Hekate had returned to the site of the Research facility in the city of Lakefront. Right now, most of the citizens were gone, transported by the Banishing ritual from the Monoliths that had appeared across the world. Golden Dawn was busy dealing with the situations, so she was free to act.
Nothing was left of the facility. There were protocols in case any of their research base was ever discovered, so she was not surprised to see that it was gone. Hekate sighed as she opened a portal, entering it, leaving the area, her men following right behind her. She left Lakefront and ended up in Nova York, where Agent Orion was currently dealing with a threat.
When she stepped out of the portal, Orion turned to her direction, sensing her presence. Hekate's eyes were on Rex Pendragon, who was across from them on the other side of another building.
It seems the progressive factions are making their move. Hekate thought. She bent over to whisper some words to Agent Orion, who merely nodded at the new orders. Hekate turned one last time to look at Rex, who was observing them.
"Let's pick this up some time later." Agent Orion called out to the enemy. Hekate didn't waste time before opening another portal, and they were gone.
They appeared in one of the various bases that they had constructed within the Hidden world of terra through some connections of theirs.
It was an entire facility located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a large jungle with uneven terrain, surrounded by top of the art securoty, such as Sentinel warriors clad in battle armor, Warbots posted at various section, large humanoid automation that was equiped with mana blasters that could blow up a mountaintop with just one blast. A high-level barrier that shimmered around the fortress-like structure, its surface rippling with arcane energy, forming a nearly impenetrable defense.
When they arrived, Agent Orion moved on to her next assignment, while Hekate went to the command center. There were so many things to do, first she had to ensure that Project Starseed was coming along fine, then attend to the threats that were emerging on this planets like Leon Haravok and Rex Pendragon. There was also the Asha'yee, which was rumored to be alive
"Ruminating," a voice said. Hekate blinked when she saw someone in the command center, standing still as they observed the workers tending to their job. Hekate quickly bowed to her Master, Mallus, his countenance triggering her instinct to obey him.
Lord Mallus wasn't just anyone—he was a killer, a trained assassin, a master of death in all its forms. He would not hesitate to kill her if he had doubted he loyalty for even a second, or if she failed to accomplish her mission. Hekate could not afford to be careless around him.
"I was not expecting to see you, Lord Mallus," Rex said, masking his unease.
"Nor was I planning on coming here," Lord Mallus replied, his gaze shifting toward the facility workspace from the window. "This is my first time on this planet, you know, Lady Hekate."
"Is that so, My Lord," Hekate asked.
Mallus nodded, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Yes. I've heard tales of the monkeys that inhabit this world—stories of their savagery, their primitive ways, their ugliness. But seeing them for myself..." He exhaled, almost disappointed. "Reality is cruel. The history of this planet is but a speck in the vast ocean of the Divine Federation. And yet—"
"The potential of this planet is undeniable," Hekate cut in. "The concentration of Od alone makes it worth its ugliness."
Mallus smirked. "Exactly. A resource wasted on creatures incapable of wielding it."
Hekate rose from her bow. "I take it that Lamentias—"
"Has run its course," Mallus interrupted.
Straight to business.
"Do you have it?"
Hekate reached inside her cloak and pulled out a small black bag, handing it over. Mallus took it without hesitation, extracting its contents—two vials filled with a shimmering liquid. The serum. The very result of their efforts here on Terra.
Mallus studied the vials with quiet fascination.
"It seems the Fallen Stars are moving faster than we anticipated," he mused. "The fact that they would sabotage our attempt to reach the final phase first... it reeks of desperation."
"I thought it was just an Abomination attack," Hekate said.
"That's what they would like us to believe," Mallus murmured.
Hekate eyed the vials. "This is the only result left from the facility in Nova york. Unfortunately, nothing could be salvaged from the one in Lakefront. Do you think the facility back home can reverse engineer it?"
The serum was the Divnie Federation's last hope. Ever since the Uprising, since the mass defection of Paladins from Starlight, the number of Ascendants within the Federation had plummeted. Some whispered that it was an omen—that the gods had withdrawn their favor in response to the Oath-breakers. If they could make more of the serum, Sector Zero might have a chance to rebuild its Ascendant ranks, increasing their strength.
"Yes," Mallus said, slipping the vials back into the bag. "But it won't be easy. This planet requires a cleansing. If Octagram succeeds, the consequences will be catastrophic for the Federation."
Hekate's jaw tightened. "What do you want me to do about it?"
She already knew what "cleansing" meant. She had seen it before. It was the same fate that had befallen Lamentias.
"I'll leave that to Nabu," Mallus said. "As for you, I have another task."
He handed Hekate a small drive. Without a word, she plugged it into her Zodiak. A holographic image flickered to life—a girl. Young, beautiful. Green hair, light brown skin.
Hekate raised an eyebrow at the woman. She seemed familiar for some reason.
"That is not the leader of the Fallen Stars if that's what you're thinking," Mallus corrected. "That is her daughter. Serafina."
Hekate frowned. "Her daughter?"
