A few hours later, Beryl awoke to utter blackness. At first, she thought that she had gone blind, but in the darkness above, Beryl could see light from what had to be the entrance. It must have been night because the light was very faint and it didn't help much. Without some kind of light, Beryl couldn't do much, and she couldn't even get outside without being able to find a staircase or ladder. So, with nothing better to do, Beryl took out the bells and played the Song of the Fire Nymph. She hoped that something would become visible or ignite so her vision would not be so impaired.

Instead of the usual explosion of flames, Beryl was surprised to find fifty neatly lined torches slowly igniting to allow the perfect amount of illumination. Immediately, she noticed the single passage leading deeper into the tomb. Readying her bow, she crept down the passage into the room that held the half-demon Lazuli.

Beryl was surprised once more when she found Lazuli. She was expecting a hideous monster with horns and a forked tail. Instead, she found a handsome young man that looked as if he was about seventeen years old. Lowering her bow, she approached the stone table that supported the sleeping figure. Nothing about him seemed evil and he didn't look like there was any type of demonic appendages attached to him, so Beryl tried to wake him.

The young man must have been put under some kind of sleep spell because he would not respond to any kind of noise or movement caused by Beryl. Of course, Beryl turned her attention to the small, leather-bound tome with the musical spells once more. Within, she found both a sleeping spell and a counter spell. The sleeping spell, played with the bells, was titled Lullaby of the Demon, so this was the obvious choice to undo what had befallen Lazuli. Played with the pipes, it should wake him.

Beryl played the song and Lazuli began to awaken. At first he just studied the girl that had woken him. Then, he became angry. "You! Kasha, you evil enchantress, you shall die for what you have done to me! Centuries of that nightmare have passed and you have finally retuned to steal the demon bloodstones from my tomb. Couldn't escape with them before, could you? You won't get them this time, either!"

"Wait! Kasha? That's the old hag from the village that sent me here. I didn't try to take any demon bloodstones or whatever! Kasha sent me to get the angel tears and to destroy the half-demon Lazuli, whom I assumed you to be," Beryl quickly replied.

"Half-demon? No longer am I a partial demon. Kasha put me under that spell and pulled my demon powers out of me and put them into the bloodstones. She would have taken them into herself to bring her power and immortality."

"Ok, so where are the angel tears?" Beryl asked.

"Angel tears? There is no such thing as angel tears. Kasha wanted the bloodstones! She cares not for any angel tears. Take me to her and allow me my revenge. Grant me this and I will gladly give you half of the bloodstones."

"Evil enchantress you called her. You said she put you to sleep for centuries. How is she still alive if this is true? Why would she want the stones if she already has power and an unnaturally long life?" Beryl reasoned.

"With the stones, she will be even more so. She has one bloodstone now, causing the current situation, and she will not rest until she has ultimate power over the world. How could you want that?" Somehow, he managed to hit her in a soft spot and gain her feelings. How a demon could do that, Beryl would never know, except…

Lazuli was currently a full human. Humans can lie as well as a demon, but they also have real emotion behind their actions. Lazuli was human enough to be trusted. He was human enough to be loved.

This thought surprised Beryl. She had never loved anyone. That's right Beryl. Fall in love with some half-demon you just met, She thought. Why can't my life be normal? "Lazuli, what will you do when you get the stones?" Beryl asked.

"Swallow them, of course. You can take yours and we will be the same. Each a quarter demon. As my quarter demon companion, we can be together forever."

"Let's go, Lazuli. Let's get Kasha, then. Where are the bloodstones, anyway?"

"Kasha put them inside that sword's hilt that's mounted on the wall," he said drawing my attention to the blood-red sword dangling on the wall. "It has been named the Bloodstone Sword."

Nothing more was said that night. The next morning, Lazuli and Beryl set out for the village. Somehow, they managed to get to the village after one day of travel. Lazuli decided to wield the bow and Beryl took the Bloodstone Sword. Kasha was sitting on her porch in a rocking chair and did not look up from the vegetables she was slicing when we approached. When we were just a few feet in front of her, she stopped rocking. When she finished the vegetable she was slicing, she looked up and, as if nothing was amiss said, "Oh, hello, Beryl. Son."

Beryl was quite confused at this point until Lazuli responded, "Hello, mother. I've come to take back my blood right. Please don't be difficult. That two hundred thirty-two year sleep has made me quite grumpy." Without further warning, Lazuli raised his bow and shot Kasha in the throat. She fell onto the ground and coughed up a small, blood red stone. "Goodbye, Kasha. Nevermore will you torture me. Nevermore." He reached down and picked up the stone. He then turned to Beryl to regain the other stones from the hilt of the sword.

Now, Beryl realized what she must do. She had to kill Lazuli. She could not allow him to destroy this world, be it hers or no. Whether she loved him or had just felt a strange feeling that one sometimes does, she would never be able to know. He was, after all, still untrustworthy. As Lazuli turned, she jabbed the sword through his heart. As life began to eek away from his body, Beryl whispered, "Goodbye, Lazuli. Nevermore will your illusion torture me. Humans can be baneful, but only demons can do it without remorse."

For an instant, Beryl thought she saw a hawk-like form in Lazuli's eyes. Beryl then noticed that the Bloodstone Sword had turned blue and glowed with the same light that the book had given off when it brought her here. She heard a phrase echo through her mind as the bloodstones changed to a clear blue and formed a circle around Lazuli's neck.

"The angel tears have been found…"