Scarlet watched the scene with a dark glare, eyes reverting to a blood red color. A growl escaped her throat, but she heeded Conna'Cel’s warning to back off for now. So this was the infamous Collector she had been hearing so much about recently? For some reason, she wanted to rip his throat out right then and there. This man…was connected to her master somehow.

Likewise, Marianne said nothing, merely observing with a neutral expression. She moved to step forward, only to fall and crumble to the ground. With a sigh, she passed out almost instantly. Before she hit the ground, a shadowy entity appearing from nowhere grabbed her, holding her up bridal style.

The darkness dissipated to reveal the older Marianne, this one smirking knowingly. 

“That’s enough for now,” she muttered to her younger self. “Ah, good to see you Joshua! How long has it been since you ran away from me? You silly little boy! No matter where you go, I’ll always find you. You know that, right?”

Now Marianne had a history with the Collector too? As the tension began to rise, Adrian using his demonic powers to attack the man before them, the creaking from above became louder, almost deafening.