The World is On Fire (Invite Only)

He knew, one day that he would be alone, but he never knew it would happen so soon..and not like this, never like this. 

Hades reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled cigarette, lighting it with the tip of his wand he inhaled deeply as he looked out over the crumpled remains of his home, his world. Fires still burned in the runes of the once great Nexian empire, but it was over. The wars were finally over, and like every great empire, Nexus imploded on itself, destroying itself and everyone with it. 

Civil war was common in the nexus, every few decades someone got bored, or someone decided to disagree with an old grudge and next thing anyone knew there was a feud to settle and blood to spill. But with each generation it slowly got worse, to the point where those mad with power had to be stopped and those who were loyal to them fought back. 

Hades never wanted to kill anyone, but after watching his brother lose his life to the hands of his own men, he had to act. Something in his heart, his soul, had become unhinged and the vampire had taken matters into his own hands. 

It was too easy in a way, he let them kill each other, after centuries of trying to stop the clans from destroying each other he just let them fight. Slowly he gathered support from other members of the nexus who agreed it was time to end it all, and when every person was dead, he had killed his supporters. 


Jumping down from the cliff he stood the tattooed vampire's boots hit the ground without a sound. Slowly he began to move amongst the bodies, his swords drawn, prepared to impale any and all who happened to live through the madness that had destroyed his world. His heart felt hallow as the weight of what had happened settled there, but he still had his daughter, he still had Rhea. 

When he heard a groan or a agonized sigh, he ran the victim through. No one was allowed to live, a few had lived,  he knew that. But for now, he went through the bloody work of ridding the world of the very last of the nexian clans. They had done to much damage, caused to much pain. 

"No more.." he whispered as he took in the remains around him before moving on, walking deeper into what was once a small empire, "No more..."

It was all gone. A place Luna had thought of as home was destroyed by its own people, her heart aching at the loss of people she had once called friends. She had hoped, part of her hoped that little Kaida had made it, had hidden herself away in the depths of the Earth until it was okay for her kind, the Grimm kind to come out once more.

The once Hufflepuff, who's entire being screamed all of the other houses apart from the one she was actually in, scrambled amongst the rubble to find something to hold onto. Her sentimental side wanting to latch onto her past even if she knew better than to do that. The ash fell like snow all around her but no tears fell. They had all dried out from the loss that burned her very soul. She always knew that Nexus itself would be its downfall but she never knew that she would be there to witness it, even witness its destruction.

Wondering how the world could've gotten to this, wondering how it never learned from its obvious mistakes, Luna took it upon herself to venture deeper. To find someone, something at least that remained of the island. There was only broken structures, not doors, barely any walls, just rubble that she believed resembled her life now. There was no protection in her barriers anymore and she felt as though, one kick and she'd be gone. She'd find herself as destroyed as Nexus and it was past the point of repair.

The structure still resembled the Great Hall of Nexus and the throne that once sat there in all its glory was broken, its velvet red seat dirtied with ash and dust but she still sat down, elbows rested on her knees as she examined the empire. It was then when she crumbled, her heart cracking and she covered her lips as a sob shook her body. She was once great friends with the old King, allowing herself to be his confident and he'd speak to her about many things which allowed her access to all of her friends amongst the Empire; Hades, Dragon, Thane and now that she knew she'd never see them again, along with her own family, it was too much of a blow to her system.

Luna Cari Valkyrie began to scream, gripping her hair like a vice and she kicked at the rubble. She didn't care who heard her and she grabbed onto the once strong throne, throwing it across the room. She dropped to her knees, barely out of breath and she rested her forehead against the floor, her sobbing continuing once more...

Hades continued walking through the rubble, killing survivors as he went, mercifully sending the injured to the afterlife. His soul trembled as he took in the once great hall that now stood in pieces. He would never be home again. A sound filled his old ears, someone's sorrow shook him to his core and he took off running towards the sound. Suddenly he found himself in the throne room and he took in the sight of a woman crying on his brothers throne. He approached with caution, sword and wand at the ready, "who goes there?" He said his voice a threatening rumble.

Luna's instincts were as still as sharp as they were when she was young and at the sharp feeling of danger shook her soul but it was a feeling she took pleasure in. Being alert set off her adrenaline and it made her feel so very, very powerful in a moment of weakness. But the voice was something that she recognized, after a simple fleeting meeting. She slowly stood up, keeping her head down as the tears stopped, much to her thanks. "Why, Hades, don't you recognize me?" Luna lifted up her head, meeting his gaze noting he was armed. It was strange seeing a Nexian when she hadn't seen any since even before Kronos came back. She happily avoided any reminder of her ex husband until now.

His heart gave a twist at the girl's voice. "Luna.." He croaked in a strained whisper, his sword slipped from his fingers clattering to the ground and in a heartbeat he stood before her, a cold hand on her face, the feeling of her tears under his rough fingers. "Luna... Little star..are you real?"

