Into the fields of Summer - 96. Fragments of Darkness 2

“Just dropped dead?” I had chills down my spine as I asked that question.

“Yes your highness.” Kalron confirmed.

“Chris. It could be some sort of magic”

“Most likely Yal... there’s no other explanation” I then put my attention on the other elf. “Kalron, any indication as to what happened to the vampire and human syndicates that previously occupied the Chicago hideout?”

“No update yet on that your highness”

“Look into it. Somehow it bothers me and I think there’s more to this than meets the eye”

“Of course your highness” Kalron nodded.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“Nothing further sir”

“Okay...” and with that Kalron exited the conference call leaving only Yal and myself.

“Chris...” Yal had a grim expression on his face. He was clearly bothered by the recent developments.

“I know Yal... this is happening too fast”

“I agree. What worries me more is that I think we’re even more aware of what’s happening than the other races”

“The demons continue to evade our surveillance” I bitterly remarked.
”I have a feeling this is just the beginning”

“I can’t help but agree with you Chris. The demons have already started their attacks and it just one fell swoop they’ve severely compromised the human’s security infrastructure”

“We have to warn the VHC and WCC” I suggested.

“Yes... for all we know they’re the next target”

“I hate knowing so little on what we’re up against. We don’t even know if we’re just fighting against a single general or all nine of them”

“I have to contact my agents to prepare for the worst” Yal replied.

“Okay Yal... I’ll email the VHC and WCC to warn them” and with that we ended our call.

I then spent the next few minutes sending an email to Reza, Konrad, Luca, Victor, and August. I informed them of the near complete annihilation of FRUSI in a single evening. I attached a copy of Kalron’s report and I suggested that they increase their security measures on integral vampire and werewolf locations.

My phone almost immediately rang to life when Luca called me.

“Chris, are you sure about this?” He asked.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that seems to be the case Luca”

“No need to apologize Chris. It’s just shocking. I’ll call for an emergency VHC meeting.”

After Luca it was August who knocked on my door.

“Chris? You have a moment?”

“Of course August...”

“I received your email. It’s just so hard to believe. FRUSI may be composed of humans but I have deep respect for their fighting skills.”

“I can only imagine how you feel August.”

“I’ve warned the rest of the WCC. We have an emergency meeting within the hour, that would mean I can’t join you guys for breakfast”

“Don’t worry about it. Luca and Reza seem to be busy right now as well. I’m sure Victor will hear from them soon.” I then indulged myself by giving August a small smile and said “I’ll have breakfast brought to your room. We can’t have you hungry in the middle of your meeting can we?”

“Hehe. I’d appreciate that”

After August left my room, I received a call from Victor. He was obviously troubled with the recent developments. I spent some time talking to him, he then excused himself as their VHC meeting was due to begin.

I then took a moment to refresh myself in my large bathroom and then made my way to the kitchen.

I found Etalos and Nomir preparing breakfast together.

I told them about the attacks on FRUSI last night.

“Chris... if I may say, that’s such a coordinated effort for them to pull off with limited resources” Nomir remarked.

“I agree Nomir, and that’s what worries me the most. Several locations attacked simultaneously... how many do they have in their ranks?”

I didn’t have much of an appetite that morning but I forced myself to eat anyway.

Dad joined us for breakfast minutes later and I gave him a summary of what happened last night.

Yal was late for breakfast and I could only assume that he’s busy coordinating the movements of his agents.

—-

We all went to Victor’s place for a send off lunch for Patrick, Raymond, Lucy, and Erica.

We did our best to distract ourselves from the developments of last night but I wouldn’t deny the fact that the FRUSI attacks heavily dampened our mood.

Patrick as a newly appointed governor of the district had a lot on his plate, he needed to shore up the district’s security and on top of that he had to follow in Victor’s footsteps.

Lucy and Erica left for North Carolina at around 2pm, while Patrick and Raymond left for the airport soon after. I didn’t like to see them go but they are badly needed back in their respective areas.

Victor and I found ourselves alone in his bedroom just after the four vampires left.

