The netherworld was always dreary. A black midst had always surrounded the fell lands and the denizens that called it home. Gadra sat within her large antechamber as lesser demons scurried about while her greater sentinels stood guard. Even when she was one of the five devils of the netherworld, there was always treachery between her and the others. In this damp, cool place that she called home, attacks and subtle espionage was found and stamped out. It pained her to kill her own kin, but she felt a peculiar delight when she plunged one into her second realm of night terrors. She controlled what the dreamer saw, felt, and even believed when stuck in her intricately spun webs. It was what kept the other devils from accosting her directly. It helped keep her minions in line as well. 

A purple, dark rob wrapped around her pale, snow-white body as her hands held a tabloid given onto her by her steward. Many of their kin had been disappearing. While no texts given onto mortal hands ever spoke of it, demons in her world had bond mates. To be snatched away by foolish satanists who claimed they knew what the netherworld stood for or spiritually attuned people binding a demon to his or her will was akin to a human couple having their beloved kidnapped. For a time, it was ignored, but the sudden rise in numbers couldn't be overlooked. The five spoke of revenge. War. She still had some reservation towards it. 

"Domina," said her steward as the thing kneeled on its disfigured legs. A black cloak wrapped around its body as Gadra's sigil burned into the fabric. "The beings of the lower ward humbly request action taken towards the lordless. There have been more disputes along our boundaries. The sentinels quickly disposed of the filth, but not without causing much harm to the subjects."

Black eyes, darker than the cloak of Kithos, harbinger of the dead, lifted from the tabloid and rested on the poor creature. Gadra smiled. There was no sincerity or fondness in it. "Mithos will see to it," she said pointing to one of her high sentinels. The figure, clad in armor with a black mist surrounding it, saluted Gadra as footsteps made for the door. "The lordless come from Nilas of Strife, do they not? I shall have a talk with him to keep a leech on his pets. I shall have to depart soon, dearest steward. Business. I trust you will keep my domain in order in my absence?"

The steward bowed lower though it seemed impossible. "Yes domina," he said without hesitation. "I shall protect your domain as if it were my own. You who have given this one a second chance."

She got to her feet as she seemed to glide down the stone steps of her throne. A bowl with glowing, water appeared before her. Weeks past, she had agreed to survey the mortals land with her own eyes for the five. At first it seemed like a errand unbefitting of her. However, she couldn't resist the temptation of delivering beautiful dreams to those that she encountered. She fed off of every nightmare, exalted from orchestrating it. 

The bowl shimmered as it showed two girls sitting before a board. She grinned wickedly. While others had every intention of calling and binding a demon, these two seemed to do it by complete chance. What did the humans call it? A Ouija board. She felt a strong tie to it. Wherever they bought it from, it held a sliver of power. Her grin widened as she saw one of the girls offer blood. "Come look," she said to her steward as the creature came forward. "Does the girl not know of the danger of calling with blood?"

"The filth seek to steal yet another kin from us, domina."

She placed her hand on the Steward's head and lifted it to her own. "Vengeance shall come in time. For now, I shall pay our dearest blood giver a visit."

Allowing a small amount of aura to surface, Gadra's eyes alighted as she looked at the two from the bowl. And up to the mortal's world she went.

---

"Come on!" the blonde shouted, flat out taunting the thing, "show yourself!"

Gadra had been watching with amusement as the fire haired girl spoke with such command and conviction. For the past few minutes, she had been directing the object the girls had been moving about. While the bright haired girl - Vee - she believed was amusing to no end, it was this Sonny that drew her attention. The blood was hers. Gadra wanted very much to talk to her. Not the other who thought she could command a being that surpassed her own. But, before plunging her into a fit of madness, she would indulge her wish. 

Gadra blew out the candles - mirroring that of the stereotypical spirit calling process she had seen on TV. Slowly her body began to materialize as her pale skin came into existence. Moments later, she was crouched beside Vee, her eyes staring intently at the blondes. She grinned madly as she let her aura seep through. To the girl, her face was nothing but a black surface with two tiny red slits.

"Here I am," she said with a distorted, ugly voice. "What is it you fear most? Don't say, I know what it is already. Embrace the grotesque, as you scream for release!"

Hands falling away from the orb that controlled the ouija board, Vee crumbled upon the floor as she writhed in mental fear. Gadra dispelled the illusion as she stroked the girl's face. She knew what she saw. She created it after all. Her beautiful world of illusions. 

Slowly, she turned her attention to Sonny. "You dabble in things with ignorance, girl," she said. Gadra felt the softness of Vee's hair, almost as if she were a pet. "You offer your blood willingly. I wonder, do you know what comes with such sacred sacrifice? I should think not. Now, the greater question, my dear. What shall I do with you? Should I thrust you into a nightmare that feels so real that you wish for death? Or, will you entertain me. Oh how I wonder..."