"I don't know," I admitted. "It's easier if you see it. But I don't know if I'm ready to get back there."

"You don't make any sense," Eli said.

"Just, give me a minute," I said. "That thing scared the living daylight out of me, quite literally I must add."

"It hasn't come to us yet," Eli commented.

"The light keeps it at bay," I said. "That's why the old man kept these torches alight." I pointed at the numerous pillars on which torches hung, flickering.

"Well," Eli said. "Our only way out is beyond the darkness."

"Come to think of it, only Boon survived down here. Do you think the others made it out alive? Or do you think that thing took them?" I was still shaken by what I experience before. I could only think of the second possibility as an outcome.

"I'll go check it out," Eli said then strode toward the dark area.

"Hey! Don't go in there alone!" I called out to him. Eli pretended he didn't hear me and kept going.

I stayed put, knees on the ground, head staring at the floor. That thing's voice kept ringing in my head. Something about it was familiar, I felt I'd heard it somewhere before.

'Maybe we overreacted,' Eva said after a while.

'Are you kidding?' I said. 'We both felt that unnerving, primal fear from that thing. We didn't overreact.'

'What do you think we should do then?' she asked.

'First thing I want to try,' I said, 'is to see how fire reacts to it. He can't cross the line of light, maybe we could find a way across using a lit torch.'

'Why didn't Boon think about it in the first place?' Eva retorted.

'I don't know, because he wanted to stay here?'

'Probably,' she conceded. 'You've heard his last words. He had too many regrets, and it appears only that individual called Tao Zhar could get him out of here.'

'Well, there's no point in debating theories, is there?' I said.

'Probably,' she said. 'I just don't like the feeling I got earlier. Now that we're aware, I feel safer.'

I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to see Eli running toward me. He looked pale, terrified. I grinned at him. I couldn't conceal my joy at seeing the disbelief on his face right now.

"What the h.e.l.l is that thing?" he asked. "I felt drawn to it, but something kept nagging in the back of my head, telling me to run away."

"OH MYYYYYLES!" the deep, hateful voice reached us from the other side. "TELL YOUR FRIEND TO COME BACK! I WANT TO PLAAAAY!"

"Aella have mercy," Eli swore. "We're gonna die here."

"Calm down," I urged my skinny friend. "There's light around us. It can't reach us."

Eli looked around to make sure. He saw the fire crackling on the wooden sticks. He saw the light reflecting on other surfaces, and sighed in relief. Only then did he turn to look at me.

"We're still doomed," he said. "How will we get out of here?"

"I have an idea," I said. "I don't think you'll like it."

"You don't like it either, do you?" Eli said, he was still gasping for breath.

"Nope."

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"Let's do it then," he said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"We make that thing angry," I said. "Something tells me he's already angry though."

Eli gave me a nervous smile. "What's the plan then?" he asked.

"I'll take one of these torches, and we throw it in the darkness," I said. "Just testing how he'd react to light."

"One torch wouldn't be enough," Eli said.

"Maybe," I conceded, "but it's just enough to test my theory. What's the point in using more if fire isn't effective in the first place?"

"A bigger fire could do the trick."

"Let's see what a smaller one can do," I said. "We'll figure out how to build a bigger fire if need be."

Eli nodded. I started walking toward the dark area but my skinny friend didn't follow. I looked back at him. He was standing in place, frozen. I could sympathize.

"It can't reach us if we stay in the light," I said.

Eli looked at me, his eyes phased out. He started walking, his shoulders slouched, eyes fixed on the floor. That thing scared the three of us – Eva included – enough to want to stay away. Perhaps that its main form of attack, I couldn't tell yet. But I feared what it had in store.

We were halfway there when I suddenly stopped and blocked Eli from going further.

"What is it?" he asked.

"She's come back," I told my friend. "Are you a good shot?"

"I'm better than you, if that's any comfort," he said. "Who's back?"

"The banshee," I said. "I can feel her here, somewhere. She's stalking us."

"s.h.i.+t!" Eli swore. "I thought you banished her!"

"I did," I said. "But that's what it is, banis.h.i.+ng. She's bound to come back, and she has."

I fumbled in my bag and drew the golden knife. I handed it to Eli.

"I'll draw her attention," I said. "We'll probably have one shot at this. While I distract her, you shoot her in the head with that knife."

"What? Why?" Eli protested. "We can easily fight her. Stabbing her will ensure a certain hit, and victory."

"Can you get close enough to stab her?" I asked.

He remained silent.

"I can't focus enough to banish her," I said. "I got lucky the last time, but I feel more detached from my own memories now. I can't use my emotions as catalyst. I'm afraid we can't keep on banis.h.i.+ng the she-devil."

"Your plan's foolhardy," Eli said.

"Got any better suggestions?"

"Yeah, stick it to her gut!"