“The VHC has decided to postpone my welcoming banquet. There’s just too much happening right now”

“Yeah. I agree” I said just above a whisper.

“We voted earlier to mobilize the entirety of Stratos”

“Really?”

“It can’t be helped. And actually... I’m afraid Stratos won’t be enough to face this challenge alone”

“Hey... that’s what this alliance is for right? My uncle and Jetan are already mobilizing Akros.”

“I’ve already suggested that NuBlood factories double their production and that districts all over the world start stocking up on NuBlood supply”

“That’s smart”

“We can’t afford to be caught off guard like when the Blood Army started attacking warehouses and NuBlood supply trucks ...”

“It’s just going to get worse isn’t it?” I grimly asked.

Victor softly touched my face and swept my hair sideways. He gave me a light smile. “Hmm... you can say that again but we’ll fight back and win this”

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

“The VHC intends to move forward with the summit. Instead of my banquet this weekend, the Council is inclined to have the summit instead.”

“I’ll talk to August about it” I replied.

“I’m sure they’ll agree.” Victor replied.

“I hope so”

—

We left Victor’s place late in the afternoon. August left for Baltimore as well, he had to ensure that his Clan is taking the necessary precautions and measures for the demon threat. I even heard him call on his two other pack members, Gerard and Sergei, the only members of his pack that I haven’t met yet. August asked them to return to their estate to help Fred, Cage, and the twins with security. August also mentioned that he was deploying several more dozen agents across his territory, the alphas under him have all been notified to take precautions as well.

I could sense August’s concern as he left for Baltimore. And he had every right to be worried, most werewolf packs are based in rural areas and Yal has mentioned to me that this is a key werewolf vulnerability, as they could be easy pickings for a well resourced demon army if they’re far away from reinforcements.

As a Clan Alpha, August is responsible for dozens of packs that are members of his clan. He’s also a WCC Councilor so he had to think of the entire werewolf community as well. His mind must be racing right now to figure out the most effective and efficient method in maximizing the werewolf response.

—-

In order to compensate for the lack of security agents at home, I cast a magic spell to protect the house. Very similar to the barrier I conjured when I kept Victor out of the property line when we broke up. However this time I designed the barrier to keep out any being with ill intentions.

I could feel the barrier draw from my energy pool. It didn’t bother me though, even if the barrier drained me buckets worth of energy by the minute... I had an ocean’s worth inside me.

Before dinner, Etalos joined me in my new study. While Nomir spent time helping dad and Leo with their magic.

Etalos was busy corresponding with several other agents around the world.

As my chief of staff, he also spent some time coordinating with Jeppe and his team and Cage too.

Jeppe Theil of the VHC was taking the lead in organizing the summit from the VHC’s end while August and his team was responsible for the WCC thus explaining Cage’s involvement.

Etalos also kept tabs with developments back in the realm. Etalos was looped in by Kalron in his information network thus as soon as Yal’s ministry receives any update from the realm, Etalos can gain access to it as well.

Yal’s team has devised this method of inter-realm communication and information dissemination. Every portal is used at least 4 times a day.

Whenever a portal is opened, two of Yal’s agents would cross from one side to another, one from each world, the agent from earth will upload information into the elf realm’s server while the agent from the realm will upload information into the elvish network here on earth. That means that we can receive updates from the other world at least 16 times a day.

I’ll have to admit that Yal’s method is rather smart but my method of just popping in and out of the realm is way better, but I guess not all elves can do that, hehe.

—

After dinner, I immediately went to the realm to talk to Patri.

I found Patri in his study with Uncle Rehanmir and Jetan.

“Chris! It’s good that you’re here” Patri said. “We’ve been informed that things are starting to turn for the worse back on Earth”

“That seems to be the case Patri”

“Any updates with the VHC and WCC?” Patri asked.

“Both councils have agreed to meet with us in New York this Saturday. The Vampires and Werewolves will handle the security”

“We should bring our own agents too.” My uncle spoke looking at Patri for an affirmative.

