Cassius fell asleep an hour in. When he woke, he was greeted by Levi's face an inch away from his own. He jerked back, hitting his head against the window.
Levi grinned. "Morning!"
He thrust a juice box into Cassius's hand. "General said to wake you. We're landing in ten."
Cassius sat up with the juice box in hand. He glanced around the jet. "Where is everyone?"
"Private meeting," Levi said and pointed to the tv mountain on the wall.
Cassius gave a confused look. "Where?"
"There's a secret room behind the wall." He scratched his ear. "Not sure if I was supposed to tell you that."
Cassius didn't know what to say after that. Instead, he popped the straw into the juice box and took a sip. Apple. He didn't know how felt about that either.
The uncomfortable silence with Levi sitting on the armrest beside him thankfully didn't last long. The secret door in the wall to the back of the jet opened up. Mattius, Kera, and finally Rexton emerged from their meeting. Cassius took notice how Mattius's head just barely brushed the top of the jet. He was tall as fuck.
Rexton stood a foot shorter and Kera was just a few inches shorter than Rexton.
Cassius let himself take his time to look over the three of them. This was his new life now. Though he was finished with looking back at his old life, he needed this time to fully think about the next steps in his life.
He took a long sip. Rexton caught his eye. The same hard general he thought he had all figured out when he met him, looked nothing like that man now. He was different, with only a flicker of his old self in there. Cassius had felt the pull between them when they first felt. It had been lust. Years of being isolated without human contact did things to a person. He thought that that was all it was. But looking at Rexton now, when he was no longer in his general uniform, and was instead dressed like the rest of them, it made it hard to distinguish between an enemy and simply a comrade.
Another long drink and then he forced himself to set the drink down.
Rexton looked over at him. His eyes roamed over Cassius's body. From head to toe, he left trails of heat. It was hard to breathe for that short second.
"Levi," Kera said.
Levi jumped from the arm rest to stand next to her. He was like her lap dog.
Rexton walked around the two. Cassius followed him as he reached down for the leash. He snapped it around Cassius's neck. For a second, Cassius had to hold his breath. The closeness, just a few inches away from touching skin was too distracting to think about anything else. Even if he was about to go on the most dangerous mission of his life.
Rexton broke their eye contact. He tossed his end of the leash.
Mattius caught it in one hand.
"Take him to the back room," Rexton said. He grabbed the file on his seat. "Kera and Levi."
Kera froze where she was, smacking Levi once more on the back before straightening up. Levi sheepishly ducked his head as she tried to look more presentable.
Rexton ignored whatever was happening between the two. "Stay here while I speak with these two."
Kera nodded. She was always too eager to follow orders. To anyone else, she was a stone cold bitch. To Rexton, she was a loyal puppy.
Mattius yank the leash and Cassius stumbled over his feet. Thankfully he had the seats to catch onto. Mattius smirked.
Cassius could have attacked him. He could have burnt the fucker alive. With his power restored completely, he could have killed them all.
Mattius knew this, but he also knew Cassius wouldn't. Mattius knew Cassius didn't have the guts.
Cassius swallowed down all his pride, pushed away from the seat, and walked ahead of Mattius. He half expected for him to tug the leash back, to have Cassius sprawl back on the floor. It wouldn't have surprised him. Mattius seemed like the type to do petty things just to feel like he was in control.
It was like all the men in this country had to have complete control.
The three of them entered the back of the room. Rexton closed the door.
"We don't have much time before the plane lands."
Cassius leaned against the wall. The room wasn't very big. He didn't see the point in having it, but maybe what Rexton had to say was too sensitive for Kera and Levi to hear.
That made him wonder what Kera, Mattius, and Rexton had been talking about.
"There's been a call from President Maxem," he said. By the look on his face, it wasn't good news. "I'm going to Parlera by myself. Mattius, you're going in with Cassius."
Mattius grinned. "Yes, sir."
That was the first time Cassius had ever heard him say it without being sarcastic. He was sure it would be the last too.
There was a lump in his throat. As he turned from Mattius and then to Rexton, his hands began to shake. With Mattius going into the Veil with him, there would be no stopping Mattius from screwing up on purpose.
And if he got the chance to throw Cassius into the path of the demon...
"Is there something wrong?"
Cassius looked up. Rexton was waiting for him to answer, but he didn't know how to make out his jumbled thoughts.
Too afraid to look at Mattius, he never once took his eyes off of Rexton.
He shook his head. He could do this. If Mattius wanted to kill him, he would let him try.
"Good," Rexton said though there was a curious look in his eyes that Cassius only knew from his own eyes.
They left the secret room. Mattius was still to happy to jerk Cassius around on the leash.
Rexton was too preoccupied with other things to notice Cassius glaring at the back of his head.
