“What happened? How did they bring us down!? Someone get to the engines and get us back airborne!” Morgan screams as she stomps around the throne room.

Sebastian, Oscar, and Lois stand in the throne room as Oscar looks over the ship’s controls. Lois sighs as Sebastian works to calm down Morgan. Oscar shakes his head, moving away from the controls as everyone turns to him.

            “I’m sorry to say that we’re stuck. One of those attacks hit the engines, and they’re going to take a moment to repair.”

            “At least the defensive shield is working to stave off any other attacks.”

            “But what do we do now!? We have to reach the mainland so we can revive the Great One, don’t we?” Morgan asks.

Sebastian sighs. “It’s not ideal, but we can begin here.”

            “We can?”

            “Yes. Conquer these islands and then spread our power over the mainland afterwards.”

Lois nods. “A fine idea. But is the Great One ready to awaken?”

            “The Great One can be awakened at any time. His injuries have been healed, and he’s been fed a steady diet. He can awaken and spread his might at any moment.”

Morgan nods. “Then prepare the last sacrifice. Once that’s ready, we can break through these guys with the power of the Great One.” Morgan smirks as she turns towards Sebastian. “This could be a good thing. We can overcome the other Candidates, defeat them, and prove I’m the one true ruler of the kingdom!”

            “An excellent idea. We’d need to take care of them eventually, so this just makes it easier.”

Lois laughs. “Those idiots call something like this a Crusade. But in the end, they’ll be marching into their own graves. A perfect way for us to begin.”

            “Exactly.” Morgan laughs. “I’ll prove to those fools who their better is above all else!”

            “Now, where are Talia and Luka? Those two have been gone for a while now.”

            “I’m sorry to inform you of this, Madam, but they were sent out on a different assignment. They unfortunately felled in their attempts to silence any outsiders who caught onto us.” Sebastian bows. “I apologize for not informing you. But I did not want to upset you at such a critical hour.”

            “Oh?” She pauses and turns away. “I can understand. But I’m mad at you for not telling me. Those two were our precious allies. They deserve to at least be mourned properly.”

            “I understand, Mistress. We will properly mourn them later, but for now, I suggest you rest to prepare for the sacrifice.”

She nods. “Yes. I’ll take a nap. We are safe here, right?”

            “Perfectly safe, Milady,” Oscar says.

            “Good. Now, the automatic repair will have us back in the air in a matter of hours. So, for now, we’ll ready to awaken the Great One, and when the moment is right, we’ll awaken the Great One and bring an end to this game.”

The three stand together and bow toward Morgan as she walks out of the room. “Yes, Mistress!”

As Morgan leaves the room, Sebastian guides the others out of the throne room into the halls of the airship.

            “So, what’s the actual plan here, Sebastian? Are you planning to awaken our Lord here?”

            “Yes. Not only is it a good way to escape this situation. When our Lord awakens, the others who are hibernating within him will swarm across the area. With all the candidates and their pawns here, it makes an ideal feeding area.”

            “If you say so. But to awaken him, we’ll need to sacrifice Lady Morgan. Is she ready?”

            “Oh yes. The piece of our Lord I implanted inside her has blossomed properly. After she’s devoured, the Great One will awaken immediately.”

            “Fine, then I will prepare my part. I’ll get the ceremony ready.” Lois says.

            “I’ll finish the last steps for Lady Morgan’s attunement,” Sebastian says.

Oscar shakes his head. “Fine then. I’ll prepare for the last sacrifice. The mana inside her has to be like a raging storm at this point. She’ll make a fine offer to the Great One.”

            “Good. Now, everyone, let us do our tasks and bring glory to the Great One. Soon, we will see the revival of Demon kind. We’ll shove those mortals into their proper place.” Sebastian says with a twisted grin across his face.

            “And once this farce is over, we can feast on the Miasma as much as we want,” Lois says.

            “A goal worth fighting for indeed,” Oscar says with a smirk on his face.

After further discussions, the three split apart, with Oscar moving throughout the lower bowls of the ship. He makes his way towards the prison cells, walking to the back where a figure sits on the floor, their arms chained up above their heads. A slender, womanly figure sits with a pair of fox ears on her head and three tails emerging from her back. Mila sits inside of her prison cell, covered in muck and grime. her clothes ripped and tattered as her hair falls over her face. He smirks, looking at her and sensing the immense energy her body radiates as she sits motionless.

            “It’s your lucky day. Soon, you’ll become a lovely sacrifice. You’ll feed the Great One and allow for its awakening.”

            “How about no?” A voice cries from behind Oscar.

He turns only to see something thrust out at him, piercing through his side as the assailant comes from the shadows. Glyn stands holding his book as Miasma pours out of it with a makeshift knife in his hand wrapped in paper.

            “You!? But how?” Oscar collapses his body, refusing to move.

            “It’s easy. With Miasma all over this place, it was easy for me to blend into the surroundings. After that, I just needed one of you to come down here and wait for the right moment.” Glyn takes the keys from Oscar and opens the cell. “Oh, and if you’re wondering about your body. While what’s inside may be a Demon. The outside is still human, and last time I checked, Humans don’t respond well to Miasma. Kind of design flaw for you, Leeches.”

            “Bastard.”

            “I get that a lot.” Glyn walks up to Mila and goes for the chains. “Just one second, then I’ll have you out of this and we can escape.”

Oscar opens his mouth as something slithers out from within. A black, slimy thing emerges, reaching out its hand towards Glyn. “I guess Sebastian can’t be mad at me if I take a bite in this situation.”

It opens its mouth wide over Glyn, ready to bite down on his head as he undoes the chains binding Mila. In that split second, Mila’s hair turns white as six more tails burst from her back. Flames envelop her body, and she throws a punch out, smashing into the Leech and forcing it back into its human host.

            “What!?” Oscar yells out.

Glyn turns around to see Mila with all nine tails out. “Mila?”

Mila let out a cry as the flames around her burn hotter and brighter, melting the surrounding metal. “I’m going to kill you here and now!” She yells out at the top of her lungs.