“Rehanmir is right. We can’t leave security to the other two races. Jetan prepare several Akros agents to crossover together with us. It would also be wise if we station several agents in the vicinity of the summit area” Patri said.

Then Patri set his attention on me. “We’re having an emergency meeting in an hour. I’d like you to join us” Patri said it matter of factly as if it was a done deal so I knew I couldn’t gripe my way out of this.

“I wish Yalekin were able to join us” Patri said.

“Patri... uhm. I can try and bring him over with me.”

Both my Patri and Uncle turned to give me their full attention.

“What do you mean Chris?” Patri asked.

“Uhm... Well you know I’ve been bringing books to and from the realm, right?”

“Yes... but Yalekin is a full grown man.” Patri replied.

“Well... every time I cross the barrier, I feel like I’m some sort of bubble of my own. I think I just have to use a little bit more energy to expand the bubble around me so that I could bring someone along with me”

“Have you tried this before Chris?” My uncle asked. His voice clearly showed concern if something were to wrong with the plan I had.

“Not really... but if we don’t try, we’ll never know if it works. And I know you’re concerned for Yal’s safety... I am too! I’ll just make sure to pump excess energy to make the bubble larger than necessary”

“Okay... Chris you’re right” my uncle replied.

“I’ll be back.” I announced and just like that I crossed back to my house and started looking for Yal. I found the spymaster in his room watching the news.

“Yal...”

“Yes Chris?”

“Patri said we’re supposed to attend an emergency meeting of some sort”

Yal gave me an inquisitive look that turn into more quizzical then confused. “Uhm... last time I checked I can’t cross the barrier without a portal”

I smiled at Yal and reached out for him with my right hand. “Hold on tight” I announced.

It really didn’t take much effort for me to surround Yal with my energy and almost in a flash we found ourselves in front of Patri and my uncle.

“We’re here” I beamed with pride.

“What the...” Yal said as he looked around realizing I just brought him to the realm. “Chris... you never said you could do that!”

“Well... you’re my first passenger so...”

“Wait what? You experimented on me?” Yal’s expression looked so comical and Patri and my uncle couldn’t help but laugh at his expense.

“You arrived all in one piece, right?” I teased the still confused Yal.

Although I would have wanted to give Yal a thorough body inspection... a cavity search perhaps or some extra fondling uhm no I mean patting on the groin area? ‘Fucking naughty thoughts. Behave Chris!’ I thought to myself.

—-

I dressed to look the part for the meeting. I wore a tight red robe with gold accents. The robe had just the right cut for me, it had a formal almost military vibe to it. I had to thank Fejor for taking care of all my outfits.

I made my way to the celestial palace, that’s where our meeting was going to be. During my stay in the realm, I've rarely visited this portion of the palace complex.

It surely had more people in it, though that was to be expected as this served as the administrative center of Patri’s office.

Uncle Rehanmir accompanied me to a quieter wing of the palace. We even had to go through several scanners that only gave access to people with Level 7 clearance and above.

The large double doors of our conference room were guarded by two soldiers in uniform who didn’t even think twice about allowing me and my uncle into the room.

We entered a large, well-lit room. Large is rather an understatement, it had white and gray marble walls and a high ceiling that tapered into a large dome. Underneath the dome is a thin circular wooden table or more accurately - two semicircular tables that faced each other. Each side sat 7 individuals.

On the right table I could already see Patri sitting in the middle.

I took a moment to look around the room, I recognized several faces although some were new as well. I’m sure I’ve met some of these people at either my Ascension or during my banquet. I easily recognized Prince Havar, Patri’s cousin sitting in the middle of the left table, he sat directly opposite King ZoHal.

But due to the large size of each table, they were both easily 20 feet from each other.

Later on, I would memorize all the names of those in attendance. In the right table was Patri and on his right were Jetan, Prince Delic (Patri’s brother), and Uncle Rehanmir closest to him. On his left sat Yal, myself, and King Ethnar who was immediately left of Patri.

