PART III

Danger on the Train and a Dark Plot

"Master, we have returned. Will they do?"

The dark figure smiled as he looked at the sacrifices before him.

"They will do nicely. You've done well my Servants. I am pleased. Now come, bring them to the altar so we can begin."

His Servants placed the sacrifices around the Pentagram in a circle then He started to chant. As the chanting echoed eerily in the chamber, the Pentagram glowed with an inhuman light. A Dark Mist slowly seeped from within enveloping his sacrifices with absolute darkness, their eyes turning from blank incomprehension to a demonic red.

He smiled as the ritual completed.

"Alea jacta est, sit iudicium inchoare, the die is cast, let the judgment commence."

London-Paddington Station was about 28 minutes from London so Kagura hailed a cab to take her there. When she arrived, she went inside the Station and bought a ticket to St. Ives, Cornwall. After a quick visit to her uncle who was living and working in St. Ives, she would then take a boat to her family's summer retreat. It was situated on a rocky cliff that overlooked the ocean. Downtown was a little far though but the ocean villa was fully stocked so she needn't go downtown unless it was necessary. The area was peaceful and quiet and had a great view of the ocean. Not too far from her family's villa lie the wild moors of Cornwall where Arthurian legends were brought to life. The Moors was definitely in her itinerary. Walking amongst the Moors was like walking in history.

With her ticket in one hand and her bags across her shoulders, she stood on the platform to wait for the Paddington-St. Ives Train. Kagura looked at her ticket. She had decided to get a private compartment to give her more privacy and comfort. It was a little expensive but well worth it. A few minutes later, the intercom blasted out that the train had arrived. As the train came to a stop, Kagura climbed in and searched for her compartment and found it. It was perfect for a single passenger. The room was spacious with a large window that gave a great view. In front of her there was a rectangular table. The door to her compartment was one of those sliding ones that have locks that click in place when shut. There was a round oval window as well where she could watch other passengers and staff walking by. Settling in, he placed her bags next to her and pulled out a book to read as she waited for the train to leave.

A few minutes later, the train started to move. Kagura put her book back into her overnight bag and looked outside. She was leaving London and going to Cornwall. She was eager to see Cornwall but couldn't push away the thought that something ominous was going to happen, something that would affect her in a way that she would never imagine. Shaking away these ominous thoughts, her mind wandered back to what she read in the grimoire. If what Kagura read had happened to the missing people and that there was some sort of Dark Magic at work, then something disastrous was going to happen. Something beyond what the Devildom and the Human World could ever imagine. Even what the Celestial Realm could imagine. If that's the case, then Kagura knew what she had to do. She took out her D.D.D

Kagura: Lord Diavolo, Lucifer. I found some disturbing information while in the human world. I don't know the specifics but it's disturbing enough for me to let you two know.

Lucifer: Tell us immediately.

Lord Diavolo: Yes, this is concerning news.

Kagura: Remember the dreams I told you about while I was in the Devildom? Well, one of them came true. I mentioned that I had dreamed about a coffee house and a blackout. It occurred two days ago after I returned.

Lucifer: Yes, we remember. What happened?

Kagura: There was a blackout at the coffee house and when the lights returned seven random people went missing. During the blackout I heard dark chanting coming from the first floor.

Lord Diavolo: Missing people and dark chanting? This does not bode well. Kagura, are you okay?

Kagura: I'm fine.

Lord Diavolo: What happened next? Can you explain all that transpired?

Kagura: I'm coming to that Lord Diavolo. Lucifer, do you remember the time when we went to London and were involved in the murder mystery on the train? During the investigation, Satan had put the witnesses in a trance then told them to return to their compartments so that he could solve the murder.

Lucifer: Yes, I remember, but what is the relation?

Kagura: The same thing was done to the remaining people in the coffee house. When I asked them what happened during the blackout, they said that they felt as if they had fallen in some sort of trance and when the lights came on again, they couldn't remember anything. All they remember was seven people had gone missing.

Lord Diavolo: This is getting dangerous Kagura, please consider returning.

Lucifer: Lord Diavolo is right. I shouldn't have let you go in the first place.

Kagura: Thank you for worrying about me but only one of my dreams had been explained. I must figure out the rest.

Lucifer: As much as I hate to admit it. You're right. This is something you have to do alone. Do you have anything else to report?

