The Lord was talking to someone. Someone who sat high on his throne, looking smug and full of smirks. He didn’t wear any tops, so his perfectly sculpted body was full on display. He had tattoo running down his chest, all the way to the back, in the forms of black brushes. His arms were full of rings.

                  Even when I opened the door, their attentions didn’t waver. They kept their cool stares to each other. The Lord kept his hands to the sides, fists clenched and opened. He looked as relaxed as ever, and if I didn’t know better, I would have thought these two were friends reunited. But they were good pretenders.

                  “I am giving you a chance; take Joo Ri back with you,” The man on the throne – Hades – spoke with a collected tone.

                  “And give you what you want?” The Lord snorted, pacing around since there was nothing else to do. “No.”

                  “Perhaps she will convince you to change your mind. Since she is so good at it,” Hades finally turned his attention from the Lord and snapped his fingers. For that one single moment, I could have sworn he was looking right at me. It was like drawing a black curtain, except from this small source of light, a figure appeared from smokes.

                  That figure resembled me to bits. Her face. Or should I say, my face. I was a little bit taller than she was. But she was so radiant; as if she had taken a ray of sunlight to her face. I was plain and dirty compared to her. Now I knew why the Lord liked white. The color looked so good on Joo Ri. She was a Goddess.

                  Clearly, I was not the only one smitten by her walk. The way she brought herself was so beautiful. Everything about her was everything I was not. I looked over at Jinki and saw that he had that nostalgic yet pained expression. He used to look at me with the same stare. Probably because I reminded him of Joo Ri. Hades was clearly pleased with the reactions.

The Lord flexed his jaw and kept his eyes on his beloved Queen. I expected him to run into her, hug her, kiss her and swept her back into the living world. But he stood his ground and stubbornly glared. I was perplexed. He loved her. He was devoted to her all his life. Why didn’t he show a reaction towards her appearance?

“My dearest,” She cooed at him with the same tone he would use at me; saccharine sweet but bordering between sultry to poisonous. I was sure that one look from her could sway any sane man. She was just that beautiful and as someone who looked very similar to her, I would never be able to live up to that kind of elegant beauty. She belonged in the castle with her Prince; I was born to serve the battlefield. The comparison had set us apart.

“I have missed you!” And she threw both her arms around his neck and jumped onto him. The Lord looked surprised, his eyes widened slightly. “The Underworld is so lonely without you. I wish to go back and live my old life. You have no idea how sad I was, watching you drowning in that thousand year of sleep.”

Slowly… Very slowly… The Lord wrapped his arms around her. Something stirred inside me. I wanted to look away from that reunion, but my body wouldn’t move. The Lord hugged her so tightly; as if he was scared he would lose her for the second time. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, because suddenly my heart beat louder and louder, and tears blurred my eyes.

No, I refused to cry.

This was what I wanted. I didn’t want his attention. I didn’t want his seduction. But when both were taken away from me, I felt pained. I hated the way she snatched him away from me. I would have screamed at her and told her to back off, but I didn’t have the rights to do it.

I was born a Doppelgängers. I was nothing more than a shadow of Joo Ri. I could never be what she was to the Lord.

Pain, pain, pain…

Tears, tears, tears…

I sniffled and finally looked away. I couldn’t bear this any longer.

“Have you made up your mind?” Hades pressed on with a voice as soft as whisper.

The Lord finally pulled away from the hug and cupped Joo Ri’s face. “I miss you, too,” his voice no longer teasing like he always was. He looked at Joo Ri longingly, “Nothing would make up for the time we have had together. You made me feel sane and humane and real. And I love you so, so much.” He took a long pause and I almost teared up at his words.

“You are very important to me,” Again, another pause. The Lord tried hard not to choke on his words. “And if there is anything I could do to make you happy… Anything… I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Hades and Joo Ri smiled. I swore something died inside me when he spoke.

“My Beloved Joo Ri,” The Lord said, his voice stronger now. The melancholy in his tone never died down. “I prayed to God I would be able to touch you one more time.” He caressed her cheeks softly, carefully, as if she was a fragile being that would disappear anytime soon. “I have my wish fulfilled.”

