“What did you say to him then?”

They were in the infirmary now, Dominic was still unconscious after overusing his mana because he had cast a spell far more powerful than he was capable of handling, along with mental fatigue from hosting an ancient god. The Angel could not heal mana exhaustion and had just let him rest in bed; he would have to sleep and slowly recover his strength.

“I invited him to the club. It’s too risky to promise a myth.”

Master Gin remained silent. He knew that his son had made the right decision. If the promise went beyond Ciel’s capacity or if he said the wrong thing, he could end up angering the thunder god, which could cause dire consequences.

“Where is he now?”

“I put him in the VIP lounge on the second floor. I don’t think he wanted to be seen.”

Ciel watched his father nod and leave, heading for the second floor. He held back, wondering if he should follow or if it wasn’t appropriate. He was curious of course. It wasn’t every day that a god asked for help… considering the recent commotion at the club, the Great Goddess Lord Tlaloc was referring to should be the Teotihuacan Spider Woman. She was a goddess even older than Tlaloc, who ruled darkness and the underworld. Creatures of the dark, including spiders answered to her commands. While she was not a part of the more popular Mayan or Aztec myths, she was a powerful goddess in her own right.

“Ciel, what are you doing? Hurry up.” Master Gin’s call broke Ciel from his reverie and he looked at his father, who had turned back to get him.

“You’re allowing me to join?” he was amazed, since his father tended to exclude him from dangerous requests such as this.

“This involves the safety of Sanctuary, of course you have to join. Call George and Fionn as well. The twins too if you see them.”

“What about Kou?”

Master Gin paused. “He’s had too much stimulation these few days. I’ve sent him back to rest. We can update him when we get home.”

Ciel nodded in understanding. The injuries to Yue may have triggered something. It was better to let him rest under his mother’s watchful eye. Yue meanwhile had been healed and sent to his personal room at the club to rest. Since his injuries were not life threatening and had been healed by the angel in a flash, Master Gin preferred that the beds in the sick bay remain for staff and those that really needed them. But he had stiffly thanked the younger man for keeping Kou safe. It would take a while but at least they were making progress. Ciel hoped that by the time Kou regained his memories, his father could accept and hopefully bless their relationship.

“I’ll go get them then.” Ciel left to call the others. Leaving the infirmary together, they split up as Ciel went to the lounge and his father to the second floor. Along the way, he bumped into the twins, who were leading a shadowy person behind them.

“Ciel, where’s father?”

“He’s gone to the second floor. Is something the matter?” He looked at the person behind them, he was covered in a cloak and Ciel could not see his or her face at all. All Ciel saw as a pendant in the form of a tepee.

“It’s nothing, this respected guest here has a request for papa.” Noire’s words were careful.

“He’s seeing to another visitor in the VIP lounge but I have a feeling the request of both guests are going to be the same. If the honoured guest does not mind speaking in front of my father’s other caller, I’m sure he will be able to listen to you as well. If you prefer to speak in person, we can place you in a different room and he will come to you once he is done speaking with the other visitor.” Ciel spoke deferentially.

The guest seemed to ponder for a moment before he nodded. “I will see him together.”

“Then, Noire, Blanc, please take the honoured guest to the second floor. I need to call some people.”

The twins nodded and they left, leading the mysterious visitor to the second floor while Ciel continued on his way to the lounge. He found both captains in deep discussion on the damages and injuries sustained as well as the next staff rotation. The club had been closed because of the attack but they were likely to reopen in the evening and they needed to prepare. The attack on the club was going to leave a lot of consequences, both direct and indirect, including the work shift of all personnel. Thankfully there were no casualties and Dominic was the only one still in the sick bay, because the angel could not heal him.

“George, Fionn, father wants the both of you to come and listen to what the guests have to say.”

The both of them looked at Ciel and nodded, immediately following him to the second floor. They reached the guest room and Ciel knocked politely on the door, only entering after being called to do so.

“Father, I’ve brought George and Fionn here.” He said as he entered. His father was seated on one of the sofas, flanked by the twins. The other two guests were sitting in individual armchairs.

“Have a seat. Let me introduce you to our guests.” Master Gin indicated to the sofas next to him. Ciel sat in one of them and George shamelessly sat beside him. Fionn gave him an odd look but sat in a sofa on the other side of Master Gin.

“Our guests are Lord Tlaloc, the thunder God from Aztec myth and Lord Iya from the Lakota myth. They are both here today to request for our help.” Master Gin introduced.