On the table opposite us, Prince Havar was in the middle, he was flanked on his right by Raya - one of the High Circle members I met the other day, Anisa - The Air Mage in my Ascension, and Stomir - someone I haven’t met before but whom I later learn is a member of the High Court. On Prince Havar’s left were Yelindra - A member of the High Court whom I’ve met before during the initial talks with Reza, Zenfar, and Nelthana - just like Stomir, she’s someone I haven’t met before but I later learn is the Governor of the Western Province.

“Thank you everyone for making it here on such short notice” Patri started in a rather serious voice. His voice was loud enough, it almost boomed across the large conference hall. “All Councils are represented in this meeting and I expect whatever is discussed today will be relayed to those that aren’t present. I also expect all to represent their councils and not use this meeting to forward any personal biases and opinions” I found Patri’s last sentence odd and it felt like he was directing it on Prince Havar.

Patri continued. “Rehanmir and Jetan are here to represent the Ministry of Civil Security; Prince Delic, Prince Havar, and Nelthana standing in for the Council of Governors; King Ethnar is representing the Advisory Council; Raya the High Circle; Stomir and Yelindra for the High Court, High Mage Zenfar and Air Mage Anisa for the Mage Council, Master Yalekin for his Ministry, and Prince Christopher as ambassador of the realm”

I looked around and I felt totally out of place, everyone seemed more serious than I anticipated and there was clearly some tension between Prince Havar and Patri.

Being Patri’s cousin, Prince Havar is sixth in line to the throne, I actually met him in my banquet but didn’t speak much to him then, however during that time I didn’t sense any animosity coming from him.

From what I’ve learned before, Prince Havar is the Governor of the only Autonomous City in the realm, Katar. I heard it was some sort of concession Patri gave him to convince Havar and his loyalists to join the rest of the elves in migrating to the realm. I’ve also heard whispers and rumors that there is some resentment coming from Prince Havar, despite being older it is Patri that is King and not him.

“I’ve called for this emergency meeting to discuss the worsening situation on earth” Patri started. “I believe that you’ve all been made aware of the recent developments on the other side... as such we are moving the timeline with the talks on the proposed alliance with vampires and werewolves to this weekend” Patri announced.

Then Patri set his gaze on me and added, “Prince Christopher has informed me that the VHC and WCC are on board with the talks and the VHC is rather keen for joint training and operations between Stratos and Akros”

“That sounds fair enough” Prince Delic remarked.

“I agree but I think we should set limits too” Yelindra said.

“What do you mean?” Uncle Rehanmir asked.

“I mean information that may compromise the realm’s security must not be shared with the vampires and werewolves” Yelindra replied.

“I agree with her” Stomir chimed in.

“Of course... we will not compromise the security of the realm” Patri agreed.

Prince Havar then let out a small chuckle, which drew our attention to him. “Your Majesty... if I may? “

“Yes Havar?” Patri said bitterly.

“If you don’t want to compromise the security of the realm then I propose we cast the Astra Spell”

Yelindra then immediately with a serious tone and almost scrunched up face replied “Prince Havar the matter regarding the Astra Spell is already off the table. The High Court has already found that to be an unacceptable method”

I looked at King Ethnar beside me and I knew my face told him I didn’t know what they are talking about. King Ethnar only lightly squeezed my right thigh underneath the table and lightly nodded his head to tell me now was not the time to discuss this.

“I know that my initial petition to the High Court was narrowly dismissed but I believe that there’s new information that would signify a material change in the situation”

“Material change?” Yelindra asked.

“Yes. It has come to my attention that His Highness Prince Christopher has come across a book from the Tower of Knowledge. The book mentions that human souls are necessary for the creation of demons.” Prince Havar gritted his teeth and with bitterness further said “The greed of humans has already pushed us into exile and not only that but now we’ve confirmed that they are basically food for demons and only the powers above know how many billions of humans there are now”

“What you are suggesting is genocide Havar” Patri said with frost in his voice and piercing gaze set on his cousin. “I will have none of this!”

“In the end it’s either us or them” Prince Havar confidently remarked. His demeanor showed no signs of backing down from Patri.

