Chapter I:
"The Infinity Party"
The crystal block measuring ten-by-ten centimeters on the crystalline designed desk chimed with a soft sounding pleasant tone, followed by a multi-colored swirling kaleidoscope display within it - but it was not answered. It had been "ringing off the hook" as human's would say about their telephones. To answer it all he would need to do was swipe a hand over the top and speak into it for two-way communication, or, if he wanted a face-to-face communication, he could authorize a projection to appear. Unlike human telephones, he couldn't just yank out the cord to stop it. It was cordless. Although he did have the urge once or twice to toss it out the nearest open window.
Altima signed. He, the newly appointed First Prime of the High Council, feared a civil war was slowly approaching within Reaperdum and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His office had become inundated with reports of insurrection by the former members of the High Council and their cohorts ever since he took office and appointed his new staff. Many people didn't like the change.
Members of the old High Council - who had friends in secret factions, much like an underworld criminal sect - were fuming about the charges of crime and corruption demanding their reinstatement saying the charges was false and accusing Altima of usurping the council as he had once been a Fallen Reaper and this was his revenge. They were referring to the whole affair much like what happened in Ancient Rome and calling him a dictator of sorts even within his short time in office; the old council members were calling him the new Julius Caesar because Caesar had abolished the Senate and made himself sole ruler, fearing the senate's opposition to his personal view of doing things.
Altima knew this was not true and there was no senate, only a High Council of seven members, who met on a monthly bases or for issues of great importance to discuss strategy and rule of law.
But rumor and public opinion appeared to have a higher voice than the High Council. People believed what they wanted, especially if they were involved in illicit gain and didn't want their comfortable lives altered. And even though Altima had appointed new people to the High Council until an official election could be held, three of them had already resigned due to threat of harm and injury. This further enforced just how much corruption there was in the old council and with the factions that supported them.
He did have two deep loyalists on his side, however. Two Reapers that he had absolute trust in. Reapers of such utter allegiance and devotion, protecting him day and night, that he appointed them captains of his new Royal Reaper Guard - a guardmanship solely to protect the First Prime - despite their true lineage of being a quarter-demon. This decision seemed to go against him - allowing two demons to live in Reaperdum. Demons and Reapers hated each other - The Reaper/Demon War many millennia ago could still be remembered by most and many had perished on either side. So having two demons as captainsof his Royal Reaper Guard seemed like blasphemy to most and catered to an overall animosity. But he still had many supporters.
Those who wished to transfer from being Grim Reapers to the Royal Reaper Guard were brought forth. But some Reapers turned against the new order. It was obvious now, some of them had been on the take in the shadows under the old regime and were now showing their true loyalty.
The old council had a great to deal answer for and now the cracks in the government of the old order were starting to show and grow and crumble all around Altima. It almost appeared that there had been more order under the old regime, but it was a corrupt order and it had to be expunged. Too many of Altima's comrades had been stripped of their Reaper status and banished to become Fallen Reapers because of false charges brought against them. Once these Reapers were brought back into the fold with help from Reaper X, they now stood with Altima in the civil war that Altima knew was brewing in Reaperdum.
No violence had occurred yet, only a war of words so far. But Altima knew it would only take one spark to light a fire, one person to throw the first stone to begin the fighting - and he didn't want this. Calls for Altima to resign were demanded daily and the media reported on the growing unrest in Reaperdum. This was not what Altima wanted, but he knew sometimes the filth of a civilization must first be cleansed away for its shine to come through again. He also knew neither side wanted a war, because it would be bloody.
All but two of the Reaper X teams had been recalled - those Reapers appointed to round up Fallen Reapers and remove their powers, powers they had to possess human bodies despite exiled to a disembodied existence for their crimes as others had done before wreaking havoc in the Human World - and were asked to stand by Altima, reallocated to his Royal Reaper Guard, under the command of his two captains- Braydon and Brandon Smythe. They were twin Reapers, half-human, quarter demon, and sons of a very power demon, who now stood as butler to the human boy under a Faustian covenant. Altima had originally asked the boys to become Grim Reapers years prior because he thought they had the right deposition and skills for it, and they did. And they were strictly loyal to Altima.
Altima, in a past life, possessed a human boy named Bryan, who later became the man servant to the Smythe family, whom a young demon named Damascus married into. Braydon and Brandon were born to Damascus, this demon and a human woman. While they were quarter demon, their father half demon, half human, they did not possess the bloodlust of their father. Their father had a great deal of discipline to hold off his own bloodlust for a time after years of practice. But the boys still had this thirst for blood, instinct was irrefutable - a person can not deny who they are. But it had been overcome with a fruit that grew in Reaperdum called Ambrosia. While Ambrosia to humans is an aphrodisiac for love, to Braydon and Brandon, it worked and hindered their need for human blood and the intake for soul energy.
