The rain began to plummet even harder, so the group rushed toward one of the mountains. Every mountain was covered in lush greenery, thus it was the perfect cover from rain and the demons up above.

“Should we make a fire?” Will asked without much thought.

Andrew and Ivy looked at him with disappointment.

Andrew scoffed. “Just lay on the ground if you're cold, dumbass.”

Ivy felt something strange from within the trees, and she could not stop herself from staring up at the branches. She felt like if she turned her back something would pounce on her.

She admitted to the boys, “Something is watching us.” 

Both Andrew and Will quieted down and observed the tree branches above them. Nothing could be heard, and nothing could be seen. 

Andrew asked, “Are you tripping Ivy? That freaked me out.” 

Ivy sighed. “Maybe I was just being paranoid. Forget about it.”

The group sat on the dry, hot ground, sheltered by a tree they had never seen before. This tree was built like a pine, except it had large, wide, bluish-greenish leaves. These trees were everywhere among other unusual plants.

“So how do you suppose we find Vita?” Ivy asked.

Andrew sat wide-eyed. “I suppose I never actually thought we would get this far. We could try asking around, if we could pin down Jayin’s location we would find him.”

Both Will and Ivy stared at him with wide eyes.

“So that’s who it was!?” Will yelled.

Ivy asked with astonishment, “The Lord of Longing stole your boyfriend!?”

“He’s not my boyfriend! Will, what did you tell her?” Andrew asked, turning to the cardigan boy.

Will shrugged with a sly smirk. Andrew glared at him, yet he felt his face burn for some uncanny reason. 

“I thought it was just some lowly demon, but are we seriously going after one of the six lords of the Underworld?!” Ivy continued. “Will, why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Will sighed. “I didn’t know either, dear. I’m just as surprised as you are. I just saw some powerful demon fighting with Andrew and take Vita away. I forgot to ask who we were fighting against. I’m sorry.”

Ivy turned her head in annoyance.

“ Blockhead.”

Will felt like lightning had shot him down.

“Ivy! Look at me! I said I was sorry!”

Suddenly Ivy’s head whipped up, and the rest of the group followed through. Up high in a tree was a man with watchful eyes, one white, the other black. The man hopped to a lower branch, out of reach but close enough to let them all witness himself. 

“You mentioned the Lord of Longing?” He asked, his soft, deep voice sounding incredibly clear. Like a lonely lake without any waves.

The group was taken aback, and they all stood up, ready to throw hands. The man in the tree climbed up higher into the branches, intimidated by their sudden movement.

“You also mentioned Vita. What happened to him?” He asked, his eyes watching every slight movement. 

Andrew asked, “You know Vita?”

The man did not respond, he only stared at Andrew. Looking through his every being.

“We are trying to save him! He got cursed and kidnapped by Jayin!”

Ivy internally thought, “Once again. Something I didn’t know.”

Will hadn’t known I was cursed either, but he understood that when Andrew was in distress he always kept important details to himself, assuming that other people knew the same things he did.

The man hopped down to their level.

“Leave.” He said as he looked down on all of them. 

Will asked,“Leave? Why? Is this your mountain?” 

The man continued to stare at them without saying a word, confirming Will’s suspicion. 

“Leave the Underworld entirely. You do not belong here. It is dangerous, a war is starting.” He said sharply. 

Andrew became angry. Finally, they had gotten a lead, but the lead was guarded by a stubborn foe. Suddenly, fireflies appeared all around, and the red sun had become only a sliver over the horizon.

“Woah. Pretty.” Ivy said as she tried to let one of the fireflies land on her hand.

The man stomped his food strongly on the ground and startled the fireflies, causing them to scurry into the bushes.

Ivy lashed out, “What was that for!?”

“Why did you try to touch a death fly? Are you suicidal?” The man asked bluntly.

The group shivered.

“Death flies?!” They all asked.

The man sighed.

“I guess they do not have those in the upper worlds.”

The slightest croaks and rustles within the trees made the entire group shiver. Will had begun to scratch all over his body.

“Ivy! Andrew! Check my back! I think there’s something on it!” He asked in fear as he continued to itch everywhere.

The two checked his back, but nothing was there. Though the two of them couldn’t even make fun of him, they too were incredibly freaked out. The man saw this and he sighed with annoyance. The man turned and walked off, leaving the group behind. They watched as he went until he turned his head back sharply.

He asked, “Are you all coming or not?”

The group arrived at a cave hidden by vines. These vines had flowers all over them, it was stunning. Once again, Ivy went to touch the flowers, but the man stopped her with his hand.

“Do not touch. They bite.”

