Leviathan cursed; eyes wild on the arena. Those hooded bastards were there, somewhere, they just couldn’t see them. “Anything?!” He barked at Mammon, but the silver wolf was also at a loss. He confirmed he could smell them, but from almost every direction. The thousand demons gathered at the arena confused his senses.

Down below, the fight between the recruits and souls had come to a slow stop. An unwelcomed quiet measured the arena and Leviathan couldn’t blink. Until scattered gurgles sounded. From the recruits in the sand; from someone in the crowd; from a wolf guard who just buckled on his knees, holding the gushing slit on his throat. When bodies started flying, peeled from the audience, it seemed as though they had taken flight on their own, until they started slamming on the arena’s sand. Then, panic ensued.

An Ursa recruit had fallen and thrashed on the ground; its jaw ripped apart; another—a wolf had its stomach cut open from top to bottom. It howled, holding its entrails before falling on its knees. Somewhere else in the audience came the strangled groans Leviathan could still hear underneath the screams. Nothing sounded like a demon dying. Throats cut, heads severed, eyes and bellies sliced. The attackers were still unseen.

“The hell is going on?!” Leviathan made to jump into the pit, but Lucious held him with a firm hand grip.

“Levi, you shouldn’t be here!” Lucious’ Red eyes glared around the arena.

“What are you talking about?! We need to get down there!”

“You’re the king. You need to rally our soldiers from the palace, and make sure they collect the monocle straps from the elders,” Lucious was already signalling to the two remaining wolf guards to approach their king, “it’s the only way we’ll be able to see them.”

“Wait, you know what they a—”

An increasing buzzing sound forced them all to squat, and Lucious quickly shielded the balcony with his Green and Blue colours. Covering his own ears, he shouted, “EVERYONE, COVER YOUR EARS!!”

Everyone in the cabin did, and the buzz intensified into a deafening screech, shaking the very ground beneath them. Leviathan ventured a look up and saw the sound waves bombard glass dome, cracking it and ultimately shattering it. Its thick shards, further shored by Hell’s winds, mercilessly splintered more demons beneath. Leviathan had attempted to replicate Lucious’ shield around the few demons on the first floor, but his Blue lacked and reached a measly few.

When the piercing sound died down, those who could stand or crawl did, among the many that lay cut apart or had their bodies contorted in unnatural ways, bleeding from every orifice on their heads, as though something had exploded from inside their brains.

Leviathan, Lucious, and Mammon approached the edge of the balcony once more, taking in the scene of carnage.

Below, Leviathan spotted Miina entering the arena, and his breath faltered. She was bringing in more soldiers who quickly surrounded the venue and started evacuating survivors. Had she been in the arena, she wouldn’t have survived that ear-splitting blast. Faolán joined her, and the two started coordinating their defence. The king scrambled to go to her, to move, to do something, but Lucious held him fast.

“I thought you told her to leave,” Leviathan snapped.

“I asked her to evacuate our people, which is what she’s doing. I would suggest we collect our focus at the task at hand, my king.”

Leviathan noticed the silver wolf had already changed to his wolf form with eyes focused elsewhere. Whatever they faced was not gone. Leviathan fixed his eyes on Miina who, despite the surrounding bloodbath, gripped her long knives and shouted orders, guiding survivors out of the arena. She shouldn’t be there. She shouldn’t be anywhere near there!

Exchanging a quick nod with Lucious, Mammon teleported to the pit. Leviathan made to follow, but Lucious gripped his shoulder. Whacking his hand away, the king glared at him. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m taking a back seat on this!”

“I need you to think! They’re using their invisibility cloaks! We need the elders’ monocle straps if we’re to stand a chance!”

“You go then!” Leviathan made to move past him, but again, Lucious gripped his shoulders, more aggressively this time.

Leviathan flared his Red eyes and Kiruna rasped closer to Lucious’ neck. “I said, let go.”

“How can you fight an enemy you can’t see?! You want a repeat of what happened to your wolves?!”

 Leviathan snapped. “You know you did this, right?”

“What?” Lucious’ hold faltered slightly.

“Those are angels out there; is that what you’re holding out? How do you think they got in so easily?”