In a sense, to Braydon and Brandon, their loyalty to him also stemmed to that of a family member. They had known each other for quite some time, grew up with Altima, as Bryan he was their manservant and babysitter, he was also like an uncle and in fact they called him such. After Bryan was killed by their younger brother Decco - a demon whose bloodlust was boundless, and who one point had gathered an army to usurp the king of demons, Lucifer himself, before he died, killed by his father because he was too dangerous - Altima emerged and was later asked to take care of the boys, educate them, because Damascus, their father, could not. Altima accepted the job. And that was over 200 years ago.
Altima's office chambers was luxurious in his abundance. Crystal adorned almost every wall with its transparent windows looking out over all of Reaperdum in a perfect rotunda. The windows were tinted and black if you looked in, but clear when looking out. He enjoyed looking out upon Reaperdum. It brought Altima a sense of joy that in nearly 10,000 years since he was banished from Reaperdum, with speaking out against the council and became a Fallen Reaper, that nothing much had changed.
Tall buildings of glass and marble stood high into the sky dazzled with sparkling adornment the entire landscape, glazed and reflecting by the multi-faceted blue hue of the sky. There were also parks and glass lands. Pretty much what someone would find in the Human World, Reaperdum also had it…but more advanced. In the distance, he could see the large campus of Reaperdum University or Reaper U to most, with its multitude of buildings housing every facet of education for up-and-coming Grim Reapers, where all the new recruits were trained before they were sent on their way for a long service in the Grim Reapers. After a certain time, perhaps 10,000 years or so, some developed other ambitions and entered into politics. Every politician in Reaperdum at one point honed their craft as a Grim Reaper. And even some, like the members of old High Council, had even bigger ambitions.
Reaperdum also had a vast network of frequency communication - signals that carried wavelengths through the air instantaneously. No cords, no annoying tapping from devices humans called telegrams, and no wasteful paper for notes or signatures called Telegraph. Everything was done by highly advanced light beam and wavelength. If a person wished to speak with another person, he or she merely waved a hand in the air and a small viewer box generated by light frequency appeared before them and then they could speak that someone face-to-face, no time lag either.
As he stared out one of the open faced windows, he saw Reapers carrying on with their daily tasks, some using "flying machines" called Speeders to move around to race through the skies quickly. Most Reapers had the ability to teleport from place to place, but some preferred other conventional and conservative means - and they were fun too. Humans were just now discovering their technology with the Industrial Age using machines to better their lives to construct buildings and other things. But Altima knew it would be some time before humans built machines that flew through the air and even then, he knew, further time to perfect them where death was not a certainty from carelessness with highly combustible substances.
Braydon and Brandon stood on the other side of Altima's desk dressed in their RRG dark blood red uniforms holding folders. Their jackets were double buttoned with a silver strap running diagonal from their left shoulder and behind their back. They were Reapers, they were quarter-demons, but when Altima was appointed First Prime he also implemented new prodicals that didn't sit well with some and appointed a guardsmenship to protect the office of the First Prime. Braydon and Brandon were not the best suited for the position, but they did exhibit a hidden militaristic and leadership axel that when trained as Reapers came shining through. Moreover, albeit they were still young when it came to Reaper experience and age requirement, Altima trusted the boys implicitly despite their demon heritage. A man like the First Prime of the High Council needed people around him that he could trust.
On some of the walls were "mist monitors" - projection floating screens - that showed media coverage and reports from the civil unrest in Reaperdum, which were silent for the moment but still broadcasting. He had had hoped overturning the old High Council would bring peace. Unfortunately it did the opposite and if he resigned as called upon to do - he had once been a Fallen Reaper and under the Criminal Reaper Code, no criminal is allowed to hold office, his so-called "crime" was being outspoken about the High Council's illicit affairs and how they conducted themselves, for which his allegations turned out to be true, his record being expunged - it would not help matters. The damage had been done.
"Report please," he asked, his hands clasped behind his back.
Brandon looked at Braydon with a grim expression, then turned back to Altima. Altima could see a reflection of their worried faces in the transparent glass. "Not good news, Uncle," Brandon said. "Three more Reapers have switched sides and the Infinity Party is still demanding your resignation."
The "Infinity Party", those who opposed to Altima. Their motto: An Infinity of Peace in an Infinite Time. Fitting because for Reapers were infinite. The group was formed by its mysterious leader, much like a cult. This mysterious leader had never shown his face, but he was aggressive in his ideals and always used a proxy to state them. Critics called him a coward that he had never been seen, others followed him without fault - his words enchanting enough to bring validity in an uncertain time in Reaperdum. Even though he had never shown his face, his words were enough to bring fellowship to those vulnerable and susceptible to them, especially those who strongly opposed Altima's new position.
