XVI Went Alone To Hell.

'Sorry to bother your boring life but,' Orathan spoke again. 'What are you doing?'

Rick ignored him for a moment as he helped a customer pay for her supplies. Aware of the stares that she was giving him from underneath his hood that was pulled up just enough to cover his hair. Apparently, the owner saw that seeing a ninja cashier would scare away the customers, and he kind of had a point.

Rick waited to see the woman leave after she paid, he almost swore that she was walking at a slower pace to continue staring at him but, thankfully the entrance wasn't far away from the cashier.

"Can't you understand what you see?" Rick mocked with a straight face. "I'm working. Unlike someone who is living rent-free inside of me, I have a family to take care of."

'First I don't need to take anything from this mortal body,' Orathan protested. 'Secondly, you can just make yourself rich! You have me!'

Rick sighed heavily. "This damn sly devil is never going to shut up, will he?" he mumbled under his breath.

'You know I can still hear you even if you don't talk, right?'

"Oh, I'm well aware that's why I said it,"

'Meanie,'

"Says who?" Ricked scoffed. "The devil? The lord of destruction?"

'You can't be from the same group of people who believes in the-devil-made-me-do-it, are you?' Orathan questioned, Rick could picture a spitting image of him staring right back at him with its brows raised in questioning. 'You hurt me, Elfric Woods.'

"Surprising,"

'What is?'

"Knowing that the devil feels pain,"

'It's more surprising seeing a human in the devil's form,' Orathan spat out. 'and…working as a cashier in a convienent store at the corner.'

Rick couldn't help but chuckle deeply. "You are right about that," said he. "A match made in hell, I can say?"

He felt the devil's chuckle rattle in his own chest, not as bothering as it was before. You hardly believed the ease that he was in as he collected himself off the ground and waltzed his way to work as if nothing happened. He believed that for a fact Crane was going to take care of the mess that he was responsible for.

'Though I have got to wonder,' Orathan added. 'Why did you leave the other modified human?'

"Modified human?" Elfric puzzled. "Is that what they are?"

'That's what I figured from their talk with each other,' he sighed. 'Figures. They were humans, I can't be mistaken about that. But…'

"But what?"

'They stank of Elves,' Orathan answered. 'Don't know how that's possible but I can't mistake that disgustingly sweet aroma.'

"I thought that Elves were a myth," said Elfric. "They are real?"

'Oh, they are very real,' said Orathan. 'They decided to stay low and out of human lives a couple of centuries ago. Some say that they have foreseen the corruption that would befall the human race and decided to cut ties.'

Elfric hummed. Before today, there was no way for him to just buy all of what he was saying. But now that he has seen everything with his own eyes, the way he viewed things was going to drastically change. Yet he wasn't at the point where he can catch up with what Orathan was saying.

"Whatever they are we are going to find out anyway," Elfric breathed out as he sat down on the chair with a loud thud. "Why do you think I left one alive?"

'Because it was fun?'

"Because it made sense," replied Rick. "Not everyone is a show off for their power, Mr. Devil. I need one man to live and tell the tale. If I want to change the world, my name should be known."

~~~~

"SPEED THE FUCK UP, WILL YOU!" Zeph yelled out. Partially taking his anger on the driver of the black sedan.

Despite the cool air from the air conditioner in the car, he was feeling the heat eat his insides. The sweat was rolling down his brow heavily, the events replaying themselves in the back of his mind lagging whatever power was there. He couldn't think. There was no logical explanation for what he witnessed.

Ash is dead…the truth was harsh. One of the only two modified humans that the Gothams has fallen. After years of experiments and money, they were able to come out with two successful subjects, Ash and Jake. And now, one of them was dead. Killed with ease almost as if he was a bug to Elfric, squashed in between his balms.

The sounds of the tiers screaming on the asphalt as it came to a halt in front of the Gotham tower caused Zeph to finally snap out of it. All the way up the elevator there was only one thought that roamed his mind. How was he going to deliver such news to Lord Crane? The mere thought was terrifying but, his hands were shackled he had nothing else to do.

He took a deep breath as he found that his legs already carried him to Crane's office. He knocked. The permission soon came, Zeph found himself standing before Crane who was killing him slowly with his glares.

"Why are you standing like a lost child?" Crane hissed, his glare intensifying. "Talk. What happened?"

Zeph inhaled sharply. "T-the plan was ruined, My Lord," he stuttered. Before he even finished his words he felt the air screaming right next to his ears as the glass of whisky crashed right on the wall behind him. Particles from the broken glass scattered in the air, one found its way to cut Zeph on the cheek. Yet, he stood his ground with his hands ahead of him. He didn't even get to the worst part and Crane was already emitting that deadly aura.

At this point, all he was asking for was to be walking out of here alive tonight. "A-Ash, my lord…"

"What's with him?" he hissed, throwing daggers with his eyes and Zeph tried his best to avoid them.

"H-He was killed, my lord…" Zeph said in a weak voice but it was more than enough to knock Crane out of his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for something else to break instead it was silent. Too silent.

Zeph couldn't help but gather his strength and open his eyes. Crane was a step away from him instead of at his desk. He couldn't even hear his footsteps that he thought it was silence.

"What the fuck are you talking about, Zeph?"

"E-Elfric Woods, My Lord," Zeph stuttered. "H-he killed Ash and barely allowed Jake to leave alive. H-he wanted him to deliver a message to you."

Crane wanted nothing more than slamming Zeph to the ground if that would help with his anger but he knew better than that. Zeph had nothing to do with all of this. It was only his fault that he was the one delivering the news to him.

"T-there was nothing that Jake could do," Zeph added in an attempt to calm his Lord. "That boy…he is way stronger than any of us would have imagined."

Crane now had one worry worst than anything… "If My Lord father stumbled upon this," he paused.

"T-There is no way to hide it any longer, My Lord," Zeph interrupted. "L-Lord Shaw is ought to know. Jake and Ash are under his direct command, My Lord!"

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?!" Crane used the least bit of power in him to prevent his fist from colliding with Zeph's jaw. "You will continue to do the best you can to delay the news from reaching my Lord Father's ears. Do you understand Zeph Cobou!? You get this done even if it's the last thing you do!"

Zeph couldn't dare breathe, all he could do was nod his head once and scatter as his Lord gestured for him to leave. Slamming the door after him, leaving Crane in the silence of his study and his loud mind.

"What am I to do now?" he sighed as he allowed himself to sit with a loud thud on the large chair behind his desk. He tried hard but, he found himself blaming his dead brother for all of this.

"If only you had better control over the ritual then none of this would have been happening," said he. Part of him still couldn't grasp how Elfric Woods sealed the ritual and became the vessel. "You shouldn't have done it all in the first place, Drace."

He wanted to mourn over his dead brother but he couldn't bring himself to fake a prayer when inside him he knew that if his brother Drace was still alive then…he would have ended his life with his own hands. Or at least, he would have made his deal with his own mess.

"You died and left me here to deal with our father, Drace," he mumbled under his breath as he supported his head with his balm. "You shouldn't have left to hell without me."