Part II

Back in the Human World and an Ominous Find

Kagura appeared in a blinding light and found herself back in the same cellar that she, Satan, Lucifer, and Mammon had landed in when she first went to the human world. The shelves in the cellar still held various glass bottles. The scent of a brewery was just as overpowering. She saw the same barrels of beer lying around as well. What had Mammon called this place? She remembered, Hell's Gate Tavern. The Tavern was one of the Gateways between the Human Realm and the Devildom. The cobblestone steps leading to the main building were still as musty as when she first stepped foot in here and the sign reading To All Unearthly Visitors, Please Knock was still as dilapidated. Above her, she heard the hustle and bustle of people working; people that Mammon had owed a debt to that Lucifer had paid however reluctantly.

With hesitation, she climbed the stairs and entered the Tavern, hoping that she would not meet the same people as before. She was in luck. There was no one there who recognized her. As she left the Tavern and stepped out into beautiful, sunny London, she was happy. Kagura was finally back! Her house wasn't far and the day was gorgeous so she decided to walk home. A few minutes later, she arrived at her blue, trimmed in white Victorian house then checked her answering machine for any messages. There were none so she shut it off then went to her room to unpack. After she finished unpacking, she decided to call her parents first to check up on them before she message Lucifer and Satan to tell them that she had arrived safely.

She dialed their number and waited for them to answer. It wasn't long before her father picked up.

"Hi dad, it's me, Kagura. How are you and mom?"

"Kagura, it's so nice to hear from you. Your mom and I are just fine. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I just called to say 'hi' and let you two know that I'll be in London for a few days then I plan to go to Cornwall for a visit. While there, I think I'm going to visit Uncle Monty before going to the ocean villa. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. Say 'hi' to your uncle for us. When you get to the villa, just settle in. I wish we could join you at the villa but your mom has a tour in Wales. I'm coming along as well since there aren't any consultation requests. I'm sorry honey."

"It's okay dad. Have fun in Wales and say 'hi' to mom for me. I'll be fine. Do I need to go downtown to stock up on anything?"

"No, everything is stocked. If you think you need anything else, you can go downtown."

"Okay."

After chatting some more, Kagura said goodbye to her dad than hung up.

Kagura was relieved. Her parents seem fine to her. Her vision of them being sad and in pain may be just an overactive imagination. With that in mind, she turned to her other task, messaging Lucifer and Satan. Kagura took out her D.D.D and started to type the messages. I'll message Satan first since I didn't say goodbye to him before I left with Lucifer. He'll be worried. Kagura thought.

Kagura: Satan, it's me Kagura. Lucifer and I left for the portal earlier this morning. I'm back in my world now.

Satan: Got it. Thanks for letting me know. I was getting worried when I didn't see you. Stay safe my princess. I love you.

Kagura: I will. I love you too.

Then Kagura messaged Lucifer.

Kagura: Lucifer, I've arrived safely in my world. I'll see you after vacation.

Lucifer: I'm glad that you arrived safely. Make sure to stay safe. I love you. See you after vacation and good luck.

Kagura: Thank you Lucifer. I love you too.

Kagura closed her D.D.D then grabbed her purse. It was time for some good old fashioned coffee at her favorite coffee house. Oh how she missed that place. I wonder if the owner would be working today. It would be good to see him and to catch up, she thought. Kagura had known the owner for a long time now. Will had owned the coffee house for a long time now. His family was the ones who rebuilt it after the Great Fire of London. Kagura found the place by accident while she was out shopping for books. The coffee house had drawn her immediately. It was quaint and cozy and had two floors. From the second floor window, one could gaze out at the beauty of London. Remembering that view, Kagura was more than eager to get there. She locked up then made her way to the coffee house.

Will's Coffee House on No. 1 Bow Street on the corner of Russell Street was almost filled to the max when Kagura arrived. She greeted the barista then made her way to her usual seat on the second floor that overlooked all of London. Anna, one of the waitresses came over and greeted Kagura.

"Kagura, it's nice to see you again. You haven't been by for a while now. Been busy?"

Kagura nodded, "Kind of. Is Will here?"