"She is a threat—not just to the Federation, but to Starlight itself. Her very existence defies the doctrine of the Divine Emperor."
The Divine Emperor. The foundation of the Federation. The linchpin of Starlight. What could make this girl so dangerous? Unless, of course, she was...
Mallus snapped his fingers. A wall of shadow tore open behind him, swirling like ink spilling into water. From its depths, two figures emerged, clad in black cloaks, their faces hidden behind fish-shaped masks.
Hekate's stomach sank.
Sinutu and Anuntium.Conjoined twins, bound together by a genetic mutation passed down through their bloodline. Infiltration specialists. Assassins. If Mallus had sent them, then this mission was serious.
"The siblings will handle the execution of the threat. You must make sure that they get to the girl, do you understand me, Hekate?" Lord Mallus whispered coldly.
"Yes, My Lord," Hekate said. "It shall be done," She exhaled sharply, glancing at the holographic image one last time as Mallus's presence faded into the darkness.
****
Flying through the air, away from the sewer drains, a crow perched on the arms of an orange-haired, large man, dressed in a sleeveless white garment and black baggy pants. His shaggy hair was blown away by the wind, his yellow slit eyes fell on the crow by his arms. The bird turned its head, revealing its eyes, and with his index and thumb claws, the man pulled the eyes out of the bird. He threw the eyeball into his mouth, and he chewed on it.
Just like that, images of a fight flashed through his mind. He saw the entire fight between the Erlking and the two Paladins. After the image was done, the man spat out in disgust. Though the Erlking was a member of his race, he didn't feel an ounce of emotion about disposing of it. Not one trace of sympathy on the man's face.
Behind him was a ripping noise, similar to the sound of paper being torn, and another man in a white long coat walked out of the void. His hair was russet colored, with his pale fair skin. His eyes were covered by a pair of glasses, the lenses were tinted with darkness. Another rip in space appeared, and a masked man in a black cloak walked out. The other two men could feel the atmosphere brimming with murderous rage from the masked man, but they said nothing. All three men stopped in the middle of the roof of the building as they checked each other out.
"I heard they hit your lab," the doctor said.
"We were close to achieving the final phase," Mallus said. "And yet Octagram was able to intervene," The Beast king snorted, a sneer on his face as he faced Mallus.
"The only reason they would be able to figure out how close you were was if there was a rat in your nest," He growled.
"I am already aware of what goes on in my backyard," Mallus said.
"And yet you do nothing about it," The Beast King said with obvious contempt against the leader of Sector Zero. He didn't care that Mallus was responsible for his presence here on this planet. Just like how Mallus was using him, he was using the Pleiadian.
"Do you have it?" the Doctor said. He didn't care for the Beast King's hatred for Mallus. All he cared for was his work. Mallus bought out two vials of serum and handed them over to the Doctor.
"Hmm, it's almost complete." The doctor said. "For lacking many appropriate pieces of equipment in this backwater planet, you did quite well copying the Octagram blueprint."
"According to my intel, some results have been promising," Mallus said. "It seems Octagram is beginning the final phase already now that the Celestial realignment has begun,"
"So the Matron means to arm humanity," the Beast king said. There was a wild look of disgust on his face. "And what of the Asha'yee?"
"Golden Dawn has gotten to her, it seems," Mallus said.
"Leave it to the Immortal Blade goddess," The Beast king said. "Always making the first move,"
"I have sent a team to deal with her," Mallus said. "You don't mind, do you, Sirius?"
Sirius, the former Beast King of the planet, Sirius, walked away, approaching the edge of the roof. There was a guttural grin on his face as he answered.
"If she can't survive against a couple of mortals, then she wasn't worth anything in the first place," He said. And with the muscle of his legs, he leaped off the building, destroying the floor on which he had stood.
"Siranians. Always so brutish," the doctor said.
"As long as he does his part well, I truly don't care much for him understanding my motives," Mallus said.
"What about that Erlking?" The doctor asked. "I believe he was a subordinate of one of yours, correct?" Mallus thought of the Erlking, who was responsible for providing them with test subjects for Project Starseed. He never really trusted the Beastman, so he had placed a curse on him that would turn him into an Abomination. When he had learned that a leak would happen, he had activated the curse on him. And not just him, but many others outside of Sector Zero who knew about the base. He did it to be thorough and make sure nothing happened outside his expectations. And yet, the base still got attacked, and Mallus had no idea who was responsible.
"The Cleansing is about to commence. It matters not what rats lie in my way. Soon, the piercing light of the Divine will rain upon this world." Mallus said. He was well aware of the possibilities of traitors, but Mallus didn't care to do anything about them. To him, no matter how far the rats scurried, their actions were pointless. "Are you sure you can reverse engineer it?"
"Oh, trust me, I'll more than reverse engineer it," The doctor said. "I think it's about time I returned. I don't want them to miss me." The doctor summoned the black portal and was gone. Mallus turned to face the city, the buildings, and people that soon enough would be nothing but ashes.
First, he must wash the universe of the filth that was Lamentias, and soon it will be this planet's turn.