Lucious frowned.

“Aarin, you idiot! You and Beel brought her here! What did you think was gonna happen?”

“Aarin has nothing to do with this. Those things don’t even look like angels—”

“They sure as fuck fight like them!”

“SHIELDS!”

Mammon’s shout from the pit ended the argument, leading the brother’s attention to the arena.

Miina, Faolán, and the rest of the wolf guards surrounded the souls and recruits, keeping their backs to them. Lifting their shields, they protected demons and souls alike. Something was cutting through what exposed flesh it found and was squeezing the group into a wall. The number of fallen started increasing, with the group stumbling over their dead as they were incessantly being pushed back. Whatever was attacking them was dangerously approaching Miina. Leviathan felt Lucious’ hold on him tighten. He hadn’t realised he’d been scrambling to get himself free; to go to her.

From the back, it was Anise who broke herself free from the dying circle. The woman shoved Miina out of her way and jumped. Denting the wall she rebounded from, she leapt to the unseen and hung in the air, shuffling and twisting like a feral animal, her legs and arms clenching the invisible enemy. She punched, clawed, and chomped what looked like to be thin air, until chunks of bloodied flesh fell on the sand and her mouth dripped with blood. The being under her siege became visible, and though it viciously attempted to rid itself of the soul, its expression was as stolid as a piece of blank paper.

And Leviathan saw his enemy. If it was an angel, Lucious was right—it looked nothing like Beelzebub’s wife. Its skin was cracked, charred-black, with flakes peeling away into the air, and its build was tall, slender—decaying even, with perhaps just muscle keeping it whole and mobile. On its face, nothing but its pitiless black eyes and sharp, wide teeth remained. If it had been made in Hell, it wasn’t a rogue demon; or any demon Leviathan had ever seen.

Anise and it fell on the ground; she on her back, and the thing on top of her, still clutched by her unrelenting grip. The impact was loud enough to make anyone wince, but Anise did not let go.

A loud, closer thud had Lucious wrench Leviathan back. Something landed in front of them, fracturing the rim of the stoned balcony with its weight. By her own accord, Kiruna lunged at the unseen creature and caught it in its shin. The sudden attack stunned Leviathan and Lucious, so long it had been since Kiruna lashed at any kind of living creature, but her intention soon revealed itself as the enemy’s invisible cloak came undone.

Glazing with his Red, Leviathan couldn’t help his murderous surge and swung his axe, severing the creature’s head with one swing. Before the head finished rolling over to the corner of the cabin, the brothers glanced at each other and teleported to the pit.

The intruder under Anise’s grasp was a bleeding mess, losing his senses fast, though nothing in its charred and cracked face accused suffering.

“I want it alive!” Leviathan commanded, and Faolán moved to secure Anise. The wolf did not need to touch her, for something had shifted in the soul. A fixed stare at her victim saw her whimper and crawl away from it, burrowing her back against the wall. It gave pause to those around her.

Leviathan didn’t have time to entertain more shocks. On one knee, he yanked the creature’s neck. “What the hell are you?! Who sent you?!”

This one appeared dazed, bleeding profusely from scattered holes around his neck and face. Leviathan glanced at Anise. Her black hair covered most of her face, but it could not hide her terror, or the blood drenching her mouth, neck and tunic. The truth stared at him square in the face. In all of their faces. A human soul defeated a creature that, in mere seconds, had killed so many demons.

The intruder’s body slouching under Leviathan’s grip pulled his attention back. The thing was ready to welcome its next plane of existence; it didn’t show relief or fear. It showed nothing at all. “Oi,” Leviathan slapped him. “Where do you think you’re going? Someone get the elders here, now!”

The thing sputtered. Even some of its teeth were gone. Leviathan tightened his grip; not enough to kill, just enough to keep him alert. He readied his Grey. He'd will this bastard alive if he had to.

“This isn’t over.” Lucious’ eyes searched the red skies. “Mammon and his group got the other one, but there were four of them.”

