CHAPTER ELEVEN: JOURNEY THROUGH DEPTHS

Weeks passed with no sign of Damien. It began to look like he had wiped out everything from the earth's surface. As the days unfolded, the thought of Damien flashed through Lilith's mind. She wondered what had become of him, seeing how flustered he was the last time they were together.

She rolled her eyes, discontent with her thoughts, emptying her glass in a gulp in hopes of forgetting her concerns. He was a lowly human, unaware of the misfortunes he was calling upon himself. She thought him unwise and unsatisfied with a simple life. A blinded romantic in question of the forbidden, but yet inside of her lays a soothing thought; his kindness, how willing he was to follow a cause he knew not.

Lilith sat on the swing chair, tossing her glass around the table. Reminiscing on the seer's words, "a heavy price for her greatest desire." A heavy sigh eluded her lips. "Whatever it takes to take my place!"

The clouds hovered around as the day became darker. It was past evening as the birds retired for rest. The lights hung around the beautiful streets, illuminating the atmosphere. Lilith sat in her living room, toiling with some objects with her powers. She stared fierily at one of her huge paintings, which portrayed a demon ripping the heart of a human, watching the painting burn slowly into dust.

Smiling in satisfaction, her moment of destruction gave her a sense of peace. Walking towards other paintings, she smiled, "These are way too expensive to burn," releasing a mild chuckle as he headed to the door. Opening the door to lock eyes with Damien standing on the front porch caught her by surprise. "Look what we have here...perhaps you haven't gotten the scare." She said sarcastically, admiring her polished fingers with pouted lips.

Damien adjusted his blazer, finding the right word to put together. "It would be insane for me to tell you I am not frightened, but the thought of losing you scare me more". She couldn't conclude if he was a shining knight or a fool at the brim of love. She yawned. " You could prove useful with your knowledge.. Alright you can tag along but dream of nothing more!" she threatened. Damien smiled, knowing it was her way of giving him a chance. "As you have said, Lilith. "

He walked into the house, following suit behind her. The house seemed different; she had made some changes to the apartment. Damien smiled, wondering how a lady of no mercy could pay so much attention to styling a condo. He tried to touch Lilith's hair, but she snapped at him. Asking for his help in finding an ancient treasure.

Damien pretended not to hear her words as he stared into her eyes, looking seductive, as if trying to communicate between their bodies. Lilith inhaled, almost falling into his lust as he traced his hands around her lower lips. A mix of fear and excitement burned in his heart. She was too much for him, but he still desired even the slightest attention from her touch.

She placed the tip of her fingers on his wrist, drifting them upward. The bond of their friction awoke the hairs on his skin while his eyes burned with passion.

Lilith couldn't shake the idea of kissing him off her mind, her mortal self craved to welcome his tongue in her mouth. She coughed, trying to divert his attention away from her, but Damien wasn't giving in. She crossed her arms, trying to look less concerned. "Can you be useful?"

Damien smiled, touching her hair, whispering softly in a thought-provoking manner, "In many ways, Lilith, many...." Her eyes widened as she tried to look away, towards the transparent glass windows, glancing through the wide gardens.

" I desire the crown of thorns, and I need to get to the forest of dawn". Damien shrugged at her swift attempt to divert his attention. "There is an ancient myth, a folklore that talks about the forest of dawn. The treasure of curses that lies beneath the moist soil. It speaks of the treasure as a part of hell's belongings lying on the face of the earth." Lilith cut in, "Can you tell the folklore exactly as said?"

Damien replied. "In ancient writings, but translated literally, the words tell: In the realm of Dawn lieth the treasure of the unseen, an ornament of halos worn by the most unholy." Inside the depth of obscurity, hovered over by the quiet ones, lies the crown that basks in pure evil."

Lilith paced around, trying to uncover its meaningless existence. "inside the death of obscurity." "An infinite darkness hovered over the quiet ones." In a flash, the memory of the engraved stone on her mother's grave flashed before her mind; "We met... where the quiet one's rest." What she desired was right underneath her nose.

She scoffed. "It is somewhere around the woods, the place where they met." Damien asked, "The place where they met?" She ignored the question, walking to pour herself a drink.

"It isn't a journey you'd be able to make; you've been helpful." He folded his arms, offended by her statement. "If you intend to journey through the unseen, the depth of obscurity has no trace of light. "You should take along a lamp to find your treasure". He was right. The depths of obscurity were no place for weakness. She needed a lamp to guide her path on her way to the woods.

On the night of the full moon, Lilith set out to acquire her possession. She wore a red veil, which flowed down the floor, with a lamp in her right hand. Damien suggested using a necromancy spell to remove the spirits and leave together, but she knew it would upset the quiet ones. "It is my journey, and it could be dangerous." She declined."I have less than a few months to roam this earth, so every hour counts." Her words pierced right through him, as he never realized she would be gone soon. She faded right before his eyes into the woods, leaving him alone in his thoughts.

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Walking deep into the forest, she held the lamp. Whispering softly, "As infernal flames of Vesta rise above the heavens, light this lamp with the heat of your flames. In a split second, the lamp brewed up a bright flame that lighted her path.

Silent whispers of the quiet ones hissed throughout the forest, "Look who comes before us.. a queen.. one of the night.. of us.."

Lilith walked straight while a voice echoed in her ears: "Say no word...seize your crown...for the Minotaur an angry beast wanders around. Seeking his next revenge. Your powers cause him no harm; his edging tail swipes you off your feet. He appears as a broken man sitting on the skull of a child. Say no word... seize your crown... and walk out of the forest alone, unharmed."

Lilith swung the lamp forward to lighten her path. After a long walk into the forest, her eyes met the blood oak tree; underneath lied moist soil, as revealed by the seer.

She knelt down. Placing the lamp on her right side while she repeated in her heart. "Hecate...Maiden Mother and Crone, bestow your strength on me...as a mother secures her child. Protect my cause as I seek for what lies beneath... ". She stretched her hand forward into the moist soil in search of the crown. Droplets of blood began to pour from the oak tree, damping the soil, thus making it more difficult to find the crown.

Lilith stretched forth deeper in her search. After a long struggle, her fingers caught hold of the crown. She had barely pulled it when the Minotaur appeared, sitting on a skull as he stared angrily at Lilith. "This is no place for a queen.. drop the crown and leave my sight!" he threatened. Trying to get words from her. She ignored his words, picking up the crown as she walked out of the forest.

He screamed louder, causing the ground to break before her. Looking down, she saw a dark, bottomless pit. Lilith turned to look at the flustered face, but the wishers calmed her. "Say no words." "It is all an illusion." "Walk without fear, the ground awaits you on the other side."

Lilith clenched her fist, shaking off the fear in her mind. She walked through the open ground, stepping on a transparent surface before reaching the ground on the other side. Stretching her left hand forward, she opened a portal to her home without turning back. As she walked through, the beast transformed into a broken, sad man in rags, fading away behind her.

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