Alexus got comfortable in the van, stretching his legs and arms. He wasn't a big fan of riding in cars. The van grumbled, chugged, and clunked. Every bump it ran over caused a bit of lurch, which made a few of them bump out of their chairs a few times. Timothy chuckled at the few who were unfortunate enough to fall out.

"Hold tight; this baby is made by me," Timothy replied, patting the side as he was sitting in front of the computer wholly strapped in while Jones was driving.

"Not bad," said Crystal as she looked around. "How long did it take you to patch it up together?"

"Give or take a few weeks; finding parts in this demon-infested land wasn't easy." Timothy replied, "We had to clear out some areas before we could even scout for parts."

Alexus contemplated what Timothy had said, "how far did the demons infect the lands?"

This was the question he wanted to know, and from how things were as the days he was out here, there was no one except for the children he had met.

"They are everywhere," Timothy replied, "We learned from the locals since the appearance of Pride; everything went downhill. All the major cities worldwide were hit with an onslaught of demons on the same day."

"Really?" Crystal asked; she leaned forward and gasped. "How?"

"We don't know," Marcus replied. "The attack destroyed all the remaining Sanctuaries for the Ourborous and even killed thousands of people on that day. After that, weeks went by, and cities after cities fell, killing millions. Countries fell after six months, and now, the only living somewhat of a government is the Blue Ravens and the Red Dragons created from scratch. The Blue Ravens are here in the western hemisphere, and the Red Dragons took the other part of the hemisphere."

Alexus took a moment, thinking about what he was talking about.

"Right now, going outside is a death warrant for the civilians. The government tried to counter the demon invasion by sending reinforcements, but nothing could stop them." Marcus said.

"Not even the military?"

"None. It only made it worse," said Marcus. "The military only agitated Pride, which caused him to summon more minions, taking over millions of people's minds and bodies. Transforming them into demons. We had a handful of people that even willingly converted, stating that being with them is the way."

"How much do you think the demons have taken over the world?" Alexus replied that he wanted to know. The darkness in the van was heavy.

"Half."

"That's insane."

"Yea, I agree. They took it over quickly. We could only take over a few key locations, and we were able to gain a foothold. The new Seventh Sanctum gave us a push back we needed, allowing us to clear away a good amount of demons, but it's not enough."

"Is it because of the number of people?"

"Yes." Marcus nodded. "We can't save everyone, but we can keep as many as we can protect. Hunt down the worse ones and arm the citizens."

"What's Pride like?" Alexus asked; something crossed his mind that he wanted to make sure of.

"He's different," Marcus spoke; there was something about him that Alexus couldn't quite tell what it was. "He's more human than any demon I have ever met."

"What do you mean?"

"The way he talks, the way he moves, and thinks. All of it." Marcus went silent. A glaze in his eyes would make anyone look over a second time. "He gets in your thoughts and slowly poisons you."

Alexus leaned back, crossing his arm. There was something that Marcus had said that made him wonder who this Pride was. A dark thought crossed his mind, was it that he had met inside the machine? He shivered. This was a high possibility, especially because he remembered how this demon had come up to him so that he could never forget those instances if he even wanted to.

"As far as we know, it might be that Pride is the mastermind of all this craziness that has been happening around the world."

"How are you so sure? I just thought that they were Myth type demons?" Alexus asked. The last time he met Sloth and Gluttony, they were all budding into their shoes and weren't such that they would annihilate countries.

"Because they all listen to Pride."

"So, he's the mastermind."

"Yes, if we take him out, we can take out the others, no problem," said Marcus with conviction.

"I don't know about that, Marcus," Timothy spoke up; he was smashing a few buttons looking through the computer when he stopped. Then, twirling around, he looked over. "We tried that with the last group, but that didn't work."

"We were close to it."

"No, we weren't. You know why that's how Sarah got injured, and you almost died. Gluttony and Wrath intervened that day. I still believe we have to take out the others before we take on Pride."

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"I'll think about it."