"They feel that with your new appointment that you caused this unrest," Braydon said, but he shook his head. "I don't believe this Uncle. This person behind the Infinity Party is Reaperdum's true enemy."
"They can claim anything they wish," Altima said. "Nothing will change the fact that with the introduction of the Infinity Party, Reaperdum is in a state of political unrest regardless of my new position."
"We disagree with their assessment of the situation," Brandon said. "And not just because we are family. From a sociological and political standpoint, you have more positive support and clout then this person in the Infinity Party. It is only this group and a few selected factions that see you as a threat."
Altima was taken aback for a moment, he turned around. "A threat? A threat to whom?" But he put up a hand before either the twins could answer. "Never mind. A threat to the old regime, the corruption they stood for. I suppose the corruption was rooted much deeper than I originally surmised. I thought Reapers were neutral, I assumed wrong. Why are so many taking the Infinity Party's side?"
The twins looked at each other, as if they had an answer but didn't wish to share it, as if it would upset him. Most political leader aids did so, kept things to themselves so it would not upset their leader.
"You are here to protect me, I know this," Altima said. "But if I need to know something, I need to know it to keep abreast on my enemies. Your expressions of grim are obvious."
Brandon slumped is shoulders, abasing his eyes from Altima. "We are embarrassed that we can not find any information on the leader of the Infinity Party," he said. "We are sorry."
"No need to apologize," Altima said with a smile. "I know your new roles as captains of my newly established Royal Reaper Guard are new and it will take time for information to come your way."
"This leader claims what he is doing is for the good of Reaperdum and sees you 'as a disease to the body', his words," Braydon said. "He is whispering in Reaper's ears and convincing them to join him, that he will save Reaperdum from a tyranny greater than the great war many millennia ago."
Altima looked reflective for a moment. "Yes, that was a very terrible war. It lasted many millennia, and to an extent it is still going on. Many of my friends died. I was a mere soldier at the time, but I learned later, secretly, that had been nefariously planned by the old High Council for political gain. You see, the Reaperdum was in an era of peace. And an envoy from the High Council visited Hell with a gift. Every 1,000 years, the Reaperdum allocated a certain amount of energy to give to Morning Star, Lucifer, to continue the peace between our two worlds. But someone stole the gift and Morning Star accused the High Council of reneging on a deal that appeared to have been established since the dawn of time - history lost on who made this deal. A world of words then erupted, and then something derogatory was said that sparked a 1,000 year war between Hell and Reaperdum many, many thousands of years ago."
"What happened to this gift of energy?" Braydon asked.
"No one knows, not even to this day. But rumors were abound that the High Council kept it and consumed it themselves, because it was of such rich and pure energy given freely by all Reapers and purified - it was like the finest of the finest of alcohol to Morning Star. It was rumored that one of their aids witnessed all seven of the old council members drinking one night in their private chambers with others, boasting how they kept the "gift" for themselves, that the envoy claimed that he was robbed by spirits in capes."
"Reapers…" Brandon voiced quietly. "Or pretending to be Reapers."
"I agree. And through extensive investigation, after returning from the war as a soldier and then joining the Department of Investigative Affairs before it was merged and renamed just the Department of Reaper Affairs and long before William T Spears was appointed head of the department, I forget the name of the Reaper who became its head at the time, I learned that their was truth to the rumors the old High Council had indeed pilfered the gift from Morning Star for themselves, and hence started the war with the demons. But when I spoke out about it and my aids were subsequentially removed, meaning banished, and my evidence stolen, I was sentenced to live the rest of my existence in exile as a Fallen Reaper. I was offered no defense council and sentenced swiftly. People were afraid to speak out against the old High Council fearing the same fate.
"I drifted for thousands of years…" Then he looked at the boys and smiled. "And then I met Bryan, and then you two came along. Often it takes a great deal of pain and sacrifice to eventually find a peace everlasting. You boys are like my sons, I brought you up with your father. He is a good man, despite being a demon. Half demon. You two make me proud, and your father is proud of you as well. But trust me, I did not mean to cause this unrest in Reaperdum. I am attempting to clean up the mess left behind. I was appointed properly to First Prime by my peers when the truth was finally revealed."
"We know, Uncle Altima," Braydon said.
"And we are here to help you take out the garbage," Brandon said with a smile.
Altima returned the smile. "Good. Now, as captains of my Royal Reaper Guard, tell me - how is moral among the ranks?"
"Good for the most part, sir," Brandon reported. "No major issues to report."
To be continued...