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Swindleton glanced at the landscape in disbelief. Where once, fields of delicate flowers had emerged from their slumber, now a hellish landscape lay before them. Howling winds tore across the barren lands, while the very earth cracked and crumbled into the abyss below. Zoe’s heart sank at the sight, knowing that the Underworld’s beauty had succumbed to the darkness once again, just like its master.
“I should have known you wouldn’t have the guts to pull off a job like this.” A streak of lightning flashed in the heavens, illuminating Swindleton’s sneer. “The trouble with you is that you’ve always let your heart get in the way of business.”
“Perhaps my heart isn’t the weakness you make it out to be.” Zoe glanced at a nearby will-ó-wisp, its golden light ebbing as it witnessed the destruction of its home. Within the gentle beating of its wings, she could hear the faint melody of the Underworld. “Please, Swindleton. You can still do the right thing. You just need to listen to your heart.”
Swindleton followed her gaze, until he watched the tiny creature before him. It approached cautiously, until its light slowly bathed him in a soft and warming glow. As the light reflected in Swindleton’s eyes, Zoe sensed something long-forgotten stir within him. His sneer softened, until he watched the dancing will-ó-wisp in awe.
“Huh, I suppose that is rather pretty…”
Swindleton stood transfixed by the tiny creature, until he slowly lowered his chainsaw to the ground. An inner light bloomed within his eyes, reawakening after years of being lost within the darkness. A light that sparkled with wonder, growing stronger as each second passed. A light that could once again help him see the magic in the world…
An explosion of rock and dust filled the air, breaking the magic of the moment. Zoe gasped as a machine drilled into the roots of Persephone’s Tree, before it scuttled towards Swindleton, the golden magic of the Underworld held within its body. He spluttered in disbelief as he studied the readings, before he plucked the small vial from the machine’s body. And where his eyes had once shimmered with an inner light, now they gleamed with something altogether different. Greed.
“Do you want to know what’s in my heart?” Swindleton broke into a cruel smile as the ground fractured, oblivious to the wails of the damned that drifted from Tartarus below. “Money. Power. A corner office that will be the envy of every colleague. And once I deliver this power to Mr. Gravesend, everything I ever wished for will be mine.”
Zoe cursed as Swindleton revved the chainsaw once more. So much for appealing to his good side. He was too blinded by his own greed to ever see the magic in the world. She staggered backwards as the ground splintered, sending great boulders of earth plummeting into the abyss of Tartarus below.
“Swindleton, you have to stop!”
“Why on earth would I stop now? This is just the beginning!” The ground beneath Swindleton trembled, but his gaze remained focused on the vial of magic clutched within his hands. “And as the new President of Chthonic Power Solutions, I’ll be one of the most powerful men in the world!”
Deep splinters formed in the ground beneath Swindleton, while the wails of Tartarus’ undead drifted from the darkness below. But Swindleton studied the vial, his greed blinding him to the imminent danger.
“Swindleton, please. You have to leave, before it’s too late…”
“I’ll amass all the riches in the world! I’ll have power others can only dream of! I’ll reach the heights of the corporate ladder! All of it will be mine, and nothing can stop me!” Swindleton paused as a deep tremor shook the earth, before he looked at the ground in surprise. “What the…”
A giant vine burst through the ground, destroying the earth beneath Swindleton’s feet. He staggered from the impact, until the vial flew from his grasp and plummeted towards the depths of Tartarus. He leaped after it, until he yelped in surprise as his suit jacket snagged on a vine, breaking his fall. He tried desperately to reach the vial of magic, only to swear in frustration as it remained out of his grasp. But as a sea of shadowy hands emerged from the gloom of Tartarus, his curses turned to a blood-curdling scream of terror.
“What the…” Swindleton’s cry of terror echoed through the darkness as he called to Zoe once more. “Who are they? What do they want?”
“They were some of the most powerful people in the world. People obsessed with money, and status, and power, just like you…”
Swindleton glanced fearfully at the shrouded figures of the damned, and shuddered as their wails carried in the wind. “But… why are they down there?”
“Because their greed chains them to the darkness.” Zoe rolled her eyes as Swindleton desperately tried to reach the vial below. “Just like you.”
“Hey, get your greedy hands off of my sample!“ Swindleton barked at the sea of outstretched hands, before he turned to Zoe pleadingly. “You know as well as I do that there’s enough power in that sample to change the world. Now help me!”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to help yourself, Swindleton.” Zoe folded her arms and fixed him with a stern glare. “Either give up your reckless pursuit of power, before it’s too late. Or one way or another, you’ll end up lost in the darkness of Tartarus.”
“If you think idle threats will stop me from getting what I want, then you’re quite mistaken…” Swindleton shrieked as he slipped from the vine’s grasp, until he swayed precariously above the depths of Tartarus. He groaned as a vine tendril reached towards him, offering him a helping hand to reach the surface, until he shook his head in despair. “I’ve spent my entire life working towards this very moment. If I stop now, what will l have left?”
Zoe smiled, and glanced at the sign of the motel in the distance.
“You’ll have the chance to start over. To open your eyes to the magic in the world. To live.“ As Swindleton’s suit jacket began to slip from its hold, the tendrils reached towards him once more. “Please, make the right decision, before it’s too late.”
“I always said you let your heart get in the way of business.” Swindleton glanced longingly at the vial that gleamed in the darkness below, before he groaned in defeat, and reached for the tendrils. “Fine, have it your way. Oh!”
Swindleton cried out in surprise as more vines burst through the earth, until explosions of rock and debris filled the air. Zoe watched in horror as they gathered before Persephone’s Tree, weaving together to create an impenetrable barrier. A lone figure stood within them, lending the vines his strength, until he sealed himself within the darkness.
“Shadow!” Despite Zoe’s call, Shadow’s eyes remained lost. She turned to Swindleton as he dangled above the depths of Tartarus, and called across the howling winds. “Wait there! And don’t touch anything!”
“You’re just going to leave me here?” Swindleton’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Where on earth are you going?”
Zoe flashed him a grin, and turned to face Persephone’s Tree. “I’m going to follow my heart.”
At once, Zoe sped towards the tree. She flew along the breezes in her spirit form, and wove between the vines as they tore across the landscape. With a flash of golden light, she arrived at the wall of thorns, where Shadow awaited within the darkness.
