It took all of Sena’s strength to turn back towards the golden gate.

He could not see the base of the gate because the clouds were so thick, dense and extremely cold. He walked on, wondering why he was so disturbed. His mind, it seemed, was not on the mission ahead, but on the fact that he cared for Kharisa and Grace so much, that he loved both of them so much, and yet here he was, feeling something else for an entity that had lived since the dawn of time, an entity that would yet outlive him, an entity that had not felt the arms of a man before.

What craziness could this be then?

A portion in the middle of the golden gate swung inward, revealing a path of stone that Sena paused to take. Here was it, the call of destiny, the descent into the belly of Hades. Nothing was guaranteed because, somehow, he was convinced that the Spirits did not even know for sure how it was going to pan out. There was every likelihood that he might not return.

But he was not afraid, nor saddened.

If this was what it was meant to be, then let it be.

The only thing of thought, though, was the fact that he would leave loving hearts behind, loving hearts that would continue to hope that he would return.

But he knew there was a greater call than missing hearts.

If he failed, first Gleam would fall to evil, and then Earth would crumble, then down to the Halos. Decay and destruction would reign, and evil would hold sway.

“Let me be strengthened, dear Spirits,” Sena mumbled to himself as he walked beyond the Barrier where it was still bright, sunny, cloudy, and beautiful.

Then, just another step, and he was suddenly in gloomy darkness!

Sena gasped and took another step backwards, then two, then five, hoping to gain the brightness once more, but it seemed the darkness only got gloomier.

He turned in a circle, but the darkness was complete, thick, nothing like he had ever experienced before. It was made worse by the total silence, a silence so thick he felt claustrophobic, as if he was constantly falling down a bottomless abyss!

Where am I?

What is this?

Insanity!

He tried to speak but nothing came out!

Sena felt panic crawling over him; a panic and fear so crippling that he felt like running blindly into the gloom until he died. His heart was thumping in his chest as the abnormal fear whipped through him, so he closed his eyes and slowly dropped to his right knee, and spoke softly to encourage himself out of the terror buffeting him.

“This is just the beginning. This is how evil seeks to destroy, but my resolve is strong, my faith resolute, my strength beyond physical. I will survive, because I am the Halo Breed, chosen by Spirits, and exhorted by Holy Scrolls!”

Calm began to spread through him, but then a slow ominous laugh reverberated all around him. It was low, mocking, and filled with evil! And a tingle swept through Sena’s spine because he remembered that voice, and knew that derisive laugh!

Lord Lastor!

“The Halo Breed!” came the ominous voice in the gloom. “Everywhere I have met you, be it physical or through dreams, we had been on multiverses where the accursed Spirits had control! But now, you have passed through the worlds, and you dared crossed the Barrier! Let me welcome you to Hades, son of Gus Kukah!”

The voice was deafening, sinister, and had a horrible cadence that conveyed terror, and for a moment, lost in the gloom, Sena felt weak and vulnerable as his strength and mental power began to wane.

“Welcome to hell in Hades!” the horrible voice droned on. “This is my fort, my recluse exclusively! I jam here, Sena! I shit here, I eat here, and I have absolute dominance and control here! I’m going to show you what terror is, and I’m going to enjoy tearing you apart, for daring to set foot here!”

This was a dangerous warfare that went beyond words, Sena knew. Slowly, his mind was being ripped apart in the mighty gloom, and he could feel the terror enveloping him again as Lord Lastor crept ominously into his brain and his very soul.

“You have just one chance, Sena, you puny midget!” the deadly voice droned on. “You concede to me, and serve me, and accept to be my servant, and I will let you live! I will conquer Gleam and Earth and the Halos with you! You can reign as my servant! Refuse, and I will rip you limb by limb where you kneel!”

It was a tempting proposal for the Breed because his heartbeats were in rhythm to terror! He was shaking and his teeth chattered as the sheer weight of his war weighed down on him.

Here he was, a breed between an Earthling warrior father, and a Halowan princess, all alone in Hades, an unnatural universe filled with sheer evil and perversity!

How was he going to survive this?

But then, it finally set in!

He had heard the threat in Lord Lastor’s voice!

He would destroy the Gleam… oh, Deila!

Earth would be destroyed… Kharisa, Grace, Dawn!

The Halos… his dear father, his mother, his brother, his sister!

“Flee, Lastor, flee!” Sena screamed from his tortured throat. “How dare you threaten loved ones close to my heart? You came to Earth and fled, and now I’m in Hades! I will rip your heart out of your chest and roast it for you!”

“You will die!” Lord Lastor screamed with fury.

“If you can, be here, in the gloom with me!” Sena screamed. “Do not hide behind the darkness! Come and tear off my limbs, I dare you!”

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