“By all means your Majesty... even if the High Court and Advisory Council agrees with my suggestion, as an absolute monarch you may veto such decisions” Prince Havar said holding his ground against Patri. “I mean what’s the harm in having the High Court and Advisory Council look into this matter again, right?”

Patri may be an absolute monarch but I am not stupid to not realize that there will be serious repercussions if the public finds out that he has vetoed decisions by the Advisory Council and High Court.

Stomir who sat beside Prince Havar chimed in. “In theory I may agree with Prince Havar’s proposal but there’s still the issue of there being no elf strong enough to cast the Astra Spell”

Havar’s smile then turned from small to a devilish grin. “Ohh... hehe” He set his eyes on me for a few seconds then put his attention on Zenfar. “High Mage Zenfar as the only person aside from His Majesty that has complete access to census of Magical Strength of all citizens, can you confirm to everyone in attendance, if there is still no one capable of casting the Astra Spell?”

Zenfar paused and looked torn. His eyes met Patri’s and my grandfather gave him a nod to tell the truth. “Uhm. I can confirm that there is one individual that has the potential to cast the Astra Spell,” The High Mage said in an almost defeated manner.

“Impossible...” Raya muttered from her seat.

“May we know who this individual is?” Nelthana asked.

“I believe I can’t disclose the identity of the said individual” Zenfar replied.

King Ethnar then cleared his throat and out of respect everyone turned silent. “As member of the Advisory Council ... I believe it is premature to explore the use of the Astra Spell. I think it would be prudent for us to move forward with the initial plan of a three-way alliance with the Vampires and Werewolves”

“I mean no disrespect your Majesty but what if this alliance breaks down or what if the VHC and WCC become seriously compromised and are unable to hold their own end of the agreement,” Prince Havar asked

“I think you’re being too pessimistic Havar. The situation on earth has indeed turned for the worse but it’s still far from total chaos. The situation is still under control for the time being.” King Ethnar replied.

“Havar... your request has been noted by everyone in this meeting however we will push forward with the alliance. I forbid further discussion on the Astra Spell for the remaining duration of this meeting.” Patri said.

“As you wish Your Majesty” Havar replied with a smile.

“Let’s move forward with the discussion on who will represent the realm in the meeting with the VHC and WCC” Patri said.

Zenfar then spoke to me. “Your Highness may we know who will be representing the vampires and werewolves?”

I took a visible gulp and then replied. “For the WCC it will be Luigi Bonafede, Juan Montero, Olaf Seehofer, and August Smith. For the VHC it will be Reza Hatami, Jeppe Theil, Victoria Leonova, Luca Tremonti, Marta Vitorino, and Victor Meyer. The Head of Stratos Konrad Müller will be in attendance as well”

“4 from the WCC and 7 from the VHC” Yal noted.

“I believe King ZoHal, King Ethnar, and Prince Christopher’s attendance is already a given. It’s a matter of who else we will send” Nelthana remarked.

“I agree.” Zenfar piped in.

“Prince Rehanmir, Master Yalekin, and High Mage Zenfar should go as well,” Yelindra suggested.

“That sounds fair enough... however I would suggest that a member of the High Court be in the vicinity to observe the associates of the VHC and WCC while the summit is in session. I also suggest that Jetan as Head of Akros be present in New York to cover security” Stomir said.

“Okay. Are we in agreement on that?” Patri asked.

No one disagreed. Then for the next hour or so we discussed the finer points of the three-way alliance. It was made clear that Prince Rehanmir and myself together with Yal will be the one’s mainly responsible for the realm’s security and military operations on earth.

After the meeting was adjourned, Zenfar and Yelindra who both had questions regarding other stately matters caught Patri’s attention. King Ethnar on the other hand was busy talking to his other son, Prince Delic. Uncle Rehanmir and Yalekin were both busy discussing other matters with Stomir and Nelthana. That’s how I found myself alone with Prince Havar. We were both making our way out of the large meeting area when he asked me to join him for a short meeting.

We found ourselves in a cozy study nearby.

