bChapter /bb66 /b

“Noah.” He nods as he takes in the new space around us. He walks over to one side of the cage, looking down and then up. This soul in front of me looks around with wide eyes and a stench bof /bfear. bI /bcock my eyebrow at him, and he visibly shakes.

“Well, this is very youb, /bisn’t it?” Xavierughs. “If anyone could make a system out of hell, it’d be you.”

I roll my eyes and scoff. b“/bIt was necessary. Hell isn’t supposed to bbe /bhell for me.b” /b

He turns back around, creating a stool next to mine behind the desk, and sits down with his arms folded in front of him.”

“This is Marius.b” /bHe nods to the soul still cowering in front of us.

“Okay, and is there a reason why Marius was escorted personally?”

b“/bYeah, actually. I may have nicked him from the waiting room before he had been assessed.b” /b

I cock my eyebrow at him now. “You know there’s a system for a reason.”

“Yeah, everyone keeps saying that, but here’s the thing. I was just out reaping souls at Tris pack when I came across Marius. He was beheaded bby /bAlpha Marcus.”

That’s a shock… “What? Why? What sort of heinous crime did hemit to warrant being beheaded by his own Alpha?”

“That’s just the thingb, /bbrother. He didn’tmit a crime exactly…well, kind of, but it was under his Alpha’s instructions. Marius here was beheaded for trying to save a whole lot of kids from Marcus‘ own sort of torture chambers. He’s been collecting infantsb, /bpups, and young kids. We don’t know where from, and the why is a little fuzzy. So, I’ve brought Marius‘ soul here in hopes that one of your workers could bsee /binto his memories, maybe there is something that he missed or didn’t see as important at the time.”

“Shit,” I say, further shocked. “Alright, give me a second.” I scroll through the tablet to find a memory worker. Darius is already bbusy /bat the moment and I don’t want to have to pull him off task if it’s not needed. It takes a minute before I spot another worker with the same skillset I need. bI /breach bacross /bthe desk to my little microphone, pushing the button and announcing, “Magnus Evergreen, maybe you please report to the drop box. bMagnus /bEvergreenb./bb” /b

Xavierughs hard. “Oh, really? You put a fucking speaker system in hell?” He says yfully.

“It’s an beffective /bsystem!” bI /bretort a little annoyed at his small gabs. I happen to think the system bis /bvery effective. Especially when Magnus drops in not even a minuteter. She’s very clearly a gargoyleb, /bwith a tall, stone–like body and hard features bas /bshe blowers /bher head in submission. “My lordb, /bbyou /bcalled for me?”

“I did. bI’m /bin need of your bassistance/bb, /bMagnus. We bhave /ba soul here.b” /bbI /bgesture bto /bMarius, who looks bas /bthough he might wet himself. “He hasn’t been assessed yet; therefore, we can not band /bwill not be punishing him, but we need bto /bsee inside his memories. bIs /bthat something you can dob?/bb” /b

“Of courseb, /bmy lordb./bb” /b

“Perfect. Let’s go to a room for some bprivacy/bb./bb” /bI stand and gesture for everyone to follow me. Leaving the drop box, bI /bwait for everyone to take the elevator up and then I lock the cage behind me before following. We go bup /babout fifty floors before we reach an empty room and I immediately transform the space into a picer area with a few couches for everyone.

“My lord, if you could make a projection screenb, /bI can convert the memories onto it bfor /byou to see,” Magnus says politely and I do, creating a ceiling–to–floor screen against the rough wall. She walks towards Marius, who is still shaking and I hold up my hand to pause her.

“Mariusb, /byou’re not being punished. Please do not fear us. Until you’ve been assessed properly and only if your soul is considered tarnished, will you be subjected to punishment. You still have a chance bto /bgo to the beyond.” bI /bpoint upwards to the sky. “To be with the Moon Goddess. We’re simply in need of your help right now.”

Will…it hurt?” He stutters out, looking at Magnus.

“No.” She states simply. “It only hurts if I want it to. It will not hurt you. You will simply feel as though you’re back in moments of your memories and everyone will be able to see those moments.”

Marius nods and I do too. b“/bYou can begin.”

Do byou /blike this storyb? /b

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1:01 PM P P

“Is there something in particr you’re looking forb, /bmy lord?” Magnus asks and I look to Xavier.

“We’re looking for a reason why Alpha Marcus was collecting childrenb, /bmaybe why he killed them all at the end. Anything that might be slightly rted to it.” bHe /bstates and Magnus nods bas /bshe continues to shuffle through memories. It’s odd bto /bbsee /bshes bof /bsomeone’s life in front of you. I get glimpses of his mate, his parents, bhis /bchildhood, his training for bing a Tris guard and then it slows downb, /bshort clips of Alpha Marcus in a way bI’ve /bnever seen him before. He’s bcruel /band menacing. Degrading his soldiers in private and subjecting them to uwful tasks. It’s apletely different persona to what I know Alpha Marcus to be…it’s terrifying really to think about how well he’s disguising his true colours from everyone, from his bown /bpack members. bI /bwonder if Evelina ever bexperienced /bthis…and as I bsee /bimages bof /bchildren being brought into a stark, cold concrete room, I have to wonder, what actually happened to Evelina bas /ba bpup/b? Was she really found on the border or was she actually taken there by this monster?

This work, Goddess of the Underworld by Sheridan Hartinb, /bbis /ban exclusive intellectual property legally contracted with NovelSnack. Any reproduction, distribution, or upload outside NovelFlow, AnyStoriesb, /bNovGo, and Readink is unauthorized and constitutes copyright infringement.

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