Flashback

  2003,

  Blue Cross Hospital,

  Lagos, Nigeria,

  Wednesday, April 9

  Aaron grinned as he entered the hospital, his hunger piqued by the scent of blood everywhere, but he swallowed it. Picking up her scent, they followed it to the children's ward.

  He was dumbfounded by the sight before them. The priestess, the same one who had jumped into the water to escape them, lay lifeless on the floor. He gestured to one of his men to check on her.

  "Check her basket for the pearl!" he ordered another.

  "She's not dead, sir!" one of his men confirmed on checking her pulse.

  "Check her basket for the pearl!" he ordered.

  "It's empty, sir. The pearl is gone!" one of his men exclaimed.

  "What?" Aaron exclaimed, snatching the basket to confirm it.

  "Sir, we have to leave! They're coming!" said one of his men, keeping a lookout.

  "Who?" Aaron asked.

  "Spirit Warriors!" the man replied, sneezing.

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust, trying to suppress a sneeze.

  "Let's go!"

  "Sir?"

  "What?"

  "What about the priestess?"

  "Take her body," he ordered half-heartedly.

  "Let's get out of here before they show up."

  And with that, they exited the ward, one of them weightlessly carrying the priestess on his shoulder, fireman style; all of them oblivious of the golden glow emanating from a baby girl in the corner.

  Opposite the church,

  inside the surveillance van,

  Sunday, February 13,

  9:20 AM

  Dr. Lu

  I struggled against the ropes as my captors, unperturbed, continued planning their attack on the church.

  There were at least six in each of the three vans, but I couldn't recognize them due to their red face masks and complete ninja outfits. However, only their silent leader wore a blue mask.

  He had been writing for over an hour in an old journal until he stood up to get a drink from the mini fridge not long ago.

  "What's the area report?" he said, after a gulp, turning to the agent using the periscope.

  "Main targets have just arrived, sir!" he replied smartly.

  "Three SUVs; the tigers have been separated from the prey with a civilian leading them away."

  "No need for rhymes, rookie," another agent muttered, assembling his gun while their boss was busy whispering on the phone.

  "You'll never get away with this!" I spat. "Whatever it is you're all planning..."

  "Shut up!" the rookie roared, silencing me with a punch.

  "Make me!" I dared, ignoring the blood trickling down the side of my mouth.

  He raised his fist to punch me again, but it was held back by the senior agent.

  "Touch him again, and the boss won't hesitate to rip your head off, rookie," the older agent warned.

  "I'd do as he says, rookie," I taunted.

  "You're one lucky doc," he sneered, going back to the periscope.

  "Alright, men, listen up!" their leader barked, joining them at the table, oblivious to what had happened.

  "There's been a slight change of plans; we're dealing with a Situation IV, so Operation Storm has been swapped with OG..."

  "What's OG?" some newbies inquired.

  "Operation Graveyard," was the swift reply.

  "Bummer!" another agent murmured.

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  "We'll be spanning the perimeter. Total stealth, rookies!" he warned. "Don't get caught; whatever you do, don't shoot without a silencer or till I say so. Any questions... let's roll!"

  He ignored the few hands that were up as he led the way. The others quickly picked their weapons and ammunition from a big green box.

  The rookie tried to keep up, but on getting there, he found it emptied clean. Cursing, he scanned the bus for another till his eyes fell on a small purple box. Satisfied with the darts in it, he pocketed it and left.

  When he was out of sight, I continued cutting the ropes that bound me with a dagger I had swiped from the rookie. I didn't know how long it took, but soon I was free, and I quickly hastened to the door to escape.

  Just as I reached for the handle, the door opened, revealing their leader, who grinned eerily at me.

  "Nathair! I was..." I began.

  "Going somewhere?" he asked.

  "Looks like I'm not so lucky after all!" I thought, gulping, as he cracked his knuckles.

  The Chaos Conference Room,

  Demon Realm, The Underworld.

  At the same time,

  Crown Prince Carson

  I lazily sipped my wine as Aiden, Belial, and I silently watched our fellow Crown Princes bicker and hurl insults at one another from across the table.

  Sometimes, I wonder if we're truly fit to be the next heirs to the Ten Thrones of Hell, given that we still behave like preschoolers fighting over candy.

  Well, most of us.

