Ichor : Blood & Secrets

Chapter 08

"Is she breathing?" asked Lucien as Mikeala tends to Rebecca. "Yeah, a minute pass and we would have seen a dead body." said Mikeala. "Great, thanks.. I guess." said Lucien to which Mikeala finds herself shocked and immediately turns towards Lucien confusingly. "What?" asked Lucien.

"That's the first time in a thousand years you said thanks." said Mikeala. "Oh, well.. you're welcome?" asked Lucien. "No need, take her to the nearest hospital and find out what she knows." said Mikeala as she drops her down slowly towards the floor as Mikeala begins to depart.

"You're leaving?" asked Lucien. ''Yes, while you were gone from wherever it is that you went, a board of terrorists kidnapped the royal family." said Mikeala. "What the? who did this? does Klaus know?" asked Lucien. "No, no, and no, we are still not done with your disappearance, but it can wait for now, till we dealt with the situation." said Mikeala.

"I can help." said Lucien. "You are already helping, find out what she knows, and make sure she stays alive, whoever brought her down here might try his second chance at her." said Mikeala who departs away with a sprint before Lucien could ask more information.

"And she's gone, classic." said Lucien who then carefully carries the body of Rebecca and he too departs away before staring at the sky in distress, knowing the fate of his despised brother is at stake.

Meanwhile, at the base of operations where Darren and his inmate army manages to hold onto a ship within the base and departed away to safety, but still, they are pursued by drone jets who seem to launch a tremendous amount of damage to their ship. "I thought that i***t could handle navigation, why the hell is the ship taking damage?" asked Darren.

"I don't know, I'll ask." said a inmate who sprints away while Darren goes forth to prepare others to assign into weapon systems which was in automated mode all this time.

"Automated mode isn't going to make it work, we need to.. wait, do you hear that?" asked Darren when he hears the sound of something ticking deep within the ship's core, before he could realise it was a bomb, it detonates, destroying the entire ship by surprise as the fate of his crew and himself are left in turmoil.

Meanwhile, deep within the unknown perils of space, Klaus continues steering the alien ship as best as he can, and despite changing its direction a bit, the ship continues going through the same destination which Klaus is yet to be revealed of.

"This damm.. thing.. doesn't.. you know how to operate this?" asked Klaus to Ayame in which she nods in disapproval. "Pleased.. okay, we stepped into a black hole, hurdling on a ship filled with blood across space to a destination which will be likely filled by these.. things. "We can leave." said Ayame.

"That's what I am trying to do, the ship remains intact with its destination, it doesn't change it no matter what buttons I push." said Klaus. "I wasn't taking about the ship." said Ayame.

"Pardon me, but how the hell do you think we can leave without the ship?" asked Klaus in frustration while Ayame points her hand towards a direction which Klaus doesn't see, until she whistles in which Klaus pauses and looks where Ayame is pointing, revealed to be a a chaotic, yet wondrous planet beside in their way.

"The planet? you can leave there? how?" asked Klaus. "You changed the ships direction, do that again when we reach close to it's orbit, it will pull us in." said Ayame.

"And get lost in a uncharted world which we have no odds of escaping from." said Klaus. "You're wrong.. there is.. a way out, there." said Ayame looking at the planet as Klaus goes to interject, but withdraws as he walks towards her calmly. "Listen to me, what was your name again?" asked Klaus.

"I.. don't have one, only a way out." said Ayame pointing to the planet. "I know, and I believe you, but I need to know more about you, before I bring you to my family." said Klaus. "What.. is family?" asked Ayame.

"Families are the compass that guides men and women. They are the soul and blood that one was gifted for, and one who will look out for, my family is my life, and I believe it can be yours too, if you would like to join us." said Klaus.

"You want.. me, to be family? why?" asked Ayame to which Klaus smiles. "Well, the answer wouldn't be simple, let's say you remind me of someone who I lost recently." said Klaus. "Is it, wife? child, or blood?" asked Ayame.

"All of them." said Klaus. "I can understand, I lost them too." said Ayame.