“I apologize if my exchange with my cousin earlier has made you uncomfortable” Prince Havar said.

“Uhm... I’ll have to admit I did not expect things to be so heated between the two of you”

“King ZoHal and I go a long way back, we barely see eye to eye but I am sure he only has the best interest of the realm and so do I. It’s just a matter of us having a different perspective on how to face problems at hand”

“Hmm... I see.”

“Prince Havar...”

“You May call me Havar. We’re family after all” He smiled at me.

“Then I insist you call me just Chris” I replied.

“Would be an honor to be in familiar terms with the Platinum Prince”

I couldn’t help but blush at that comment. Here in front of me was a 529 year old elf telling me it was his honor to know me.

The question of the Astra Spell bothered me and I just had to ask. “What’s this Astra Spell that you guys talked about earlier?”

Havar’s eyes showed excitement with my question.

“Ohh... they haven’t told you?” He asked.

“Sorry... but I am unfamiliar with the Spell”

“No need to apologize Chris. The Astra Spell is basically a powerful cleansing spell of some sort”

“Cleansing Spell?”

“More of a purification or renewal Spell”

“For what?” I asked.

“A spell that would rid the world of poison”

“Huh... what do you mean?”

But before Havar was able to answer me, my uncle and Yalekin both walked in on us and interrupted our conversation.

“Chris? Come on let’s go” My uncle said.

“Go on... I believe we’ll just have to continue this another time” Havar said to me. Patri’s cousin gave me a hug and I was almost swallowed by his beefy frame.

As we exited the room my uncle spoke to me. “What were you both talking about?”

“He just apologized for the way he acted in the meeting earlier”

“Really?” Yal asked.

“I also asked him about the Astra Spell that seemed to trigger his and Patri’s argument”

My uncle and Yal stopped walking and then set their full attention on me.

“What did he say about the spell?” Uncle asked.

“That it’s some sort of purification and healing spell” I shrugged.

“Hmm... of course he’ll put it that way” Yal said in a sarcastic manner.

“So, it’s not a purification spell?”

“It isn’t Chris. Prince Havar is the leader of the Gaian Faction... He’s basically an Elf Supremacist and diehard revanchist”

“What do you mean?”

“To put it bluntly. He hates our exile into the realm and resents the humans for it. The Astra Spell is not purification magic... it’s a spell of mass murder” Uncle Rehanmir said.

“Huh?”

“Human Genocide”

—-

I spent several more minutes in the realm with Patri, King Ethnar, Uncle Rehanmir, Yal. Uncle Selvenus joined us as well.

“Chris... avoid Havar at all costs” Patri said to me.

“Is it because of the Astra Spell?”
I asked.

“Yes.” Patri tersely replied.

“Chris... Havar may be my nephew but I do not share his views” King Ethnar added.

“Well... it’s not as if I have anything to do with this spell anyway. And as long as Havar doesn’t have the capacity to cast the spell I think we’re safe” I replied.

They all exchanged knowing glances before Patri cleared his throat. He then took a moment for himself and then spoke to me. “Chris, remember Zenfar said that there is one person with enough magic to cast the Astra Spell?”

“Yeah... he did mention it earlier” I offhandedly replied.

Silence.

“Oh ... wait... you can’t mean.”

I started to stutter.

“Yes Chris. You’re powerful enough for the spell and you’re only getting stronger by the day” Patri said.

“But I would never...”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Uncle Selvenus smiled after me as he squeezed my shoulders. “Just don’t let Havar’s words convince you otherwise”

“I understand”

—

Yal and I made it back to the house at 2am. We were both in the 2nd level of my wing when I asked him.

“Do you think Kalron would mind if he works from here instead?”

“Oh Chris. It would be his pleasure. He doesn’t need to be in London to do his job. Just connect him to the elvish network and he’s fine.”

“I would like it if he moves here. I’d love to have a mini-Yal nearby”

“Mini-Yal?” The elf laughed.