  Our fathers were quite busy on earth, so they made us represent them at this meeting, alongside their Gammas, as part of our "training." Alex, the chairman of the search committee, was currently being grilled by the rest, and trust me, you wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

  "I told you it would be a wasteful venture!" Ethan roared. "I would have used the money instead to buy a new Mercedes Benz Maybank Excelo."

  "Tsk, tsk, tsk... What else do you expect from the Crown Prince of Greed?" I thought.

  "Why? You have seventeen already?!" Dennis exclaimed.

  "Classic Envy!" Aiden muttered.

  "There's nothing bad in looking good!" Memphis smirked, his eyes glued to his mirror.

  "Classic Vanity!" Belial muttered lazily.

  "Have patience, Ethan!" Alex said. "Our men are still searching..."

  "And yet they've found nothing!" Aaron interrupted. "Like seriously, do you have to always dampen hopes?"

  "What else do you expect from the Prince of Despair?" Dennis muttered darkly, rolling his eyes.

  "Besides, we've searched everywhere," Aaron continued. "Our fathers were this close to getting it if not for that b***h who covered her tracks well."

  "My fellow princes, bear with me..." Alex began.

  "We've searched everywhere. What more do we have to do?" I interjected.

  "Give us more time and support," Alex urged.

  "Hell no!" Ethan roared, slamming his fist on the table so hard it crumbled to bits.

  "What the hell, man!" Belial grumbled, as he was being helped up. Due to boredom, he had propped his elbow on the table, which was why he fell face-first into the debris.

  Rolling his eyes, Aiden muttered something under his breath, and the table slowly reattached itself.

  "Then what do you suggest we do?" Aiden asked.

  "How about we call off the search?" I suggested softly.

  "What?!" Alex snapped, flabbergasted to the marrow.

  "Like you said we've searched everywhere yet we can't find it so how about we devote our time and resources to our main essence in life? File X!"

  I paused letting my words sink as several gasps erupted.

  "We-we've never done that before!" Memphis stammered.

  "There's no harm in trying," I said.

  "What about...? But we need it!" Alex whined.

  "Not necessarily... I say we forget about it," I said.

  "How can we just abandon something so priceless after decades of investment?" Alex asked.

  "Is it just me, or has anyone noticed that the Dragon Shifters have been inactive for decades?" I asked.

  "That's true!" Memphis reaffirmed, looking up from his mirror for the first time since the meeting began. "Our men haven't clashed with them in years."

  "Let me guess... you're out of dragon skin, again," Dennis said, rolling his eyes.

  "So?" he replied with an eye roll.

  "If Long Mu's soul is as priceless as you claim, Alex, why haven't they been on our necks to prevent us from finding it? Has it occurred to any of us that this might have been a wild goose chase to distract us from our main mission?" I asked, looking around the table.

  The room fell silent, with all eyes on me.

  "Carson's right!" Aiden exclaimed, breaking the silence.

  "But..."

  "Let's take a vote," I suggested, interrupting Aaron. "All those in favor of executing File X, say 'Aye'..."

  "Aye!" Alex, Memphis, Ethan, Aiden, and I chorused.

  "Those against, say 'Nay'!" I continued.

  "Nay!" Dennis and Alex chorused.

  "The ayes have it!" I declared.

  "Belial didn't even vote!" Dennis complained.

  "You should know me by now, dude," Belial muttered lazily. "I'm always neutral."

  "Take heart, Alex," I said, patting his shoulders. "It's best we all forget about her. Maybe it's even a lost soul."

  "Maybe..." Alex murmured stubbornly.

  "Lagan!" Aiden barked.

  "Yes, my prince?" a young man replied, appearing beside me with a bow.

  "Get me File X!" Aiden ordered.

  "As you wish, my lord!" Lagan replied, bowing before disappearing.

  I felt more at ease as we settled down to focus on more serious issues...

  Our essence since creation...

  Our way...

  Destruction and Chaos...

  The Demon Way!

  As the meeting adjourned, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The fate of the underworld was about to take a drastic turn, and I was eager to see what the future held.

  But little did I know, the threads of fate were already in motion, weaving a complex tapestry of love, war, and redemption that would soon entwine the lives of mortals and demons alike.

  The stage was set, the players were in position, and the game was about to begin.

  The question was, who would emerge victorious in the end?