Kagura: I do. Lord Diavolo, Lucifer, the next set of information is going to be much more serious. It is connected to the dark chanting I heard and the trances those people were put under. Please try to keep calm. I think this information may affect the Devildom as you had first thought.

Lord Diavolo: As the Demon Prince and next ruler of the Devildom, I need to be calm and prepared for anything that comes my way. Continue, Kagura.

Kagura: After I returned home, I turned on my computer and went on the Internet to find anything on the dark chants and on trances. After searching for some time, I came across some shocking information. While reading the information, I learned that the dark chants are actually potent spells that can induce a deep trance in people, forcing them into a comatose state. Once in this state, whomever the chant targets will become a vessel for possession. I suspect that the seven people who were taken were to act as vessels, but I have no proof of this. I also learned that such spells are often cast by practitioners of Dark Magic. I don't know if my suspicions are correct, but I think the human world has a practitioner or practitioners of Dark Magic. It's too dangerous for me to find out so I hope you and Lucifer can do some investigation on your own in the Devildom to confirm whether or not my suspicions are correct.

Lord Diavolo: Kagura, this is indeed more disturbing. I will call an Emergency Student Council Meeting. Lucifer, make sure that everyone comes. If Kagura's right, something is going on in the human world that is going to directly affect the Devildom. I cannot risk the safety of the Human World and the Devildom.

Lucifer: I'm already on it Lord Diavolo. The Meeting will commence in two hours.

Lord Diavolo: Thank you Lucifer. Kagura, investigating the Dark Mages on your own is indeed too dangerous. This is something that you cannot handle on your own. We will take care of it. For you, just continue to figure out your dreams. Your dreams may also hold the key to all the answers.

Kagura: I understand. Thank you, Lord Diavolo.

Lord Diavolo: Lucifer, I'm going to get going now. I need to let Barbatos know that I won't return to the Castle until later. Kagura, thank you for your report but please stay safe, and keep in touch.

Kagura: You're welcome, Lord Diavolo. Thank you for your concern. I will keep in touch.

Lucifer: Kagura, I need to go as well to prepare for the Meeting. I want to give you my thanks as well. Your suspicions and information will take top priority. Please be extremely careful. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of something catastrophic. Take care and stay safe. I love you.

Kagura: I love you too. Good luck with the Meeting.

She closed her D.D.D then returned it to her purse then looked out. She froze at the scenery before her. They were passing the rocky grasslands of Cornwall and she was on a train. Her nightmare was about to come to pass. Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt then she heard the screams…

Kagura jerked up and looked out the oval window of her sliding door. She saw panicked passengers running by, their eyes wild with fright and skin pale. Several shadowy figures, eyes of demonic red suddenly materialized before them raising something silver. As the light gleamed off the silver, Kagura froze, they were rifles. Gunshots reverberated throughout the car as one by one the passengers fell in their own blood. It was a massacre. Kagura jerked back. Seconds later, a sudden mass of dark energy was suddenly seeping through her door. Without a second thought, Kagura quickly cast an area shield around herself. There was a hiss of excruciating pain before the dark mass dissipated into nothingness.

"She hath power," a voice purred out of the darkness as he watched the dark mass dissipate with emotionless eyes.

"Yes, a great power that our Master requires," agreed a second voice, "These mortals are not important but their souls shalt please Him greatly."

Then a third voice, "Yes they shalt. I sense that she is also here but hidden. We must find her. She shalt be our Master's greatest sacrifice."

A fourth voice, "She shalt be ours but the time is not yet ripe. Our Master wants more human souls. Let us continue with the rest of the mortals."

Kagura froze, shielded from notice. She somehow knew they were talking about her. What do they mean by their Master? And what do they mean by souls to please their Master? Kagura thought. She shook her head. Now was not the time to ponder about this. Kagura knew that if she deactivated her shield, she would be found so she kept the shield in place. She grabbed her bags, found the emergency handle on the window and pulled, deactivating the shield as the window opened. After the shield deactivated, the shadowy figures sensed her presence, but before they could materialize, she jumped, her packs cushioning her fall as she landed and rolled down the grassy hills, not knowing that a rock was in her path. With a sickening thud, her head hit the rock. There was a sudden pain then darkness before she knew no more.