***
Kera unlatched the leash from around Cassius's neck and threw it into the back of the black SUV. Levi slammed the door shut.
They were out of their uniforms, changed into black latex suits that clung to their skin. Kera had the curves for it. Levi somehow managed to barely pull it off.
Cassius wore the same uniform. He was used to working in this and since his job didn't usually intel fighting demons, he didn't need any fancy suit like the Shadows. They were the ones who fought the attackers. Not him.
Mattius came around the back of the SUV just as he slipped on his second black glove onto his right hand. He gave a firm nod to Kera and Levi, then proceeded to march up to the front of the abandoned apartment building.
Levi followed behind, carrying a large metal suitcase. Kera shoved Cassius forward. It was an unnecessary action.
Cassius gritted his teeth and headed towards the front door.
The photo of the apartment didn't leave much detail out. He could say though that it looked better in person. The windows didn't look as grimy and what was left of the ceiling at least looked sturdy enough that he didn't worry they might be crushed to death. But if a demon was truly jumping the Veil, then this place might become a huge fuck fest.
He might die here.
The inside of the apartment was just as in shambles as the outside was. The lobby had a huge hole in the corner and another one in the wall connecting to what Cassius thought was the community living room. A turned over sofa covered in gray stains took up most of the lobby. Mattius shoved it to the side to make room.
Levi crouched down on the floor and opened up the silver suitcase. He pulled out a selection of wires.
Cassius removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeve, and let Levi attach the thin wires to his wrist.
The room was quiet as Levi turned the monitor on.
"We're set."
That was all the confirmation he needed. He closed his eyes and sunk into the quiet darkness of his mind. His magic pooled out from his body like tiny hands wandering through water. The scents, touches, and tastes of the apartment became clear to him.
There. He felt along the hole left in the wall. He could sense the Mekiah. His magic covered the area like flecks of paint splattered across a canvas.
Cassius pressed against the walls of the Veil. It opened. Then, he was standing inside of it.
His body felt number and the further he pressed into the folds of the Veil, the less he could feel of his body.
It was dark, cold, and there was nothing but the trail of the Mekiah's magic left around him. His heart skipped a beat for no reason. He shouldn't feel afraid. He'd done this thousands of times before. There shouldn't be any difference now.
But it was very different. This time, there was a fifty/fifty chance of him being killed by this demon. And if he was right, this was the same demon who'd been visiting him every so often. He didn't know what that meant or if there was any reasoning why he'd become a target for this being.
He hissed and grabbed his neck as a shock of pain pierced his throat. Over the same place the demon had bit him. The dream he had last night came flickering through his mind. The demon was there and it had bitten him again. Inside the Veil he wasn't truly connected to his body. It was all a trick of mind making him feel sensations that were purely in his mind.
But magic was more complicated. There was never a clear answer for anything when it was involved.
He tested his magic out, lighting up the Veil with a soft light. Spots appeared around him. He grabbed one.
It was a fragment of the Mekiah's magic. He let it go and began to walk into the darkness. The spots followed him, shifting around him so they never touched. He sent out another blast of his magic. The magic rippled out, searching for the thread of the demon's magic. It would be easy to pick out from the Mekiah's and all the other strands of magic left by others. It would be a blinking beacon of power in this run down place.
But when his search was done, he was left empty of anything.
There was only one other option for him. The Third Eye was freely at his disposable. Though, "freely" wasn't quite the word he would use. It always wanted a piece from him. Everything it gave had a price tag attached to it. Only his memories were a lot easier to give away than anything else others might want.
He reached out to it, expecting the familiar roaming hands that liked to pick at his brain any chance it got. But the hands weren't there. The Veil faded into the Third Eye, only a small detail he would have seen because he was used to this transition. He doubted anyone who wasn't as used to contacting the Third Eye would have seen the slight shifts.
The silence was haunting. It was never like this. At least, it was never without those pesky light touches that felt like they were inside his skull.
He sent out a wave of magic out of habit. The wave gave back with nothing once more.
"Hello."
Cassius jumped, whirling around to face the voice. This wasn't that voice. This was an entirely different being.
A young girl, no bigger than three feet tall, stood with her hand raised. She had dark skin, just a little darker than his, and long silky black hair that reached her waist.
She took a step forward. Her stiff white dress glowed in the darkness. Cassius stepped back.
His mouth felt like he'd been eating cotton balls. He didn't even try to speak, but he already knew there were no words that could explain how he was feeling. He didn't know what to say to the little girl.
Though his mind had already labeled her as another Mekiah, she looked exactly like the little sisters he use to have, he didn't fully believe it. No young Mekiah would be here. They wouldn't even know how to get here if they had the strength or the ability.