"Just, keep your hands steady alright?" I said. "Anyone's a better shot than me. I'll keep her floating steadily before me. All you have to do is get close enough to throw that knife into her skull."

"And if I miss?"

"You won't. You can't."

We heard he wails before we saw her. She flew right before us, barring our way from going further.

"Run!" I told Eli. "Let's have her chase us, give her the impression she's got the upper hand."

I turned and ran toward the map painting. Eli followed closely. He was skinnier, and faster. He quickly overtook me and reached the wall painting. The banshee kept flying behind us, giggling as she did. She definitely thought she had the upper hand. I reached Eli to see him gripping the knife tightly.

"Hide it from her!" I hissed. "They know their weakness. If she sees you holding that thing, she'll target you first."

He obeyed and strapped the thing to his waist.

"Let's run toward the darkness now," I said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Eli snapped.

"We won't get there," I said. "We just need to get her to follow us some more. The more she plays with us, the bigger our chances of getting her to drop her guard."

Eli gulped loudly, and looked at me with begging eyes.

"Let's just get this over with," I sighed. "I don't like this either. But we have to get rid of her before we attempt to take that thing too."

He nodded and we ran around the pillars, and toward the darkness. We reached the spot where Ofelia ambushed us and I ordered Eli to hide behind some pillar. I turned to face the banshee.

"Electo!" I screamed. A faint silver jet left my palm and hit the fairy. It wasn't strong, but it was enough to get her attention on me.

She flew toward me, hands outstretched, ready to slap fear into me. I took the hit, and felt my entire being shake. Fortunately, I had used my Essence to s.h.i.+eld me from the cold sensation that usually runs down my spine every time I got hit. The banshee flew around and came back at me. I shot another silver jet at her. She giggled as it hit her, but I could tell she didn't like it.

She glided before me. We were facing each other then. I could see her chest inflating. She getting ready to blast me with one of her supersonic screams.

"NOW!" I yelled.

Eli appeared from behind a pillar. He adjusted his posture, aimed at the banshee and, with a grunt, threw the knife at her. It was the longest two seconds I've experienced so far. The knife kept rotating in the air. The banshee's chest kept growing in size. I braced for impact. If worse came to worst, I had to be ready to endure her deafening scream.

The knife got closer to her skull. The banshee hunched forward and let out her harrowing cry. I fought not to flinch or step back. Showing weakness was allowing the fairy to gain the upper hand. Her scream went on. My hair flew backwards, and even the sword I had strapped to my waist was pointing behind me.

I heard glanced sideways. Eli was looking at me in horror. I understood he'd missed the shot. He gestured beside me. He was telling me to look at my foot. The knife had somehow fallen beside my feet. I looked up to see the banshee's nose close to mine. We were almost touching.

'You can resist me now?' she whispered. Her misty voice didn't match her horrific appearance.

I fought not to look down at my feet. I didn't want her to see the knife. Somehow, we'd missed. Somehow, she didn't notice the deadly weapon on the ground either.

'Maybe I can hurt your friend instead,' she turned and looked at Eli. It was now or never.

I moved as fast as I could. I crouched, picked up the knife and immediately thrust it in an upward motion. I heard the fairy wail and howl. Her flesh sizzled as the golden knife sliced it open. She withdrew, hissing, cursing.

She was about to fly at me when we all heard a sniffing sound. Ofelia looked around her.

"I smell fooooood," the deep voice reached us from the dark part of the building.

I looked at the fairy and snorted. I never thought I'd see a horrifying fairy look scared, but she was. She hugged herself and landed on her knees. She started sniffing and crying. Eli came running toward me.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

"Feel what?"

I felt it as soon as I asked the question. Primal fear overwhelmed me. Eva also felt it, and urged us to get the h.e.l.l out of there.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!" we heard the voice scream playfully.

"Let's get out of here," Eli urged me.

I didn't need to be asked twice. Eli ran and I followed. The floor beneath us rumbled and the torches behind us started extinguis.h.i.+ng, one after the other. I chanced a peek behind me. The banshee was still crying, wailing. She was unable to move. I didn't know if it were because of the wound I'd inflicted, or because of the fear she experienced.

Strange, how the creature that fed on fear, was afraid herself. Darkness flooded the place, and in a flash, the banshee disappeared too. We heard her scream, the kind that makes you wince. She howled and bellowed as the voice of darkness laughed heartily. Eli and I had stopped by then. We were watching the fairy trying to escape. She had finally gotten back to her senses.

We saw her ghastly shape escape the darkness, but she was immediately pulled in. Her arms flailed, outstretched toward us. She screamed and even begged us to save her, but there was no sense in fighting it. The darkness won, and absorbed her whole. Her screams went on for a while, as Eli and I stood there, watching the inky black mould in front of us change shapes.

Soon enough, everything went back to its usual, quiet atmosphere. The torches that were extinguished remained so. We had just lost considerable s.p.a.ce.