“You know... spymaster extraordinaire”

“Hmm... I like seeing you becoming more comfortable with the idea of us snooping around”

“What you do is far from snooping Yal. But I recognize its necessity.”

“I’ll take that” he grinned back at me.

“I know it’s late but can we call Kalron to get some updates?” I asked.

“Of course, let’s call him.”

Yal and I spoke to Kalron for almost twenty minutes. It seems that the demons didn’t make any moves against FRUSI or the VHC and WCC. Kalron assured us that his team is working double time to monitor any suspicious activities. The elf was more than ecstatic when I asked for him to move into my place. I think he mentioned something about it being an honor to work for the ‘Platinum Prince’ or something like that.

—-

Early morning I checked my emails, I felt relieved to have not received any bad news from Kalron.

I started my day with breakfast with Dad, Etalos, Nomir, and Yal. We had a mix of elvish and American food for breakfast. It kind of seemed like an odd food combination but somehow it made sense for me.

That morning, I finally found some time to review for my matriculation tests. I did some mock exams and I pretty much continued to ace it, good thing I wasn’t losing my touch.

Etalos spent the morning training dad with his magic. As a fellow air he could teach dad with some basic air based spells. While Yal and Nomir spent time doing an audit of the elf’s security network in infrastructure.

Victor joined us for lunch and gave him an update regarding our trip to New York. We decided to fly out that evening using his private jet.

“So you guys are going to leave me alone here?” Dad pouted.

“Ohh... Dad you can fly with us. You can stay in the hotel while we attend the meeting. Etalos can keep you company”

“I’d be more than happy to teach you some more spells ...” Etalos smiled at my dad.

“Hmm... okay”

While we were cleaning up the dining table, I received a message from Kalron.

“Detroit. Spike in suspicious activity” his message read.

I immediately called Kalron.

“What do you mean by this Kalron?” I said with concern. Victor and Yal noticed the change in my demeanor and they started to listen in.

“Sir... we have nothing definite yet but there’s been some trouble happening within the city since this morning.”

“And why is it that we’re just hearing about this now?”

“Sir... initially we assumed the activities were low level crimes but...”

“But what Kalron?”

“It seems that the situation is escalating by the minute. What’s happening in the city is not in line with our predictive models” I could sense that Kalron was just as concerned as me, his voice had a certain edge to it and there was a hint of fear in it.

“Is this demon related?”

“We’re not certain of that sir but there’s no other possible explanation”

“Wait a minute...” I said.

I then set my gaze on Victor and said “Contact whoever the Vampire Governor is for Michigan. Detroit’s in trouble”

“What?” Victor asked slightly confused.

“Most likely demons. Kalron is expecting things to worsen within the next few hours”

Victor nodded and then started to call Sean Heston, the Governor of District 7.

“Etalos turn on the TV. Switch it to a news channel” I then went back to Kalron and said.

“Kalron... I’ll put you on speaker so Yal and I can both hear you. Please explain the situation”

“Earlier this morning a local police station was set on fire.”

“Okay... “

“An hour later the city reported three armed robberies in banks across the city”

“Sad news but can easily be criminal in nature...” Yal said.

“That’s what we thought too sir... but then another thing happened. Within a span of 2 hours - 3 predominantly black churches were attacked, then 6 minority teenagers were shot dead by the police, we’ve also noted a 33% spike in racially charged language from some far-right radio networks around the city”

“All of that happened before noon?”

“Yes your highness”

“What else?”

“Members of the black community have organized themselves in protest against the police but it seems like the radio stations have stoked their own supporters to organize their own counter protests.” Kalron paused. “On top of that sir... two more banks were robbed at noon, a supermarket suffered a hostage taking, and another police station was set on fire. The local police department is being stretched too thin”

“What do you suggest we do Yal?” I asked.

“There’s nothing we can do right now but monitor the events as they unfold” Yal said in a defeated manner. “If this is Demon related, we have to find out where their hideout is. It’s highly likely they’re using manipulative spells and magic to sow discord”

I sighed and then spoke to Kalron. “Thank you Kalron. Please keep us posted.”