Timothy shook his head, "Your call Marcus."

"Just like its name, it's quite troublesome," said Alexus. He leaned back as his shoulder touched the cold wall.

The van screeched to a stop. One-by-one, everyone stepped out of the van.

Alexus stepped out last. He looked around and noticed where they were at. It was in the middle of a cornfield. Each wave of the wind caused the corns to move in waves. To see such a life brought a sense of peace to himself. It was nice to be away from the death, destruction, and fear of the city from the demons.

The only things that told him that there was some sense of semblance of humanity were the large barns and a handful of red sticks that had red lights hidden away in the shadows of the cornfield. Alexus shifted as he caught the red light out of the corner of his eyes when he leaned to one side.

It blinked a few times and went silent.

"Ladies, we're here." Marcus barked.

Timothy stretched their tired legs while the kids and teens huddled around each other, wondering where they were. On the other hand, Jesse walked over to Marcus, staring up at him in wonder.

"What do you want, kid?" Marcus asked, staring her down.

"You're so bald." Jesse blurted out. "How did you lose your hair?"

"Old age."

Jesse gasped. "Does that mean I'm going to go bald too?"

"Probably." Marcus grinned.

"Ugh, I hope I never get as old as you."

Marcus threw back his head and barked out laughing. Alexus couldn't help but hide his smile. Finally, the air around them calmed down. Eventually, Marcus stopped.

"Well, ladies. Let's get to the base. We got a lot of things we need to get you guys comfortable with." Marcus turned around. "Jones, I'll see you inside."

"Roger," Jones replied; he started back the van and left them behind.

Marcus started to walk towards the cornfield. They followed Marcus like ducklings, weaving through the stalks.

Alexus cut through the cornfield, trying not to let it hit him. But, unfortunately, he misjudged a few times as the stalks hit him in the face, leaving behind a few wicked stings.

A sharp yelp sounded behind him as Kim grumbled and cursed. "My shoes are getting stuck in the mud."

"You'll be fine," David replied as he pushed aside a stalk. "At least we are alive."

They continued through the cornfield rows until they finally emerged out in the open plain. It was a large mound as far as the eyes could see with scattered trees here and there.

"This way," Marcus replied. He walked over and bent down, pulling up the hidden doorway. "Single file line to get down, quickly."

The others listened, following Marcus' orders.

"You guys go first," Alexus replied, motioning the others to go in. He wanted to stay behind to give Marcus any backup if he needed it. "I'm going to stay a bit behind."

Alexus was the second to last one to enter, followed by Marcus. Quickly but surely, he climbed down the stairs and went through a closed door that Timothy pried open. It groaned and hissed until it let loose.

Everyone walked through.

Upon entering, Alexus was dazzled by bright lights and chaotic sounds of people's voices, yelling, laughing, and working. Machines cranked, wires raced across the top like zip wires, strains of metal sheets were doctored up on the walls, creaking makeshift shafts. People were busily walking back and forth, hosting things over their shoulders, and working on multiple projects.

David whistled, "This is amazing; I didn't think there was something like this underground."

"Nobody knows. We keep it that way unless you are cleared to live here." Marcus replied.

"Marcus!" A red-haired woman with a limp waved her hand over her head as she came over. There was a sense of kindness in her eyes, and how she came over hurriedly. She quickly went towards Marcus and leaned over, whispering into his ears.

"You're kidding me, right?" Marcus asked.

The red-haired woman shook her head.

"That bastard," Marcus angrily said. "He's always trying something."

"He already has half the council on his side."

Marcus groaned.

Alexus leaned over, "who is she?" he asked Jones, who was tense. Even Timothy went silent, and his expression scowled when they heard what Marcus had said.

"Her name is Sarah; she is Marcus' right hand. She saved him in one of the demon raids, and she broke her hip and leg in exchange. After that day, she wasn't the same," said Jones. "She's quite loyal and the first to take sides with Marcus. Plus, she is always the first to jump in on the fight when he's here."