The young girl tilted her head. She raised her hand. A light appeared, floating above her open palm.
"Cassius," she said and then looked at him. She poked her finger into the floating light.
Cassius felt a stab at the back of his head. He clutched his head with his hand, staring wide-eyed at the girl.
"That's you." She smiled. "I'm sorry. I had to make sure."
He shook his head. There, on the tip of his tongue, were the words he wanted to say.
I don't know what you mean. And, who the hell are you?
She walked towards him and held out her hand with the palm facing up towards him. He went to take a step back, but an invisible wall stopped him. The air from his lungs was pushed out and he couldn't take another breath. His mouth opened, gasping for a fresh breath of air, but there was nothing he could do. He was at her mercy and the power he thought he'd been able to get back was taken from him once more.
The black edges of the Veil started to shake. The girl paused. The white orb in her hands quivered in her palm. With a stricken look on her face, she stepped back. Cassius didn't know whether he should call for help. He didn't understand any of this.
"Cassius?" This time she called it out with so much fear that it made his heart skip. He didn't know a thing about this being, didn't know if this was her true form, but he had the feeling to protect her. It wasn't a want; it was a need. Shock waves of the need went through his body.
Through the pain, he pushed forward.
And as he scooped her up into his arms, the demon he'd been searching for appeared.
It charged at him, claws bared. The magic felt the same as the first time they'd met. It was stronger, pulsing with so much power that it made his stomach turn.
He stepped aside, avoiding the attack by a mere second. The girl held tightly to him. Her small arms wrapped around his neck and he held her to him with one arm. With his free hand, he send out a blast towards the demon. The instructions were simple. Kill this demon.
The blast knocked it in the shoulder. Its skin sizzled from the burn, but it wasn't deterred. It shook its head and continued to advance on them.
For a brief second, he thought about calling for the Shadows.
No. I have this.
He didn't know why it mattered so much to him. There was a need to prove that he was strong enough to kill this demon. The demon that had beat him, had started this whole change reaction, and had bitten him like he was some kind of animal it could feed upon.
If it hadn't been for this demon, he would have been free.
With a new surge of energy, he pushed on. The girl jostled in his arm, but he ignored her small yelp as they fell to the ground.
A spark of fire erupted from his palm. He focused the stream outward and swept his arm in a broken circle. The end of the blaze caught the legs of the demon. It cried out as the flames ate away at its skin. The tidal way of fire rose up.
It wasn't enough.
Blast after blast wore down Cassius's magic. Sweat dripped down his face. His knees quaked, but he couldn't give up.
They would slaughter him if he didn't do this. He might do it himself if he didn't.
Cold small hands pressed against his cheeks. He turned to the girl. Her eyes pulsed from her natural brown eyes to bright white like the floating orb. The orb was now gone, forgotten from his mind and hers as well. She was focused on him. Though she was half his size, her grip was no easy thing to break away from.
"Cassius," she said once more. "You're my Instrument."
The words were in his head. Fire spread out from her hands, to the back of his eyes, and out to his hands.
"Lend me your strength."
Like the Third Eye was reaching into his brain, she was doing something to him. It was an uncomfortable feeling that made his body ache. He wanted to push her away and curl up into a bawl. The demon was making its way towards them. It crossed his mind why it wasn't using its magic. The girl couldn't be an obstacle, could she?
"He knows," she said. "Please, we don't have time."
The walls Cassius kept up fell down. An indescribable amount of magic flooded through his body. He couldn't handle it for even a second. His arm moved on its own as if she was controlling it on her own.
A blast of pure white light and a sonic sound high pitched rang out through the Veil. The demon yelled out as the beam struck it in the chest. The sound perched through the air and the demon covered its ears.
Cassius's hands shook. His sweat fell into his eyes, but the sting wasn't as painful as the beam shooting out of his palm was. His own fire which he fell back in most dire situations wasn't even as bad as this was. It felt as if the girl's magic was forcing its way through his mind and out through his nerves. The whitening pain made his vision go cross, but the beam never faltered.
The demon fought back with an electric surge which ran across the floor. The surge zapped through Cassius's feet. He was floored by the pain, tripping over his feet, and clattering to the ground. His hand tightened around the girl. Her hands pressed harder into his temple.
"You are my Instrument, Cassius."
I don't know what that means.
Her lips quirked up in a smile.
The demon fell to its knees.
"This is not over." The girl's voice boomed throughout the Veil.
The demon bared its teeth. Blood dripped from its open wounds.
And then it was gone.
"No!"
Cassius dived towards where the demon hand been standing. But it was too late.
A shock signaling that he was being pulled out of the Veil pulsed through him. He had only a few seconds to prepare before he was pulled from the Veil.
Then he was gone.