I didn’t know how or why, I simply turned around, shielding myself away from watching eyes and clasped a hand over my mouth. I couldn’t bear this. God… I couldn’t. It hurt. It ing hurt. I forced myself not to cry. I bit my hand and let it bleed. But the sobs didn’t stop. The more tears came out, the more miserable I became.

Someone, kill me and take my heart out. Maybe then, it wouldn’t hurt anymore…

“I can let you go now. I have loved you before, and I will love you always. So I am setting you free,” He stopped again. Because I love you, that was why. “You should be happy…”

“I…” Joo Ri looked astonished. She took one good look back at Hades’ shocked expression and gave a quick peck to the Lord. Her flowing dress began to shimmer in light, and she stepped back.

“NO!” Hades screamed. “You cannot leave this place!!!”

“The only thing weighing her in the in-between is me,” The Lord caught onto Joo Ri’s hands and felt her warmth for the very last time. After this, there would be no more chance. “I am letting her go. I am telling her to move on. She will pass on to another realm.”

I saw Joo Ri mouthed something back at him before the light completely consumed her. I assumed she was going to the Everland, an eternal realm called heaven in most languages. Hades’ scream was muffled. Then Jinki grabbed my hand and pulled me to the Lord, dragging both of us from the room.

“We have to get to the Portal,” The Lord informed us. He was a bit shaky when we got to him. I dared not to touch him. I feared that a single touch would shatter him completely.

“Where is the Portal?” Jinki asked. The three of us opened the door we went through before and ran.

“The Hellgate. We have to hurry!”

More and more spirits were starting to gather, but the Lords waved them all away like flies. A single gesture from him, and yet they all ran away after sensing the danger. I was so prepared to light up another dark flame, but my energy was draining.

The closer we got to the gate, the more I realized that spirits were not the dangerous enemy we’d have to face. I heard barks. And shadows lurking around us, almost too fast to be caught by eyes. I was sure that Jinki and the Lord noticed it too. We had suddenly changed stances, or at least, they did. Jinki shifted to my side so that I was in the middle. My Lord held my hand and kept me so, very close. We were so close to the gate.

“They are here,” Jinki whispered. “The Hellhounds are approaching.” He gripped at me and I could feel the terror slipping in.

The Hellhounds were huge. They were at least thrice our height, with three heads thrashing wildly on one giant body. The three of us jumped back all at once. “The gate is behind the Hounds, and there is no way in hell they would let us through without putting on a good fight. Chances of us being caught by Hades before we could make it back is… very high.”

“We can distract these Hounds while you open the Portal,” Jinki firmly stated and I slowly looked at the Lord, still focusing anywhere but his eyes and lips. “Jinki is right. We can do it.”

At first he looked unconvinced, but the Hellhound’s bark was distracting him. Jinki and I nodded at each other, and spread out, running away with one hound chasing hot on our tails. Boy, were they fast. I had never encountered anything like this before. These creatures were fascinating. They were so synchronized with each other, making them a perfect predator.

I counted through my abilities and realized I had three; the most I could take before my body exploded. Even with my stealing ability, I had a limitation set for this humane body. I either transferred what I stole or I died. With a newfound determination to get out of this place, I ran faster and jumped on the wall. The Hellhounds were fast. But I was faster.

I landed on their head and pierced my fingers through their skin, ripping off a part of their meat on the process. I clawed inside the surface and the heads howled in pain. They trashed even more, and I had to use both my hands to cling tightly so that I wouldn’t fall.

“Almost done!” The Lord shouted from afar. I couldn’t see him at all, but I heard him yell out my name and scolded, “Don’t kill them! They will only regenerate! Keep them in pain!” And that was exactly what I was trying to do.

I had only heard of Hellhounds from myth and scary stories. They couldn’t be killed. They regenerated with the speed of light and it was terrifying. I pushed my finger deeper and ripped more of their skin; it revealed the ugly inside. They bled blood in black, but they consisted of nothing but transparent bones. I growled.

“Now!” The Lord shouted and I let go of my hold, falling freely to the ground from six meters height. My back hit the ground and before I could recover, Jinki pulled me with one scoop of his arms. The Hounds were chasing us madly, and I swore I saw something glowing brighter and brighter from the Lord’s hand.

He closed the Portal just in time.

We were saved.