SCIAS OF THE UNDERWORLD

ELEVEN

The whole Underworld shook as his voice thundered in the chamber. When he woke up this morning he was fine. He woke up feeling the bliss of the fresh morning air touching his face the moment he opened his floor-to-ceiling window. He thought it is just another wonderful morning in his beloved Underworld.

But he was hugely mistaken.

Because as he entered the chamber, the most important piece of his body was missing. His heart was missing and he doesn't know who would have the audacity to steal from him, the Lord of the Underworld.

He bellowed and he felt the ground shook. A few moments after his rageful scream, the door of the chamber opened and Kalen entered, the usual bored expression was plastered on his face.

"What is it this time?" he asked. Scias kneeled in front of the table where his treasure was supposed to be and now it was gone. Azul's eyes widened too as he beheld the empty table.

"What in the seven gates of hell happened?" he asked the lord but the latter was silent as if he couldn't believe the misfortune that has befallen him.

"It's gone, Azul. My heart is gone."

"I know it is gone. I'm asking how it happened."

Kalen walked towards where the table and checked, just making sure. But there was nothing on the table. The heart that was carefully placed on a small glass box was gone. And they don't know where it could be.

"You're going to die," Kalen said nonchalantly and Scias let out a low groan as he sat on the floor.

"I am not yet ready to die, Azul. I still have to see Dreylar and Miura kneel before me. I can't do that if I am going to die. You know my greatest pleasure is to make my siblings suffer and see them while they're at it," he ranted but Kalen just waved a dismissive hand.

"Your heart is gone. Somebody might have stolen it and they're going to break it. I won't be surprised if any moment today you'd suddenly disappear," saad ni Kalen. He sounded so serious ngunit halatang nang-aasar lang ito.

The room thundered as Scias' palm hit the floor. The granite floor cracked with the impact. "Whoever stole it just signed his death warrant." He stood up with a wave of his hand, his silk robe changed into his black fitted coat, black pants, and black boots. He looked regal, as he should be. Because he is the lord of the underworld. It's only natural for him to dress the part.

"They will pay for what they have done."

Darkness swirled around him as his rage is starting to build up again and Kalen just looked at him with the same bored expression. "Yeah. I am all for it but have you forgotten that the only ones who could enter the underworld are your siblings and your father?"

Scias stopped and looked at Kalen. "So one of them might have stolen it?"

Kalen shrugged. "Perhaps. But what for?"

Scias was silent for a moment before he clenched his fists. Kalen thought Scias might go berserk any moment and he already prepared himself for it but to his surprise, Scias held it in and took a deep breath. His eyes were originally blue but they turned red for a moment and became blue again. Then Scias straightened his coat and ran a hand through his hair.

"I am going to have a talk with my siblings," he announced and stormed out of the room. Without so much as lifting his hand, he disappeared, leaving a wisp of black smoke behind, and in an instant, he was in his throne room. The throne room was dark. Unlike his bedroom where it was all sunshine and rainbows, as he preferred it, his throne room was the opposite. After all, it is where he receives his guests. He is the god of the underworld and he should be seen as one.

He paced back and forth in front of a huge orb that emerged in the middle of the throne room as he ordered it. He waited impatiently until somebody answered and the face of his sister appeared on the orb.

"Did you come here, Miura?" bungad niya sa kapatid. Sinamaan niya ito ng tingin habang humihikab pa ito.

"Good morning to you too, traitorous brother. And no, I didn't and would never. I would never set my feet in that disgusting—"

He waved his hand and his sister's face disappeared on the screen. Then he called his next target.

"Several millennia has passed and you finally called—"

"Where is my heart?" agad niyang tanong at hindi man lang pinatapos ang kapatid.

His brother looked at the screen, a mocking grin was plastered across his face. "It was taken out of you because of what you did to our mother, right? Did you forget about that?"

"f**k you to the heavens, Dreylar. Did you barged in here without my knowledge and took it? You were so hell-bent on killing me, after all. Did you take it?"

His brother only laughed as if he just said the absurdest thing. "Me? Go there and steal it? Why would I even do that?" Then his brother leaned closer to the screen. "One, I would never set foot in that hellhole where you're at. Second, I wouldn't need to take that pathetic heart just to kill you, brother. I can do it with my bare hands. And lastly, I have stopped associating myself with you—"

He waved his hand again and the screen disappeared. He's sick of hearing that from Dreylar.

"Millenia has passed and you still use the same threat to me. Such a bore," he mumbled and waved another hand to make the orb disappear. His father couldn't possibly be the one who took it. And besides, as much as he wants to call him and ask him personally, hindi niya rin ito matawagan. 

Kalen walked into the throne room and glared at him. "Would you be so kind and stop winnowing randomly that I had to guess where you could have gone?" reklamo nito sa kanya. He just paced in front of his throne, as he thought about who could have possibly entered the chamber and take his heart?

His father took it out from him several millennia ago for some reason. And his father placed a curse on it. Made it extra fragile that if it breaks, it would mean his death. He is supposed to be the immortal god of the underworld. And he plans to keep it that way. But with his heart missing and is now somewhere in whoever's hands, he might die any moment.

Kaya naman kailangan niyang hanapin iyon sa lalong medaling panahon. He calmed himself and his mind. Kailangan niyang mag-isip. Who could have possibly entered his domain and dared to steal from him? Hindi niya alam kung tanga ba ang gumawa noon o hindi lang nito alam kung anong lugar ang pinasok niya.

Without saying another word to Kalen, he winnowed back into the chamber where his heart once been. He stood there for a good long minute hanggang sa may mapansin siyang kakaiba sa loob. The things inside the chamber were the same. Nothing seemed off. Kung sino man ang pumasok sa silid, tanging ang kahon na nasa mesa lang ang kinuha nito. Which means whoever the stole it knew what it was and came here for the sole purpose of stealing it. Ang hindi niya lang maintindihan ay kung bakit? Apart from his siblings, his father, Kalen, and a certain number of humans knew about it.

But then he stopped pacing and realized something. Humans.

Some humans knew about it. After all, some of them were present when his father gave him the curse. Some of them knew about it.

Agad niyang inlibot ang tingin sa silid. And when he did, he caught a wisp of something. It was faint ngunit hindi iyon nakatakas sa pang-amoy niya. Indeed there wasn't something off with the room's appearance but there's a smell that's out of place. Mas tinalasan niya ang pang-amoy at mas nakilala niya ang amoy na ito.

A woman's scent. A woman came here and took his heart. And what's worse, it's a mortal human.

"Kalen!" tawag niya sa lalake. In an instant, the door of the chambers opened revealing Kalen with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Next time you winnow like that I swear I am not going to follow you—"

"We're going to the mortal world," he said, cutting off Kalen. The latter looked at him na para bang hindi ito naniniwala sa sinasabi niya.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"No. I am going to the mortal world and find whoever stole my precious heart."

"And who will watch these demons?"

"Not you. You're coming with me. Apply third-level security measures to the realm. They're not going to get out of here while I'm gone."

And they ventured their way to the mortal realm.

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