Anna shook her head, "He went on a business trip and hasn't returned yet. Did you need him for something?"

"Not really. I just wanted him to know that I'll be in London for a few days before I go to Cornwall."

"I'll let him know when he returns. The usual I assume?"

Kagura nodded

"All right, be right back," Anna said as she left to get her order.

It wasn't long before her coffee arrived along with a slice of tiramisu.

"Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thanks Anna"

She nodded than left.

A few minutes later as Kagura was finishing her tiramisu, she saw another woman had come to the second floor. She seated herself in a booth across from her and ordered a cup of Americano then pulled out a newspaper to read. Kagura froze as she stared in shock. It was the woman from her dream. Her brown hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and was reading something from her newspaper looking serious just like what Kagura had seen in her dream. Kagura couldn't believe it. Her dream was slowly coming true. Kagura took a deep breath and picked up her remaining tiramisu and walked to the booth where the mysterious woman sat. She had to get to the bottom of this.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I join you?"

The woman looked up and Kagura stared. She knew her. It was Detective Inspector Shirley McPhee from Scotland Yard. Her dad was often asked to consult on the cases she and her task force had led.

Inspector McPhee smiled in recognition, "Kagura, it's good to see you again. Of course you may join me. How is your father?"

"He is doing well," Kagura said as she sat down across from her. "Thank you for asking. How is Commissioner Monro?"

"The Commissioner is doing well but busy as always."

Kagura nodded in understanding. After a moment, Kagura asked, "So what brings you here? Is it your day off?"

"Yes, so I'm spending my day off here. I do love a relaxing cup of coffee while reading the paper."

"I see that. I'm like that too." Kagura laughed, "So is there anything interesting in the paper?"

"Nothing big that draws my attention as of yet, however, there is something here that I feel need some looking into."

"Oh?" Kagura looked at where Inspector McPhee pointed. It was a short article she had been reading when Kagura first saw her. Kagura read it then went still, "A series of unexplained blackouts and strange disappearances have been happening in and around the coffee houses of the Covent Garden area since yesterday. According to nearby witnesses, coffee houses would suddenly go dark then light up again. When the lights return seven random people would go missing from the coffee house. Authorities are baffled by this phenomenon and are currently trying to figure it out. No answers have been found as of yet." Kagura couldn't believe it. The article's content was describing the blackout she saw in her dream but the difference is the blackout she saw occurred after talking with Inspector McPhee, the mysterious woman in her dream, not the blackouts in the article. As her mind was trying to process this knowledge she heard Inspector McPhee's voice calling to her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Kagura, are you okay? You look a little pale."

Kagura forced a calmness she didn't feel then replied, "I'm okay. The article just shocked me. That was all."

Inspector McPhee looked at Kagura and said, "You aren't the only one."

Kagura nodded in agreement, "So are you planning to investigate it?"

Inspector McPhee looked thoughtful, "So far, nothing I have read requires an investigation team to be put together but it is interesting enough for me to look into."

"Good luck. I wish I could help but I'll only be in London for a few days then I'm going to head to Cornwall. It's been a while since I last visited the place."

"Have fun. It's a good time to visit Cornwall."

"I know. There are so many places to see."

Before Inspector McPhee could reply, there was a sudden blackout then total darkness.

"What…" Kagura started as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

"Shh…There's something going on in the first floor. Listen."

Kagura listened and went still. Dark chanting was coming from the first floor of the coffee house, the chant echoing all around her. A few seconds later, she sensed a dark aura coming toward them and without thinking she activated an invisible shield to protect Inspector McPhee and herself. The aura hit the shield before it dissipated into nothingness. Sighing with relief, Kagura deactivated the shield just as the lights went on.

Inspector McPhee turned to Kagura, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine as well. Let's return to the first floor. I need to talk with the staff and customers."

Kagura nodded, and followed Inspector McPhee downstairs.

It wasn't surprising when Kagura and Inspector McPhee found out that seven people had gone missing but it was surprising when they found out the staff and the other customers don't remember what had happened after the blackout. All they could remember was that when the blackout occurred, everyone felt as if they were put into some kind of trance. When the lights returned, seven people were missing. Kagura went still when she heard that. Only demons can use that power. It couldn't be the demons. They weren't in the human realm.

