Veronica's Fallacy

40.

-HER-

I tensely sat in the passenger seat while he drove down the dirt track of the desert and back to the main road. Karrson's car was following closely behind us. I caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror.

Tonight had been so fucking long. It all started when I went to dinner with Matt, and then Grim showed up and took me to his place. Then we had that minor confrontation, which was interrupted by Karrson, who brought us here to look at that atrocious thing.

Now, our next stop was the Night Court. I was eager to see that place, but at the same time, I couldn't settle, knowing that I had to leave him behind along with the others. We needed to return to those humans quickly; otherwise, it'd be too late.

"We'll get Victor from there," Grim reassured me. He looked tense as a spring beside me, his eyes focused on the road ahead. He placed his hand on my thigh again in that same assuring manner, and for once, it calmed me regardless of what had happened between us earlier in the evening.

His warning still rang in my ear, but I pushed it back for now. All my focus was now on getting Victor back and finding out as much as I could about the Night Court.

"What exactly are those creatures?" I asked him. My curiosity hadn't been sated with Grim and Karrson's brief conversation. "Are they some kind of demons?"

Grim sighed deeply at my question. I was ready to snap back if he told me I didn't have to know about them.

However, he answered, "They are called Valisks. They were previously the angels of death. They used to live in the Underworld and travel to this realm to collect the souls of the dead,"

"So, they are Grim Reapers?" I asked. I had never seen a Grim Reaper. I have never had the unfortunate chance to see one yet, but I intuitively knew they weren't the Grim Reapers. I had heard about them a lot, and the creatures I saw in that pit didn't match the descriptions.

"No," Grim answered, "They aren't Grim Reapers. Grim Reapers are the newest employees of the Underworld. The Valisks, or the angle of death used to do the work before,"

"What's the difference between the two?" I asked.

"The most deranged souls that go to the Underworld are chosen to become Grim Reapers. They had lived a lot of lives. They are souls with some auxiliary powers granted by King Rhendohr so they can carry out their tasks of collecting souls. Valisks, on the other hand, are dark angles. They are Lilith's first children and had existed even before Rhendohr was crowned the king of the Underlord.

They are very powerful. When Rhendohr sat on the throne of the Underworld, he appointed the Valisks to help him carry out all the work in the Underworld. It was all fine for a while until some Valisks felt undermined by Rhendohr and tried to betray him by stealing some souls and using them against Rhendohr. This enraged him, and he clipped all the Valisks' wings and expelled them all to the mortal realm to live meaningless lives without most of their powers, which were in their wings. But I think now they've found a way to get back to Rhendohr,"

"What exactly will they do with those humans?" I asked, feeling my heart pounding in my chest hard. Whenever I remembered the look on their faces, a chill ran down my spine.

"Nothing good," Grim answered curtly. I noticed how his knuckles were so white from clutching the steering wheel so hard. Of all those questions, one fundamental question was buzzing in my mind. I couldn't help myself from asking him.

"How do you know about Valisks? I know some of the Lores of the Underworld but have never heard of them," I said, and in response, Grim shrugged. His jaw seemed clenched so tightly that I wondered how it hadn't shuttered under the sheer pressure.