Note: this is a past chapter ( not filler, it's canon), it doesn't focus on the current timeline of the story, reading this chapter won't be mandatory for the understanding of the story, but I would recommend this chapter for a more preferable experience, the choice is yours.
"Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity" - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
8 Years Ago At The NotWest Hospital...
They act as gateways to new possibilities, offering glimpses of what lies beyond our current circumstances.
Poets often extol the mere existence of an ordinary window, yet in this particular context, the windows assume a symbolic role, embodying the haunting essence of one's nightmares.
Those nightmares have taken its true form.
Beyond that singular window was a red balloon with a jarring smile.
Sanders chose the area of the weakened.
Elias then knew what's about to happen.
A detonation has been initiated.
At the precise moment just before the detonation, Elias stood directly in front of the balloon with arms outstretched, as if embracing its presence, yet it was not an indication of surrendering to this act of terror; instead, it served as a form of protection...
At The Devil Hunter's Headquarters...
The place has been torn to shreds.
With no sign of protection, those who claimed to be innocent have fallen victim to acts of horrid terror.
Bodies scattered all over the building's interior, as if they were ragdolls.
This all happened due to the misconception of the devils' true intentions.
Much like a cunning individual, devils might be described as 'slithering' when they exhibit malevolent, treacherous, and insidious behavior.
Devils are serpents.
"So the Lord God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life."- Genesis 3:14
"Alright, that should do it", Belya'al says, "those bastards ain't going to get near us anytime soon, but I doubt that that'd be fatal whatsoever".
Belya'al...a man of African American heritage, coming from the country of Somalia.
His mother always thought of him as worthless, or possibly seen as an expensive asset that she could never ever sustain financially.
His true name isn't Belya'al, that's just an alias given to him by the 'boss'.
His true name is Cawii Elmi Dihoud, Cawii meaning 'replacement'.
He was given this name to be able to take the place of his dead father, which died in a car accident right before the mother gave birth.
Cawii never cared for his mother or the rest of his family, none but his sister.
His sister's name is Hoodo meaning luck or fortune.
They're twins, so the parents named each one of them certain names that could help them sustain certain aspects of life.
Hoodo giving luck and fortune, while Cawii would replace his father that passed away.
Cawii would do anything for his sister, since his mother didn't have the efforts to care for any of them.
He dealt drugs, scammed, killed, vandalized, trespassed, and even dabbled in human trafficking. None of it fazed him, as long as he could provide for his sister.
He was desensitized from the ideology of harm to others, even to himself.
He even formed his own version of an organization named 'Qalbi La'Aan'.
Cawii's own orders led the servants of Qalbi La'Aan to assassinate his mother, with him personally delivering the final fatal bullet to her skull.
He places others above himself, finding no worth within his own eyes, only a void of self-value.
His life took a sharp turn the moment he encountered a man wearing a black mask.
3 More Years Ago Within Qalbi La'Aan's base within Somalia, Mogadishu...
Two of Cawii's guards approach Cawii himself with an urgent expression on both of their faces.
"Sayid, waxaan kula heshiiyey nin ka daawaday dhexdhexaadka dibadda ee guriga (Sir, we've encountered this man waiting for you outside our building's gates)", one of Cawii's guards says, "wuxuu rabaa inuu kula hadlo, laakiin waxaan diyaar u nahay inaan xanuunka kula weyno tuugsiga labada dhinacba (He'd like to speak with you, but we're prepared to shoot a bullet through his head at any time)".
"Haddii dheeraad ah uma baahnid (That won't be necessary)", Cawii says, "Dhammaad, igu sii, waxaan isku dayi doonaa (Leave him to me, I'll deal with him on my own)".
The black masked man casually walks into the room, with hand cuffs detaining him.
"I don't see many like you, with that tuxedo of yours", Cawii says, "you must've come here from the western world. Sorry to break it to you, but you won't gain any financial support from the likes of us. You've just received an early death sentence".
"Alright, we've cleared up the language hurdle. You follow me so far? Good, good. Let's get something straight that you seem to not fully understand yet", the black masked man says, "this mask of mine is empty, yet it will resemble a certain definition to you. This emptiness...you'll fear it, yet you still bask in your own worthlessness!".
Cawii is doubtful of this man's presence.
Is he a spy from the US' government?
Is he an all powerful devil hunter who's come to hunt him down?
But that wouldn't be possible since Cawii isn't a devil, he's a hybrid, meaning that Hell's Equivalent Exchange Law doesn't apply to him.
Devil hunter don't really look at criminal-hybrids as 'threats', they're more like pests to them.
Could he possibly be...high?
"Ciidammada! (Guards!)", Cawii shouts as he panics.
The two guards return to the room.
As soon as they set foot in the room, they undergo an internal blast, resulting in the complete dissolution of their bodies and scattering of their remains throughout the room.
At that moment, the black masked man had also broken free of his hand cuffs.
He then grabs a handkerchief from his back pocket to wipe his mask.
"Got to keep my motto of being 'empty'. This mask can not and will not experience such filth", the black masked man says, "now, we wouldn't want this to happen to your dear sister, now would we?".
"How do you know about my sister?!", Cawii asks, "answer me, you bastard!".
"A high-profile student must attend to their studies before executing an assignment, a major one at that", the black masked man.
More of Cawii's guards arrive onto the scene, but Cawii stops them all from entering by simply shaking his head side to side.
"I wasn't transported to Hell when I killed your guards, meaning that they were hybrids, and no devil would hire hybrids to protect them", the black masked man says, "you're a hybrid".
It's a heavy thing, losing hope...
Like a flame flickering out in the cold, leaving you in darkness.
You stand there, surrounded by the echoes of what could have been, feeling the weight of dreams turned to dust, but Cawii's dreams were nothing out of the extraordinary.
He just wants to be valued.
It's a bitter pill to swallow, this taste of defeat.
"You're known for your mindset and way of thinking that solely revolves around worthlessness, but the moment I posed as a threat to you, you immediately called in your guards. You value your life... Cawii," the black-masked man says, "we really need people like you, those with unbreakable spirits. So, I'm asking you from the depths of my heart, please join me. Together, we can make a difference and leave a mark that will be felt for generations to come".
Cawii smiles.
"This deal of yours...I like it, but I'd like one thing to be guaranteed, only one damn thing", Cawii says.
"And what could that be?", the black-masked man asks.
"I don't want any of your people to even lay a single finger onto my sister. It's not much. I'm not going to ask for money, that'll only feed the pride that's already within me", Cawii says as he starts to tear up, "just...leave Hoodo alone, I'll let her inherit all my money. She'll live on her own and no threat will approach her from your behalf".
"Of coarse, that's a small price to pay to have someone like you with us", the black-masked man says, "welcome to Wahr Die Genesis, Cawii".
Back At The Devil Hunter's Headquarters ( current timeline of the past arc )…
"You devils with your cheap tricks, nothing but cowards", Zane says.
"Those little tricks are what give you the edge, aren't they?", Belya'al says.
Suddenly, the door of the confinement room hurtles towards Belya'al, but with a swift, powerful punch, he shatters it into countless minute pieces of debris.
Who could've done this?!
Note: sorry for the long break. Chapters will now be coming out, but not according to any certain schedule. Again, I apologize and I thank anyone who's still reading and caught up!