power is one of the most feared among all the existences I have known. Catching a simple living human is nothing more than a simple gesture for you. Why the hell do you need me?"
"Because..." Dorothy's expression showed a sudden change of mood, "Christmas is coming and I... have a performance, so it is not convenient for me to act personally."
"..."
Lief's expression went blank.
He blinked a couple of times, convinced that his brain was playing a trick on him or that the stress had finally caused an auditory hallucination.
A performance?
His mind instantly brought him ritual sacrifices, chants in strange languages, and Dorothy bathed in blood upon an altar of bones.
"Wait..." he interrupted her, clearing his throat to buy time. "What are we talking about? Summoning a higher being? Is the apocalypse coming?"
Dorothy rolled her eyes with human exasperation.
That gesture, on such a perfect face, would have been charming if it didn't come from a creature capable of devouring cities, but her answer was what really crumbled Lief's logic.
"The Christmas Gala, of course."
Lief felt reality fracturing a little more.
Lief felt reality fracturing a little more.
"The Underworld... celebrates Christmas?" he asked, feeling that every word was more absurd than the last.
"Obviously," she replied with a tone of superiority, as if he were the ignorant one. "It is our peak season. The harvest of souls skyrockets during these dates, so we organize a grand celebration. It is a formal event and, frankly, I cannot miss it."
Lief rubbed his temple, trying to process the idea of demons with festive hats celebrating.
He decided not to inquire further for his own mental health.
"Alright, I'll pretend that makes sense," he sighed, recomposing his posture. "Let's cut to the chase. If I play your bloodhound in hell, what do I get? And don't tell me 'eternal gratitude', because that doesn't pay the bills."
"Oh, believe me, I have something better than gratitude." Dorothy's smile sharpened and her eyes shone. "I have something in my collection that a hybrid like you would kill to have."
"Oh yeah? Surprise me."
Dorothy took a step closer and lowered her voice.
"Holy water."
!?
Lief stood petrified.
He looked at her waiting for the punchline of the joke, but the seriousness on her face was absolute.
A dark creature of the abyss was offering him... the sacred weapon par excellence?
"Are you kidding?" he blurted out incredulously. "You have holy water? That is as if a pyromaniac collected fire extinguishers."
"It's not just any holy water," clarified Dorothy, ignoring his skepticism. "I am talking about zero-grade purity. Mixed with seraphic tears and consecrated directly by an Archangel. Nothing to do with that diluted trash that priests sell in churches."
________
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