Belle still had her boney arms around Lucas' neck. When she finally pulled away after the close corruption that took place in her body, she felt like she could breathe again. Her senses were back where she was not in an agony of pain or was not able to see anything.

"What if I return back to the mortal form?" Belle asked Lucas. Right now all they had done was stop the process but the moment her body would return back, the corruption would continue and her body was not far from completing the process. She didn't know if there was a way to fix it.

"Let's make sure you turn back to your mortal form," replied Lucas, his hand moved to place on Belle's boney head.

"This feels weird," she muttered and she noticed how Lucas' skull moved with the facial expression.

"Do you feel alright or do you need to rest?" Lucas asked her, making sure that she was completely okay in her skeleton form.

Belle nodded her head, "I am okay. Much better than the last few minutes."

"Good, we need to get going," saying this, Lucas stood and gave his hand for Belle to take and she stood straight next to him.

Barron who was standing there, walked forward, "Belle, did you forget I am a stuffed rabbit!"

"Pardon me," Belle smiled awkwardly to see Barron looking at her wearily before nodding his head.

"That is alright. Just because it is you, I am letting it off, else I would have scratched their face!" replied Barron, "What are we going to do now? Edith switched sides, the next thing you know, Wrath is back on being a Grim reaper and we are still on the run. I still can't believe she would switch sides! Didn't she help you? What happened to being neutral?" question Barron raising his flabby hand high enough to hear a tear, "You know it would be a miracle if I got back to the land of the living in one piece. In this thing."

"Why would she lie?" asked Belle to Lucas.

"Let's ask the one who has been living here. Come on, we don't have time to waste here. The death reapers and hellhounds are getting closer," said Lucas, holding Belle's hand and tugging her in a certain direction and everyone started to head.

When they heard the sound of water as if it was plopping up with bubbles being boiled, Belle could tell that they were near the river of death.

Belle noticed how it was the same as the last time she had seen. The closer they got near the river, the darker the forest turned as if no light could reach from the sky. The only light was emitted from the plants and the barks of the trees. The whole atmosphere gave out a greenish and blue atmosphere where there was smoke-like fog that surrounded them.

"Careful," said Lucas to Belle when she walked near, only to realise there was no more land that existed ahead of her, and that there was water which she had not noticed because of the fog.

"Was it always this foggy in here?" asked Barron, "What a depressing place," commented the rabbit as if he had been living in the mortal world and not in the dead.

Lucas pulled out his scythe, moving it in front of them for the fog to disappear so that they could move near the bank of the river. Belle noticed how the water started deep right after the land, with a certain glow which was similar to what she had seen in the lake of bones but this had fluorescent colour in it. Souls moved in there, floating in a trance state.

While Lucas, Belle and Greed were standing together at one side looking at the river, Barron had moved to the other side to take a look as he noticed something glimmer at the bottom of the surface of the river.

"Did you know there are coins in the bottom of the lake?" asked Barron, the rabbit using its rabbit's paws to walk closer and staring at the river, "Who throws coins in there? Rower?"

"I don't think Rower would do that," commented Greed, "I heard he is not fond of the dead who float in there."

"Of course he wouldn't be. Who knows, he might have pushed them," stated Barron. Unable to keep his curious self at bay, he moved left and right.

"I met a mermaid the last time I visited here. Do you think Rower will come here now?" asked Belle to Lucas. It looked like they were waiting for a ride from this side to go to the other side. The last time, Lucas had apparated, but apparition was not going to work. This would mean they would have to go through the medium of water.

Lucas' nonexistent eyes in the skull now looked at the river and the horizon, "There should be someone who can give us a ride halfway from here. The water here is filled with creatures that are similar to the ones you will find on the other end of the forest. We don't want to get separated and lost."

"And they won't notify about us being here?" asked Belle because the death reapers in the living were eager to hand over Barron and Lucas to the Hawverts.

Lucas pulled out something from his robes which jingled in coins, "I don't think they would mind to spare us for half the price. The creatures in and around the river are not fond of the other creatures."

Belle wondered why that was so but didn't go to question it right now. Her mind was slightly reeling over how Edith had suggested to her to accept Portia that would only lead to her death. The betrayal…

While they were there, Barron had bent the upper part of his body to take a look at the bottom of the river when he suddenly turned excited. His ears moved straight up and he said, "Ophelia! Ophelia what are you doing there?" he exclaimed.

His hand reached out so that the girl's soul could grab it but this only resulted in Barron falling right into the river.

.

Scroll to read the next chapter...