Victor ended his call with the local governor and Governor Heston is just as confused as us but commented that things were indeed getting out of hand in the center of the city.

At around 2:30pm, national news networks started to cover the situation in Detroit.

I wasn’t prepared for what I saw on TV. It was an aerial footage of downtown Detroit, smoke rising from burning cars and tires across the city.

The Headline read: Detroit in Chaos.

The news showed recorded footage of people looting shops and guns being fired into the air. There were also snippets showing protesters from both sides violently attacking the police.

The Headlines just kept changing and changing.

2:47: At least 129 dead in Detroit riots.

2:56: Michigan Governor mobilizes the National Guard to quell Detroit violence.

A few minutes past three the reports grew worse as the new reporter announced that all of Detroit's border crossings with Canada were bombed and have now been closed.

Minutes later news of transit stations being set on fire around the city came out as well.

3:44: 2 Car bombs explode near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. At least 70 people dead.

3:57: All of Detroit and its surrounding counties lose electricity.

4:10: Governor announces a mandatory curfew for the entire city of Detroit.

Footage of the National Guard attempting to enter Detroit was shown as well but they were met by angry mobs. Burning cars and tires as well, for all intents and purposes blocked major roads in and out of the city, Detroit seemed to be sealed off from the rest of the country.

4:38: Detroit City Hall is bombed.

We couldn’t take our eyes off the TV, as we watched in complete horror as Detroit descends into chaos.

“They’re manipulating hundreds if not thousands of people at the same time” I remarked.

At one point we saw a video of several angry individuals confront the police. I noticed that the individuals were too well armed to be just a rag tag team of disgruntled individuals.

The news even showed snippets of minority and far-right protest groups clashing and basically just killing each other on the streets.

“What the hell is happening?” Dad muttered.

“This is what Demons can do, and they haven’t even shown themselves yet” I said.

“That’s what worries me the most Chris” Yal replied. “Where the hell are they hiding?”

“If they can do this to Detroit... they can do this to any other city” Victor grimly said.

We continued to watch the news, I could sense that the entire nation has been put into a state of shock with what’s happening in Detroit.

The news channels continued to provide live coverage of the now burning city. At one point we saw three military choppers hover above the city. I then saw purple flares fly from one of the buildings. Oh shit. Those aren’t flares, those are energy balls.

The helicopters initially mistook the purple orbs as flares and didn’t budge, they didn’t know what was coming. In seconds we watched in total horror as three military helicopters exploded on live TV.

—-

While we were in the car on the way to the airport, I received a call from Kalron.

“Several neighborhoods inside the city together with a large number of suburban areas sit empty”

“What are you implying Kalron?”

“All of the chaos today served as cover for a massive abduction operation”

“Do you have proof of that?”

“Some of the working CCTV cameras showed vans and trucks transporting people out of the city. It appears they were offering safe passage or evacuation out of the city. An agent of ours who was investigating the attack on the Detroit FRUSI office has also reported feeling magic being used in the area. I’ve asked the agent to get out of the city as fast as possible, his protective pendant has started to weaken”

“How many missing people are we talking about Kalron?”

“At least 10,000 sir”

“That many?!”

“That seems to be the case Your Highness”

“Okay. Keep me posted” I replied.

“What’s the matter Chris?” Victor asked from beside me.

“10,000 people from Detroit are missing. An elf agent also noticed the use of magic in the area”

“Did they really have to attack the entire city to harvest that many people?” Yal asked from behind us.

“It seems we’re facing an attention seeking Demon General. You’re right, he could have easily abducted more homeless people. I doubt that we’ve already run out of homeless individuals for them to prey on. It appears this attack on Detroit is his debut to the world”

I was so lost in thought that I failed to marvel at Victor’s private jet. It seemed dad was too caught up in his own worries to gawk as well.

“The moment we find out where the Demon base is... we attack” I said to Victor.

“I agree Chris. The more people they’re able to get their hands on, the stronger they get, and today they’ve just siphoned 10,000 people, god knows how many demons that could spawn.” Victor remarked.