Luna watched him break, crumble, shatter and felt the wind change due to his high speed. His cold fingers danced along her face and she leaned into it, closing her eyes. "Oh, little Demon, of course I am real. The question is...are you?" She whispered, heart pounding at the thought that she was in another drunken daze, sitting naked in her living room with empty bottles surrounding her.

He slid his hand down to her neck and leaned his forhead on hers, his other arm snaking around his waist. "Yes..i'm real..." he whispered holding her there for a moment then he remembered, the lives he took the blood dried on his hands. Letting her go he stepped back and looked away trying to hide the guilt on his face, "do you know if anyone else survived?"

The embrace from the cold vampire surprisingly warmed her entire being up and she leaned into it, nudging her head with his as if trying to make sure this is real, that her friend was real. Suddenly, he stepped away and refused to look at her which made her thought she had done something wrong. "No...I went straight here. But even if people survived, they wouldn't return after a long, long time. Like a lot of your family did." Her tone was bitter, spitting out the words with great anger. Her eyes then latched onto his being and her lips mouthed a simple 'Oh'. "Hades, is there something you wish to tell me?" Luna's hand rested delicately on his cheek, forcing him to face her.

A few moments of silence passed before he managed, "i had to end it all" the words came out painfully "i had to stop the destruction...i killed them luna..i killed almost all of them.."

The words shocked her to the core and her hand almost left his cheek but she pressed it down further to show him she's there for him. "Almost all of them? Who lives, Hades?" She begged out of him, slowly stepping up close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's all over then...It's all over.."

His arms hung at his sides "i dont know, i didnt know there were survivors, but luna...they were destroying innocent lives the nexus was no longer what it meant to be, i had to end it...i had to make it stop.."

Luna gripped his arms like a vice and glared up at him, disappointed at him. "You've done the world a great justice, Hades. You have saved millions of lives as in the end, Nexus would have destroyed everyone until they were the only ones standing. Even those they considered loved ones. You saved more lives than there were lost and you should remember that." She whispered with a faint smile, tears long gone but still stained upon her pale cheeks.

His shoulders sagged as her words settled upon him, leaning his forhead on hers again he pressed a small chaste kiss to her lips before he picked up his sword and sheethed it. Holding out his hand he said "come on. this isn't our home anymore."

Luna found herself incredibly shocked at the quick kiss on her lips but the way her body tingled told her that she did not mind. She slid her hand into his, taking note that he sheathed his blade so he felt no more threats and she raised her eyebrow at his comment. "This place hasn't been my home in a long, long time. The moment my ex husband disappeared, I had already cut off my ties to Nexus." She growled out, eyes blazing with fury when only a few moments ago, they were filled with sorrow at the losses that destroyed her at the war.

He looked down at the fierce woman beside him and he felt a possesive pull towards her. He allowed a small smile "We need to find Morana..." he trailed off "her's is the only place we have to go to.." 

He took one last look around the throne room before he pulled her to his side and apparated them from the wreckage. Covered in blood and both looking like hell itself he led the way up Grindelwald castle's winding driveway, he heard a howl in the distance muffled by the rain and thunder and part of him wondered if that was marvolo or remus. 

Night had fallen like a thick blanket as he raised a hand to knock on the large double doors, the sound of his fist hitting the wood he knew rang like a bell through the castle.

Morana enjoyed sudden silence of the empty castle. Everyone had bussiness to attend, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Or so she thought. It was loud knock on the main door, that cut through empty silence resonating from the cold walls. She got up lazily, used her vampire speed to reach the door before unexpected guest could leave, thinking nobody was home, and cautiously opened the door.

What, or better who she saw surprised her. "Hades? Luna?" she asked, clearly confused about two night guests covered in blood and dirt. She could see in their eyes that whatever happened, it was something, that leaves scars for the rest of their lives. And so, without a word, she stepped aside to let them in, because it would be innapropriate to leave them stand outside. And besides, rain could never wash away blood anyway, she knew that much.

Hades pulled Luna into the castle beside him, his arm tightening around her waist as i to tell her she was safe. "The nexus is gone Morana" he said hoarsely as the door slammed shut behind him, he could hear the storm battering the glass windows and he rubbed his free hand over his hairless head. "i'll explain more in a bit..first..i think we need to get cleaned up" he looked down at Luna then back to his old friend with a pointeded look. "its been a long battle."

Luna leaned close into Hades' side, having always felt safe around the old vampire but the mention of Morana, even after always these years, sent a sharp sting of caution through her body and she had to remind herself that she was being controlled, she had no idea what she was doing. "Very well, little demon." She whispered, closing her eyes for a moment as the tips of her fingers felt the jagged scar at the base of her spine that was only a millimetre from paralysing her.