An eerie pause settled with only the winds of Hell wheezing through the destroyed roof of the arena. It was as if everyone waited, the danger encircling them would suddenly reveal itself. Leviathan replaced the Grey with his Red, eyes searching, in particular for anything hovering over or closer to Miina. His captain seemed ready for anything, with tight knuckles around her daggers and what little good they’d do in this scenario. Her wild eyes refusing the fear she felt revealed as much.

“It has retreated,” Mammon approached, already reverting to his usual form. “I can’t smell it inside the arena.”

With fewer demons around, the silver wolf’s senses sharpened, at last. A little too fucking late. Leviathan clamped his fist, feeling the creature in his hand flop dead. “Fuck! Retreated to where?! They could be anywhere in Court. And what happened to our shields?! How did they get in here?”

“The North and South shields are untouched. We’re still checking. Faolán and I will look into it. I suggest we let the elders look at that body. They should tell us what we’re dealing with.” His eyes trained on the dead creature in Leviathan’s hand.

Leviathan let the dangling creature in his grip drop on the ground. "This one might be no good. There's a fresher one in our box. The head should be there, somewhere."

Mammon raised an eyebrow at Lucious who just shook his head.

Then a pudgy looking imp, whose feet couldn’t carry her fast enough, came running through the gates. “Master Lucious!!”

Leviathan recognised her as Mara’s maid-companion. Lucious rushed to meet her.

“Lady Mara’s room! Someone got in there with me… I-I couldn’t see it! It threw me over; it was searching for something.”

Lucious gripped the older Imp’s shoulders, and she winced. “The Focus eye, do you have it?”

“Y-yes. It’s-it’s in your office.”

Mammon tapped Lucious’ shoulder twice, and he relaxed his hold on Maevis. “… Thank you, Maevis. I’m sorry…”

Maevis shook her head, her large brown eyes filled with fearful concern. Before disappearing, Lucious spared a glance at Leviathan. The king waved him off with a weary nod. No one would live it down if he didn’t go find his fiancée.

Soldiers gathered to collect their fallen and their respective body parts. Every so often, they looked to the skies, as though expecting something more to befall them. When they spared glances at their kind, Leviathan couldn't unsee the growing distrust. His protection proved worthless. The confidence in his rule he had aimed to boost, flopped right from underneath his feet. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go, with less than half of his people leaving the devil’s pit.

A sudden need to see her took over. She wasn’t where she was just moments ago. “Oi,” he said, giving pause to those around. “… Where’s my captain?”

No one seemed immediately able to reply. 

***

Miina crouched beside a trembling Anise.

“Miina…” Faolán cautioned.

Miina did not look up. “I’m just checking on her.”

Faolán moved closer and Anise pushed her lower back harder against the arena’s wall, the rest of her curled up, wary of the very air around her. It was also then that Miina spotted the dark lumps spread out on the woman's skin. Some of them had already burst, giving way to what looked like wisps of fur. A frantic eye poked between elbows and bangs. Miina had helped countless young women who were running from something when she had been alive. She knew this kind of fear.

The captain extended her arm tentatively. It was clear from their first encounter, Anise did not like to be touched. “It’s okay. You’re alright now.” 

“Miina,” Faolán urged, signalling fellow soldiers to stand ready.

“I know.”

“Be careful.”

“I know; stand down.”

Another breath and Miina resumed her cautious approach. They had all witnessed it; Anise could move just as quickly as the creature she had killed. In the soul’s stare, nothing but fear invited Miina’s approach. And fear was a confirmed friend of mistrust. But Miina owed this much to the poor soul. Were it not for Anise, Miina and many others would not be standing here. Her hand hovered and finally rested on Anise’s lump-ravaged one. The woman's green eye shimmered as she clutched Miina's hand tightly. The captain drew closer, intent on an embrace, on a way to ease the woman’s trembles. “It’s alright. I’ll look after—”

Crack.

Miina stumbled back after the shattering pain in her forearm. Before she fell, someone grabbed hold and yanked her from behind, while shouts from all around became muffled, and the corners of her eyes started dimming; a darkness closing in. She caught Leviathan’s scent and looked up to see his blurry form. Even if it was fuzzy, and fading, and he she couldn’t hear his words, he looked so handsome from this angle.