A young girl is running from a large beast. Everyone around her looks at her, simply scoffing. They say why she would be running from a dog. That she looks childish. Some call her the town's oddity. Others call her worse things. Her true name is Beverly Jones. The beast chasing her isn't a dog. It's much larger. It's barbed tail constantly shooting projectiles and attempting to snare her. "You can't run child," the beast screams as the young lady turns a corner into a small street. "Every manticore is a master of the Hunt! How else do you expect us to find our prey without many around us?"
Beverly had reached her current home. A mosque that had slowly run down in favor of another. "I know my purpose," she says defiantly as she raises her hands. The earth around her slowly began to rise. It created an open mouth that turned to the manticore. As she continued to raise her arms the mouth slowly gained more, by the time they were fully raised a full statue of a man was standing before her. She thrust her hands downward and the statue smashed the manticore to dust.
"You may master the Hunt, but I have known how to protect myself," Beverly mutters as she walks into the building. The overall look is nearly identical to the original building. "I think I am going to need to calm down," she says as she walks into a side room. The room is full of anime posters and even has several statues. Everything looks tattered, but each one is proudly in a place of honor along the wall or on a pedestal. Among the statues is one of a young girl, with a pink flower at her statue's base. "What would I do if I left?" Beverly thinks to herself. The statue begins to turn, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Do not worry," it says. The voice sounding male, but having an aura of power to it. "I am your father's Lieutenant. He wishes to speak to you. Sadly, he is preoccupied with business."
Beverly scoffs. "I have never seen or heard from my father. How do you expect me to believe this?" she asks with a sarcastic tone. Thinking this was another one of the beasts, she wanted with every fiber of her being to smash the statue. Yet, she couldn't do it. The statue was one of her few prized possessions. The room was full of all she had of her original home.
"You say that despite showing an affinity for his own abilities," the statue replies. "Why else would you have so many items with a connection to the Underworld?"
The question caught her off guard. The statue definitely knew more than any beast she had known. "You are correct, the entire room has only characters that are either spirits or connected with spirits. Even your statue is one of a young girl's ghost," Beverly finally confessed. "If you know that, I might just trust you," she says with a slight grin.
"Just as mischievous as the boy," the statue mutters.
"What did you say?" Beverly asks, annoyed.
"Forget I mentioned anything," the statue quickly answers. "I am Thanatos. Your father ordered me to come to you and help you reach his home." The statue began to shake as the man finally showed his own form. A young man, beautiful while cold, and wearing a black suit with an iPad in his hands and large black wings.
"You are the Angel of Death? I don't know about Thanatos, but are you related to Azrael?" Beverly was beginning to feel afraid. If this was indeed the Angel of Death it would mean either her death or her destruction.
"Ah yes, the Abrahamic faith had their own take on me. Sadly, I can not say I am him, but my job is similar. Your father is Pluto, Lord of the Underworld and owner of all riches beneath the earth." he said as he raised an iPad. Something felt off about him keeping it in his hands at all times. "And I am his Lieutenant, the god of death." With the word "death", the room began to dim. Each statue giving off a feeling like they were watching her.
"How are you going to help me reach my so called father?" Beverly asked. She was starting to grow impatient. The room was beginning to vibrate around her with the intensity of her annoyance. "8 years being an outcast, 8 years of just doing her best to survive, 8 years on the run, and now her "father" chooses to contact her? And he doesn't show up himself?" she begins to think. Thanatos didn't seem willing to stop her. Almost like he expected her to do something drastic.
"I don't need your help," she says to the death god, "all I need is to know where he lives and the money to get there on my own." She was ready for the so called god to force his orders, but instead he gives her a credit card. The side says Lotus Express. "On this card there is no limit," Thanatos says, "since you wish to go alone. Although I advise you go west, the pandai are not easily escaped from. They will force our next meeting." With that Thanatos began to sink lower. "If you need help, simply place your hand on the ground. We will know to help you."
As soon as he is fully sunken down, Beverly screams out her frustration. The entire mosque shakes as the city begins to shake violently. Beverly was causing a huge earthquake. Every person who had ever wronged her there felt it, and their expressions were fearful. Their thoughts believing her to be a failed test when their homes were slowly crumbling around them.
As the earthquake subsided, Beverly raised the credit card. "It's time I see how much "no limit" means. I need to look for something I want to wear for once," she said without any feeling. Her breathing ragged, but a slow smile forming on her face.
As she ran out of the city with what little possessions she could get before running out, a ghostly wail came from the ashes left in the city. "Shine on, Beverly. Shine on like the diamond you are," it said.
Beverly turned west, ignoring the wails and looking to her next destination. Thanatos had left her an iPad. Her next stop was Cairo.