"He?" Alexus asked.

"Yea, you'll see him in a moment. It's Gerald. He's coming over now."

Alexus glanced over where everyone was staring.

A rough-looking man with shaggy hair was thin as a reed. His face was rat-like and sharp, giving him a sleazy look. He even had few-inch platform shoes to compensate for his height with the others, making him look a bit taller. He had a group of other Ouroboros who looked straight out of prison. First, their gleaming hawkish eyes, strutting forward with their chests as if they had something up their butt. Then, they all chuckled and elbowed one another when they saw them.

It was odd to see such a man in a group of people as he stood out like a sore thumb. It was like watching a group of lions escorting a black sheep.

"That's Gerald?" Alexus asked.

"Yea, the leader of the Black Knights, personally I don't see how they are knightlike. More like thugs and gangsters." Jones snorted, shaking his head slowly a few times. "I have seen them take things from the civilians."

Alexus frowned. He couldn't help but base his opinion around Jones' opinion, which he tried not to.

Gerald lazily strutted forward, smiling from ear to ear. There was a light step to his step until he finally stopped. Looking straight up at Marcus without backing down. Compared to Marcus, Gerald was still tiny in height. He seemed to strut his chest to make himself look bigger, but it was much more fun.

"Richard, what are you doing here?" Marcus asked. "You're supposed to get the supplies three hours away. Did you finish this early? You should have been back tomorrow."

Gerald just smiled as it became even bigger.

Alexus shifted, looking at the man strangely. On the other hand, Marcus didn't budge. Instead, the aura around him seems to become even more potent than before. An invisible spark went off between them.

"Things happened. We got overwhelmed and were blocked off by an army of demons. We needed backup to deal with this mess," Richard replied curtly.

"I thought your team could handle such a situation without any problem that you have stated."

"We aren't fools, Marcus. When we know when to back down, we will. Not like you who went bulldozing forward and got Sarah injured. Your leadership is waning; it's time for a new head who understands what the people want and get things actually moving."

"Highly unlikely."

"We shall see about that. Tonight, the council will make that decision." Richard replied, "It also seemed that you brought over a new batch of kids for your army. I swear you are like a joke as time passes."

Richard gazed over, his sharp eyes seeming to rake across everyone, frightening Jesse and Rye, who hid behind David. He stopped at Alexus. "Who's this?"

"This is Alexus, and that's Crystal," said Marcus. Crystal stood beside Alexus, her hand crossed and glaring back at Richard, who wasn't fazed by her intensity.

"Crystal, wait. The Crystal that made the Dragon suit?" Richard asked.

"I helped too," Timothy spoke up, raising his hand. "I coded half of it."

"Timothy, you couldn't even decipher a damn brick. So, shut up and let the lady talk."

"What do you want?" Crystal asked; she frowned. Then, crossing her hand in front of her.

"We want you to join our side. We can accommodate you with everything under the sun in a heartbeat, and it will be worth your while."

Crystal went silent, then spoke, "no."

"Are you sure you'll be one of the top council members here?"

"No, thank you." Crystal repeated it. "I prefer to stay with my group."

"You'll regret this."

"I'm sure I won't."

"We'll see. Let's go, guys." Richard waved his hand over his head, turning around. "You'll regret it." He called out again before they melted into the crowd and disappeared.

"I swear that guy gets on my nerves." Sarah replied, "he always gets under your skin with that high-pitched voice and annoying demeanor. The last woman he had slept with choked her out of anger. A piece of shit is what I call him."

"Tell me about it." Timothy mumbled, "Whenever they need something fixed, they come crawling to me. Finally, I'm done fixing their things."

"Why are you even helping them in the first place?" Crystal asked.

"Because we need all able weapons and people on top condition if we want to win this."

"For once, you have made an interesting choice. For the betterment of the good of everyone."

"Betterment my ass; they don't even appreciate it."

"That comes with the territory." Crystal reached over and smacked him on the shoulder a few times.