Despite Morana being the godmother of Celeste, it was still rough for her to get over the past as Morana was the only one that has attacked her and still lived. Seeing her though was like a breath of fresh air and Luna couldn't help think how long it had been and it saddened her a great deal. "Morana.." She breathed and followed Hades, keeping close to his chest. "Yes. I feel awful being covered in the usual battle signs and you're, as usual, dressed to the nines." She quipped, attempting to lighten the mood, her mood mostly.

Morana, despite of what people said about her, knew a thing or two about friendship. Well, her version of it at least. It meant, that if your friend appears on your doorstep, covered in blood, the only valid question is, where to hide the body and pointing towards the shower. After what Hades told her, it was hardly in their powers to hide evidence. But for some reason, Morana was quite sure there won't be any trial anytime soon. So Morana only nodded towards Hades and smiled in the corner of her mouth at Luna's remark. "Follow me," she told them and led them towards the only remaining empty wing of the castle. It was dark and cold from the lack of use. "Third floor is not in very good shape, but the rest is quite good. Find yourself chambers to use. This is South Wing, you will find us in North one. West one belongs to Amelia, East is closed and nobody really goes there," she quickly explained. "I'll see you in common rooms, we can talk, when you are ready," she added.

Hades led Luna down to the set of rooms that was usually his when he stayed in the castle that had a bedroom on the adjoining suite, one was for Amber when he came to be with him and the other the castle had prepared for Luna. Walking into his room he left her in the door way and rummaged through his wardrobe and pulled out a large over sized button down black shirt and a pair of shorts that he used a spell to make her size. Bringing her the clothes he put them in her hands before leading her to her room and turned the bath on hot and added rose water and some soap. Lighting the candles he kissed her temple "if you need me i'll be in the bath next door." he assured her and then backed out of the chamber to clean up himself.

Luna shot a thankful smile towards Morana, before being dragged off by Hades to his chambers. In the doorway, she watched him like a hawk but also took in signs that the Vampire had slept here a few times. Though the bed was made, it was clear from the indentations in the pillow that they were used. And again, Hades went out of his way to make her comfortable by changing a pair of shorts just for her or running the bath. Usually, she hated people doing things for her but this time, she knew she'd get frustrated by the slightest thing and would end up not washing until she went back to the Manor. "I-I...Okay. I'll try not to be too long." She quipped, not sure why she stammered over her words and she quickly stripped down to settle into the bath that was the perfect temperature. Scolding hot so the steam coated the skin that wasn't underneath the water. Letting out a small moan of delight, Luna closed her eyes to enjoy the bliss that was the bath before scrubbing the mud and ashes that caked her body.

Morana went back to the living room of the south wing, ordering elves to prepare some meal for her companions and also for the family or at least the members who will be home soon. Teddy was sound asleep in his room, she could hear that across the castle is necessary. And so she poured some drinks for Luna and Hades and went to sit down, back to her book with her own drink. She did not care if they decide to join her or stay in their chambers for the night, but she wanted to be ready for every case. Madusa hissed happily as her mistress came back and crawled around Morana's shoulders on the comfortable black sofa.

Hades went to one of the other bathrooms, stripping out of his clothes he left the messy pile on the floor and stepped into the shower. Washing the blood and dirt and smoke from his body, he closed his eyes and tried to forget the horrors he had seen only earlier that day. Finishing up he dressed in a loose pair of black pants and walked down the stairs to the living room. He smiled wryly as he saw the snake with his old friend, "i cant thank you enough Morana" he said as he reached out to stroke the snake, "its been a horrofic time for us."

Luna could hear the gentle footsteps of Hades getting changed and although she would've loved to relax for the first time in years, she had to speak with the pair of vampires. Washing her tattooed skin clean, she slipped down and used magic to dry her hair whilst slipping on the clothes Hades had given her. Slowly walking down the stairs, touching the comforting blade in her gauntlets that she always wore, no matter what. "Thank you for your hospitality, Morana." Luna said, bowing her head slightly and her eyes latched onto the drink, wanting to drink but not wanting to lose herself into it. "And thank you for the clothes, Hades." She said to distract herself, smiling awkwardly at the pair of them as she felt so out of place having only been in her own home and her tattoo parlour for years.

Morana heard them coming before they reached the door to the room and she smiled slightly to herself. At their thanks, she looked at them. "It's Amelia's castle, not mine. People just tend to forget since she gets actual life, while I am the prisoner here," she replied remembering all those decades of hiding. Even now, in age when she was supposed to be free, she never walked out without a mask on. Her face, still young and seemingly untouched, porcelain skin without a wrinkle, pale lips and piercing green eyes, that were so much older, than the rest of her body. Hades would know something about that. 

Morana gave another, this time hesitant look to Luna. She was good at keeping secrets. Way too good one would say. But there was one secret, that needed to be told. And very soon. "Get some rest. And once you do, there is something I need to show you," she told her former enemy turned friend. Her and Luna had quite strange history, but Luna had place in Morana's heart. Despite the fact she may never know or realize it. And it was time to give her friend something back. Or better, someone.