She looked at Inspector McPhee and said, "A trance? Isn't that sort of like what hypnotists do?"

"Yes, but hypnotists don't do it intentionally unless they have a reason. Looks like I'm going to have to dig deeper and find out what's going on before I decide whether to put together a task force. Kagura, I'll need to report this to Commissioner Monro so I'll take my leave. It was nice to see you again. Say 'hi' to your father for me and keep in touch."

Kagura nodded as Inspector McPhee left to report to Scotland Yard.

A few minutes later, Kagura also left. While walking home, her thoughts went back to all that had happened. What on earth is going on here? People put into trances, people going missingshe needed answers but there were none. However, she felt that something big was going down, something beyond her imagination.

It wasn't long before she arrived home. Closing the door behind her, Kagura went to her living room and sat down to do some thinking. Should she tell Lucifer about the recent events? She thought about it for a while before deciding not to. She needed more information but how was she going to get it? The events that had happened were supernatural in nature. She thought about it some more when an idea suddenly flashed into her mind. She could consult the grimoire in her possession. The grimoire had "shown" her how to call upon it and conceal it whenever she needed it. Holding out her hand, she called upon it, "Veni foras!" Seconds later, in a flash of silvery white light, the grimoire appeared with the seal in place. The next step was to unseal it. She touched the seal and it opened, revealing pages upon pages of ancient spells for all the elements of the universe: Fire, Water and Ice, Wind, Earth, Darkness and Light. She knew them all. Kagura stared, remembering the power and knowledge that had filled her.

Remembering that she was looking for more information, she went to the page about Dark Magic to see if there was anything on the dark chant she heard back at the coffee house. Kagura scanned the information until she found it. As she read it, she became speechless with shock. According to the grimoire, the chant was a potent spell to induce a very deep trance forcing a comatose state. Once in this state, whoever the spell targets will become a vessel for demonic or dark possession. It is often cast by practitioners of Dark Magic or Demonic Magic. As Kagura continued to read, she found even more disturbing information. Dark Magic or Demonic Magic can also create, destroy and reconstruct anything as well as warp reality. The practitioners were often dark and evil entities or those related to them.

Kagura closed the grimoire and the seal returned to place. This was bad. Really, really bad, she thought. If this was true then not only will the human world be affected but also the Devildom. What's even more concerning is that if such magic is being used by a Dark Mage or some Evil Entity, it will cause something astronomical in both worlds. She must let Lucifer and Lord Diavolo know for the safety of both worlds. If it was an Evil Entity then...Kagura's thought stopped there as she remembered the vision the grimoire had shown her. Could that vision be about this? Kagura hoped not. The information was enough to report to Lucifer and Lord Diavolo but her dream about Cornwall and the train incident was still not explained. Before she could report anything, she had to figure out those parts of her dream. It looks like she'll be leaving London earlier than planned. With that in mind, she put away the grimoire, "Celare!" she commanded and the grimoire disappeared. Kagura looked at the disappearing grimoire and shook her head. She'll need to get used to that as well as the command to bring it forth. Returning to her room, Kagura took out her overnight bag and started packing for her trip to Cornwall. After she finished, she made another call to her dad. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hi dad, it's me. I called to let you know two things. First is that I ran into Inspector McPhee earlier today. She wanted to say 'hi'."

"Hi honey. Thank you for relaying her message. How are she and Commissioner Monro?"

"Both are doing fine. A recent case came up and they're going to look into it. It's about the disappearances from the coffee houses in the Covent Garden area."

"I've read about that."

"I have as well."

"I'm not surprised. You love reading about these things ever since you were a little girl."

Kagura laughed, "I remember. They were very interesting to me and I never got bored. The other thing I wanted to tell you is that I'll be leaving for Cornwall today."

"Okay. I'll let your mother know. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks dad."

After chatting some more, Kagura hung up then grabbed her bags and keys. The fastest way to get to Cornwall was to drive. One could also take the bus. However, those options were out because first, she didn't have a car and the second way was too slow. The only option left was to take the train. With a sigh, she locked up before making her way to London-Paddington Station.