"Who?" asked Klaus to which Ayame once again points out to the planet as Klaus then turned confusion as to why she is fixated on going there. "Why there? what is there for you go?" asked Klaus.

"Home...my home is there.. your way home is there, all will be revealed, there.. trust me." said Ayame with a soft tone to which Klaus doesn't feel trustworthy of, but knowing there is no other choice left beside heading to where the ship intended to go, Klaus reluctantly agrees.

"Fine, we wil go to your home, but your name first, don't tell me you don't have one, because I know you do, you are just afraid to say it." said Klaus to which Ayame doesn't respond until she whispers a sound so quiet, only Klaus was able to hear glimpses.

"yaame? that's your name?" asked Klaus to which Ayame turned in shock. "You heard me.. how?" asked Ayame.

"You're not the only one cursed, now, tell me, Yaame, was it?" asked Klaus. "Ayame, Ayame Malrux." said Ayame as Klaus then bids a greeting and smiles.

Meanwhile, within the planet their about to enter, a ecumenopolis (a world-city) with burning firepits, extant in between dimensions, occupying a ‘frequency’ somewhere between the physical universe and Hell in terms of biblical principles.

However, in this world, The population is a downtrodden lot, including many kidnapped from other worlds before being "broken".

The majority of the population are called Lowlies or Hunger Dogs, a bald and fearful race that has no sense of self-worth or value, and yet, in their own way, are just as much gods as those who rule the planet.

The Lowlies are subject to constant abuse that ends only with death.

Next are the Parademons, who serve as the keepers of order on the planet, they are a race of creatures, spawned directly from the pits of hell, who managed to escape under the guidance of their leader, Jann ibn Jann, also known as Ahriman, who rules over this desolated hellish planet.

While wars and battle remain as the common theme of this world, none have escalated catastrophically, until Sila, the goddess and wife of Ahriman betrayed him, and goes onward to start a civil war as she stands on the brink of war with armies gathered from every parts of this world.

"My darlings, my loves, you have all come here, to present your love, your dedication towards me, and I am grateful for it, but deep within the necropolis, my.. once husband, now rejects it, he denies the need of my body, and now wishes to eradicate me, can we let that happen?" asked Sila to which her armies roar in rage, inclining their disapproval.

"Certainly not! we will end him, we will end all this prowess armies, then from the ashes, we will built another..." continued Sila until she is interrupted when the doors of Necropolis opens wide, granting passage to the king of this world, Ahriman himself.

"End me? you really think you can end me, Sila? has your mind been ravaged to such corruptive thoughts?" asked Ahriman.

"Do not talk to me about corruption Ahriman, it is you, who had been corrupting us all along, when we escaped from hell, you promised us all a way to earn our freedom, and instead, you imprisoned us, made us your slave, you tormented all of us, for your entertainment! it ends, all of it stops today, my lovers will destroy you and your kingdom, and they will make way for my own regime." said Sila.

"Your own regime? you think she.. can lead you? bah! she can't even choose words to earn you, your seduction and lust may be able to make these fools succumb to you, but it takes more than that to rule, it takes domination, ruthlessness, and power." said Ahriman.

"I have all that you speak of, you're the one that doesn't, why do we waste time with this fool, end him, now!" shouted Sila to which her armies storm off to fight their once crowned king as he draws his axe.

"Insolent rats!" said Ahriman who charges down the power of thunder with his axe and blasts down a tremendous wave of energy surrounding him, toasting off dozens of her troops within a single blow.

"Don't withdraw! end him, all of you, go after him!" shouted Sila who turns into her demonic form as she goes off to fight him too along with her armies.

While being out matched one to literally thousands, the power and strength seem to make Ahriman invulnerable to any other attacks as he continues his rampage across the battlefield, killing thousands by every second until Sila lunges onto him and starts ripping out his flesh with her claws and teeth to which Ahriman takes a step back of.

"You will succumb, you will kneel, or you will die!" shouted Sila trying her maximum strength to take down Ahriman, to which she almost makes him fall down, until Ahriman calls out to his axe and just when it flies and reaches out to his hand, he lands a massive blow to Sila, burning her critically down to her core as she is thrown away.