Ivy backed away with a frown.

Ivy whined, “Why does everything beautiful want to kill me?”

The man led them into the cave.

“It was not always like this. They evolved after the Lord of Spring blew up.”

“Blew up!? That sounds nuts!” Will exclaimed. 

The man never responded, and eventually they all arrived at a cosy home. The cave was covered in various different candles, and plenty of hand-drawn paintings covered the walls. One of the largest paintings was the man and I. Andrew was stunned. My light smile and the man's hand on my shoulder. It made Andrew feel angry.

“Who is Vita to you?” Andrew asked, feeling threatened.

The man looked at him with his watchful eyes.

“Who is Vita to you?” He asked back.

Both of the men stared at each other with intensity. Will and Ivy didn’t know what to do other than stare at them. Andrew didn’t know how to answer. I was a friend, yet something was clogging his throat, keeping him from saying that I was his friend. Andrew worried about what the man would say, but he didn’t know why. He felt his heart ache with anxiety. The man saw that Andrew wasn’t going to answer and his eyes became more judgmental. 

The man spoke, “I do not know who you are, but you want to save my best friend, so that must mean you are slightly trustworthy. Though, I cannot be certain if you are telling the truth, so never mind that prior part.” 

The group didn’t know how to respond. Andrew pulled the group to the other side of the cave.

Andrew whispered, “We can’t trust him. We have to go.” 

Ivy looked back at the man who was sitting in a corner. He never took his cold eyes off of the group.

“Maybe I can talk to him. He might know how to get to Jayin.” 

Will’s eyes widened. “Ivy no! It’s too dangerous.” 

Ivy patted Will on the head. 

“I can take care of myself, sweetie. Just protect your human. I’ll just be over there.”

Ivy walked over to the man. The man was sitting, but still he felt incredibly defensive. 

“So, Vita’s your best friend?” She asked loud enough for everyone in the cave to hear her. 

“Yes.” The man answered briefly. 

Ivy sat down across from the man. 

“My name is Ivy. The one with a curly mullet is Will, and the tall one is Andrew. What’s your name?” She asked with a smile. 

The man answered hesitantly, “My name is Adebayo.” 

Adebayo hadn’t known what had come over him. The woman in front of him had kind eyes and a nice smile. Yet something in her left arm was terrifying. Any moment she could strike him down if she dared. The threatening aura made him want to answer any query she asked. 

He began, “Vita…” 

Andrew felt his heart lurch, and he questioned the feeling for a while.

“I met Vita when he arrived at my mountain. I watched him from the trees. His horn was freshly broken apart, and his face was flushed with sadness. I watched as he repeatedly punched and kicked trees nearby. He swore again and again and kept mentioning Jayin’s name. He was angry, and from his anger I could tell he was on my side.” 

Andrew felt his heart rate rapidly increase as he imagined Adebayo’s explanation thoroughly. 

“I then jumped down and exchanged pleasantries. Vita was hesitant to open up to me, but I felt the need to welcome him into my home because it was dark out. Vita refused and returned to where he came.” 

Ivy asked, “What happened next?” 

“Then the next day he came back. He called my name, and I showed myself. He asked me if there was some place I knew where Jayin could never find him. I told him that my cave was the safest place, and since then we started to get along better. I gave him a place to stay, and he gave me his attention. Then one day he left in fear that Jayin would find me. It has been half a year since I last saw him.”

All of Andrew’s suppressed tension immediately diminished, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He thought, “So he is trustworthy.” 

Andrew was always an incredibly good lie detector. He knew that every word Adebayo had spoken was the truth, unless there was a chance he had the same lying abilities I had. Andrew thought about why it was so hard to determine whether I was lying or not, and he came to the conclusion that it must have been because of his own mental state. He overlooked the fact that Will had been lying to him for years and he hadn’t had a clue.

Will asked, “Andrew?” 

Andrew looked back at him with tired eyes. Adebayo had been watching everyone, so immediately he knew that the entire group was exhausted.

Adebayo said, “You can all sleep in my cave. I will keep watch for enemies.”

Adebayo grabbed blankets and pillows from within a basket and threw them towards the group. He then walked silently towards the entrance of his cave. He sat down against the stone and looked past the vines at the mysterious dark forest. The group all laid near each other.

Ivy spoke up, “I think he’s a good guy.”

“Me too.” Andrew agreed.

Will looked Ivy in her black, round eyes.

He whimpered, “You better not be falling for him.”

Ivy hugged the sad Will. 

“Never. You’re the only one for me.”

Andrew closed his eyes and the world went black. All seemed fine, but that was just an illusion.