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"The path you walk on belongs to destiny, just let it flow,"
Sighs of relief left both Salem and Daniel as the ceiling stopped in the knick of time- soon ascending back to it's proper place. "That was some fine Tarot reading." Daniel said, his smile a bit tense at the close call, but genuine nonetheless.
"..You sure you're not dressed as a Fairy Godmother?" Salem joked with an anxious chuckle.
John let out a shaky sigh of relief, more so when seeing an iron maiden open- revealing a set of stairs.
He paused though when seeing the look on Lilia's face, "What's wrong?"
"Rio... Rio is Death."
A beat or two passed. "You're saying... she's the personification... of Death?" Maomao repeated in disbelief and shock. That- that was impossible!
Salem blinked. He let out another nervous chuckle. "Like... like the Grim Reaper or somethin'...?" He questioned.
"She's the Green Witch. Death is an aspect of life depending on how you choose to look at it." Daniel mumbled thoughtfully. It explained why she hated Ghosts. And her... interesting relationship with Agatha.
"I came back and brought the crown with me, the King's den..."
John's face drained of color and he looked to Agatha, "You knew?" He muttered out.
The Witch pressed her lips into a thin line before sighing, "What can I say? I like the bad boys." She admitted in a mutter.
The air shifted and grew heavy when seven converged Spiritual Pressures became known. "Everyone, into the iron maiden." Lilia ordered the group towards the stairs.
Salem's gut sank when he felt the unified Spiritual Pressures, before Lilia started ushering him and the others towards the exit. Damn they were catching up fast-!
He didn't even care about the truth about Rio at this point!
"Pressure's rising fast as lightning, they can't stop it now..."
"When she calls you a coward, hit the deck." She warned Agatha as she ushered her and John through, she stopped Daniel though. "Never stop looking for them." She informed the brunet, soon turning to Salem. "And if you want power that much, look for the twin light."
Maomao paused when Lilia turned to her, "You'll find him."
She ushered everyone through quickly, except for herself. "Lilia?" Jen looked back at in worry, an anxious feeling suddenly filling her. "I loved being a Witch."
"No-!" The others looked back, the sound of the iron maiden closing the only sound made.
Daniel's eyes widened in shock, but before he could say anything, Lilia turned away from him.
"What? Twin light?" Salem questioned in confusion. "Lilia, what twin- urgh..." He suppressed and annoyed hiss as the elder Witch was finished with him and moved onto Maomao instead.
Daniel snapped out of his shocked state only after hearing the door slam shut, looking back in horror when he didn't see Lilia with Jen. "Lilia!!"
"Lilia! Lilia!" Jen pounded at the doors, only for her fists to soon be met with... dirt.
The doors of the iron maiden had vanished.
Maomao swallowed thickly before sighing quietly. Lilia gave herself up, so they could finish The Road... a commendable and selfless act. She just wished a life didn't have to be taken because of it. She wordlessly sat down on the steps underground, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Daniel slowly leaned back against a tree. His face was blank but his eyes were full of tears.
Salem still looked shocked and confused, like he was caught between grief and trying to piece together what Lilia had meant. If Rio really was Death... it made him sick to think that she was only here to eventually take Lilia...
John made it back outside and on The Road with Daniel and Agatha, a haunted look in his brown eyes- before a Spiritual Pressure could be felt. His head snapped up, and he watched Rio- or Death, whoever- walk towards them.
"You never disappoint Agatha, Lilia took out the Salem Seven with her... not bad." She noted to the other brunette.
John let out a bitter laugh, "That's what you call it? What she did?" He regarded sharply to Rio. "... now that I think about it, you stayed behind to deal with the Ghost, didn't you?"
The cold, and furious look in her eyes made John falter for a moment, even though such anger wasn't directed at him. "I sent her to the Soul Society." Rio soon answered.
"And Lilia?!" Salem snapped up at Rio- Death- whoever the Hell she was- with teary eyes. "You just here to take her too!? You gonna at least let us thank her for saving our sorry asses?!" He looked too sad and angry to remember who exactly it was he was screaming at, so Daniel grabbed him by his shoulders to pull him away from Rio. The brunet looked afraid of her, but pulled the teenager behind him regardless.
He didn't know if she'd try to harm Salem, but he wouldn't test her.
If Rio looked bothered by Salem's outburst, she didn't let it show. No doubt used to something like this.
"Is she at rest?" Maomao questioned softly. Rio's gaze swifted towards the younger Green Witch. "She is." Maomao sighed in relief at the answer. It wasn't much of a comfort, but knowing Lilia didn't turn out like the Ghost of Evanora... was something at least.
"What kind of world do we live in, where love is divided by hate,"
It tugged at Daniel's chest painfully to hear Salem sniffle behind him. "..I didn't mean it as an insult.." Salem muttered out through his tears, his Imp hurrying back to him to comfort him.
"Didn't mean what?" Daniel asked softly, turning towards him.
"...When I called her grandma." He whispered.
He didn't mean for it to be an insult, though he could imagine why Lilia thought it was.
She probably foresaw his future. Or past. Knew exactly who, and how terrible he was...
"Dry your eyes now baby, broken wings won't hold you down..."
John looked to Salem worriedly. He weighed a mental battle in his mind before walking over to the teen. He didn't trust himself to say anything, instead, John placed a tentative hand on Salem's shoulder.
"Fueled by the endless questions no one can answer,"
The hand on his shoulder felt warm, and for once Salem didn't try to smack away, or hiss at, or lash out at the comfort. This time Salem leaned into it, letting his forehead bump against John's chest.
The gesture between Salem and John was heartwarming to see. It would have been, at least, if not for the circumstances..
Daniel didn't know why Lilia had chosen to walk the Road, but he felt a determination to see this through. 'Never stop looking for them'. He was begining to understand what she meant by that.
John stayed quiet, comforting Salem the best he could through his actions rather than his words. Even if he and Lilia weren't close... he didn't need to be loosing people like this.
Rio studied the scene, her eyes closing briefly before she turned to walk away. No one tried to stop her, or call out to her. The original Green Witch silently withdrew her blade from her holster on her side- and slashed through the air before her- treating it like a painted backdrop for a theatre- before she slipped through the tear.
Daniel watched her actions, gold eyes wide in disbelief as Rio tore her way out of the Road as if it was little more than just a stage play.
The Demon in his head grumbled, not liking whatever the implications of that were suggesting any more than Daniel did.
Salem stayed leaned against John up until the Imp on his shoulder chittered quietly, and only then did the teen suddenly stand up straight- like he suddenly remembered he was against affection. He hastily dried his eyes with his sleeve, looking anywhere but at anyone else.
Maomao blanched as Rio easily left The Road- then again... she was Death, a force of nature that had been around since the Earth came to be. She was older than all of them.
She sighed quietly, soon looking towards the group. She snorted a bit when Salem hastily pulled away from John, although the blonde was smirking faintly. At least the teen didn't verbally snap at him this time.
"Should we take this time to pay respects to Lilia?" Maomao offered.
"Yes." Jen muttered out, sounding just as tired and worn out as the rest of them.
Salem agreed with a silent nod, as did Daniel. It was the least they could do for her, after everything they'd been through, even if it was only a short time.
"Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone..."
It didn't take too long for Maomao and Jen to gather up what they needed from The Road to pay Lilia their last respects. No one knew her, just what they learned from the past Trials. She gave up her own life to ensure they could complete The Road and achieve what they wanted, she would not die in vain.
John used his magick to burn the leaves in the same manner when they summoned Rio. He snuck a look at Agatha, the brunette oddly quiet...
