Previous | Table of Contents | Next
A group of golden-robed angels stood in a circle on the corner of a street. One angel was lying down in the center, his body curled up in the fetal position on the ground. His face was green, and sweat poured from his forehead, darkening his robes. A sweet smell lingered around his body, and it was getting stronger with every passing second.
An angel wearing red robes with black linings furrowed his brow as he broke through the encirclement of golden-robed angels. A figure wearing a cloak that obscured its face followed after him. “Why haven’t you healed him yet?” the red-robed angel asked.
“Mayor,” one of the golden-robed angels said and saluted. “Lori tried, but she was unable to remove the poison from his system. Lori’s a greater angel of kindness—the poison must come from an archangel or archdemon.”
The mayor’s brow wrinkled as Lori nodded her head, indicating that the angel who just spoke was telling the truth. “Explain to me what happened,” he said as he looked up and past the group of angels. Behind them, there was an alleyway with four spikes planted in the ground with a head impaled on each of them. The mayor’s face paled at the sight. The alley seemed darker than usual, and he could barely make out the image of a broken door leading into a building.
“We were following orders and went ahead to investigate, but Rolf stepped on something and became like this,” one of the angels said, gesturing towards the dying angel on the ground. “We decided to wait for further orders before proceeding. Apparently, other groups of guardians have encountered similar situations all throughout the city.”
The mayor exhaled and peeled his eyes away from the bloody sight, hanging his head and rubbing his hand against his temple. “There hasn’t been a murder in Ni’En for fourteen years, and now this happens?” he asked. “I don’t understand. Is it the rebels sowing chaos? They’ve certainly done a good job at that.”
“That could be the case. They know they can’t beat us in direct conflict, so they sow seeds in the surrounding cities to undermine our power,” Lori said. “It’s no wonder why our army is traveling from city to city.”
The mayor sighed. “Honestly, this is beyond what I can deal with,” he said. “If even the guardians are unable to investigate safely, I’ll have to request help from the capital.”
“Territory,” the cloaked figure said suddenly.
The mayor frowned and turned around, facing his follower. “Pardon?” he asked.
“Someone’s claiming territory,” the cloaked figure said. The figure raised its lowered head, revealing a pair of bright-red eyes. He wore a metal collar with runes inscribed on the surface.
“Huh?” the mayor asked. “Like a dog?”
The mayor’s demon snorted. “Like a demon,” he said. His eyes narrowed. “Or a pair of demons. The owner isn’t looking for a mate. He or she’s telling everyone to leave or face the consequences.”
“So this demon is establishing Ni’En as his home?” the mayor asked, his face darkening.
“Or pair of demons,” the demon said. “Either they’re very confident, or they’re stupid.” The demon’s eyes seemed to glow as he spoke in a voice filled with worship. “A demon that wants to claim an entire city of angels as their own roost must be an incredible figure.”
“Then this display,” Lori said and gestured towards the bloody alleyway, “is like a dog peeing on a tree?” Her hands trembled as they clenched into fists. “People lost their lives for that?”
The demon completely disregarded Lori as if he hadn’t heard her speak. The mayor sighed and said, “Answer her.”
The demon shrugged. “You could say that,” he said as a sneer formed on his face. “It’s also a challenge. If you can clean the marker away, the demon might acknowledge you and appear.” The demon licked his lips.
“Is that true?” Lori asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Of course,” the demon said with a gleam in his eyes. He had seen dozens of territory markers similar to this one back in Eljiam. They were deathtraps that only the owners knew how to navigate. Only a fool or animal would wander into one thinking there was something nice inside. “If you want to catch the killer, you have to clear the marker and figure out the puzzle at the end. Maybe he won’t appear until all of the ones in the city have been cleared.”
“I see,” Lori said as her head lowered. “I never knew demons had such perverse hobbies.”
One of the angels next to her placed his hand on her shoulder. “You can’t be considering this,” he said. “Do you know how dangerous this is?”
“If not us, then who?” Lori asked, meeting her coworker’s gaze. “The citizens? My cousin was the one who reported this scene. She’s lived here all her life, and she’s considering leaving everything behind to move east. It’s our duty as guardians to keep the people who depend on us safe.”
“An archdemon, Lori,” the golden-robed angel said. “We can barely suppress a greater demon as a group. How are we going to catch an archdemon?”
“We can do it if we all work together,” Lori said and furrowed her brow. “If all the guardians in Ni’En cooperated, we could definitely stop an archangel or archdemon, but only if we work together. We can’t let fear divide us.”
The mayor turned towards his demon. “What are your thoughts on this? Tell the truth,” he said.
The demon smiled, revealing a row of sharp yellow teeth. “I sincerely hope you do your best to conquer the territory markers,” he said. “And any demon can be stopped if you have a large enough number of people.” Whether he thought there were enough guardians or not, he didn’t say. “Of course, there is the possibility that this is all a bluff. The demon could be nervous and hopes that a show of power is enough of a deterrent to keep you from looking for him. He could’ve created these as places to retreat to in times of danger.”
“You hear that?” Lori asked the angel standing next to her. “It could just be a bluff. You think the rebel army has archdemons to spare to terrorize some minor cities?”
“Why is that the only part that you heard?” her companion asked and pursed his lips.
Lori shrugged. “I’m going to clear this marker out,” she said. “And if any of you have a shred of honor, you’d help me.” She steeled herself before marching past the four impaled heads and towards the broken door leading into the building. The other guardians exchanged glances before looking at the mayor. The mayor sighed.
“Go,” he said. “Proceed with utmost caution.”