Ciel sucked in a breath. While Tlaloc was a god, Iya was actually a demon. He was known to cause storms and bring winter besides eat humans. What could a demon want with them? He had initially thought the guest was some hero or god that wanted them to save the Spider Grandmother of Native American myths. He was surprised at how far off his guess was.

“Save my brother.” Iya’s words were straight to the point.

Now Ciel understood. Not all Native American myths had the Spider Grandmother. To the Lakota, it was Iktomi, a spider trickster similar to Anansi. He was the older brother of Iya, the demon who sat before him. But still, the myths said that they did not have a harmonious relationship. Why was Iya here before them pleading for them to save his brother?

“I understand. If lord Iktomi and the Great Goddess have been held captive by the same enemy who is threatening Sanctuary, then we have a common foe. If we encounter them we will do our best to help them.” Master Gin did not promise to seek the enemy, only to attack if they met them.

“Do not hurt the Goddess… she is old and may fade forever if she is harmed.” Tlaloc spoke.

The Spider Goddess was much older than most of the myths around. Tlaloc’s concern was understandable. Now, many people only knew about her myth through the murals and statues found in ruins; stories about her were all but gone.

“Of course. We will do what we can but we cannot forcefully engage with an enemy we do not know or understand. If we meet, we will subdue and contain. That will hopefully buy is time to break their binds of servitude.” Again Master Gin’s response was mild, not really promising but not turning them down either.

The two visitors looked at them and slowly nodded. While it was not the promise they wanted, it was still better than nothing. To be able to get the assistance of Sanctuary, no matter how little, was still better than fighting alone.

“If you prefer to stay here, we will prepare some rooms for you. If you prefer to return, let me see you to the door.”

“I will go. I don’t think anyone wants a demon here.” Iya stood, preparing to leave.

“And I as well. I think I need to confer with the other gods.” Tlaloc did the same.

“Then let me escort you to the door. Come, Noire, Blanc.”

Ciel, who had risen with the rest watched them leave. He was still pondering why Iya wanted them to save Iktomi. Was blood really thicker than water?

“Sometimes, the myths are not what they seem to be.” A voice intruded in his thoughts. He turned to see George looking at him. He continued with an ironic smile. “I should know.”

Ciel remembered what George said the last time they spoke about it. He felt his heart ache for the man, who hated that his sins and selfish quest for glory had led him to be remembered as a saint. He was right, of course. Not all myths went the way humans told them. Myths endured because they were constantly evolving, to suit the needs of the storyteller. If one person said it, then it was a deviation; but if hundreds said it, wasn’t that the truth? A myth couldn’t come forward to deny it, they had to accept it and treat it as a means of survival. If no one believed in them, they died.

“Aye, look at me, I’m not as old as the stories portrayed me. And I don’t have that many wives either.” The cheerful Fionn interjected. “Does the Master have anything else to say? Else we should go back down and see to all other matters.”

“He probably should. Let’s meet him downstairs instead.” Ciel proposed. They went downstairs and caught his father’s eye, who motioned for them to go to the staff lounge. They found the twins already there.

“How did you meet with Iya?” Master Gin asked the twins.

“We were attacked by the rest of the panic wolves. Then Iya just showed up and swept them up in a tornado and swallowed them.” Blanc answered succinctly.

“Well, yes, he is the devourer of man and animals according to the myths.” Master Gin said as he sat down. “Tlaloc hinted that they who watch from the dark is behind this. Taking into consideration the word that triggered the curse against Anansi and the fox demon, I would say I know who we’re up against.” He looked at all of them “and I believe all of you are smart enough to know. After all, who else can control the Arnitikós?”

They nodded in silence. Shadow. That was the name of the group that lived beyond the barrier. The negative creatures were terrible but they only wanted to leave the barrier and attack people following their instincts. The ones in the dark were the ones who created these Arnitikós and sent them out regularly to try and breach the barrier. In the times before Sanctuary was created, they often succeeded, leading to the dark days, where people feared the night and all the terrors that they could bring. Things were better nowadays, with the advancement of science and technology. But where the light shines, there will always be a shadow. And where the fears of the past were being explained, Man would come up with a new fear. Being afraid was proof that they were alive. Ciel could never understand humans.

“Whatever the case, good job to everyone for defending the barrier today. On top of the regular shifts at the entrances, we’ll need to dispatch regular patrols. I want to make sure that all array points are running at full capacity. We were too complacent about the durability of the barrier.”

They nodded in silence over Master Gin’s words. While he was not reprimanding them, they all felt that the attack was a big blow to them; not only in terms of their safety but also their pride. With everything happening the way they did, Ciel wondered when things would get back to any semblance of the normalcy he was accustomed to.